Three new eateries bring healthy options to Macquarie Centre

Finding healthy but tasty food can often be a challenge, but the lunch break dash has recently become a little easier for Macquarie Centre patrons with three new additions.

Primrose Cafe’s new menu includes a range of vegetarian options like the best-selling mushroom on sourdough. Pictures: Angelo Velardo

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Finding healthy but tasty food can often be a challenge, but the lunch break dash has recently become a little easier for Macquarie Centre patrons.

The shopping centre recently welcomed three new cafes to the fold, each offering a range of healthy choices.

Primrose Cafe co-owner Karlina Widjaja with the cafe’s soft shell crab croissant. Picture: Angelo Velardo

Primrose Cafe, which took over Coffee Trails on Level 2 near David Jones in November, launched its new healthy menu two weeks ago offering all-day breakfast as well as salads and nourish bowls.

Co-owner Karlina Widjaja said she wanted to open a cafe to offer more options for health-conscious foodies like herself.

Her favourite dish on the new menu is the low-carb zucchini noodles.

“This is like comfort food for me, but it’s very healthy,” she said.

Primrose Cafe’s zoodles with a side of coffee made using their in-house blend. Picture: Angelo Velardo

On the other side of Level 2 is Poked, nestled in the food court near the ice skating rink.

The poke bowl company opened in Macquarie Centre in December — its first venue in a shopping centre.

Poked, founded by the team behind Scroll ice cream, started in Melbourne in 2016 after a holiday to Hawaii sparked their interest in what was then a relatively unknown trend in Australia.

Poked’s Dylan Davis at the newly opened Macquarie Centre store. Picture: Angelo Velardo

One of Poked’s best-selling dishes — the I Lava Spice. Picture: Angelo Velardo

The company will open its 11th store next month as the demand for healthy, quick food continues to grow.

Part owner Dylan Davis said the store can serve customers a poke bowl in less than three minutes.

“We’re really healthy, really fast food,” he said.

Downstairs on Level 1, A Cup of Life Cafe opened near Flight Centre in January with an extensive menu offering a range of healthy breakfast and lunch choices served alongside Brookvale roaster Danes Speciality Coffee.

The cafe is run by Michael Rahmati, who ran Casba Cafe in Castle Towers for 20 years before opening the new 80-seat cafe in Macquarie Centre.

“We always try to be different,” he said.

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