Bali, UbudZest, a vegan café with an unmissable view

By Fabienne Dobbe @modelslovefood
15 May '19

Zest has amazing views, an uber cool space and they are 100% plant-based. They use “locally grown tasty fruits, shoots and roots” to create their innovative dishes. The restaurant sources produce from local organic farmers, artisans and even their own staff.

The setting

Zest is a little uphill walk from the centre of Ubud, near the stunning Campuhan Ridge walk .

The space

Although Zest is on a busy road, as soon as you enter you instantly feel a sense of calm.  You pass a Buddha and it looks like you’re entering a temple, not a restaurant.

The space is built around a tree. There are relaxing sofas, and tables with an amazing view of Campuhan Ridge and modern art on the interior walls .

They have a very strong WiFi and you can work. However, if it’s busy they politely ask you to move to quieter area of the restaurant.

You can reserve tables (and it does get busy at lunch and dinner time), sit in or get a take away. When I came to review it was around 9 am and pretty peaceful. The food comes fast and the service is super friendly.

The little things that make a difference

This menu is interesting. It promotes native superfoods such as moringa, soursop, starfruit,  jackfruit, cassava, and turmeric. Plus, we were impressed by their commitment to being an eco-conscious establishment. They aim for zero waste by using cloth drink coasters, cloth napkins and glass and metal straws.

The fresh juice test

They have a great drinks menu including warm infusions, elixirs, shots, shakes, smoothies and freshly squeezed juices.

I had a carrot, beetroot, jicama and ginger juice. It had a very earthy taste because of the vegetables and the ginger gave it a strong spice kick.

The juice was freshly made and came with a metal straw. Next, I had fresh moringa shot with pineapple, as I wanted to sample a local superfood.  Most of the Balinese people kick start their day with a moringa shot. The beautiful green shot tasted of the pineapple, but I felt great afterwards.

What we ate

Zest serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have a lot of vegan options on the menu from Indonesian food, to tapas to raw pizzas. I had the Zest pancakes and the smoothie bowl, which are two of the famous breakfast dishes at Zest.

The smoothie bowl was a blend of banana, moringa and katuk leafs and was topped with dragon fruit, papaya, granola, shaved coconut, cashews, granola and mint leaves.

It looked beautiful and was very tasty. The pancake was stacked with mango, coconut, caramelised banana and topped with a rich chocolate sauce and dragon fruit.

What we’d come back for…

The view over Ubud is amazing. Incredible plant-based food and that view of nature- what’s not to love!

The bill

Zest pancakes  70K RPH
Green smoothie bowl  78K RPH
Fresh moringa and pineapple shot  25K RPH
Carrot, beetroot, ginger, jicama juice  50K RPH

 

Zest

Jl Raya Penestanan Kelod no.8 (1.24 km) 80571
Ubud

+62 823 4006 5048
visit website
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