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Mantra Raw Vegan, Milan

Mantra Raw Vegan is the very first raw, vegan food bar in Milan. It’s curated by chef Alberto Minio Paluello, who trained at the Matthew Kenney Academy in Santa Monica.

Paluello brings his Italian passion for food and expertise in raw “cooking” to this trailblazing, innovative kitchen. It’s  an Instagram delight and a favourite of the King of Fashion, Karl Lagerfeld.

The setting

The café is based in the more contemporary east side of Milan. I went with a friend and as we entered there’s a market space where you can buy take away options like raw desserts, juices and snacks.

There’s also a half open kitchen where you can see the chef creating his artworks.

At the back of the restaurant is the dining room. The setting is minimal and modern with a stripped back palette, aluminium lighting and coloured vinyl chairs. A few little cactuses add warmth to the room. I loved the cosy the grey blankets.

The little things

They have a shop and a selection of containers where you can scoop your own portion of one of their treats. There are kale chips, chocolate walnuts and raw crackers.

The green juice test

Our green juices came in a wine glass. All the green juices were sold out so I went for the Purple Zen and my friend chose the Yellow Aim.

The Purple Zen was a mix of beets, apple and ginger and tasted more like a green juice – it wasn’t sweet at all (despite the apple).

The Yellow Aim was really special, because it was made of melon, lime and rosewater! The rosewater and the melon combined together to make the juice really delicate, but the lime gave it zing.

What we ate

We both had the two choice menu – a starter and a selection dish of the day which was pumpkin ravioli and walnut with mushroom balls. We ordered 2 different dishes and starters and shared everything between us.

The starter was a homemade carrot bread topped with a very thick layer of avocado smash, cherry tomato, lettuce, pretty edible flowers, e.v.o oil(extra virgin oil) and lemon marinated fennel on top, which gave the dish a very fresh flavour. The mushroom and walnut balls came with marinara sauce and some lettuce garnish.

The “no meatballs” were very crispy which was pretty impressive for raw food!

Our other plate was carrot bread with “feta cheese” and mushrooms. The feta cheese was stunning, it was really thick like real feta, but was made of soaked almonds and nutritional yeast! The pumpkin ravioli were filled with pine nuts and spinach fondue and came with some cilantro/pumpkin seed pesto and sweet and sour apple.

For dessert we had the tirawmisu (as we are in Italy)!

The base of the tirawmisu was made from hazelnuts soaked in caffeine-free coffee, and it did really taste like the traditional soaked lady finger cookies. The cream was made of coconut with beetroot juice (for the pink colour).

We also had a raw pie with a base of dried mango and a topping made from from soaked cashews with lime. Delicious!

The bill

Two Choices menu x 2   24EU
Purple Zen   5,90EU
Yellow Aim  5,90EU
Tiramisu  7EU
Raw pie  7EU

 

What else?

Mantra Raw Vegan is the first raw and vegan food bar in Italy so massive applause to them!

What made us glow?

It’s a real feast on your plate, all the food looks so pretty that you almost don’t want to eat it! Plus, the variety of ingredients they combine make the dishes very special …and it’s all raw, so packed with nutrition!

 

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Notting Hill: Farmacy, superstylish plant-power

The founder of Farmacy, Camilla Fayed, believes that people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of the ‘conscious eating’ movement, so she opened Farmacy two years ago to reflect this.

Serving vegan food (plus eggs) and including many gluten-free, refined sugar free and raw dishes on the extensive menu…it has to be on our Glowcation hit list!

The setting

Farmacy occupies a large corner space on Notting Hill’s Westbourne Grove. As you approach, you see hanging plants and twining ivy surrounding the large windows and entrance.

Once inside, the plant theme continues and there is a useful, small waiting area (since it can be very busy).

The restaurant has been designed around a central green wood and brass bar. There are lots of wooden tables, plus plush booths and banquettes around the walls. The large windows flood the room with light and the many plants create a natural vibe which tones with the green upholstery and ties in with the food.

The little things

In every window there are coloured vases with plants. They have clearly thought really well about all the little details in the restaurant. There are plug sockets at the wall and window tables.

The fresh juice test

For my very first green juice test, I chose the greenest juice possible: the Alkaline booster – cucumber, kale, celery, spinach, romaine, lemon and parsley. Normally,

I like to include a sweet component like apple or pear, so this one was very green for me and not sweet at all.

I did like it though, as I got a huge vitamin boost, but the celery was too strong for me, so that’s why I’m not 100% sold on my choice.

What we ate

My friend and I shared two plates, one sweet, one savoury. Seeing they had waffles on the menu, I was sold in ten seconds and so we had the Chocolate Chip Warrior waffles and the Macro bowl. We started off with the waffles. As a serious waffle fan, I have to admit  I’ve never had such crisp waffles before – which I think is even more impressive for vegan waffles.

The delicious waffles came with house made “nutella”, coconut yoghurt, banana and cacao nibs.

The “nutella” had a very rich cacao flavour and no sign of crunchiness from hazelnuts. I t was a smooth paste, like real Nutella! That – together with the co-yo – was a great combination with the super crunchy waffles and cacao nibs.

Farmacy
Farmacy

The Macro Bowl was basic, minimal and clean – quinoa served with avocado, seaweed, sauerkraut, steamed seasonal greens & sweet potato with a miso ginger dressing.

I normally don’t really like salad dressing, but the miso ginger dressing had a very rich, nutty flavour and finished off the dish.

The bill

The green juice £7
Matcha latte £6
Waffles £10.50
Macro bowl £14.50

What else

You can get a chance to see the chefs at work on the way to the toilet as you pass by the kitchen. Plus there’s a private room with a huge square table, plants, posters and candles

What made us glow

Our dishes and the dishes around me. They were all so pretty that I couldn’t stop looking to see what someone else had ordered.

I really liked the interior.

Interiors are always important for me, as a well furnished restaurant makes me more excited about the food! And last, but not least, the waffles really made me glow! I was so impressed by the crunchiness of them!

To read our interview with the founder Camilla Fayed click here. 

Farmacy

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Flatiron: AbcV, NYC’s super chic veggie hotspot

Georges Vongerichten of AbcV is the first top chef to create a vegetarian restaurant in Manhattan.

It’s green haute cuisine in a super-cool space. Plant-based, non-GMO, sustainable and organic where possible – what’s not to love?

His fashionable, shareable plates prove that food that’s good for you (and the planet) can be just as flavour-packed as any served in NYC’s most competitive fine dining restaurants.

The setting

Based in Flatiron’s ABC Carpet and Home Store, the space is as glamorous as the food.

It features an open kitchen, a bustling bar with seating and take out options, plus there’s a dining room with reservable seats.

The decor is all white with pops of neon colour plus dramatic chandeliers hang overhead adding urban glamour. We sat in the table in the window watching New York go by.

The little things

We loved the decor. The lighting was fresh and stylish. And we were fascinated by their juicing machines.

The fresh juice test

We tried two juices: the Greenglow organic pressed juice, a zingy mix of spinach, kale, green apple, citrus and the Root Reboot a spicy combo of beetroot, carrots, ginger, lemon, orange.

However, AbcV is also famous for its signature superfood smoothies.

At $12 a pop, they’re not cheap but they are packed with nutrients. We tried to the yogurt, berry, and bee pollen power trio, designed to give your immune system a boost.

What else?

You can also take-away the food, juices and smoothies.

What we ate

We went for the gluten free almond pancakes, with banana,  whipped cream and a mini jug of maple syrup on the side.

Delicious!

Then we tried the filling sunny side up eggs with a side of market vegetables, herbs and pickled chilli.

The bill

Pancakes $18
Sunny side up eggs, $15
Organic pressed juices $13

What made us glow

The location, the decor and the food.

It’s a must visit when you are in New York followed by a walk along the beautiful High Line.

 

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Covent Garden: The plant-food innovator, Wild Food Café

Wild Food Cafe’s vision is to provide “innovative plant-food for the new generation of movers and shakers and to transform humanity’s relationship with food”.

As you enter the first floor café you walk up the steps past a William Blake quotation -“To see the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower, to hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour”. You turn right through a velvet curtain and the buzzing cafe awaits.

The energy hits you, the food is vegan and the innovative menu certainly lives up to their mission statement.

The setting

The decor is pink and pine but don’t be fooled – the menu and clientele are all bang up to date. The first floor room is flooded with light from large windows overlooking the rainbow-painted Neal’s Yard. It’s communal and casual.

The kitchen and bar is at one end of the room and most of the long tables are shared.

The staff are energetic and friendly. We didn’t spot any plug sockets, but it’s a great place to settle with a laptop.

The little things

We loved their unique water filter system. All water used in cooking and the complementary water served at the tables has been filtered through a state of the art filtration system with 10 levels of natural media mimicking nature’s cycles.

Wild Food Cafe then further ‘activate’ the water using leading-edge vortex and infrared ceramics.

The fresh juice test

There’s choice of 3 juices and all are tempting. We had the Vibrant Green a combo of cucumber, celery, seasonal greens, pear, swiss chard, parsley, ginger. Tasty and not too sweet. We will return for the Price of Persia  a mix of pomegranate, dulse, rose water and sea salt…

What we ate

We shared the Venus Bowl- a wholesome mix of  Mother Mary root super-slaw, quinoa, Jerusalem artichoke, roast sweet potato, broccoli, sprouts, hemp seed, olives

However, the showstopper (and Instagram star!) was the Golden Milk Latte.

We were already fans of turmeric latte, but this took a “hug in a mug” to whole new level! Presented like an ice-cream sundae, you can eat the topping of coconut whip and granola with a spoon, before sipping the creamy mix of turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, pumpkin, black pepper, date caramel, ginger. It was beyond delicious!

It was difficult to choose from the tempting dessert menu, but we went for the raw chocolate tart with date caramel plus the pear and hibiscus cheesecake with pumpkin seed and coconut granola.

Both were delightful, dairy free and exceptionally Instagrammable.

The bill

Juice £6.50
Venus Bowl salad £14.50
Chocolate tart £7.00
Pear and Hibiscus Cheesecake £8.00
Golden Milk Latte £5.00

What else?

Wild Food cafe has an online shop, they run cooking courses and the food is available for delivery on Uber Eats.

What made us glow?

The Golden Milk latte and the buzz! We will return for more!