Sadhana Kitchen Bondi Beach

The vegan bandwagon has been well and truly powering along for a couple of years now, and there are more options than ever for those who choose to adopt a plant-based diet. I am not a vegan, but I have been curious about the new crop of vegan restaurants popping up in the trendy suburbs of Sydney and am keen to discover how they are able to attract food-lovers while denying patrons any animal product.

Prior to the vegan diet becoming popularised, one of the main reasons why I turned my nose up at vegan food is that they often try to fake animal products instead of allowing vegetables and fruits to speak for themselves. The sound of 'imitation beef' or 'no-meat steak' was quite off-putting to me, because being as familiar as I already am with tofu, I simply don't think they pass off as meat. However, the repetoire of vegan chefs have expanded well beyond soy products, so it's time to give vegan food a fair try. 

Let's start with 'mylk'-based drinks. 

Golden Mylk Tumeric Tonic, $6.50

This was awful, straight up. I was over-excited by its very alluring description of 'a trio of Ayurvedic healing spices – Turmeric, Cardamom and Ginger, brewed with pepper – served on Coconut Mylk' and thought to myself, hmmm I like coconut milk. I like cardamom and ginger, and I guess a hint of pepper would give it a slight kick...and I couldn't picture what tumeric tasted like, but figured it would work well with the rest of the ingredients. I was wrong. It tasted very sweet, and very odd - so odd that I'm having difficulty describing it in more detailed terms than 'awful'. 

Matcha Green Tea Latte, $6.50

The matcha green tea latte fared much better - as long as you like matcha, because they brew it quite strong. To those who do not like matcha or are unaccustomed to it, this drink may taste like bitter-sweet grass. It is made of matcha powder, coconut butter and coconut sugar with soy milk. 

I think the drinks were largely underwhelming and over-priced. Let's move onto food. 

'Egg' and 'Bacon' Roll, $17

The roll is served with a generous pile of salad, which is fresh and healthy, but hardly exciting. What is exciting, however, is the main event. The bread used is gluten-free, and though I don't think gluten is the enemy, I quite like gluten-free bread because they are usually quite moist, dense and filling. This roll is no exception. The filling consists of a generous slather of avocado, classic BBQ sauce, mayo, and vegan fake-animal-products which made me eat my earlier words about fake-animal-products being bad. The 'egg' has 'egg white' made from coconut flesh and a 'yoke' made from mashed sweet potato; while the 'bacon' is simply coconut flesh. I have only ever had coconut flesh in sweets before - so I was surprised to find that it also tastes delicious when made savoury. The texture of the 'egg' is pretty spot on, but the texture of the 'bacon' is soft and not bacon-like at all. Still, smothered in BBQ sauce, it was pretty tasty. 

Best Waffles Ever, $17

The name of this dish makes a pretty big claim - best waffles ever? I think that's debatable, but I have to say it is delicious. The waffles are, again, gluten free and also refined-sugar-free (I don't know what sweetener was used, but I'd imagine something like maple syrup).  I prefer normal waffles texture-wise: the healthy option is just a tad too soft. What made this dish delicious is the lemon buttercream (again, I don't know what dairy-alternative was used, but I'd imagine coconut yogurt or something similar) drizzled all over the fruits and the waffles. 

Score: 4/5

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by my visit. The drinks were disappointing, but the food was fresh, wholesome and very filling - after this breakfast, I was so full that I just snacked a couple of times throughout the day instead of having another two main meals.

Cost: relatively expensive as far as breakfasts go, and the drinks are over-priced. However, in terms of the food, I think it is money well-spent: the ingredients are of good quality and technically, this meal saved me lunch and dinner money. While the breakfast may not stretch as far on a less-hot day (I tend to lose my appetite when it's very hot), it might still save you from getting hungry again by mid-morning. 

Address: 132 Warners Ave Bondi Beach NSW 2026

Website: http://www.sadhanakitchen.com/