| Fruits and Roots |
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| Reviewed by David Balston | |||
| Wednesday, 26 November 2008 | |||
    My tasting partner Heather and I were lucky enough to go on a vegetarian tasting adventure to Fruits and Roots. Before we got down to the business of eating, we first chatted to Robert, the manager of the restaurant and associated shop, who explained how owner, Pritam Khalsa, and her husband, Har Bhajan, opened their first natural foods store in Yeoville in 1985. They then moved out to The Hobart Centre in Bryanston where they have a thriving niche business. It's perhaps fairer say that the restaurant is an adjunct to the shop. Pritam and Har Bhajan's mission is to educate and encourage people into becoming healthy eaters. By opening the restaurant they let customers try their tasty vegetarian dishes knowing that if they like them (and I can't imagine they wouldn't) they can buy the ingredients in the shop.After this quick chat we then got down to the serious business of studying the menu. To give us more time we both ordered drinks, Heather went for the Mango Tango smoothie, a succulent blend of mango, banana and pure coconut juice. I, being well into my 60s, thought I'd better go for the Mind Bender – a zippy concoction of carrot, pineapple and ginger with ginseng and ginkgo added to stimulate the brain. It worked! The ginger gave it quite a kick and I got back to the menu with enthusiasm. Robert has recently simplified the menu, partly to reduce wastage but also to make it easier for customers to envisage cooking the meals for themselves. There was still an impressive variety on offer though, from the intriguing Big Boer Breakfast through salads, sandwiches, wraps, pizzas, soup and curries, and stir fries. There was also a Kiddies Corner with veggie hot dogs and pizzas and of course chips. Heather went for the Vegetable Noodle Thai Stir Fry – stir fried vegetables in coconut milk, tamarind, ginger, shoyu, toasted coriander seeds, cashew nuts and sesame seeds served on a bed of rice noodles. I was very tempted by the Cold Carrot And Avocado Soup, as it was quite a hot day but, in the end, I decided to sample the Sweet Chilli Mock Chicken – vegetarian chicken strips baked in a sweet chilli sauce with salad greens, tomatoes and spring onions served with a balsamic salad dressing. One of the aims of the restaurant is to entice non-vegetarians to try the food and, perhaps, to decide to eat it once or twice a week. Helpfully the menu also identifies items which are vegan, wheat free and gluten free. When Arnold brought our main dishes our first thoughts were that we would not be able to do justice to the generous proportions, but the presentation was so good and the flavours so varied we found we had both cleared our plates almost before realizing it. Heather was particularly enamoured with her choice. I was quite full but Heather felt she had a little room for carrot cake and so I continued in my adventurous mode by ordering a Rooibos Chino, which turned out to be a rooibos version of a cappuccino. The slice of cake that Arnold brought took Heather's breath away but he had anticipated that and brought a spare plate and fork for me. The cake was light and tasty and in no time at all, again, our plates were empty. At this point we were able to meet Pritam. She has healthy living in her genes, among her German forbears she counts a neuropath and a herbalist. Pritam herself is a yoga teacher and has considerable experience of encouraging people to leave their comfort zones, broaden their experience and thereby enhance their lives. She sees vegetarianism in this light. It's not that easy for meat eaters like us to make the change but Pritam wants us to reach out beyond ourselves and our immediate community and think of the wider issues involved. So, whether you are already committed or would like to give vegetarian food a try, do pop along to Fruits and Roots. If you are not delighted with the experience I'll eat my (vegetarian) hat.
Disclaimer: Harmonious Living is written for and read by a community of individuals with strong and independent opinions. While the publishers of Harmonious Living are dedicated to providing a forum in which views can be openly expressed, those views do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.
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