HONESTLY’S VERDICT

In a word:  Wholesome

Food: The menu literally oozes health and nourishment

Service:  No frills & no complaints

Presentation:  Clean and functional

Ambience:  Neighbourhood meet up point for the health conscious consumer

Location:  High street locations, part of the About Life whole food stores

Value for money: Just under $16 for a macrobiotic bowl or vegan burger

Worth a visit?:  Absolutely, we struggled to find reasonably priced wholesome food in Australia, and this place fits the bill perfectly

Situated on Darling Street in the heart of Rozelle in Sydney, discovering the little gem that is Aboutlife and made the end of our stay in Sydney bearable!

We’d spent much of our time eating in mediocre cafés dreaming of something better…and that something was exactly what we found at Aboutlife; a huge whole foods grocery store with accompanying café.

As is the way, we stumbled across AboutLife whilst looking for another café, which to my disappointment had closed down.  Disappointment however, quickly made way for excitement as we crossed the road and entered Aboutlife.  Delighted to find a little café where we could fill our bellies and stock up on goodies from the store for our flight to Perth.

Aboutlife isn’t much to look at, with it’s no frills approach to furnishings, but that’s not why you go there. You’re there for the products; organic, eco and non-toxic products stacked on shelves which seem to reach the sky, row upon row of shelving…ah, heaven!

And to add to the organic heavenliness, is the bustling little café. With indoor and outdoor seating, “grab’n’go” takeaway service, a salad and desserts counter, the locals seems to have it made with everything on offer here and are taking advantage of it, people of all ages and warps of life. I love to see real people embracing real, whole foods.

Food

I opted for the Nourishing Bowl; a simple, warming and supremely tasty mix of quinoa, veggies, nori, sesame and light dressing. Perfectly proportioned to fill you without filling you up. I can still taste the delicate Asian sesame dressing.

The Vegan Vibes Burger was exactly what the doctor ordered for my fellow dinner. A think lentil and chia patty sandwiched between salad, mushroom, avocado and a seeded wholemeal bun, served with his favourite sweet potato chips. Again, a deeply nourishing and nurturing dish with all the orange colour of the lentils and sweet potato.

Service

As a bustling little café, there is little interaction with the café staff at Aboutlife, especially my dinning partner placed my order at the counter for me.

The food was a little slow to come to the table, which I put down to the fact that it was Friday lunchtime, the place was busy, and that good old cooked-to-order ethos.

Presentation

The food looked great, bursting with colour and life, contrasting against the slightly drab brown tin tableware.

The café décor looks in line with the store’s low key and functional feel.

Value for money

I was more than happy to shell out $16 for a bowl of nourishment or a delicious burger. You’ll struggle in both Australia and the UK to find proper fresh, whole foods cheaper.

Contact

Aboutlife has stores across Sydney: Bondi Junction, Cammeray, Double Bay, the newly opened Surrey Hills, and the store we visited at 605 Darling Street in Rozelle.

Website: www.aboutlife.com.au

Facebook: www.facebook.com/aboutlifenm 

Email: feedback@aboutlife.com.au

Tel: +61 2 8755 1333

Opening hours:

Monday to Thursday 7am until 8pm – café closes at 6pm

Friday to Sunday 7am until 7pm – café closes at 6pm

Generally, but check the website for individual store times here