EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY THE VEG FRIENDLY CHALLENGE Finalist: Little Bird Unbakery It’s the great Ponsonby News Veg Friendly Challenge, in which Ponsonby-area cafes and restaurants line up to be judged on their vegetarian friendliness. What does that mean? Simply this: it’s a new day in food-land, what with an increasing number of restaurants offering a complete vegetarian menu and a more ‘green’ perspective to eating generally. It’s possible to be nutritious and delicious, and we’re going to name the cafes and restaurants that cater well to vegetarians and vegans, whether or not they’ve also got meat on their menus. Each month, we’ll review one of our favourite ‘veg friendly’ eateries, and at the end of it all, we’ll name an overall winner, and our coveted Veg Friendly Challenge Top 10. Bold moves are comparatively rare in businesses of any kind, and radicalism is risky in the food industry, because people love same-old, same-old, with just a hint of newness. That’s why restaurant owners tend to stick to the tried and true, while taking note of trends in presentation and service. And that’s why I still find the very existence of the Little Bird Unbakery utterly bizarre, bewildering and fantastic. It’s a great advertisement for having a good idea, and taking that idea to its limit. Ten years ago, it would have been a risky proposition even setting up an ovo-lacto vegetarian restaurant in Auckland, and even today, there are only two non-meat venues in the greater Ponsonby area - Kokako and Little Bird Unbakery. But while Kokako still offers a modest selection of egg and dairy dishes, Little Bird is totally vegan. Not only that, but as its quirky name suggests, it’s an unbakery; technically, raw food with only a little low-heat warming. I’ve got an old raw food book from the 1970s, ‘Diet For The 21st Century’, and it’s full of bizarre hippy ideology and frankly, unpalatable-looking recipes. A cafe based on that book would fail in a week. Little Bird exemplifies the rapid evolution of vegan and raw cuisine, and its incredible success comes down to the conviction of the owners/creators/ chefs that the time had come for a new way to look at what we eat, and how we source and prepare it. Needless to say, Little Bird Unbakery on Summer Street, just off Ponsonby Road (the original, smaller version still exists in Kingsland) is a regular haunt for both myself and Ponsonby News publisher/editor Martin Leach, and the only downside is that they don’t have an espresso machine (they do, however, offer some kind of eccentric filter coffees for the caffeine dependent). Clearly, we’re not the only fans: the place is nearly always pumping, and it’s gotten so busy that they’ve even started opening three evenings of the week. So, what makes Little Bird so great? Well, the space itself is pleasantly kitted out, and the table service always comes with a smile and helpful suggestions should you need them, but the essence of its incredible popularity is in the food itself, which represents a genuine revolution. They’ve come up with a way to avoid the use of baking or cooking, so the ‘bread’ is a gently heated mystery concoction that doesn’t quite hold together in the same way as conventional bread, but has an almost ‘meaty’ consistency.
Carter’s Sprouted Bread with the addition of aged cashew cheese with fresh chives and a hint of truffle oil I chose the ‘BLT’ version of the raw seeded bread bagel with coconut bacon, tomato, lettuce and extra avocado ($16.50). They describe it as the ultimate raw bread recipe, and I wouldn’t disagree: it may prove an acquired taste and texture for some, but once acquainted and accustomed, you’ll find yourself quite addicted. We both ordered smoothies: Martin, a Cacao Superfoods ($9) smoothie with banana, date, cacao, almond milk, vanilla, cashews and Brazil nuts, and me the Berry Antioxidiser ($9) with blackcurrant, banana, acai, honey, vanilla and almond milk. Delicious! Although Little Bird meals don’t look particularly generous, we found we couldn’t quite get through our plates. The thing about raw food is that it’s more filling than it looks, and really sets you up for the day (I won’t even start on their amazing range of gluten and sugar-free cakes and tarts; too good!). Little Bird Unbakery is an amazing addition to local cuisine culture, and we feel lucky to have it on our doorstep here in Ponsonby. Open seven days, 7am-4pm; 6pm-10pm Thursday - Saturday. (GARY STEEL) F PN LITTLE BIRD UNBAKERY, 1A Summer Street, Ponsonby, T: 09 555 3278, www.littlebirdorganics.co.nz Do you run a cafe or restaurant that does vegetarian really well? If so, let me know on the email opposite. We’ll be sure to check out your eatery. And don’t be shy, okay?
What is great about Little Bird food is that it’s living food that your gut will thank you for and, unlike a cooked meal, this kind of food will gift you with a blast of nutrients as it passes through your digestive system. Their menu deserves multiple visits but today, we came for breakfast. Martin opted for Carter’s Sprouted Bread ($16.50). The menu describes this as sprouted buckwheat, flax and coconut cooked at a low temperature, accompanied with a small side salad of fresh organic greens. You get to opt between the addition of aged cashew cheese with fresh chives and a hint of truffle oil; smashed avocado, micro greens and Little Bird Kraut; or creamy mushrooms. “I’ve tried this dish on several occasions and always love the addition of the aged cashew cheese. I’m not vegan, but I could easily be, if dishes like this were more widely available,” was Martin’s comment.
36 PONSONBY NEWS+ November 2014
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)