SCARLETT GREEN: WHERE STYLISH SOHO MEETS LAID-BACK BONDI

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Neighbouring the ever-busy Tottenham Court Road, the quirky buzz found in Scarlett Green is a stylish slice of Sydney cafe culture, right in the heart of Soho. From this highly appraised outpost of the Daisy Green franchise, visitors can expect epic bottomless brunches, and an inclusive menu all-day, and won’t be left disappointed by the chilled-out vibe, artistic decor, and abundance of friendly staff.

Already known for their diverse an accommodating menu, the announcement over summer of a collaboration with plant-based food studio, Plates, went down a treat with our keen foodies at BALANCE. Founded by Kirk Haworth and his sister, Keeley, in 2016, Plates aims to show a wider audience how versatile plant-based cooking can be. After a diagnosis of Lyme disease saw him foray into the world of  herbivorous living, Haworth decided to take the key lessons about traditional cookery that he’d learned from years working in Michelin restaurants, and use them to do wonders with all of what nature has to offer – eschewing meat, fish, dairy and sugar, and leading the way in modern, plant-based cooking.

Safe to say, it was vital that we experienced this colourful, plant-based take on Australia’s delicious culinary culture – inspired by Haworth’s time spent living and working there – for ourselves. With gin cocktails on our marble table for two within five minutes of our arrival, the hassle of the cramped central line journey was well and truly already paid off – and we hadn’t even tried the food yet! Off to a good start …

TASTY TAPAS FOR TRENDY VEGANS

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To start, we shared two of Haworth’s new plant-based small plates – the Herbaceous pancake, with pickled beetroot, fennel, rocket, and dill, and the smoked aubergine tacos, with avocado cream, picked cucumber, house kimchi, slow baked carrot, and coriander. A pair of vegans who pretty much exclusively go for plant based pizza when eating out, we were initially pretty apprehensive about the ‘herbaceous’ element of the pancake, but were left pleasantly surprised with just how delicious it was. But the real winner for us was the smoked aubergine tacos – bite-sized but brilliant, they were a perfect combination of textures and flavours, and were a brilliant example of how fine dining can be just as exciting and unique without the meat.

Keen to try a bit of everything, we opted for the Bondi vegan board for our main meal, because it included a portion of Haworth’s delicious fragrant roasted butternut squash & carrot curry – neatly stuffed inside a red pepper, and topped with broccolini – as well as lots of other tapas-style treats. Another component of the board was the smoky BBQ tofu steak, which lay on a crunchy bed of spicy wild rice and grains, and was just a prime example of exactly how well tofu can be cooked when it’s given the time to marinate. We were also big fans of the homemade plant-based pesto, and shamelessly drizzled it all over the citrus salad. Amazing!

And of course, what’s a meal out without a nice, big slice of cake? The vegan chocolate cake didn’t disappoint – and washed down really nicely with a few of those pink fizz gins …

Thoughts overall? Vegan fast-food joints are all over the place, but it’s often hard to come across plant-based places that boast perfect ‘evening out on the town’ vibes, as well as delicious food to match. This is it – and we’ll be back.