[invite] Bianca: A plant based oasis in the middle of industrial Alexandria, quite an interesting location but one that draws crowds. Clean Treats began back in 2014 with owner Charlie de Haas and her line of dairy, gluten & refined sugar free balls #charliesballs . I love a good ‘ball’ like most people but a whole cafe dedicated to plant-based, healthy foods? Would they let me in the door?
Melbourne traitor Alex has been several times, I had only ever been for coffee as well some treats to take home (coffee & sweeties were good). Firstly, the space is gorgeous. Almost as if you had stumbled on a Moroccan riad smack bam in the middle of Sydney. Service was friendly but a little klunky, we were left to loiter by the front whilst we waited for a waitress to approach us and we had to fetch our own cutlery as the tables in our vicinity seemed to be missing knives, spoons and sugar/salt/pepper.
My Soy Capp $4 and mum’s Skim Mocha $4.5 were both good, the mocha in particular winning our hearts. Probably one of the more memorable one’s we’ve had recently.
Our mid morning visit meant we stuck to the breakfast menu (concluding at 11:15) as well as some of the ‘all day’ menu items. Two guesses what they were?
Starting with the quintessential Aussie breakfast staple. Smashed Avocado -w/radish seeds & lemon $13.90 + Charcoal GF bread $4.5 + Roasted tomatoes $4. So yes, Bernard probably won’t be too happy with your life choices, over $22 for avo on toast. Pretty tasty but the charcoal toast probably won’t be for everyone – it was a little cardboard(y).
As close as mum could get to an Acai. The Blue Smoothie Bowl -w/ blueberry & mango, coconut milk, almonds, blueberries, coconut & chia $14.90 + Granola $4. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I don’t really ‘get’ these sweet bowls. Much like people don’t understand my obsession with pancakes & burgers, I really can’t get on board the fruit bowl train. BUT…. mother loved it and I will admit I preferred the blueberry & mango flavouring over an Acai.
Healthy hash browns? We’ll allow it, Sweet Potato & cauliflower Hash browns $8.90. Look, I’ll take my carbs in any form I can get them but healthy or not, these were delicious, with a slightly crisp exterior!
And for ‘research’ two types of pancakes because I’m greedy that way! The first, Turmeric Pancakes – Orange & Turmeric w-/ poached pears & orange marmalade $23.90. I felt it may be a little unfair to stack them (see what I did there) against your typical cafe pancakes. Both being Gluten free, vegan & dairy free, meant they were never really going to have all the typical attributes of your regular pancakes. Texturally these were a little dense, the orange marmalade very intense. I enjoyed the coconut cream tying it all together.
And one dish I was most looking forward to. Choc Peanut Butter Protein Pancakes -w/ fresh bananas, peanut butter & chocolate sauce $23.90 (GF, V, DF). I enjoyed these, they’re probably one of the more decadent items on the menu. Peanut butter & chocolate are always a winning combination. The pancakes were dense and fairly gummy (stuck to the roof your mouth and really needed some form of sauce. The chocolate was minimal, a maple syrup (V) or even an Agave nectar/coconut concoction would have really lifted these pancakes!
And I could make a joke about all the fibre rich food and the name of the street… but we’re all adults here, aren’t we…..?
Bianca
*For Food’s Sake dined as guests of Clean Treats Factory.
The systems here confuse me and I wonder if they’ve improved them. We went on a warm summer’s day and it was sweltering. The food was quite nice but the boys couldn’t deal with the heat. Oh well!