We chanced upon Brambles on a mad day, jam-packed and hopping hot from hosting a community event – because that’s what Brambles does… it brings coherence and positive change to the community, while serving magical wholesome food.

Why magical wholesome?

Because it tastes absolutely Bramblicious!!!

Women entrepreneurs descended on Brambles with all their might and transformed the cafe into a bustling market place!

This is not an everyday occurrence, but Brambles was hardly phased by all the attention, and even in its role as host of the community, it continued to be a delightful place to just connect and have a delicious meal or snack.

But I did say magical…

Nobody has yet been able to refer to me as a health nut, so let that be my starting point.

Sure, I like the idea of healthy and wholesome, but it’s not an attribute that turns me on – on the other hand, tasty and flavorsome gets my heart beating fast!

So, honestly, when I see this, I think ponds and frogs…

However, I will now tell you straight-up, it was absolutely delicious, and I drank every drop, and I could have even gone for seconds if it hadn’t been so satisfying.

The magic? I really don’t know.

It was kale… basically a semi-edible, wild, frizzy-haired cabbage, that not even desert goats will touch; and Spirulina, which is the only thing that can taste worse than kale, and which wikipedia struggles to define as a “blue-green algae that can be consumed by humans and other animals.”

We’ll need to ask for the magic potion from Brambles head chef and creator (and master sorceress of wholesome foods), the lovely Mandana Shabani!

The menu lists that smoothie as the Green Monster, with ingredients Kale, Spirulina, Pineapple, Banana, Apple, Dates, and Coconut Milk – try it, and be floored by it!

And that was just the start of the culinary surprises at Brambles!

Pop quiz – guess what this is:

Closer…

A salad, obviously, right?

No, a pizza!

Look, I’m adventurous with my food, I’ll admit that… but I’m also Italian, and I will mostly skip any “Italian” dishes from the menu unless I’m sitting in a bonafide Italian restaurant, and even then I’m often disappointed!

So, tell me about a pizza without tomato sauce or cheese, and loaded with green leaves and pink bits, and I’d say throw it straight into the bin, or preferably out the window to make a clear statement that this is not okay…

And yet – yes, you guessed it – it was super-delicious!!!

Avocado pizza!

My nonna most certainly would not have touched it, but I am so happy I did – a great base, crispy but also soft inside; a very smooth and almost Mexicky piquant avocado paste – not quite a guacamole, but perhaps drawing its inspiration from it; and then a wonderful texture contrast with the cilantro leaves, and the double citrusy dimension with the crunchy pickled onion; and a few other touches of genius, like wholesome seeds, and chili – and what you have is a complex and flavorful dish, which also happens to be very healthy.

And that perhaps best sums up the result of the hard work that goes on in the kitchen at Brambles – superbly delicious dishes that also happen to be healthy and wholesome.

It is also a lovely and lively place.

With a cute little kids’ corner…

(Have you ever seen children happily wolf down kale? Take them to Brambles…)

And touches of love are apparent throughout. In fact, the wholesomeness is not only about the food, it encompasses the entire ethos of the place.

A flower clipped to your menu…

… a comforting cup of velvety smooth tea,

and even more delights!

And I’ll leave you with this – an incredible rendition of a kale brownie!

And with that I just give up, and tip my hat to the Chef, who has either hypnotized my taste buds, or has broken through the limits of alchemy… chapeau!

For healthy and wholesome and stupendously delicious food, drive yourself to Barsha Heights and try Brambles – just once – just as a dare – and I’m pretty sure you will come under the same spell I did and become a regular.