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What we are eating: Five health restaurants we can’t get enough of
Find comfort in many vegan alternatives from lasagne, Mexican burritos or tacos to delicious sweets that are just as good as the meat originals.
Kaylee’s Eatery taco bowl. Picture: Instagram
If you are like us and intrigued by everything that has to do with healthy living, ways to live longer, collagen and how food can change your life we are with you.
Here are the best health restaurants to try near you
The Fussy Vegan
Becoming the change you want to see, is how The Fussy Vegan started.
Founder Werner Prinsloo wanted to create an establishment that is antithetical to what the food restaurant is. A vegan for more than three years, he believed the food industry wasn’t kind to the environment, that it was “destructive” and not making the right decisions, so Prinsloo wanted to create something counter to this.
“Seeing that most places have products of animals and animal ingredients, I wanted to recreate a purely vegan space, in a way to say look at this, it is possible to create something without using animal products. It can be delicious, it doesn’t have to be overly expensive, not too trendy and have an approachable format. Ultimately it was my way of saying to the industry; why aren’t you doing it?”
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Starting as a small vegan grab-and-go shop in Craighall, it has grown to include two more locations in Greenside and Ferndale.
“The first store grew to a capacity that we could not maintain. It actually allowed us to focus more on our own food and there is so much competition now that we needed to focus on what we are.”
He says the CityRock Ferndale location is the same compact version of the first store, the menu is majorly the same and Greenside is giving what consumers want – a restaurant feel of The Fussy Vegan.
“We like to describe it as a food truck style sit-down and casual, diner-style and some form of familiarity.” Definitely worth a try are their popular lunchtime burrito, Beyond croissant burger and the new Fry’s :chick” style nuggets.
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Many of The Fussy Vegan products are locally sourced and support many tf the artisanal vegan brands you may known. Ice cream brand alternatives include Mylk, Yo coco and African artisan CBD chocolate CHOkOLUSH.
Individuals are educating themselves on protein substitutes and what they need to eat to get their daily nutritional requirements.
“What has been amazing to see is all the local supermarkets are now branding their products properly. There were so many products labelled vegan by accident. Read the label just in case there is some hidden ingredient.”
Prinsloo concludes it’s about growing the movement: “We need to look at what we are consuming and how easy it can be to make a positive change. A very close friend of mine oncesaid, ‘we eat three times per day, one small change you can make can be the biggest impact outside of you just at how frequently we choose to eat.”
Kaylee’s Eatery
It’s worth the drive, Kaylee’s Eatery by Kaylee Gottschalk is nicely nestled in Bedfordview, Johannesburg. A restaurant influenced by her American travels, New York-style food but vegan
The eatery has recently just expanded its vegan market and Gottschalk says it was always in the pipeline even during hard lockdowns last year.
“We aren’t 100% there but we launched it and people are very excited about it. We wanted to have a vegan market where people could buy their products knowing that it doesn’t have any animal ingredients.”
Customers flock for their southern “chicken” wings, to vegan “chicken” and waffles with maple syrup, Mexican inspired dishes, loaded fries, sticky “rib” burger, the motto is “extra” and loaded.
Foodies range from far and wide and even meat lovers can enjoy a vegan mac and cheese.
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“Our customers who are vegan enjoy coming to us because they are more comfortable here. With non-vegan restaurants there is a lot of cross-contamination. They know when they eat our burgers it wasn’t cooked on a meat grill or mistaken for a chicken burger.”
Kaylee’s Eatery dream next venture is Cape Town, possibly under a new name and different format.
Lexi’s Eatery
A restaurant that has shown consistently how plant-based is more sustainable as a lifestyle and more accessible. When The Citizen spoke to founder Lexi Monzeglio she said the plant-based and superfood market is shifting from the perceived expensive tag to a more affordable and accessible tag.
Popular superfood options on the menu include moringa powder and spirulina in some of their smoothies.
The smoothies are infused with CBD oil but it doesn’t make you high. CBD oil is increasingly used for cancer patients and patient with chronic conditions to help ease symptoms of ailments. CBD oil is infused in drinks such as kombucha, iced tea and smoothies.
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Their delicious health alternatives such as lasagne have been given a healthier notch and becoming a popular alternative. Instead of your traditional flour pasta, green pasta using vegetables are a healthier alternative. Green lasagne using spirulina is a green nutrient-dense grounded plant. It has a seaweed flavour and should be used in small amounts.
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The restaurant has been so successful in Gauteng there are now franchises in Sandton, Rosebank, Modderfontein and Hazelwood.
Clenergy
The new kids on the block are different from their counterparts in that they are not a solely vegan offering. Owner and founder Abdulla Miya says their core focus is low carb, wheat-free and sugar-free. Menu options include meat.
Located in Greenside it caters for everyone, including Banting dieters and has also launched an innovative weekly meal plan programme.
They are 35 weekly meal plans for you to choose from. Prices start from R375 for five meals. All meals are keto, Banting, low carb, and wheat- and sugar-free.
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Special mention to Jackson’s Real Food Market
Once the only health emporium stop for many vegans and vegetarians in Johannesburg, Jackson’s is still going strong.
Their vast options for organic and clean options remain unmatched.
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