Metro’s annual list of the Top 100 cafes where you can buy a meal for under $20 is out now in the September issue and its super pleasing to see there are 6 vegetarian cafes among them.

Metro has given my favourite Auckland cafe Mumbai Chaat a special feature – an interview with the owners, Ajit Ambani (manager) and his wife Pratibha who is the chef, and son Gaurang who helps out when he can.

Mumbai Chaat is authentic Indian – well, Mumbai – street food, and hasn’t been adapted to western taste as with so many Indian cafes. It’s strictly lacto vegetarian and vegan. I vividly recall a discussion with a young customer from Mumbai who was working as a chef at a restaurant well north of Auckland; he said that when he wanted real Mumbai food he drove all the way to Mumbai Chaat and stocked up.

The menu is a combination of Indian heritage cooking and some western fusion chaat – don’t expect the pizza to be what you’re familiar with! A good dish to start with is their masala dosa, the thin crispy pancake stuffed with spicy potato, it has to be the best version in Auckland that I know.

Or if you want to try a thali, this is one place where there is a choice of vegetable and dal dishes so don’t hesitate to ask Ajit or Gaurang for advice. Once you find your favourites you’ll want to keep coming back.

Mumbai Chaat is at 1A Kitchener Rd just off Sandringham Rd in the Sandringham Village.

Plus the tiny original cafe at 71 Taylor St, Blockhouse Bay is open part-time; its where Pratibha and her friends do the cooking for both stores.

The Wise Cicada vegetarian organic cafe is settling into new premises at 88 Broadway in Newmarket.

We visited soon after the move. Access is tricky – down a driveway off the very busy Broadway road. We travelled from Parnell and from that direction here’s no street signage visible to indicate its location, which is on the left; it’s easier coming from the opposite direction from the Broadway/Khyber Pass junction as there’s a large colourful mural on the wall at the top of the driveway but you need to turn across traffic to enter.

The Wise Cicada advertises parking availability and there are 10 free parking spaces immediately outside the store; you’ll find it on the left at the foot of the sloping driveway. It was full on the day we visited so we carried on to the right and into the Wilson’s parking building.
The floorspace in the new store is much larger and has an underground bunker feel – not surprising as the only windows face out onto the parking area (beyond which are are railway lines).

The menu is similar to the previous store – one hot dish and soup of the day, a hearty blackboard menu, and a goodly range of raw salads and splendid desserts. We were there for lunch and were surprised to find the very young counter staff unable to answer some basic questions about the content of some of the dishes. No doubt this will settle with familiarity.

The driveway access is awkward. If you have a choice, you may wish to take the train to Newmarket Station which is just a short walk along the main street.

The menu and other details are here The Wise Cicada

These handy warning signs of health come from Real Health.  I love them – they mess with your head in the most wonderful way!

1.  Increased awareness & appreciation of yourself
2. Tendency to set aside time to relax & meditate
3. Persistent ability to adapt to changing conditions
4. Persistent ability to maintain close relationships
5. Chronic appetite for physical activity & healing food
6. Acute and chronic attacks of laughter
7. A compulsion to take pleasure & fun
8. Repeated bouts of hope & optimism
9. A chronic condition of caring for your body
10. Recurrent rejection of worry & despair

Sadly, we need to advise that two Auckland vegetarian cafes have closed and ta hird one is no longer vegetarian.

Closed are the very popular vegan Cosset Cafe in Mt Albert Road – for family reasons – and the well known and much loved Blue Bird Cafe in Dominion Road. Hopefully the Blue Bird will find new premises soon – if you’d like to know when they do, send an email to the chef Toshala and she’ll add you to the mailing list for updates.

And in a further loss for West Auckland, Ethos Cafe at East West Organics Superstore in Portage Road, New Lynn, is no longer vegetarian.

Now for the good news …

… the excellent little Indian cafe Mumbai Chaat in Taylor Street, Blockhouse Bay, continues to supply meals and snacks Wednesday-Sunday. Menu and opening hours are here

Hot tip: Their masala dosas are superbly light, crisp and savoury.

Visiting Rotorua? –  you can pick up your copy of the Guide to Vegetarian and Vegan Cafes in NZ at the Rotorua Health Shop – 1184 Eruera St.

We can strongly recommend their Facebook page – they have one of the best and most up to date sources of information on healthy eating that we’ve seen here

ORGANIC NATURAL

More at greenlivingshow.co.nz

For the very first time, The Vegan Food Fair hits ASB Showgrounds on Sunday 10^th April 10am – 5pm, showcasing delightful vegan food from around the country.

The vegan movement is growing in popularity, with many people embracing vegan food as part of their diet for ethical and health reasons. All are welcome at the Vegan Food Fair, from long-time vegans, vegetarians, and those who are curious about the lifestyle.

Come and enjoy a huge range of stalls serving delicious plant-based food and beverages, as well as music and entertainment for the whole family. Treat your taste buds, educate yourself, and discover New Zealand’s best vegan food.

The delectable range of treats and stalls is here

We’re in increasingly good company! – increasing being the operative word –

More than one in 10 Kiwis now say they are always or mostly vegetarian, up two percentage points from 2011.

The figure comes from a poll carried out by Roy Morgan Research, which also found a much higher rate of vegetarianism in the North Island than the South Island.

The poll, carried out among people aged 14 or older, found 10.3 per cent of New Zealanders overall described themselves as mostly or always vegetarian. That was up from 8.1 per cent in 2011.

In the North Island the figure was 11.1 per cent, up from 8.4 per cent, while in the South Island it was 7.8 per cent, up from 6.9 per cent.

More details here stuff.co.nz