Travelling through Whanganui this summer? Why not visit The Petre Dish. It’s not only vegan and healthy, it is also thoughtfully designed to welcome people who have mobility problems.

The menu is based around whole plant based food, and avoids dairy, meat, eggs, and allergens such as gluten and seafood. There’s no fried food and they avoid using refined sugars.

The signature dish is a lentil and pumpkin lasagne, and the menu includes cottage pie, as well as buckwheat pancakes with cashew pear cream, a pumpkin and cashew curry, salads (above), and bliss balls made from activated nuts and dried fruit. And complementing the menu is a range of juices, blends and smoothies, with T2 infused tea, and Cafe L’affaire plunger coffee.

There’s more good news for people who have limited mobility as the cafe has wheelchair access, via a ramp with a one to twelve gradient. This ramp goes from ground level and rises by 300mm over a ramp that is 5 metres in length – the owners say there have been plenty of customers in wheelchairs to date. The door has a soft close function to enable easy access with wheel chairs, and the table height can be adjusted to suit customers needs.

There’s a disabled park right outside plus one across the road. Standard parking is available all along Taupo Quay.

The owners note that their business is centred around wellness. Go to their website (below) to see more on the food offered in the cafe (left), which is supported by the yoga studio and the lifestyle clinic. They are able to offer chair yoga classes for those who are aged or impaired physically, and this allows aged and impaired people to enjoy the yoga experience.

39 Taupo Quay (between I-site and city bridge), Whanganui | T 06 348 7300 | Tue-Fri 9am-3pm; Sat 9.30am-2.30pm. Closed Sun, Mon and public holidays.

thepetredish@yahoo.co.nz | www.yogaforme.co.nz