Egg of the Universe (EOTU) is a little haven in the midst of a very busy little burb. You’d never know what joys awaited you out the back from seeing the tiny, otherwise nondescript shop frontage, but step inside, walk to the back and you will find yourself in a pebble-stoned courtyard with a big open kitchen, colourful chairs and tables, plants dotted about the place, fairy lights and a friendly old tree providing shade right in the middle. It screams ‘serenity now!’ to me ❤
I have been going to EOTU since the day it opened. What I love about it most is that it is one of few cafés that gets everything right on the ‘wholefoods’ front. I don’t think I have any greater frustration than going somewhere that sells itself as a wholefoods place only to find they haven’t taken the time to research and understand some of the products or ingredients they’re using like non-dairy milks that are full of sugar, gums, and additives or gluten-free bread that is much the same, for example. That is just playing on the current buzz around cleaner diets, and not really delivering on the wholefoods promise in my mind. Not so here, just a little skim over that gorgeous menu puts me at ease.
The menu changes with the season but there is always a stack of delicious and nutrient dense meals, smoothies and warm drinks to choose from. A number of items are fermented, stewed or generally cooked for longer periods so our histamine intolerant friends may have a little trouble here. Plenty of the meals will suit almost all other intolerances though, but please do talk to the staff when you’re there to ensure they can cater to your specific needs.
I have just about made my way through the entire winter menu (by going in small gangs when I visit and making everyone orders something different!) but I definitely have some favourites. The slow cooked pasture raised pork, poached organic egg, seasonal apple slaw, EOTU lacto-fermented pickle & house made BBQ sauce all sitting on a sweet potato cake is probably top of the list for me. It is the most wonderful combination of flavours and the pork, literally melts in your mouth ❤ Next up would be the perfect circle salad that has raw, fermented salads piled high on the plate together with a deliciously pungent activated nut pesto, cashew cheese, tahini cream and a huge activated linseed cracker placed over the top of it all. Yum! If you’re in need of something soothing for the gut, chicken broth and greens is a great choice and will get you a lovely big bowl of their house-made broth (chicken) with shredded chicken, seasonal greens, buckwheat and an optional egg. Aside from that, there are many other treats like sweet potato and buckwheat pancakes, Asian slow-cooked beef and a seasonal breakfast just to name a few. They also have a cabinet full of wholesome grab and go meals at the counter as you walk in that share some shelf space with the most decadent desserts. Take one home if you have no dessert room while you’re there!
And for the drinks menu…. you’ll find single origin coffee with house-made nut milks, organic and herbal teas, turmeric lattes, matcha lattes, dandelion lattes (all the lattes!), house-made kombucha, juices and smoothies (I’m addicted to the natural Nutella one, just divine ❤ ).
I read a post on the EOTU Facebook page recently that came after a review suggested their meal prices were somewhat exorbitant but I tend to disagree. When you consider the quality of ingredients they use, the extremely generous servings, along with the love and labour that goes into sprouting and fermenting foods to add as much nourishment to each plate as possible, I feel the meals are well priced. Admittedly, autoimmune disease gave me a new perspective on things, and in particular a great appreciation for wholesome food, but the fact that they truly care about the quality and health benefits of what they’re serving their customers is worth a few extra dollars in my opinion. And when I think on it, the only gripe I really have with EOTU is that the servings are way too big, which causes me, and many others, to waste food. Not the worst gripe you could have with a café…
For all the yogis out there… EOTU is actually the café at the bottom of a yoga studio so if the mood strikes you can book yourself into a class before your meal! I can’t profess to know anything at all about the studio, as Yoga is not a love of mine. I think this is mostly the cause of the yoga ‘movement’ not feeling like a very welcoming space for all body types and those with varying levels of ability (like super stiff arthritics!). However I do believe that is changing and very rapidly thanks to some beautiful people like Dana Falsetti, who I might say has featured in articles on the EOTU Facebook page, which speaks volumes about them don’t you think? A very welcoming place to all I’m sure, I might even give it a go one day!
DETAILS
Egg of the Universe
711 Darling St, Rozelle
(02) 9810 3146
Opening Hours
Mon to Fri 7:30am to 3:30pm
Sat 8am to 4pm
The Tolerant Table 