Is it the ultimate in healthy eating or bizarre food faddism? Donald Reid tentatively stepped into Edinburgh's pioneering raw food café, Red Sugar
his number is important: 47.7. In
Celsius. that‘s the hottest food can get
if it‘s to remain raw. According to raw food theory. cooking food not only destroys key digestive enzymes but also exposes the body to potentially harmful toxins.
It can seem extreme. but the new savoury food menu at Red Sugar. a small but smart cafe with a futuristic look to it in the hardly hippyish Edinburgh suburb of Stockbridge. doesn't actually seem too intimidating. Soups. salads. burgers and falafel seem approachable enough. if on the suspiciously healthy side.
Until now. Red Sugar has focussed principally on raw cacao which they make into bars. 'hot' chocolate and some seriously crafted cakes. They also serve healthier-than— thou smoothies as well as ethically sourced tea and coffee. which claim an exemption on the 47.7 rule.
Few of us are used to tiptoeing through such intricacies when we choose what to eat: managing five-a-day on some days seems a decent effort. after all. Regime change is called for to seek the maximum health benefits of a raw food diet. and while there are new converts all the time. the most any of us are likely to do is dabble in it.
At this point meat-and-no-veg readers should look away. The introduction of savoury food has given Red Sugar a more rounded appeal. but still the menu proclaims everything is sugar free. gluten free. wheat free. dairy free. organic. vegan and raw. What‘s left‘.’ Well. in truth. an eating experience that anyone genuinely interested in the taste of food should try. The degree of preparation. imagination and technique is high. and the results both intriguing and satisfying — even after a sighting of the smallish portions.
THIS IS AN EATING EXPERIENCE THAT ANYONE GENUINELY INTERESTED IN THE TASTE OF FOOD SHOULD TRY
lilatbreads have no wheat but nuts. sprouted seeds. avocado and spices ‘cooked‘ and pressed in a dehydrating ‘oven’ to produce something that‘s reminiscent of sweetish pumpernickel bread with a chewy. moist texture. With it. ‘Laughamole‘ turns out to be avocado dip with He Shou Wu added — another of those energy-lifting superfoods which seem to be lurking under every twist of alfalfa
RED SUGAR
27b Raeburn Place, Edinburgh
0131 332 8455. wwwreaéugarfc‘aui Average price two-course lunch $210, Open Tue—Fri 9am-6pm. Sat 9.30am-6pm,
Sun 11am—6pm
garnish. Still. the suggestion of a smile is welcome in a place that can seem to take things a hit too seriously.
.‘vlini—burgers. meanwhile. are veggie (of course) and come with a hummus of sweet potato made nippy with a twist of cayenne pepper
And if you’re still not convinced. there is some great chocolate cake (only it‘s raw too).
WHERE TO GET YOUR HEALTH KICKS
Grassroots
20 Woodlands Road and 93-97 St Georges Road, Glasgow, www.9rassrootsorganic.com Glasgow‘s premier wholefoods location, with an excellent deli. takeaway and nearby sit-in cafe-diner that offers a mix of vegetarian and vegan food with organic. lair-trade and non-GM principles well to the fore.
12 THE LIST 8—22 Jan 2009
Henderson's Salad Table
94 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, www.hendersonsofedinburgh.co.uk
Henderson's opened in 1962 as an outlet for the fresh produce from Janet and Mac Henderson's East Lothian farm. It remains a bastion of vegetarian food Ill central Edinburgh incorporating a dell. bistro and, most recently, an art gallery.
Stereo
20-28 Renfield Lane, Glasgow, www.stereocafebar.com
Most recent of a series of ventures from the learn behind Mono. the 78 and the now near-legendary 13th Note. places where some of Glasgow's finest alternative lliUSlC and more-than respectable vegan lood lIlIX with ease.