Juvenate offers very good vegan

 27 October 2023

 

Juvenate 

46a Sybrand Makadan Building, 145 Dorp Street, Stellenbosch

 

On my latest, soon to be dwindling, foray to Stellenbosch, I headed to Juvenate, which claims to be vegan, vegetarian and gluten free and isn’t the destination for them as what craves a Full English breakfast.  

 

There is a lot of seating on the front stoep, which would generally be the preferred choice except on a cold, blustery day like today. The interior space is cosy and funky, with a mix of eclectic large and small tables, counter seating, colourful wall decorations and elegant light fittings and hanging plants hovering over the heads of the patrons. It’s a comfortable and comforting space.

 

Juvenate seems very popular going by the number of people there when I arrived shortly after 11h00 and the regular arrival of new customers.

 

The basic breakfast options are a breakfast burrito, brekkie bagel, zucchini fritter stack, the Juvenate Benedict,  shakshuka bowl, two versions of oats,  banana bread French toast and a mushroom and spinach omelette and there are also three sweet flapjack dishes. You can have the standard vegetarian or vegan versions of the dishes and a gluten free version if you pay extra.

 

My first course was the zucchini fritter stack, of two poached eggs (I eschewed the tofu scramble) (R94), creamy mushrooms, baby spinach, grilled Rosa tomatoes, dukkah and a vegan Hollandaise sauce.

 

The eggs were poached to order and the fritters were pliable rather than crisp but tasty and there was a subtle hit of chilli. A very satisfactory bite.

 

It wasn’t enough though and my second course was the  vegan pumpkin flapjack stack with agave and seasonal fruit (strawberries and mostly banana) and vanilla oat mylk ice cream (R108).

 

The flapjacks were fluffy and yummy, the agave was just sweet enough and there was plenty of fruit. The texture of the ice cream was closer to sorbet but it was nice enough in combination with the other elements.

 

I was well happy with my choices. The zucchini stack was served quickly but there was a bit of a wait for the flapjacks, an indication that they were freshly made.

 

The coffee is good and reasonably priced but the single shot  espresso (even for only R20,00) is rather skimpy.

 

The bill, with espresso and Americano, came to R250,00.

 

I really liked Juvenate, not only for the food but the cosy, pleasing atmosphere and get up. If you like vegan style food,  it’s the place for you but I think it’s a good spot for just hanging out, with some coffee, a sweet delicacy and a MacBook. When the weather improves, a table on the stoep will be almost mandatory. The passing scene on Dorp Street is fascinating.