Mr Black Juicery is in the heart of Berwick, an unlikely location for a new foodie establishment that’s serving up an (almost) all-vegan and gluten-free menu. While it’s echoes away from the inner city vegan hubs of Collingwood and Fitzroy, Mr Black Juicery is flying the vegan flag in the outer fringes of urban Melbourne, with a twist – a full juice bar and meu for foodies to energise themselves with.
Mr Black Juicery grew from the vision of three ‘passionate foodies wanting to create nourishing food for the body and soul’. Its mission is to create the type of meals and menu choices that makes you want to eat healthily and feel your very best each day, in a sleek and minimal, modern café style setting. What the founders of Mr Black Juicery – Helen, Chaille and Laura – bring to this establishment is a collective think-tank of recipes, ideas and expertise to deliver its philosophy. Helen and Chaille are no strangers to chronic illness and inflammation, and Laura is a registered holistic nutritionist which means their customers are reaping the benefits of Mr Black Juicery’s presence in Berwick. The vegan, gluten-free choices – sans refined sugar – customers purchase aide in this.
Another added benefit of Mr Black’s mission could be that they are ensuring the health and wellbeing of animals, otherwise slaughtered and exploited for the hospitality trade. Sadly, this can’t be entirely said because cow’s milk appears on the drinks menu. If only non-vegan customers could reap the benefits that plant-based milk can provide if they make this one small, yet, significant, switch in their coffee routine. What better way to instil a full-circle approach to a nutritious diet this than through food and all drinks enjoyed amongst family and friends here?
Still, fresh produce and quality ingredients make for a collective call to action from its proprietors – if they wouldn’t put it in their bodies, then you shouldn’t either. All you’ll find at Mr Black Juicery is food that you want to eat; all jam-packed with the health benefits of a plant-based diet. And the best thing is – a vegan, gluten-free foodie like me can eat anything she wants here. Even the buckwheat pancakes, which can’t be passed up when given the opportunity! These fluffy rounds are stacked tall, pink in colour and bursting with superfood benefits. The buckwheat stack is topped in berry compote and slices of fresh banana then crowned by a swirl of Cocowhip coconut water based soft serve teaming with probiotics – and scattered by shavings of coconut. Surrounding the stack is a nutritious ‘fort’ of freshly cut in-season fruits and drizzled in maple syrup. A breakfast that keeps me energised well into the late morning.
When it comes to siding such a healthy and energising meal choice with a beverage, it almost seems like a crime to choose a coffee (though you can purchase these here, brewed from Mr Black’s own blend). Instead, perhaps choose from the ever-present juice bar that spruiks a burst of freshly juiced choices. The ‘orange’ blend gives any vitamin C levels a boost (think, a blend of orange, pineapple, carrot and lemon juices). The gorgeous colour exuding from the glass as it’s delivered to the table colour-match perfectly with the pancakes. To stay healthy, you really should eat a rainbow, and this is so easy to do at Mr Black Juicery.
Give your body and soul a boost with a vegan breakfast at Mr Black Juicery.
Kitchen is open daily from 8.30am to 2.00pm.
1 Blackburne Square, Berwick Victoria 3806 Australia. Phone: (03) 9707 5143.
The entire menu is takeaway, too.
All food and drinks items were purchased in full by me.
