This is Life Wellness Cafe.
This is Life Wellness Cafe is now permanently closed. The Wellness Centre is still open.
For wellness eats, or dietary friendly menus try MOM Cafe or Tonic and Grace.
For nearby brunch, how about Turning Point or Penta.
The Overview…
Food: Immune Boosting Waffles, Anti-inflammatory Tumeric Rosti, Beetroot Latte, Antioxidant Powerhouse Smoothie
Ratings:
Food: 5/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Value: 4.5/5
The details…
This is Life Wellness Cafe is another one of those places that just makes me smile. It’s the story of people doing what they love, and doing a great job of it! Attached to a wellness centre, the theme here is Food is Medicine, but I never remember medicine tasting this good!
Inside, the cafe is lit with spotlights and is nice and bright. It has a slightly industrial feel with concrete floors and exposed brick walls, but on this chilly morning, it was surprisingly cosy! The genuine enthusiasm of the staff shines through. They want to help and they want you to know what you are eating and why.
When a staff member quite naturally goes “I always order this, and I team it with this” it is such a resounding endorsement for a cafe, and while this place is perfectly positioned in health conscious Elwood, there’s no pretension, multi million dollar business owner or agenda in sight. This family owned cafe wants to share their ethos with people and want you to have a great time by doing it.
We fully embraced their “wellness” idea, opting for a beetroot latte and an antioxidant powerhouse smoothie to drink and then the beetroot waffles and tumeric sweet potato rosti to eat. I’ve had a few beetroot lattes in my time, and this one was heads and shoulders above the rest. Thoughtfully mixed with warming spices such as cinnamon, it’s something you want to cuddle up with on the sofa on a winter’s day and the beetroot is merely one element of a tasty drink.
The smoothie almost tasted like a milk shake – yet it was so healthy. No naughties in this to make it taste good, just excellent flavour combinations, which led to vibrant colour and an icecream like taste. This was so filling, and ideal as a takeaway breakfast to get your day off to a good start.
The flavour of my sweet potato rosti was amazing, and you are greeted by the most wonderful smell at your table when they arrive. It is nicely complemented with greens and homemade pesto, which has a nice little kick but blends well with the rest of the dish. Had I just tried this, I would have gone home happy, but the waffles were something else.
There’s so much going on on that waffle plate that you don’t even notice all the elements but the flavours just work perfectly: the creaminess of the avo, the sharpness of the radishes and the little tang from the finger limes all complement the soft beetroot waffles perfectly. This has to be my favourite brunch dish so far this year!
I’m so grateful we decided to venture outside into the courtyard as the day warmed up a little. It’s decorated with so many fruit and vegetable plants and is just a wonderful environment in which to enjoy brunch. There’s so much to look at in this ever changing garden (as proven when the owner’s gorgeous little daughter marched out in her bunny ears and demanded to know where her strawberries had gone – so cute!)
Now it was definitely helped by some great company in the form of Chronicles of Nardia, but we stayed at brunch for nearly 2 hours! If that isn’t a testament to what a great environment they’ve created I don’t know what else is. And it’s not just food, they care for body, mind and family too, with a variety of classes and experts in a range of natural medicines.
Everything else…
Website: http://thisislifewellness.com.au/
Address: 109 Brighton Road, Elwood
Opening Times:
Mon Closed
Tue 7am to 4pm
Wed 7am to 4pm
Thu 7am to 4pm
Fri 7am to 4pm
Sat 8am to 3pm
Sun 8am to 3pm
Parking: Being on the Brighton Road area of Elwood, it’s actually not too bad to find street parking nearby as you are away from the hustle and bustle of Ormond Road. My tip: park near St Kilda Botanical Gardens, have a short walk to brunch and then enjoy a walk round the lovely gardens afterwards.
Getting here on PT: The 67 tram stops literally outside the door, alight at Wimbledon Ave/Brighton Road. By train it’s a short walk from Ripponlea Station (approximately 10-15 minutes), and a similar distance (if not less) from the 78 tram at the Balaclava end of Chapel Street (just stay on until the end).
Disclaimer: We dined as guests of This is Life Wellness Cafe. Reviews are honest and based on our own personal experiences. We cannot guarantee things at a cafe won’t change including, but not limited to, menu items and opening hours, so please confirm any details with the venue before visiting