After a fairly indulgent week of big lunches and long dinners, a healthy kick-start to the day was in order. Enter the new Nü Health Food Café in Greenpoint. A good friend had raved about their food so off I went, braving rush hour traffic in search of the ultimate good-for-you breakfast.
Situated on bustling Main Street alongside a string of foodie joints and bars, Café Nu stands out with its constant hive of activity. It’s a busy start to the day at Nü, with customers streaming in to revitalise their day. Whilst most movers and shakers take a few seconds to enjoy their morning coffee, power juices and breakfast smoothies, there are also those that take a break to sip on their cappuccinos and tuck into their wholesome breakfasts, to read the newspaper or socialise with friends. From businessmen, students, to mums running errands and seemingly lost-looking tourists, Nü’s clientele is anything but dull. In fact, the brilliant and bubbly manager, Faith, said they have all sorts walking through the doors. Since opening in September this year, they have built a strong local customer base with regulars in and out like clockwork.
The inspiration behind the ‘ü’ with two dots on top is supposed to resemble two people facing each other and chatting. I see it as a smiley face and that too encompasses the culture at Nü of happy socializing with great food.
The staff beamed their good mornings and were at the ready to take my order. I decided to go with the uber healthy Breakfast Salad of poached eggs, rocket, avocado, mozzarella and sautéed rosa tomatoes with a sweet glaze and olive oil. You can, of course, add any extra proteins such as tuna, chicken or smoked Norwegian salmon. Avoiding caffeine (brownie points to me) this was accompanied by a Green-Guru juice of wheatgrass, apple and ginger. According to Faith the most popular menu choices at Nü are the Powerhouse Salad/Wrap to eat, the green D-tox juice to drink, The Nutter ‘functional blend’ for the gym bunnies and the Strawberry-B for the youngsters. With only locally-sourced organic ingredients used, the food is fresh, nutritious and delicious. Faith emphasized that Nü embraced this as the new way of living and eating and aim to promote a healthy lifestyle for all.
With free Wi-Fi and a pleasing menu, customers are always coming back for more, there is no downtime in the café. After devouring my delicious meal, an elderly gentleman sits back doing a crossword in a sunny corner, while a bespectacled young lady furiously hammers away at her keyboard. A group of European tourists strolls in and two very happy little girls are slurping away at their Italian frozen yoghurts. I feel satisfied, energized and happy. I’ve achieved what I came for and more. And I’ll be back, there’s no doubt about that.
Operating hours:
Monday – Friday 07h00 – 19h00
Saturday 07h30 – 19h00
Sunday 07h30 – 18h00
Tel: +27 21 433 1429