Bloom. The Healthy Food Co – Mosman, Sydney

The Mosman cafe scene has exploded over the past few months, and it’s about time. The local options simply weren’t up to scratch – other than one regular haunt for (fabulous) corn fritters – and as a result we were always heading over the bridge for brunch.

So you can imagine my delight when, during a morning walk earlier this week, RJ looked up just in time to spot the newly opened Bloom cafe by The Healthy Food Co.

We paused just long enough to scan the menu, finding no less than 10 things calling out to be ordered asap, including as luck would have it a brilliant sounding mushroom dish.

On our second pass towards the end of the walk we stopped again to look, quickly agreeing to head home and return later that afternoon for brunch.

Bloom seems to have sprung out of thin air, taking over a space previously occupied by a local long-standing Italian restaurant. The menu is fresh, healthy and honest, and the small details indicate at every turn that the owners are not new at the cafe game.

Open for less than a week, the lunching-ladies of Mosman have wasted no time making themselves at home. Clad in yoga gear and tennis outfits for morning coffee, polished and primped for lunch, the constant turn of tables only serves to prove a point that this cafe fills a void.

It also fills a void in my need for one more mushroom dish for Mushroom Mania, how terribly convenient, and after an extraordinarily poor experience a few days earlier at another new local spot, brunch at Bloom was exactly what we needed.

And so it began when the Marrakesh Green Tea ($4) and large Create-Your-Own Juice combo of apple, orange, pineapple and carrot ($7.50) arrived in a flash.

My Quinoa Mushroom Trio ($15.50) was simple and wholesome. Small swiss browns and larger flat mushrooms are sauteed with spring onion, tossed with quinoa, served over a bed of rocket on organic wholemeal miche sourdough and topped with creamy Persian fetta.

The scattering of quinoa is a bit light-on to be leading the title but adds a nice texture to the mushrooms none the less.

RJ’s Almond and Banana Pancakes ($16.50) are a healthy twist on the traditional breakfast classic. Made with besan and buckwheat flour, millet, almond meal, grated pear and banana they are topped with raw mixed berry coulis, yoghurt and fresh fruit.

The pancakes are thin when compared to our last pancake and mushroom brunch feast but stacked four-high they nearly mimic the decadence of a crepe cake in every hearty bite. As for the mushrooms, there were many ‘just one more taste’ requests from my dining companion…

Rustic wood and industrial chic blend seamlessly at Bloom to create a warm and inviting space. Breakfast is served until 1 pm and lunch starts at 11 am, providing the best of both sides of the menu for prime lunch hours.

There is a local in-season focus and organic produce is used when possible, all menu items are well marked for Organic, Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegetarian and Vegan options.

If the menu or ethos looks familiar it’s because Bloom is the sister of Nourished in Avalon and both cafes are part of the Healthy Food Co group.

Welcome to Mosman, Bloom. We’ll be seeing you again very soon – and working our way though pretty much everything on the menu – I can’t wait.

The verdict…

• Value: Good servings at common Sydney prices – with no indication they’ve been marked up for location or clientele.
• 5 Senses: Rustic wood, touches of industrial chic and splashes of colour make you want to simply hang out for as long as possible. Take your pick from padded benches, stools and chairs. There is something interesting – and enticing – every way you look. Menu clearly marked for all sorts of food sensitivities.
• Service: Most of the staff are shiny local kids still in training but all perfectly friendly. Enough senior staff float around to answer any menu questions. Order and pay at the counter and choose your seat.
• Boomerang Effect: Rarely do I find a cafe or restaurant where I want to try more than one or two things on the menu – I want nearly everything at Bloom. With this cafe an acceptable walk away there is no doubt we’ll be staying local for brunch much more often.
• Curtain Call: Janella Purcell is a consultant for the cafe – like her or not she creates some great wholesome recipes. Bread is from Sonoma, tea from T2 and coffee from Campos. In addition to a rotating single origin offering, Bloom serves a special Campos blend of fairtrade and organic beans created especially for the cafe.

BLOOM. THE HEALTHY FOOD CO – MOSMAN, SYDNEY
118 PRINCE ALBERT STREET
MOSMAN, NSW 2088 AUSTRALIA

Mushroom Mania 2013

Mushrooms really are one of my favourite brunch – or any time really – foods, and with both Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D among a raft of other health benefits, it’s no wonder I adore them. If you’re looking for some ideas here are a few mushroom recipes I prepared earlier.

You can see my first Sydney restaurant mushroom post here and the second one here – but I’d love to know what your favourites are!

Find out more here about how you can participate in Mushroom Mania this July and enter to win a $100 dining voucher just for sharing your favourite mushroom dishes from cafés, bistros, clubs, pubs and restaurants across Australia.

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The search for mushroom dishes across Sydney has been sponsored by Australian Mushrooms Growers as part of their 2013 Mushroom Mania campaign. Review venue chosen based on inclusion of mushrooms on the menu, all meals were paid for, all opinions are my own.

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