Egg of the Universe

"You are going to LOVE it," says the girl behind the counter when I ask for a choco biscuit to take away. I'm not so sure. It's brown with a big chocolate button on top, but it's dairy, sugar and gluten-free, made with nutmeal, maple sugar, single origin cacao and coconut oil. It's meant to be an after-school treat for my son, but I think I need to test it. Hmm, it's soft, not crunchy, and not very sweet ... but OK. I try a bit more. Actually, it's not bad ... You know how this ends. By the time I get to school, there's just an empty brown paper bag. Oops.

Egg of the Universe is a cafe and yoga studio on the Rozelle side of Darling Street, in a spot that hosts a small foodie hub, with near neighbours Labancz French bakery, Bellingen Gelato and innovative Indian restaurant Nithik's Kitchen.

Feeling it's somehow cheating to go straight to the EOTU cafe, as it's abbreviated, I do a yoga class first.

"Meet me in DFD," says the teacher, roughly translated as please do downward-facing dog pose. Coincidentally, the theme of the class today is nourishment, and though I'm trying to stay in the moment in DFD, my mind keeps drifting to the lovely courtyard downstairs, with crunching pebbles underfoot and spreading lace-bark elm tree overhead casting dappled shade.

We learn about the currents of liberation and manifestation and how to do Bird of Paradise pose (or watch other people do it) before we finally get to lying-down-relaxing pose. Then it's up, out and downstairs to nab a table for two in the corner.

The menu, printed on recycled brown paper, is wholefoods healthful, with lacto-fermented sauerkraut and activated organic buckwheat. I expect it to be vego too, but I'm wrong – it includes ocean trout, bacon (nitrate-free) and chicken liver pate. The slow-cooked pork shoulder even comes with crackling, as well as caramelised​ sweet potato cake, a poached organic egg, spring apple slaw and barbecue sauce.

Funnily enough, when it arrives, the only dud note is the crackling, which tastes stale. Everything else is excellent – the soft pork sitting on a layered base of paper-thin sweet potato slices, with a lovely soft egg on top next to a mountain of crunchy slaw. The sauce really tastes like tangy barbecue sauce, not some kind of miso/kelp alternative.

My friend's plate, The Perfect Circle Salad, is a colourful sight to behold: green, orange and pink, with raw and fermented salads, beetroot dip and a scoop of fantastic electric-green pesto made with activated nuts. The most intriguing item is the activated linseed cracker, a sheet of dehydrated raw seeds and grated carrot that looks like a small contemporary artwork and is also good for scooping up dips.

On the drinks front, a flat white is pleasant though a little too milky, and an earthy Rooibos herbal iced tea reminds me why I really don't like Rooibos tea. The house-fermented spiced honey kombucha​, on the other hand, is delicious, like subtly sweet ginger ale that's really good for you.

Combined with the yoga, thriving pot plants and pleasant service, the place has a marked calming effect. You can imagine yourself in Byron Bay or Bali, not a few metres from Victoria Road.

While you're in the zone, you can also buy the Love Life and Gluten Free cookbook, or a kombucha starter kit to take home, or perhaps a chamomile muffin and a slice of raw chocolate and avocado cake.

I might not be part of the activated nut crowd, but Egg of the Universe affirms my personal mantra: if it tastes good, eat it.

THE PICKS Pork shoulder; Perfect Circle Salad; spiced honey kombucha​

THE COFFEE Mecca Dark Horse blend

THE LOOK Leafy Zen garden

THE SERVICE Calm, warm and efficient