Just Open: Rough & Bare, Mona Vale

Look out, northern beaches health nuts – gluten-free wholefoods kitchen Rough & Bare is setting up shop in Mona Vale.

As its name suggests, Rough & Bare's offerings will be stripped down to their most natural state. Everything will be free of gluten, refined sugars, soy and preservatives.

"Everything needs to be healing to the gut, nutrient-dense and tick all the boxes to make it healthy," says owner and chef Anthony Milotic.

Rough & Bare was inspired by Milotic's own health journey.

"I suffered from chronic fatigue and was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis until my nutritionist healed me from the inside out with a wholefood lifestyle that introduced gut-healing bone broths, vegetables, good fats, limited carbohydrates and refined sugar," he says.

The wholefood eatery will offer natural refreshments such as kombucha​ on tap, bone-broth cups, smoothies, cold-pressed juices and probiotic-fermented drinks like coconut kefir​.

Milotic is working on two signature breakfast dishes, the first being a spin on bacon and eggs but with porchetta pork belly served on sweet potato puree with poached eggs and fermented vegetables. The other will be based around slow-cooked, wild-caught Canadian salmon.

Rough & Bare will also bake their own gluten-free sorghum bread as Milotic believes "there's no good gluten-free bread with the chewy texture of wheat bread around".

Shop 1/1 Bungan Lane, Mona Vale; Open 7 days, 6.30am-4.30pm from October 19.