Earth Vegan Cafe

Earth may not serve coffee but its mantra is "change the world by eating cake". Part of the Samadhi Yoga studio, the cafe seats about 10 at a communal table, making the best use of a space that is also a shop, library and entrance to the yoga room (so be mindful of your noise level).

Take-away containers are biodegradable, serviettes are cloth, crockery is by a carbon-neutral company and the kitchen garden is planted with greens and berries. A good range of sweets (from $2), pastries, juices, smoothies and herb teas round out a simple seasonal menu.

The popular adzuki, pumpkin and ginger casserole ($9.50) is sold out when we visit, so we try ahimsa beans with leek and tomato ($8), creamy Indian mushroom soup with rye toast ($8) and spicy rainbow quinoa salad ($8.50). These are rustic, tasty dishes that pay attention to the importance of texture in vegan cookery.

Try Popeye's raw green smoothie ($6.50): algae, barley grass, wheat grass, assorted leaves, mint, banana and apple. In lieu of caffeine, it's a viscous, cleansing hit.

Earth Vegan Cafe
Unit A, 76 Wilford Street, Newtown, 9517 3280, Mon-Fri, 7.30am-3pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-4pm