Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw and Gluten-Free food at the LICENSED Swan Valley Cafe

I’m your steak sandwich and fries kinda girl, I basically love everything that is bad for me. It’s not a talent I’m proud of but it does keep me happy at times!

I was on my way for a massage at the Brookleigh Health Spa (awesome deal by the way, they were having a 50% off all treatments, so keep an eye on their Facebook page here) however I was a little early so I thought I’d grab a bite to eat. I’d heard about the Swan Valley Cafe but I have to admit despite enjoying their fabulous foodie pictures on their Facebook page I didn’t feel their vegetarian, vegan, raw or gluten-free cafe would be for me since I don’t really fall into one of those categories.

Since it’s just down the road from Brookleigh on the Great Northern Highway, I thought why not thinking I could grab a super healthy green juice and a bite to eat before my massage. The cafe is nothing fancy, but it is cozy and the brown and green colour scheme make it feel very ‘natural’. The outside setting is very pretty with the big wooden rustic tables however if you are drinking alcohol only the tables directly outside are under the license (you’ll see little signs on the tables were you can’t enjoy your wee tipple).

I couldn’t believe it when I opened the menu (aca-believe it!! Pitch Perfect movie reference for ya there!) and saw a wine list. I shouldn’t have been so surprised however I guess I just associate healthy eating with no alcohol (hence why I’m so bad at it!).

What I really enjoyed about the page long wine menu at the Swan Valley Cafe is that all the wines were obviously carefully hand-picked for the cafe. At the top of the wine list was a key to help denote what wines were biodynamic, organic, vegan-friendly and which ones were made locally.

The list consisted of sparkling wines, white, rosé, red and non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice from Canada. Harris Organic Wines and Talijancich Wines dominate the list. However there are a few extra interesting ones in there such as a few of the organic and preservative free Wild Fox range from Adelaide. Astrolabe Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is also included as well as the Yelland & Papps Vermentino. The Battle of Bosworth Shiraz from McLaren Vale is also on there. Check out my guide on preservative free wines for more information.

Not all the wines are available by the glass, some are bottles only. Glass prices start from about $8.50 and most of the bottle prices are around the $35 mark. There is also a vegan friendly pear cider and vegan friendly beers on offer. Who knew Corona was vegan friendly!!

The cafe is open for breakfast, brunch and lunch. Breakfast is served up until 11am, check out the menu here (doesn’t it look divine!). And lunch is served from 11:30am – 3:30pm. Alongside the standard menu there are the daily lunch, cake and drink specials. I also must mention they are tea specialists, so if you like the odd cuppa or two you should definitely check out the range they have on offer.

Naturally I opted for a glass of wine over a pot of tea, so I decided to go for the Talijancich Ebony 2011 Rose from the Swan Valley for $8.50 per glass.

On this visit I went for the raw pasta with veggie spirals & nut balls. This raw, vegan and gluten-free dish was $20.50. It was a huge portion, presented beautifully and afterwards I have to admit I felt a lot better than after finishing a bucket of KFC chicken! However I saw a few of the panini’s and dhal’s going out which looked soooo good and probably more up my alley. Looks like it’s not just the wine list that’ll have me going back for more. Ohh and the cakes… I want to go back and make friends with that cake fridge!

The cafe also offers personalised high teas as well as having a takeaway menu and products to buy to take home such as crunchy granola, gluten-free bread, chia seeds, quinoa and more! Not only do they cater for vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free and raw diets but they can also specially cater for any other dietary requirements you may have, just let the staff know when you book!

For more information please visit the Swan Valley Cafe website or connect with them on Facebook.

Check out the Swan Valley Cafe wine list here: