As if by some sort of impeccably-timed divine intervention, a new whole-foods eatery and vegan deli opened up 150 metres from my offices on the week I became vegan. The worry was always coffee: How to possibly start a day without a cup of milky, non-purist (also known as latté) coffee? But with an ‘early bird’ special on almond milk flat whites before 9am, the problem was now the solution. Wild Sprout answers prayers.
With a daily changing menu conceptualised by part-owners Candice Coles and Bryan Walter, Wild Sprout in Cape Town’s Loop Street offers a varied – and decidedly interesting – range of delicious health foods and take-away staples. Choose from the farm-fresh grazing plates (five salads daily, plus a protein – be it vegan zucchini fritters or free-range chicken kebabs), hemp jacks, smoothie bowls and toasts. Well priced and catering to your every dietary requirement, from gluten-free wraps to sugar-free rusks and grain-free salads – or even just really delicious pre-made meals for those who eat everything – Wild Sprout offers fresh, country-style fare to suit everyone.
Parts of Loop Street have been left to look slightly forlorn in the last few years. With Bree Street being the CBD’s poster child of all things hip and foodie, it’s no wonder Loop Street has been left with the ‘ugly stepsister’ designation. However, in recent months, upper Loop has seen a slow but definitive rejuvenation. With eateries such as Banks Burgers, Homage and Wild Sprout (not to mention Solo Restaurant, The House of H and Marrow further down), Loop Street is getting a bit if a revival. And enhancing its shabby streets is, of course, my new favourite.
The airy, light-filled space at Wild Sprout not only enhances the fresh and delicious menu, but makes one feel light and airy too – notably more healthy. The all-white walls matched with a fun illustration speaks into the eatery’s ethos. Expect tasty, fresh food made well, with good intention, sustainability and organic farming in mind, all with a smile and sense of humour. Every day, for my before-9am-almond-milk-coffee, I’m greeted with genial hospitality. A friend now, to a place that I genuinely feel cares for its produce, and in turn for the people who eat it.