I THINK I’ll go Brazilian,” my friend said as we met for breakfast at Ohana Acai Bar on Market Street.
I was a little nonplussed but I’m liberal minded and replied, “that’s nice”.
Then it dawned on me she was looking past me at an item on the menu on the wall—the Brazilian bowl.
South American acai berry pulp is the base ingredient of most of the bowls, and acai bars have been trendy for a while, so it was time to find out what all the hoo-ha was about.
Cacao nibs
Customising your bowl is the go, with a choice of eight base ingredients and a mind boggling array of healthy toppings, selected by ticking boxes on the menu.
Instead of Brazilian, Catherine opted for the warm acai apple crumble ($14.50), topping it with fresh banana, dried figs, macadamia nuts, flax seed, bee pollen and organic peanut butter.
Our Swiss mate Brigitte had the same, but added some coconut flakes and cacao nibs.
Warm, delicious and very satisfying was the verdict.
“I like that you can put together your own choices,” Brigitte said.
“It will keep me going all day. I can eat a lot and I can barley fit it in.”
Catherine chimed in, “It’s naturally sweet—I think I will be regular all day.”
A couple of hours later she texted me an appropriate emoji.
“That fibre has got things moving,” signing off, “Poo poopidoo.”
The pitaya and mango bowl ($13.90) was an icy cold blend of acai pulp, dragon fruit and nutty granola.
The berries were sharp and tangy, a bit like a blueberry, and the dish was topped with banana, kiwi fruit, passionfruit, figs, coconut flakes, goji berries and dried cranberries.
My bowl of fruity delight was naturally sweet and fantastic and so filling I could only eat half.
The rest kept wonderfully well in the Herald staff fridge until lunch time.
Our food arrived in plastic bowls with plastic spoons, which seemed at odds with Ohana’s ethos, until our friendly waiter informed us they were not plastic, and were compostable.
A flat white ($4) and turmeric and matcha lattes ($6) warmed us up on a cold day; the house-made almond milk adding a pleasant richness.
by JENNY D’ANGER
Ohana Acai Bar
26 Market Street, Fremantle
0404 174 004