Swan Valley Cafe - revisited

I recently celebrated my birthday with an all vegan dinner at Swan Valley Cafe with some friends. I had been there before, but only for breakfast. This time, I had a special menu arranged, consisting of vegan/raw vegan entree and vegan/raw vegan main.

I opted for the gazpacho for the entree, as I have never had it before and being a hot summer's night, I thought a cold soup would go down well. For some, the idea of eating a cold soup might not appeal but I have to say it was refreshing,  and despite my general aversion to garlic, was very tasty, indeed.

The other entree option was the spicy black bean soup which, although I had not tasted, was a popular choice with my friends. My partner, who had it, assured me that it was delicious.

Next up was the vegan main. Again, I opted for the raw vegan lasagna.  I have never had one of these before and so was not sure as to what I would be getting. I am only just now starting to learn more about raw vegan cooking. What I have learnt was that it takes a fair amount of preparation. One look at the plate set down before me showed that. There were many layers and much slicing of vegetables involved. I was intrigued by the thickish yellow sauce in between some of the layers. My guess was that it was cashew cream based. The raw lasagna was lovely and I certainly appreciated the work that went into creating it. The salad served on the side was fresh. No wilted lettuce in sight. I was so excited by the event and having so many of my friends present that I found I could not eat very much, so the cafe manager asked if I would like to take the remainder home. I took her up on her offer and lets just saw that that dish tasted just as good the next day, cold from the fridge!

The other main option was the Morrocan simmer with polenta. Again, I had not tasted this but was told that it was very good.

My guests then had the option of having a vegan dessert. Some opted for chocolate mousse, others for cheesecake. As you can see by the photos, the presentation was lovely.

All in all, I was happy that I was able to have my birthday at a vegan friendly venue, with an all vegan menu. My guests ranged from vegan, to vegetarians, to omnivores - and they all seemed to have enjoyed the experience.

The Swan Valley Cafe staff were friendly and the service was prompt.
They do special events/functions by special request. For my event, we had the venue to ourselves in the evening which was great. The one stipulation is that you must have 20+ people attending. If you are interested in having your own function here, just call the cafe and discuss dates, times and menu items.