SEPTEMBER 2017
Greenstone DINING | 7
SEPTEMBER 2017
Greenstone DINING | 7
Something new sprouting in Greenstone
TSprout Café & Salad Bar at the Stoneridge Centre is a recently opened new option for those who want to be healthy , but not at the expense of delicious food .
wo large , portable herb gardens greet you on either side of the new Sprout Café & Salad Bar at the central food court of the Stoneridge Centre . While the greenery ties in nicely with the minimalist décor of the interiors of the restaurant which are flooded with natural light , and the herbs are used in the cooking of the food , their placement adds another dimension to the café , which in a way summarises what Sprout is all about .
“ It is a community herb garden ,” explains Leigh Klapthor , the owner of Sprout and the driving force behind the new brand . “ If your food needs a bit more thyme , you are welcome to add it to your dish , or if you forgot to get coriander at the Spar , just grab some on your way past .” It is this community driven ethos which has already seen the café grow in popularity simply through word-ofmouth since it opened for business on August 21 .
Leigh , who comes from a marketing background with Bidvest and Rage , was bitten by the food bug and decided to take the big step of launching her own establishment . “ This is a first for us , so we humbly ask our customers for their forgiveness ,” she laughs , but she needn ’ t have any concerns – we visited Sprout just four days after their opening , and it is clear that they are on the right path .
Essentially , Sprout offers accessible , healthy eating to their customers . “ We serve healthy but also delicious food , catering for those who want to watch what they eat , but not miss out on the good tastes . I personally don ’ t want to eat like a rabbit , so we offer healthier versions of items such as milkshakes and waffles , but without the guilt .” She notes that with a plethora of gyms in the area , healthy food offerings are lacking , so gym-goers tend to waste all their effort at the gym by eating something unhealthy after their workouts .
The main focus at Sprout is their salad bar , which not only caters to the businesses and the office parks in the area , but also as a quick and efficient sit down lunch or a takeaway meal after gym or work . It ’ s simple – you select one base ( from a selection of lettuce , spinach , wild brown rice , whole wheat wrap etc .), one protein ( bacon , bed , chicken , egg , falafel or tofu ) and then five from a selection of 14 fresh vegetables along with a dressing of your choice .
Yet their offering is for more extensive , including salads , a Soup of the Day , smoothies , burgers , wraps and breakfast dishes . One of the current breakfast specials includes oats with caramelised bananas and nuts , a ginger and carrot shot and a cup of coffee for just R55 . And it doesn ’ t end there – they are an inclusive venue , catering for those following the popular banting diet as well as vegans . For example , their burger menu includes regular chicken burgers along with a banting burger with zucchini fries or a vegan burger ( with a bean pattie ) and polenta fries .
Showing a healthy respect for their customers and their lifestyle choices , they have taken into account their concerns to ensure that is an inclusive enough venue for everyone . “ There is no cross contamination in the kitchen , and vegan meals are cooked totally separately to the other meals ,” Leigh assures us .
Their vegan , banting and gluten-free options are already becoming very popular , one example being the peanut butter and banana vegan waffle sandwich , which , even
WHERE : Shop 11 , Stoneridge Centre TRADING HOURS :
Monday-Thursday : 7am-7pm Friday : 7am-3pm Saturday : 8am-3pm
Sunday : 8am-2pm
TEL : 011-452-3003 EMAIL : leigh @ sprouthealthcafe . co . za WEBSITE : www . sprouthealthcafe . co . za FACEBOOK : Sprout Café SIZE : 194m 2 CAPACITY : 50 CATEGORY : Health food
for non-vegans has already become Sprout ’ s signature dish ( and at only R38 you can easily see why ). Having never tried any vegan food , we were a bit apprehensive when our waffle was brought to us , but after having wolfed it down in no time , we know that we will be back soon to introduce our whole family to it .
Yet it is not just the food which we loved about Sprout – it really is a great place to visit simply to have a coffee ( supplied by Royal Coffee Roasters just down the alley ), set up your laptop at one of the counters and do some work to the sounds of soothing music and sizzling food from the kitchen . “ We want people to come in , feel at home , and know the Wi-Fi password ,” says Leigh with a smile . The 94m 2 restaurant can cater for around 50 at a time as they also have an extra 100m 2 of outdoor seating space available to them for al fresco eating .
“ We are 20 and 30-somethings , and we know what the area was missing and what we like . At the moment we are our best customers . It had always been my vision to have somewhere healthy to go with my friends after gym , and now that Sprout is open we have already had enquiries about opening a branch in Sandton . At the moment though , we are focussing on establishing and perfecting this branch ,” she says .
Although they are still refining their offering and learning every step of the way , Leigh and her team at Sprout ( including her friend Crystal who has come on board with her ) have a lot invested in the business and are passionately driving the brand forward . “ We are a very humble crowd – I may own the café , but you ’ ll find me making the coffee and clearing the tables ,” she says with another laugh . Leigh ’ s ambition is to build a community around the brand , and with a mature head on her shoulders , a clear passion for what she is doing and a unique offering for the area , it would not surprise us if we saw more Sprout ’ s sprouting around the province in the near future .
Eden Meadows Shop 38 , Eden Meadows Shopping Centre Modderfontein Road , Edenvale • ( 011 ) 452-3313