9 months ago
Who’d have thought that healthy could be so appealing? This health-forward cafe is good for body, mind & soul… & is as delicious as can be.
pHresh came about because of a juice shot. The cafe owners (a charismatic mother and daughter duo who you’ll fall in love with from your first visit) began making their ginger and turmeric shots during lockdown. They felt the benefits of them pretty quick and wanted to make their products available to as many people as possible. However, when looking to sell them in retail sites they quickly realised that the shots would have to be tampered with (pasteurised and have stabilisers added) to make the shelf life work for the big stores. They tried the shop-friendly shots and realised that they just weren’t as good as what they were cooking up in their own kitchen. So they decided to bring the kitchen to the people and start their own cafe on Lavender Hill where they could make the juices (and more) fresh every day. So pHresh was born.
We visited this vibrant cafe and immediately felt our spirits rise. The bold orange colours, the great tunes and the impressive food and drink menu is enough to put anyone into a good mood and we couldn’t wait to taste a few things. Of course, we had to give the juice shots a go. They are, after all, the reason the cafe began. Going into this one we were a little nervous, admittedly we aren’t juice shot fans- we find the strength a little too intense. But we will give anything a go once and aren’t we glad we did! These shots were a tasty delight. Bold ginger and turmeric flavours, sure, but they were mild enough that we wanted to savour this little bottle rather than chug it down in one. Even better was knowing that the shots had been made in house that morning and were as untampered with as can be.
Next up was a ‘Berrylicious’ frozen smoothie bowl. The colour won us over immediately- pretty in pink it was made with mixed berries, banana, seamoss and topped with desiccated coconut, blueberries, seeds, a pinch of granola… A delight on the eyes as much as on the tastebuds. As soon as summer hits we know that these will be flying off the shelves, but if you can hack a cold breakfast then we couldn’t recommend it more. But if warm and cosy is more your bag for winter then there’s porridge, pancakes and other warm bits on the counter too.
The drinks list is vast; they’ve got juices (all cold-pressed to preserve as much goodness as possible), smoothies, coffees, teas and wellness drinks- all of which looks as appealing as the next. The ‘Green Reviver’ smoothie is made from banana, kale, mango and lemongrass and is a lovely, zingy wake up call and you can’t go wrong with the ‘Healer Juice’ (basically a long version of the shots) which is apple, pear, ginger, turmeric and pepper. This one seems to be standing up to its name. pHresh have a customer- in her 70’s- who has been coming everyday since they opened 2 weeks ago for that very juice. On her last visit she said that her ongoing joint pains had all but disappeared since incorporating the juice into her routine and she is so convinced by it that her husband has now been enrolled in the same prescription! Joint pains or not, the juice is incredibly delicious and you’ll drink it down without even considering that it might be doing you good.
For a nice winter warmer we tried one of their wellness drinks. As it was first thing on a Monday morning, the aptly named ‘Eye Opener Coffee’ was calling our name. This one is made from a powder of 3 mushrooms; lion’s mane, chaga and cordyceps. Ok, we know that a mushroom powder ‘coffee’ might not sound appealing but believe us, this one is worth giving a go. It was creamy, slightly earthy and very comforting- all whilst giving us a much needed energy boost without the caffeine jitters! We are officially mushroom converts.
pHresh really deserves your custom. They’ve got a great concept with their scrumptious menu that just so happens to be extremely good for you. Not only will you be doing good things for your body by giving them a visit, but just being in the cafe and in the presence of that enigmatic mother-daughter-duo you’ll get a whopping serotonin hit too. Add pHresh into your life and you’ll feel fantastic.