A couple of girlfriends and I met on a lovely Spring Saturday morning in London in Chelsea / South Kensington at The Good Life Eatery. This little gem of a place was brought to my attention on Instagram via a Chelsea resident, silver-screen siren Millie Macintosh (Made in Chelsea). I had seen some of the pictures she had posted on the numerous times she went there and needless to say I was sold. Healthy, tasty food, delicious juices and rather local to my abode - what more could I want?!
After some further research, it turned out you could not book directly and when we arrived a little after 1.30pm you could see why. The place is TINY, literally minute. There were people lining up in single file out the door to try place an order whether to eat in or take away. The idea of their cafe/eatery is a little odd... You take your order and wait until a table becomes free (bearing in mind there is under 10 tables available) and hover lurking to grab one ASAP. Once you have your table they will bring you your food, which was actually brought out rather promptly.
Now the menu is small, full of healthy, 'eat-clean' options, quinoa being prominent, sweet potato, Greek yoghurt with fruits, gluten free porridge etc. The juices were rather pricey and there was really only one good one (the........) It's clientele is tends to be those 'hashtag' eat-clean peeps, the 'posho' Chelsea-ites with skinny jeans, ankle boots and fedora hats or those that wear their gym gear all day, with a full face of make up having most likely not been working out at all, I hope you catch my drift.
We were lucky and did not have to wait long for a table and as mentioned our food then came out shortly after. Between the three of us we chose a selection of the menu: quinoa pot with poached eggs, sautéed kale, sweet potato and walnut pesto, Greek yoghurt granola with fresh bred berries and shaved coconut, and sweet potato dukka with gluten free crisp breads. The quinoa pot had a great texture between the grain, eggs and nutty pesto and the flavours seemed to hit every note with each mouthful. The walnut pesto was a tasty alternative to the usual basil and I was surprised to note that the dish filled me up for the rest of the day! (Definitely some inspiration here for a Love Bites recipe!)The granola was pretty standard but the coconut shavings were a delicate but decadent hit. The sweet potato dukka was another interesting spin on the usual chickpea hummus dip. The sweet potato dish nailed it in flavour and spices although I think the crisp breads were a little too harsh a whole wheat pita (or wheat free variety of bread) or fresh raw vegetables would have been a health and interesting addition to this dish. The coffees were good, the juices better but very expensive at £6.50 a bottle.
We were in and out within 45 or so minutes (although we may have stayed longer chatting and finishing off the juices at the table!) overall the service was fast and efficient, the food - healthy full dishes not only just for the 'eat cleanies' and those with allergies. The good life eatery is definitely a hot and if they continue to expand their food and drink menu I will most certainly be making a few return trips!! #eatclean
