Chicken schnitzel. Salt and pepper calamari. Primal meat barbecue pizza.
Almost any dish you can think of has gone gluten free. And dairy free, nut free, paleo, and Keto –courtesy of an enterprising gourmet chef.
Anne-Marie Haylock is bringing new energy to alternative food options with the opening of her new cafe in the heart of Meadowbrook Shopping Centre—Primal Food Cafe.
With an increasing number of people suffering from food intolerances or allergies resulting in potentially life-threatening side effects, when Mrs Haylock was diagnosed with Dercum’s disease, she knew she had to give people like her an opportunity to dine out.
“Over the last 12 years I’ve had to live on a very restricted diet due to food intolerances and it was very difficult for me to be able to eat out because you just can’t find much food that doesn’t have wheat or rice flour in it or some sort of grain or artificial food,” Mrs Haylcok said.
“I dreamt of one day opening a store that catered for people that needed or wanted to eat this way.
“But the main concept of it was that we were making home-made, good quality foods with real flavour and not bringing in your frozen, pre-packaged food.”
The gourmet chef, who has worked in the food industry since she was 13, said she was brought up in country Victoria eating food her and her family made from scratch, and she wanted to bring that philosophy to the cafe.
“We used to have our own veggie garden, our own orchards, we had eggs from chickens, we used to go out and pick our own fruit and berries, so we grew up on as much natural food as possible.
“It’s about finding ingredients that really provide the flavour that you want, and finding the right natural foods that can bring out the flavour of things without adding in artificial products.
“So we make the majority on-site, including all of our sauces, and that way people are getting proper food.”
Her favourites on the menu include the stuffed chicken breast; a whole breast stuffed with dates, feta and apple, cooked in a delicious chutney and coconut cream sauce, served with chips and garden house salad.
She also loves the Quesadilla De Pollo, a fried corn tortilla, filled with shredded chicken, avocado, onion relish and tasty cheese cooked to crunchy perfection.
“We shallow fry the tortillas because the corn tortillas are quite tough compared to the flour ones,” Mrs Haylock said.
“So when you eat them without cooking them properly they’ll taste like cardboard but when you cook them the right way though, they’ll puff up and become quite moist.
“It’s about the way that you cook things.”
And of course, there’s great coffee and delicious desserts too.
With its rainforest café aesthetic and family vibe – Primal Cafe is the stuff that makes you feel good on the inside.
“We want people to realise they’re back to nature, and they’re back to the roots of what real food is.”
Primal Food Cafe is open 7 days a week and is located at Shop T6, Meadowbrook Shopping Centre, on Logandowns Drive. They also offer delivery.
