Giddyup Mule is a newcomer to the west side. Although it’s attached to fitness hub The Art of Cycling, it’s not only spin class survivors who refuel on its paleo, gluten-free and dairy-free (but not taste-free) goodies.
Situated in a former warehouse, Giddyup Mule feels both spacious and cosy. Its high ceilings, concrete floors and exposed brick walls are softened with wooden boxes of succulents, pretty smatterings of turquoise and an expansive fireplace. A jar of doggy biscuits sits outside to welcome paleo pooches.
Coffee is from local roasters Axil (beans are a mixture of Colombian, Ethiopian and Brazilian); but it’s in the un-caffeinated section of the menu where the drinks really get toned and tasty. The Mule’s Smoothie is a creamy blend of banana, raw cacao and free-radical-zapping berries (goji and blue), while the simpler Mule’s house-made tea is a back-to-basics infusion of lemongrass, honey and ginger. There’s also kombucha on tap (fermented black tea), a magic potion that allegedly fixes everything from digestive problems to arthritis and grey hair. Here’s hoping.
A wholesome menu – eggs, toast, bircher, soups and salads – contains few surprises and fewer disappointments. Again, everything’s reinforced with super ingredients: there’s chia seeds in the jam, spelt in the bread and enough activation in the almonds to make Pete Evans pummel his pecs and unleash a lusty yodel.
The winter vegetable noodles medley will suit the carb averse. Bok choi, shredded cabbage and delicately poached chicken sit on shoestrings of zucchini and carrot noodles. Artfully arranged in a bowl, it’s accompanied by a side of kim chi and a jug of broth whose contents you pour over the vegetables, to warm and soften them. It certainly feels like a nutritionally upstanding dish; however, the broth is tepid and you’ll need more than you’re given to do the job properly.
Avocado smash works well, with a soft boiled egg mashed into the flesh alongside a tumble of tomatoes and fetta. The paleo nutri loaf will please both cave cuisine connoisseurs and mainstream eaters alike; it’s small but satisfying, and nutty to the max. Ask for the sweet and creamy cashew whip, and (after licking the knife) savour it straight from the ramekin.
The owners are very personable and can help you navigate the selection of raw and organic afters. Go the banana and blueberry loaf: it’s fresh, coconutty and flavoursome. For after afters, grab a mocha raw ball for some fudgy goodness.
All hail Giddyup Mule. In a food scene that’s clogged up with duffins, cruffins and cronuts, this café makes eating healthily every bit as pleasurable as eating sinfully.