Monday, July 31, 2017

Present Moment Cafe, St. Augustine, Fla., Vegan Vegetarian Local

St. Augustine, Fla.--Present Moment Cafe serves delicious raw-vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian food. It has been operating in the north Florida area for over 10 years. And is a short drive from San Sebastian Winery along King Street. They buy local ingredients when they can and support Florida breweries.

Present Moment Cafe, St. Augustine, Fla.
Copyright 2017 by Helen A Lockey
I had the good fortune to visit them several months ago, on a a quiet weekday night when the crowds were small. Parking was scarce, behind the cafe, so I was glad there were not many patrons.

The atmosphere was welcoming with warm lights and soft music. The service was Island style so it was good I was not in a rush.

Middle East Peace Hummus, Present Moment Cafe,
St. Augustine, Fla. Copyright 2017 by Helen A Lockey
I started my meal with the Middle East Peace Hummus dish ($8) that came with house made dehydrated corn chips, that were delicious. It also had a lovely mint and cashew drizzle that livened up the hummus and fresh vegetables.

The idea behind raw-vegan food chips is that living ingredients are put in a dehydrator, that gets no hotter than 150 degrees Fahrenheit so the living enzymes stay intact, to crisp them up.

Macro Burger with Cheez, Present Moment Cafe,
St. Augustine, Fla., Copyright 2017 by Helen A Lockey
And then I ordered the Macro Burger with Cheez (vegan cheese)($9). It was a delicious, meaty (but not from an animal product) black bean burger mixed with sweet potato and rice. It came with all the fixings and a bun. From the outside it looked like a regular hamburger.

Sunlight Burger, Present Moment Cafe, St. Augustine, Fla.,
Copyright 2017 by Helen A Lockey
It was so filling I had no room for dessert. But I did want some food for the next morning, so I ordered some to go: Stacked Bagel with cashew cream cheez and avocado ($7) and a raw-vegan Sunlight Burger ($12).

The Sunlight Burger was a dehydrated patty made from a mix of mushrooms, nuts and a veggie burger. It was topped with dehydrated onions and veggie provolone cheese. It came with a side of salad and some more dehydrated corn chips...yum.

I plan to visit them again the next time I am in town.

They are located at 224 W. King Street, Saint Augustine, FL 32084
Phone (904) 827-4499

The Present Moment Cafe hours are: Mon. to Thurs. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Fri. to Sat. 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

You can find them online at https://www.facebook.com/PresentMomentCafe/