Aloka-ka!

You'd be forgiven for never hearing of Aloka, you'd also be forgiven if you had heard of Aloka and thought it was just a yoga studio. Residing almost opposite Terre a Terre on East Street, Aloka is by rights a wellness centre offering yoga classes and a range of alternative therapies but also selling crystals and organic skincare ranges. It's also a cafe, I've had lunch there before and it was a weigh your food buffet type affair offering healthy, vegan food - perfect for many of the health enthusiasts that reside in Brighton. So when I was invited down to try a new menu for their upstairs restaurant I wondered if there was anything Aloka didn't do. Upon hearing the food was all raw, I headed down with a few doubts and a back up of carby type nibbles in my bag.


The decor at Aloka is bright and airy (though slightly bordering on clinical) with various uplifting colours dotted around. The chef at Aloka is clearly very passionate about what he does and speaks of his food in a way an artist would talk about their prize work - except also knowing where every material came from and what benefits it can have. The menu itself looked impressive in type but it couldn't have prepared me for the food that was to come - I can honestly say parts of the menu were some of the best food I've had in Brighton and certainly the most attractive. The chefs use a lot of nuts in their creations, using dehydrators to convert into beautifully creamy sauces and 'pastries'. A huge standout for me was the beetroot gazpachio - melt in the mouth creaminess with a real tangy after kick.


Everything Aloka does has your mood and well-being in mind, right down to the glass coloured water sticks in the complimentary filtered water jugs that apparently enhance your mood in different ways depending on what colour you have. Most surprising was how reasonable the food is at Aloka, taking into consideration the precision and passion put into it. I couldn't help but feel the restaurant should be it's own entity - it seems far too good to be tucked upstairs at what seems at first to be a yoga and alternative therapies centre.


Check out their website for more information on the food and special offers, I wholeheartedly recommend a visit, I promise it will blow any preconceptions you may have about raw food out the water.


I came out feeling comfortably satisfied, no need for those stashed nibbles then.