» Food & Drink
Andrew Kay finds yet one more reason not to eat meat at Aloka Quality Of Life Centre
There are peas
I was strangely drawn to Aloka from the minute they turned on the lights and those sexy bottles of coloured liquid started to glow. I had not a clue what it was all about, though, and it was a while before a good friend dragged me in and, over lunch, started to explain.
The easy bit is that it is a therapy centre. They offer a wide range of treatments but central to what they do is the Aura-Soma concept. It’s the one connected to those very sexy coloured liquids and my failure to grasp what it is all about leads to me ending up having a consultation. It’s an extraordinary process – I think I am in there for about forty minutes but when I return to my friend I discover that I have been in there for two hours. It was an amazingly cathartic process and I felt a sense of calm and relief afterwards. I cannot explain why, I don’t care why, I just know that it made me feel better in myself.
But as well as a day spa, treatments, the colour thing and a range of beautiful crystals, Aloka has a café. Which is why I am here really. The system, which I have encountered only once before in London, is unusual. Let me explain. You take a plate, choose your food from the buffet and then have your plate weighed. Yes, you pay for what you eat by weight. At the buffet there are lots of choices, from delicious fresh salads to hot dishes, nuts and seeds and dressings to sprinkle on top too. I work my way around the counter choosing carefully. I do become conscious that I am considering the relative weight of each dish. Is the tomato salad heavier and therefore more expensive than that delicious quinoa?
“There are spicy dishes and cool salads, tiny tarts and breadcrumbed delights”
In the end I give up and simply choose things that I like the look of, and there are no shortage of them. There are spicy dishes and cool salads, tiny tarts and breadcrumbed delights. I am relieved to say the least. I had a nagging suspicion that this might be health food of the old school. It may well be healthy but not at the expense of being delicious. It turns out to not be expensive either, despite me having rather a full plate.
For once I am going to refrain from listing what I ate, partly because there were too many dishes to choose from but also because the chef and his team make everything fresh and depending on what is in season. It’s the way I shop and cook myself, so I am impressed.
After my main course I am tempted to try the ice creams, which are vegan. I am a recent convert to soya milk in cooking and would heartily recommend it when making soups. That said, when my ice creams arrive I am told that they have been made, not with soya but with ground cashew nuts. They are so completely delicious, and packed with flavour, that I finish off rather more than I should and end up with eye ache from the cold. Despite this, when I pop in a few weeks later I do not even hesitate at trying the new flavours available – I can see a serious addiction starting here.
As well as the café on the ground level they also have a very beautiful private dining room for parties. It’s a calm space but not a pious one and the availability of organic wines, beers and ciders is a clear indication that this level of spirituality does not preclude having a jolly good time. The chef is a very committed sort of chap but one with whom I find an immediate bond through a mutual passion for great food. He may choose not to cook or eat meat, but his dedication to great cooking is obvious and the food that I have eaten at Aloka is evidence of that.
It’s a relaxed way of eating in the café, and the staff are charming and attentive too. I can see myself holed up in a corner with a book and an ice cream, quite often.
Aloka Quality Of Life Centre, 14 East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HP, 01273 823178.
