4h28 minutes brunch.
Yes. This was probably the longest brunch in the whole history. Also the most amazing and pinktastic one 🙌💖 but let’s hope the review isn’t that long (of course it will be 🙃)
I had heard of Pink before it’s doors opened to pubic on the 16th of June and I had seen some of my food blogger friends going there to try the place before it’s official launch. ‘The most instagramable cafe’ - that’s how they presented themselves to the world. And of course that a place that claims to be outstanding, filled with uplifting vibes and something completely new, generates much excitement and high expectations. Specially to the food blogger community!
And if you don’t want to read the rest of the review let me tell you that the place ABSOLUTELY exceeds your expectations. Pink-abulastic indeed! I was blown away by the phenomenal service and I had with lots of laughter and hugs (should I even say happy tears?) of how this place wants for you to shine your brightest light and show who you truly are. Sounds cheesy? Well, it’s really not. In a world where mental and physical health are taking more of a priority in people’s lives, it certainly isn’t ‘cheesy’ to visit a place that actually makes you feel special. No, it’s not JUST about brunch - it is so much more than that and while it may be the hottest and trendiest place to be right now (hashtag iwanttogobecauseitisfancy) trust me that the quality of the meals and the concept around self love and wellness will prevail and be here for many MANY years 👏
The location is right in the city centre and the place is not only strategically placed, easily accessible for a quite escape from work during lunch time but also ideal for dinner (and maybe who knows some drinks after - that they also provide with very high class, and of course, pink (and non pink 😂) drinks!) It’s such a versatile place that from a girls gathering to a first date or even a solo treatyoself moment is something that I can picture here and certainly in every single occasion you will leave happy, filled with the love that this place has to offer.
Darren and Harry are the prodigious men behind this place and they deserve a huge applause 👏 and a hug 🤗 and some pink hearts too 💕😂 it is clear how much effort they have put into this place and how they wanted to bring something complete new and the most honourable and game changing idea to a venue. They did that by having a mural with one of the most charismatic and gorgeous drawing that reinforces the whole venue’s ethos of self love, self care and kindness - every photo of the mural tagged #frompinktoyou, Pink the Restaurant donates $2 to women’s mental-health charity Liptember and their actual event launch was based on a very special Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea in support of Cancer Council.
And mentioning decorations, I don’t even know where to start. You will walk in speechless, wonder breathless (from so much WOW-NESS and holding your breath) and leave... dreaming about going back instantly. From the tables, with beautiful layouts, and obviously coloured in a light and dreamy pink, to the chairs and walls elegant and modern - everything creates an idea of actually being on cloud nine. I have to highlight the massive and mighty pink flower wall, visible from the moment you go up the stairs and enter the idyllic venue and well as the outstanding and passionate details with pink flowers in every table as well as across the whole room. The bar area is also elegant and distinctive and has a neon logo saying ‘I love you to pizzas’.
Again, some might think while reading this that it might be ‘too pink’. Too ‘girly’. Too dreamy even. But no - definitely not - while being there in that set up, the atmosphere is one of relaxation, uplifting and just... love. It actually makes you feel so at peace with yourself. So at ease. Like everything is OKAY. Like everything will BE okay and there is nothing in the world that could even worry you and take away such prime and genuine happiness. It feels like you can just... be.
On the second floor, they have the impressive hair mural and an area with a big ‘pink vibes only’ logo next to some flamingoes (also pink) and very charismatic for some shots. Hidden but surprisingly located next to the toilets is another painting of a big pink heart that will again give incredible and inspiring pictures. Like I said, everything seems to be throughly thought of and planned and the two genius behind these place really created a place where you’ll have not only a memorable experience but also have distinct items that will make you have actual memories and remember you.
Anyway, after arriving at the venue and being kindly welcomed by Harry, we went through the menu and decided to order a few things to try. Here’s what we had:
- Rainbow Superfood Salad - this is definitely one of their iconic dishes that... actually had no pink whatsoever 😂 but that’s definitely not a problem and certainly not a reason to be less aesthetic. Not at all! In fact it is possibly one of the most beautiful presenting dishes I’ve ever seen and the colour combination works wonderfully well - when you see it it is inevitable to think of a rainbow. These are blue soba noodles and there are other ingredients such as bell peppers, sauerkraut, red onion, zucchini and large pumpkin cubes. There is an abundance and very enjoyable spinach on the bottom mixed with pomegranate and providing such an interesting and fresh taste to the meal. It also has a good portion of avocado, split into pieces and a subtle crunchiness touch the hemp & pumpkin seeds are just delightful! The bowl is vegan and we actually thought about adding some poached eggs to the meal but surprisingly they didn’t have any eggs as extras! We opted to add some vegan cheese and mushrooms and overall I have to say that I AM SOLD 👏 not only like I have mentioned, it is INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL but the flavours in the bowl are captivating and fascinating! A true breakthrough from the ‘usual’ wellness bowls and I would even add that it puts some bowls from other ‘high rated’ places to shame!👏
- Pink Fondue - they have two options for this meal - one vegan and one non vegan. The difference is the chocolate used (dark chocolate for the vegan version and pink chocolate for the non vegan one) and also the toppings used. We asked for the vegan version but with Pink Chocolate (just because we wanted to get some iconic pink fondue shots). Because the fondue had dairy I obviously could not have it but my friend had it and was stocked by how good it was. It tasted like a sweet delightful milk chocolate and the consistency was quite liquid and creamy when it came and with time and cooling down it became thicker and more ‘sticky’ (but still incredible!). It was impressive to see the change of consistency from the alteration of temperature! Regarding the toppings it came with vegan brownie slices (homemade, with good fudgy consistency and not overly sweet which makes it perfect to dip in the enriched sweet and mouthwatering chocolate fondue, lightly toasted marshmallows (so so soooooo spongy and delightful! I honestly loved them even though some people find the consistency a bit odd. I seriously loved them and even what it seemed the delicate touch of powdered fine unsweetened sugar covering them!), vegan oreos (who doesn’t like those classic oreos, right?! Such a childhood classic!) and assorted wafers. The dish can packed with indulgent treats and the fondue in the middle and before we started eating, Harry surprised with another big plate with extra strawberries (so fresh and with great size!) and oreos, making this dessert even more filling and decadent!
- Choc Pizza - again, there is a vegan and non vegan version and it is one of their dishes too. It is a heart shaped pizza and it came covered with Dark Chocolate and decorated with crunchy frosty flakes which were EXCEPTIONAL. Definitely something I have to highlight and what I loved more about this meal - the chocolaty crunchy bits in our mouth is seriously to die for 👏 plus it comes with salted caramel sauce (YES PLEASE 🙌), and decorated with marshmallows, fresh seasonal berries and crunchy seasonal bites of their choice. The pizza base is somewhat firm but still fluffy in the middle, cooked to that perfect middle point. From what I understood no pizza is exactly the same which makes it very interesting and leaves that element of surprise, excitement and enjoyment to the costumer. But you’ll see why I say this in a second 👇
- White Chocolate Matcha Milkshake - we asked for this milkshake because it was vegan and we saw someone at the table next to us having it and WOW - it left us speechless and something we absolutely had to try. It can be made vegan and it usually comes with whipped cream (coconut cream for the vegan version), fresh strawberries, wafer cookies, pink chocolate and candies. But after all the other food had arrived and already with us enjoying and eating our way through the other meals, Harry came to us saying that they had run out of some ingredients and that there was a problem in the kitchen which would make it impossible for them to make the shake. He offered to surprise us with two other drinks which we weren’t really sure what they were exactly but I can see from the menu that it was this next item 👇
- Non alcoholic pink mocktail - first of all WOW 👏 presentation, like anything else on the menu exceeds all expectations! We had two versions of the mocktail with slight different colours, one with grapefruit and the other passionfruit and I have to say that for any soda lover or for a better and more fresh alternative that ‘just’ a juice this is THE drink to have. It was a fresh taste of watermelon and mint that works surprisingly well and the touch of lime again is undoubtedly well thought and a real treat! I was stocked and even though I’m not a fan of a person who consumes sparking drinks I have to admit that this was very pleasant to drink. A dreamy sparkling non alcoholic alternative indeed! Besides it came topped with fairy floss so how could you not like it straight from the start, right?! We had these drinks and we were about to leave when Darren, so thoughtful, came to apologise for the delay and issue with the kitchen regarding the vegan milkshake. And then he said something we weren’t expecting at all and asked for us to wait a bit longer, that we would go to the kitchen and bring something for us to make up for the issue with the milkshake. We happily and curiously said yes.
So we stayed chatting, taking some more photos and just... having a good time, honestly. Like I’ve said the mood is so uplifting that it’s impossible to be upset or sad it this place! Plus up to this point, although it had already been 3 hours since we arrived, actually the time flew so fast that we didn’t even tell it had been so much! They say that time files when you’re having fun and this was undoubtedly one of those circumstances. Not only did I have the best and my little favourite brunching company but the staff had been so delicate, attentive and thoughtful that we certainly didn’t have any problems about staying a bit longer. And then... while we were waiting for Darren’s surprise, Harry came himself with a surprise 👇 (again 😂)
- Pink Shake Megashake - we obviously didn’t expect this at all again and this milkshake is again so decadent and dreamy looking that it makes everyone wanting to have it. It reminds me of one of those glasses from kings and queens but it obviously comes with so much more than just a fancy wine 😂 it comes with much better things! It is part of their dessert menu and this one in particular isn’t vegan fried and comes with whipped cream, pink wafer biscuits, fairy floss, sour strap candy strings, marshmallows, blueberry sauce, pink and pink cloud candies, fresh strawberries and sprinkles. It came with a stick with a kind of a marshmallow hat (really funny!) and two lip shaped candies. My friend had this and throughly enjoyed it while I stared and stared 🤔😂😂😉 and stared shocked at the surprise that Darren mentioned that would come... which was 👇
- Pink Choc Pizza - yes, another heart shaped pizza came and this time it was even more exquisite, decorative and stylish! I couldn’t really believe what my eyes were seeing. This time they had used somehow a vegan pink chocolate and I could finally taste the famous pink chocolate - similarly to what my friend had described and it doesn’t taste like artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols of any kind. Not at all! It is pleasantly and not overly sweet and it works really well with the pizza base. This one had some oreos as toppings and some different candies which all were very welcomed! Again, the toppings that I enjoyed more were the crunchy cereal pieces and really liked the delicate touch in which the strawberry was presented👌😍 I think that to make this even more interesting (which is definitely hard because it’s already so perfectly executed!) they could consider adding a little more chocolate as topping or just even create a filling inside the base of the pizza with chocolate (similarly to what is done with cheese in some pizzas). But this is certainly something completely extra 😂
I was eating my way through the pizza while my friend also enjoyed that outstanding milkshake and we were also taking some final pictures with the flower when... another surprise came. Yes, another one 😳 (this was honestly my face because I was just saying to Harry previously how everything had been incredible and how we were about to leave after such a different and overwhelming experience when an incredible and special meal came on the hands of a smiling Harry👇
- Special Vegan Milkshake - again, one of the most lovely, graceful and decorative milkshake I have ever seen. I am quite adventurous when it comes to my own creations and I must say that it takes creativity (and a whole lot of courage) to deliver such ornamental and colourful meals. And like I have mentioned, it is not only the food being aesthetically astounding and breathtaking but the taste itself is unquestionable phenomenal. Of course these are sweet treats and you have to have a sweet tooth to enjoy them (which works perfectly for me!) but even if you’re not into sweets that much, the menu has so much to offer. This milkshake in particular came with coconut cream and some vegan milk and it was decorated with raw brownies, peanut butter, wafers and sweet sour candies (that in my opinion balanced really well and made an unthinkable new combo with the coconut cream!). It also had a matcha syrup on the inside and the outside of the glass had pink chocolate and sprinkled candies. Candy land, indeed!
Well, I think I have said certainly a lot and if you have made it. This far congratulations and thank you for reading my long and (too?) extensive review that took quite a few hours to write 😂 In a more serious note, as a health professional I have to say that after reading my review and if you are thinking about how processed these foods must be with all the colouring… well,... don’t. All foods (unless you grow them in your back yard) are processed in some way, shape, or form. And while obviously, it’s smart to focus the majority of your diet on ‘minimally processed’ foods, in fact this place advocates this in every single aspect and the meals they have on the menu focus on wholesome foods, with good nutritional value. So, what if they had the brilliant idea to add some colour to some ingredients and make meals more interesting - I say LET’S BRING THOSE RAINBOWS 🌈 remember, there’s no such thing as a ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’ food, but there is a healthy or unhealthy body and this place is doing everything to support the right causes and make you glow from the outside and inside.
I can only finish with one final certainty: this will be the place where you will dream about getting married - happily married - because no matter who your partner is, you will certainly live your best life dreaming about talking that flower wall home and live happily ever after with it!
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