Let’s fill that cup! Let’s fill it, INDEED! 🥳
I used to be the worse person went it came to dedicating time for self-care and actually having some of that ‘me’ time. Because even the thought of treating myself and doing selfless would come straight away with a large side serving of guilt.
But I’ve learnt that it is OKAY to pick the opportunities you fancy the most and put others aside so that you can actually take your time to enjoy the ones you choose. The world isn’t going to end tomorrow and there’s no need to do exhaust yourself and do inhumanly sacrifices.
It’s okay to fill yourself up first. To fill your cup! And here you can definitely fill your cup - OH YES 🙌🙌🙌
I have known Green Cup for quite a while now and it was one of the first places when I first moved to Melbourne a few years ago. As an acai lover, this place in a nutshell is just your perfect little fix with super smoothies, colourful acai bowls and raw snacks. In screams Aussie chilled and cool acai vibes all over it 😂
Their first venue and the one I visited is located at South Yarra, and they have been so popular and loved by costumers that they have opened a second venue recently in Armadale. I am actually surprised with all the negative comments on here because I actually don’t agree with many of the things said/written.
Located at Chapel Street in South Yarra, not far from Toorak Road, the little shop doesn’t stop for a second and it is undoubtedly a busy venue. And while some more negative feedback is about this I think I have to make a point about this and at this with a clear perspective. First of all, it is a busy and popular place because the prices here are quite affordable if we compare the bowls and smoothies here to other similar venues (with the same size/portion). By having a competitive price, OBVIOUSLY that the place is popular and a good place for people to have their little acai treat. The staff is clearly very much used to the frenetic environment and orders keep coming and being delivered incessantly. Even though the place was busy, I didn’t wait more than ‘the usual’ 5-10 minutes for food to be delivered and everyone around me was also pleasantly waiting, as the waiting period was definitely nothing to complain about.
Secondly, I’ve seen some comments about the prices and, like I said, I think that $11-14 is definitely the price for similar type of bowls that you can find in Melbourne, so I don’t really understand the negative feedback given by other people about this. Even more, in some other places in Melbourne, specially at the CBD, when they should ensure proper quality of the food delivered, this type of acai serving bowl comes watery and the bowls are certainly not as good as these ones. Not to mention that the brand of acai used and protein/powders used matter a lot too, and while I’m the first one to want to try new things something why would you be risking something possibly more expensive and that won’t be up to the expectations when this is a guaranteed win?
I personally agree that the bowls could be a bit more filled with toppings because I prefer to have more treats but I know from feedback that many people prefer less toppings so that they can throughly enjoy the acai base. And besides, some people also find it hard to finish a bowl (even though I personally think that there’s no such thing as too much acai 😂). So I agree with the size being quite ideal for most people and overloading it with extra things, could make it too sickening or even too much for some. I do think that they could have a bigger option (like a ‘normal’ size and then a ‘large’ size) as some other venues also do as people with a bigger appetite would appreciate that too and that way they could please both world.
After going through the menu, I noticed that the options are quite similar. There is some variety, yes, and they even have monthly specials but I think that some of the bows could be slightly different/not as similar. On the other hand, for people that like to play it more safe and keep it simple, this is just perfect as they can challenge themselves to an extra ingredient or two without being too innovative and ‘risky’ 😂 even though I had tried their crowd pleaser smoothie bowl before I had never tried the smoothies and the toasts (actually when I first visited they didn’t even had these last ones, so it’s very good to see they are introducing more things to the menu and aiming for more costumers!). I asked for the opinion of the staff because even though I do have my own combo preferences and I know which ingredients I like to include in my smoothies, each place had its favourites and highlights and staff ALWAYS knows best 👏 So, here’s what we had:
- Classic bowl - it is their most ‘simple’ and typical bowl, basically the start of every other bowl. It comes with granola, that I found ideally sweet and enjoyable in terms of ingredients chosen), some blueberries and banana. While I would have preferred the blueberries to have been fresh, frozen fruits also give a good consistency to the mix and the taste was still great. And because they used frozen blueberries, the serving portion was bigger than usual (as obviously the cost of frozen fruit is cheaper than fresh). If you like to keep it easy peasy, there’s no way you can go wrong with this option 👌
- Crowd pleaser - I had had this one before and I knew it was a winner so I advised my friend to have this one. The staff also mentioned it was probably the most popular and well... I guess it makes justice to its name 🤗 again, the cute bowl filled with acai, came with granola that was secretly hidden and covered with a generous serving of house made peanut butter! Seriously, half of the top of the bowl was smothered with a smooth and creamy peanut butter! That deep bowl was indeed filled to the top! It also came with some freshly cut strawberries and cacao nibs for that extra crunchiness. Again, another good solid option and a pleasure to all peanut butter fans!
- Smashed Avo with chilli - we decided to ask for a piece of their toasts and picked up the most popular one to see if it was that good as it looked! Well... honestly. Can you ever go wrong with toast? (I’m a serious toast fan and everything I can I put on the toaster 😂) plus, avocado on toast?! Come on, it’s possible the most simple and delicious snack! 👌 they actually have two option here and you can choose either chia or chilli. I know I would have personally have preferred chia but because my friend is a more savoury person I let her choose and she loved it! Warm, crunchy and mouthwatering, I think I must say... don’t just ask for one slice 😂
- Green Smoothie Matcha Mango - I love seeing how venues and cafes make their mango based smoothies and this one exceeded by expectations! First of all, the size is impressive 👏 considering that their smoothie bowls are not ‘that’ big, when it comes to the smoothies, the portion is definitely way more than generous (and if you are a big eater and decide to make a combo of bowl + smoothie, you won’t be disappointed). Made with frozen mango (for that secret and perfect thick consistency), spinach, matcha, banana, maca, coconut nectar and a splash of coconut water this was terrific! Not only do they sneak in the veggies in there for that extra hashtag health but all the other ingredients are very well thought of and give a little booster to the average mango smoothie. I think they should even consider putting this into a bowl (they actually have a green smoothie bowl but using this exact mix would be certainly a win!). Consistency, taste, size - it this all boxes! 🤗
- Super Smoothie Peanut Butter Cup - my friend had this smoothie and she loved it! We were told this was one of the most popular ones and the staff wasn’t wrong at all 🙌 made with peanut butter, frozen banana and dates, the combo just reached a perfect consistency and taste. And if that wasn’t enough the extra subtle sweetness from the coconut nectar and the sneaky chia seeds made the almond milk blended in even more decadent! Try it. Just try it! 🥳
All in all, I had an incredible brunch and I would recommend it without a doubt! There are many venues in Melbourne that serve acai bowls these days but this place is not only a guaranteed win for your everyday takeaway acai bowl but it is also at the same time a cosy & private place where I’m sure that you will soon call the staff... friends!
How can not everyone fall in love with the thought of sitting outside in the sunshine and devouring a delightful bowl of goodness?
Being received with the biggest smile can only result in one thing: YOU leaving with a huge smile on your face and your acai dream coming true on your hands 🙌❤️
I cannot wait to visit again and the rest of their bowls with their unique special toppings!
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