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MELBOURNE | Serotonin Eatery Burnley is a place that appreciates the value of being happy. Serotonin, for those who don’t know, is a chemical made in the gut that been linked to happiness and well being and while it’s not been conclusively proven, there’s anecdotal evidence that eating foods that promote the release of serotonin into the brain has a positive effect on well being.
Founder and owner Emily Hazell Arundel invited us in to see what Serotonin is all about and try some of the food on offer and we were interested to pay the place a visit as it had been on our list of places to visit for a while. We spoke to Emily about the concept and what’s really refreshing is that not only is Emily’s genuine passion for what’s happening at Serotonin Eatery apparent, but also the fact that nothing here feels particularly forced. If you had no idea about the happiness angle or that this was a plant based eatery, you probably wouldn’t realise straight away. Emily told us that when she opened Serotonin Eatery last year, many of her customers didn’t even realise that there was no meat on the menu for months, and the fact that each morning sees groups of tradespeople coming to the takeaway counter for their coconut milk golden lattes and soy peanut butter lattes is proof that there’s appeal in this sort of food for everyone if you just market it right.
The cafe itself is light and airy, with lots of plants, cushions, regular seats and even swings which face the park across the road. Before opening Serotonin Emily was a graphic design and interior architect so she was able to design the eatery just the way she wanted. We can confirm first hand that the swings are loads of fun and will definitely make you happier!
The plant based menu options are super tasty and incorporate plants in ways that you may not have previously considered. Take for example the “Positive Pancakes”, which if you saw and ate them without looking at the menu would come across as being a tasty stack of pancakes with banana, berries, ice-cream, yoghurt and almonds. The flour however, is actually made from dehydrated ground organic bananas. The ice-cream, that’s also made from bananas, the yoghurt is coconut based. No dairy, no gluten and you wouldn’t even know. It’s this philosophy which permeates the menu.
The food is healthy, accessible and designed to promote the release of serotonin but nothing is at the expense of flavour or texture. The raspberry lamington is also delicious and for a drink, you can’t go past the Cacao coconut latte. The drinks are pretty flexible too – you can choose whichever kind of milk you want (try the macadamia milk) and also have a shot of espresso if you still want a caffeine hit.
Serotonin isn’t just a cafe either, but also an exercise and education hub. The training centre next door to the eatery offers personal training which focuses around primal compound movements such as squatting, jumping, pulling and pushing and is run by Emily’s brother Gus. On the education side of things, there are seminars held throughout the year that focus on how our bodily systems regulate our mood. These seminars aim to, you guessed it, help us be as happy as we can be.
If all of this piques your interest, you should definitely check out Serotonin Eatery but even if you’re not convinced, and just want some really tasty food, Serotonin is a place you should definitely check out.
Serotonin Eatery
52 Madden Grove
Burnley
Victoria 3121
Australia
Telephone: (03) 8658 3124
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.serotonindealer.com/
Open
Wed – Sun: 7:30am to 3:00pm