We decided to go dining on an official launch night; never the best of decisions if you want to luxuriate in the experience, but it is always the best test of a kitchen. If they can get it right now, they can get it right every time. VTerra is off to a great start.
If vegan makes you think nature then so does the furnishing in the restaurant. You can see that the tables are made from the same tree, great slabs of wood with the same gnarled knot diminishing in size, depending on where in the tree the lumberjack was buzz-sawing exactly. One can only hope that the white leather-like material that covers the seats has never eaten grass, but there is no one available to ask as they are hurriedly prepping for the onslaught of hungry vegans!
The natural light that flows in from the floor to the ceiling bathes the space warmly, but it is not just this that gives the guests that dewy glow on their skin. It must also be the vegan lifestyle. Each one of them is dressed as though they really know how to appreciate the finer things in life, so it’s good to see them here. They evidently have good taste.
Before we start to choose what to order, we are told that the dish they are most proud of at VTerra is the “Vegan Mac + Cheese, Eggplant Bacon” so we put in an order for that as well as a smoothie bowl alchemy called “Blue Açai Moon” and the Nourish Raw Zucchini Noodles. While we’re waiting, the cheesiest kale chips come out liberally sprinkled with what can only be nutritional yeast but is so much more satisfying than the name suggests. The kale chips were super crispy and very light, dissolving in the mouth. As we nibble on the chips and look around, we can see a number of the same people you always see in the creative community; exploration of the self being a real thing at the moment in Kuwait. Taking responsibility for what you eat and how you eat it is relatively new here, but it certainly is popular.
The VTerra concept came from a group of four locals; Dalal Al Doub the beauty blogger, her sister Mimi who says that they work well together because, “we understand each other and we complete each other in some way”, and two other partners Nada and Hamad. Teamwork helps when it comes to successful business concepts, and devising delicious tasting vegan food too! After considering more than twenty-five talented chefs the VTerra team enlisted the expertise of the absolute vegan best in South African Chef Claire Sharryn Roberto. Being an integral part of a restaurant menu like this has been a goal of Chef Claire’s for the last thirty-three years. “My whole life has been about being vegan and promoting the fact that vegan food does not have to be boring.”
Lots of young parents have brought their toddlers with them, and it is encouraging to see these new foods be introduced at such a young age and as an everyday item to these children. On its launch night, VTerra is packed with people and it is only 4:45 pm. This is almost unheard of when it comes to events and openings, where people wait until late and turn up for five minutes. People in Kuwait seem to be really invested in giving VTerra a good try. This is heartening to see, especially knowing all the effort that the team has gone through to source ingredients globally to provide the best quality, vegan food experience. As some of the key ingredients are not available in Kuwait or even the GCC, you will find that some items have had to come all the way from Japan, Australia and the USA among other countries.
The Blue Açai Moon arrives and is such an incredibly cobalt blue that one shuts one’s eyes when tasting it, honestly with trepidation, for the first time. What on earth could something so (ironically) unnatural looking taste of? Pure joy, that’s what. Fruity sweetness and crunchy goodness. The bowl gets its color from blue spirulina and blueberries, and its sweetness from house-made gingerbread granola with coconut yoghurt. This really is “Smoothie Bowl Alchemy” as the flavor, balanced with celery and zucchini is pure gold.
From the savory section of the menu the “Nourish Raw Zucchini Noodles” arrives and we chose the “fresh basil pesto” although you can also have “marinara” or “cashew cream cheese”.
Naturally, VTerra makes the sauce, pesto, cheese, jam, nut butter, milks and more in house. The pesto, like is says in the name, is delightfully fresh and the macadamia parmesan adds that traditional spag-bol powder-parmesan texture that is half the enjoyment with pasta noodles. The zoodles are delicious and it is wonderful to taste and feel “raw” like this.
We never did get to taste the “mac & cheese” as it kept on disappearing to other tables as soon as it came out the kitchen. But we are determined to make our way back just to try it. The “bacon” made out of eggplant is supposed to be totally beyond. When asked, co-owner Mimi says that vegan is, “supposed to be a substitute”, and that probably is how most people will transition to this way of eating, but this vegan food can stand on its own two…roots.
VTerra is also very proud of the “Unicorn Rainbow lattes” which are shots featuring ingredients like beetroot, golden turmeric, spirulina and activated charcoal. There’s one for every day of the week and have your favorite again on the seventh day! Cold pressed juices line the front of the bar with fun names like “turn up the beet” and “pink summer” and you simply have to try one of the “Liquid Life Potions”, especially the “Morning Mindful Mushroom Elixir” with its blend of flavonoid packed raw cacao butter, anti-oxidant ginseng and rejuvenating ashwaganda. If you are not as familiar with the names and benefits of the ingredients used in VTerra as some dedicated vegans are, helpfully there is a printed note on each table to explain these to you. You will find out which superfoods come from Ayurvedic healing, helps kidney function and detoxifies the body just for starters; Ashwaganda, Activated Charcoal and Barley Grass in case you’re wondering.
VTerra is a vegan restaurant, yes, but it is one that is well researched, the menu has been specially curated and thoroughly thought out. Healthy and fresh, without even a hint of artificial colors nor preservatives the food is so tasty you will forget it’s vegan. This place even has vegan croissants on the menu that are as flakey and flavorful as the eggy buttery ones you may be used to! So, you get all of the taste here, but it is the healthier option. Now that Ramadan is over and it’s officially summer, we will definitely be returning to a more healthful approach when it comes our eating habits, one that doesn’t include a weekly sinful rotation of Qatayef and Lugaimat! Our choices can be good for the planet’s health too. Statistics reiterated by www. eatright.org tell us that if we all eat vegetarian for one day a week then the environment would be in a much healthier state. Let’s go one step further than going vegetarian. Let’s go to VTerra.
VTerra is located on the first floor of Al Hamra Mall. For more information, follow the Instagram account @VTerra.kw for contact details, opening hours and the latest updates.
