white organic peony tea from Freesoulcaffe
The other day I had the privelege of enjoying lunch at an adorable cafe in Old Town Tustin calle FreeSoulCaffe. I had wanted to try it for a long time and when I was forced to wait 4 hours for my car to get fixed, I decided that was a perfect time to try it out.
It is a vegan cafe, which was a bit of a surprise. I’m not vegan, but I love vegetables and appreciate people/restaurants who can cook vegetables in delicious ways. I had a grilled veggie sandwhich on sourdough bread (honestly, you could put just about anything on sourdough bread and I would eat up, but the veggies really were delicious). It came with a side salad of fresh mixed greens, grape tomatoes and THE BEST SALAD DRESSING OF MY LIFE!!! Seriously. It was a mustard vinagerette, very light but full of flavor. That little side salad was one of the best salads I have ever had and even if everything else about that cafe was crappy, which it wasn’t, I would still go back just for that salad.
Along with being a cafe, FreeSoulCaffe is a bakery and a coffee shop. I didn’t try any of their baked goods but they looked amazing. I did try one of their many different types of tea, a white peony tea, and it was really good. I’m a huge fan of floral teas and never add anything to mine, but there was sugar and sweetners available to those who wanted them (no honey though, because of the whole vegan thing.)
Whenever I go out to eat, the atmosphere is just as important to me as the food. Freesoulcaffe has a very laid back, artsy, eclectic atmosphere. There is seating inside and outside. Dogs are welcome to sit with you outside, and can go into the cafe while your ordering. Its storefront faces the street, and I had a great time people watching while I munched.
Freesoulcaffe isn’t cheap, but the prices are reasonable. A half sandwich, side salad and pot of tea was a little over $12. The pot of tea could have easily been shared with another person, so keep that in mind as a cost saver if you go with multiple people. The quality of food and the fun atmosphere made it worth the $12.
Overall, I had a great experience and plan on going back with one of my vegetarian friends. This time I’m going to try one of the baked goods. I wonder what vegan red velvet cake tastes like…
Bri The Blogger 