• Arden Anglican

Dural has certainly lifted its game of late – it now boasts some great cafes and In Season Wholefood Cafe is one to add to this list! But it’s a stand out as well for several reasons, as we discovered when we visited for lunch.

Andrew and Tracey are Hills locals who realised their long-term dream of launching a cafe in October last year, when the doors of In Season Wholefood Cafe first opened. You won’t meet a nicer couple, and that’s reason alone to visit. But, as the name suggests, fresh seasonal tasty wholefood is their specialty and passion – and they’re very good at it! (For those of you not entirely sure what ‘whole’ food is, it’s simply food that is as unrefined or unprocessed as possible.) They were tired of having to visit the likes of Bondi and the Inner West to eat this type of food so they’ve brought it to us here in the Hills – gee, thanks!

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Everything on the menu is made on site, aside from the bread, so they know exactly what goes into their food. This is really important to them, being parents of both a vegan and an anaphylactic, so they have a deep understanding of the challenges parents can face on this front. They’ve developed a menu that can easily accommodate requests and changes, so don’t be shy to talk to them about your requirements – be it vegan, coeliac, paleo or just fussy! This means that if you have kids with allergies, you can finally take them out for pancakes or the like and know that your requests will be happily catered for!

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Even if this wholefood thing isn’t your bag 24/7, don’t be shy to give it a try! In the past we’ve been a little scared to venture into these types of places for fear of not being able to pronounce anything on the menu, like acai or quinoa! But Tracey, Andrew and the staff will talk you through it. The menu is small (which we always like, as it means everything’s fresh) so you don’t feel overwhelmed. And you can simply just ask them what’s good, which is exactly what we did when we visited for lunch. Here’s what we had….

We kicked off with a couple of juices which were lovely given it was really hot when we visited.  One was their Clean Green special oozing with kale, spinach, apple, mint and coconut water. We could almost hear our insides thanking us after the few glasses of champers consumed the night before! The other was a Strawberry Kisses, a pretty pink concoction of strawberries, banana, apple juice and strawberry frozen yoghurt.

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With some guidance from Tracey, to eat we chose Chimichurri Chicken – South American inspired marinated breast on a bed of mango quinoa salad – and the Mexican bowl, a chopped salad of chargrilled corn, tomato, kidney beans and crisp veggies with a citrus dressing served in an edible tortilla bowl, topped with guacamole and sour cream. We think here a picture’s worth a thousand words so let’s just take a moment and behold……

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Yes, they were as delish as they look. Plates of colour and freshness that were not too big, not too small. With this type of eating, you feel like the dish is simple because it is raw and ‘whole’. But in fact it’s sometimes the opposite and is complex for this exact reason. The combinations all have to be right because there’s nothing else to rely on. Both dishes were tasty and full of flavour and you felt good eating them!

What tipped us over the edge on the feeling full scale – which is so often the case!- was a sweet treat. We couldn’t resist these little morsels. These ‘treats’ are made of raw ingredients, so while they feel a little bit naughty you then remember that they mainly consist of good things like nuts and fruit. We loved the little chocolate raspberry tart – a flavour match made in heaven! And the ‘caramel’ slice made with tahini was yummy too!

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We sat in the cafe’s al fresco area which offers a peaceful view across Dural’s golf range and a lovely breeze as well. The space is good for kids too as it’s set back from New Line Road and can easily fit prams, with no stairs to maneuver. There are high chairs and a kids’ menu. Parking is easy, with spots right outside.

All in all it was a great lunch for us mums – fast, fresh, flavoursome and full of goodness. We’ll be visiting again either with the family or a girlfriend for a quick and tasty bite to eat. Or the next time we feel like we need a boost of healthy or a sweet treat without the naughty factor!

In Season Wholefood Cafe (1 of 10)


In Season Wholefood Cafe

256 New Line Road, Dural.

Open 7 days for breakfast and lunch.

Thanks to In Season Wholefood Cafe for hosting us for lunch.