If you’re looking for fresh fare, you’ve just found it

BETHANY AO

IF YOU’RE craving a healthy breakfast or lunch, Long Street restaurants probably don’t pop into your mind immediately. But Orchard on Long may change your mind with its airy atmosphere and cheerful decor, bins of fresh fruit and impressive juice and smoothie menus.

It calls itself a juice and health bar, which certainly fits the bill. It arrived on the scene in 2013, bringing the juice cleansing movement with it.

They begin cold-pressing juice at 9 every night, finishing around 8am to ensure the juices are as fresh as possible. Vegetables and fruit are hand-selected at markets or harvested from their organic rooftop garden.

The juicers they use to extract all the goodness from their produce are top of the line.

Fresh pressed juices are also available in the cafe, ranging from R30 to R42 for the smaller sizes.

The Tahiti juice, made with pineapple, coconut water, mint, lime and apple, tasted like a much healthier pina colada without the cloying sweetness and creaminess.

The Electro juice, which features celery, kale and spinach, tasted surprisingly well-balanced with the help of ginger, lemon and cayenne pepper. Fresh pressed juices are served at room temperature and should be stirred constantly to keep from separating into visually unappetising layers.

Orchard’s smoothies are thick and filled with goodies like berries, yoghurt and nuts, making them extremely filling. I found the Hullabaloo smoothie, “Long Street’s famous berry smoothie”, a bit too sweet.

My dining partner, who tried the Panda smoothie (which was extra creamy thanks to avocado), said drinking it made her feel like she was being cleansed from the inside.

Light lunch options at Orchard are also impressively fresh and served over the counter.

Fruit lovers will find their fruit bowls the perfect combination of creamy and tangy, while hungry diners looking for more substantial options will be satisfied with sandwiches and salads chock-full of lentils, sunflower sprouts and quinoa.

The crunchy quinoa salad struck a high note, while the Orchard Fresco Sandwich filled me up nicely with hummus and cream cheese, despite becoming soggy rather quickly.

Orchard promises not to leave your stomach in tatters like that greasy burger place a few blocks down. Next time on your way to work, pick up a cup of their fresh pressed juice for an extra energy boost or, if you feel up to the challenge, opt for a juice cleanse. When juice cleansing tastes this good, you might make it to the other side.