Review: The Cracked Nut, Dublin
- The Honest Project
- Feb 14, 2015
- 3 min read
I have heard so much about the Cracked Nut over the last couple of months and finally tried it out this weekend. The Cracked Nut is located on Camden Street, in Dublin 2. Its thing is healthy foods - even the board outside advertises 'eat clean 2015' and lists among its fare raw food, fresh salads, superfood snax, supergreen soup, 1 day cleanse, 3 day cleanse, natural, wholesome and healthy.. this place sounds right up my street.
The Cracked Nut offers both take away and sit down options. The seating area is minimal. There are about four two seater tables, two separate counter areas with high stools, seating about another 10 and two small outdoor tables.
For food, I went straight for the salad bar which has about 7 salad options and four dressing options. I got a medium plate salad and choose a broccoli, walnut and tomato salad, a really tasty roast butternut squash and red pepper salad and a couscous salad, all drizzled with a basil pesto dressing. There was also a goat's cheese salad, a coalslaw, a green salad and a tuna nicoise salad available. The 'medium' sized plate was a little on the small side and at €6.95, a little on the pricy side also. However what the dish lacked in size and value for money, it made up for in taste. It was really delicious and very fresh.
There is a good selection of juices available in the fridge and most importantly, they are cold pressed fresh every morning. This is really important as by making the juices in this way, less oxidation is generated helping to preserve vitamins, minerals and enzymes.
I tried the awaken juice which is made from celery, lime, ginger and apple. It was so good and really refreshing. There were eight juice options in total including a super cleanse (carrot, ginger, mint, celery and lemon), green love (kale, spinach, cucumner, courgette, lemon and wheatgrass) and raw detox (beetroot, cucumer, celery, carrot and apple).
For those that know me or read this blog, you will know that I love energy balls. When I visited, the Craked Nut had not one, but four different versions of the energy ball available. Imagine my delight. They call theirs 'Bombs'. I chose the matcha green tea and orange bomb, taking it home with me to have later with my cup of herbal tea. Perhaps I had too high expectations, but I was really disappointed with my 'bomb'. It was very dry and lacked flavour. Having said that, it is a really positive sign to see food outlets catering for the healthy eating market and offering sweet options that are guilt free. Maybe next time, I will try the chia and cacao version instead.
The Cracked Nut also do a range of sandwiches, soups and pastries. My lunch companion had a toasted chicken sandwich and seemed pretty happy with it.
From a plant based diet perspective, there is lots to like at The Cracked Nut - cold pressed fresh juices, guilt free treats, great salads and a choice of dressings. It works as a great place to sit and eat in, but also as a place to grab and go. If the weather is nice, sit at one of the two outdoor tables and enjoy the hustle and bustle of one of the best streets in Dublin.
The Cracked Nut, 71 Camden Street, Dublin 2