Le Cru in Epicure today

Congratulations to Le Cru on appearing in today's Epicure (The Age). I guess it would have been nice if the reviewer had an understanding of the cuisine. On the other hand, it is interesting to read how it looks to the standard restaurant reviewer.

This is typically the situation when some brave soul breaks new ground. At first no one really understands (you might even be thought a little crazy). After all, there's nothing to compare it to except the prevailing paradigm. Then an inkling of understanding slips through as the idea becomes more accepted. Finally it seems to become a part of the terrain. We only have to look at how vegetarian food is now a standard item on most menus (i mean, at least you can order a vegetarian meal and the chef won't look at you strangely).

Helena's tips for dining out on raw food.

Unless you are going to Le Cru for the evening, choose a good quality restaurant known for fine cuisine. Don't worry about prices, after all there's only so much they can charge for beautifully prepared fresh vegetables. Then, when you order, look for a fresh salad on the menu and ask for that. Check that they don't add any cheese or cooked vegetables and ask if you can have the dressing "on the side". You may want to check what is in the dressing, particularly if you are vegan as well as raw and don't want honey in your food.

If nothing on the menu is to your liking, then you can always ask if the chef could prepare you something using only fresh vegetables. You could, for example, suggest a garden salad with avocado.

If the restaurant really cares about their food they will be only too happy to explain how they prepare the dishes on the menu. A good chef will enjoy the challenge of creating a dish for your needs (though some do rile at the thought of preparing a meal with only vegetables, as this is still generally not considered a "real" meal).

It is that easy. No need to make excuses, or present a big list of what you can't eat. Just know that a good chef is more than capable of preparing a decent salad with fresh greens, and a good quality restaurant will always have a stock of fresh vegetables.

There are now a few places that also serve organic food, though in most restaurants the organic fare is limited to the meat, dairy, eggs and coffee. Funny that. Did you want chemicals in your lettuce?