The road from Timișoara’s city centre to Green Aware is not exactly pleasant. A busy boulevard, with two lanes in each direction, and the far too hot weather for mid-October. It's two o'clock and I'm thinking of going to the closest park first, to write the first draft of the previous restaurant’s review. But I decide first to check out the program first.
The exterior roller blind is half pulled and you are greeted by the "Sorry, we're closed" sign hanging on the open door. Inside there is nobody. I stare through both windows and someone probably notices me. Judging by the apron, it looks like the chef, who informs me that they closed early, because they are going to a festival. It is the very festival for which I came all the way to Timișoara, but I still express my regret that I cannot have the full restaurant experience. I refuse the takeaway offer and the invitation to return on Monday, since I will have already returned home by then. Hearing this, the chef invites me in to have a portion of the daily menu. After making sure I am not bothering them during preparations, I happily accept to have some oyster mushroom soup.
Bright and welcoming interior design
Inside, only one table for 4 people is in place. Some white-painted wooden chairs with green cushions on them are aligned next to the wall. The drawings on the walls inform you that this place is only serving vegan, healthy food.
Îmi aduce supa tot bucătarul, care imediat după aranjează ceva în cutii, în camera de lângă. Simt că sunt în plus, dar încerc să mă concentrez pe supă.
The cook brings me the soup, then starts to pack something in the next room. I feel a bit like an intruder, but I'm trying to focus on the soup. It's a regular soup with vegetables and cashew cream, with pieces of oyster mushrooms.
Before eating, I notice the cutlery. They are beautifully shaped and appear to be made out of copper. Later on the owner reveals that it is actually fake copper, but they still look refined.
Preventing food waste, a priority
I start eating. Unlike other oyster mushroom soups I've eaten, this one is more nourishing. It has grated carrot in it, diced red pepper and probably onion too. Since I am sensitive to the food waste subject, I can only appreciate the way it was made. Normally, in this kind of soup, the vegetables are only boiled to flavour the soup, then removed.
In a basket next to the plate, there are 5 mini-loaves of bread - 2 made with white flour and 3 with wholemeal flour. Being so small, I expect them to be dense, but the white one surprises me with its fluffiness and nicely roasted crust.
Such an unexpected and pleasant interaction
Right before finishing my meal, a young woman looks through the restaurant’s still half-pulled roller blind. She enters and asks the lady co-owner if she can stay. The latter replies that only if it doesn't bother me to sit at the same table.
I'm actually happy to welcome her, Luiza, to my table, as I now feel less strange not being the only guest. She also orders the soup and we have a very pleasant conversation. We discover that we both studied journalism and that we have many common interests. We talk about journalism, food intolerances, mould in old houses and our repulsion towards the events organising industry. We stay more than planned, since the owners approve.
One more snack and something sweet
We also order dessert, but while waiting for it, the lady co-owner brings us some grilled cashew cheese slices. The aromatic crust wraps the soft interior and a subtle taste of fermented vegan cheese invades your mouth. Then comes the simple refreshing dessert: cooled baked apple, with chocolate on top, very affordably priced at only 6 lei.
It’s already 3:30 PM, the usual closing time for Green Aware, so we say goodbye and leave. In the evening, I can try out some more of their food, during the festival.Unfortunately, caught up in interactions with dear ones and all the discussions, I completely forgot to take pictures of the food.
Not many options, but pretty decent ones
During the festival, I decide to try out their pizza and I’d dare say it's one of the best vegan pizzas I've ever had. A true Neapolitan pizza crust, made from organic flour, fluffy and crispy on the edges. The melted homemade cashew cheese is blending nicely with the other ingredients, such as the organic tomatoes and the arugula I chose instead of basil. I like it so much that I think I'll order it again the next day.
But on Sunday I actually go for some vegan bowl with eggplant salad, cheese, chickpea meatballs, salad and bread. As common as it may seem, it has a few elements that differentiate it from others. The aubergine salad contains carrot and diced peppers, and goes along very well with the fresh bread. The roasted cheese is so tasty and light that I could eat tons. The salad is diverse, contains kale and other tender leaves, but would have been even tastier if it came with some roasted seeds and maybe a thicker, sweet-and-sour dressing (maybe some pomegranate one). The chickpea meatballs are a bit dense and dry, making them hard to swallow. I can remember that the only time I really enjoyed falafel was at an omnivore restaurant in Bucharest, where the falafel was super fluffy.
Reasonable pricing compared to quality
The prices at the festival are a bit higher than the restaurant ones, which I can understand. But their weekly menus seemed super affordable - 42 lei for the large one and 32 lei for the small version, 17 lei for the daily soup, 32 lei for the main course, 8 lei for dessert. I'm glad they exist and that they manage to survive in a market dominated by omnivore restaurants.
