We made our first, highly anticipated visit to Nur...

We made our first, highly anticipated visit to Nurcha today. We had read the many positive reviews and, as a family that focuses on plant based eating, were keen to indulge in some meals.

My wife and I both gravitated towards, and eventually ordered, the Almoco do Brasil. We added a serve of potato wedges and a Bananarama smoothie. We found ourselves a table and waited for the order to arrive, which it did in a reasonably short time.

The service provided by the several staff members was friendly and professional, although one young lady was somewhat 'flat' and unenthused. Not rude by any means, more a case of providing limited interaction when at our table.

The biggest disappointment was the actual meal. It wasn't bad, just average. The heart of the meal, namely the rice with the bean mix, was rather bland. The guacamole, salsa and kale were okay, and the farofa was interesting and tasty. The meal as a whole was sitting on a very dreary bed of lettuce, something that surprised me considering the vast array of fancy leafy greens available today.

The smoothie was again decent without being memorable. Just in the last couple of days, I have indulged in smoothies that were exquisite. This one, although essentially tasty, was tough to justify at almost $10.

The clear winner in the meal stakes was the wedges. They were perfectly cooked with a flavour-packed, charred exterior. Dipped in the sauces they were even better.

On another positive note, we wandered through the store afterwards and my wife was very impressed with the range of goods. I'm confident we will return to further investigate that side of the business.