NU Kitchen (Worcester)
Click right to take a look around…
Bingo. Driving up to it, the skepticism doesn’t creep in; it washes over you. A nondescript, all brick one-story. If it didn’t used to serve as a warehouse of some sort for a nearby Worcester manufacturing operation (particularly when it was built back in 1917), I’d be surprised. That being said, it’s quiet, it’s removed, and the walk up to it discloses nothing. You still won’t know it yet, but this cafe and health food restaurant is the rarified and precious pearl in the clam’s clutch. You yank the keypad door handle and head on through the gingery wood door frame. The moment is a full-on Timone lifting the leaf out of Simba’s view moment—the “welcome to our humble home” unspoken, yet said. New York City cafes flashed before my memory: the skylight in the center brought me back to MUD on St. Marks Pl, and the aesthetic was reminiscent of the west side’s Natura. But, for what was expected given the exterior, all of this amounted to paradise. Weave in, like lose extra wicker pendant lamp shades, the right kind of base—smooth driving music—and you just get sucked in. It doesn’t feel crowded, but there is so much people activity. Names are being called out for orders, overactive staff comes around and stands up table numbers, conversations are being struck up, and laptops are being closed and opened. People know each other here, and I’m convinced that this cafe must employ half the town. It’s a spot, and everyone knows it. An amazing wall mural and some provocative neon (“EAT CLEAN drink naked”), paradisiacal elements I surely never expected, are here—hallmarks of a cafe that is anything but a product of its environment.
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Drink: Small Coffee
This drink came out in black ceramic ware. While unconventional, this move is praiseworthy. It’s somehow a high-class move; no need to worry about stains at least. For black coffee, this backdrop takes away from the visual, but add cream, and you’ve circled back to visualized coffee. Honestly, the smell and taste are enough for me. On the whole, the cup—of what I believe to be brewed from Acoustic Java beans—is not too too hot and works well as an accompaniment to an açaí bowl. However, I would advise against just ordering this coffee to sit. It is a bit on the small side. For a slow drinker like me at least, it didn’t last very long. As an added motivator to go another route, I saw a lot of people with smoothies. The woman next to me paired hers with a cookie. I think the key here is to order a bigger drink and smaller food or smaller drink and bigger food. I noticed also that my order slip read: “Black.” While this detail might seem trivial to many, it brought me so much joy.
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Food: Maui Açaí Bowl
TRUE TO FORM. Sometimes you see a picture of a product, and then the reality is a balloon pop. In other words, the marketing makes the item look way better than it looks/is in real life. This disappointment is not the case for this açaí bowl. I must say that this açaí bowl is one of the few that I have ever purchased that I actually think is worth every cent. It’s profile: “organic açaí, bananas, topped with pineapple, strawberry, granola, toasted coconut, local peanut butter, and house made superfood fudge sauce.” And, it’s ALL THERE in volume. Also, the pictures that they post on their website and on their socials MATCH EXACTLY what you get (I’ve provided a side by side below). The no frills presentation is so confident and rightly so. This bowl tastes spectacular. While I wish my order slip hadn’t read “**in freezer ask cashier**,” I’ll forgive it because I already know about the steps commonly taken for efficiency, and, if any part of this product is indeed frozen, I’d resolutely pass this down as yet another flex (how can part of this be frozen and it still be THIS GOOD).
