Overview
Vegan sweet tooths tired of choosing between sorbet and fruit salad, get yourself and your sugar cravings to North Bondi. Long-time vegan and cake-maker extraordinaire Grace Watson has opened her 100 percent animal product-free Zeitgeist Mylk Bar, bringing you apple pie and custard mylkshakes, cinnamon doughnuts and peanut butter cookies, among other delightful, delightful treats.
"As a vegan, dairy milk can be a problem," says Grace. "It's really pervasive, so it's hard for vegans to find creamy, indulgent desserts."
Not so at Zeitgeist. Grace is busy turning house-made almond mylk and coconut ice-cream into all kinds of deliciousness. You've a choice of three mylkshakes — the aforementioned apple pie and custard, as well as red velvet and znickers. Match yours with a piece of passionfruit, a cinnamon doughnut made with a mix of soy milk and apple cider vinegar (instead of egg white) or a raw znickers bar, layered with nougat, dates and caramel and covered in hand-tempered, 100 percent organic chocolate. And they're just beginning of the menu.
With treats in-hand, you can take a seat inside or outside — or head for nearby Sam Fiszman Park or the beach. "It's a milk bar set-up, with seating inside and outside, for about twelve people at once," Grace says. "The design is old-school, taken to a new, modern level. So, there are pastel colours and running writing, but we've also used polycarbonate and carbon-coated black steel. My partner and I worked on the interior together, with help from Liam Nugazin, who's creating a huge chandelier."
North Bondi provides some solid vegan company, including Sadhana Kitchen, Bondi Wholefoods and Orchard Road. "North Bondi's really taking off as a vegan hub," Grace says. "Like Newtown, it's an awesome place for vegans to visit and a really supportive community."
Despite opening just two days ago — on Saturday, April 9 — Zeitgeist has already been inundated. "It's been super busy," Grace says. "Much busier than we expected".
Find Zeitgeist at 43 Gould Street, North Bondi.