V Rating: Super V
Where: 54 Irving Place, New York
When: Open from 5.30pm every day.
Tel: 212.477. 1010
Price: Appetiser (entrees): US$12 - $16. Mains: US$24 - $29.

We had heard a little about the “raw food” movement before visiting New York but, it not having put down roots in Sydney, we had no direct experence of it. We chose to visit Pure Food and Wine in the Gramercy district for dinner as it offered a menu entirely centred in the “raw food” tradition. It also came highly recommended by our waitress at Candle 79.

Put simply, proponents of “raw” or “live” food do not serve food that is cooked in any way. In the food preparation process, nothing is raised beyond the temperature of 118 degrees fahrenheit or about 45 degrees celcius (agreement about the temperature may vary slightly). The raw food movement is underpinned by the philosophy that cooking destroys or otherwise interferes with enzymes, minerals and vitamins in food and that food is on the whole healthier served raw.

The distinctive thing about Pure Food and Wine’s founder and raw foodist pin-up girl, Sarma Meingallis, is that she wanted to lift raw food out of the underground and show that it could be gourmet, fun and sexy.

Pure Food and Wine epitomises this ethos. The restaurant is ultra sophisticated and hip - in fact, the most hip of the all the places we visited in New York - with a luscious red interior lit by flickering candles and a gorgeous bar (and, perhaps more importantly, gorgeous bar staff). The menu is imaginative, challenging pre-conceptions about the limititations of raw food by offering dishes which are traditionally cooked, like biryani, ravioli, and lasange. Proving that raw foodists can be civilised and savvy, there are also a range of organic wines and cocktails on offer.

Our appetisers comprised a “ironbound island sea vegetable salad” with hatcho miso dressing, wild atlantic wakame, avocado, and chimichurri sauce, and raw cauliflower “samosas” in which the wrappings were made from dehydrated whole wheat served with a tamarind sauce and chutney.

The combination of wakame and avocado is a real favourite of mine - I think their textures and flavour are great complements - but given both ingredients are usually served “raw” this dish didn’t showcase the ingenuity of raw food to the same degree as the samosas. I thought the samosas were the best dish of the night, and intuituvely made the best case for the health benefits of raw food. It was certainly a pleasant change to have a samosa with a fresh, light outer casing, rather than the usual, comparatively greasy exterior.

For mains, we had a very rich lasagne in which thin-cut zucchini slices substituted for pasta and filling was a mix of tomato sauce, basil pesto, and pureed vegan ricotta which had a hummus like texture and nutty flavour. We also had a chef’s special which featured shitaake mushrooms mixed with other ingredients I didn’t catch (but which sounded delicious when recounted by our efficient waitress), wrapped in paper and dehydrated and served with raw endive slices and figs.

Years ago I read Anthony Bourdain’s celebrated culinary-gonzo work “Kitchen Confidential”, set largely in New York City. The author writes about the tricks and traps of the cut-throat Manhattan restaurant trade and the extremes behind the scenes that diners never lay eyes on. Bourdain himself is an exponent of the French school of cooking that depends on rich flavours, most notably truffles, plenty of butter and cream and pate prepared from goose liver. Unforgettably, Bourdain also makes clear his own loathing of vegetarians, vegetarianism and all vaguely associated follies.

Ironically, out of all the vegetarian restaurants that we visited, Bourdain would probably have been most at home at this one. The food was so infused with rich flavours that even Bourdain may have felt comfortable tucking in there. Our food was so full of pungent flavours – of superconcentrated mushrooms, truffles, pesto and tomato, among others – that at times it bordered on the overwhelming. Was this overcompsensation of a kind? That would be a harsh judgement. However lovers of food that is light would find it harder going.

I came away intrigued by the possibilities inherent in this peculiar art form, but not entirely convinced. It certainly stands out as unique among our dining experiences on our honeymoon. Kate was less convinced, but for me for the sheer originality and the enterprise in popularising a new and confronting style of vegetarian cuisine, it was another New York Super-V experience.

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