Thursday 19 June 2014

Review: The Soulshine Cafe, Bridport

In February this year a delayed flight meant that I had an unexpected night in Los Angeles with my family. The next day we had a few hours to kill before heading back to the airport and decided to hire bikes and cycle along the scenic Manhatten Beach trail. There were so many cafés and juice bars along the route and we talked about how fantastic it would be to have something with a similarly laid back vibe in Bridport.

And now there is! The Soulshine Cafe opened three months ago and is such a refreshing addition to our already vibrant market town.


It's the place to go for smoothies and fresh juices - you can either order one from the counter at the front, which also sells their own artisan bread and deli items, or stroll through to the bright and lively cafe at the back, which opens onto a beautiful outside courtyard.They also sell art and lifestyle magazines which can be difficult to get hold of in this part of the world!

So much thought has gone into every aspect of the stylish design - there is a little annexe containing a herb garden and even a cute understairs area where children can play with vintage toys.

Just as much passion has gone into creating the locally-sourced menus with snacks and meals to suit every appetite and plenty of vegetarian and vegan food on offer. The menu is displayed on a big blackboard:


We started off by ordering some juice - there is a great selection to suit any mood! I ordered the detox juice (a blend of beetroot, carrot, apple ginger and lemon) and Mr DF had Buzz Like A Bee, a delicious concoction of apple, celery, cucumber, kale and coconut water.

They are so addictive and I love how they serve them in jam jars:


In addition to their healthy blended treats, they also offer a hearty brunch menu. Mr DF was about to leave for a weekend sailing, so he stocked up with the Full English while I had the Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo. Such a delicious treat, and we both loved the freshly baked sourdough bread.


I also spotted lots of stacks of Canadian pancakes being ordered, popular with both adults and children:



We finished with our favourite flat white coffee, the best in town:


And check out the tempting selection of cakes (we were too full unfortunately!)


The cool wall decor includes maps and graphic design prints:





Without a doubt, this will become a regular place for me to go for coffee with friends or take the boys for a smoothie after school. If you are local and haven't yet discovered Soulshine then you are in for a treat and if you are on holiday in the area, I would definitely recommend it for brunch to set you up for the day!

And finishing as always with my outfit! It was a warm sunny day, so I wore my floral ASOS midi skirt that I bought for my Dad's 70th birthday lunch a couple of weeks ago, an Abercrombie tee that I bought in Miami last year and H&M tan and snake print flat sandals that I bought in Exeter last week. The bag is by Nat & Nin at Yard and the necklace is from Links of London, a present from my Mum a couple of years ago.


Hope everyone is enjoying this lovely weather.

Back soon with a post all about maxi skirts!

Abbi x

If you would like your restaurant to feature on Dorset Fashionista please contact me on abbiibell@gmail.com

Disclosure: The brunch at the Soulshine was provided free of charge but all the opinions are my own.

11 comments:

  1. The unfortunate thing about reading this first thing in the morning, is that I'm now feeling very dissatisfied with my own breakfast!! That looks like a fab cafe. Love you skirt also!

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  2. Yum yum I feel hungry now, will check it out as we are often in that part of the world. Unfortunately Newbury doesn't have anything like Soulshine wish we did.
    Sue x
    Bestfriendstyle

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  3. I love Soulshine Abbi! Were very lucky to have it in our hometown!! A slice of London and Brighton in our pretty market town:) I am a fan of the roasted roots and goats cheese platter with a fresh juice. The sandals are lovely from H and M, I ve been shopping there since my late teens and picked up some fantastic bargains:)

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  4. This looks such a fab place, I love fab little cafes selling fresh products and something a little unusual. You look great too, love that skirt.

    http://fashion-mommy.com

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  5. I visited this cafe with my friend and our kids and it was great as they could play with all the toys and we had amazing coffee and brownies, great cafe, can't wait to go back! Love your outfit and shoes Abbi!Xxx

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  6. Gosh I love pancakes like that, yummy!

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  7. Looks fab - I will have to go next time we are down. What a great addition to Bridport xxx

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  8. Oh wow that looks fab Abbi and you look very lovely in your' skirt. xx

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  9. This looks like a wonderful place....so lucky it is on your doorstep! Breakfast looks so scrummy xx

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  10. Gosh that Cafe looks lovely, those juices look delicious, we need something like that in our village. One of my good very old friends lives in Bridport so if we ever go down to visit him we will be sure to pop in there! xx

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  11. Great recommendation Abbi - we'll have to check that one out next time we are over Bridport way. My husband is veggie so he will love the veggie/vegan selection x

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