Successful start for The Hungry Cat Café in Harleston
Townsfolk have warmly welcomed The Hungry Cat Café in Harleston, which officially opened last week.
“It’s been very good. The opening was chock-a-block and people have been coming in every day,” said owner Erasmia Kyriakou, 44.
“People love the shop, they all said it’s got a nice feel to it.”
Located at 25 The Thoroughfare, The Hungry Cat offers everything a vegan heart could desire.
“The most popular dish so far has been the jackfruit burger and the vegans are very excited by my huge range of cheeses and cakes,” said Ms Kyriakou, who has previously toured the country for seven years, selling food at festivals.
Ms Kyriakou stopped eating meat in 2012 and turned vegan two years later.
“It was the best thing I ever did and going vegan meant I had to be more creative with my cooking and baking. It was very exciting when I started out and still is,” said Ms Kyriakou, who is passionate about saving the planet.
“Many think that vegan food is boring or tasteless, but I can assure you, I have never eaten as well as I do now as a vegan. The fact that one has to get creative with food means that you come up with some amazing dishes that you would never have thought of, which are good for you,” said Ms Kyriakou.
She is keen to promote that the café is not only for vegans, it is for anyone who would like to give plant-based food a go.
“I won’t push people to become vegan, I welcome them to just come and try it. People turn vegan on their own, you can’t try to turn someone,” said Ms Kyriakou, who is Greek.
Some items inspired by her heritage can also be found on the menu such as the Mezze platter, which is a selection of bite-sized dishes, similar to Spanish tapas, and includes wine leaves, cheeses, falafel and houmous.
Ms Kyriakou sources a lot of her products locally, such as vegan beer from Boudicca Brewery and vegan sausages from Tofurei in Norwich.
The café is open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm, Saturday from 9am to 4pm and Sunday from 9am to 3pm.