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Friends and food seem to go hand and hand, don’t they? At least that is true if you are a foodie. Roberto and I had the opportunity to spend a lovely evening last month with Ingar from Taste Memory and her husband Bill at The Present Moment Cafe here in Saint Augustine, FL. We had already been there once before and really enjoyed it. So when Ingar suggested it, we were all for it.

Present Moment is a Raw, Vegan, Livefood, Gourmet Restaurant that is certainly something to experience. I have often talked about my fascination with the raw food movement here on my blog. It is not a lifestyle that I can fully embrace, but I do believe that it is extremely creative and can be very delicious, and I welcome to opportunity to enjoy these types of dishes, whenever possible.

We went on a Friday night, so it was fairly crowded by the time we arrived. The moment you enter the restaurant, you just get a good feeling. The place is relaxed, yet elegant at the same time. Clean, yet cozy. Ingar had made reservations earlier in the week which landed us prime real estate seating- the table at the window which has two comfy couches on either side of the table, instead of chairs (you can see the spot on the front page of the restaurant’s website). Score.

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On Ingar’s recommendation we all started out with the Maki rolls. Each roll was full of crunchy vegetables and creamy avocado and it was a great way to get our appetites rolling. Ingar enjoyed a coconut water with her food, while, Roberto, Bill and I all sipped on organic beers by Samuel Smith.

Next were the main meals. Roberto decided to get lasagna. If there is lasagna on the menu, it is a sure bet for him. His lasagna “noodles” were fashioned from thin strips of zucchini. The “cheese” was made from nuts, macadamia nut, I believe and it was served with tomato sauce and a nice side salad. He enjoyed it.

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I went for the Indian style Samosas (Ingar got the same thing!). The wrappers were created from dehydrated coconut and the inside was filled with curried vegetables and lentils and served with a delicious yogurt drizzle. They were really excellent. I think Bill got the Pad Thai. It was a huge portion and looked delicious and crunchy.

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In a place like this it is difficult to say no to dessert, because it is guilt free. I am not a huge fan of “chocolate”, but when it comes to pure cacao, that is a whole other story and it is hard for me to say no. I got a delicious pure cacao flourless chocolate cake and Roberto went for a scoop of dairy free cashew ice cream. It was a perfect end to the meal. We had such a great time that we didn’t want to leave once the meal was over. So we were lucky when a live band started playing. The musicians were playing music from the African nation of Guinea, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Much of the beats sounded reminiscent of Reggae and for a time Roberto and I felt like we were on vacation. It was so relaxing.

Thanks Ingar and Bill for a great evening!