Sambazon

Review #51

The acai craze hit hard in 2017 and hasn’t slowed down since. I have heard it pronounced “a-sigh”, “a-kay”and “a-sigh-a” all WRONG!  Sambazon’s sign as you walk in will assist you in the correct pronunciation which is, “ah-sigh-ee”. They have other signs as well for you to learn all about what they are serving.  Why the acai berry you ask?  Because of its crazy nutritional properties.

They have tons of educational signs including a short video about their purpose.  It was just like taking the Mission Tortilla factory tour at Disney’s California Adventure.  Do they still have this?   Getting that freshly made tortilla at the end was dope! (My boys HATE when I say “dope”, so I gotta use it whenever I can.)

By the time you have read and watched all the propaganda, you feel so damn good about ordering an acai bowl, you believe you have just saved the Brazilian rain forest, fed a few thousand people living in villages and helped employ most of South America.

Violet ordered a Very Berry Bite Bowl. A little bowl of heaven it is!

Very Berry Bite Bowl

You don’t have to stick to the menu though.  Feel free to concoct your own creation with these healthy goodies that have different costs associated, depending on what you get.

I was told by Sheryl to order the Coconut Mango Bowl “or don’t bother going!” Normally, with a recommendation like this, it would be a no brainer.  BUT I happened to be eating breakfast this morning with an actual Acai Bowl EXPERT.  And for those of you who read this blog, you know who she is- it’s Debbie!  I’m no dummy.  I watched as Debbie ordered her bowl with the confidence of a true professional: “The Amazon Protein Bowl with the peanut butter on the side, not mixed in.” “I’ll have mine EXACTLY like hers please” I ordered.  I watched Debbie’s being made, and when he handed it to her, I knew we ordered well!

Amazon Protein Bowl with PB ON THE SIDE

As I watched mine being made, I noticed that my peanut butter was being stirred right in WITH the acai!  “Wait!” I shouted. “Stop the press!” “Did DEBBIE have her peanut butter stirred in?  Did she? Hmmm?? Because I think you and I both CLEARLY heard her order her peanut butter on the side, and my order is to be exactly like Debbie’s!“. Hopefully it didn’t come out of my mouth this rude, but I was thinking it this rude!  Having the peanut butter on the side vs mixed in makes a huge difference in the over all product which Debbie clearly understands!  Once it’s mixed together, you lose the peanutty goodness of pure peanut butter.  You’re left with a dumbed down flavor that tastes like acai with an essence of peanut butter somewhere.  I don’t want essence, I want pure, awesome, peanut butter!

I have good friends with me today.  People that get me.  People that not only support my strong feelings like these, but agree and believe them too.  “It’s like Nutella” I told Matt.  “I love chocolate, and I like hazelnuts just fine.  But don’t completely RUIN the chocolate by mixing it with a strong flavor like hazelnut!  Now you just have a spread that tastes like a muted hazelnut, with no chocolate flavor.  I don’t get it, in fact, I hate it!” Matt was right there.  “Hazelnuts completely suck!” he chimed in. “Why does Europe insist on hazelnuts over every other nut?  They’re everywhere!  I refuse to even go to Europe because of this.” Here’s a man with principals.  I respect him so much.

Joyce took Sheryl’s advice and ordered the Coconut Mango. What’s better in summer than a perfectly ripe mango?  Not much!

Coconut Mango Bowl

Sambazon is small, but is decorated super cute with sociable seating arrangements.  Why not make a new friend while doing all this acai-eating/world saving stuff?

But we don’t go to Cardiff to be indoors! The outdoor seating is great, and at 7:00am when they open, it isn’t hot or crowded!

Acai just isn’t for everyone, and for Matt, it ain’t a Sunday breakfast without eggs and bacon.  Luckily, Sambazon is right next door to Seaside Market, where they have just about everything!

Matt’s breakfast bagel with eggs, cheese & bacon from Seaside Market

Bottom Line:

Sambazon’s acai bowls are great.  They’re delicious.  They are super-duper, totally refreshing, jolly-good!  But are they over-priced?   If you think of enjoying what’s really just a smoothie in a bowl with some toppings for $7-$13, it sure seems pricey.  But if you look at it like having an organic, super healthy snack/meal that tastes delicious while at the same time “combating the challenges of poverty, malnutrition, inequality and racism”, (words of co-founder and CEO Ryan Black) it’s a pretty fair price.   I would gladly pay that price to feel this good about what I’m eating.  Wouldn’t you agree?  Just don’t you dare mix in my peanut butter!!  Arghhhh!!

---

Next week’s blog is happening on Friday, August 24th at 6:30pm and it’s another double!

East Coast Pizza & The Lost Abbey

http://lostabbey.com/