The Aloe Mix is a tangy, somewhat frothy drink with a strong hint of strawberry.  Surprisingly sweet with a herbal overtone, it is nonetheless light and somewhat reminescent of cucumber juice.  The flavor of the drink is light with appearance.  Overall, the impression of the drink is mediocre.  It does not have much character of its own and the sweetness overwhelms the drink as a whole.

The first impression that meets your tongue when drinking the Almond Macadamia drink is that of pulverized oatmeal.  The mealy texture of the drink is surprising to the unwary.  With too light of a hint of Almond and little to offer than the mealy texture, the drink has a tendency to make you more thirsty than you are in the first place. 

Unique fries always get my attention.  As such, Nu Age cafe's Yam and Yucca fries were one of the first things to catch my eye when first perusing their menu.  Consisting of thickly cut sticks of sweet potato and yucca battered in a light tempura batter, the Yam and Yucca fries are crisp on the outside and mealy on the inside.  Excellent when cooked properly.  The ketchup served with the fries offers a fruity/spicy accent to the dish that is more than the usual tomato-based condiment.   There is somewhat of a consistency problem, however. with the fries with some of the thicker cut slices being only partially cooked and the thinner slices overcooked.  Otherwise, if you're a lover of sweet potatoes, the Yam and Yucca fries are a highlight of the menu. 

The Scallion Mango Pita is extremely reminescent of the Green onion pie commonly found in Taiwanese restaurants.  Green onion pie is a savory fried bread that is infused with green onions.  The resulting crispy snack is both savory and satisfying.  Often found being sold from street stalls in Taiwan, the green pie is often consumed as a snack on the go.  Nu Age cafe's Scallion Mango Pita takes the concept of the green onion pie and adds a balsamic sauce as well as a topping of mango chunks and green leafy vegetables.  While a good tasting appetizer, the Scallion Mango Pita suffers from excess sweetness that detracts from the flavors of the ingredients.

As the Thai Style Bean Curd Wrap above indicates, Nu Age cafe makes an effort to present their dishes artistically.  For instance, the rice the accompanies some of the dishes is wrapped in a banana leaf pyramid and pierced with a bamboo shank.  Ultimately, however, food is about how it tastes.  Presentation is nice, but flavor can and should be a more important component.  That said, a common theme among many of the dishes at Nu Age is the sweetness of many entrees.  While this may not be a bad thing in and of itself, the overwhelming sweetness in a dish that should be savory detracts from the flavors of the other ingredients.

The sizzling soy, for instance, would be a good dish if it were not for the sweet flavor that dominates the dish. Designed as the vegetarian version of the sizzling steak, the sizzling soy features soy nuggets marinated in a savory sweet sauce and seared over the cast iron serving platter.  Served with a side of broccoli and sweet potato, the dish also features bean sprouts resting beneath the nuggets.  The initial bite into the nuggets is delightful with a nice crunch as you bite into the seared crust.  The texture combined with the flavor of the sauce makes for a pleasant first impression.  Unfortunately, subsequent bites begin to illustrate the strong sweetness of the sauce that often overpowers the saltiness of the dish.  Also, the nuggets themselves exhibit somewhat of an aftertaste that distracts from the flavor of the dish.

On a subsequent visit, we tried the Nu Pad Thai, Singapore Noodles and NuAge Pesto Linguine.  The NuAge Pesto Linguine is somewhat mild, but otherwise well done.  The portion size is generous with enough food to satisfy most appetites.  The Nu Pad Thai is unfortunately too mild in flavor for a good Pad Thai.  Along with the lightly savory flavor, the dish packs an extremely powerful sweet accent that really does not fit with expectations. The Singapore Noodles is well prepared with a good balance in savoriness and seasoning.  While a bit more kick of spiciness might have helped, the dish is nonetheless an excellent example of a good Singapore Noodle dish.

One of the first sights that greets visitors to Nu Age cafe is the display case filled with various sorbets and desserts.

Both the Mango and Coconut sorbet are served in replicas of hollowed out fruit shells.  Overall, the Coconut sorbet is well flavored.  However, there are portions that seem a bit too icy and crunchy.  The Mango sorbet is much smoother with a rich texture throughout the dessert. 

The Mango Gelatin Custard is served in a bowl with a  generous fruit topping.  The custard itself floats in a syrup and is both light and refreshing.  The tanginess of the fruit serve as an excellent complement to the smooth flavor of the custard.  Rather than a pudding-like custard, the Mango Gelatin Custard is more akin to an agar based dessert.  The firmer texture  lends to the character of the dish.

The Hazelnut Napoleon features light hazelnut flavored wafers layered over vanilla cream.  The wafers offer a delicate crunch and blend well with the underlying vanilla cream.  Overall, the combination of the elements offers a well thought out dessert.

In many ways, Nu Age cafe's range of entrees offer vegetarian diners a elegant new dining option.  Entrees need fine tuning especially in terms of the sweetness.  The overpowering sweetness for some reason seem to dominate many of the entrees sampled.  Finding a good balance of the flavoring of the entrees would do a lot to improve the flavor of many of the Nu Age cafe dishes.  Nu Age cafe makes an admirable effort in presenting unique and adapted dishes that adhere to the vegetarian lifestyle.

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