
I am vegan, is Santa Cruz my place?
Yes, it is possible (and highly recommended) to have lunch and/or dinner 100 percent vegan in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Umami Good Food perfectly meets the requirements of food without animal products, but also goes a little further and puts on the table -never better said- his great passion for healthy, betting on natural ingredients, with all its dishes made at the time and by hand.
Umani’s atmosphere invites you to step inside, with a contemporary and simple décor. We see plants hanging from the ceiling, which give a refreshing touch to the dining room, and the lighting is also very cozy. Umami has an access ramp for people with reduced mobility and also has tables with chairs outside, if you prefer to enjoy the terrace and the weather in Santa Cruz. The restaurant is located on Sabino Berthelot street, which is pedestrian and very quiet, so inside or outside, you can enjoy your time.
And it is enjoyable because the dishes are conceived as a celebration of “real food”, whether we are curious about veganism or practicing vegans.
Attention because here are some tips for first-timers: mushroom croquettes are highly recommended, as well as green pesto gnocchi with almonds and Parmesan… Parmesan? Yes! Veggie Parmesan, which has no cheese or anything like it but is very tasty and healthy. And to close a podium of recommendations, we can opt for the frittata with caramelized onion and sautéed mushrooms. But the best thing without a doubt is to book a table with family or a group of friends of 6-8 people and order everything to share among all, because the hummus is really good, the cauliflower popcorn is a fantasy and we are not mentioning the vegan burgers, among other delicacies.
There is also something special about the drinks. We are not going to find sugary soft drinks, so we have to be prepared. But it is worth drinking a kombucha (which in Japanese means seaweed tea), for example the ginger one.
What about desserts? All of Umami’s pastries are homemade, made daily and sweetened with organic panela. In addition, some of it is made without sugar and flour.
Umami and the secrets of flavors
The word umami is of Japanese origin and, to sum it up, could mean “tasty” and can be used when a food is especially delicious. But we already know that the Japanese are not fond of simple explanations: they place umami in the human palate itself as one of the basic tastes. Apparently, research concluded in 2002 that there are umami taste receptors on our tongue, accompanying the papillae of sweet, salty, bitter and sour, perhaps completing the circle. This would place umami, according to scientists, as the fifth basic taste. And this is not only for the Japanese, of course, it would be the fifth universal flavor.
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