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There are a few places to eat raw vegan food on Koh Samui but June’s Art Cafe is one of my favorites. June has a branch in Chaweng behind Central Festival shopping mall but we prefer the one in the Bophut area, which is off the tourist path and has a more relaxed ambiance.
The menu features healthy versions of Thai classics as well as Western options including wraps, pasta and salads.
At least half of the menu is vegetarian and mostly vegan. You can also try vegan muffins, gluten-free cookies and raw desserts.
June’s appreciation for art is evident and the atmosphere makes for a comfortable and cozy dining experience.
We love the green juice at June’s – a refreshing and nourishing combination of cucumber, pineapple, apple and fresh greens.
We always try the fresh spring rolls whenever we find them on the menu. The one’s at June’s are simple and beautiful, including delightfully crisp veggies prepared with excellent knife skills from the chefs. However, personally I find the soy dipping sauce too salty and overwhelming for the delicate and subtle flavors of the vegetables.
Another appetizer is Quinoa Patties with Mango Salsa. These were pretty tasty and I especially enjoyed the fresh and zesty salsa.
June does salads really well and as usual I couldn’t resist trying a Green Papaya Salad – extra spicy please! For me this is a very satisfying dish with the super-crunchy veggies and perfect balance of flavors. I requested it without soy sauce and June offered Himalayan salt as a substitute. Perfect!
But my absolute favorite item on the menu – and probably the entire island – is the Mango, Apple and Avocado salad with Passionfruit Dressing. That’s my kind of salad!
The different fruits and vegetables offer a wonderful contrast of flavors and textures and the passionfruit dressing is delightfully tangy and light. Fresh herbs including mint and basil give it that extra something.
For a raw/cooked fusion dish the Pumpkin and Broccoli Salad is a healthy choice. I asked for it without tofu, since I prefer to focus on fruits and vegetables in my diet.
The Nori Rolls are super-satisfying and contain perfectly fluffy quinoa, creamy avocado and crunchy beets, carrot and cucumber and sunflower sprouts. We’ve gone back for these more than once!
If you are craving something more substantial June’s also has lot of cooked vegan dishes to choose from like this Indian-style curry served with organic brown rice.
Since I started eating a more fruit-based diet I’ve naturally overcome cravings for sweets so dessert is not something I generally partake in. However, the lovely June kindly offered us a sample of her raw raspberry cheesecake.
Now this is not like any other raw cheesecake I’ve ever eaten. Most tend to be rich, dense and heavy but this was delightfully light and delicate.
I was so impressed I asked June what was her secret and she told me she uses agar-agar. This is a jelling agent derived from seaweed that allows liquids to thicken and set. This means that June’s cheesecake uses much less cashews than usual so you can enjoy a raw dessert at the end of your meal and still feel the benefits of feeling light and energetic that we all love about eating raw food.
As well as offering healthy and delicious food in a nice atmosphere the prices are really affordable. June’s Art Cafe is certainly worth a visit for health conscious diners visiting Koh Samui.
