My brother and I had a great night at Cafe118. We drove 2.5 hrs to check it out and got more than we expected. The cafe is a little hidden in downtown Winter Park. The atmosphere is very modern and clean. The waitress sits us down and we start with drinks. The raspberry lemonade is a sweet and sour concoction of fresh ripe raspberry juice in a base of lemonade sweetened with agave. A perfect drink to start a meal. We also tried the Tropical mint (pineapple, young coconut, agave and mint) which was very refreshing. Everything looked so good on the menu so we tried almost everything they had. The basil wrappers were divine. The wrappers were made with coconut meat flavored with basil and the other with sun dried tomatoes then dehydrated. This made them very pliable, Inside the wrappers was a very smooth cheese made out of pine nuts and herbs.

 Next up was the Spicy "Bean" Burrito with fresh salsa, guac, sour cream and queso blanco. This dish had the right amount of spice and was very flavor rich. The sour cream (cashews, pine nuts, sea salt) was very refreshing against the spicy blend of seeds in the burrito. The salsa and guac added depth and completed this dish. Very well done.

We also tried the avocado, mango and shitake maki rolls with raw soy sauce and pickled ginger. These rolls we incredible. One of the best dishes at the cafe we thought. It was pleasantly light and bursting with flavors. It has the right amount of spice and sweet in every bite. it was also very elegantly presented.The salads at the cafe are not to be passed up.

The mexican chopped salad was my favorite. It was a mixture of mixed greens, sweet corn, avocado, chili chips, fresh tomato and their popular queso blanco which I assume is just a mixture of red bell pepper, cashews or macadamia nuts and water. It was nicely seasoned and not laden with a lot of oils or avocado.

The arugala salad was very tasty as well. It tasted like a Caesar salad but the base was baby arugala, then tossed with hemp seeds, sun dried tomatoes and a parmesan crisp made from pine nuts.

We also savored the lasagna that they offered. It was layered beatifically. Marinated shitake mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, zucchini slices, herb pesto, and a ricotta cheese made from macadamia nuts that was outstanding. All the layers of this dish complemented each other. Every bite tasted better and better and we finished this dish very quick. 

Next up was dessert. My favorite meal at any raw cafe. Everything looked good so we got it all (or at least most of it) The mocha pudding was excellent. It tasted just the cooked childhood chocolate pudding I had. It was made from young coconut meat and cacao powder and something else.. I can't put my finger on it but amazing! It was topped with Cacao Nibs and a caramel agave sauce.

The pumpkin tart was very popular at the table. It was composed of a pecan crust, pumpkin meat, pumpkin spice seasonings and a whipped 'cream'. It had the perfect texture and spice. The whipped cream added another dimension of texture and creaminess to this dish. Well done! The chocolate hazelnut tart was very dense and had a dark chocolate taste. The crust was made out of macaroons. The mango cheesecake was also very delicious. It was very richly flavored with fresh mango and the crust was too good (sweet macadamia nut crust). The lime whipped cream was airy and added the right amount of tang to this cheesecake.

Cafe 118
153 East Morse Blvd.
Winter Park, FL. 32789

(407) 389-2233

www.cafe118.com