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It is a well-known fact that the people of Chorlton love their greens. The gardens are leafy, the shops are full of misshapen organic vegetables, and shopping bags from Unicorn (the vegan, mainly organic co-operative supermarket) were a status symbol well before Anya Hindmarsh hit Sainsbury's.
So it should come as no surprise to discover that Chorlton's one and only juice bar does a roaring trade among the locals. A small-looking café with a jaunty purple sign, Battery Park is the sort of place you might imagine has been lifted straight out of San Francisco. Inside the door a notice board groans under the weight of flyers for yoga classes, life coaching and community arts groups. Original art by local artists is displayed on the walls. Charming wooden tables are arranged at the front of the split-level room before you climb a set of stairs to the juice counter, leading on to another cosy, sofa-filled room at the back.
Battery Park clearly takes its juicing seriously. Of course there are the standard juices - orange, apple and so on - but if you've got any sense you'll bypass these completely and go straight for the odd combinations, like the Green Refresher (featuring apple, spinach and watercress) or a hot apple, carrot and ginger juice. Prices aren't cheap, at between £2.85 and £3.15 but they're all made fresh to order and if you go for the smoothies you can fill your five-a-day quota in one glassful.
The really health-concious will be delighted to know you can even buy shots of wheatgrass. This is actual grass, smushed through a juicer to give you a shot glass of green juice. You drink it like a tequila slammer, back in one with a wedge of orange to bite down on afterwards - and trust us, you'll be glad of that orange. It tastes utterly, gurn-inducingly hideous. Still, it's gone in seconds and it is said that one shot of the stuff has the nutritional value of a kilo of fruit and veg.
Alongside the juices there's a decent range of chunky sandwiches priced between £3.85 and £4.15, or if all that wholesome goodness is getting too much for you then there is a counter full of huge, moist, reassuringly sinful wedges of cake.
All in all, Battery Park is a lovely little place. It has a nice community vibe, the food is cheap and tasty and the juices are actually worth making the bus journey for. After a heavy Saturday night, this is just the place to get your zest back. |
