RESTAURANT REVIEW:

This is the second in a four-part series about healthy restaurants in the Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley area.

The difference I was feeling from eating healthier was almost immediate, but I hadn’t found a place to go for breakfast. It seems lunch and dinner are the areas most vegetarian and vegan places focus on, and I wasn’t really interested in having a smoothie for my first meal of the day.

I wanted something more substantial, especially after I finished my morning workout. I certainly wasn’t going to settle for an energy bar.

Good to Go is in the same shopping mall as my gym, and I thought I would give it a try. There had been a similar restaurant that left, and the new owners had kept virtually the same menu, according to the woman who was working there the Saturday morning I showed up.

It helped that they open at 7 a.m. because I am more of a morning person and dragged the person I worked out with earlier than she was used to getting up. After the workout she was as hungry as I was and also wasn’t looking for a skimpy meal.

We looked at the breakfast suspiciously, not knowing what entrée items like fruesli and fruitizza were, but the woman behind the counter was eager to explain.

She recommended the fruesli ,and we were glad she did. It was a large bowl of rolled oats with fresh almond milk that didn’t require any sugar, especially with what was added on top. Generous amounts of raisins, slivered almonds, and blueberries, strawberries, mango, bananas and coconut slivers were then topped with sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

It was incredible. The fruit was fresh and blended well with the oats, which were softened by the tasty milk.

The fruitizza looked appealing as well. The seed crust used is the same utilized for the pizzas and comes with a creamy almond spread, dates and fresh fruit.

Even the fresh seasonal fruit bowl would be enough to stave off any hunger pains. The bowl is filled with everything from mangos to blueberries to blackberries to apples.

Most of the food is raw, vegan or vegetarian. I had a bagel and got cream cheese, one of the few things that didn’t fit in the above category. The café does have butter or an earth spread, a vegan butter that is actually quite good.

Lighter eaters will also have plenty at breakfast. There are muffins and cookies, fruit and nut bars, and a variety of smoothies. My favorite smoothie was one that combined mixed berries, banana, almond milk and agave.

There are also fresh juices and, like the shakes, come in 14- or 20-ounce sizes. I liked the carrot, apple and celery juice.

If I had not found anything on the breakfast menu I could have opted for the lunch menu, because the food is available all day.

The wraps are good and come with spreads like salsa and guacamole, and there are 10 veggies to choose from including sprouts, zucchini and Portabello mushrooms.

The pizzas intrigued me. They were on the seed crust with an almond spread and sun dried marinara and had items such as Kalamata olives, basil and avocado.

One lunch item I really enjoyed was the Burger de Not. The Brazil nut veggie patty was packed with tomatoes and sprouts on ciabatta bread. There is a tuna version as well that features sprouted seed pate.

Every meal should be ended with some dessert, and I have had the chocolate mousse twice. It is made with avocado, coconut meat, cocoa powder and agave.

They also have banana ice cream, tropical fruit tart and a mango pudding, and all are worth trying.

The quality is evident, and I have not had a bad item there yet. The menu is varied enough to keep people coming back, but my hope is that they do come up with even more foods that I can enjoy.

GOOD TO GO

ADDRESS: 5930 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach

PHONE: (714) 840-6400

CUISINE: Vegan, vegetarian and raw

SPECIALTY DISH: Burger de Not

ALCOHOL SERVED: none

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $6.79 to $11.99

FAMILY FRIENDLY: Yes

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: Everything except American Express

RATING: *** out of 4

JOHN REGER reviews restaurants for the Independent.