THE formula is clear. Eat well 80 per cent of the time. Indulge 20 per cent of the time. That adds up to 100 per cent “good”. That’s what fitness folks live by. It’s what we should all live by.

Klarisa Cengic and Tihana Ravanparsa, the sisters who own Eighty/twenty food in Braddon, have opened a café devoted to creating food that is good for the mind and body.

But what about taste? Don’t we eat out to indulge a little? A friend and I visited Eighty/twenty and discovered you can have taste and goodness while dining out.

The lunch menu features seven options, including a soup ($9.50) and salad selection ($13.50).

My three-beet salad – art on a plate – was created with golden baby beets and target beetroot ($16). The third element was delightful drops of beetroot mousse, a beautiful creamy texture. The Persian feta was also creamy, and the mix of snowpea tendrils, asparagus and candied walnuts exceptional. My only comment was that the salad was slightly dry. I would have loved a stronger presence of a dressing (a healthy version, of course).

My friend selected the rice noodles Asian style. It was a feast for the eyes, with pretty pink pickled ginger perched on top. The dish was generous with veggies, tofu and toasted sesame seeds ($14.50). You had to dig deep for the bit of dressing that had settled on the bottom. My recommendation is to give it a good toss before digging in. Both dishes were vegan, gluten free and vegetarian.

If you crave meat, the lamb tacos with red kidney beans and guacamole ($16.50) sounded promising as did the grilled paprika chicken salad ($16.50).

A café focusing on health could not possibly get away without a selection of smooth smoothies and here Eighty/twenty performs well ($8 each). The Nutty Professor has cacao, milk, banana, peanut butter and maca. The Glow Pro features acai, blueberries, raspberries, coconut flesh, ice and honey. Feeling healthy yet?

I wondered if Eighty/twenty would offer wine (why not… surely that falls safely into the 20 per cent of the equation?). It does with whites from SA, NSW and NZ on the menu (up to $10 by the glass) and reds from Victoria, Queensland and NSW (up to $8.50 by the glass).

The fitout is impressive, with a massive square communal table a feature for outdoor dining and a long, rectangular table inside. Some backless stools have denim cushions for a bit of bottom comfort. And I love the pots outside with fresh herbs growing in the summer sun.

Eighty/twenty, 1/18 Lonsdale Street, Braddon, open for lunch and breakfast. Call 6247 2866.