Daybreaker’s Rosemary Vandenbroucke on Gough, Trailwalker and vegetarianism

Sitting across the black-leather booth is Rosemary Vandenbroucke, who was an international model at the age of 14, and who later became a singer-songwriter and actress. She’s in casual attire with no make-up. “I’ve just come from teaching a class,” she says.

These days Vandenbroucke is a certified yoga instructor and a qualified health coach. “I just finished my 500 hours with a flash mob in the middle of one of Bali’s most famous shopping malls,” she says.

As we peruse the menu by head chef Arron Rhodes, who is renowned for his clean and sustainably sourced ingredients, Vandenbroucke – a recent convert to vegetarianism – eyes the dashi custard. “I may have to make an exception today and try this,” she says.

“I tried to become a vegetarian last year and my body reacted very badly. I felt bloated and my stomach was inflamed. I started breaking out. So after one month, I said, ‘Enough is enough’. I had a burger and, I kid you not, the next day, I cleared up. So I felt vegetarianism wasn’t for me. But after studying and learning more about our environment and doing my part, I decided this year that I was really going to give it a proper shot. So it’s been over seven months.”

We then ordered the Peruvian corn, a dish inspired by Rhodes’ recent trip to Peru. The flavours were deliciously smooth and balanced, light with crunch and textures from the corn and kaniwa – a cousin of quinoa.