Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur) - Hindustan Times (Jaipur) - City
HEALTHY EATERIES: THE LATEST BUZZ IN NYC GLOBETROT
It’s all about discovering eateries that serve fresh, seasonal, nutritious food that’s also delicious
Piles of fresh coconuts, ginger and turmeric were never a common sight in New York until now, and the locals, especially the Millennials, are in the grip of a raging healthyeating tornado. It makes complete sense to couple rigorous workouts, bootcamps and yoga sessions with smoothies and salads packed with nutrients. New Yorkers are curious about the exact contents of even the smallest snack, and the information no longer hides in diminutive print. The buzz is all about discovering the new eateries that serve fresh, seasonal, nutritious food without compromising on deliciousness. Delving into the realm of well researched, goodnessloaded, vegetarian friendly, multi-ingredient offerings proved to be not just a fun learning experience, it also eased my mind and buds into accepting radically new recipes, many of which followed me into my kitchen; frapped green juice of kale, kiwi, aloe and lemon at breakfast paired with seed and sprout infused cereal and a shot of cold pressed almond milk have become as everyday as popping toast. Marching with the revolution, my cousin Simi and I set off one morning to explore some destination eateries in lower Manhattan.
SOHO
Starting our expedition at By Chloe, a small, hip and exclusively vegan restaurant at 240, Lafayette Street in Soho, we examined the line-up of some pretty alien drinks on display — activated charcoal water in many flavours, fizzy kambucha, cold macha …as well as new fangled kelp noodles and chia pudding. Our hot breakfast of soft, whole wheat tortilla bundling scrambled tofu, spicy seitan chorizo, avocado and black bean salsa was incredibly delicious, as was the (milk free) coffee, topped with almond and cashew milk. Bizarre notion, nice taste, easier to digest, much more nourishing. Taking-in the impressive wrought-iron facades of Soho, we stopped next at Pressed Juicery, at 103, Mercer St. The tiny shop is packed with a dazzling array of freshly made, short-shelf life drinks that detox, cleanse and energise. We were offered trials of a host of citrus and green juices, and the vanilla almond milk (lightly sweetened with dates) became an instant favourite. “Drink your vegetables is my new mantra,” said a customer, spot-jogging as she shopped. Onwards to Chobani Cafe, on 152 Prince Street. The genius of this compelling spot, offering mainly Greek yoghurt bowls with a selection of toppings, is truly laudable. It’s all about the assembly rather than cooking. Savoury selections are imbued with the likes of hummus, zatar, avocado, spinach, feta and harissa. now mention the nutrient score as well.
NUT MILK - Soaked nuts such as almonds and cashews frapped with water. The drink looks like milk, but has no dairy whatsoever.
SEITAN - Japanese chewy wheat gluten; vegetarian substitute for meat.
PRO BIOTICS - bacteria that are good for you, found in kombucha (a fermented, effervescent Japanese tea made from konbucha seaweed) and tempeh (a Japanese vegetarian soybean product rich in protein, fibre and vitamins)
MACHA - A nutritious Japanese green tea
freshness of the seasonal produce such as heirloom tomatoes, zucchini flowers, honey and maple nectar and ingredients are the basis of inspiration.
CHELSEA
A short stroll away, Eataly, a massive indoor market and eatery celebrates the food and drink of not just Italy, but also local produce such as the delicious un-homogenised milk from Ronnybrook farms. In the vicinity of Chelsea’s cluster of art galleries, we stopped at Organic Avenue, a small restaurant that combines freshly made, scrumptious smoothies (packed with pro-biotics and vitamin shots) light meals, a handful of flavours of kampuchtea on tap, and healthy snacks. Around the corner, Foragers combines a small grocery store filled with fresh finds, fresh food counter and restaurant. These were just a handful of discoveries over half a day, others are sprouting all over the vast city. For eons, restaurants have solved for taste alone, these brave new eateries are leading the charge in concocting delicious recipes using the most nutritious ingredients known to mankind.