Eating out when you’re trying to follow a healthy diet can be a minefield, but with the right knowledge, you should be able to navigate your way around the maze. When dining out, you can’t always control portion sizes or the use of salt, sugar and unsaturated fat. That’s why it is important to carefully read a menu and ask questions. Of course, it also helps to know the places that offer a greater selection of healthy options.
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A recipe for well-being: What's inside
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■ FOR BREAKFAST
The Pantry
This popular cafe near Safa Park in Dubai prides itself on quality ingredients, including organic eggs and coffee, high-grade meats and sustainable fish, as well as environmentally and socially friendly practices. It has an outdoor area, with umbrellas for shade, which is well used during the cooler months, a quirky indoor dining area and an impressive menu with something for every palate. While there are a number of “healthy” dishes to choose from, beware the not-so-healthy ones, such as the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and cream cheese on a bagel. A great breakfast option, though, is the aptly named Go Healthy, which is high in protein (to help keep you fuller for longer) and low in calories. Choose from two whole eggs or three egg whites (preferably poached), served on a grilled portobello mushroom and topped with sautéed asparagus. On the side is turkey ham, a delicious quinoa and chia porridge, fresh orange juice and tea or coffee. The Pantry has a great selection of summer salads, including a grilled halloumi salad with chickpeas, roasted pumpkin and beetroot, and some tasty smoothies and juices, such as Tropical Kale with coconut milk, banana, kale and flaxseeds, if you dine outside breakfast hours.
Where: Al Hadiqa Street, Jumeirah, Dubai
Contact: 04 388 3868; pantrycafe.me
■ WHILE SHOPPING
Bestro
Tucked away in a quiet location inside Galeries Lafayette on level two of The Dubai Mall, Bestro is a gem for the health-conscious. The menu is raw vegan, but meat-lovers should not let that deter them. The meals are balanced with protein from plant sources, such as nuts, seeds and quinoa, and a tasty array of vegetables. Each dish punches above its weight when it comes to taste and you won’t leave hungry, either. Standouts on the menu – which is quite simple – are the vegetable curry with spiced cauliflower rice and the zucchini spaghetti with local organic roma tomato sauce. The tangy lemon tart from the dessert selection is so creamy it is hard to believe it contains no dairy. As well as being raw vegan, all but two ingredients are organic and each dish is gluten- and sugar-free. It’s also great to be given free water. A definite must-visit the next time you’re in The Dubai Mall.
Where: Level two, Galeries Lafayette, The Dubai Mall
Contact: 04 339 9933; facebook.com/BestroUAE
FOR LUNCH
Comptoir 102
Just looking at the menu at this chic Jumeirah cafe makes you feel healthy. The emphasis is on organic, wholefoods with options that will delight anyone with allergies and intolerances. There is a great selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes, and sustainable fish and organic chicken also have a home on the menu. It’s not the place to go for a cheap meal, though. For Dh65, you will get an avocado crostini – three small pieces of toasted bread topped with macadamia sauce, guacamole, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts and sesame seeds. Delicious, but not entirely filling. And Dh95 will get you a starter and a main, although the portion sizes are quite small. This is a menu that you don’t need to think about, as almost everything on it is packed full of nutrients. Even the desserts, while not entirely guilt-free, have healthy qualities. One personal bugbear, however, is the lack of local bottled water on the menu. Once you’ve finished eating and enjoyed an organic tea or coffee, check out the range of quirky home decor and arty fashion available for sale, or if you’re there on a Saturday from 11am to 1pm, buy organic produce at the Green Heart market.
Where: 102 Jumeirah Road, Dubai
Contact: 04 385 4555; comptoir102.com
■ FOR FINE DINING
Mango Tree
As people become more tuned in to the benefits of a well-balanced diet, restaurants are starting to cater to the demand for healthy options. Mango Tree at Souk Al Bahar in Downtown Dubai recently introduced a Healthy Eating selection with dishes that are cooked using healthier methods (steamed, wok-fried and grilled). Thai menus are usually full of healthy options, and flavours come from fresh ingredients, herbs and spices, rather than fat, which is more common in many other cuisines. The Healthy Eating starters and mains are light, which means there’s no bloated feeling afterwards, but people with larger appetites may crave more filling sources of protein. The rice paper rolls (po pia sod Thai) are bursting with flavour and are stuffed with salad leaves, sprouts and tofu croutons, rather than rice noodles, lowering their carb content. The steamed mussels (hoy lai ob takrai) for a main course are a great source of protein and are cooked with chilli, lemongrass, ginger and lime. For more of a punch, the butterflied tiger prawns marinated in a fiery jungle curry paste will have you sniffling and reaching for the water. One downside is that the dishes on the Healthy Eating menu are noticeably more expensive than those on the regular menu and because of their smaller size, you may find yourself reaching for the dessert menu.
Where: Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Dubai
Contact: 04 426 7313
■ GO ORGANIC
Organic Foods & Cafe
Visiting Organic Foods & Cafe offers a great lesson in choosing wisely and it is important to remember when looking at the menu that just because something is organic, it doesn’t mean it’s healthy. For example, the menu lists fish and chips, club sandwich with French fries, and beef burger with cheese, French fries and coleslaw as options. Organic maybe, but not the best choice if you’re striving to be healthy. Thankfully, it does offer healthier options, such as the vegan pumpkin curry with spinach and brown rice, and some really tasty vegetable juices, including an earthy beetroot juice, which is said to be beneficial in lowering blood pressure. The branch at Nation Towers, Abu Dhabi, is more of a lunch venue than dinner, although visiting in the evening should give you the pick of tables and, hopefully, the undivided attention of the waitstaff. Organic Foods & Cafe also has branches at Masdar, and in Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road, The Greens and The Village Mall.
Where: Nation Towers Galleria, Corniche, Abu Dhabi
Contact: 056 210 8277, organicfoodsandcafe.com
■ CASUAL DINING
Hanoi
When it comes to dining out, you can’t go too far wrong with Vietnamese cuisine. Using simple, fresh ingredients and contrasting flavours, the dishes are generally light, with an emphasis on salads, soups and stir-fries. Hanoi – which has branches in Abu Dhabi in Khalifa Street, World Trade Center and Reem Island, and in Dubai at Jumeirah Lakes Towers – follows this same principle. The menu is extensive and perhaps a little daunting, but look for salads, soups and braised or pan-fried dishes, staying clear of anything “crispy”. Also, go easy on the white rice and the side sauces, which can be high in salt and sugar. The fresh summer rolls, stuffed with carrot, prawns, coriander and mint, are a personal favourite, along with the braised ginger chicken served in a claypot. A health-conscious option would be a bun dish, which comes with vermicelli noodles, peanuts, fresh herbs and salad, and your choice of tofu, grilled chicken, sautéed steak or lemongrass prawns. Hanoi is a casual dining venue and the decor inside the restaurants, as well as the prices, reflect this.
Where: Boutik Mall Reem Island, Abu Dhabi
Contact: 02 677 0866
■ FOR DELIVERY
Right Bite Now
When you don’t feel like cooking, but still want to eat well, it can be hard to find an outlet that offers great food for delivery. Right Bite Now recently opened in Dubai’s Jumeirah Lakes Towers as an extension of the Right Bite meal-plan delivery company. It allows anyone to order calorie-controlled, freshly prepared meals on demand, without having to sign up for a meal plan. The menu caters for a range of tastes, with starters, salads, sandwiches, wraps, burgers and mains. Wheat-free, dairy-free and vegetarian options are marked along with the calorie count and protein, fat and carbohydrate content. The grilled salmon fillet with mixed steamed vegetables and a pumpkin purée is tasty and filling, while the marinated, grilled chicken burger is a healthier version of the fast-food favourite, served on a wholewheat bun and accompanied by oven-roasted potato chips. There is also a daily special and soup of the day. Again, choose wisely from the menu – it won’t be too hard with the nutritional information given.
Where: Cluster J, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Contact: 800 74448 2483, rightbite.com/now
atomlinson@thenational.ae