Top spots for healthy lunches
FITNESS & DIET EXPERT
laurawilliamsonline.co.uk
@laurafitness
Business meals needn’t mean a calorie overdose if you know the right places to go
ANYONE can russell up a relatively healthy meal in the confines of their own kitchen; eating out and keeping your calorie-count down can be a little trickier. Chefs have a love-affair with butter and cream and even the healthiest-sounding dishes can be secretly laden with calories. But if you know the right places, you can make that business lunch without having to get your suit taken out. Here are some of the tastiest, healthiest venues to wine and dine in without breaking the calorie-bank.
1 THE ANTHOLOGIST
The Anthologist serves all of its burgers in skinny sizes, but the teriyaki salmon burger with pickled cucumber is a good place to start, especially if you ditch the fries in favour of an antioxidant-rich side such as chopped broccoli with quinoa and hazelnuts. The menu marks dishes containing fewer than 500 calories with a tape measure (although at the time of writing I could only see one next to the rather dull-sounding tomato and mozzarella salad).
theanthologistbar.co.uk; 58 Gresham St, EC2V 7BB
2 CINNAMON KITCHEN
Cinnamon Kitchen’s executive chef Vivek Singh’s a la carte menu offers high-fibre, low cal dishes like tandoori broccoli with toasted almonds and rose petals. Those after a post-workout protein kick can plump for the seared black bream, sprouted broccoli and quinoa salad. The express lunch menu has light offerings, too, such as rice dumplings with roasted lentil and coconut broth that won’t break either the calorie or the piggy bank.
cinnamon-kitchen.com; 9 Devonshire Square, EC2M 4YL
3 PLAYBOY CLUB
Playboy Club in Mayfair has some great healthy options. Executive chef Judy Joo (as seen on Iron Chef) is a self-proclaimed health fanatic. Low calorie options include the watermelon and feta salad, or the Asian steamed sea bass with the club’s Chop Chop salad. And, if your guest isn’t watching their waistline, you could steer them in the direction of the Chilean wagyu strip (£95). The Dining Room at Playboy Club London is open to non-members every lunchtime.
playboyclublondon.com; 14, Old Park Lane, W1K 1ND
4 SUSHINHO
Sushinho on Devonshire Square is the second outpost from the team who brought Brazilian-Japanese food to London. While signature dishes such as pork belly with feijodada, kale and crackling may leave you salivating, healthier, protein-rich options such as the confit pork salad with burnt orange dressing are equally tasty and less likely to clog the arteries. There’s also a sushi bar offering house rolls with a twist, including the hot Sushinho roll with cream cheese and the Rio roll with prawn, wasabi tobiko & strawberry.
sushinho.com; Devonshire Square, EC2M 4AE
5 ROSA’S
Rosa’s offers Thai food with a modern twist, courtesy of British husband and wife team, Alex and Saiphin Moore. For a high protein meal you could opt for the spicy seafood hotplate and still be well under your daily allowance of saturated fat. The black pepper Highland venison is another high protein, reduced fat option that won’t leave you feeling deprived. While Rosa’s homemade ice creams sound scrumptious (think coconut mixed with tapioca and jackfruit), you might be better off cleansing the palette with Thai tea and mango sorbet instead.
rosaslondon.com; Spitalfields, Hanbury Street, E1 6QR
6 AMICO BIO
Amico Bio manages to make vegetarian sexy. The organic Italian vegetarian eatery has dishes including a salad of kohlrabi, orange, fennel and red radish and an equally light seitan and vegetable kebab with yoghurt and cucumber dip. With this many calorie credits in the bank, you could even share a rum baba with Amarena cherries.
amicobio.co.uk; 44 Cloth Fair, EC1A 7JQ