#ShortPostForLongPostHaters
#NoGrainsNoGlutenNoGuilt
#HealthFirstTasteForemost
There are two kind of people that you will come across; One that eat to live and the others, well, they live to eat. And yours truly obviously falls in the latter category, for people like us Health Cafes are perpetually a 'No Entry Zone'.
The only reason being the belief that healthy food can never be tasty. One visit to Sorted Delicatessen is what was needed to ramshackle my rock-solid perception.
Folks, Sorted is indeed a spectacle; You need to go and experience the magical transformation of your usual staples like Butter Chicken, Pizzas and even Pasteries to their "Grain Free, Gluten Free, Guilt Free" Avtar without any compromise on the taste quotient.
Sorted is 'Brilliance on your Plate' !!!
#LongPostHatersMayStopReadingHere
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#LongReadAlert
#ReadAndGetSorted
#KnowWhatYouEatCozYouAreWhatYouEat
What if:
You are caught in a 'Vaguely Specific' situation where you have to answer a question correctly to save your life, and the question being 'Does something like a "HEALTHY BUTTER CHICKEN" exists' ???
Your 'Almost Candid' response would be, 'Heaven as Hell, NO' !!!
Or when on a forced diet, an 'Idiot Savant' suggesting you to have a 10" Pizza ?
There is a 'Definite Possibility' that you would dismiss him as 'Seriously Funny' !!!
You must be scratching your head by now; Why these 'Intelligently Stupid' Questions ?
Why this flurry of Oxymorons suddenly ???
I see you 'Clearly Confused' !!!
Well, let me enlighten you. Me being a foodie, a 'Healthy Butter Chicken' or a 'Nutritious Pizza' never existed even in my wildest dreams. If at all someone mentioned any of these terms to me ever, in all probabilities I would have laughed it off as a 'Mere Oxymoron' or the 'Liar's Paradox'.
I stepped in at 'Sorted Delicatessen' with a dismissive swag, as for me their concept of 'Grain Free, Gluten Free, Guilt Free Delicacies' was nothing more than a 'gimmick', just as the case with most of the health cafes these days. As soon as I reached the place, 'I met their ingredients' on a board right to the face and trust me, only using these 'Bursting with Health' elements the expansive menu on offer looked 'Really Unreal'. I was then given a 'brief debrief' on the place and its evolvement, so as for me to leave my perceptions right out.
Sorted, the way it came to existence is a serendipity indeed. An overweight man (Read: Girish Monie, the affable owner of Sorted Deli) forbidden to eat his favorite Pizza; What could he have done possibly, accept his Doctor's mandate of giving up on his fancy urge or be a pighead. But when its universe's calling, giving up is not an option. Not being able to quench his insatiable yearning for a Pizza the conventional way, Girish took a resolve to make impossible possible; After years of research, several trial & errors he alongwith his Chef managed to create Nudo Pizza (Nudo - Nude in Italian), a grain free, gluten free Pizza. His Dietitian on this advent was literally found dumbfounded, and he took no time in denominating Girish's aha moment as the health find of the century. That is how and where this journey began, and now this place within just 7 months of coming to its existence bags an highly acclaimed honour of winning the Times Food and Nightlife Award for Best Health Food in town. 'Credibly Incredible', isn't it ?
The food that I tried at Sorted made me go sorted in my head that healthy food can be tasty too #HealthBhiTasteBhi. Here is my take on the food that I had:
The session started with two of their much famed beverages:
Red Velvet: A fanciful concoction of unlikely fruits and veggies; Beetroot, Red Apple, Pomegranate and Mint. Despite having Beetroot as the base, this one had absolutely no hint of the bitterness or the usual 'dirt like flavour'. It was darn 'Yum' !!!
Jim Kairy: You won't stop making faces like Jim while having this Kairy. A tangy spicy blend of Raw Mango, Green Chilli, Ginger, Cucumber and Himalayan Pink Salt. This instant summer cooler is a #SuperbAppetiteBuilder.
Soup -
Palak Shorba with Shredded Cottage Cheese: If blindfolded, its aroma would make your tongue swirl in anticipation of the good ol' Punjabi Palak Paneer being served to you. This one actually is a hearty creamy broth. Pretty tough for the North Indian in me to admit it, but yeah, at just 150 calories for the bowl full, this is much tastier and healthier than our beloved Palak Paneer can ever be.
Tomato Basil: Another bowl of goodness, tomato tang with sweetness of basil in a thick soup, aptly spiced. #ComfortFood
Starter -
Jalapeno Cottage Cheese Grilled: Uber soft Paneer chunks done up with hot Jalapeno Paste, char grilled to perfection. This variation of Paneer Tikka worked just fine for me.
Roasted Veg Bruschetta: Now you cannot have a bruschetta without a bread. And a grain free gluten free bread will be too far fetched a recipe to be perfected. But at Sorted, the kitchen battery has created some real wonders and the base of this bruschetta is one of that. Its a Baguette made of Buckwheat; a full portion of the entire serving stands at a lowly 146 Calories. Topped with exotic veggies, house made pesto and ricotta, this is a perfect example of #TasteBhiHealthBhi
Pro Tip: Consume it hot of the oven, as this bread has the tendency to get hardened if kept too long. We being on the tasting invite made a mess of it by taking our own sweet time to click pictures.
Chicken Quesadilla: A tortilla with no flour, yeah its possible. Its made of dehydrated spinach and cauliflower puree with Chia & Flax Seeds. Standing at meagre 161 Calories, this one is a hugely hunger satiating dish and not to mention, delicious of course with Guacamole, Salsa and Sour Cream on the side.
Salad -
The Keto Star: A meal in itself, 423 Calories and one portion renders whopping 31 Grams of Protein. The dressing of coconut milk ranch blends the Chicken, Mix Seeds, Lettuce and Avocado to a gooey cheesy consistency. Fresh & Filling. Superb !!!
Iron Feast: Quinoa mixed with various greens, avocado, feta and dried cranberry. The star here is the dressing of cranberry vinaigrette. Kale and Quinoa have never tasted this pleasant ever !!!
Pizza, Wraps and Mains -
Nude Farm Veg Buckwheat Pizza: A thin fresh rolled crust Pizza with the buckwheat base. I bet you can't even make out how smartly the harmful flour is replaced with the superfood buckwheat and mix seeds. Just the right amount of cheese and exotic veggies makes this one a guilt free indulgence.
Margherita Cauliflower: The base for this one is made of dehydrated Caulifliwer and it is topped with cherry tomatoes, basil & the imported Mozzarella + Parmesan. Light, Crisp and Fresh !!!
Chicken Pesto Wrap: Roasted Chicken Chunks, House Made Pesto and Arugula Leaves in a Spinach Tortilla Wrap; While the core ingredients were spot on, the arugula leaves left an extremely bitter taste. This one was a let down !!!
Tomato Avocado in Buckwheat Spinach Wrap: Creamy Avocado with Tangy Tomato as a filling was incredible and the fresh spinach as the wrap went just right with this. Good one !!!
V-12 Butter Chicken with Assorted Parathas: Butter Chicken is no less than a religion for its ardent fans, for that they would do anything to hold its pride and originality. If I tell you that the gravy of this Butter Chicken is made of 12 Veggies and Two Fruits, you would either pummel me to the consistency of a Butter Chicken gravy or in a saner world, get me arrested under IPC 295/A for blasphemy; Whatever it is, hell hath no fury like an offended BC Lover. Trust me, being a Butter Chicken fanatic myself I wouldn't commit the sin of recommending something as sacred being tempered to the literally unimaginable 'Healthy Version' of it. But you got to taste it to believe it, one of the best Butter Chickens that I have had in recent times. A perfect balance of sweet, spicy and tangy notes, aptly creamy and legit delish !!!
This was served with assorted Parathas ditching the ususal flour; Carrot/ Beetroot/ Spinach and Buckwheat !!!
Stir Fried Caulibuck Noodles: Again Chinese and Healthy, inconceivable isn't it. These Buckwheat Noodles were tossed with house made Schezwan and Hot sauces. Dense than the usual maida noodles and scrumptiously filling.
Prawns Dimsum: Whole prawn with tail in a buckwheat shell. While this is a healthy take on the calorie laden Momos, the dense wrap of Buckwheat is quite a dampener. Couldn't quite make a cut with me.
Desserts here are completely guiltfree as they are devoid of refined sugar. Here's what I tried:
Strawberry Cheese Cake: This highly instagrammable dessert tastes as good as it looks. Almond Crust and Coconut Dust topped with real Strawberry reduction makes it a delight to devour.
Mango Almond Pastry: This seasonal special has layers of flourless almond cakes and Mango reduction. It is naturally sweetened which lets the fruit's flavour shine through unlike the usual mango desserts elsewhere.
Orange Chocolate Mousse: This vegan friendly dessert is a fullsome treat. 55% Dark Chocolate with Cashew Cream and Orange Zest; need I say more !!! ❤️
Tiramisu with Almond Biscotti: While this Italian indulgence at Sorted has got thumbs up from the Italian natives frequenting this place, it somehow failed to impress me. The mascarpone layer was dense and felt like a mousse rather than an airy Tiramisu. Having said that, the Almond biscotti served with it is simply superb, brilliant !!!
All you food freaks, go ahead and put them on your taste test. Well, for the health freaks, let Sorted get 'Baptized by Fire' and come out Christened.
Cheers... Ciao !!!
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