Jowar, Ragi and Sago in Smoke House Deli's new Superfoods Menu

Calorie-counters, you can now eat without feeling guilty, thanks to Smoke House Deli’s big, new menu full of heathy eats and ingredients that are superfoods.

Paleo soups, low-glycemic sandwiches, gluten-free pasta, millet risottos, grilled seafood and chicken, and soy milk cheese cakes are all part of Smoke House Deli’s new health menu. And the good news? All of it is really, rather delicious. Read ahead and get ready to salivate.

We started with the Paleo Coconut and Seafood broth, a soup perked up with shrimp and basil, but shifted our loyalties to the vegetarian Spinach and Millet soup, for its beautiful texture, light and flavourful taste. The Soy-Marinated Tofu and Spinach Sandwich {from the Low Glycemic section} came in a nutty, ragi {finger millet} bread, but we found the filling too sweet. The Bean Sprouts, Greens and the Crispy Quinoa salad came with a lovely crunch of brown rice flakes, but again we found the dressing sweet. We have no such complaints from the Kefir-soaked {a cultured milk-like liquid made from kefir grains and bacteria} chicken with organic red rice salad in an apricot-chilli dressing. The fermented Kefir sauce dressing gave the salad a nice creamy flavour.

But what we’d lay our bets on is the Jowar Gnocchi with a spicy mushroom fricasse, served with Parmesan crisps. The White Mushroom and Arugula risotto made with foxtail millet gave the dish a lovely nutty flavour. Though the soya milk and Bhavnagri sauce accompanying the pan-seared Rawas was tangy and delicious, we thought the fish needed more cooking. The Ras El Hanout Grilled Chicken, a north African spice mix, which gave the chicken marinade a hearty flavour with an undertone of nutmeg.

The ragi crust at the bottom of the chilled cacao nib and soya milk cheesecake was buttery, while the banana flour cake {made with actual banana flour} was thankfully not-too-sweet, and a hit with us. #LBBTip: Vegans, though a large part of the menu is suited to you, give the cheesecake a miss, since it does have some mascarpone in it.

We haven’t seen such a huge menu dedicated to healthy food {that will run parallel with the regular menu at Smoke House Deli from now on} anywhere before. Is it possible to make a healthier dining choice now in the city, without having to compromise on taste and flavour? We think so. Plus, the nod to local grains.