A dose of health
A green view and a menu brimming with fresh juices, soups and salads make Minerals a welcome addition to the culinary map of the city
Stop me if you have heard this before, but health is wealth. Or, at least, that’s what many of my friends seem to believe. I am being flooded with suggestions on healthy living and being introduced to food with high health quotients. I am not really complaining, for I have come to the conclusion that healthy food doesn’t taste bad at all. Taken in small amounts, that is!
It was with a halo over my head that I agreed to a friend’s suggestion that we meet at a small place called Minerals in the DDA sports complex in Asiad Village. I was told it had two USPs: the food was light and tasty, and the surroundings were beautiful.
Both turned out to be true. Minerals is fairly new. If you are on Khel Gaon Road, coming from India Gate, turn left at the Siri Fort crossing. Minerals is right at the end and is open to all. We went there one weekend and found the place bustling with life.
Lively ambience
A lot of people stop there after doing their regular exercises at the sports complex. We took a table by the window, and I was struck by the greenery all around. There were too many people being overly active all around me (walking, jogging and doing other such unspeakable things), but I felt at peace when I saw the green expanse. I sipped my coffee and looked at the menu.
We asked for a plate of grilled egg sandwiches (₹180), French toast (₹95 for single; 155 for double) and assorted vegetable poha (₹125).
We thought we’d have idlis (₹75) or vegetable-stuffed idlis (₹99) but they had just finished a batch, and the new one would have taken some time. We asked for cold coffee and fresh coconut water along with the food.
I had a grilled egg sandwich after a long time and enjoyed it thoroughly. French toast, again, is a favourite of mine, but in our house it is cooked in two ways – a sweet version with cinnamon that the other family members like, and my kind, which is savoury and has onions. This was a mix of the two, mildly sweet and salty, and quite nice.
Wholesome dish
But what I enjoyed the most was the poha, which was light and fluffy and great to eat. Poha, if not cooked well, can be either soggy or too dry. This was just right.
There are other interesting items on the menu, which has various kinds of fresh juices, snacks and soups and salads.
The menu includes tomato and basil soup (₹79), lemon and coriander soup (₹ 89), hummus and pita (₹159), sprout salad (₹95), lemony chickpea salad (₹175) and Caesar salad (₹195). It has a vegetable club sandwich (₹125), paneer and salsa tortilla wrap (₹175) and different kinds of Blue Tokai coffees.
I liked Minerals. The traffic was light that day, and we cruised our way there for our early lunch. I tried not to look at all the men in their shorts and tees, drinking their orange juice after a heavy work-out, and instead concentrated on the picturesque green lawn outside. I’d had my dose of health.
