Who says organic food is plain and boring?

1 June 2012 marked the day when a good friend commenced on his diet regime, something that he had been putting off for far too long. Without any creator's name preceding the diet, the regime is more relaxed and should be less strenuous in that he doesn't have to follow a certain prescription to produce the desired result.     

It was his wife's cousin who inspired him to start watching his waistline. One day while window shopping at Ikano or IPC if I was to refer to its new name they bumped into the cousin and his wife who looked like they've been hitting the gym everyday for the last three months. (that was the last time they socialized)

Later, the couple revealed that they have been watching what they eat. For example, each meal should not exceed 500 grams. When asked how much food would that value equal to, they said it's one piece of chicken or fish no bigger than the palm and some veggies on the side. Yes, you heard me right. Rice does not feature at all on the plate. 

"It's okay to have extra greens on the dish as they are good for you but try cut down or lose the meat completely if you can afford it," exclaimed the slimmed one.

The total daily calorie intake should not be more than 2000 calories. Lay off the bad carbos such as rice, bread, pasta, noodles but stock up on fruits and water. Speaking of fruits, not all are good for your health because of the high sugar content on some, banana is an example. 

Seeing the fine and real-life examples in the form of his wife's cousin and the wife, my friend decided that it's now or never. For the umpteenth time.

Yesterday, he and the wife had gone to The Gardens Mall to window shop for some furnitures when it was time for the obligatory mid-day meal. Being suddenly health-conscious now, they decided to forgo Italiannies to look for something less sinful like a takeout sarnies or something like that. 

As though it was meant to be, The Yogi Tree appeared in front of them just a few steps away with an A-board advertising its soup of the day's broccoli. They decided that's where they should have lunch and stepped gingerly into the eatery. After perusing its menu, they realized that TYT sold mostly organic food. Not that this was such a big problem but I think he was still getting the knack of adapting to his newfound eating habit. Either that or he just doesn't think that organic food would be you know, sufficient to last him till dinner. I'll reconfirm this for you.

Part of the cafe's interior (Apple iPhone 4s)

According to him, the interior of the shop was clinical and "light" on the eyes. I think he meant that it reflected on the cafe's main food theme. With the blinds rolled down over the ceiling height glass panel, the downcast glow gave the overall effect of a home-like tranquility. One floor down within the same radius was a famous kopitiam (not the one with the old world charm type, you know what I mean...) chain which had patrons bursting at its seams but at TYT, there were only a few customers quietly enjoying their meal. 


Not a surprise that because not everyone has the stomach for organic food or for its perceived high price tag. 

It was 3+ on a Saturday afternoon but they didn't have to queue (Apple iPhone 4s)

He was very excited to see caesar chicken salad on the menu but felt jilted when the waitstaff unapologetically said that it was not available.


"It's available but just finished and we are still preparing it, not ready yet (sic)," the waitstaff correcting my unhappy friend who was quick to suggest the omission of the said item from the menu if it was just a gimmick. 


So he reluctantly ordered, at the recommendation of the same waitstaff, the Vietnamese chicken salad. His wife was dead set on the broccoli soup from the get-go as she always has fascination for anything soupy.

Organic pasta, eggs and such are available to take home (Apple iPhone 4s)

It was the soup that arrived first, looking a tad cumbersome in the cookie jar, while the wife muttered something under her breath. The chic black rectangle platter ensemble looked out-of-place with the garlic bread cutting a forlorn figure, being placed miles away from its partner. I'm just judging by the photo he sent me. 

The presentation was okay... (Apple iPhone 4s)

"There should be broccolis swimming in the soup," he told me what his wife had said. Lifting her spoon upward so that the fluid would trickle back into the jar, she said it was runny too. 

I haven't seen this for myself but I have a feeling it was just green-coloured soup and no chunks of the vegetable it claimed to have been derived from. 

My friend then added that his wife alleged she's tasted much better broccoli soup before. Ironically though after ten minutes or so the jar looked like it had been licked clean. But still, it could mean that she was just famished.

But the Vietnamese chicken salad was an entirely different story. Remember that the salad was not his first choice and it was a reluctant make-up order minutes ago? Well now he would not stop raving about it! Apparently, the condiments were crunchy and the taste very refreshing. It did feel like the ingredients had just arrived from a nearby farm. The piquant sauce was simply extraordinary and its sprinkling easy which meant that the greens stayed crispy and not spongy.

It tasted as good as it looked! (Apple iPhone 4s)

"You too can make it at home," the amiable outlet manager referring to how easy it was to make the dressing. Consisting of peanut butter mainly, I'm sure there's lime juice, sugar, a bit of chili and pepper as well as it was sweet and tangy at the same time, judging from my friend's description of the taste.

To add volume to the salad, TYT tossed in glorious red cabbage, finely chopped long beans, peanuts, green lettuce, fried garlic and sautéed chicken pieces. You could tell from the colours that all the veggies were garden-fresh. A dish never looked so gorgeous.  

What was left of the salad (Apple iPhone 4s)

Some of us need encouragement... (Apple iPhone 4s)

Look it up next time you are at The Gardens Mall (Apple iPhone 4s)

All in all, it was a satisfying outing, more for him I suspect. And yes, perception of most that organic food is still costly I'm afraid remains: the cashier's till took away RM39 from my friend's thinning wallet. Or was it her wife's purse? And that's with two glasses of warm water. But if a dieter's food can be this good, the target to achieve the desired BMI might be a reality after all, for my friend that is. I wish him the best of luck.