Imagine a dash of refreshing smoothie and fresh, crusty breads brimming with flavours of mushroom and mozzarella topping to go with it. There are many more delicious combinations at the Smoothie Factory, a campaigner for healthy and nutritious food, situated in a secluded corner of Epicuria Mall, Nehru Place, Delhi.
Founded in 1996, the Smoothie Factory opened its first outlet in Carrollton, Texas. In a short time, it gained a reputation for offering real fruit smoothies, fresh squeezed juices, authentic frozen yogurt, light foods and nutritional products.
The Smoothie Factory in Delhi’s Nehru Place has a spacious outdoor seating area, which overlooks a lawn, and some tables indoors. We chose to sit outside at a table-for-two. The ambience was good and we soon got used to the music and the light banter of other customers around us. We first ordered a round of smoothies that didn’t take long to arrive.
The Factory Original smoothie is a blend of strawberries, mango, pineapple, peaches, papaya, banana and honey, and is truly original. The Very Berry smoothie has strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, low-fat yogurt, honey and soy milk. The consistency of both the drinks was thick and it was easy to taste and tell that the fruit was fresh.
We also ordered a serving of the Hawaiian Scrumptious Flat Bread, which had delectable layers of tomato puree, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms and pineapple piled on a base of crisp, wholegrain bread much like a thin crust pizza. Crafted to perfection – a combination of savoury and sweet (very light) – it was a snack I would definitely go back for.
Next, we ordered the Crunchy Toasties made with wholegrain bread and topped with hummus, olives and feta cheese. Light and delightfully crunchy, it makes for a great evening snack, but I’d rather have it with a side of smoothie as the taste of feta lingers on for some time. Besides, you can always make room for another glass of pure juice/smoothie from the impressively wide range on the menu.
I have a very sweet tooth and very weak resistance power; soon we had a plate of Banana Walnut Multigrain Waffle with Caramel Syrup in front of us. Beside it, was a small helping of non-fat, chilled, red velvet yogurt. We dug right in. The menu offers a choice of four syrups – maple, chocolate, white chocolate and caramel. The waffle was warm and the sweetness of the caramel spread was just right. In all, it was a lip-smacking dessert.
Not willing to leave yet, we ordered a Lemon and Herb Sandwich made with a mayonnaise-based sauce and onions, tomatoes, olives and mozzarella. There is a choice of eating the sandwich grilled or baked and with a filling of paneer, chicken or veggies. Our Grilled Paneer Sandwich was served with a side of salad and mayonnaise dip and packed in a serious punch. The menu also has some pasta and fresh salads for a hearty lunch.
Clearly promoting good health, the Smoothie Factory allows substitution of turbinado (cane sugar) with stevia (sugar-free sweetener) at no extra cost. Furthermore, for a small charge, customers can boost the nutritive value of the smoothies with essential vitamins, whey protein and energy. Their range of pure and combination juices are something to look forward to. And, if all this was not enough to please you, they have the absolutely amazing create-your-own FroYo cups. Just choose your flavour of frozen yogurt and topping, and they will swirl it in a cup for you. We tried the cotton candy and it was marvelous. They have a range of 20 flavours and rotate them in batches of four to five every week.
Address: 14 Epicuria Mall, Nehru Place metro station, New Delhi. They have another outlet at Janpath, Connaught Place.
Cost for two: Rs 600-Rs 800.