AROLA TAPAS LOUNGE BAR - Restaurant Review

AROLA

It is an undisputed fact. Spain reigns the gastronomic world, France lags behind. For the past many years, as regional jury chairperson of the ‘The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Academy,’ I have been saluting ‘El Bulli’ (which crowned the global list for years) and this year again it was ‘El Cellar De Can Roca’. Having eaten in these magnificent restaurants and also in trendsetting Sergi Arola’s Michelin starred restaurants in Madrid (he’s also got restaurants in Paris, Tokyo, Sao Paolo, Barcelona) I was looking forward to his debut in Mumbai’s JW Marriott. There was a clear identity crisis. Wasn’t it more of a Tapas Lounge? And less of a gastronmique three Michelin starred restaurant, that it was being marketed as in it’s high profile glitzy launches? We were disappointed. 

AROLA TAPAS LOUNGE BAR The good news: Arola has found it’s identity. No! Don’t go expecting leisurely fine dining. Go if you’re looking for a highenergy bar and lounge with Spanish Tapas.The crescent shaped, luminous bar takes centre stage, the Dj pumps up the music as the creative cocktails and bitesized tapas do the rounds. Over 31 labels of gin, Arola’s dry martini (made of creole bitters, passion fruit bitters,) Sangria Sergi (which made to Arola’s secret recipe) are a must-try here. 

DÉCOR Sprawling spaces, textured wooden floors, geometric lattice work screens a terrace with fabulous views of the sea here. The focus remains the glowing moonshaped bar. 

ARORAS AT AROLA I’d dined three times before the ‘Tapas Lounge’ avatar was fine tuned. Recently, I dine with a vibrant family for whom JW Marriott has been like a second home. The two
handsome young lads, sports champions (in squash and swimming) are here on a summer break from studying in the US. Both have grown up eating Nanu Sanjay Khan’s creative cooking, Nani Zarine’s amazing biryanis. Mamu Zayed’s Continental creations. Yuraaz has just come back after 10 days of training at a football camp in Spain, while Armaan has produced a play here, whose proceeds have gone to charity. Their lovely mother Simone, the creative head and coowner (with dapper husband Ajay Arora) of India’s biggest home furnishing company, is working on an exciting new SOBO project and is a foodie extraordinaire. We have a fun meal, they love the music, décor, warm service and some of the food. 

FOOD Along with the announcement of its lounge bar concept come new dishes. Still in the Tapas style... served for all to share, presented on small beautiful ceramic, glass and stone plates. In the newly introduced dishes are many a (what I call) flavour-building assembly kits. Onto a potato egg tortilla, you scoop some of the garlicky aioli, add a dollop of paprika tomato puree followed by crunchy fried onions. The deconstructed chicken Caeser salad, the chicken three ways are all delightful variations. Recently introduced cocas (including a vegetarian one) Spanish version of pizzas are crisp and topped with flavourful toppings. Ask for the traditional patatas bravas (fierce potatoes) rendered as small cylinders topped with cloudy tufts of creamy mayonnaise. Executive chef Himanshu Taneja ensures that the most authentic of ingredients are cooked to Arola’s recipes. Short grained carnaroli rice finished with cheese, crunchy artichokes and truffle mayo delights. Sous vide chicken stuffed with salsify satisfies. On a previous dinner, the tender terrine of suckling pig in delectably cubes lacked the traditional crunch of roasted skin, but was still superb. The all-time star here sparkles in a light as air, luscious crema catalana dessert, dusted with cinnamon, with whispers of citrus. Even the delicate bread-based dessert of torrija with orange sorbet and vanilla amaretto foam thrills. 

MINUS POINTS Portion sizes continue to be too small. In a bid to reach out to the Indian diner, they dropped the raw sea urchin and unfortunately with it my favourite scallop carpaccio. Roasted vegetables make strange bedfellows with papadum. Some of the seafood is overcooked. Sautéed prawns are great one meal and not so good at another. Limp green asparagus tempura, overcooked eggplant with pine nuts and no chocolate dessert at all. 

MY POINT Small portions and high prices, but still there is nothing like this stylish, edgy, high-energy lounge with so many seating options, a fantastic range of music and cocktails. There is contemporary, upscale Spanish Tapas that is not uniformly excellent. Arola has found its identity. No! It is not a gastronomique, fine-dining experience but a lounge bar. May Arola roll... 

CALLING YOU Thanks a million for your messages. Your very own Times Food Guide 2014 is readying to go to press, want to include any of your favourite caterers in it? Tweet (@rashmiudaysingh), Email (rashmiudaysingh2014@gmail.com) and sms (98203 33663).
Waitingly yours! 
 
TIMES FOOD GUIDE
Arola Lobby Level, JW Marriott Hotel, Juhu. Call: 022-6693 3000. Timings: Open from 5 pm to 1 am. Price: Meal for two is 5,000. 
 
RATING:
• Food: 3.5

• Service: 4
• Décor: 4 Do you agree? Write your own review and give it a rating at

(From left to right) Yuraaz, Armaan and Simone Arora at Arola

Rashmi Uday Singh

Costly onions? Try some onion-free cooking

Costly onions? Try some onion-free cooking

Can’t afford onions at the moment? Foodies tell you how you can whip up delicious dishes sans the kitchen favourite

    One of the most important vegetables in any kitchen, onions are currently generating more tears than ever before, with their prices touching almost 100 a kilo a while back in Mumbai. With this staple turning precious, looks like it’s time we learn to cook without them. But, is it that easy? “Yes, it is,” insists foodie Sunayan Shahani, “With onion prices hitting the rooftops, I am really envious of my Jain friends. Taking cue from their recipes, you can always prepare dishes like poha and pav bhaji — which one may not be able to imagine without onions —and make them delicious even without them.” 

INDIAN FOOD WITHOUT ONIONS 

Pav bhaji can be made without onion

Do you like to begin your day with poha? You can do so without one of its main ingredients. Says Sunayan, “With poha, you can simply use peanuts, curry leaves, turmeric and chillies to spice it up, adding a dash of lime juice for that extra zing. Trust me, you won’t miss onions. Asafoetida or hing is a great substitute to onions as well. Use it in your pav bhaji or other gravy recipes for the same flavour.” 

 
SOUTH INDIAN DISHES SHOW THE WAY 

Prawn curry made with spices and coconut

 

City-based chef Sudhir Pai has an interesting solution — adapt South Indian dishes to North Indian flavours. “In South Indian Brahmin communities, Kerala or even Bangalore, the dry veg component is always the vegetable itself and a tadka. And in wet preparations, coconut is used. A North Indian can adopt this cooking by using his or her traditional masala with this cooking style. You can have avial, tendli or parwal sans onions or the Mangalorean fish gassi or kori roti (chicken curry made with roasted spices). It’s also very beneficial to cook without onions as lesser oil would obviously be used.” Of course, Mughlai cooking might not be as easy to do without this ingredient. “If you have to make a Mughlai gravy, use khus-khus (poppy seeds), chaar magaz (pumpkin seeds) or cashewnuts ground in water. This might not be a cheap option, though,” he says. 

 
BENGALI FOOD WORKS WELL TOO 

Machher jhol

While several Indian dishes must have onions, some cuisines do away with them entirely, like Bengali food. Affirms blogger and foodie Kalyan Karmakar, “Most Bengali vegetarian recipes are onion-free. That’s because most Bengali kitchens were once ruled by family matrons who were widows. These ladies were not allowed onions in their diet, as onions were not considered vegetarian according to the Hindu scriptures followed in these houses.
    Even the patla machher jhol is made without onions in Bengali homes. “It gets its flavours from turmeric, green chillies, kalo jeere or nigella seeds and occasionally chopped tomatoes. The more regal doi maachh (fish in yogurt sauce) also does not have onions,” he adds. He presents an alu posto recipe, minus onions... 

 
MAKE ALU POSTO 

 

Boil one tablespoon of mustard oil. Add a teaspoon of panch phoron Bengali five spices and two whole green chillies. Add three parboiled potatoes cut into small cubes. Stir. Then, add the paste of 50 g of ground posto (poppy seeds) with water to the mix and stir. Add salt per taste and a quarter teaspoon of turmeric for colour. The latter is optional. Add half a tea cup of water and boil. Reduce the flame and let the mix simmer till the water dries up.
QUICK TIPS FOR CURRY: Increase ratio of tomatoes. Use ground coconut. When making lamb or chicken curry, add potatoes which make the gravy thicker, allowing less use of onions. 

 
OTHER TOPPINGS FOR YOUR PIZZA 

 

Use fresh tomatoes or buy the sundried variety. Sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers. Add basil leaves to it. Use mozarella cheese and olives. Add roasted eggplant and/or a meat or your choice.

Hing

4 healthiest techniques to make food

4 healthiest techniques to make food

STEAMING This simple process retains the nutritional value (B vitamins, minerals, niacin, potassium, zinc etc) and taste. To steam the food, place it in a perforated colander or basket placed above hot water. Using a flavoured liquid in the water imparts same flavour to the food being steamed. You can flavour the water with lemon juice, herbs, peppercorns and garlic. Steamed dimsums are the most popular example of this technique.
BAKING Who said baking is just for desserts? You can also bake fish, meats, vegetables as well as fruit. The food is cooked via the dry, hot air present in the oven. A definite advantage is that there is no addition of sauce needed, so food tastes as natural as possible as it is cooked in its own juices.
ROASTING The process of roasting is a dry technique unlike steaming and baking and involves cooking food in an uncovered pan in the oven. Roasting also takes place at higher temperatures. Chicken, meat and potatoes work well with this process and the meat gets a lovely brown crust.
STIR-FRYING This traditional Asian method is one of the tir-fry is one of the fastest and easiest ways to cook vegetables. It involves stir-frying them quickly (roughly 5-6 minutes) in a large wok or pan. You need just a small amount of oil for this method. Avoid adding the usual soy, oyster and hoisin sauces as seasonings.

Steamed dimsums

Baked vegetables

Roast chicken

Stir-frying in a wok

HEALTH ON A PLATTER

HEALTH ON A PLATTER

HERE ARE THREE HEALTHY RECIPES THAT HELP BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY DURING THE MONSOONS

TANGY CORN CHAAT 

Serves: 2 Ingredients: ½ cup fresh corn grains (boiled) 2tbsp peas (boiled) 4-5 pieces paneer (roasted on non-stick) ¼ inch ginger (grated) Black pepper Chaat masala 1 tsp lemon juice Coriander chopped for garnishing
Method: Mix all the ingredients and add seasoning and garnishing  

 

NUTRITIOUS SOUP 

Serves: 1 Ingredients: 1 medium tomato 1 tbsp moong dal 1/3rd medium capsicum 2 floweret’s cauliflower 1/4th of medium
    carrot (optional)
    ½ piece ginger
    2 cloves garlic
    1-2 pieces kokum
    2 Black pepper
    corn
For topping – Moong sprouts (2 tablespoon) and coriander
Method: Boil all the vegetables, ginger, garlic and spices with dal for 5-7 minutes. Blend it well and pass it through a coarse strainer. Add kokum and simmer for 5 minutes. Top it with sprouted moong and coriander  

 

 

RAGI DRINK 

Serves: 1 Ingredients: 1tbsp ragi powder 1-2 garlic cloves 1-2 pieces kokum ¼ tsp cumin seeds 1/3rd tsp ghee
Method: Soak ragi powder with water (1 cup) and kokum for 5-7 minutes. Make a paste and stir to prevent lump formation. Heat ghee, add cumin seeds and allow them to splutter. Add crushed garlic and stir till light brown. Add the ragi mixture, bring it to a boil and then simmer for 2-5 minutes. Add salt or sugar to taste.

mooli (white radish)

 A restaurant that I regularly order from is usually consistent in its offering. The owner is also quite generous with the accompaniments. Then, last week, with my order, arrived something that didn’t look or smell like onions. The owner of this Parel eatery had picked rationing a commodity that costs R70 per kg over consistency. He sent me mooli (white radish) instead. Apparently, the two serve the same purpose; except, you don’t have to be stinking rich to afford the latter these days, and it doesn’t make you cry, if you follow what I mean.

While smaller players in the industry have the price of onions to worry about, fans of fine-dining restaurants also stand a good chance of being affected by the increase in prices.

According to a report on a financial blog, the tumbling Indian rupee has led places like Indigo Deli and Olive Bar and Kitchen to hike their prices by a whopping 25 per cent and 12 per cent respectively. Foreign liquor, as expected, isn’t far behind.

Earlier this week, the owner of a suburban wine shop told me how “‘Mohit and Chandan’ R350 se badha hai; ab R5,750 ka hai.” (Not the first time I’ve heard that hilarious phonetic twist) Similarly, a bottle of Chivas Regal that used to cost R3,950, is now for R4,600.

Eating and drinking out in Mumbai, clearly, has become a thing that needs prior deliberation now. But it’s also presenting those parked on high bar stools an opportunity to step down and discover the simple pleasures of the city. Whether that involves finding that quintessential dive in your neighbourhood or locating a famous Malwani food stall — there is scope for a silver lining for those interested in making radish cakes when life’s serving you… err, radish.

If you’re looking for a kick-start, Sunshine in Malad, Lakshmi Chayya in Andheri, Harish Bar in Irla, Meena Bar in Kalina and Utsav in Goregaon are some dives that come recommended by those who have ventured into this world.

MUSHROOM CRÊPES

INGREDIENTS: 
10 gm black olives 10 gm butter 20 gm coriander 25 ml cream 25 gm grated cheese 1 gm white pepper salt to taste a few cherry tomatoes

FOR THE BATTER: 200 gm flour 100 gm corn flour 200 ml milk

FOR THE FILLING: 1 onion (chopped) garlic (crushed) 1 cup mushrooms readymade salsa mix 1/2 tsp salt and white pepper

METHOD: 
Make batter with the flour, corn flour and milk. Pour the batter and cook both sides. Keep aside. To make the mushroom filling, sauté onion garlic and mushroom, add salsa mix, salt and pepper. Now, stuff this inside the crepes and roll. To make the sauce, pour butter in the pan, add cream, cheese, salt, white pepper and coriander. Pour the sauce on the top, and garnish with cheese and olives.

MUNCHY MOONGLETTE

INGREDIENTS: 
1 cup of moong dal (soaked for five hours before preparing) 1/2 tbsp of cumin powder 1 tbsp of ginger-chilli paste salt to taste 1 tbsp of olive oil 1 cup grated cheese

METHOD: 
Drain the moong dal and grind it in a processor until a thick, nonlumpy mix is formed. Add the remaining ingredients to the mixture and mix well. Now, heat oil in a flat non-stick pan and spread the dough evenly using the back of a serving spoon. Pour the mixture evenly on the surface of the pan. Turn the dal pancake over, and make sure it is slightly brown from both the sides. Spread out 2 tbsp cheese and fold it into half on the pan itself. Leave for about 15 seconds and take it out on a plate. It’s a great breakfast option as moong dal has very low fat content, and is rich in Vitamin A, B, C, E as well as calcium, iron, potassium and fibre.

LUSTY LASAGNE

INGREDIENTS: 
800 gm pumpkin (1 cm-thick slices) 1 and 1/2 tbsp olive oil 1 brown onion 2 garlic cloves (crushed) 1 capsicum

2 zucchini 1 eggplant 200 gm button mushrooms (thickly sliced) 400 gm tomatoes with oregano and basil 80 gm baby spinach FOR THE BATTER: 30 gm butter 2 tbsp plain flour 2 cups reduced-fat milk 1 cup reduced-fat grated mozzarella cheese 125 gm lasagne pasta sheets
METHOD: 
For the batter, melt the butter in a saucepan until it foams. Add flour. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon for a minute. Remove from heat. Gradually add milk, stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Return pan to heat. Cook until sauce thickens. Remove pan from heat. Stir in half the cheese. Keep aside. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Arrange pumpkin, in a single layer. Drizzle with 2 tsp oil. Bake until tender (20 minutes). Keep aside. Heat remaining oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, capsicum, zucchini, eggplant and mushroom. Cook, stirring, till eggplant is just tender. Stir in tomato. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach. Cover and set aside for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly grease a one-finger deep square baking dish. Spoon half the onion mixture into it. Arrange half the pumpkin over it. Place half the lasagne sheets over pumpkin, breaking sheets to fit. Repeat layers. Spoon sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 40 minutes. Let it settle for 10 minutes before eating.

BEER BATTER FISH

INGREDIENTS: 
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying 8 (4 ounce) fillets cod fish 1 cup flour 2 tbsp garlic powder 2 tbsp paprika 2 tsp salt 2 tsp ground black pepper 1 egg beaten 1 can of beer

METHOD:
Heat oil in a deep fryer. Rinse fish, pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Combine flour, garlic powder, paprika, 2 tsp salt and 2 tsp pepper. Stir egg into dry ingredients. Gradually mix in beer until a thin batter is formed. You should be able to see the fish through the batter after it has been dipped. Dip fish fillets into this batter and fry until both sides are golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and enjoy it with ketchup. This deep-fried item might be a little sinful to indulge in, but cod fish that’s rich in Vitamin B6, Omega3 and anti-inflammatory properties, can’t be an entirely unhealthy choice either.

THE BOMBAY BAKING COMPANY, JW MARRIOTT HOTEL, JUHU

Milk chocolate and coriander pralines

AT THE BOMBAY BAKING COMPANY, JW MARRIOTT HOTEL, JUHU This one is best suitable for those who like their chocolate very sweet. The yellow ball is filled with a spoonful of milk chocolate and finely chopped coriander shreds. While we really like the daring combination of flavours that the chef has attempted, the usage of the green leaves isn’t as obvious as we would have liked it to be. It only gets confirmed once we see bits of micro-chopped coriander that is folded into the toffee to create its interior. You might occasionally experience a burst of coriander, but the rest is just a pool of milk chocolate all the way. R75 per piece

ALSO TRY: Himalayan rock salt-dusted truffles

ROYCE CHOCOLATES, PALLADIUM, PHOENIX MILLS, LOWER PAREL Potato chip chocolate

Potato chip chocolate

AT ROYCE CHOCOLATES, PALLADIUM, PHOENIX MILLS, LOWER PAREL As if it wasn’t hard enough to resist potato chips and chocolates as comfort foods individually, the Japanese brand Royce has decided to combine the two. The store sells an innocuous-looking bag brimming with potato chips coated with chocolate. Though ‘chippers’ — as they are internationally known — are a common sight internationally, in Mumbai, Royce is the only place making them. A cross between a snack and dessert, this treat works because the corrugated chips hold a lot of chocolate. The sweet stuff melts sparingly in the mouth and the final taste has a salty kick. R755 for 190 gm

ALSO TRY: Berry cube chocolate

Ice cream-making workshop for readers

Enjoy eating ice cream? Now learn how to make it. This Saturday (August 16), HT Café is hosting a workshop on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan for readers of the paper. We have held a contest via our Twitter handle (@htcafe), and five lucky winners will get to attend this class at Haagen Dazs Lounge, Bandra (W) with their siblings.

The session will be held from 11 am onwards, during which experts at the outlet will offer the participants tips and tricks of the trade. In the following week, we will also feature this activity in our paper.

Strawberry and pepper chocolate

Lift a piece from the sleek chocolate box, place it straight on the middle of your tongue, close your mouth and allow the warmth to slowly melt down this rock into liquid. The strawberry and pepper chocolate at this Bandra-based eatery tastes more of the former ingredient. It has a thin shell, encasing a soft chocolate ganache, flavoured with strawberry pulp. The chocolate has minimal hints of pepper, so it works even for those who like their confectionery relatively sweeter. R55 per piece

ALSO TRY: Yuzu — Japanese orange chocolate balls

Costa Coffee shops - Coffee shop chain adds camel milk to menu

Coffee shop chain adds camel milk to menu

Customers at Costa Coffee shops across the United Arab Emirates can now ask for their drinks to be made using camel milk instead of cow’s milk. The British brand has become the first international coffee shop chain to offer camel milk as an alternative to cow’s milk — a new feature that points to the increasing acceptance and revival of a traditional Bedouin staple, which had been gradually displaced by the popularity of Western cow’s milk.

To launch the ingredient, the company has also developed a new Strawberry Camel Milk Cooler, a blend of fresh camel milk, strawberry and vanilla. According to the coffee shop chain, camel milk is ideal for those who are lactose intolerant, as it contains up to 50 per cent less fat than cow’s milk, and is high in vitamin C and calcium. It’s also said to be the closest animal-milk substitute to a human mother’s milk.

THE RENAISSANCE MUMBAI CONVENTION CENTRE HOTEL, POWAI

Asparagus chocolate

AT THE RENAISSANCE MUMBAI CONVENTION CENTRE HOTEL, POWAI Eating vegetables was never so much fun. Blanched, oven-dried shafts of asparagus are drenched in a coating of dark chocolate and sprinkled with finely sliced pistachios. The shafts are then allowed to solidify to reveal these cocoa-covered greens. While it may sound crazy, this unusual pairing works well. The vegetable lends a juicy, grassy note to the chocolate’s deep nature and gives it a fresh lift. Each bite-sized piece has to be eaten as a whole, since the fibrous texture of asparagus doesn’t let it snap at once. R30 per piece. Requires a minimum order of 12 chocolates ALSO TRY: Masala chai chocolate

Green tea chocolate NEERU’S CAKES, NAPEAN SEA ROAD Spa

Green tea chocolate

AT NEERU’S CAKES, NAPEAN SEA ROAD Spa in a box — this is the though that this chocolate brings to mind. The dark brown squares are made using chocolate that’s been flavoured with green tea extracts. Though the chocolate’s texture is not as smooth as we would have liked it to be (and it does not melt too quickly), its sweetness is apt. It has deep floral notes that leave an herbal tea-like trail on the palate. Apart from the squares, these bakers also sell a cup version of this chocolate, where edible cocoa cups are filled with tea-infused cream. R1,200 per kilo

ALSO TRY: Thyme and almond digestive chocolate

Eat here for sure

We stepped into Eat Deli.Cafe with few expectations and even a smaller appetite, least expecting it to have a lavish menu. Located at Pali Naka, this restaurant is tucked into a corner at the start of a one-way street. Accessing it might be a bit of a challenge, but that trip might just be worth it.
The menu fits in a lot — soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, sides, waffles, pancakes, slushes, smoothies and desserts — but the limited options in each section make the decision-making easy.
Our first order — the Cream Of Tomato With Cheddar Cheese Toast ( R250) — arrived in less than 15 minutes. Brought to our table in a deep glass mug, the presentation and correct temperature of the soup made the concoction even more appealing. The Grilled Jalapeno Popper and Cheese Sandwich ( R370) was our least favourite. The bread didn’t complement the poppers, which on their own, were perfectly spicy and crispy. However, the potato wedges on the side were the real stars of this dish.

The Three Cheese Pizza with Ham, Bacon and Mushroom ( R450) was the highlight of our meal. The paper-thin crust folded easily. The generous quantities of the ingredients made it hard not to want to order another just to take home and eat a few hours later. The bacon was fresh and well cooked. The Classic Irish Lamb Stew Garlic Crust ( R600) was the second most expensive dish in the mains after the Norwegian Salmon Steak on Arugula Pesto and Wild Pepper Finished Risotto ( R700). The preparation wasn’t very stew-like (and was served with rice), but that wouldn’t even have bothered us if the lamb were cooked for just a few minutes more.
At this point, we knew we could push ourselves no further, but the Blue Velvet Cheese Cake ( R240; all prices inclusive of taxes) had to be tried. Largely, because it’s blue! Acing again in presentation, the massive slice of cake towered over the swirl of whipped cream with sprinkles. If two diners order this on a packed stomach, there’s no way they would finish it. Like the many good things in life, this one too was rich, definitely unhealthy and incredibly creamy, but delectable.
It’s not every day that we come across places that take the effort to get the small things right. This one has the potential to give other leading delis in the city some stiff competition. (HTCaféreviews anonymouslyand paysforitsmeals.)

Claiming to cause weight loss, it recommends swapping daily meals for just ‘six’ biscuits a day

Heard of the Cookie Diet?

Claiming to cause weight loss, it recommends swapping daily meals for just ‘six’ biscuits a day. Experts warn that this eating pattern can be extremely dangerous

    We’ve heard of the Breatharian Diet, Baby Food Diet and the Cabbage Soup Diet, and now the latest import from the West has a new take — it involves just eating six 90-calorie cookies — to ditch the flab. Founded by Miami-based Dr Sanford Siegal, it’s said to have found a following among the likes of Guy Ritchie and Denise Richards. Mumbai folks have tried it too. You swap the cookies for breakfast, lunch as well as the snacks you usually have in between. A light healthy, dinner is permitted. But will biscuits work as meal replacements in the city?
IT’S NUTRITIONALLY RESTRICTIVE
Such eating patterns are a big no-no, says nutritionist Dr Sunita Dube. “I have heard of this Cookie Diet and recently a patient who had tried it came to me. She was weak, her energy levels flagged and she suffered from constipation on account of it as well. Though you may lose weight with this diet, as you are restricting the calorie intake, it will take a toll on your energy levels as it’s not balanced. I’d advise people not to follow it because it won’t fit into the Indian eating pattern as our bodies are attuned to proper meals,” she says.
    City-based diet expert Dr Nupur Krishnan also cautions against it. “This is a dangerous fad. “Eating six cookies or less will have an adverse effect — it can result in hair loss, skin and eye problems and irritability. Every diet should have macro (proteins carbs and fat) and micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals) which this does not have. Some people eat only cookies for breakfast too, which is also dangerous as you are not fulfilling a protein intake in the morning, which is necessary.”

When cookies can harm