On Sunday, World Environment Day, the folks at ITC Gardenia called me over to brief me about the measures they take towards sustainable luxury (more on that in an upcoming post).
We met up for breakfast and tried their Signature Mornings offerings.
This is their healthy offering where apart from their regular breakfast buffet at Cubbon Pavilion, they also offer healthy food for the conscious eater. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and nothing beats a breakfast done right.
These breakfasts also tie into their sustainable luxury motto, thus ensuring that their food offerings are sourced from fresh, seasonal local produce while minimizing their carbon footprint.
So what were the healthy additions to the breakfast buffet?
For one, muffins. Yes, muffins. You wouldn’t think muffins would be anywhere close to healthy. But these muffins were sugar-free muffins.
In spite of the lack of sugar, they were really delicious, and were surprisingly light. I tried the chocolate-chip one and was pleasantly surprised by how delicious it was.
They also include a lot of local grains in their breakfast – with highlights such as Muesli and Berry Brulee flanked by Amaranath and Jaggery (Amaranth is an Indian grain – rajdana), and Brittle Finger Millet (Ragi). Also included are Almond meal pancakes with Aloe Vera and Black Currant Chutney which was a surprising twist on an indulgent breakfast option.
My favorite though was the multi-grain dosa made from seven different grains, and served with an array of chutneys and palya at our table. You could almost consider this a super-food considering that flax seeds, sunflower seeds, soya, whole wheat, and broken oats are all mixed into the batter.
As an accompaniment to the dosa, I selected one of their freshly squeezed juices – the ABC, which is the apple, beetroot, and cucumber combo.
Cold and refreshing!
All their juices are freshly squeezed using all-organic veggies and fruits.
We also tried a couple of their salads on offer.
If this wasn’t enough of fresh produce for you, there were platters of seasonal fruits all lined up in a row.
Of course, for me no breakfast can be considered complete without a healthy dose of bread in it, and so health or no health, I helped myself to a generous butter-laden toast, and an almond croissant (or two). I couldn’t help it, they just looked so mouth-watering, and I’m sure you”ll agree with me after seeing these snaps I took 🙂 .
I don’t know whether I undid all the health benefits by gorging on toast, croissants, and some cold coffee at the end. But I do know that the carb-hit made me a really happy camper.
Impossible to leave without a smile on your face.
From the chef’s mouth
I managed to get a soundbite or two from Chef Varun who oversees the Signature Mornings breakfast special. Take a listen to find out what he has to say about it.
Notes:
Signature Mornings is available at:
- Cubbon Pavilion at ITC Gardenia.
For reservations please call 080 22119898,
or email at mytable.itcgardenia@itchotels.in - Raj Pavilion at ITC Windsor.
For reservations please call 080 41401224 email at
mytable.itcwindsor@itchotels.in
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What a fabulous and nutritious breakfast. After eating & drinking those lovely fruits and veggies, I would have absolutely had a muffin and croissant (or two).