Wholesome Spread

It’s not often that one finds restaurants making conscious efforts to dish out a menu that’s not just great on taste but scores high on the nutrition meter as well! So it was a welcome change to visit Hotel Metro-35’s all-new ‘S4 Bistro’ that’s been refurbished and styled all-new down to the menu. “We ran a successful theme-based restaurant for 16 years but now it was time for a change,” admitted the hotel’s young managing director Jairaj Singh as we step in ‘S4 Bistro’. S4 brings in soups,salads,sandwiches and sizzlers with the menu making the most of wholesome and nutritious fare. “The menu has been designed by our Executive Chef Devinder Singh Mahal who has formally worked for 20 years in the USA,” informed Singh as we notice a live salad station along with a pasta counter. “Our salads are made exactly how a diner would wish them to be – you can choose your dressing,the seasoning et al. It’s all about custom-made meals,” pitched in Mahal. All the salads are made from fresh ingredients that haven’t been lying in deep freeze for long. “That’s where food loses all its nutrients and our priority is fresh,hygienic and healthy fare,” asserted the Executive Chef.

Interestingly,the idea to do a healthy menu came up keeping in view customer suggestions. “With food trends the world over changing,we weren’t surprised when customer would ask us for healthier,low-fat,low-oil options here too. We found the tricity eager for a change like this,” explains Jairaj as we eye the menu that thankfully stays true to its theme. With as many as seven dressings to choose from for your salad,the options are plenty. “Usually,most restaurants just stick to mayonnaise-based salads. We don’t,” the Chef points out. Also on offer are freshly made pastas and pizzas. “We have rolled out lesser-known dishes like Calzones,fish tacos,Burritos,Mexican fajitas and more,” lists out Mahal who clearly has let his American experience spill over to the menu. “Also to bring down the calories and retain the goodness of chicken,we don’t deep-fry. Instead we use a lot of the Indian tandoor,” he says mentioning a wide variety of sizzlers as well. Also with the breads being made in-house as well as most of the sauce,dressings and seasonings,it’s a healthy start for sure. “Very soon we will be launching our new lounge bar and night club called The Hangout,” adds Jairaj. More on that later!