The Hindu Business Line : Salad days in Hyderabad

Cole slaw, Tomato shallot... Now, it's not just the famous Hyderabadi biryani that beckons you to give wings to the fluttering gourmand in you. There are other choices too, and that too of the low-calorie variety.

Alongside the rich Hyderabadi food — with generous splashes of fats and oil, spices and condiments, not to forget the dry fruits, you also have the new-age food wave here now.

Though this may not be a new phenomenon in other places, it is in Hyderabad considering that every time an effort was made at starting a `green bar', the venture was not successful, what with people like Venkat Rao, a city banker, wanting more value for money and refusing to pay for what he calls `grass and hay'.

But not any longer! Apart from the diet counters offering fresh juices and salads at gyms, such as Fitbuzz of the Celebrity Club and salad buffets at star hotels, a new, exclusive salad bar, called Scott Dale, has made an entry in this segment.

Kishore Rajamoorthy, a pastry chef who has worked with star hotels across India and also with a US-based cruise liner, is upbeat about the prospects of his new venture.

"Though cakes are my specialty, I always wanted to try out something different in the food business," he says.

Nevertheless, he is certain that "the Indian palate is very unique and no matter how healthy the food is, unless it is really tasty nobody is going to touch it."

Therefore, he claims, even the spinach juice that he offers is made to taste good, and this entices people to try it.

But, of course, there still are people who look at the menu card and are sceptical about experimenting with items such as Mushroom salad, Shrimp cocktail or Chlorophyll drink not to talk of the Russian, Italian and American salads.

Vipin Rao, a 29-year-old BPO executive, is not the only one who walks into the bar to explore the fare on offer and after examining the menu card is quite amused.

Sujata Naidu, an upcoming advocate, says, "I love the range here and at Rs 30 and Rs 50, the fare isn't very expensive."

"And yet, the crowd here could have been much better. Most people come here looking for samosas and puffs, and are disappointed not to find them. Nevertheless, business is quite good and I hope to break even in eight months," says Rajamoorthy, refusing to divulge his total investment.

Food facts

Raw vegetables and fruits are high on dietary fibres, and are good sources of vitamins, minerals as also moisture. They also serve as good anti-oxidants.

They help to increase the metabolic rate, thereby hastening the process of weight loss.

It is good to include fruits and vegetables of different colours in the daily diet, as each colour has a different nutrient specific to it that may be absent in other colours.

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