A new joint in Gurgaon boasts of delicacies prepared only with fresh desi and exotic fruits. Karan Bhardwaj checked out their signature faluda and wraps
Tell yourself you are going to indulge the healthy way and prepare your mind not to count the calories whenever you decide to visit this newly-opened joint at Sector 29 market, Gurgaon. Mix of fruity fragrance will greet you at the entrance and the brightness spill around in the form of colourful chairs, tables and everything else you rest your eyes on will add to your evening at The Fruit Forest. The restaurant boasts of delicacies only made of fresh fruits. Some on the list are rare combos prepared with exotic fruits like Japanese lemons, dragon fruits, rambutan and cozy apples. Desi fruits are mixed with them to prepare juices, shakes and other savouries. Juices are definitely the most healthy option to begin your meal with. We chose a mix of guava, basil and lime juice
“Most items listed on the menu are 100 per cent natural, prepared without preservatives. This is how we keep them, healthy. The sugar content can vary as per the guest’s choice,” informed the manager of The Fruit Forest, which is owned by Gurnam Arora, the owner of Kohinoor Foods.
Since Arora is a vegetarian, he wanted a flesh-free list of delicacies to be served at his restaurant. Even without any non-vegetarian dish, the joint has become popular among the young, health conscious lot. “People on evening and night walks also come in for shakes. On a daily basis, we have 100 covers, which doubles up on weekends,” said the manager as he brought us their signature fruit faluda. It was served in a large glass, that looked enough for two people. It was made with vermicelli, sabja seeds, jelly, fruits (grapes, apple, dragon fruit), roohafzah syrup, milk, ice cream, dry fruits and cherry. “First we put in the faluda (vermicelli), then top that with the fruits with sprinkling of sabja seeds in between the layers of fruits and a splash of milk and roohafzah too in between. Then top the layered fruit with a big scoop of ice cream and finish that off with a sprinkling of dry fruits topped with a cherry,” explained one the bartenders. The faluda, priced at Rs 175, was tastefully designed with layers. A mix of blackberry, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry and cranberry was interesting. We were told it’s a rare find in Delhi.
There are special categories of all day breakfast and dinner. The breakfast comprising cereals, fruit platters, bakeries, toasts, waffles, is available throughout the day. We chose to order dishes from the dinner menu. Small portions of grilled vegetable panini with pesto, chilli wada wrap, cottage cheese peri peri wrap, tomato mozzarella and basil panini and falafel pita wrap with hummus and cacik were served. In wraps and panini, there are a total of seven items. We would recommend falafel pita wrap. It is light and less spicy. We settled for classic tiramisu to conclude our meal. It was better than the bananaier, the dessert with flavours of chocolate and banana.