Sticking to your New Year’s resolutions has never been easier, as London’s Balcon restaurant launch a new low-calorie healthy menu.
The Balcon restaurant at five-star London hotel, Sofitel St James is probably best known for its Parisian style champagne bar, its indulgent French cuisine or perhaps its decadent afternoon teas. It’s certainly not a place one would go whilst still dedicated to January’s healthy eating plan or mid-detox. Until now that is.
This January the restaurant have launched their De-Light menu, bringing delicious taste to the plate for those in search of low-calorie, diet-conscious dishes.
StyleNest had the pleasure of sampling the new menu, which has been created by Executive Chef, Vincent Menager in partnership with the French nutrition and wellness experts, Thalassa. So thorough were their culinary creations, that the De-Light menu boasts a three-course menu for as little as 500calories, and is fully supported and certified by Sofitel Quiberon Thalassa.
As firm believers that everything tastes better with a lump of butter or a pot full of cream, we were a little apprehensive and somewhat cynical about The Balcon’s De-Light Menu. How wrong we were.
What the dishes lacked in calories they gained in flavour. From the rich and creamy tasting soft-boiled egg in courgette egg cup and celeriac velouté, to the fresh and tangy baked tomato filled with tuna mousse on a cucumber tartar, you’d never believe these are dishes that clock up a mere 110kcal and 65kcal respectively.
On to the mains and the menu was vast and varied, even offering a duck breast fillet in dry fruits in Brittany cider sauce – how this only totals 285 kcal we simply can’t workout. There’s also a classic poached chicken supreme casserole if you’re after something warm and wintery, totalling a measly 250kcals. Or our favourite, the seared Cornish sea bass with macedoine of turnips and carrots, accompanied with the most vibrant, tasty beetroot and caramel sauce. Again, just 225kcal.
Head Chef Vincent Menager uses clever techniques and alternatives to get the calorie count as low as possible – swapping a cream sauce for a yoghurt based alternative or steering clear of starchy foods such as rice or potatoes.
We topped the meal off with a tasting of the De-Light menu’s dessert options. Yes, on this diet you can have dessert and for as little as 110kcal. Choose from iced nougat and raspberry coulis or molten mango cake with light coconut ice cream, which was just as good as any other full-fat coconut ice cream we’ve tasted, if not better.
The menu sits in conjunction with The Balcon’s regular menu, so even if you’re out with friends tucking in to steak frites you can order a lighter option, without sacrificing portion or course size, or having to undergo that awkward, ‘sorry I’m on a diet’ conversation.
The menu also offers a refreshing approach to dining out, proving that you can have your cake and eat it, whether you’re getting ready to slip into that bikini or doing the 5:2.
Quite frankly, there’s more calories in our usual lunchtime sandwich, and we’d much rather dine at The Balcon any day.
The De-Light menu is available at The Balcon, Sofitel London St James from January 2014.
The Balcon, 8 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5NG Tel. 020 7968 2900 www.thebalconlondon.com