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The weekend is still a long way off. Meanwhile there is this huge mountain-load of work to be done before Friday and there are a couple of meetings scheduled too. It may look like lunch this week is again just endless cups of coffee or leftover dal-rice from the canteen. But don’t upset your system with so much caffeine. Instead try out this new corporate mantra; express lunch. It’s tasty, healthy and the best part is that it can be super quick. Check out these options for quick and healthy lunches that you can either step out for or have delivered right to your desk.
BOXED MEALS
First things first – here’s a list of some boxed lunches that can be a life saviour when you have no time to even look up from your work station. And don’t you worry; these are not your run-of-the-mill dabba services. From organic, to sattvik, to dietary customisations, these boxed meals are exactly what we need for our sedentary lifestyle.
Foodees, Mumbai: This Mumbai-based organisation is a food delivery service that operates in Andheri using the conventional dabbawala network, but the meals that you get are vastly different. The food and packages can be customised to your taste and dietary requirements from the options in their set menus. Moreover, Foodees also hosts guest chefs, and home cooks from time to time to service their tiffin orders and keep the customers engaged and excited. While the regular Indian thali is good, check out their salad package, which comes with three boxes of salad and dressing, and also their continental food dabba, which has a pasta, vegetables and brown bread.
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8Food, Mumbai – With a menu devised by a Michelin star Chef from the UK, 8Food in Mumbai not only gives you healthy fare like salads, but it also has well-prepared continental fare like soups, curries, starters and desserts. If you are keen on it, you can try one of their combo lunch platters that come neatly packaged with a soup, salad, main course and an eggless brownie. The only drawback is that they deliver mostly in BKC. But if you are planning a team box lunch, then go ahead and make a call a day ahead, and you can still have your 8Food boxed meal delivered to any part of Mumbai. Do try their Coronation Chicken Salad with chunks of roasted chicken, flaked almonds, apricots and a tangy yoghurt dressing. Or their Falafel and Harissa Hummous sandwich.
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Bite Club, Gurgaon: This is run by three 24-year-old engineering students who quit their high paying jobs to run a lunch and dinner service for working professionals using a mobile app. Food is not cooked in-house. Instead it is outsourced from numerous chefs and home cooks who are on their list, who have been vetted for taste, quality and flavour before bringing them on-board. Do check out Bite Club.
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iTiffin, Bangalore: iTiffin is yummy food for the weight watchers and the calorie conscious because each meal combo is measured and featured on their menu along with the calorie count. They even have healthy snack boxes so you can continue on your health wagon.
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POWER LUNCHES
Boxed meals may be heaven sent on those high-pressure work days, but when things ease up a little bit, you want to step away from your desk for a while, feel the afternoon sun on your face and have a wee bit of gaily conversation with your colleagues over food. Just a wee bit, because even on such relaxed days, it wouldn’t do to have long lunches. Here’s a list of restaurants that offer quick, healthy express lunches for the working professional on the run.
Kaboom, Mumbai: Kaboom began as a food truck, and then converted into a quick dine-in cum delivery service. A set menu is put up everyday and the restaurant experiments with everything from continental, Indian, Pan Asian and themed lunches like So Cheesy. The food is exotic yet healthy and filling and if you are fortunate enough to work in the Fort area, you can just walk up to Kaboom and grab a bite or have it delivered to your desk. Dining area there is strictly limited, so don’t plan elaborate meets with your work gang. Former advertising professional, Yohaan Dattoobhai, who runs the place, works with organic farms, local cheese makers and an artisanal bread bakery to source ingredients for Kaboom’s authentic made-from-scratch meals.
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White Owl, Mumbai: White Owl actually has an express lunch for its working customers, one of those pick-and-move things. Not take away, just really quick service. Located at One India Bulls Centre, White Owl has an easy ambience of a garage turned plush that fits in well with one of those Friday afternoon getaways with your work gang. Their express lunch menu has combo options of soup, salad and entrée which include the likes of Roasted Pumpkin and Thyme Soup, Sesame Grilled Chicken & Green Onion and Mustard Chicken Roll. Throw in a beer if it is one of those lazy days. This is gourmet food on the go.
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B-Bar, Delhi: Select Citywalk’s B-Bar is aptly located for all those white collar workers and diplomats that grace South Delhi’s Saket. And their dim sum lunches are quite popular among the executives who desire a light dining experience. But if you are already on your way out for the next boardroom meeting, grab one of their bento boxes. Do try their raw green papaya salad, miso soup and shrimp tempura mayonnaise.
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City Bar, Bangalore: Pub lunches are the way to go on all working days except Monday. Lunch service at City Bar on working days remains a popular option in Bangalore. Priced at Rs.225 for a vegetarian meal and Rs.295 for a non-vegetarian meal, this meal turns into a pub lunch by simply adding Rs.50 for a mug of beer or glass of wine. Pay a little extra for their seafood options. Their mutton sheikh kebabs, buffalo chicken wings and hummus come highly recommended as starters.
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