Lettuce be healthy

Riding on the clean-eating wave, the leafy vegetable is making inroads as a viable accompaniment across city menus. We've picked four of the tastiest finds to chomp on

Sea and smile

Chef Boo Kim discovered lettuce cups six years ago with a vegetarian on a diet at a burger joint in Chicago. At his new restaurant, where the food is simple and fun, but also filling, it would have been difficult to cater to the plethora of clean-eating individuals in the city today without having a healthy variant on the menu. So, you can pick anything on offer and kick the bun out of your plate by replacing it with lettuce. The lobster roll lettuce cup comes with the crustacean poached in garlic butter, giardiniera, a tangy Italian relish and crispy onions.

At Dirty Buns, 9A, Trade View Building, Lower Parel.
Time 5 pm to 1 am
Call 8433988838
Cost Rs 750

Veggie good idea

Chopped veggies like carrots, green and yellow zucchini, tomato, a tangy pineapple salsa, alfalfa sprouts and togarashi come together to give you the tangy-spicy crispy lettuce cups that are served with burnt garlic at this healthy café. It's a refreshing salad compressed in an easy-to-eat format making it perfect for a quick bite at work or a light lunch on the go. This dish is a riot of simple-yet-robust flavours.

At Sante Spa Cuisine, G Block, Bandra Kurla Complex.
Time 11 am to 12 am
Call 26532299
Cost Rs 330

An eggstatic dish

At this small café in Prabhadevi which serves egg-centric dishes, there's a masaledar snack on offer called egg bhurji cups. Bite-sized bowls of lettuce are filled with classic egg bhurji and topped with mayo and grated cheese. Perhaps a take on bread and bhurji, without the carbs, this munchy sounds like a fun breakfast eat.

At Egg Villa Café, Salamat Mansion, Prabhadevi.
Time 9 am to 11 pm
Call 7666146633
Cost Rs 120

A cheesy potato treat

This fast food joint does splendid burgers and wings. However, a segment on their menu also serves healthy lettuce pockets in interesting vegetarian and non-vegetarian options like aloo chaat and ones with badass chicken and buff patties. We sampled the cheesy potato lettuce pocket, a neatly packed portion of hash browns slathered in spicy mayo and served with tomato and cheese, all ensconced within fresh lettuce. The hash browns are wholesome and not lumpy, making it a good option for those looking for something light yet filling.

At Burgzooka (Andheri and Khar West).
Time 8 am to 6 am
Call 7506480633 (Khar West)
Cost Rs 229

Nutritionist speak

Most people opt for lettuce wraps and cups when they want to avoid bread. It's a great alternative, because while lettuce is a vegetable that has carbohydrates, it helps you avoid processed carbs like flour. Additionally, it's great way to add greens to your diet. For example, if you're eating a protein-heavy dish made with eggs or meat, adding lettuce to the mix helps add fibre to the meal. It's ideal for weight watchers.

Dhriti Udeshi, nutritionist and fat loss expert

Also try out

• Lettuce wraps in plum sauce 
  At Open China, Juhu.
  Call 8181080080
• Safah garbanzo lettuce wrap
  At Serial Griller (multiple outlets).
  Call 8291075655 (Versova)
• Vegtable lettuce wrap
  At Royal China, Fort.
  Call 6635531

Lettuce pockets, such as lettuce wrap dumplings, have been around in Asian cuisine for a while. But now, non-Asian restaurants and cafés are experimenting with it, too, and in new-age flavours.

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