After overindulging for pretty much the whole of December, January is a time to ditch the elasticated trousers, cleanse the liver and eat food that hasn’t been basted in goose fat or rolled in bacon.
That said, you don’t need to hide away downing homemade super juices and cabbage soup, many restaurants and bars in London have a healthy conscience too. Here are our pick of the best healthy dishes, drinks and menus on offer this January.
Rice paper rolls at MissChu
91 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7RA
Fast food needn’t be bad for you, just head to MissChu, the fast, fresh and healthy Vietnamese tuck shop and takeaway which opened recently on Whitechapel High Street. Hailing all the way from Australia and bringing their famous gluten free rice paper rolls with them, the menu here also boasts restorative pho, vermicelli salads and steamed dumplings. Get going to the 25-seater restaurant or, if you are within 2km let them bring lunch to your desk on electric powered bicycles.
Superfoods at Andina
1 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DJ
Try something new and have a taste of Andean cuisine at this all-day Shoreditch restaurant, with a menu featuring superfoods and ingredients high in essential nutrients. Get your morning fix with a Peruvian coffee with quinoa milk and super grain porridge made with amaranth leaves, orange zest, golden berries, figs and purple corn syup. Or stop by for dinner including a quinoa burger with coriander, papaya, mint, and kiwi yoghurt or cod cheek ceviche with hake, spring onion and blood orange in a lime chilli.
Health conscious at Vantra Vitao
25-27 Oxford street, W1D 2DW (Tottenham Crt Rd end)
With every diet under the sun catered for, this Oxford Street spot which opened in November is sure to suit any new health conscious craze. From macrobiotic to ayurvedic as well as gluten free and vegan, the healthy restaurant is organic and even has superfood desserts. Try raw dishes like flax seed tortilla chips with pineapple salsa and guacamole or wrapped avocado with squash hummus, brazil nut falafel, coriander and sunflower seed cream.
Seafood and spices at Cay Tre
42-43 Dean St, London W1D 4PZ, 301 Old Street, London EC1V 9LA
Sometimes it’s just about making the right decisions, instead of fat laden burgers and fried chicken, choose fragrant herbs, colourful vegetables, fresh seafood and aromatic spices. Vietnamese is one of the healthiest cuisines to dine on and Cay Tre, with locations in both Hoxton and Soho, have a wide array of super healthy dinners like the freen mango salad with sun-dried squid and roasted mackerel with turmeric, lemongrass and galangal to feast on.
Sushi at Tsuru
Locations across the City
Not only are the likes of fish, rice and vegetables extremely healthy but the way that Tsuru prepares them, such as raw, boiled and steamed are good for you too. Start dinner with a miso soup or edamame beans, followed by a platter of their sparkling fresh sashimi and a red cabbage and sesame salad.
Find out more about Tsuru SushiCarb-free burgers at Hache
The Ice-berger will be available at Shoreditch, Camden, Chelsea and Clapham.
Yes, in days gone by, you’ve been to Haché and feasted on double cheeseburgers with streaky bacon and deep-fried onion rings but in January, the burger restaurant is going on a diet too. Throughout January they will be serving the Ice-berger, a carb free burger made with prime Scotch steak, with tomato salsa and avocado, wrapped in iceberg lettuce leaves.
Find out more about HacheDetox (or retox) at Draft House
Locations all over London
Like a devil on one’s shoulder, all six Draft House pubs across London are giving punters the option, detox or retox. Either behave yourself with a bottle of Budvar non-alcoholic beer or continue the festive theme and see January out just as you did the previous month with their Budvar Premium Select which has a whopping 7.5% ABV. It won the best strong lager award at the 2013 World Beer Championships and the Draft House pubs are the first in the UK to serve it.
Find out more about Draft HouseMini burgers and virgin cocktails at Voltaire
19 New Bridge Street, City of London EC4V 6DB
Head to this City champagne bar for their new low-fat and carb free mini burgers made with lean beef, fish fillet or chargrilled chicken.
You can also choose a virgin cocktail like the Back to my Roots with basil, lemon, ginger or if you want to be naughty but still keep an eye on the waistline, try one of their skinny cocktails, which are all under 200 calories, such as the elderflower frost martini. Dry January is boring anyway.
Find out more about VoltaireHealthy cocktails at One Canada Square
No. 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AB
You drank enough booze to sink a ship over the festive period, now do something to redress the balance and pack in your five-a-day at the same time with ETM’s new healthy cocktails. Try a Canary Mary with yellow tomato juice, lemon juice, horseradish, ginseng and Tabasco or the Root Remedy with fresh carrot, orange, ginger and ginseng.
These will also be available at The Botanist on Sloane Square and Chiswell Street Dining Rooms in Barbican.
Find out more about One Canada SquareDIY juices at The Folly
41 Gracechurch Street, London EC3V 0BT
Design a freshly squeezed juice with your own choice of fruit, vegetables, spices and herbs at the City bar and restaurant or let the bartender do the hard work and choose something from the new vegetable cocktail menu. Made with ingredients such as celery juice, mint, green tea, cherry tomatoes, radish, wasabi and ginger, the cocktails are a mix of the good stuff with a splash of the bad, like the Accelerate Sour with gin.
These will also be available at other Drake & Morgan bars and restaurants; The Refinery, The Parlour, The Anthologist, The Drift and The Happenstance.
Find out more about The FollyHealthilicious menu at Paternoster Chop House
Warwick Court, London EC4M 7DX
The healthilicious menu at Paternoster Chop House is a guilt-free menu on offer in January paired with a range of healthy cocktails (yes, apparently there is such a thing). The three course menu features a bean and ham hock salad to start - a choice of grilled monkfish or organic chicken with baked squash and pomegranate dressing to follow and a pineapple and lime terrine for dessert.
Find out more about Paternoster Chop House
