JEDDAH: As we approach the end of Ramadan, it’s time to ease off the carb-heavy fried foods and try something new — with a little bit of effort, I persuaded my family to order a few healthy dishes using food delivery app Lugmety.
I scrolled through the wide-ranging list of restaurants and settled on Poke Bowl, a Jeddah-based hotspot specializing in the Hawaiian dish of diced seafood served with fresh accompaniments.
To begin, we built our own bowl and chose from three size options, before adding our choice of base (rice, zucchini noodles or quinoa), protein (tuna, salmon, shrimp or tofu), mix-ins, sauces and toppings.
It is essentially a deconstructed sushi bowl that is a feast for the eyes — due to the rainbow of colors — as well as the stomach. The ingredients were fresh, tasty and healthy and rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals, fibers and healthy fats.
Our base of white rice and quinoa was full of plump grains, while the fresh vegetables and edamame beans added a fresh note to the dish. Hunks of grilled salmon were buried within, while the seaweed strands, crispy nuts and seeds added a wealth of texture to the dish that was topped with slightly sweet soy sauce.
Next up, we chose the Jeddawi Bowl on the restaurant’s signature menu. White rice, shrimps, crab salad and a host of vegetables topped with sesame shoyu sauce and spicy mayo round out the delicious dish.
Flying fish roe and crispy garlic chips add that extra crunch, which pairs wonderfully with the creamy avocado and tender seafood.
Later on that night, with suhoor creeping up on us, I hopped on the app again to get my late night sweet fix from dessert spot Bon Bon.
We opted for the cheese cake with Italian cheese and dates, a dish that combines Eastern and Western flavors. It was decadent, creamy and altogether delicious and managed to stay just on the right side of the thin line between rich and stodgy.
The second sweet dish we chose was the plaisir sucre, a hazelnut dacquoise made with layers of almond and hazelnut meringue and cream with caramelized French pralines and Swiss milk chocolate. It was, needless to say, creamy, crunchy and altogether moreish.
We also sampled the raspberry tart, made with a delicious crisp layer of biscuit with pistachio covered with gorgeous, juicy red raspberries.
