If you must bite, then bite rite

of launch that the Capital’s latest food chain Bite Rite had in store for us. Located next to the Red Crescent Society headquarters in Abu Dhabi, it will gladden the heart to know parking is ample and the ambiance quaint. City Times had a ringside view of the proceedings and over the course of the evening, managed to get a nibble on the thought process behind this latest brainchild of Ms Seema Shetty.

Already a renowned entrepreneur in the restaurant business with the much acclaimed Zari Zardozi in the capital, we asked Seema what was different in her latest venture: "As you can see, just about everything. Basically research on this concept has taken well over two years" she explained.

"It all started out because we felt the need to inculcate the habit of ‘healthy food’ in the population. We found that obesity and diabetes are among the two largest causes of morbidity in the UAE and there are vast studies and statistics to support this.

We have the best of treatments, hospitals and specialists to handle the problem but what we found lacking was a restaurant that serves you the kind of food that makes a difference to your life style without taking away from the culinary delights.

So here at Bite Rite, we have a dedicated team that includes nutritionists, chefs and dietitians with inputs from medical professionals who have got together to create a world class menu. The uniqueness of this menu is that it serves up all your favourite dishes albeit with minor alterations (with a specified caloric value for the particular dish printed alongside) so one can pick and choose to suit one’s palate and caloric intake."

CT: What style of food do you serve here and are there any special packages or home deliveries?

SS: We serve up Continental, Indian, Arabic, Chinese and Mediterranean specialties to name but a few.

We do home deliveries and have a special online ordering service with a special form to fill up and work on this front is ongoing. We have the additional facility of qualified nutritionists and diet consultants who can draw up an individual food plan based on one’s body weight and requirements and also offer to cater to all you meals on a weekly or monthly basis.

In addition, we have introduced ‘Bite Rite’ takeaway meals that are available at all ADNOC gas stations that are a healthy alternative to the junk food the market has to offer. Also on market shelves are ‘Bite Rite’ health food products like chocolates and Jams for diabetics and the like.

However we like to stress that our food products are not meant for diabetics and overweight people but for the population at large. We aim to pursue a policy of eating good healthy food and incorporating that in our day to day lives to make a difference!

We believe in the phrase ‘Guilt Free’ eating and you will find that engraved on our cutlery. We firmly believe in the Right to Bite and eat all types of tasty food and not deny it to ourselves…just that we believe it should be healthy wholesome food at the same time together with a lifestyle change.

As if on cue, we were treated to an hour of meditation and breathing exercises by Mr Sajeev from the art of living foundation that was simply ‘mind-blowing’.

Bite Rite plans to hold group sessions conducted by Mr Sajeev on their premises the moment they have groups of 20 or so and plan to begin as shortly as a week from now. This is in keeping with their plan to promote health in all its totality with food being one aspect.

It was followed by brief updates from the Bite Rite personnel on their philosophy. The proof they say is in the pudding and here is where one truly appreciates the Bite Rite effort. We were served up a delicious fare replete with starters, soup and a main course that included my favourite - sushi rounded of by a fresh fruit dessert on a base of custard and cream.

We left having eaten to our hearts content yet, knowing that we had eaten "right" and with no regrets whatsoever. For all you connoisseurs of good food a definite ‘must’ on the restaurant scene is the capital.