Morgan Spurlock about food from “McDonald’s” and related establishments, we know much more than we would like. French fries are fried with fried potato flavor. The chemical formula for a strawberry milkshake takes up half a page. And in American beef from hamburgers, alas, there are microscopic particles of manure. And this food does not spoil for years, which was not so long ago
Meanwhile, there is nothing criminal in the very idea of fast food. Today, establishments with experimental, often very unusual fast food are appearing in different countries of the world. Fast food of a new type is organic.
vegetarian and Vedic, but even in the most modest establishments, the emphasis is on fresh products in the right combinations, and burgers in them are as healthy as modern nutrition allows, and do not contain any chemicals.
Adria created the Fast Good concept almost on a dare, trying to prove that he can do more than just molecular cuisine and that fast food is not necessarily an area of compromise. The main menu is defiantly traditional – fried potatoes, hamburgers, salads and paninis.
But in burgers – only the best beef, potatoes are fried in olive oil from Provence, and salads with dressings from Adria will do honor to much more expensive restaurants.
A separate pride of the place is desserts, the “fried chicken” section (which is fried “Moorish”, “Indian” and “traditional manner”) and Spanish sandwiches “bocadillos” with high-quality Iberian jamon. In addition, Fast Good makes freshly squeezed juices and their own milkshakes without preservatives.
Where: Two branches in Madrid and one in Santiago de Chile. Preparing to open branches in Barcelona, Valencia and the Canary Islands.
A bold attempt to bring to Toronto soil the experience of “dabbawalla” – the famous Bombay peddlers of hot food to offices. Veda was conceived specifically as a lunch delivery center. Indian food – not the most healthy in the original – is made as low-fat and lightweight as possible. We can say that it is not used here at all (except when frying onions, and then in homeopathic doses).
The Veda chefs also avoid using ghee and heavy sauces, instead focusing on slow cooking, the smart use of fresh spices, and the general principles of Vedic cooking. Their delivery system is not as sophisticated and large-scale as in Bombay, but it works well. There are also two traditional branches of the network, one of them on the campus of the University of Toronto.
Everything here is prepared from organic products, and the creators claim that Gustorganics approaches the requirements of organic certification more strictly than the orthodox Jews – to the requirements of kashrut: everything here is organic, right down to the flowers on the tables and the uniforms of the waiters. Everything is prepared with specially purified water.
solar and wind energy is used in the cooking process, the kitchen is equipped with special energy-saving installations, and the furniture is made from recycled wood. There are many vegetarian options on the menu, and there is a section with gluten-free pasta, tortillas and salads (in general, here is a paradise for those who are on a gluten-free diet).
All in all, the food is very inventive, fits just about any idea of healthy eating, and is served at lightning speed. Everything can be ordered at home or bought to take away (naturally, in packages made of biodegradable plastic and recycled paper bags).
New Yorkers consider the restaurant not cheap, but for a Muscovite it is dust. A separate pride of the restaurant is a large children’s menu and the first organic bar on the planet with organic wines and cocktails based on fruit mixtures. There is even organic vodka, rum, cognac and gin.
Red Veg considers itself the world’s first vegetarian fast food (they opened in 2004). The menu is relatively small: six types of burgers, a couple of vegetarian hot dogs, three varieties of falafel and a Greek roll with sun-dried tomatoes, feta, tahini.
olives, peppers and salad. And potatoes. From the unexpected – a light version of dolma, stuffed peppers and fried mini-corn. Red Veg perfectly represents its audience – if desired, all menu items can be prepared for vegans (more radical vegetarians, who, in particular.
do not eat dairy products, that is, cheese in burgers does not suit them). It should be noted that Red Veg, despite the laurels of the pioneer, does not feel very well – its flagship cafe in London has closed, although it had a long-term and loyal audience.
(According to the owners, this was due to “corporate raiding”.) Today, only a cafe in Brighton remains. By the way, the New York followers of Red Veg, the Zenburger vegetarian chain that opened in 2008, are doing better.
The most deserving of the health food chains opened in London in 1986. Muscovites are well aware of the concept of this network thanks to its unofficial Russian counterparts – the 5 Stars and Prime networks, which copied everything from the British, right down to the location of the stands and the design of signboards (Pret A Manger itself is not represented in Russia).
The concept doesn’t seem all that radical now, but Pret a Manger still offers a quick and pretty tasty bite to eat, and their menu is more than varied, from beetroot chips and turnips to miso soup. And quite often it is updated – in May, for example, they served a sandwich with smoked mackerel and boiled eggs.
