Savouring the natural approach
Lemon Farm introduces macrobiotic dining to the masses with its Be Organic restaurants
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Be Organic is located on the ground floor of Paradise Park. It's open daily from 11am to 8.30pm. Call (02) 787 1322.
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Long concerned about quality of life, Lemon Farm has expanded its organic farm network to all regions of the Kingdom and has been growing all kinds of vegetables, fruits and herbs for more than a decade. There are now 10 branches of its supermarkets stocking everything healthy and organic including rice and grains and much, much more.
It recently opened its first eatery, under the name Be Organic, offering more than 50 delectable macrobiotic dishes, desserts and drinks, all made with organic ingredients and materials direct from the farms.
Situated on the ground floor of Paradise Park, the restaurant is cosy, furnished with natural wood tables and chairs as well as sofas covered in earth tone fabric. All menus here are guaranteed safe for health- there's no sugar, fish sauce and MSG in the kitchen, with the chef opting for natural ingredients like honey, sea salt, miso sauce and lemon for seasoning.
"We've attempted to share our knowledge of macrobiotics with the public for the past five years. It's an easy way to balance your life," says public relations and activity director Khaelada Jittapanya. "We focus on natural flavours. Most materials are organic and more than 70 per cent come from our organic farm network."
Choose your meal from a menu that includes Japanese, Western and local dishes, all prepared from seasonal vegetables and fruits. Throughout this month, avocado, Japanese pumpkin, sweet pepper and cabbage are the star ingredients.
One of the best sellers is salad with different dressings. "Be organic" is made from three kinds of fruits high in vitamin C, "Calcium lover" is a basic recipe made from sesame and "Green nature" is made with seasonal fruits for a sweet and sour fusion.
Menus of the day include sea bass steak, sushi and Gaba rice served with salad and soup. Good value are the set featuring grilled sea bass in soy sauce served with brown rice, salad and miso soup for Bt220 and the vegetarian set that includes a big plate of fried brown rice mixed with beetroot, onion, carrot and asparagus, salad and a cup of soup for Bt150.
"Our set menus emphasise rice, vegetables and fish, which is the traditional diet of Thai people. We eat seasonal fruits and vegetables as that helps prevent disease," Khaelada says. "The set menus also include Bancha green tea, which has no caffeine and is good for health."
If you want something lighter, you can have a plate of pink beetroot sushi stuffed with seaweed, avocado, tofu and guava for Bt100 and aromatic fried udon with curry power mixed with asparagus, carrot and onion for Bt120.
For a choice of healthy desserts, you can find jelly made from Japanese sweet potato in ginger juice, and baked organic apples. For a range of beverages, there's hot organic coffee served with organic syrup and honey for Bt50, fresh herb juice for Bt45 and organic tea for Bt30 and Bt75.
The restaurant plans to open a branch at Chidlom late this year.
