Smoothie Bowls to Help You Detox After Lebaran Feasts
Jakarta. Lebaran is over and, as the jokes go, now people are frantically trying to shed kilos they put on while gorging on delicious but fatty Lebaran feasts. One way to detox your body is by eating delicious low-calorie smoothie bowls – in moderation.
We've found three places in Jakarta where you can enjoy these yummy-but-non-fattening desserts. Tuck in.
1. SNCTRY
The name is a funky spelling of Sanctuary. Sole owner Qonita is a health food enthusiast who decided to open up the café after seeing an unexplored niche for healthy food places in Jakarta.
"When I opened up the place three years ago, there were very few healthy food restaurants in the city. I thought it was something we needed in Jakarta," Qonita said.
Born in Indonesia but raised in Melbourne, Qonita likes to experiment with different ingredients in her smoothie bowls. She had taken an online course on nutrition, which gave her the know-how to pack as many nutrients as possible into each smoothie bowl.
Qonita uses only homemade granola, coconut milk and yogurt. Her granola is jam-packed with raisins, sunflower seeds, almonds, cinnamon, apples and oats.
The newest addition to SCNTRY's menu is the Rainbow bowl: a tart yogurt base blended with soursop and pineapple, a pink soupy smoothie made from dragonfruit, purple smoothies from butterfly pea powder, flower-shaped papayas, ball-shaped dragonfruits that resemble ladybugs, sliced strawberries and bananas, and a spattering of granola.
"Healthy living is not a trend, it's more like a revolution. People are realizing more and more that it's important to watch what you eat. [Smoothie bowls] are a fun way to eat your fruits and vegetables," Qonita said.
Qonita's family and friends had doubted her business would take off in Jakarta. "They thought it was too early for Indonesia," she said. But Qonita is proving them wrong.
Leasing problems mean SNCTRY does not have a brick and mortar store at the moment, but all of their smoothie bowls are available on Go-Food. Check their menu on Instagram.
Contact: @snctry on Instagram
2. Nalu Bowls Jakarta
Nalu Bowls first opened in Bali in March 2015. Its Jakarta owner, 39-year-old Ria Maria, said the market for healthy dessert is still growing.
"I don't think smoothie bowls are a passing trend. If it was, it would have died after one or two years. We're going on three years now and business is still good," Ria said.
Nalu Bowls' Kemang shop has miniature surfboards and posters of rolling waves on the wall, a straw-hut kitchen and a clean white interior. Everything geared to give it that chilled out Bali feel.
Nalu Bowls' menu has remained unchanged since 2015 and its six smoothie bowls have become customer favorites. Their best-seller is the Mavericks bowl, which has an acai blend that is not too sweet.
For those who are not a fan of bananas, the Macaronis bowl is the only dish that does not have the yellow fruit blended into the smoothie mix. Instead, you get fresh papayas blended into a zingy sorbet.
Though it now has plenty of competitors in the smoothie bowl scene, Nalu Bowls's rusty aesthetics (check out the real coconut shell bowls) and simple recipes are still unbeatable.
Address: Jalan Kemang Timur 69D, Kemang, South Jakarta
Contact: 082211511984
3. Acai BAR
Acai is a type of berry that grows on a palm tree native to Brazil. Sisters Merlin and Henny traveled around the globe to try different variations of acai bowls before deciding to open their own store in Jakarta.
"A lot of smoothie bowls have tons of fruits inside but only use a bit of acai. Here, everything we do is based on acai," Merlin said.
Slightly smaller than a blueberry, acai is packed with protein, antioxidants and fiber. At Acai BAR, they use imported acai puree with no added sugar.
"Most acai smoothie bowls have either a pale purple or bright purple color. That’s not acai's real color. You want a very deep, dark purple, almost like a brown – the color of the fruit’s skin," Merlin said.
One of the bar's acai bowls is called "Dark Side," an obvious Star Wars pun, and doesn't look like your typical healthy bowl. It has the par-for-the-course granola, almond and banana toppings but also features homemade brownies and a huge dollop of peanut butter.
When the acai blend is scooped with the peanut butter and eaten together, it tastes just like peanut butter and jelly. The brownies are soft and chewy, which makes this dish a true guilty pleasure bowl.
If you want something less sweet, their Rio Loco acai blend is mixed with almond milk instead of apple juice to create a blander taste.
Acai BAR also serves their smoothies as the more traditional drinks. If you don't feel like a smoothie at all, you can also get infused green teas, sorbets or superballs.
Address: Jalan Senopati No. 25, Senopati, South Jakarta
Contact: (021) 29054563
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