CookSmart (14th Issue) Page10

EatSmart Restaurants Snaps

Fruit Magazine

To Serve a Healthy, Simple Meal

When one thinks about dining in a sandwich or hamburger shop, the big names of those fast food chains may be the first ones to come to mind. Nevertheless, a number of Hong Kong-style sandwich shops have sprung up over the past few years offering healthy and delicious sandwiches.

Fresh and Delicious Sandwiches

Founded eight years ago in Tuen Mun, Fruit Magazine offers quality light meals such as sandwiches, fresh juices, grilled potatoes, soups and pasta dishes and has become a favourite among “office ladies” and students in the vicinity. Following its own formula of success, the restaurant has opened up a branch in a hospital in Kowloon City.

Mr. Ben WONG, a partner of the restaurant, says, “We believe that the sandwich shop business has a lot of potential for growth. We also share the mission to serve healthy and delicious light meals to our customers. All our food is freshly prepared from fresh ingredients, and served with home-made sauces.” Yet he has noted that success is not easy to come by. “We are dedicated to serving our customers with wholesome meals at reasonable prices. We have gradually built up a loyal and frequent clientele.”

Cooked to Order

Since its establishment, the Fruit Magazine has served only fresh food cooked to order. Ben says, “To better serve our customers, we usually serve vegetables within two hours after they have been washed. To avoid wastage, we also keep a close eye on the level of arriving stock.” The restaurant also uses seasonal fruits, which are cheaper and easily available. Their hot dishes are mainly grilled food, which has a reduced salt and oil content.

From his observation, Ben has found that the customers visiting their Kowloon City branch are more health conscious. He says, “Some customers come to us and ask if our juices are freshly squeezed, or whether the juices contain added sugar. They will send the food back, for instance, if it contains too much butter or sauce.”

As the restaurant’s mission closely matches that of the "EatSmart@restaurant.hk Campaign”, it joined the scheme some four years ago. Ben is of the opinion that the campaign serves as an accreditation programme, which helps the customers make healthier food choices.