Keep up Your New Year's Resolutions with Nooxo's Grain Bowls and Smoothies

If, like me, you're one of the many people aiming to eat healthier in the new year after the excesses of the festive season or even trying out a food-related challenge such as Whole30 or Veganuary, then you'll be happy to hear about another healthy dining option to add to your rotation. Located in Chunxiu Lu dining destination Yu 育膳房 (or The Crib, as we are used to calling it), new concept Nooxo does just that, serving a range of dairy-free (and often plant-based and gluten-free) soups, grain bowls, and smoothies.

RELATED: Chunxiu Lu Just Got 20 Times Tastier With the Opening of The Crib

Nooxo's food is based on the principles of vegan dining but this is not hair-shirt-wearing, punish-yourself-for-your-carnivorous-excesses healthy food: They aim to make plant-based dining tasty and appealing to even the most ardent of carnivores.

Founder Jay himself admits to not being a big fan of vegetables, so he wanted to create food that would appeal to people like him. The dishes were developed over a series of months by a Colombian chef who works for one of Australia's best-known vegan restaurants. Jay, who also hails from Colombia, explains that the name Nooxo is taken from the name of an indigenous tribe that inhabit the banks of Amazon as it runs through Colombia.

I sampled a couple of the Nooxo bowls across several visits. Priced at RMB 45 (pretty much on a par with eateries like Moka Bros and Tribe Organic), all of the bowls are vegetarian or can easily be made vegan by simply removing toppings such as eggs. However, as Jay said, carnivores are not left out, either: there is an option to add grilled chicken (RMB 12) or grilled beef (from Inner Mongolia, RMB 18) to any of the bowls. My favorite of the bunch was undoubtedly the Lentilnator, a base of red rice and coix seed (also known as Job's tears) topped with cooked lentils, peppers, semi-dried tomatoes, guacamole, and a poached egg. Certainly visually appealing, I liked the slightly Mexican inspired flavor of this bowl.

I also tried the Grainbow (pictured in lead image), featuring quinoa, brown rice, coix seed, guacamole, kale, broccoli, corn, pickled lotus root, raisins, mixed seeds, and lemon dressing. The crunchy lotus root is a genius idea - crispy and slightly astringent against the hearty ingredients - and the sautéed kale was among the tastiest I've ever had.

Nooxo offers a daily changing soup, a small portion of which can be paired with a bowl for just RMB 10 extra (a full-size portion of soup is RMB 18). Both the corn and lemongrass and carrot and coriander versions are tasty and creamy, a texture achieved through the use of coconut cream rather than dairy cream. At that price, it's hard to complain about anything. 

Finally, there are seven smoothies to choose from, like the grains bowls all priced at a standard price, here RMB 35. I tried the Kahiki, a tasty blend of mango, pineapple, goji berries, and coconut, although I hear from friends that the Hulk (avocado, banana, dates, spinach/kale, soy milk, and black sesame) is the one to bet on. For RMB 5 extra that Hulk smoothie can be turned into a smoothie bowl, a bigger portion topped with dried banana, Nooxo's homemade granola, and sesame seeds. 

I'll admit, eating healthily in the Beijing winter months can be a challenge, the frigid temperatures making big hulking portions of carbs (Lanzhou lamian, anyone?) much more appealing than virtuous vegetables, but Nooxo's bright, sunny offerings make it just that little bit easier.

More stories by this author here.

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Photos: Robynne Tindall, dianping.com