“What do you understand about organic food?” this is what Caroline, our host and manager at Bridges Organic Restaurant asked my colleague and I. We struggled to put exactly what we thought into the right words but she responded perfectly, reassuring our notions about what organic food is and introduced another buzzword, “certified”.
“Organic food doesn’t have any additives. It’s been farmed without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or artificial products from agrovets. Only natural products are used to ensure healthy growth of the produce,” Caroline highlights. “In the case of Bridges Organic Restaurant, we’ve gone a step further. We ensure all our farmers are certified, organic farmers. Before we receive produce, we send a team to carry out tests on the soil’s pH and in the case of poultry ensure that they’re completely free-range. They’re then issued with a certificate as a verification of the quality of their produce,” she adds.
As organic food rises in popularity and conscious eating becomes a growing food trend, more consumers are appreciating healthy food and the effort it takes to have that kind of food. “It takes patience to bring such products to a restaurant. Most restaurateurs don’t have that patience since it would mean more money lost,” reiterates Precious, the manager of Bridges Organic store which sells organic groceries directly to clients who want organic products that they can cook with at home.
Up until recently, organic food wasn’t exactly considered ‘fancy’. So how does Bridges Organic Restaurant make the food flavourful to restaurant patrons considering the sea of eye-catching fast food joints in the city? “Surprisingly, organic food has been proven to be tastier given how it is produced without additives. Our menu is also quite dynamic; we have items like brown rice pilau and hibiscus iced tea. Creativity entices people to try out organic food. Kienyeji chicken is known to be very tough and chewy so we have our chef who uses special marinade to tenderize it. These are some of the different ways we play around with food,” says Caroline.
It gets more impressive at Bridges Organic. Not only do they go all out to ensure they source authentic organic food, but they also have an in-house nutritionist who is always there to answer any dietary questions and sells meal plans for those who want assistance on healthy eating. Managing her time between the two Bridges Organic Restaurants (one on Standard Street and one on Tubman Road) can be a challenge so she has an assistant located at one each time.
If you checked our Instagram stories, you probably saw our feature on the items we enjoyed; from hibiscus iced tea to smoothies, baked samosas and Swahili coconut chicken and brown rice pilau. If you try these dishes, we’re sure you will love them and make sure to tag along with a friend and introduce them to healthy eating.
Having busy workdays and can’t get time to head to the restaurant for a meal? Order your lunch from them through Glovo and Uber Eats. You won’t regret it.
