Turning over a new leaf: 5 lunch dates with Sequel salads

How many times have you heard your friends say, "I would eat salad if someone made it for me."? Eating healthy is not the easiest thing to do, but can be when someone is making the plan for you. In comes the 5-day salad program by Mumbai-based restaurant Sequel, which features the vegetarian salads, delivered right to your doorstep, fresh and every day. While you can opt to get two or all of them together on a single day and even one every alternate day, the meal is designed to nourish you through a whole week. And that's why I chose to savour my salads from Sequel one day at a time. Plus, I got to document my experience. if you know me at all, you know that I love Noah Centineo, but I love salads more.

Day 1: The first day is always the most promising one. It's when you're feeling your strongest about pulling off a whole week of salad lunches, so it's a great thing that I am beginning this exploration with an avocado and burrata bowl. Tossed with sauerkraut—that Sequel sells by the jar—and lots of mixed salad leaves, it's filling and leafy. I am loving the massive play on textures with the roasted chickpeas and gluten-free croutons (that are baked in-house) adding a solid crunch to my meal. The star though is this big blob of burrata, which is frankly the only indulgence here. Unlike their goat cheese that the restaurant makes from scratch, this one is sourced. All pairing well with the citrusy dressing.

Day 2: Day two for me begins on a brilliant note, because as I look at this salad, I am thinking, "This is definitely my idea of a sunny side up." Charred pieces of orange circle my bowl, which is layered below with brown quinoa, goat cheese and baked butternut squash. I like the salad as a whole but I find myself missing the crunch from yesterday's salad, though this one has walnuts. But something more thoughtful like their housemade almond flour croutons would have been nicer.

Day 3: The energy bowl is one of my already preferred salads on their menu, so naturally day three is looking good. Shredded kale and lettuce form a green base that is given body with sliced avocado, dried berries and almond croutons (they made an appearance again after day one). Though this dish is dominated by salad greens, there are add-ons like sliced peppers and Kashmiri walnuts, all tossed with a sweet-sour dressing. So far, this is my favourite.

Day 4: Today is great because more avocado has arrived in the form of a vitality bowl. Plus, it also has heirloom tomatoes, roasted baby carrots and itsy bitsy microgreens. A special addition of falafel is what's making this leafy bowl truly filling. Instead of a usual chickpeas base, the Sequel falafel is not fried, but instead, it is a mash of baked millet and green peas, which makes it a great healthy addition and also makes eating greens more fun. Well, I am excited to wake up tomorrow and see what's in store for D-day.

Day 5: The last day packs in the best of what the restaurant has. Called wholesome bowl, this one comes with more avocado tossed with lettuce, zoodles, heirloom cherry tomatoes, oven-baked almond-rosemary croutons and shards of parmesan cheese. It's winning my heart because it has arrived fresh, without the ingredients losing their texture or the cheese melting away. As I tuck into my healthy bowl, I find myself thinking about another adage: if you are what you eat, today I am wholesome.