Mr Foodie Prep Fitness Kitchen opened its doors just a few weeks ago at 22 Bath Street next to Yiamas Greek Taverna where Asmaan Indian restaurant used to be. It has a bright shiny interior and is fast food in style but in a new concept for Glasgow it’s HEALTHY fast food!
Perhaps think of it like a healthier version of Subway with a “build your meal” menu structured around super salads, baked sweet potatoes, good carb sandwiches and egg white omelettes with the ability to add whichever proteins, carbs, vegetables and side sauces you’d like to add from the selection (there ‘s also a sheet of daily specials.). Calorie, protein, carb and fat content of each item is listed on the menu so you can keep tabs on what you’re eating which is ideal for anyone on a diet or who is trying to build up muscle.
We weren’t really sure what to have so let staff make a few suggestions based on what we liked and here’s what we came up with…
I had a superfoods salad (£5.95) with lean roast beef (£2.25), and it was certainly lean but I actually prefer a good bit of fat on my beef. All the greens were fresh and there was a good mix of them. Presentation-wise though it looked like the beef wasn’t really part of the dish – I was expecting it to be cut up and served within the salad itself but from a taste point of view it was perfectly fine and certainly healthy tasting.
I also ordered the smashed yams (£1.25) from the Carbs section and these came on a separate plate. I wasn’t sold on them though, they’re similar to potatoes so they were quite dry on their own, what they really needed was a good dollop of butter which then defeats the intended purpose of trying to eat good carbs with low-fat and low calories (the yams already have the highest calorie count from the Carbs section), however they do have a selection of side sauces and I neglected to pick any, so I’d suggest picking a sauce with your meal (these cost 75p each). I also washed this course down with a No Pain, No Peanut Butter shake consisting of peanut butter, berry why, blueberry and skimmed milk (£3.95) which was really lovely.
Mr.P had the chilli humus with tomato and red onion sweet baked potato (£5.95) with chicken breast for protein (£2.25) and like my dish the presentation wasn’t the most appealing with the chicken and potato sitting apart but it all tasted pretty good and some sauce was ordered with this one.
The protein pancakes (£4.95) had stood out on the menu when we got there so we both ordered some after our mains. I went for banana & chocolate while Mr.P had the strawberry, mango & coconut. It was a pretty hefty portion each, 3 thick pancakes covered in sauce and fruit. The chocolate sauce tasted “healthy” but importantly still tasted like chocolate. If you want extras they also have agave syrup, peanut butter and greek yogurt but neither of us could finish them as they were. We had a cup of bullet proof coffee (£3.50) to go with these, I think this is the first time I’ve seen it in Glasgow and it was actually pretty good – it’s 100% arabica coffee with coconut oil and grass-fed unsalted butter. They also sell a sporty herbal tea for £2.50.
So overall, Prep Fitness Kitchen is something a bit different, catering to those counting the calories, body building or just those who want to know exactly what they’re putting in their body. You can tailor your meal to be protein or carb heavy and produce was all fresh and non-greasy – a rarity for a fast food joint in Glasgow and a welcome addition to an area full of chains and chippies. The portions were also big and after our two courses we were stuffed. The only downsides were the presentation and dry yam but that’s perhaps my fault for not picking a sauce. Service was very fast and staff were happy to make suggestions. Toilets were not checked but I’m sure they were clean and shiny!
If you work in or around this area of town then this is a good spot for a quick healthy lunch. It’s also not far from Queen St station and just off Buchanan and Sauchiehall Street.
TL;DR
+ healthy fast food – something lacking in Glasgow
+ high-protein filling food
+ pancakes were really good
+ they sell bullet-proof coffee
+ service was quick, staff were friendly and helpful
+ central location, handy for buses and Queen St station
– won’t win any awards for presentation
– yam was dry
More info here: www.facebook.com/prepglasgow
Disclaimer: we were invited in to try Prep Fitness Kitchen for the purpose of review and we consider this an accurate reflection of the visit.
