By Claudienne Peterson
~ Vegetarian and gluten-free menu options ~
When you mention food and health in the same sentence, most people lose interest; but not with Avantika. Avantika's fresh Thai cuisine is what the restaurant is loved for. With the island's growing focus on health and fitness, Avantika is letting the public know about their fresh and healthy menu options.
This is nothing new as Thai food is generally known to be healthy, but many don't realise that most of Avantika's menu includes many options for those who are health-conscious, and they definitely want SXM to know all about it. Not only are there vegetarian and vegan options (just let your waiter/waitress know before you order) there are gluten-free options as well.
Health & Beauty was excited to hear all about the menu changes as Avantika is among the top choices of chic restaurants, combined with beautifully presented plates and options that are healthful, gluten-free and vegetarian. It's wonderful that you can go to a chic restaurant, have a fine dining experience AND indulge, without feeling too guilty about your waistline or maybe be worried about a gluten related condition you or a friend may have.
What's more is you can play with these options: keep your plate(s) vegetarian, with sides such as tofu; but if your partner or friends aren't, they can mix and match to add fish, chicken, beef shrimp, duck or pork, so basically, all of Avantika's dishes start out as vegetarian. Everybody can enjoy the vegetarian-based menu with mixing and matching!
If you are vegan, however, Avantika can also accommodate you with various choices. They just need to be informed as the terms vegan and vegetarian are two very different things. Vegan dishes mean no animal or animal-made products whatsoever. Examples of what does NOT go on a vegan plate are fish, mayo, whipped cream and cheese; actually, no dairy products whatsoever – no eggs, no regular gelatine, (or jell-o type products), no sauces containing animal products or products produced by animals. Most vegans will agree to not even have honey as it is produced by bees.
We dined on the delicious, refreshing and colourful Thai Garden Fruit Salad – with a fresh variety of seasonal fruits; baby tangerines, strawberries and sliced green apples tossed with romaine lettuce in Avantika's signature homemade citrus dressing.
For starters, we were served from the cute, delicious and filling Fresh Spring Rolls(limited) wrapped in a rice paper and stuffed with fresh vegetables and rice noodles; these are really popular because they are super tasty, so refreshing and satisfying!
Owner of Avantika, Anish says about the spring rolls, "Nothing about these is fried; it is probably one of the healthiest options we have here." From the Stir-Fry section, we enjoyed the Thai Basil – popular Thai street fare, a combination of Thai chillies, oyster sauce, light and dark soy sauces, Thai basil, peppers and onions. That Thai Basil is out of this world, it ties everything together with the chef's secret sauce that takes six hours to make. Get your rice drunk in that and eat it all up, it really is so good!
Wow! This was heavenly. It was the "tied" favourite of the table along with the Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) – a stir-fry combination of noodles, chillies, basil and citrus.
Beautiful on the inside and outside; not only do the plates look and taste fabulous; you don't have to worry about frozen vegetables; freshness is not an issue; everything is made from scratch, and the staff is very prepared to accommodate you.
What else does everybody love about Avantika besides their Fresh Thai cuisine? Their choice of indoor and outdoor seating; air-conditioned indoor, smoke-free environment and breezy outdoor seating for any mood, also their homemade infused vodkas and teas!
Now get out and enjoy Avantika's Vegetarian & Gluten Free dishes. They are available for those who prefer no meat or have dietary restrictions, they cater to any pallet. This was so good that we are coming for dessert next time!
Avantika is located on Welfare Road, at Puerta Del Sol in Simpson Bay. Avantika is open for lunch on Monday-Friday 12:00 noon-3:00pm; for dinner 5:30-10:00pm; and Friday and Saturday 5:30-11:00pm. Contact info: 584-1444 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
