From the spa, I proceed to the clinic for my capillary scan and live blood analysis. Although I don’t notice much damage from my mostly meat diet and late nights, the blood doesn’t lie. The doctors remark that my blood is one of the palest they’ve seen, indicating iron deficiency and lack of sleep. The cells are clumpy, most likely due to dehydration. I am horrified and make a vow to drink eight glasses of water as soon as I step out of the clinic.
Dinnertime arrives soon enough. I can’t wait to see what’s on today’s specials. Throughout my stay, I order the five-course meal every mealtime, yet I never bloat nor feel heavy.
The meal starts with a very light (read: guiltless) avocado tomato tartar, followed by a Provencal vegetable soup whose clear, flavorful broth makes me want to stretch out and purr like a satisfied cat. The “interactive” salad consists of romaine lettuce leaves tied into bundles with nori wrapper. Its accompanying shallot dressing is creamy and mildly piquant. I try to eat as much greens as I can but the serving size is more than I can muster.
I take a few bites of the mains sampler, the zucchini package filled with carrot pate and the grilled vegetable napoleon on millet and sweet potato polenta, and wish I could have more but the next course is dessert, for which I want to leave enough space.
Alive! Restaurant does desserts so well and I am not disappointed. The mocha chocolate layer cake is velvety, the chocolate taste lingering in my tongue even after the mouthful melts. I feel a slight guilt as the French couple at a nearby table stares at this layered glory on my plate while they sip their ration of soup as part of their detox program. I hesitate about finishing the cake but it is simply too good to waste.
I order hot basil tea to assist my digestion before I retire to my room and drift off to a long, restful sleep.
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