MyWellness RD

Bolay Opens in Wellington with “Make-Your-Own” Fresh Flavorful Bowls 

Created by Outback co-founder and internationally-recognized restaurateur Tim Gannon and his son Chris Gannon, Bolay is taking a fast casual approach to fresh and flavorful food that invigorates the palate, inviting diners to build bowls packed with nutrient rich foods and tasty proteins.

All images appearing in this post photographed by Holli Lapes, property of My Wellness RD, LLC

Chef Martin Oswald, a former protégé of Wolfgang Puck, helped curate Bolay’s menu. As chef of the popular Colorado Pyramid Bistro, he is known for drawing on his European roots by infusing a philosophy of holistic, nutrient-rich food into delectable art.  Together with the Gannon’s New Orleans roots, they built flavor profiles around this sentiment and the passion for food.

“We are innovating the build your own bowl experience, and pairing it with refreshing cold-pressed juices, infused teas & local craft beer and wine.” Says Tim Gannon. Aside from the beer, the restaurant is otherwise gluten free.

Guests have the option of selecting from a variety of Bases for their bowl including Gluten-Free Cilantro Noodles, Peruvian Quinoa, Marinated Kale & Currant Salad, vegetables such as Smoky Cauliflower and Maple Roasted Butternut Squash. The proteins include Ponzu Tuna, Caribbean Spiced Steak, Lemon Chicken and Tofu. To top it off, guests can choose from an assortment of sauces including Cilantro Pesto, Spicy Thai, Lemongrass Tamari, among others. Bolay will also offer a variety of Side Add-Ons including their Minted Tomatoes, Goat Cheese Crumbles and Parmesan cheese.

Custom Bowl with Steak, Chicken, Kale, Rice and Cauliflower and Fresh Herbs

The ingredients Bolay guests choose from to build bowl lunches and dinners blend tastes from other cultures and exotic spices from around the world.

Custom Bowl with Tuna, Tomatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Forbidden Rice and Butternut Squash

Interestingly, the goal at Bolay does not necessarily seem to be to produce meals that are low in calories. Rather, the restaurant concentrates on whole foods that are seasoned/prepared well to make them palatable to the average person. For example, the brussels sprouts are prepared with some bacon for added flavor.  While overall one does not want to over consume their daily calorie intake, I find it a bit outdated to waste time on calorie counting (for some people this method works i.e. weight watchers). Therefore, I agree that the focus should be on wholesome foods such as lean meats, vegetables, fruit and high protein + high fiber grains (such as the forbidden rice served at Bolay). If the goal is to increase vegetable intake, then why not make them taste good?

14 Karat – carrot, pineapple, turmeric and cardamom

Samples of all the cold pressed juices, greens and dairy free milks

During my visit to Bolay I was really impressed with the attention to detail. Cool factoid: there is a hand washing station that guests can use while on line/ before approaching the assembly serve station. General Manager Justin Brady was very accommodating throughout my visit. I believe that his enthusiasm for Bolay and for the concept that the team has created will help ensure the success of this restaurant.

Currently, Bolay is not exclusively serving organic, non-gmo and local ingredients. However, the Bolay team is actively meeting with local farmers and sampling potential ingredients while at the same time considering cost. It is important for Bolay to keep the food priced affordably to accommodate the customer base and to stay in line with the fast casual concept. While I am personally an advocate of organic, non-gmo and local foods – I agree with the rationale. It is first and foremost extremely important to make nutritious foods more accessible to the population which can translate to, in part, keeping it affordable. That being said, research has demonstrated that organic, local foods have higher nutritional value when compared to their conventional counterparts. Nevertheless, what Bolay is doing is a fantastic move in the right direction – especially here in South Florida.

Bolay intends on expanding and becoming a national brand with no current franchise plan in place. I am excited to see when and where the next Bolay will open!

Bolay on social media:

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Tweet on Twitter: https://twitter.com/eatbolay

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Holli Lapes, RD, LD/N is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist in South Florida. Holli is the founder of The South Florida Sage (http://thesoflasage.com/) a food & drink blog featuring culinary experiences from the Miami, Broward and Palm Beach area.

All images appearing in this post photographed by Holli Lapes, property of My Wellness RD, LLC

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary meal from Bolay.