The Nimble Network: Fittie Sense

Fittie sense cafe

We sat down with Victor and Su, Founders of Fittie Sense with the mission to make
wholesome, tasty and FUNCTIONAL fit foods from fresh ingredients.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onEzPOO5eII]

In the busy and bustling town of Bangsar - home of many brunch, dessert cafes & bars, lies a cozy, healthy hideout! We sat down with Victor & Su, Founders of Fittie Sense which is on a mission to make wholesome, tasty and FUNCTIONAL fit-foods from fresh ingredients. Both are advocates of living a fit and healthy life. Su is a yoga instructor & hails all the way from Penang while Victor is the owner of another successful cafe, Tray Cafe.

Tell us about yourselves!

Vic: I practice intermittent fasting, I eat within a 7-hour window (2-8.30pm) based on my hours at work. Around 2pm, I start eating fruits first, to get my digestion up and running first and some caffeine to get me awake. After 2pm, when the lunch crowd has died down and things are quiet at Fittie Sense, I hop on over to the gym for 1 and 1/2 hours, doing some metabolic conditioning. I strategize by eating foods that are high in nutritional value and high in calorie value like granola, oats and nuts. Local produce also has high nutritional value, you don't have to have the pricey imported stuff like kale. Local spinach, bok choy are high in nutritional value. It's all about curating a nutritional plan that fits your lifestyle and budget.

Su: Both of us have been in the F&B background for a couple years now. I always try to make a conscious decision to eat clean in my meals at home. I practice yoga every day and I'm a certified yoga instructor. I've always been interested in how to mesh fitness and nutrition together and Fittie Sense was kind of the result. We try to incorporate what we already do at home. Trying to fix my own digestive issues, I started to make my own water kefir and milk kefir (which is rich in probiotics and good bacteria) to heal myself. This was what inspired the GUT BAR corner at Fittie Sense.

*"We make our own kefir drinks and fermented products like kimchi. Here, we focus on good eating & fit food"* *- Su*

Su: It's not just drinking juices and eating salads; it's about making purposeful, targeted & sensible decisions about what you put into your body.

As I am pregnant, I try to incorporate a variety of nutritional foods. In terms of cravings, take a bit of what your body might want, but all in moderation. No grains, and a simple diet. HIIT sprinting 3 times a week, swimming and I rock climb once a week. Keeping active in the beginning of my pregnancy really helped and I'm also learning a pre-post natal yoga teacher training course. Also, do what your body is used to. I don't recommend taking kefir if it's your first time being pregnant but continue doing it if you've been doing it regularly. It might have been the reason why I never had issues with morning sickness.

Victor: My first cafe Tray Cafe in Plaza Damas is about wholesome food that is cooked fresh using local produce. For about 4 1/2 years, Su Mei would come every day for salad and slowly we became friends. While at Tray it had come to my attention that the majority of people that come in are sensitive to wheat based food and tend to complain about getting sleepy or bloated after eating. Hence why Fittie Sense uses wholesome ways of cooking and replaces processed ingredients with healthier and fitter options.

Congratulations Su on your pregnancy! Since you are currently expecting, are there any recommended nutritional steps you take?

If I wanted something more comforting, a mixture of basmati, quinoa and buckwheat is my go to for congee/porridge
If I didn't have an appetite for raw vegetables I would opt to make one pot meals so it's included in stews.
Bone broth that contains collagen in the bone marrow. Yes! We serve them at Fittie Sense too. (team ABN agrees this is altogether the best go-to comfort food)
Doing Yoga while you're pregnant really helps!

"Being creative is a big key, like finding alternatives to processed-sugar such as dates and prunes. Make for cakes & treats that are delicious, still sweet but more wholesome for your body!" - Vic

Could you share with us more about the type of food you serve at Fittie Sense, what sets you apart?

We're trying to get people to think that eating healthy is more than just eating your typical salad (their zucchini pasta is an excellent example of this!). We think of food as being functional, one of the ways we achieve that is to bring in the probiotics and the fermented food.

It compliments our fitness-focussed food in terms of rebalancing our health. For us, it's the first step towards a better and healthier lifestyle. Our food is very wholesome but familiar; there are a lot of options. We believe in an active lifestyle to compliment our fitness goals. So, food to us is a way of kick starting a healthy lifestyle.

"instead of using mashed potatoes in our Shepherd’s pie, we used sweet potato mash because it has more fibre and vitamins."

- Victor

Vic: #fitnessnotfatness We don't subscribe to any particular diet but our menu caters to a few diets like Vegan, Paleo. We accept that there are different foods that you can eat to achieve your fitness goals. We believe that you don't have to give up too much you just have to be sensible about what you choose to eat. For example, we don't tell you that you should cut out fat and meat, but what is more important is choosing the right kind of fats and meat. Being creative is a big key, like finding processed-sugar alternatives such as dates and prunes.

If you don't have time or headspace to be creative at home, there's where we come in! We can help do the thinking for you in creating the dishes we have.

*A cozy corner with the view of Telawi's busy streets, Fittie Sense provides a children & family-friendly space.*

What would you recommend if someone wants to start a nutritional plan?

We approach healthy, balanced-eating from a cook's point of view. How do I create dishes that are complete nutritionally, with proteins and vegetables with carbs? We give them suggestions like having fewer dairy products but be disciplined about it. Try it for 4-5 days because it's trial and error. In general, we are very happy to talk to customers to help.

"Our vegetables are sourced from Cameron Highlands itself."

-Victor

"We try to incorporate what we already do at home. Trying to fix my own issues, I came up with the Gut Bar (which is rich in probiotics and good bacteria) to heal myself."

- Su

*Fittie Sense's daily special (off the menu) changes every week on the board.*

Are there any new/secret/special dish in the menu we should know about?

We are working on new add ons for better options. As a family oriented place, we would love to introduce a variety of baby food along with yummy and nutritional nut butters (hazelnut, cacao butter, pink salt & honey) which helps to preserve the item. Perhaps we will explore flavours like almond butter and green tea matcha.

*Keffir Sodas & Coffee are served too! We personally tried the hot chocolate and it is divine.*

Whats on Fittie Sense's menu?

We label all our items on the menu, which are friendly towards certain diets, what's low in sugar if someone's borderline diabetic. We offer gluten-free meals or for those who are lactose intolerant. We also have meals for post workouts that are high in protein.

Location of cafe?

We are located in Bangsar on Jalan Telawi 3, the same row as Alexis & Inside Scoop, on the First Floor above OJO Coffee. Click here for their facebook page + location.

Available parking
You can park at the available parking slots or at the public carparks or in Bangsar Village II for your convenience.

Pricing $ out of $

Fittie sense cafe