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Fuel
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- None
6 reviews for Fuel
The good news is the food at this joint is not bad. My boyfriend had the acorn squash soup and the salmon something-or-other wrap. I had the Thai chicken wrap (mine was not dry as my fellow reviewer, Heather K's, was) . Everything was decent, and the soup was actually a stand-out.
Now for the bad news. The concept of everything being under 500 calories is a SHAM. As fellow reviewer jay d. mentions, the caloric count on sandwiches DO NOT take bread into account. This is actually sort of weird, if you think about it. If you can't make 3 ounces of chicken breast and some sprouts or whatever come out to less than 500 calories, you have issues. No duh, right? Then you add a huge wheat roll and the thing shoots up to above 500 calories, doesn't it?
Also, the place doesn't serve sodas, but it does serve Diet Snapple. So, I can kill myself with nutrasweet in a diet iced tea, but not a Diet Coke. What is that all about?
And the decor of the place.... What can I say about the decor? I felt like I was back in South Beach with all the neon-on-black, but I can't decide if I like the fact that the place sticks out like a sore thumb on my dumpy Passyunk Ave. My South Philly friends looked so out of place there, like they had just crawled out from under a rock. I wanted to send them to a tanning salon or something!
I was not impressed with the first meal I ordered from this establishment, (sweet pea wonton, thai chicken wrap which was extremely dry, and a green tea matcha smoothie which was more ice than anything else), but this past Friday I figured "what the heck" and ordered take-out with some ladies in the office.
The I Don't Want NO BREAD (grilled portabella mushrooms stuffed with bulgar, chopped peppers, zucchini, onions, and pine nuts served with baby arugula) was absolutely delicious and very filling. And the Protein Buster Smoothie? Peanut butter, honey, banana, skim milk, and protein powder made for a winning combination. I couldn't stop raving about it!
The three stars is just a combined scoring of my first two experiences. I will provide an updated review as we order from there again.
i like the concept of this place, though i would be shocked if anything we ordered really turned out to be under 500 calories. the menu lists calories for each item, and reads "**all calories are estimates based on http://thedailyplate.com and do not include your choice of bread**" i don't care about the calories, but if you're reading this you probably do, so pay attention.
the charred corn guacamole was good, but the chips that came with it were too salty. the sweat pea wonton is a dip that comes served with fried (they were greasy) wonton wrappers. the green pea puree was so salty i couldn't eat it, and my dining victim, who loves salt, also called it salty, but ate it anyway.
vegetarians: we were going to order the soy chicken lettuce wraps appetizer, but our very cool server pointed out that they're not actually made with faux chicken. rather, it's grilled chicken cooked in soy sauce. surprise!
the skewered greek salad (advertised at 200 calories) came with 3 huge chunks of feta, olives, and a dressing described by my dining partner in crime as "oily." but she said she liked it.
the grilled vegetable panini was ok, but really? 150 calories even without the bread? there was a fair amount of cheese and oil in there. i think i'd like this place a lot better if it were believable (and the prices reflected the advertised calorie amount.)
overall the vibe is mtv fun and south philly rolled up into one, complete with kylie minogue videos on small tv screens, and our server was awesome (at one point she remarked "aw i didn't get you guys drinks?! that's a sin!") when i asked her to wrap the 2nd half of my panini, she took it away and rocco came back out with it and was like "yo, you couldn't finish the freakin' sandwich?!" he was probably thinking to himself, chicks come in here and order 4 of these and this p#%sy didn't even get to the second half.." haha... oh well.
the juice bar looks great, although i didn't order anything this time around, i will definitely be back to try the hulk, the detox and the swine flu buster. this place definitely has potential, but i'd like to see more apps and a lighter hand with the salt and oil bottle. to really knock it out of the park they should consult with a nutritionist during menu planning, rather than using the guesstimate system based off of http://thedailyplate.com.
I really like this place. The food was really tasty and filling. I was nervous that the food was going to taste blend and too healthy and I would leave hungry since everything on the menu is under 500 calories. I was wrong, everything was great! I tried one of the appetizer specials which was a grilled avocado with cucumbers and tomatoes. This was awesome. Everything tasted so fresh and I never though of grilling an avocado. Its a great way to incorporate avocado's into the colder months since I normally think of avocados in the summer. For my main course I went with the grilled chicken sandwich which had sharp provolone, artichokes, a sun dried tomato spread and a balsamic reduction. This sandwich was good but not great. I wish there was more artichokes and the chicken needed salt. My dining companion had the TBM with pesto. This was banging, there was so much flavor.
Overall I had a good time. The waitress was so nice and Rocco, the chef was super cool as well. You can tell he loves what he is doing and is very passionate. I would recommend Fuel for lunch more so then dinner. When I think of salads and sandwiches I think of lunch more than dinner. Maybe a couple entrees would change my mind. I think this place would kill for breakfast. Rocco said once he catches up on sleep he's doing breakfast! I can't wait! They also have a juice and coffee bar that looks really good but I brought a bottle of wine instead!
Love this place. The food could not be fresher. Rocco is a real talent. The soups are remarkable, and the pumpkin chessecake is one of the best desserts I have ever had.
The staff is also one of the friendliest and kindest in Philadelphia. No one could wrong here.
My fiance and I decided that we were tired of eating all of the fatty greasy stuff that was available for delivery around us, and then I remembered that there was this new place Fuel less than a block away which featured meals that are all under 500 calories. As we both agreed that we should eat healthier we decided to give it a try. the place itself is sparsely decorated and they had little flat screen TVs on the wall playing the music videos of the music that was playing in the restaurant, mid you too loud. the menu is surprising, I was thinking that if it is under 500 calories how could they have that many choices, but they do. Starters, salads, paninis or wraps, plus they have daily specials and desserts.
We opted for the soy chicken lettuce wraps, the tuna and arugula salad, and the Thai chicken wrap. The food was very good and fresh. I was surprised that it was so good and still under 500 calories.
I would give fuel 5 stars but there are two reasons why I can't.
1) The prices. Our soy chicken wraps were $7.95 for three wraps. Now I know they need to keep it under 500 calories but I think maybe taking off a dollar or two would help. Still it was very tasty.
2) The ambiance in the restaurant itself. The owner and chef Rocco Cima who is also a DJ at Q102 wants the place to have an LA type vibe, that's fine, but for me the place did not seem that inviting, and the music was a little too loud.
On the good side:
The food was very good
Chef Rocco has a very good idea and I hope it takes off
The staff that we met, including Chef Rocco were very friendly.
So if you are looking for a good low calorie meal served up fast and good check out Fuel, just be prepared to pay a little more for some of the items then you would want to spend. Other than that this place is great.
