Real Fruit Smoothies at WindMill and Dinner Desert at Bovella's

Thanks to my reader Nora for pointing out that you can actually get real fruit smoothies in Westfield, at a place that is somewhat unexpected: The WindMill Restaurant.
Curious about that, I decided to check this out today. I went to the local WindMill several years ago when we moved to Westfield and I wasn't impressed at all: Unremarkable fast food, in a basic slightly run-down environment at rather high prices (compared to other fast food chains). At the time, I was wondering how long they would survive. Today, they are still there, so there must be something peculiar about them why their customers come back. I guess I need to go there for lunch or dinner to check it out again. Maybe the food did get better.
But let's not talk about the regular food at WindMill. Let's talk about the smoothies. Considering that Smoothies are not WindMill's core competence, I didn't have the same expectations that I would have for Planet Smoothie or Jamba Juice. Starting with that standard, I was not disappointed. Meaning, the smoothie was actual not bad (for a fast food joint).
To be clear, it was a far cry from what you would get at a smoothie chain both in terms of refinement of taste and in terms of the right texture, i.e. the smoothness. The smoothies are not listed at the web site menu, so I assume they maybe a specialty for the Westfield location.
I got the "Very Berry" smoothie. The person behind the counter is clearly not making smoothies all day long. First he had to check the instruction for a long time to figure out what to put into the mix, then he got confused where the ingredients were actually located. After he finally also navigating some difficulties operating the blender, I eventually got my smoothie. The large one for $4.99 is a reasonable deal.
The fruit is not fresh nor fresh frozen, it rather essentially canned fruit. But that is actually OK. The final product is slightly watery (probably because they put a lot of ice in there) and the taste is a bit unbalanced. The acidity of the fruit is a bit too noticeable. The smoothness of the texture clearly has quite some room for improvement, but it is smooth enough to be called a Smoothie, and the blender technology maybe a reason for this.
And, no, you can't get an "Immunity boost" or "Acai" supplement. The guy would be totally confused.

On my way home I passed by at Bovella's and have to report some good news. They are now open till 9:00 PM Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The idea of having dinner in more "European" style, i.e. app and main dish in a restaurant, then take a stroll through town or through the park and then enjoy your desert a bit later at a different place, actually appeals to me. And the pastry items at Bovella's are mostly between good and outstanding. With the upgraded coffee and the availability of espresso drinks, they could become a real desert after dinner destination.

Will they allow "Bring your own desert wine"?

Signing Off - The Westfield Blogger.