STREET STORYSS
You won’t find a more eclectic range of rich Asian flavours, or one that will leave you for wanting more! As the name suggests, the restaurant – serves popular vegetarian street foods from across Asia – offering a menu consisting largely of sharing plates. The menu features some of the most popular street foods from Tibet, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and India of course.

Located conveniently on Double road in Indiranagar, the decor is a minimalistic modern, and diners share large picnic tables, adding to the informal feel. They have recently started to serve an indulgent afternoon teatime special on weekdays, besides an array of light and dainty bites. Expect platters of savoury treats, from crispy Kale with a Ponzu saunth to sublime and soulful Dal Muradabadi. A favourite amongst diners are the Rasagulla Chenna Chaat and Jamun chaat, both of which of a myriad flavours and textures in each mouthful.

This is one restaurant we would love to recommend without hesitation, as there will be something for everyone in its combination of Street foods from around Asia – a little bit of everything and add to the fact that the dishes tantalise one’s taste buds, is enough to go every so often.

Where: 3155, Srinivasan Towers, Opp Thomsun Music, Double Road, Bangalore, Karnataka 560038.
For reservations, call: 098109 46339.

QUATTRO
Discerning Bangalore diners can be quite demanding. There are those who want innovative flavours and textures. Food that is edgy…and a handful of restaurants have re-incorporated the concept of Molecular Gastronomy into their menus. These dishes feature stylised ideas which may seem to be something familiar, but in a completely different format. Quattro Bangalore, a restaurant situated in the heart of town on Convent Road offer Vegan and Jain options. The Executive chef has created dishes that are a unique fusion of familiar foods from Italian and Tex-Mex cuisine – mixing different elements, like East meets West, that is truly Quattro Style. It’s all about making a new taste sensation with the added bonus of show elements, and that is the difference. It is the showcase of elements that are expensive to create and requires a fair amount of skill.

Most of the dishes at Quattro have that Instagrammable edge to them. There is a bit of showmanship in the visual presentation, which requires creativity and a lot of work by their ingenious test kitchen. There is almost always a surprise element in every dish presented.

Can I describe the experience to you? Unfortunately NO, you must go and try it out for yourself, but what we can guarantee is that, there will be some magic, a little bit of whimsy and a whole lot of gastronomical fun. Our tip would be to go in a largish group, so you can sample more dishes.

Where: 18 Richmond Town, Convent Road, Near Residency Road, Bangalore, Karnataka 560025. Call: 91-93539 40395.

JUSTBE CAFÉ
With the continuous rise of sustainable eating, vegan and vegetarian restaurants are becoming popular world over. Our local health food expert Nidhi Nahata has taken it one step further and introduced probably the first one of its kind in India restaurant – JustBe Cafe, a whole-plant based resto-cafe with a unique collaboration of wellness and holistic lifestyle.

They have recently reopened and have a launched a great new menu featuring exciting new and old favorites. Their Superfood bowls are interesting and wholesome; one can also purchase freshly baked breads. The exciting new menu is centered around dishes that are nutritious, sustainable, nourishing and enlightening – but above all, it is oil and sugar free.

If you are lucky, you will run into Nidhi who conducts sound therapy and other alternative healing methods to soothe the soul and mind. While you partake in the delicious, guilt-free and incredibly innovative dishes, you must ask her about her food ethos. What we love about JustBe Cafe is that it promises to be sustainable, ethical; modern also delivers when it comes to flavour. This is the kind of place you could happily eat at without even realising it is vegan, which we are willing to bet a lot of people have done and have thoroughly enjoyed.

Where: Justbe Cafe, 383/31, 13th Cross, Sadashivnagar, Bangalore – 560 080. Call: 080 48538672.

SANTE SPA CUISINE
When you love a restaurant & its food so much, what do you do? You land up there every single time you crave food that is good for your soul. The food at Sante Spa is not only flavourful, but also soulful.

Try their Spinach mungo hemp chowder, Beetroot & spinach hummus, Fresh fruit & nut bhel, Asian quinoa raw papaya salad, Chlorophyll dim sum on red curry & Roasted sweet potato tikki chaat. Each of the dishes are bursting with fresh and exciting flavours.

For the mains, don’t miss the healthy yet delicious thin crust Pizza Verde on gluten-free ragi base & a Sour dough ala greque Pizza. If you liked their hemp chowder, then here’s another hemp-based dish on the menu that you’ll love – the Zucchini zoodles with hemp pesto.

Hemp is Super rich in Omega 3 & 6, has high protein, making it a great source of plant-based protein. Hemp seeds are also rich in vitamin E & minerals. Sante Spa Cuisine is the only restaurant serving hemp in Bangalore & the Hemp they use is totally legal as it is under the 0.3% THC, which makes it completely healthy & safe. The Hemp Hearts are also Keto friendly. They buy hemp from a legal company.

The Chocolate matcha truffle forest is a light dessert to end your healthy lunch. Santé Spa Cuisine in Indiranagar is driven by philosophies of clean & mindful eating. A meal at Sante Spa Cuisine will leave you with the feeling that you did something right for yourself, as you binge guilt free, yet full of pleasures and goodness that is great for your body, heart & most importantly your soul. Now everytime you’re craving delicious vegetarian fare, you know where to go.

Where: Santé Spa Cuisine, #151 2nd stage 2nd cross, Domlur, Indiranagar, Bangalore, Karnataka 560071. Call: 080 4370 0932.

The Higher Taste
The Higher Taste, is Bangalore’s finest sattvic cuisine restaurant. At The Higher Taste, food is a philosophy and vegetarianism is a way of life. The restaurant combines the wisdom of the Vedas, with the flair of modern-day cooking to create signature sattvic meals – pure, wholesome meals prepared without the use of ingredients such as garlic, onion, eggs, caffeine and never over-spiced. The Bhagavad-Gita defines sattvic foods as being juicy, wholesome and pleasing to the heart, thereby providing subtle nourishment for positive vitality. Every dish cooked at the restaurant is first offered to Lord Krishna and thus in effect, what you consume here is prasadam.

Nestled on the top of Hare Krishna Hill, inside the premises of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple, The Higher Taste offers a menu which is nothing short of divine and the ambience, like the cuisine, is a refreshing mix of old and modern India. Rich mauve and purple motifs reflect the intricacies of Indian art and are complemented by dark mahogany and clean lines of modern design. A water cascade creates a soothing environment and adds a distinct note to the gentle music of the restaurant.

Must try: Papdi Chaat, Mango Rasgulla Chaat, Dilli ka Dahi Bhalla, Broccoli Paneer Tikka, Kakori Seekh Kebab, Shavige, Subz Dumpukht Biryani, Elaneer Payasam, Paan ice cream.

Where: The Higher Taste, Hare Krishna Hill, Chord Road, Bangalore.

Mitti Café
Mitti Café is a chain of cafes that provides experiential training and employment to adults with physical and intellectual disability. Mitti Cafés is managed by adults with disability – thereby creating awareness about inclusion with every meal served.

Their warriors with disabilities in this pandemic have cooked and served over 1.3 million meals to the poor and vulnerable communities and homeless groups, thereby proving the magic of abilities as a result of economic independence and dignity.

In the short span Mitti has been featured in the Forbes list of 30 under 30, is a Zero Project Awardee and has won awards like the NCPEDP Mindtree Hellen Keller Award, Times of India-She Unlimited Award, Rotary Exemplar award, Microsoft Nipman Award, Tiecon Young female Entrepreneur of the Year Award, amongst others. Darshana Nahata of Enerjuvate has now joined the Mitti team as their creative director and is working closely with the team on their menu and space design.

Must-haves:
Paneer Parantha, Popeye’s Palak Pav Bhaji, Hummus and Pita Platter, Aloo Papdi Chaat, Chola Tikki Chaat, Vada Pav, Mitti Sabudana Khichdi, Grilled Veggie Bowl, Mexican Buddha Bowl, Veggie Zoodle Bowl, Veg Thai Green Curry with Rice, Colourful Momo Platter, Build Your Own Pasta, Green antioxidant smoothie, Oak and Hill Speciality Coffees, Summer splash smoothie, Kulhad Lassi, Sandwizza, Fibre Rich Burrito Wrap, Thupka and Sizzling Brownies.

Where: Mitti Café, 716/2, 22nd cross rd, Krishna Rajendra Rd, Banashankari Stage II, Banashankari, Bangalore.