IF YOU’RE FEELING a little guilty after last month’s over indulgences, JustBe Cafe’s new menu is just what the doctor ordered. The cafe is not just vegan, but also uses only whole grain and non-refined ingredients. We visited the cafe on a weekday dinner to sample their new menu.
Our evening began with a bottle of masala chaas. If we weren’t told that it was made with peanut curd, we would not have guessed at all that it was dairy-free — the flavours profile was on point. Next we had a sharing platter called Karmic. The platter has olives, red pepper and millet hummus, baba ganoush and breads. The textures on this one really impressed us. One of our favourites from the new menu is the Avocado on Toast — their homemade wholegrain bread topped with tofu ricotta, mixed nuts, microgreens and rich avocado. Mushroom lovers should try the Forrest Gump pizza, that has an amaranth base topped with shiitake and button mushrooms. If you’ve been missing chaat, the cafe has two options that we loved — the Khata Kachori (that’s made with a baked kachori) and Chole Tikki. The textures may not be what you’re used to because the cafe does not use any refined oils, and nothing on the menu is fried.For the main course, we recommend the Nawabi, a brown rice Jafrani biryani, served with raita (another dish made with peanut curd, but it will not make you miss the real deal), and ragi papad.
The real winners of the meal were the desserts, all of which use only jaggery and dates as sweeteners. The Sizzling Brownie surprised us with its creaminess, and we were told it was made with sweet potato. But the best way to end your meal at JustBe is the Choc Chia Pudding. A coconut milk and dark chocolate pudding topped with chia seeds, this is a must-try.
The new menu promises a healthy spread with dishes from various cuisines. It is worth a visit for conscious eaters.
Rs. 1,000 for two.
At Sadashivnagar
anagha@newindianexpress.com
@anaghzzz