Global fusion

A panoramic view of greenery from the KBR Park was a sight to sore eyes as we entered the chic, muted space at Nue Cafe. Done up with minimal Scandinavian-inspired furniture, potted plants brought the greenery in from the outdoors. 

We visited the café to check out their Spring edit - a host of new dishes celebrating seasonal produce and flavours. A Corn Angara open toast came first, with a spicy Corn Pate, sun-dried tomatoes and microgreens on Sourdough toast. The toast was topped with mildly salted popcorn, giving the toast a crunchy twist. We also tried the season's special Feta and Cucumber toast - the garlic feta spread on Sourdough with cucumber ribbons was just what the summer called for. All the bread served at Nue is baked in-house, with healthy alternatives to plain flour like Sourdough and millet among others.

A cooling Mixed Berry Papdi and Tikki Chaat came next, with oil-fried Papdi and tikkis substituted with baked millet and sago papdi. Sweet Tamarind chutney was replaced with a mixed berry chutney, giving a refreshing pop of colour to the dish. “We’ve purposely kept our decor muted so the colours of the food are in focus,” said Pravishta Nadella, co-founder of Nue Café. 

We tried a chilled Hummus and Crispy Okra next; the fusion dish wow-ed us with its Middle Eastern-Indian influence, and we quickly polished it off. Most dishes we tried at Nue Café had a quirky mix of unlikely ingredients and cuisines blending together seamlessly. The dishes used healthy substitutes and uncomplicated ingredients creatively, without compromising on flavour. 

"Fine dining restaurants across the world have some of the most artistic chefs innovating with food everyday. However, a lot of us feel intimidated or out of place there owing to a difference of culture and dining habits. We want to offer innovative gourmet food in a casual, non-pretentious setting so people can appreciate it without feeling excluded," said Pravishta. 

We tried a comforting bowl of carrot and lentil soup next, tempered with garlic and cumin, served with confit carrots. A Goan-style Cafreal Chicken arrived soon after, served on a bed of pineapple and celery relish. Super succulent bites of chicken interspersed with the tangy relish introduced us to novel flavour combinations. 

We'd recommend the Romesco Buddha Bowl for foodies whose meals aren't complete without rice. Served with miso broccoli, and Romesco sauce with butter garlic prawns, the bowl was bursting with umami. 

We ended our sojourn at Nue Café with a Deconstructed Apple Pie. The Apple Pie Ice Cream stood out, capturing all the elements of the classic pie in a single scoop. 
 ₹1,800 for two. At Jubilee Hills.