E'woke cafe in Hyderabad launched a new menu with a few desi additions like biryani and samosas

When one enters E’woke, situated in the quaint and quieter lanes of Sainikpuri, there are wall posters that talk about equality, kindness, and inclusivity. We guess those are the words one can use to describe the café founders Mohanlal Choudhary, Ved Mohan, and Anil Choudhary. As we stepped into E’woke for a weekend lunch to sample their new menu, Mohanlal greeted us and told us how it is their love and compassion for animals and nature that made them start the place. “There is a certain perception that vegan food cannot be delicious. With E’woke, we genuinely wish to break that notion. When you walk into our place, you don’t have to worry about what kind of ingredients go into your food. Sometimes, you might also face a shocker to see dishes that you had no idea could be vegan,” Mohan tells us. The café also hosts a vegan store, where you can find everything right from skincare to pre-mix kits for Thai curries and vegan chocolate bars. After exploring the store and making a few purchases for rum-based chocolates, we headed to our table for a meal.

We began our tasting session with the Spicy Corn Cheese Roll — crispy rolls came stuffed with corn, bell peppers, and vegan cheese. We also tried the Vegan Keema Samosa, prepared with plant-based spicy keema, this was utterly delicious, and not once did we miss any meat. If kebabs are what you enjoy, then give their Vegan Tandoori Soya Chaap a try. The chaaps marinated in pent curd made with peanuts, Indian masalas, and served with lachha onions were juicy, tender, and had a mild smoky touch.

While we waited for our main course to arrive, we sampled a round of drinks. The Iced Boba Tea made with oat milk and apple cinnamon was sugary, light, and refreshing. The Peanut Smoothie was a delightful blend of bananas, roasted peanuts, and peanut butter. But, our absolute favourite had to be the good ol’ Nomunication Over Yuzu — Japanese lemon purée, topped with cold brew and fresh basil leaves.

As we put our glasses down, a piping hot sizzler, Grilled Tofu with Mushroom Sauce arrived. The flavourful rice, paired with creamy mushroom sauce was a star in itself. The tofu and vegetables like broccoli and bell peppers which came on the side were grilled perfectly and paired well with the rice. The menu also had pizza and we recommend the Pesto & Sundried Tomato and Farm Special Vegetables Vegan Pizza.

We also tasted the Vegan Paneer Makhani with Jeera Rice. The paneer cubes made with cashew paste were soft and soaked in all the flavours from the curry. The Tawa Biryani, cooked with soya chaap, flavourful Basmati rice, and served with vegan raita was truly the star of the show. The biryani rice was wellbalanced in its flavours and had just a hint of heat. We were initially scared that the soya chaap might get slightly soggy, but to our delight was perfectly cooked.

To end this satisfying meal, we opted for Blueberry Cheesecake. The classic dessert was creamy and decadent enough for us to reach for seconds!

Rs 1,200 for two. At Sanikpuri.

— bsuchitra@newindianexpress.com