BENGALURU: Tucked away on Museum Road is Little Green Cafe, a three-month-old eatery and sister of the now six-year-old popular organic restaurant, Green Theory.If you've been to Green Theory, you already know, mainly from the ‘green’ in both monikers, that the food is vegetarian, chemical-free, and healthy. Started by Bikash Parikh, who worked in the sports sector earlier but had a dream of starting his own place, the concept of the restaurants is driven on him wanting to break the myth that healthy, vegetarian food isn't tasty.
The menu is limited, and the food is all made fresh. “We don't store anything, the food is all made fresh. And because of that, if your meal takes about ten minutes more to get ready,” says Parikh.
We started the meal with a carrot and ginger juice and a peanut butter smoothie topped with granola. Both were delicious and just right on the sweetness factor. The Mezze Platter looked healthy, sounded healthy and was high on taste, with homemade multigrain breads, beetroot humus, chia seed humus and tahini. Next was the Raw Papaya and Soba Noodle with Som Tum dressing salad – one of the best raw papaya salads we have tried of late, with just the right amount of Asian flavours and spice. We also tried the Vietnamese Pho with Soba Noodles, the flavours hit the spot that chilly evening. “Global cuisine at pure vegetarian eateries wasn't common in the city. This is something I wanted to change, and that's why you find Asian, Italian, Mexican cuisine on the menu,” says Parikh.
For the mains, we tried the Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Tomato Ragout and the Cottage Cheese steak with Mexican Rice. The spaghetti had a very home cooked feel to it, as did most of the food, and was loaded with vegetables. Though not a fan of cottage cheese, the steak was grilled and topped with a sauce that complemented it perfectly, and when paired with the rice and grilled vegetables, the overall experience was a satisfying one.
If you want something sweet (and healthy) after your meal, ask for the special of the day. Although they didn't have any of the specials that day, as the desserts are all made with fresh ingredients, we did sample some sweet treats from the in-house bakery called The Bakehouse. We tried an oreo chesecake and a salted caramel tart, both of which tasted like they came out from your mother's oven, simple, flavoursome and comforting.
The decor is also eco-friendly. The limestone and mud walls, along with the rustic artifacts and restored teak wood floors, resonate Prikh's belief of keeping things local, and that you don't have to spend exorbitant amounts to make a space look good.If you're in the mood to eat simple and healthy, then Little Green Cafe is just for you. They've just started to experiment with stand-up comedy and live gigs, so check their social media pages to find out more.
Cost for two: Rs 800 (approx)