BENGALURU: There’s a relaxing vibe as you enter Fabcafe, tucked away inside the Fabindia store at Trinity Circle. This, quite in contrast to the chaos on the busy central business district area. We choose a spot inside the warm, simply- designed cafe but decide to shift outdoors soon, which too, surprisingly, is rather quiet. Out first order – the Fabcafe Berry Blast shake and Badam Thandai – give us some respite from the scorching afternoon.
This drink hits the right spot with fresh berries blended in almond milk which makes for a healthy vegan milkshake. While a milkshake may sound like a heavy start, especially with a pretty extensive menu, this drink, as well as the Badam Thandai which has a strong cardamom flavour (it also has almonds, dates, jaggery syrup) don’t feel like a meal in itself.
For main course, we decide to go with some street food – pani puri, momos and pav bhaji. Of course, with this cafe steering clear from oil, refined sugar and the likes, these dishes have a twist to them. Our first appetiser is the No Guilt Gol Gappas, which like the usual, come with crisp puri with boiled potatoes and bean sprouts. The surprise element is the tangy pomegranate, pineapple and mint water. The slight hesitancy vanishes as soon as we try it out. Mint and pineapple are our first choices, the pomegranate water doesn’t let me down even while not being fan of the fruit.
On the other hand, the Spinach Spring Onion and Water Chestnut Momos don’t seem to appeal to my tastebuds. The wheat momos made with the dough of jackfruit flour and root starches are lightly filled and served with a garlic, chives dip. We found the outer crust slightly too thick and undercooked, making it too chewy. We move on to the Pav Bhaji, which, although with additions of healthier options like, tastes as authentic as those on streets. Done right.
While this cafe, which is also coming up in Whitefield soon, is a haven for vegans and those on the keto diet, non-vegetarian dishes for meat-lovers are also aplenty. And the best part is indulging in favourites. Even so, we decided to skip dessert, although the Mango Cashew Cheese tart and Caramalised Banana Cake and Artisanal ice cream sounded appetising. We decided to save this for our next visit.
Cost for two: Rs 1,400