HYDERABAD: Sattvam, a popular vegetarian restaurant in Bangalore which makes food based on the spiritual principles of the Sattvic lifestyle, has a new outlet now in Hyderabad too. Located at Road No. 2, Banjara Hills, the restaurant offers fresh food made without the use of onion, garlic and caffeine. The restaurant was established by chefs Aditya Fatehpuria and Arvind Chowdhary. The motivation came after more than five years of work at ISKCON Bangalore and a brief time at Jagannath, Puri. The restaurant serves 108 dishes for lunch as well as dinner.
As we entered the restaurant, we observed the tastefully decorated interiors, with large windows allowing brightness in the well-laid-out eating space. The paintings depicted the serenity and spiritual roots of the Sattvic lifestyle. Trellises all around the restaurant, rich upholstery, and lotus motif on the panelling- all of these enhance the spiritually heightened dining experience.
For starters, we were served Sattvic Paneer Tikka, Bharmaan Aloo, Beetroot Seekh, Dahi Bhari Tikki, Makkai ka Shorba, Crunchy corn in a basket, vegetable steamed momo and in drinks we had Kesar Tulsi Shikanji followed by Lichi Berry Cream. Each of them was diligently prepared and the flavours of the ingredients stood out.
Some of the most flavourful dishes that we tried included Sattvic Pulao, Sunehri Makai Broccoli, Rasagulla Palak, Sattvic Biryani, Curd Rice and Sattvic Chhole. In desserts, we had the mouthwatering Rose Kalakand Ghevar, Fruit Chenna Roll, Pistachhio Bhog, Banana Walnut cake, Red Velvet Opera, Choco caramel and Mini Fudge Brownie.
The restaurant has tables with seating for four, six and eight people. Each of them is strategically placed in a total of 148 covers, with provision for group tables all around the restaurant.
It has more than 80 items in soups, shorbas, starters, salads, bread and rice. The main course includes North Indian, South Indian and world cuisines adapted to the Sattvic style of cooking. Signature dishes like the Broccoli Apple Shorba, Khatti Kamrakh (star fruit) ka Shorba, Paneer Anardane ka Tikka, Singhada Pepper fry (Golden fried water chestnuts), Panchmele ka Saag (Indian style clear soup of star fruit), Kumtiya ri Kadhi (a Vedic style kadhi from Jodhpur), Gwar Patha Panchphoran using Aloe Vera and crispy greens, Gatta Palak Gol Mirch (red hot peppers with spinach and Rajasthani gattas) are just a few dishes that present a glimpse into the exotic offerings on a well planned and perfectly balanced menu. “I had been working with ITC hotels initially and then moved to ISKCON Bangalore, basically for the Akshaypatra kitchen. I understood South Indian cuisine there and specifically, the sattvic lifestyle.
I documented a lot of recipes and did a lot of research at the research lab there. I understood the basic principles of how to cook sattvic food. I realised that it is possible to make everything in a sattvic way. So we used to make all the food that is available in the market as per the sattvic principle. Our first restaurant came up in Bangalore in 2013. There we now have three restaurants and two banquet halls,” said Aditya Fatehpuria, the co-founder of the restaurant.
“I think anything served fresh with little care tastes good. In most homes, onion and garlic are used only where they are required. There are many dishes which are cooked without any of that stuff. They are not necessary ingredients. ISKCON gave me a lot of insights. I used to have these books about food made by Raja Bhim, Nal. These were the greatest books that taught me about food,” he adds. He specifies that Sattvam is not a vegan restaurant “but we have a few vegan people so we make vegan food for them sometimes,” he concludes.