Set amid the Rochester Park enclave, this little café is a welcome refuge from the harsh realities of the world. With an emphasis on achieving optimum health through nutrition, we tried our best to mentally prepare ourselves for bland, boring dishes. Set primarily an alfresco space (like its first outlet at Biopolis), there are just three tables indoors if you’re in dire need of some air conditioning. But there’s no keeping us from sitting outside when the weather’s fine. The vibe is laidback—you order, pay at the counter and the upbeat servers bring you your food and drinks. To cool ourselves off, we ordered a dairy-free antioxidant summer berries power smoothie. This blend of mixed berried, bananas, organic rice milk and seed mix is a luscious deep purple, which was dense, rich and seriously satisfying. Although it was good, it seemed pricey for such a small glass and we could have done without the gritty texture, possibly from the seed mix. We especially liked their grilled tofu salad comprising mesclun and romaine leaves, cucumber slices, shredded carrots, plump cherry tomatoes, generous avocado wedges and tofu. The fresh vegetables and slightly sweet well-grilled tofu cubes, together with the subtly-sour dimension of the light Japanese daikon dressing was a treat for our palates, while the sprinkling of sunflower seeds added a nice textural element. This incredibly substantial low GI (Glycemic Index) option is perfect for people who are watching their diet, and just plain tasty for folks like us who aren’t. It even comes with a slice of multi-grain bread if you can’t bring yourself to give up the carbs. We continued our roll with the main event: A vegetarian Carribean burger served with a garbanzo bean (chickpea) mash. This multi grain bun sandwiched between chipotle ketchup and a black bean and brown rice vegetable patty was nicely charred and surprisingly filling. While it’s not a carnivore’s dream, it was certainly a worthy alternative and a herbivore’s burger mecca. While we’re not partial to vegetarian food and we wouldn’t dare claim to be healthy eaters, the experience was a thoroughly enjoyable one.
When the weather is good, eating outside can be a truly enjoyable dining experience. These joints with charming open air areas are just the place to dine on breezy evenings.
