Candy & Green Is The Answer For All Things Vegan

The world of vegan has been introduced to us, right here in Mumbai. Well, hello delicious vegan food and welcome to Breach Candy! The brainchild of Shraddha Bhansali, Candy and Green (CAG) is a paradise for vegan and nutritious food lovers. With her mindful and compact menu, she proves that nutritious and healthy food doesn't always have to be bland and monotonous.

With the first floor posing as a wine bar, it serves 3 in-house wines along with other brews, Rosé being my fave. The mustard-yellow and cobalt blue couches bring life to the otherwise subtly wallpapered decor. The floral-shaped light installations coherently blend with the eat-green & close-to-nature concepts.

The second level of the restaurant presents a mesmerizing skyline of the city and is perfect for a date night or just otherwise. It houses a mini herb garden where jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, kaffir lime, basil, edible flowers, celery, lemongrass, ajwain, peppermint and microgreen plants are seeded. It is the ideal illustration of the garden-to-table trend; while other ingredients are locally sourced creating Asian, Italian and continental concoctions.

If you think vegetarian or vegan food is boring, think again. At CAG, they're redefining sustainability with organic food dished out in the most irresistible manner. If you're not a vegetable lover, this high-roofed, tall-windowed restaurant somehow finds a way for you to appreciate its outlandish spread. And, even non-vegetarians don't seem to complain just as their taste buds are exploded with thoughtfully designed flavour combinations.

Like they say when in Rome, do as the Romans do and when in Candy & Green, drink clean and green; let the wellness cocktails, health drinks, cold-pressed juices and seasonal fruit kegs rule your unhealthy cravings.

IFN Recommends: Smoked sweet potato burger- patty made with black rice and sweet potato and drizzled with feta yoghurt and chipotle sauce.

Dragon noodles- buckwheat soba noodles tossed in Sichuan chilli garlic sauce.

Turkish soy kebab wraps with onion and mint slaw topped with parsley sauce.

Hummus platter is to die for taste wise (comes in 3 types- classic, pesto and peri-peri), but the presentation definitely needed a whole lot of attention (like they say, you eat with your eyes first).

For dessert, vegan hazelnut mousse with a dash of coffee is the perfect way to end or begin a meal (I personally prefer to start my meals with desserts) or opt for the silky coconut pudding with passionfruit coulis and toasted black sesame. If you don't have a sweet tooth and still desire a dessert (well, who doesn't), then this chilled pudding topped with freshly grated coconut and a splash of tangy passion fruit coulis is perfect for you.

From its menu segregation of salads, soups, small plates, wholesome bowls, sandwiches, pasta and burgers, I was kindly recommended with some of the best dishes they had to offer. Alas, my meal was one that'll take me back for sure. And, I've already decided what my round 2 at the restaurant looks like- Beetroot Chips, Vegan Pananzella Omelette, burrata cheese board, Lotus root sliders, Avocado Toast, Handmade Gnocchi and Zucchini Muffins. One thing that I desperately want on the menu is some vegan Pizza! I felt like the menu didn't feel complete without it.

When I see restaurants like these producing a zero carbon print, I understand why millennials are interested to know the source of what they're eating or why restaurants are moving towards farm-to-table or garden-to-table concepts or how healthy food can also be tasty; I get my fragmentary answers to these otherwise debatable food trends.