Comfort food for the soul

As we were handed out the menu card, we realised that the menu was vegetarian. We couldn’t recollect any other bistro in town that serves only vegetarian fare and that in a way is the USP of the place. The eatery, the brainchild of Jignesh Pujara, who used to run Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt. The new eatery also has an ice-cream/dessert lab 196*Below, where liquid nitrogen is the star. We started off the meal with a pumpkin soup. I have to admit, am not a huge fan of pumpkin. But this soup was delicious! It was made with roasted pumpkin and cream and served with a slice of crusted garlic bread. It was rich, flavourful and filling. 

From the starters section, we tried the falafel, zucchini chips and spicy cheese fries. Till date we haven’t come across a place that serves good falafel in Chennai. Most of them end up giving something that’s closer to deep-fried lentil pakoras. But here, we had the perfect falafels ; they were not soaked in oil and were full of robust flavours. They went well with a tahini dip. On the other hand, the panko-crusted zucchini chips were greasy. But then, aren’t some of the most sinful things also equally yummy! The chips served with mayo were tasty. If you don’t care about your calorie intake, go for it. And well the cheese fries too were an absolute delight – light and crisp, with lots of spicy mayo, mozzarella baked to cheesy goodness. While indulging in food, we also chatted with Jignesh. 

“I am a foodie and a vegetarian. I wanted to come up with a place that serves vegetarian fare and has something for everybody. A café would have largely meant that it would restrict us to just youngsters. The bistro is a place where you can come with your family, chill and eat,” he says. For the main course, there’s pasta, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, sizzlers and Indian staples such as bisibela bhath and biriyani. And it also has a special Maggi menu, featuring the noodles with various toppings, including aloo bhujia and white sauce. We tried the aloo bhujia Maggi, vegetarian exotica pizza with peri peri mayo and an Italian sizzler. Maggi is comfort food and if it is topped with sev, tomato, onion and chilli tossed in chaat masala, it only gets better. 

While purists might not particularly approve of the addition, we savoured this one! This was followed by the sizzler. It was a three-pasta sizzler with basil red sauce spaghetti, creamy white sauce penne and a pink sauce macaroni served with potato wedges and butter tossed vegetables. All the three pasta varieties were saucy and perfectly cooked. But the veggies were a tad bit too salty (by accident, I suppose). Nevertheless, this dish was extremely satiating. 

Coming to the pizza, well, it was our least favourite main course item. The toppings were overpowered by the taste of peri peri mayo and it was a tad bit simple for our liking. As we headed to the dessert lab, a spectacle unleashed in front of our eyes. A staff popped some corn on the counter and put some peri peri, while another brought in a flask bearing a liquid. The two were stirred together quickly. 

As we tried popcorn, it was icy-cold but as soon as we took a bite, there was smoke. Clear winner of the day! This was followed by a chilli chocolate gelato. Again a visual delight prepared with liquid nitrogen. We could taste the sinful chocolate first and then there was an aftertaste of black pepper. It was delicious end to an interesting bistro meal.

Soul Garden, Alwarpet 

Cuisine: Continental and Indian 

Must try: Falafel, fries, aloo bhujia maggi and Italian sizzler 

Contact: 044 4514 5433