Review: GreenVillage Cafe, Oshiwara, Andheri west, Mumbai

**** RATED

Hmmm... it was one of those Saturday afternoons, wherein one is feeling indulgent, adventurous and has a lot of time on hand. It was a sheer coincidence that I drove straight from Nature's Basket to this small, Green and cozy cafe located in Oshiwara, snugly placed alongside quite a few other popular cafes. I said coincidence as the owner shared that some of their produce like the cheese, is sourced from Nature's Basket.

So, indulgence, curiosity and a rather inviting ambience took me to this cafe. I lingered a minute outside the cafe as the board stated it caters to vegans, kito diet and their food is gluten free. With due respect to all those who are particular about these, I was not prepared to endure a bland meal and being healthy and fit, never considered these diets either. However,curiosity got the better of me, the door and decor interspersed with a mix of white and green found favour and I walked in. The comfortable seating, quiet atmosphere and a smiling staff immediately reassured me. Within minutes of sitting down, I met Krish, a rather young chap, who introduced himself as the owner and offered to share the inspiration and focus of the cafe. Yes, it is an organic place, where instead of Sugar, they use jaggery and honey. The produce largely is sourced from farmers and locally, he confidently claimed that healthy food need not be bland and this is their usp. I was sold on that and asked him to suggest some of his favourites.

It was again a coincidence that they served pumpkin soup, my favourites and true to his claims, it came in a generous portion with walnuts floating about it and the home baked, multi grain bread, toasted to perfection. The soup was flavourful, yet light and refreshing. For the main course, I tried the highly recommended Pumpkin Risotto and...absolutely delighted in it! Cooked to perfection, with an inviting presentation, the risotto was tasty, warm, light not heavy at all! Completely in appreciation for that, very light and easy on the stomach, it was also predominantly a mild shade of green just like the ambience in the cafe. I ended my meal with a macchiato, and it lived up to some of the best that I have had.

So, a warm, friendly conversation with this young owner who is determined to succeed, great food, reasonably good ambience, very courteous staff mostly from north east India and excellent, prompt service made my afternoon. Oh, before I sign off, very easy on the pocket and the generous portion they serve makes up for the penny spent.

Definitely hope to return there to try out their waffles and desserts. Hoping they include freshly brewed French press coffee on their menu... wish this relatively new and cozy place a lot of success. A must visit, regardless of the diet you follow or do not follow.

A G K