Who says vegetarian isn’t fun?

This restaurant experiments with food, bringing in the adventure quotient missing from most of the old school veg preparations

Who says vegetarian isn't fun?

This restaurant experiments with food, bringing in the adventure quotient missing from most of the old school veg preparations

It's not easy being a hardcore vegetarian in this city. If the constant sneers of your friends and colleagues are not enough, the tag of 'grass-eater' follows you while dining out with family too. Visits to fine-dining restaurants in the Capital have always left me thinking: sure the quaint, refined recipes of these imperial places serving veg and non-veg under one roof are nice, but what about some exclusive home-cooked grub for the humble vegetarians? We need some attention too!

Then I visited Sattvik. Opened and run by this Saket mall, the restaurant is an upscale version of a family-style eatery. You'll almost miss the entrance as the oak-lined doors merge with the brown of the exterior wall. Another glance at that Sanskrit lipi on the window, sconces sticking out from what looks like dried cowdung wall, the dim lit earthy ambience and strings of instrumental music in the background ufffd you'll feel you have been transported to some village.

Flourless yogurt cheesecakes get a nod right away. The curd cured with roasted peppercorn, shahi jeera and red chilli flakes goes well with the tangy cucumber crush drink. Tart filled with Avocado and Aloo Chaat garnished with raita and coriander does well to tingle your gustatory glands before you get ready for the main course.

The menu is a long selection of cuisines from different states. A familiar list of Mughal, Hyderabadi, Rajasthani inspires nostalgia of some sort. The good old Paneer Methi Malai here has charcoal grilled cheese which melts in the mouth like vanilla on hot chocolate. Add to it aromatic spices and simmering fenugreek gravy and you can happily chew on your Tandoori roti. It is easy to forget that you are a non-vegetarian here. The 'meaty' chunks of Malai kofta in saffron gravy and Mushrooms in Baltic palak can be relished with rice or Hyderabadi biryani. The quantity is humble,u00a0 enough only to satiate two hungry stomachs.

Dal Makhani however is plain, inspiring a bleh! Kadhai Subji, with crunchy green apple, spring onion and snow peas was slightly gooey but suited my granny's toothless jaw. Unfortunately, the Mango, sesame and lemon salad reached the table when main course was over.

Thankfully, the Paneer-e-Mooksha was on time. The grilled cheese tossed in vegan gravy with an infusion of basil was a culinary equivalent of Jay-Z playing in the kitchen of Tarla Dalal. I finished my meal with a Shahi Tukda (bread dipped in sucrose and rabdi, garnished with dry fruits and mint leaves). It lives up to its name of shahi as the textured gravy dissolves with crunchy dryfruits against your palette. However, you might want to steer away from the Phirni which was but plain.

The restaurant is a nice try for all those who still connect vegetarian food to south Indian cuisine. Meat-eaters can saunter into this abode without getting disappointed. Yuppies can look forward to an adventure in
vegetarian variety. In essence, it is still a family restaurant. My granny turns 70 next month and I know where to throw her a party!

Sattvik
Food: healthy
Service: slow
Ambience: awesome
At: Sattvik, s-5, 2nd Floor, Select CityWalk, Saket Timings: noon to 11.30pm Ring: 40599913
Meal For two: Rs 1,000+ Taxes