The hottest food trend for 2016 is probably this sudden wave of healthy cafés cropping up all over the city. Bandra seems to be the hipster hub for salad bars, juice bars and smaller cafés offering all sorts of smoothies and berry bowls at steep prices. While the shift to dairy free almond milk versions or dishes is a much healthier way to eat, it can get quite unaffordable for many. Not everything that has to be healthy needs to include fancy ingredients but a lot of these cafés and health bars do not seem to understand that.
Smack in the middle of Churchgate, a neighbourhood full of popular restaurants and thali joints, is a small cafe that has decided to serve their healthy food without breaking your wallet. Saboro by Mahindra is actually an initiative by the Mahindra group to import and export good quality ingredients and this café is an extension of their brand. The entire idea is to show case their ingredients and inspire you to make healthier eating choices. The café, I am told is the first of many more that will soon crop up all over the city. The space is tiny with just about three or four tables and a few bar stools along with an open kitchen. It has got simple décor, just white washed walls and wooden tables but a flat screen television mounted on the wall that actually displays all the dishes on the menu which is really convenient because you get to see exactly what the dish looks like before you order it. Each table surprisingly has a plug point and the café offers free WiFi which is meant to encourage folks to pop by and use the space as a work station and order a quite bite while they get some work done.
At first, when I heard about Saboro I was told it was the first vegan café in the city. Sadly, that is not the case and nor have they ever claimed to be one. I think the intention was to try and dabble with an all vegan menu to test the waters but sadly their customers miss the dairy. While everything is vegetarian (no egg at all) a few dishes have a small sprinkle of cottage cheese and a few smoothies have a dash of skim milk. Certainly not vegan, but it does not take away from them the eat healthy mantra. Surprisingly, the small menu of salads, juices, smoothies and desserts is quite tasty and they even have a small and large portion size for salads, so you avoid wastage.
It is still early days for the café and they are taking their customer feedback very seriously. A lot of additions to the menu are based on what people have asked for but at the same time they are being firm about their health aspect and not giving in to all the demands for cheese and milk. For a breath of fresh air and some tasty food that you would not feel guilty eating, pop by Saboro. If it is too much of an effort to get there, you can always order online via Scootsy.
Written By
Better known as the Tiny Taster, Roxanne is an internationally respected blogger and expert on the Mumbai food scene. She has hosted many events, including the Upper Crust Food & Wine Show and travels the world, sharing her knowledge and gaining more experience.
