Yummy yoga : Etcetera - MensHealth

Yummy yoga : Etcetera - MensHealth

The gastronaut: The Yoga House

I discovered The Yoga House at 7 am on a Sunday, while jogging back from Mount Mary Church alongside Bandra's Bandstand in Mumbai. The cafe is situated on the ground floor of a cottage in one of Bandra's old fishing villages, and despite the early hour, there were patrons enjoying homemade muesli and wheat porridge. Intrigued, I pulled down my earphones and dared to enter despite perspiring heavily, but a bunch of shoes at the door stopped me. Guests were encouraged to leave their footwear at the door and, I soon discovered, the early-morning attendance was due to a yoga class conducted in the studio behind the restaurant.

These weren't the only unusual points of intrigue that led me back for a meal that very afternoon. The menu, I discovered, took pride in foods that had a healthy edge: Bauji's Porridge, made of juicy wheat and milk, promised "lesser carbs than rice" and Creamy Oats with Jaggery called itself a "cholesterol fighter." Intriguingly, even the Coffee Frappe was made with no sugar, only jaggery.

Now health food restaurants have come and failed, and marketing shams named after New York City's metro rail system are the only ones that have survived. This is because few of them have got the taste right.

A few hours later, I sat there and ordered a Quinoa Seed Burger, itching to test the taste factor. The burger came with fresh herbs, a salsa and a homemade, though slightly thin hummus. I didn't miss the meat. The Maxi Protein Cottage Burger with cheese, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, almonds, spinach and celery was even better. Unfortunately, the salads were not as good.

For those who want a more fulfilling meal, we tried the Tofu Brown Rice Stir-Fry, high in fibre and essential fatty acids, and delicious as well. Dessert, for us, consisted of an antidepressant called Sin-Free Eggless, Butterless, Flourless and Sugarless Chocolate Mousse. It tasted light and creamy, and not quite unlike a jaggery-based mithai if you've ever had one. Alternately, there's chai with three fl avoured laddoos, one each made of aloe vera, dried fruits and a mysterious Bauji Ka Laddoo.

There's also a selection of juices, coffees and green teas, including a white tea priced at Rs 1,000 a cup. Health comes at a price! Our meal for two cost us Rs 1,600. (For those interested, a one-hour session of yoga costs Rs 600.) Service was effusive and worth every rupee, but we did feel that the portions, especially the size of the glasses of juice priced at Rs 250, could have been more generous. But yoga's meant to be Spartan, right?

The Yoga House
53, Chimbai Road, Bandra West, Mumbai - 400050
Click: www.yogahouse.in
Call: 022 65545001