Is the new all-vegetarian menu at Chennai’s Eko Lyfe cafe a hit or miss?

Eko Lyfe in Abhirampuram offers a diverse all-vegetarian menu with conscious produce, smoothies, tacos, and more. It is priced at ₹1,200 for two.

A couple of days ago, I was mentioning to a friend that Abhirampuram’s Eko Lyfe is now a restaurant serving tacos and pizzas. “Wait. Wasn’t it always one?” they asked in return.

Eko Lyfe has lived three of its many cat lives. What began as a zero-waste store then hosted a small cafe serving coffee and a limited menu of treats on its premises until recently. Over the last month, it has undergone a makeover, with a variety on the menu — cauliflower wings, Mezze platters and sliders are only some of the options at this all-vegetarian fare. The restaurant continues to sell conscious produce in one corner, but the focus is now on the the smoke and glass domes covering our coffee and pizza. Eko Lyfe is clearly catering just as much to Instagram as it is to its menu.

As our dishes are brought to the table, the restaurant regulars loudly asking the waiters if they could sample what we are having. The owner, Jignesh Pujara, says that there have been several foreign nationals walking in, seeking vegan food . “I guess the word is already spreading,” he says.

Jignesh is fundamentally opposed to using the term ‘vegan’ as it has not done his business much favours in the past. The community in Chennai is small, he says. We hence settle on guilt-free (the food has no white maida, sugar, salt or dairy) and hope that nobody takes offense and loses themselves in the jargon. We would rather focus on the food.

At Eko Lyfe, nearly all food is made at a station in front of us. The servers know the menu by-heart and prattle off the favourites, the chef’s recommendations and their own preferences. The chef also arrives at our table, encouraging customisation and asks us to swap ingredients if we would like.

We begin by trying the pea soup, tofu drumsticks, and a large mezze platter before the fried food arrives.

An incident in my youth involving smushed peas being equated to eyes has ruined the vegetable for me but the soup, which bears no resemblance to still eyes, is of great consistency (nudged between thick and thin) and taste. The peas shine through and a hint of cream is drizzled atop to offset the green.