This Bengaluru cafe will make you feel like you are dining in Lalbagh

The Garden Cafe on Lavelle Road offers healthy and wholesome options such as yoghurt bowls, croissantwich, rainbow salads and green juices

Bengaluru loves a cute cafe. Foodstories is the new gourmet grocery store at Lavelle Road in Bengaluru. And the store has a picturesque cafe, aptly titled The Garden Cafe, adjunct to it. Along with an old school charm, the cafe prioritises fresh produce and wellness, with ingredients such as sea buckthorn, moringa, marine collagen, ashwagandha and hemp oil. After a busy morning, I head to there for my brunch fix.

Located next to the famous Airlines Hotel, the cafe catches one’s eye from the street. Interior designer Vinita Chaitanya is the brains behind the 70-seater. It has a charming greenhouse style, Victorian lamps and fans, and floral arrangements on each table. It is reminiscent of the Bengaluru’s iconic Lalbagh greenhouse. We start with a tour of the store. It offers gourmet products, and several experience and interactive centres. Homegrown and international brands are stocked on the shelves. 

The glass roof makes the cafe rather warm in the afternoon, something I hope the team fixes soon. The beautiful rattan fans did little to help.

The coffee here is from Nandan, a Mumbai-based brand that sources its beans from an estate in Kodaikanal. The coffee menu has options such as lattes and flat whites, selections of cold brews, and the house specials. From the specials I try the seasonal yuzu cold brew tonic. Fizzy, citrusy and refreshing it is perfect for a summer morning. The raspberry latte is pretty and delicious; the drink is topped with dried raspberry for an added crunch.

From the juicery, I try the coco chia cooler. Coconut water, tender coconut, chia seeds and marine collagen. All the drinks can be levelled up with wellness ingredients such as hemp oil, vegan collagen, moringa, ashwagandha, sea buckthorn or protein powder. 

The food menu has all day breakfast, salads, small personal plates and large plates. A pomelo and mango salad is the first to arrive. The dish has shredded pomelo, baby spinach, arugula, small cucumbers, mango, and for texture: puffed rice. The dressing is light. You can top this up with roast chicken, or curried prawns. Next on the table is the chili mac and cheese. The menu said it comes with a homemade cheese sauce, but to my surprise it is a green pesto-like sauce. The nomenclature mix-up aside, the dish was creamy.

I try a pinsa, a hand pressed flatbread from Rome. Mine is topped with burrata, roasted pumpkin, pine nuts and artichokes. I am not a fan of this style of bread, however the toppings are fresh and tasty. The Ligurian croissantwich is a delightful croissant-sandwich. The freshly baked croissant from the store is stuffed with basil pesto, burrata cheese and heirloom tomatoes. This is a hit around the table.