Kitchen Garden by Suzette

If you’re in Bombay long enough (or if you follow enough people from Bombay on Instagram, hi!), you know Suzette. You know that Suzette is in Bandra, that their crepes and salads are the thing, and you know that the Gallic trio behind Suzette birthed a new and very exciting little sister-café this year. The love that Bambaiyyas have for the Kitchen Garden by Suzette seems to know no bounds, and the menu here is centred around a mission statement that means almost everything on the menu is either organic, local, gluten-free, or some combination of the three.

The bright glass-fronted café is petite, but has a little patio-type thing out front which is a lovely place to sit in more clement weather to savour an ultra-thick smoothie. As you walk in to this airy storefront you’re greeted by a grab-and-go vitrine housing a pick-and-mix of food trends–overnight oats, smoothie bowls, granola, and salads (and a fantastic orange-topped chocolate mousse), but there’s more to Kitchen Garden than just Hass avocados and chia seeds (although you will find both here, and in abundance).

Their bread is baked on-site and delicious. The sourdough is particularly delicious topped with my twin loves of avocado and hummus, although you can make your own and choose from a fairly comprehensive list of protein, raw and roast veg, cheese, nuts and other bits. The chicken and avocado Caesar was plentiful (I ate it over two meals), and while both animal protein and dairy is present in some options—like the mini tubs of burrata, roast pepper and tomato with pesto that I picked up to nibble on in the taxi home—the menu expertly navigates all the food intolerances – gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, raw... You could eat here near-daily without getting bored, and there are plenty in the neighbourhood who do. Their coffee is from Blue Tokai and their tea is from the Dharamshala Tea Company, and they are situated in Bandra, right opposite the Jean Claude Biguine salon where (I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this) I had what was probably the best pedicure I’ve ever had. Feet seem like an unlikely detour in a piece about a café, but honestly, it’s worth making the time for. Not the best in terms of massage, but indisputably top in restoring very-wrecked trotters to baby’s bottom smoothness.

Back to Kitchen Garden though; is it spendy? Well, those imported Hass avocados don’t come cheap, and clearly not everything on their menu is locally-sourced. But everything is fresh, nutritious, and pretty damn yum, so it is worth bookmarking for breakfast, for afternoon coffee and snack runs, and for to-go bags filled with deli-style deliciousness to take home and savour. This is the sort of food you can eat often and feel good about.

Find it at C-101, Saint John Street, Pali Hill, Mumbai. They’re open every day from 9am-11pm. Phone 022.2645.8176