Verve Bites: The Nutcracker

The name came about by chance, in the course of a conversation about a friend’s collection of nutcrackers. Love it! As much as the food, as it turns out. Located at the Lion Gate end of Mumbai’s charming precinct of Kala Ghoda, Nutcracker is a home style café that serves a vegetarian ‘brunchy’ menu all day long. This is one place where you do not miss the meat. The Parsi-cuisine inspired salli eggs and akuri are delicious. The mushrooms on toast is a combination of creamy and crispy. The blackbean burger is truly innovative. The Asian salad, a crunchy blend of raw papaya, zucchini, spring onions, has a pop of chilli dressing and peanut sprinkling. For a breakfast in a hurry, opt for ‘breakfast in a bottle’, a blend of oats, milk, dates….in a bottle! Indulge your sweet tooth with the seven-layer cookie that bursts with chocolate goodness and the lemon tart. The buttermilk pancakes, light and fluffy, have an eggless option as well….

The interiors reflect an old-Bombay charm while retaining a very contemporary vibe. Familiar flavours impart warmth and trigger memories. Nutcracker lives up to its philosophy of always serving food that is fresh and created in-house from its freshly-baked breads to dips and relishes…. A must visit if all day brunching appeals….

What we liked: Salted caramel and banana smoothie, passion fruit and basil cooler, warm Lebanese sandwich, salli eggs, seven layer cookie.

Décor: Interesting contemporary paintings, an angular chair on a wall, floor tiles from Chor Bazaar.