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News18
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- News18
Urban Sanctuaries: How Organic Cafes Are Redefining Conscious Dining in Mumbai
Last Updated: In the heart of Mumbai, cafés like Cafe Saar and Paashh are redefining conscious dining through slow living, soulful menus, and nature-inspired spaces. In a city that never stops, where the rhythm is fast and the noise constant, two thoughtful spaces have emerged to offer Mumbai a breath of calm, one nourishing meal at a time. Café Saar and Paashh are not just cafes—they are sanctuaries that nurture the soul, celebrate sustainability, and honour slow living in the most conscious ways. A Breath of Calm in Bandra's Buzz Tucked amidst the green heart of Bandra, Café Saar feels like an oasis of peace. A place where lush foliage wraps around you and every corner whispers serenity, it redefines vegetarian dining through its focus on nutritious, calming meals served in harmony with nature. Designed to dissolve the boundary between indoors and out, Café Saar invites patrons into open seating under trees, with sunlight filtering through leaves and tables surrounded by flourishing plants. From its coffee menu to its soul-nourishing food, everything at Café Saar is curated with intention. Think: velvety cinnamon-vanilla lattes with oat or almond milk, raw mango rasam soup that tingles your senses, and Truffle Khichdi that comforts like a hug. Every bite and sip is a celebration of balance, health, and joy. Signature offerings like the Overnight Oat Bowl, All About Nuts Panjiri, and vegan-friendly small plates showcase a dedication to fresh, plant-based ingredients. From Soil to Soul, Now in Mumbai Meanwhile, Paashh, already a beloved name in Pune for its slow living philosophy has opened its tranquil doors in Mumbai. This isn't just a cafe; it's a pause. It's the long exhale in a world that breathes too fast. At its core lies the vision of founder Vaishali Karad, a wellness-focused marathoner who believes true luxury is living intentionally. 'Paashh was born from a personal journey," shares Vaishali. 'I wanted to create a space where slow, conscious living isn't a luxury; it's a way of life." From handcrafted brassware to seasonal, local produce, every element of Paashh is rooted in care. Their vegetarian menu is not only organic and predominantly vegan but also driven by the principles of traditional Indian food wisdom. Dishes like the Terrain salad, Soil to Soul raw mango curry with ragi bhakri, and Kothimbir Wadi with shakarkandi labneh echo regional flavours with contemporary consciousness. Chef Vinod Warade, who leads the kitchen, treats food as ritual. Minimal sugar, zero artificial additives, and slow cooking methods preserve the life force of ingredients. Every dish is deeply nourishing, in taste and intention. Paashh also houses an in-house fashion label working with handloom artisans and natural textiles, and its curated pantry offers ethically sourced lifestyle products, from A2 ghee to saffron honey. All of this is set against an aesthetic backdrop of earthy tones, botanical textiles, and sunlight-washed interiors that invite quiet reflection. A New Chapter for Conscious Dining What Café Saar and Paashh represent is a shift in how urban India consumes. No longer are cafes just places to eat. They are becoming ecosystems of intention—where wellness, sustainability, aesthetics, and community meet. Whether you're sipping an Orange Zest Mocha in the greenery of Bandra or indulging in a mindful meal at Paashh's serene retreat, these spaces are not just feeding the body. They're nurturing a lifestyle, gently asking us to pause, breathe, and return to ourselves. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Winnipeg Free Press
24-04-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Digging for savings? Gardening experts advise patience, planning when growing food
CALGARY – The snow has only just melted in Calgary, but strawberries, eggplants, several kinds of tomatoes and even Meyer lemons are growing behind Donna Balzer's bungalow. Instead of buying a bag of dull spinach from the grocery store, she can go to her greenhouse and pick pert leaves with a glossy sheen — a sign they're abundant in minerals. And instead of a bunch of store-bought herbs that will mostly go limp after a few sprigs are used, she can pick what she needs when she needs it. 'It's never a bad time to have fresh basil leaf. It's never a bad time for fresh rosemary,' she says. With grocery prices surging, it may be tempting for newbies to take a crack at growing their own produce. Gardening aficionados say cost savings are possible, but it takes patience and planning. Balzer, a horticulturalist who teaches and writes about all things gardening, spent about $20,000 on a backyard greenhouse, an investment she says made sense after she moved from British Columbia to a smaller home. With her children grown, there was also ample time for the project, which she thinks of as an extension to her house. 'It's really worthwhile for me to have the greenhouse and it's so much more than just a place to grow plants,' she says, sitting in a patio chair as warm April light streams in through the glass. Another 'perfect splurge' was the $1,500 grow light setup she has in her basement, where trays upon trays of new plants are set out on two shelving units on wheels. While others may start seeds in a haphazard way with random reused containers, Balzer opted to spend on sturdy plastic containers of a standard size for efficiency's sake. For those who don't have the time and expertise, Balzer recommends keeping focused on one or two items they love. 'The worst thing is to get a seed catalogue and go through and get one of every category. Like, 'I want endive, I want cilantro,'' she said. 'Just pick your favourite category, and maybe it's just herbs. If you can grow amazing basil, just do that and then trade with friends for their amazing tomatoes.' Maggie Wysocki started out as a self-taught home gardener almost 12 years ago and has been documenting her journey on her website From Soil to Soul. She and her family live on an acreage outside Winnipeg, where they also have a greenhouse, chickens and hardy crops that can survive the tricky Prairie climate. Wysocki says one of the biggest mistakes she made in the beginning was going to the garden centre without a plan. 'It can be so easy to get excited when you're there and want to buy gadgets and tools and just plants that look exciting and new,' she says. 'But in my experience, going there without actually having a solid list of what can fit in my garden and what plants make sense for the little microclimate in my backyard, that's where you're always going to go wrong because you're just going to start overspending.' Wysocki says high-tech gadgets, like probes to gauge soil temperature, aren't usually wise investments. 'We kind of get wrapped up in the idea of thinking that technology is going to tell us how we can garden better,' she says. 'But I personally think that's kind of missing the whole point of gardening, which is to be out and observing nature and learning from it.' An irrigation system, on the other hand, has been a useful purchase for Wysocki. She also advises that the bulk of a gardener's budget should go toward making sure the soil is healthy, whether that's compost, mulch or a layer of topsoil. 'Your soil health is everything when it comes to your garden. It's the foundation of it all,' she says. 'So spend the majority of what you've set aside there and then things like seeds and transplants and material, that all should really just take up 15 to 20 per cent of what's set aside to spend.' During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. Wysocki recommends planting crops that have a good return on investment. Instead of a little tomatillo plant that might yield five fruits, potatoes and onions can keep during the winter in cold storage. Tomatoes can be frozen and used in sauces and stews. She says growing her own food has yielded big savings on her grocery bill, but not right away. 'The reality is really you won't likely save money in your first one to two years of gardening because you're just learning and acquiring those skills and spending and investing money on building your garden's health and ecosystem,' Wysocki says. 'But if you keep at it for three, five years onward, I do believe and have seen myself that you gradually see the cost savings.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2025.
