4 minute read
Elaa Cafe & Bar, Anjuna.
Experimentation during the Covid-induced lockdown led management consultant-turnedchef Sandeep Sreedharan to conceptualise Elaa Cafe & Bar in Anjuna. Chef Sandeep started his career in the culinary world organizing private dinners in Mumbai, and eventually set up his first coastal restaurant, ‘Curry Tales’ in Bandra. He moved to Goa in 2018 to set up a modern coastal restaurant called ‘Mahe’ in Anjuna.
‘Elaa’, his second culinary venture in Goa, is envisioned to be a concept cafe born out of India. It is an earth-based concept cafe which focuses on numerous plant-based dishes. The word ‘Elaa’ means leaf in Malayalam and earth in Sanskrit. Envisaged almost 2.5 years back, the idea stemmed from Sandeep’s love for vegetarian food along with his observation of people not utilising local ingredients. He focuses on responsible sourcing of ingredients and attempts to make something delicious out of it.
One can walk into Elaa Cafe for a cup of coffee, hang out in the cozy ambience, listen to good music, and enjoy scrumptious, healthy food made with amazing ingredients. When Elaa Cafe just started, many people thought that it was a vegan cafe since the earth-based, ingredient-driven concept is quite unique and not many restaurants and cafes focus on it. People called it an experimental dining place, a clean food spot. They weren’t familiar with the food offered at Elaa Cafe. So, it was quite intriguing for most people while trying out the food for the first time. But customers soon found their favourites and kept coming back for more.
Some of the crowd favourites are the cafe’s takes on Goan food – like the Ros Omelette served with vegan gravy instead of chicken xacuti, or the creamy, loaded prawn rissois, the vegetarian choris pao, and lots more. People also enjoy their other dishes such as their soups, salads, pinchos, toasts and so on. Their latest big hit is the ‘Tapas for Two', where customers can choose five dishes from the menu on a platter and pay a fixed amount, and taste different dishes on the menu.
The cafe has divided its menu into different categories. They have a breakfast menu that enlists responsibly sourced eggs and seafood. Sandeep uses small fish sourced from around the coast of Goa in his cooking. The cafe has different kinds of meals in bowls and dishes, which makes it versatile for breakfast, brunch, lunch, an evening snack, or an early dinner. The menu has been designed, keeping in mind that the dishes can be eaten at any time of the day.
With an extensive coffee menu, the restaurant is proud of its coffee programme. This initiative was established in collaboration with Ruby's Coffee, which focuses on organic coffee sourced from only small farms across India. Their drinks are fresh, tropical and not alcohol forward.
Elaa Cafe is focussing on building a community around a sustainable, chemical-free, environment-friendly market. They have been hosting talk sessions with people from different
walks of life who work in areas like sustainable farming, upcycling, focussing on zero-carbon footprint and so on.
They host regular bar nights and bar pop-ups. They will start to host music gigs with young, upcoming artists, once the new tourist season commences in the month of September.
Being passionate about something is one thing and turning that passion into a reality is an entirely different ball game. Chef Sandeep has spent years understanding food and working on creating experiences for people. Since the kind of ingredients he uses are very different from the regular restaurant scenario, one of the major challenges he faces is supply. It is challenging for him to procure good quality, fresh ingredients.
Another difficulty he faces is educating customers about the kind of food his cafe offers.
Nonetheless, Chef Sandeep hopes everyone gets to try his dishes and join him in his culinary journey.
