Malad's new culinary studio serves tasty organic food

It is strawberry And something else It is strawberry with something else and they go so well that I quaff two glasses of it when no one is lookingAditi Goel and Varun Inamdar founders of the culinary studio FoodE PicsKhushnum BhandariAditi Goel cofounder of FoodE a twomonthold culinary studio at Malad swears the smoothie has green tea with strawberry That I cannot vouch for but the drink is light unsweetened and manna for health freaks Goel tells me she and her partner Varun Inamdar are health food and dessert experts respectively and set up FoodE to answer the most basic question a regular Mumbai diner could have mdash What should I eat todayThe studio curates menus for existing and upcoming cafeacutes conducts workshops and food experiments and organises food tastings and events Inamdar who was the Executive Chef with the Oberoi group of hotels for nine years says the duo is keenest on exploring the intricacies of a cuisine mdash Indian or international mdash the roots of the dishes before presenting them to their patrons Their upcoming workshop for instance will feature home baker Shikha Murarka teach participants classic fondant makingIt is a classic French concept and we will teach people how to make flour and how to handle sugar for starters before getting into the thick of things he explains For their upcoming Italian dessert workshop he adds they will focus on panna cotta but not in a quickfix generic manner We will explore the panna cotta thoroughly teach how it can be converted into cake or even a bitesized circulating dessert explains GoelWhen the studio decided they wanted to help foodies explore South Indian food they wanted to be specific and called in someone for a Syrian Christian meal elaborates Goel Keralas cuisine is as vast as any other states so we plan to have workshops on the Kerala Muslim meal the Sadya and so on To get people interested in a Coorgi meal for instance we plan to organise a Pandi mutton session another very specific area within Kodagu meat delicacies says GoelAn assortment of organic Cottage Cheese Mushroom and Bhindi Aloo wraps These are served with a hot periperi dip and some comforting paprika hummus the Lemon Tarts leave a lingering taste of dark chocolate from the crust the Chocolate Tarts use chocolate from EcuadorA food studios greatest competitors today says the duo are establishments churning out food without a longterm goal and with generic ideas Many restaurants home bakers and popup events present dishes without research or the will to make diners aware of the intricacies of the cuisinesTo beat competition we delve even deeper into our research educate the target audience dig out lesserknown cuisines and curate memorable experiences says Inamdar For instance he adds FoodE plans to introduce a Maharashtra special to diners at their studio but be as specific as having different workshops for Malvani masala dishes and Bhetki masala recipes We also plan to curate fivestar like experiences around restaurants in the city at the price of a regular meal says Goel who is tightlipped about the details of the projectA tastedriveBut claims are best tested not heard I drop by at FoodE to find out how appealing their organic vegetarian fare is I am served wraps with cottage cheese mushrooms and bhindi aloo mdash all organic and healthy where ingredients are not fried but baked to cut out the calories To FoodEs credit each wrap served with periperi and paprika hummus is light and fresh unlike the food served in most cafeacutes The star of the afternoon however is a jackfruit and lentils cutlet mdash an unlikely combination from an underused fruitThe lighthanded treatment to this dish ensures that the flavour of the jackfruit is just enough not to overpower the lentils or the periperi dip it is served with Goel and Inamdar save the best for last mdash their lemon and chocolate tarts are flaky and light The lemon tart is not sickly sweet and each bites leaves a lingering flavour of dark chocolate from the crust of the tartFoodE if it continues with its experimentation and attention to detail has a sure winner at their handsWhere FoodE 111 Linkway Estate MaladCall 9867286277