In Tune with Nature

Paashh at Pali Hill

A vegetarian restaurant in Pali Hill and a plant-forward, no-alcohol one at that, this eatery, helmed by Chef Ajay Chopra, is steadily punching above its weight. Set yourself at ease when you dine at Paashh

Buckwheat Noodles and Stirfried Asian Greens

Text: Lyle Michael

This Poona-based brand of sustainable methods and conscious eating, of all things fresh, made in-house and moving with the seasons, of taking a pause and immersing yourself in the quiet of nature…is Paashh. Brought to you by Vaishali Karad and the food by celebrity chef Ajay Chopra alongside in-house Chef Rajesh Moolchandani, it’s a destination worth stopping by, and lingering on at. We did and found it relaxing, to put it simply.

One year in Bombay now, and it’s going sturdy, quietly drawing the artsy crowd from Bandra to its refurbished cottage space in a quiet lane off Carter Road. Green foliage greets you as you enter the neatly-arranged restaurant, with calming, soothing interiors that are understated and minimalistic. Earth tones set the mood, and you get more than a dining experience at Paashh, with a tony wardrobe section and a spice display, all in-house and for sale. A rotating dessert counter and a book shelf are at your disposal as well. Ah yes, and a bar is situated on the lower level – a coffee bar, of course – before you walk up to the cute, little street-facing al fresco area and the fairly spacious dining area with a separate section within for a slightly more private affair. Not really, it seats around 20-25 people at separate tables and was fairly bustling with happy faces.

Ceillia Shelter is the perfect little spot for this laidback and green chic eatery, where the noise of the promenade on a weekend night is drowned out and nature serves itself up as your companion. A delightful companion to the vast selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes and drinks on the menu at Paashh. The chefs recently launched a new menu – four in a year based on the season – and continued to highlight the essence of the land that offers up its bounty for our sustenance.

Signature dishes work their way up from the Chiang Mai Coconut Curry Soup, Gazpacho Greeko Salad, Seven Layers Satpura Chaat, the Young Jackfruit Nihari, Tres Leches, Tiramisu among others. Along with highlighted beverages like Cucumber Picante, The Heart Energizer, and more where that came from. The Picante is a nice, slow kick to the cucumber juice of old, easy and slow. The Energizer pumps you up with beetroot, spinach, orange, carrot and fresh ginger.

Everything’s fresh, really, you find it in the taste of the ingredients at this ingredient-forward restaurant! Sorry, we just had to throw in a trending term, but it stands true with Paashh, for they work closely with 18 farms across the country to bring in the freshest and very seasonal produce that translates beautifully to your plate, courtesy the hands of the chefs/artists behind the counters.


The neat inner seating	Chef Rushikesh Wavare & Chef Rajesh Moolchandani

“Paashh’s menu is a celebration of the land and what it offers, where seasonal ingredients, a plant-forward approach, and mindful techniques come together to create an experience that is as thoughtful for the soul as it is flavourful,” shares Chef Ajay Chopra, the man with a vast repertoire of hospitality brands, a digital creator, TV show presenter and judge on MasterChef India, and more.

“We were taking forward the owner’s way of living – sustainable – when Paashh Pune was being conceptualised in 2019. However, in the kitchens, it’s not possible to go purely sustainable. And it had to be purely veg,” he continues. So, what you see today is a menu focused on three things: First is the taste of the food – Chef Ajay’s mandate; second is clean eating – with ingredients sourced responsibly and the employment of cold-pressed oils, tamari instead of soy and rock salt instead of refined salt, for instance; and third is a seasonal menu – based on what the farmer has in stock.

There are no bottled products used in food production, their own in-house bitters go into the drinks, and only ingredients sourced from farms that they collaborate with, around Poona, Bombay and the North. Two of their main sources are 000 Farms and Taru Naturals, Chef Ajay informs us.

From our meal, we see how Chef and the team are very clearly delving into seasonal ingredients and food that is rustic, with an ambience to match, and a flare that is evident. Well, it sort of makes it fine-dining, minus the fanfare and price points that burn a hole your pocket. Safe to say, a meal for two would cost approximately Rs. 2500 + taxes. There really is no fanfare, for there was no one at reception on the ground floor to greet us as well. Just a centuries-old telephone that the likes of Bell used, that really doesn’t fit in with the earthy, natural vibe of the place; just a thought.


Chef Ajay Chopra	Owner, Vaishali Karad	The chef sizzles in the kitchen	Earthy tones and calm interiors

Paashh could also well be labelled a café, where you just chill and catch up over a long overdue conversation. Order their Apple Bloom Tea and pour away while the hours go by. Served hot, its lovely to watch how the apple rose unfurls, blooms in your cup, while a lightly sweet note hits your palate, complemented by a slight bitterness from the Geisha Blossom green tea. A Watermelon and Basil Punch is another no-fuss drink to relax with, especially in the heat of the Bombay summers, with pomegranate added in – refreshing, an old classic, really.

Once settled in with your drinks, the Almost Bhel can make its way to your table: a salad with puffed jowar, pomegranate and millet flakes. Beetroot lovers, we quite liked the carpaccio with rightly-sliced beetroot, edamame, ponzu and avocado cream. We were very tempted to try the soups – Chiang Mai Coconut Curry is a signature and the Slow Cooked Tomato teasing our tomato tastes – but the tea and the drink were enough liquid for the meal, with space for the mains seemingly more imperative. But first, a little about the Satpura Chaat – of pumpkin launji, methi dana chutney and a radish chilli slaw, very unusual in its flavours that meld well together. And the star – the seasonal Mango Burrata Salad: fresh, colourful and delightful. A sphere of Burrata sits amid mango cubes – both raw and ripe – red heirloom tomatoes – atop a green chutney that you would never associate with a mango salad. It works, and serves as a must-order in our books.

The portions are generous at Paashh, so you will have to take a pause, give yourself a breather, walk around the space, grab a book, pick a spice bottle from the shelf if you’d like to purchase one, take a look at the clothes on sale – highly priced, but sustainable fabric don’t come cheap – and step onto the open-air verandah for a slight summer breeze. Will make you feel fine, dissipate your worries a while…


Chiang Mai Style Coconut Curry Soup	Torched Avocado	Zucchini and Spinach Ravioli	Tiramisu, not to miss!

Once back at our table, the meal continues with the Paneer Pave in a Banarasi Tomato Gravy, simply coz cottage cheese is a weakness. Worth the order, for it comes with a missi roti with flaxseeds and a spiral rice papad. The gravy is slow-cooked tomato, so we got our soup serve in here itself. It’s a heavy dish, for sure. However, we love mushrooms just as much, and would pick the Comforting Wild Mushrooms for a hearty meal-in-one over the paneer. An assortment of mushrooms is served in a Bourguignon style gravy with seasonal greens and a sinful polenta cake. A corn cake is heavy, but the indulgence is worth it. You can walk it off from the bungalow to the promenade, where the frightening sound of bikes in full rev on a Friday night will have you wishing you stayed back at Paashh a little while longer.

Which we did; for dessert was not a course we take lightly, literally and figuratively. Ever! The sweet tooth was craving a quick fix and the options before us were making it hard.

For one of us being a dark chocolate lover, it was a no-brainer. The De-Constructed Dark Chocolate Cake is a work of art with almond flour and Belgian chocolate. The raspberries and dark chocolate swirls were the perfect combination, though the cake itself was not much to write home about. For the other, a tiramisu lover, the staple Italian treat was utterly sumptuous, way too much for a single-person serving. Best you share it with a loved one! Doubles your fortune or something like that, right? Then you have the famed Tres Leches also on offer, which is a chef’s recommendation, and the Millet Crumble, which is for a healthier indulgence – with jaggery, jowar flour, apples and dates.

Paashh lays heavy emphasis on clean ingredients, locally-sourced, and innovative, sustainable methods of production to bring you dishes that are healthy with gluten-free and vegan options. Sustainability is the name of the game and a slow-pace of dining is the new way forward. We approve.