The Teal Door Cafe: The Doorway To A Great Evening Of Stories And Delicious Food

Women empowerent has become a significant topic of discussion in today’s society. And istead of just talking about it, acting on this worthy cause is Shruti Ravi, a 27 year old architect who’s brain child is the Teal Door Cafe.

The Teal Door Cafe is where delicious food and a great cause work hand-in-hand to empower women and create awareneness of recycled and up-cycled products. We had the opportunity to talk to Shruti, who showed us around the cafe and told us how everything in the cafe has been made using recycled or up-cycled products, except the food, which she guarantees is fresh and not recycled!

From the handrails, to the tiles, the bricks, the tables and chairs to the decoration, some of the serving trays, and the lights, everything is either hand-made or made with up-cycled or recycled materials. They even have a vertical herb garden where they grow fresh herbs like thyme, basil, and rosemary among others! 

The Teal Door Cafe: Empowering Women

The idea of the cafe was born when Shruti was working with women and children who came from less than ideal family situations. Her interactions with them made her want to do something to help people who were willing to work and do more with their lives, get the most out of life and not just accept their fate. She started the cafe with the hope to give them a platform where they could express themselves in a safe environment, work towards their aspirations, and grow beyond their limitations. “And what better a way to do this, than through food”, she says.
What started as an idea to serve ‘kadak chai’, bondas and bajjis, grew into a three-storeyed cafe that exhibits products made of recycled and up-cycled products made by underprivilaged women, and serves delicious local food with a global twist.

Think Local, Act Global

The menu features a range of comfort indian food with a twist. Global flavours meet traditional flavours to create powerful tasting dishes that are an explosion for your tastebuds. Having heard a lot about the menu at the Teal Door Cafe, and being curious about the ‘recycled and up-cycled’ theme of the cafe, we headed over and had one of the best evenings.

Treats For The Tastebuds

Upon arrival, we quenched our thirst with their unique and delicious ‘Kosambari’ mocktail. Kosambari, for those of you who don’t know, is a typically south Indian salad made from cucumber, pulses and seasoned with mustard seeds. And this drink definitely hit the right spot!

Next we had the Gulti Chicken wings. Think perfect bbq chicken wings meet andhra spices, and marination and voila, that is exactly what this dish is all about. To accompany the chicken, we ordered the aptly named ‘lil extra carbs’ platter which featured a range of fresh baked bread (ciabatta, foccacia, baguette, and panini) served with red beet salsa, garlic aioli, herbed persilad, and tangy san marzano. 

Their ‘think global, act local’ section of the menu has us excited. Featured was the chicken dosa with cheese, served in a crepe style. Cheese, Chicken, Dosa and crepes – need we say more? We HAD to order it. And it was unbelievably delicious. It had a burst of all the right flavours and textures, talk about Italy meets South India.

Do not miss their range of dishes that star maggi, with a twist! We tried the maggi with chicken and oyster sauce. The sauce added a Thai-style twist to a delicious bowl of maggi noodles. One word, Yum.

Every meal has a happy ending. Yes, dessert! The pastry chef and Shruti’s child-hood friend, Arushi, delighted us with a range of mouth-watering, droolworthy desserts, a rich melt in your mouth rum ball, banana cake topped with a caramel drizzle, and a slice of delicious carrot cake whose taste profile was cake meets carrot halwa. Need I say any more?

Whether it’s to support the cause, or to check out the great vibe of the cafe, or to unwind playing a game of uno or chess while you gorge on delectable cuisine, The Teal Door Cafe is the place to be!