Celebrate the abundance of nature with delicious, nutritious flatbreads and wellness bowls
Restaurant chains that are run on idealistic lines deserve the discerning public’s patronage. One of them is Andaz Delhi, which has launched its latest outfit Soul Pantry at Aerocity, which has a story rooted in the sustainable sourcing of native grains and seasonal local ingredients. It is indeed a unique destination specialising in nutritional flatbreads, healthy bowls, fruit and yoghurt-based beverages and an indigenous coffee programme.
While your order is getting ready, take a look around. Soul Pantry has a curated retail offering aesthetical display where you can shop for plants, seed paper products, coffee hampers and gifts that will truly feed your soul.
A lover of flatbreads, the Soul Pantry experience was delightful for me, especially because the team encourages you to try highly nutritional doughs and pair them with locally sourced toppings with a wide range of options like avocado, chickpea, sumac and burrata. The flatbreads are available in three sizes, and guests can choose their dough from healthy grains from across the country — Amaranth from Uttarakhand; finger millet or ragi from Tamil Nadu; buckwheat from Arunachal Pradesh; barley from Ladakh, and gluten-free rice.
I chose Amaranth and I was happy with the outcome — it was crisp, tasty and super healthy. The topping of avocado humus with crispy chickpea and fresh mint, made it delicious. The stars of the toppings are most unusual ones like bbq pork, pork belly, bbq sauce, tomme de savoie, crispy onion; susegado — Goan chorizo, caramelised onion, potato, belkot cheese and tomato and Coconut Prawn — Mangalore prawn, orange, onion, curry leaves and fresh coconut.
If not in the mood for flatbreads, go for wellness bowls that are infused with the goodness of fresh ingredients, locally sourced greens and forgotten Indian grains. The bowls are not just delicious, but also extremely healthy because of the indigenous ingredients which are suited to the Indian climate.
In addition to the sumptuous vegetarian and non-vegetarian offerings, Soul Pantry also serves a selection of Dessert Flatbreads to satiate those with a sweet tooth. These come with delicious toppings of banana, chocolate, baked yoghurt and sweet apple.
The health quotient is carried forward in the choice of beverages as well. So you have nourishing yoghurt-based drinks with the goodness of kale, flax seed, jaggery, fox millet, chia seeds, ginger, yellow lentil and more. The fruit-based beverages feature healthy seasonal fruits paired with energising ingredients and seasonal herbs.
While Soul Pantry is a casual deli that focuses on healthy quality flatbreads, it is also a cosy hub for conversations over bespoke tea and coffee blends. The offerings have been created in collaboration with 3 Clive Road and Roasted Today Coffee. Cold brews, signature blends, artisanal coffee and seasonal specials make up the menu.
While chatting with Chef Kapil Chauhan, Sous Chef at Soul Pantry, about the uniqueness of Soul Pantry, he emphasised on their USP of preparing nutrition-laden doughs and the indigenous ingredients for toppings. The concept revolves around the story of the humble seed because life begins with a seed.
“By doing so, we give our guests more wholesome food options while respecting the native grains of India. Our story is a celebration of the abundance of Mother Nature, rooted in sustainable sourcing of native grains and seasonal local ingredients. By inspiring sustainable and mindful living, we are, metaphorically speaking, feeding our guests’ souls,” he added with a smile that reflected a well thought about the mission.
Why the name Soul Pantry? He is quick to answer: “Pantry denotes our quick, casual and easy environment and approach to service. The literal meaning of pantry is a small space within easy reach from the kitchen where food is kept and we have created ours exactly the same way. Soul, of course, is our aim of satisfying every soul who comes here.
“We want to inspire guests to make more sustainable and mindful food choices, and eventually, hope this translates into other aspects of their lives,” he walked off to get my order. And I kept his words as a motivational sign-off message.
Need to get a dish packed? There is a delightful catch. To complement the indigenous food and beverage experience, the packaging of the flatbread boxes is an immersive experience in itself. Each box carries stories of the place of origin of ingredients, and comes with a seed tag that will help you grow your own kitchen garden.
Address: Soul Pantry, Aerocity, New Delhi
