You don't need to declare yourself an anything-arian to be a part-time vegetarian. There are plenty of good reasons to occasionally skip animal-based food in favor of plant-based alternatives, including better health, a lighter impact on the environment, and compassion towards animals. It's surprisingly easy to make part-time veggie food choices without sacrificing pleasure or health in the slightest.

That’s one of the prime reasons WHAT’S HOT IN MUMBAI ventured all the way to Marine Lines to savour and feast on the menu being offered by VEEDA - THE VEGETARIAN LIFE. The menu may seem to have all the usual dishes but we were enthralled with the unique, contemporary twist given to the flavours. Every dish has enhanced and elevated the tantalising flavours to another level.

A soothing, positive ambience welcomes you and you can’t help but notice the restaurant being packed on a Monday afternoon too. Our friend who tempted us to visit the place claims that you have a crowd waiting to be served on weekends. Well, we do savour some non-vegetarian delights for our page but there have been many moments where the magical flavours of vegetarian dishes zaps us to ecstasy. So did VEEDA, which has options for Jain food too!

We admit that the flavours are supreme, which will linger close to your heart. You would surely come back to experiment with the other dishes too. A WINNER ALL THE WAY!

To check the video on Instagram, click HERE

Here are some of our recommendations:

We started with the Thupka soup which surely was a comforting start to our meal. While the original may be a bit coloured, the one we tried bowled us over with its sheer simplicity and its stunning flavours. While we tried desperately to scoop the noodles, the fresh assorted veggies added their flavour to the clear soup. Surely a gastronomic landscape which you will enjoy.

Do read these reviews also:

Belapur has a pulsating hotspot – Popular Bollywood themed resto-bar HITCHKI is here.

#newplacelalert ALL SAINTS in Khar is Pure Glam!

DEMY - Mumbai’s European Themed Café is a Perfect 10!

BLOOM - #newplacealertinbandra is a CULT CAFÉ for health-conscious foodies!

Powai’s Latest Hotspot ‘THE GAME RANCH’ is India’s first Countryside-themed gaming Resto lounge – A must-visit for sure!

EIGHT takes you on an East & Oriental Culinary Carnival - #newplacealert at Phoenix Mills!

On the mocktail front, we chose to order the Fruit punch. It’s been quite some time we actually noticed the old-time iconic flavours of the originals we used to have years back. A welcome change for sure! The Spicy guava mint was a bang-on change to the first one. This too was pitch perfect and spiked our appetite.

For starters, we chose to opt for the Kaju methi roll which was pure divinity and loaded with dancing flavours. The crispy coating was perfectly warm, the slight zing of the spice made the roll extremely gratifying. And yes, this one is loaded with pieces of kaju which balanced the ultimate effect on the dish. Our next option was the Corn cheese tikki which had some minor tweaks to the normal ones you may have tasted. The bottom layer has a cheesy base and the server grates the cheese over the tikkis as per your choice. Unlike the usual cheese tikkis, this one takes a reverse turn on the cheese factor. Quite a decent innovation, make sure you dip it in the spicy green chutney for more effect.

For your mains, we chose their best-seller Paneer Amritsari masala and Baingan Bhartha. It has always been our endeavour to opt for something out-of-the-box to test the flavour tones. The Baingan ka bhartha wowed us to the moon and back. A non-lover of eggplant wouldn’t be able to decipher its existence in this dish.

The Chef has done a fantastic job and created a masterpiece which surely needs to be tried and savoured. The Paneer Amritsari masala was loaded with thick gravy, the silkiest creamy paneer and just perfect on the spice quotient. The balancing of the spice elements has been superbly handled by the Chef else we would have had an overdose of masala food for the mains. We paired our mains with Misi roti, methi paratha and lachha paratha which were impeccably perfect.

While we had made up our mind to skip the dessert, we were literally coerced by Mr. Desmond to give a shot at one of them. We chose the Caramel Baked cheesecake which would surely give a run to all the egg versions of cheesecake we have experimented with before. The caramel layering added the subtle sweetness atonement which was perfect. A masterstroke for sure!

On the service front, we were impressed with the smiling faces of the team who regularly noticed our requirements and fulfilled them without being told. And yes, Mr. Desmond certainly proved to be the perfect host. It is restaurants like VEEDA which reset the benchmarks with their immaculate perfection without falling prey to the fusion food revolution and glorify vegetarian food flavours that will linger vividly in your foodie memory bank.

Great job VEEDA, we appreciate the symbolism of the brand name. Your food surely touched our heart strings.