Review: SoBo-ites go “nuts” as your fave all-day cafe, The Nutcracker, opens its 5th outpost in Breach Candy

I walked into the newly-opened The Nutcracker’s Breach Candy outlet on a Thursday afternoon for lunch — just a day after it started welcoming patrons — and was surprised to see the 40-seater fully packed. But the very next second, I realised that it has been attracting loyalists for over 11 years, so it shouldn’t be really surprising to see a full house on its second day of operation. Later, founder Anaheeta (Annie) Bafna corroborates my theory.

This is their fifth outlet after their flagship store opened in Kala Ghoda in 2014. It subsequently expanded to Bandra, Lower Parel, Bandra Kurla Complex, and now Breach Candy. Soon, there is going to be one in Powai as well. Coming from a finance background, Annie’s leap of faith in the twenty-tens to become a restaurateur has paid off exceptionally well. City’s epicureans shower continuous love upon the all-day cafe, no matter what the pin code. SoBo (South Bombay) folks are so well acquainted with the brand that there’s no need for elaborate campaigns to publicise its opening. A mere Instagram reel does the trick!

The Nutcracker Breach Candy is housed where once stood the iconic Sun restaurant. While people miss the pure veg establishment’s malai koftas, paneer tikka masala, kebabs and curries, Annie feels she has to take forward the legacy with her venture and honour that nostalgia. During the renovations, they peeled a layer off one of the walls and found behind it a vertical brick wall — a rare architectural element to find in Mumbai now. Tejal Mathur (of Tejal Mathur Design) and Annie decided to retain and restore it as a brick-exposed wall as a nod to the heritage. Now, it is central to their design.

Every Nutcracker outpost looks different. This one boasts graphite-hued tabletops —  each with a pair of bottle-shaped legs; hand-painted walls; patterned tiles; metal papier-mâché-coated lamps, and an artificial sunroof that is geo-tagged to mimic the light outside depending upon the time of day. All rustic, yet so playful. A large glass window reaffirms your presence in SoBo’s upscale neighbourhood.

Known for their eggetarian and vegetarian concept, the all-day cafe boasts crowd-favourite pancakes, Turkish eggs, salli eggs, classic eggs, and vegan dishes, including healthy bowls, small plates, and even desserts. But, this outpost also has a new specials menu with dishes only being served here.

From Nutcracker Medal Eggs, Anda Ghotala, Kheema Qatayef, to puddings, flatbreads and smoothies, you have new things to try. Since I had previously had some of their offerings at earlier outposts, I chose to experience their new dishes.

They are known for their bagels, but are debuting with flatbreads made with 24-hour fermented dough. These freshly-baked flatbreads come in variants like Classic, Shakshouka, Smoky Barbeque and Marinara. Leavened well, I tried the Smoky Barbeque first and was wowed with the first bite. The pulled jackfruit mimics meat really well. The beans, garlic yoghurt, and vegan cheese bring the dish home. Next, the Shakshouka with its fajita onions, mixed greens, sauce and cherry tomatoes sits very well on the palate.

The Kheema Qatayef is one of their proud additions, which has fermented finger millet-semolina-flour pancakes served along with green masala kheema, garlic yoghurt and kachumber. The savoury pancakes are golden and fluffy. The batter is fermented for 12 hours. The garlic yoghurt is fantastic, and I couldn’t help but polish it off within seconds. The green masala is made with soya and comes in a cast-iron skillet. 

I only had room for one more dish. Upon recommendation, I decided to try the Nutcracker Medal Eggs that came with steamed eggs with NC cheese, on a bed of mushroom-kale-spinach propped up on an English muffin bread (baked in-house). This was the star dish for me. Each component on its own was exceptional, and when tried together, was a mini flavourgasm. If only the hashbrown was also made in-house, I would have checked into food heaven.

Weaving in comfort in terms of its taste, the dishes are colourful, playful and score brownie points for presentation. All in all, you are getting joyful, flavoursome, creative dishes that attest to the fact that vegetarianism is not an afterthought but a core philosophy here. Mumbai’s neighbourhoods could use more clean eateries, such as The Nutcracker, that offer great food and beverages in a setting that sparks curiosity with its ambience.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Where: Shop No. 1, Ground Floor, Beach View, Breach Candy, Cumballa Hill, Mumbai
When: Monday: 11 AM – 12 AM; Tuesday to Sunday: 8 AM – 12 AM
Cost for two: 1500/-