Located diagonally opposite and across the road from Hotel JW Marriott
Portfolio of fermented foods strengthened to improve gut health of customers, while at the same time remaining steadfast to the avowed commitment towards mindfulness and full-on taste
Good, healthy food complimented by great speciality coffees & bakes and a liquor & wines bar to boot
He is passionate about cooking, and she deep-rooted in baking and fermentation. Both work hard and constantly experiment with food to create magic. Their emphasis is always on digestive health, ethical sourcing and an open kitchen philosophy. Their first commercial culinary venture Back to Source Café in Sector 17 Chandigarh, having been launched in the thick of Covid pandemic, after a slow start, became a rage among food lovers with its mindful-healthy-tasteful cuisines.
Today Munish and Puja Aggarwal are a name to reckon with in the Chandigarh tricity food circles with a committed clientele which will not hang out elsewhere for a café and dine out experience.
Encouraged by the spontaneous response to Back to Source, the couple jumped into their second commercial venture Chhota Banaras, a “guilt-free Indian street food café” in Sector 17, which also proved an instant hit.
The Aggarwals now have five cafes under the brand names Back to Source (Sector 17 Chandigarh & Jubilee Junction, Sector 66 Mohali), Chhota Banaras (Sector 17 & Sector 8 Chandigarh) and Café Well-Being in Sector 22 Chandigarh. Two more Chotta Banaras cafes are planned to be opened – one in Panchkula & the other in New Chandigarh.
Having already had a great experience of visiting Back to Source in Sector 17 over the years, your own news portal LifeInChandigarh.com, on an invitation from the Aggarwals, recently visited their Café Well-Being in Sector 22-C Chandigarh, which is located diagonally opposite and across the road from Hotel JW Marriott.
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It was a deep dive into their offerings and philosophy behind Café Well-Being, their unique food concepts, developed over the years to achieve a near perfect blend of mindfulness and health, without at the same time compromising full-on taste.
Remaining consistent with their commitment to honest sourcing, the husband-wife duo has continually strengthened their supply chain, ensuring that more than 70% of ingredients used at the café, including grains, pulses, vegetables, sweeteners and oils, are sourced directly from farmers who are zealously following chemicals-free practices. All spices and masalas are ground fresh daily to preserve aroma, potency, and therapeutic value.
In stark contrast to the era of ultra-processed foods, artificial enhancers and fleeting wellness trends, their kitchen focuses on traditional techniques such as soaking, fermentation, slow cooking and balanced seasoning.
“Refined oils and over-processing have distorted our understanding of food. We use cold-pressed oils, ‘desi khaand’ instead of refined sugar and single-source cow and buffalo milk across our kitchens,” shared Munish, who has a knack for thinking up something new each time he enters the kitchen, as Puja put it.
In Café Well-Being, Sector 22 the portfolio of fermented foods has been strengthened. Explaining the significance of fermentation in curation of healthy food, Puja, who has perfected the art of fermentation with years of learnings and experimentation, shared: “Fermentation in particular plays a central role in Café Well-Being. Batters, doughs and select beverages are fermented naturally, without chemical accelerators or shortcuts. Fermentation is clinically proven to improve gut health.”
She showcased some fermented recipes using cabbage, cucumber, cauliflower among other vegetables, crafted by her using lactic acid fermentation, alongside naturally fermented and probiotic-rich beverages like
Kanji: A traditional North Indian fermented drink made with either black/red carrot, beetroot, cucumber or amla, seasoned with mustard powder, salt and pepper. It ferments in sunlight, developing a deep, tangy, probiotic-rich flavour. It’s best enjoyed topped with boondi.
Fruit Soda: Is a fizzy probiotic beverage made with wild yeast naturally occurring on fruit surfaces. It’s delicious and one of the best ways to put excess seasonal fruits to use.
Tepache: Mexican-style pineapple ferment. A sweet, tangy, mildly spicy fermented drink made with pineapple peels, brown sugar and spices.
Kombucha: A naturally fermented, lightly fizzy drink made with either sweetened black tea, green tea, or flavoured tea, along with a SCOBY, which is called the mother (symbiotic culture of bacteria & yeast). It develops a tangy, refreshing flavour and is rich in probiotics and enzymes.
Water Kefir: It’s a sweet, fizzy, probiotic-rich drink made using water, sugar and kefir grains – fermented naturally away from sunlight.
Fresh salad with a mix of fermented cabbage and carrot, and Nachos with fermented salsas are another attraction.
“We reimagine even traditionally misunderstood foods like pizzas through proper fermentation, making them easier to digest and nutritionally balanced,” she added.
Everything in the Café Well-Being kitchen, including mayonnaise and sauces, are made fresh from scratch daily, eliminating the need for adding potentially harmful preservatives.
Another defining feature of Café Well-Being is its open-kitchen policy, allowing guests to tour the kitchen, view ingredient storage and witness spices being ground fresh in-house.
Café Well-Being’s menu draws from Indian comfort food, global café classics, and slow-food traditions, all filtered through a clean-process philosophy. Signature dishes include Dal Makhani, Malai Kofta, Desi Chicken, Roghani Naan, Mutton Seekh, Mutton Keema Dosa, Chicken Pepper Fry Dosa, Crisp Jacket Potato, Kathi Rolls, Burgers and Gulab Jamun.
As in all their cafes, the décor and furniture at Café Well-Being, Sector 22 are minimalistic and sustainable. Here even the walls are painted with natural lime.
The ground floor houses the café with well spaced-out tables and guests can enjoy reading from well-stocked bookshelves. The basement hall, dedicated to parties, can accommodate 50 PAX.
Apart from serving the best Indian and global speciality coffees, the café also serves a variety of hard drinks and wines from top brands.
Well-stocked merchandise shelves vend a wide range of cookies, biscuits, biscotti, dry snacks, breads, pickles, fermented drinks, cakes, gir & desi cow ghee and cold-pressed oils.
Guests can also buy small designer clay jewellery pieces.
Affordability is relative to the quality of ingredients and processes used.
A glimpse of specials on Café Well-Being-Sector 22 Menu
Morning Classics
Masala Omlette Back To Source-Style
Avocado Toast
Papaya Parantha
Egg Parantha Tawa
Starters
Mushroom Tikka
Chicken Tikka
Fish Tikka
Mutton Seekh Kebab
Breads & Buns
Cheese Chilli Toast
Veg Sourdough Sandwich
Cottage Cheese Bao/Chicken Bao
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Soups & Salads
Afghani Chicken Shorba
Barley Salad
Chickpea Avocado Salad
Citrus & Beetroot Salad
Small Plates
Channa Tawa Bhatura
Hummus Falafel Platter
Signature Pastas
Marinara Sauce Pasta
Mushroom Cheese Pasta
Dosas
Chicken Pepperfry Dosa
Mutton Keema Dosa
Pizzas
Margherita Pizza
Vegan Pizza
Chicken Ham & Mushroom Pizza
Chicken Tikka Pizza
Main Course
Special Naturally Creamy Yellow Dal
Malai Kofta
Veg/Chicken Biryani
Palak, With Options Of Kofta, Paneer, Mushroom
Mutton Curry
Cottage Cheese Steak
Grilled Lemon Fish
Breads & Accompaniments
Bansi Wheat Tandoori Roti
Tandoori Khamiri Roti
Roghani Naan
Black Wheat Lachha Parantha
Specials From the Merchandise Shelf
Dry Snacks
Garlic Bhujia
Aloo Bhujia
Chana Crisp
South Spice Boondi
Breads
White Bread
Milk Bread
Wheat Bread
Sourdough
Biscuits & Cookies
Almond Cookies
Coconut Cookies
Oats & Nuts Biscuits
Pista Biscuits
Almond Shakkar Biscuits
Nut & Berry Biscotti
Chocolate Biscotti
Pure Ghees & Oils
Gir Cow Ghee
Desi Cow Ghee
Cold-pressed Sunflower Oil
Pickles
Mixed Veg
Heeng Mango
Ginger Lemon
Methi Dana
Jamun Honey
Mango Laungi
