The Imlee Jar: Where simple vegetarian meals turn into culinary experiences

South Goa does not rush you. It invites you to pause, breathe, and linger longer than planned. That unhurried rhythm drew Sanskriti Geete to this side of the State and eventually led her to open The Imlee Jar: Vegetarian Café and Deli, a modern vegetarian space along the Colva-Benaulim road, built on comfort, curiosity, and quiet confidence.

Calm philosophy

“South Goa felt calm and peaceful, and I realised that this is exactly how I want my food to be experienced,” Sanskriti says. “Unhurried, comforting, without noise. I love that people can sit, relax, find a cosy corner, and simply wait while their food is being prepared.”

Gentle challenge

Opening a vegetarian café in a State deeply associated with seafood and meat was not a trend-driven decision. For Sanskriti, it was a gentle challenge. “There aren’t many modern or fusion vegetarian spaces here, so why not try?” she says. “Vegetarian food has its own personality and charm.”

Name with memory

The café’s name carries emotion. The Imlee Jar was inspired by Sanskriti’s childhood memories of her grandmother’s kitchen. “She would store pickles, chutneys, and dips in jars, and they felt like little treasures,” she says. Even today, she continues the tradition, and chutneys and condiments at the café are still served in jars. “Every time someone opens one, I smile. It’s like a jar of happiness, you don’t know if you’ll get something sweet, tangy, or spicy, just like life, just like our food.”

Collective effort

Behind the scenes, the café runs on collective effort. A small, dedicated team treats the space as their own, supporting Sanskriti through experiments, busy days, and uncertainties. Her husband, Kedar Borker, an entrepreneur himself, has been a pillar of guidance. “This café is built with love, guidance, and support,” she says.

Breaking boxes

Vegetarian food, Sanskriti feels, has long been boxed into the idea of being “safe” or “limited.” At The Imlee Jar, the menu challenges that notion. “Who decided vegetarian food has to be boring?” she laughs. “It’s not just about paneer, it’s not a second option.”

Playful kitchen

The kitchen experiments freely, pulled jackfruit replaces pulled pork, dahi mousse papdi reinvents a classic, and inventions like the Dabeli bruschetta and mushroom keema quesadilla. “When someone says, ‘I can’t believe this is veg,’ I quietly think, yes, this is exactly what I wanted,” she says.

Learning Goa

Originally from Indore, Sanskriti’s early cooking was spicier. Goa taught her to slow down. “People here like their food calmer and more balanced. I realised I had to tweak things, I was like, okay, Goa, I hear you.”

Local flavours

This listening led to vegetarian versions of local favourites, cafreal jackfruit and cafreal mushrooms, so vegetarians could enjoy flavours usually reserved for meat. “Those flavours are too beautiful to miss out,” she says.

Honest eaters

Goans, she observes, are honest eaters. “They don’t come only for Instagram food; they care about taste and value.” Tourists and long-stay visitors bring curiosity and playfulness. “Both energies have shaped us,” Sanskriti says. “We are not here to compete with anyone’s fish thali, that’s emotion, that’s daily life. We’re simply doing something different.”

Guest conversations

Many dishes were born from casual chats with guests. Cafreal dishes emerged from understanding Goa’s emotional connection to its flavours. A chaat platter appeared because guests couldn’t decide what to order. Extra-stuffed parathas were perfected after diners said they missed proper fillings. Event specials like recheado mushroom rissois grew out of shared excitement and feedback. “The menu keeps evolving with those relationships,” she says.

Signature plates

Certain dishes have become inseparable from the café’s identity: dahi mousse papdi, thecha paneer roll, cigar rolls, and butter jackfruit. Then there’s the Chai Thali, which Sanskriti calls an experience rather than a dish. “It’s exactly how we have chai at home,” she explains. “Two chais with simple companions like chakli or mathri, it reminds people of how moms serve chai, simple, full of love.”

Quiet growth

The café has grown through word-of-mouth, Instagram, and Google reviews, without paid marketing. “We cook fresh, and we tell people it will take time, and people are okay with it. They sit, relax, wait.” Instagram, she says, is just a diary. “Small moments, real stories, nothing forced.”

Real challenges

Opening a café in Goa was not without challenges, power issues, weather, off-seasons, and staffing. “There were days I wondered why it was so difficult,” she admits. “Then someone enjoys a meal and says something beautiful, and I think, this is why.” Success arrived quietly, through returning guests, birthday celebrations, and families who already knew their orders. “That’s when I felt we were home,” she says.

Evolving landscape

Sanskriti sees spaces like The Imlee Jar fitting naturally into Goa’s evolving food landscape, small, owner-run cafés rooted in comfort and honesty. “We’re not loud, we’re about conversation and gentle creativity,” she says.

Looking ahead

For the future, she hopes to grow slowly, through seasonal cooking, thoughtful collaborations, and shared tables. “My only plan is to keep serving food with love,” she says. “When you do that, the right people always find you.”

Veg reimagined

And if Goans leave rethinking vegetarian food, even slightly, Sanskriti would be content. “It doesn’t have to be boring or a compromise,” she smiles. “Vegetarian food can be exciting, comforting, and full of flavour; it just needs a chance.”