Affordable indulgence

 With high-end cafés serving snacks at exorbitant prices, the newest one on the block –– Café Coffee Day –– is a welcome change, for not only does it have all the ingredients to qualify it for snob appeal, it is also inexpensive to boot. Perhaps, that is why it has already become an extremely popular haunt with youngsters, so much so that it is impossible to have a quiet tête-à-tête there in the evenings, since it is always packed and noisy.

Situated almost at the corner of one of the lanes emanating off Zamzama, the double-storey café boasts more seating than most eateries of its ilk. The downstairs portion has a pleasant enough interior with large picture windows revealing a profusion of greens flanking the facade; red and off-white walls; and shelves covering one wall decorated with coffee cups and books.

An attractive wrought-iron and wooden staircase leads one to the sitting area where smoking is allowed. Lounge seating comprising both off-white leatherette sofas and brown cane chairs complemented by glass-topped tables make for comfortable seating arrangements.

While the snack items –– pizzas, sandwiches and desserts –– and cold and hot coffees on offer through the day are appetising enough, it is more the breakfast menu that this critic would like to comment on. With relatively few coffee parlours offering breakfasts, and with the noise and crowd level almost unbearable at most of these joints, particularly in the evenings and post-dinner, the best time of the day if one wants to visit the eatery for a leisurely chat with friends over coffee is, undoubtedly, the morning hours.

The breakfast menu is offered between eight and 10am, although the management continues to serve even beyond the stipulated hours as long as your initial order has been placed within the required time frame. Our party decided to go for everything on offer to get a taste of the entire selection. From the egg varieties available, a veggie omelette and a cheese omelette was ordered. While the latter was succulent, we weren’t too excited about the veggie omelette, which was quite dry.

The waffles, served with maple syrup and honey were crisp and tasty, but had they been served warm, would have tasted better. The croissant was soft and fresh and the Assam tea and Café Latte washed down the meal well. However, the pancake never showed up. In fact, the only time it did was in the bill, a mistake that was soon rectified.

Overall a pleasant experience, Café Coffee Day is also popular for its many sandwiches on offer. So, the next time you want to grab a bite and don’t want to spend too much, check this eatery out.