Sep 26, 2002 01:12 PM
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(Updated Sep 26, 2002 01:16 PM)
Lovely brown beans roasted on a slow fire , then ground finely into a powder , percolated with hot water and poured steaming hot into a mug and generously topped with cream or an inkling of milk with a dash of sugar ..oh that's what I call bliss ... or what is normally called as Coffee. India's southern region have been predominant growers and consumers of Coffee ... most of the South Indians would give a kick start to the day with some steaming hot Filter coffee .. me included.
Discovered accidentally in around 800 BC by an Ethiopian Farmer this , then Prodigal now Proverbial red berry became increasingly famous throughout the world. Different regions have their own way of having coffee , The Italians , Brazilians, Indians, Arabians and so on ..
The Global culture in Food has caught up with Indians in a big way albeit a trifle late. After the endless Idlis and Paranthas the Fried Rice , Red Curry, Pizzas and Burgers have revolutionized the Indian's Food Palate. The Beverages part took some time to catch in but the Coffee craze has hit the metros with Barista.
Café Coffee Day is the brand name of Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company Ltd.( ABCTCL ) based at Bangalore. In Five years of Café Coffee Day they operate 53 cafes in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Mangalore and Pune. Unlike Barista they did a roundabout route capturing the other cities before stepping into Mumbai which was already in the rage of a Barista Fever.
Our quaint lil suburb Chembur also have our own Barista and a Café Coffee day now. With not an ''Oh so impressive'' shop as it has settled itself in a small unobtrusive corner of Hotel Grand Central in the Heart of Chembur's Marketplace.No Magazines, music books and Guitars around here but its got its own charm. I would like to call it a poor man's Barista as it impresses with its affordable rates. With around 6 tables overlooking the busy street and perched right next to Baskin Robbins this ones a great place to unwind .
The Menu is quite impressive for the Joint ... The Hot Coffee lovers find their Expressos , Cappuchinos , Café Latte and the Mocha and Irish Coffees in place with an addition of Chococinno ( Chocolate Flavored Coffee) and Machiato ( with Milk Foam). Black Coffee lovers would like their Mochas and the ones who like their coffees with milk would dig into the café Latte which is very impressive.
International Coffees * are served in a big Cup which has newspaper headlines strewn all over the outer side. The Colombian Juan Valdez was good .. The Ethiopian Qahwah ,Kenyan Safari and Hawaiian Alohas look too good to be tried upon.
Coming into Cold Coffees * to beat the current weather, the prize goes to the slightly expensive Silver Medal winner in the World Barista Championship Kaapi Nirvana.A very enthusiastic Employee adds, have it sir and you wont regret it , well I surely did not ..the Distinctive Strong Coffee undertones with tons of Whipped cream tickles your taste buds. This part of the Menu is well supported by Chocolate flavored Tropical Iceberg, Cardamom flavored Arabian Heights and Coconut Flavored Cold Sparkle.
They also have Vegan Shake which is a speciality of the house with absolutely no Animal Fat .. can you beat that.. as for the looks it looks absolutely delicious. The Hot Chocolates , Teas ,some nice smooth mocktails and sinful Sodas and Sundaes do find their way in too.
Aren?t you feeling Hungry , well I am and what is better than a Date and Walnut Cake, This innocent looking slice shows its colours when bit upon... it's the best I have ever tasted before. Pastries and Ice Creams smothered with sauces and Chocolate Donuts made for the masses. The really hungry ones can have their Samosas , Sandwiches , Croissants and Burgers .
The Prices for an average Coffee ranges between Rs 20 and Rs 35 with Kaapi Nirvana being the most expensive at Rs 65. That's according to me mightily reasonable. Service here is pretty good, they were doling out Discount Cards for Bills over Rs 100 , I managed to get one but my friend did not when he made such purchases a couple of times. Well that's one area which has to be improved upon. Consistency in offers and a better customer Service.
Welcome to Mumbai Café Coffee Day and lets meet another day at another mug of Coffee !!!
