For when you want coffee and elegance
I want that LV trunk in the coffee table. If you hear someone broke into Cafe 88 and stole only the trunk that's probably me. |
A friend with good intentions advised me to review
new restaurants because everyone is already a familiar with the stable of Delhi
classics and unlikely to want to read more about them. This is obviously good
advice so I set off in the direction of Hauz Khas Village and Meharchand Market,
where new restaurants seem to open and close every day and I wasn’t disappointed.
Eating at new restaurants every weekend is thoroughly
enjoyable, the only hitch is getting my review together and up on the blog
before these fly by night operations shut shop. While I’d love to be able to
update you in real time about where to go (and more importantly what to skip) I’ve
to come to terms with the fact that my day job doesn’t leave me that kind of
time. On the brighter side, I do have reviews on 5 (now not so) new restaurants
to get to you guys.
We’re starting with Café 88. No real reason except that
it is extraordinarily pretty. I’ve changed my mind about my future living room looking
like Ca Va. In my head it now looks like Café 88, subject to my boss tripling my
salary.
LOOKS LIKE
This place is so pretty I can even forgive that
hundreds of birds must now be homeless because their cages were wrested away
from them and flung around Café 88. The interior designers deserve a pat on the
back, no, a bear hug for not going down the usual boho-hobo-shabby-chic road
expected of young establishments. Eschewing cutesy posters and curated clutter
these brave souls have created a wonderfully grown up, minimalistic luxe space.
My favourite things - the whimsical astro-turfed roof top area with its cabana
style umbrellas, the fresh flowers everywhere and the gorgeous vintage Vuitton
suitcase doubling up as the coffee table for the ground floor. I want that suitcase.
I’m happy to trade in my younger brother and a couple of cousins for that
suitcase. You can inspect them here.
TASTES LIKE
Maybe my expectations were too high when I heard Café
88 is run by the guys who handle Yeti. Maybe they had teething troubles when I visited
in their first week of opening. Whatever the extenuating circumstances the food
here is a disappointment. The menu is a confused mash of different cuisines and
I’m not sure how they expect us to piece together a coherent meal out of the
scramble of continental, India and south east Asian options.
Most people aren’t very good at ordering food. I know
I’m not. At the end of a long day I don’t even want to try. Any decent
restaurant will set up the menu in a way that makes it easy for you to find
what suites your palate. This doesn’t happen at Café 88. When my order arrived
I found myself looking at an odd assortment of mismatched food.
The Nachos with
Spinach Dip and some other cheesy type dip were poorly plated and the
spinach bitter. The Caesar Salad and Juliet’s Meat Loaf were tasty but hardly
exceptional. The Tom Yum Soup was
watery and not worth anyone’s time or money. The highlight of my meal was the bread
basket filled with different kinds of fresh, warm, fragrant bread.
If you read my blog you’ll know I’m not a big
believer in food presentation. Do as much as you can but don’t kill yourself trying
to make a dish look pretty. After all, once it’s in someone’s mouth it’s not
going to matter how photogenic it was before. But that doesn’t mean the food
should look sloppy on your plate, specially not at a restaurant. What is going
on with the plating at Café 88? The dishes are thrown on the plate so casually I
felt like I was serving myself dinner before settling in front of the
television at home.
Go for coffee and cake. Or a milkshake. A whole meal
is a risk that might leave you discontent and poorer by about INR 2,000.
My younger brother can plate a dish better than this. Actually he can't but I'm exaggerating to make a point. |
FEELS LIKE
The staff is very gracious and attentive though
mostly ignorant about the chaos going on in the menu.
THINGS YOU
NEED TO KNOW
Should you go: A whole meal? Maybe if you choose very
carefully.
Vegetarian Options: Yes
Liquor License: No
Smoking Area: Yes
Address: 132 – 134 Meharchand Market, Lodhi Road,
Lodhi Colony
Phone: 011 49052888, 011 49051888
1 comment:
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