Just beat it!

We made awesome coffee today at home, and I just had to post the picture here! I hope I can serve this to you first hand soon. The trick is to beat it till the sugar and coffee becomes one whole thick, smooth, light, creamy textured paste and then add the hot milk right in.

Among other things, I know I still have to update you all on the few other Delhi cafes that I did manage to visit during my stay here. I will soon be leaving for Mumbai and I hope I can cover a few cafes there as well.
This trip was so good and memorable that I cannot quite believe it is almost the final countdown...


Sell Coffee, not your soul

Almost a visit to Amici Cafe

So last week we continued our search for good cafes and reached Khan market. We had a list of cafes that we wanted to try out here. Khan market as I realised was this two and a half lanes full of food places, cafes and shops. By now I was getting used to the narrow side streets of Delhi (flashforward: my view will change when I visit my cousin in Gurgaon the next week!)
After walking around for a while and soaking in the many different outlets, and flipping through the menus which were conveniently placed under the supervision of a security guard, we decided to walk into Amici Cafe.

We walked in and were greeted by the owner (or perhaps his son) who seemed courteous, but not very focused. I wasn't sure he even listened to me when I spoke. In any case, we went up and waited a while to be seated. But no one really asked us anything. I was quite glad to see the open kitchen where some guys were making fresh pizza in front of us and baking it in the oven. I showed some interest and asked one of them if I could take a picture, but all I got was a grrmph. No smile, no exchange of words, just a snort. After waiting for a while when we still couldn't attract anyone's attention, we decided to leave and go to our next destination.

While walking out, the owner (the son again) asked us if everything was ok. We told him that we could not find a place, so we may come back later. He immediately let us know how understaffed they were and hence there was no one to attend to us. While I wasn't expecting an excuse, I would have still walked out with the hope of returning back, but then he continued speaking.
Owner's son (looking at me): Where are you from?
My friend intervened: She is from London...
Owner's son (now looking at my friend): What about you?
My friend: I am from Delhi, but I haven't been here before...
Owner's son: Oh very good, very good, keep bringing them here...(pointing at me)

Needless to say I was not happy. What did he mean by them? I am not them! And why did he not ask my friend to keep coming back...especially since she is from the city? Does he only want foreign tourists in his cafe? And the main thing is that my friend is not his agent! Why should she bring him foreign guests at all?

That was the end of our Amici experience. From here we decided to walk down to Turtle Cafe our next stop.




Sell Coffee, not your soul

What we learnt at Kunzum cafe

So after the ecstasy at Thadi, my friend and I continued on our journey to hunt down more cafes to inspire us. Kunzum cafe was next on our list. Conceptually I had really liked this place. The idea to have a place where people can come, sit  down, relax, talk about their travel plans and share their own travel stories, all this sounded like fun. Just reading about such a place excited me.

With all this in mind, we finally stepped into this cafe. And I was instantly shocked. There was no kitchen in this cafe. In fact this was not a cafe at all. It simply had one side board with a kettle and assorted tea and coffee packs. Trying to hide my initial disappointment, I took off my slippers, to enter the cafe. Yes that's right, you have to take your shoes off before seating yourself. I think I understand the idea behind it, which is to make you feel comfortable, as if you are at home. However in reality the flooring was not all that clean, and so bare-feet walking on a dusty floor did not exactly make me feel at home.

Since there was no menu and there was just one guy who seemed to be serving everyone, for a long time my friend and I just sat there and wondered what to do. We started looking at some of the photographs which were hung on the walls. They were quite pretty. I went and got some travel books about Delhi and Himachal Pradesh from their extensive book shelf and started flipping through the pages. After giving the lone waiter enough time to finish his many tasks, my friend went and placed our order. I wanted something cooling since the temperature in Delhi is still quite a bit high for me at this time of the year. But I had to accept the green tea instead, since there was nothing cold on their sideboard-kitchenette.

Soon we were feeling a bit too suffocated because of the closed nature of the space, and also because the people sat on neighbouring tables had stopped being entertaining, we decided to leave.


Learnings;
The Good: The idea/theme of the cafe is undeniably good. Especially because I pride myself as a world traveller, the theme was closer to heart for me.
I also liked the idea of pay what you like. It sort of made up for the fact that this place is not really a cafe. This also means if you don't like the place or the product, at least you can pay what you feel is correct, instead of being forced to pay an exorbitant price and leave feeling looted.

The Bad: The space was much too closed and there was absolutely no ventilation. To add to this since the place is tightly packed with high, low chairs, sofas and single mattresses on the floor you cannot help but get in each other's way. Eavesdropping into your neighbour's conversation is not an option, it is compulsory here.
Personally a very big negative in my mind was also the fact that there was no personal touch. It is possible that  I went to the place at a wrong time, but I would have really liked it if the owner of the place was there, speaking to people and helping newcomers to connect more with the central theme of the place.

The Ugly: I felt a bit cheated, because this was not a cafe. Tea, coffee, confectionery are the highlights of a cafe, but this place did not put any focus on this aspect at all. My personal belief is ambience cannot be the only highlight of a cafe, the product that is sold also needs to match up to the level of the ambience.

All in all it was a good learning experience, and we went back home with lots of scribblings in our note pad. It is important to learn how to do things. It is also important to learn how not to do things.


Sell Coffee, not your soul

Featuring Thadi Cafe

As we walked down the narrow but lively streets of Hauz Khas village, my friend and I saw this old looking and not very attractive building which had a sign of Thadi Cafe loosely hanging outside it.

After some debate of whether it is 'safe' to go in ( I can attribute the fear to the paranoia which I seem to have developed just by not spending enough time in my own country), we finally voted that we should give it a try. Also I had a read a few lines in a blog earlier this morning, and I really wanted to see the place.

So we followed our heart, and the signs, and kept climbing up the stairs of this mysterious looking place, all the time guessing what could be in store for us. When we finally reached the terrace (which is where the cafe was located), we were so thrilled, that we almost cried out in joy. The view from the terrace was awesome. This terrace-cafe looked over the Hauz Khas water tank giving a person like me who had no idea about the place and this lake such a pleasant surprise.

While my friend sat soaking in the ambience (the view, the caned chairs, painted walls, posters about art concerts etc), I went in to carry out my own investigation, under the pretext of ordering food. My second surprise for the day awaited me inside. The owner (one of the four, as I found later) of the place was also an engineer, who opted for doing something different with his life. Needless to say, there was an instant connection, and I spent quite some time chatting away with him. I found out that the word Thadi meant a small vendor of tea and coffee from the Jaipur region where the guys had studied. I found out about the aspirations and reasons behind the conception and implementation of the place. I also managed ordering some food by the end of it.

So in conclusion:
Ambience: Fantastic, the view from the terrace and low seating arrangements inside gave a double dose of character to the place. The music system was a good one, which to me personally was a plus! My friend loved the diwali lights which were turned on at dusk.

Food: We had the Thadi chai (tea) and a veg grilled sandwich, both were decent. My only crib, why didn't the waiter leave the pot with left over tea behind, I would have loved a second round!

Pricing: Very affordable. (Especially when I find almost everything super expensive in India!)


Sell Coffee, not your soul

Soul searching in Delhi

So continuing with my new vigour, I have finally managed to make that trip I always knew I had to. I am now in Delhi for a month with the intention of going out there in the real world and meeting more amazing people, taking stock of my own life and designing a sort of life I would be happy to live. And of course like all other countries and cities I have been to, here as well my cafe hunt continues.
Today's day was very well spent at Hauz Khas Village in Delhi, a place which is thriving with art and culture. A walk through this village and occasionally peeping into its many boutiques and art galleries left me feeling light headed and dreamy. It also helped that I was with my very good friend, someone who I am able to share the zillion thoughts and emotions which usually floods my mind when I am experiencing such strong and wonderful emotions.
I also discovered two different cafes in this area, the first being Thadi cafe. Although after my research back home from Cambridge, I had wanted to start with Kunzum Cafe (the second one of the day), a quick google search just this morning, made me want to visit Thadi Cafe first. Both cafe visits were very educational and left me feeling very satisfied by the end of the day.


Sell Coffee, not your soul

Cafe experssions

The search for soul mates apparently does't stop when you find your girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife. It continues in your daily life through your actions, dreams and aspirations. It propagates through your desire to meet like minded people who speak to you in a different language, a language you want to instantly respond to.
Sometimes these strangers gradually move into your world and become friends, at other times they are like flashes of common sense when you needed it, and then they eventually fade away into the universe where they came from. But they will always remain your soul mates. Someone who you bump into after ages and can still speak the same language to.

In my recent search for others who have gone down the road I am contemplating going, I met someone who is very inspirational. I am told he had started his own Cafe and magazine in Nashik, my home town. You can find some of his thoughts and ideas here at Cafe Bulletin.



Sell Coffee, not your soul

Local coffee in global attire

So I have restarted the SYB initiative and with new vigour and aspirations. And I realised that I have spoken so much more about the peripherals than about the most important thing about this venture, which is the coffee.
So far the best coffee I have had was in Trapani in Sicily. In fact some of the best food I have had in life was in Italy. But getting back to the coffee, I think it was called caffe crema ( I am not 100% sure about this), and it was a sort of a thick cold creamy heavenly concoction of coffee, cream and ice.
Part of my plan now is to recreate the taste, that texture and that absolutely orgasmic experience. I have found a few recipes online, and I want to try it at home if possible.

Apart from coffee there is another thing that the Italians taught me. That is simplicity of ingredients and supporting local produce. In Britain as well the trend these days is to support the local farmers and growers. It helps the food business, it helps the local farmers and increases the appreciation for them. It is a complete win win situation, and yet I see quite the opposite trend in some other parts of the world.

Someone recently reminded me that I need to think globally and act locally. And that is exactly what I am going to do.


Sell Coffee, not your soul