The Bombay Café List
(This blog is a work in progress, thanks for bearing with author:))
Even as I start creating this post, I realise that this is gonna be large and long-term project. The café scene in Mumbai is vibrant and gigantic. This isn't one small city that we are talking about- this is a large cauldron of culture and commerce that thrives on caffeine. And while that's not even close all that these multitude of cafés have to offer, coffee is a serious culinary matter.
Cutting to the chase, here goes an attempt to document my experiences across various cafés that this city has to offer.
Bombay to Barcelona Library Café
Marol, Andheri (East)
This is a place that boasts two features that makes it stand apart:
1. The "library" part of the name leads to an aesthetic interior, the walls adorned with art and a bookshelf along the wall completing the theme
2. The entire staff working there consists of formerly homeless street kids, who have been retrained to work in a restaurant setting
While these two "novelty" factors might suffice otherwise for even a half-decent place, this place is good. Really good, in absolute terms, even if you discount the other two factors.
Our order there consisted of pink sauce pasta, chicken lasagna, café bonbon (an espresso shot pulled over a bed of condensed milk) and cold coffee. Almost all of these were well prepared, and the portion size was decent for the price.
The service too was nice, although if memory serves me right, they initially took a bit of time. The server however was friendly, and after our meal, they took feedback and told us about the story behind the café.
2nd visit: Following the awesome experience the first time around, we decided to revisit. Unfortunately, our experience wasn't as great as the first time around. We ordered Chicken Pesto Pasta, Cappucino and Chicken Burger. While the pasta and coffee were great, the burger was one of the worst I've had in a while. It seems like it was just put on the menu to diversify, but it is a pitfall that establishments must avoid.
While sticking to the pasta and coffee would lead to a good gastronomic experience at this place, the burger left an impression sour enough that I have to revise the rating. The service was nice this time too, however.
Original Verdict: 4/5
Revised Verdict: 3.5/5
Third Wave Coffee
R City Mall, Ghatkopar (West)
Including this here might be blurring the lines between a café and a coffee shop, because this is definitely more of the later. However, for the entirety of this list, I am going to include coffee shops with the same vogour as the other entries.
Since that's out of the way, let's come to Third Wave Coffee, which definitely is among the best places serving coffee in the country. While this is just one of its many outlets, the quality you get is what is uaually expected out of a standalone independent store.
Across multiple visits and order-ins, I have tried, inter alia, Mocha Frappé and the traditional Flatwhite. Doing great on both counts, the new-fangled cold beverage and the traditional hot coffee format, you can trust almost everything you try here.
One memorable experience here was the free-of-cost coffee tasting experience provided, as means of demonstrating the siphon extraction method. The people on staff there were incredibly helpful and knowledgeable, both while the demonstration and while ordering.
Siphon extraction method
Update: Visited again recently, as I wanted to try the Vietnamese Shakerato for a while. Was awesome, one of best iced coffees around. Was strong, smooth and balanced. The perfect way to beat the summer heat while getting your coffee fix.
Verdict: 4.5/5
Subko Specialty Coffee Roasters and Bakehouse
Interesting experience: Free samples of chocolates and coated espresso beans on the ground level.
Aesthetics: Really great, typography is the king
Interesting experience 2: Indie short film theatre
First visit: Chicken Haleem Quiche, Flatwhite, Espresso Filled Croissant
Second visit: Espresso Filled Croissant
Verdict: 4/5
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