Stumbled across a portion of history while taking a walk down MG Road. It was around 10 in the morning and I, along with a few friends, was looking out for a place to have a coffee & grab a few bites on our way to see the 11 o clock show at REX theatre.
Since I don’t relish eating breads & stuffs falling into this category, I avoid the multinational coffee chains like CCD (a.k.a Café Coffee Day), barista, etc. Another reason being the absence of sugar in the coffee served there. You need to help yourself when it comes to sugar. :( . So while looking out for a place to take our breakfast, we came across the Indian Coffee House. It’s situated at maybe the most prominent location on MG Road, but is as likely to get missed. We had taken that road for n number of times & we had missed it. But the n+1th time turned out to be different.
The moment we entered the restaurant, the first thing which I felt was a feeling of stepping out of the present and into the past. It felt like a place which had just sprung out of the books by R.K.Narayan.
A black & white photo of Gandhi adorns one of the walls. There are also quite a few framed advertisements/ pictures.. old..faded.. (could not take a good look at them though). The waiters are dressed in off-white uniforms (must have been white once) with the classic Indian turban on their head. The chairs & tables are pretty old fashioned. No flashy frames, no modern-arts, no ethnic/modern furnitures… nothing that would urge a dekko. The interior of the place takes a backseat. So that you give your full attention to the coffee and your companion(s).
It’s the ideal place for khatti (oriya slang for “a little chit-chat” ;) ). Just the place to spend a lazy Sunday with your friends. And I mean “friends”.
Want to experience the past? Just visit Indian Coffee House.
PS: People finicky about cleanliness stay away! That’s not one of its USP. (USP: Apart from the ambience, it’s the Coffee, with “sugar”, and Dosa-chutney, kind of “home-made”)
PPS: Another uniqueness: No Sambhar ;)
Since I don’t relish eating breads & stuffs falling into this category, I avoid the multinational coffee chains like CCD (a.k.a Café Coffee Day), barista, etc. Another reason being the absence of sugar in the coffee served there. You need to help yourself when it comes to sugar. :( . So while looking out for a place to take our breakfast, we came across the Indian Coffee House. It’s situated at maybe the most prominent location on MG Road, but is as likely to get missed. We had taken that road for n number of times & we had missed it. But the n+1th time turned out to be different.
The moment we entered the restaurant, the first thing which I felt was a feeling of stepping out of the present and into the past. It felt like a place which had just sprung out of the books by R.K.Narayan.
A black & white photo of Gandhi adorns one of the walls. There are also quite a few framed advertisements/ pictures.. old..faded.. (could not take a good look at them though). The waiters are dressed in off-white uniforms (must have been white once) with the classic Indian turban on their head. The chairs & tables are pretty old fashioned. No flashy frames, no modern-arts, no ethnic/modern furnitures… nothing that would urge a dekko. The interior of the place takes a backseat. So that you give your full attention to the coffee and your companion(s).
It’s the ideal place for khatti (oriya slang for “a little chit-chat” ;) ). Just the place to spend a lazy Sunday with your friends. And I mean “friends”.
Want to experience the past? Just visit Indian Coffee House.
PS: People finicky about cleanliness stay away! That’s not one of its USP. (USP: Apart from the ambience, it’s the Coffee, with “sugar”, and Dosa-chutney, kind of “home-made”)
PPS: Another uniqueness: No Sambhar ;)
7 comments:
I have been there quite before ..i think in 2002 ...how did u miss dat?
but yeah its very nostalgic..
the scene suddenly changes as u enter the room :))
i felt i was watching old doordarshan Tv show where the whole shooting was done in a single room :)!
gr8 place to visit and yeah gud blog!
Sigh.... you said it :)!
but i saw in the menu when we went, they had cold coffee :)
My fav place too of all coffee joints :-). Had been there with mom in May 2005.
Ah! I am simply in love with that place. Have been there a couple of times. In case you dont know, they have a first floor too...
--Neel: Yeah.. last time when i went there, all of us went to the first floor since the grnd floor was overflowing.. :)
join the Oriya Khatti over here http://khatti.fullorissa.com
thanks
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