Chandigarh, the city now offers diverse eating options and it can be pretty bewildering, plus you never know how genuine or representative of a region the food paced before you actually is. Me, I prefer the indianised food or rather the indianised version of the food dished out but love to be comfortable and in a happy frame of mind when watching the diners and eating. Plus at times all you want is a coffee or a light snack, the cafes or their larger versions often do just fine. I avoid cafes patronised by white bearded gentlemen, cribbing with their wives about property disputes or daughters in law !
I like now a days what appears to be a largish version of a café, The ‘Girl In the Café’, in the shopping district, Sector 17, located on the second floor next to Sindhis Sweets and Canara Bank. The place has spaced out seating and comfortable sofa type chairs, so while comfort is assured, you cannot eavesdrop, now that’s a negative!. Its trendy, they have seating in the balcony, for the comfortable days or when you want to only watch your companion. Iit was a hot afternoon, a couple seemed happy sitting in the balcony without air conditioning, so love is not only blind but also impervious to inclement weather ! The snack or light food only café offers a wide range of coffees, mocktails, western snacks and juices. Sorry, it’s a no alcohol cafe. They did not have the Irish Coffee listed on the menu, I had a regular coffee instead, it was not hot the way I define hot in coffee but was satisfying. The wife liked her mango shake. The salad of the day and sandwiches were fine, as are the non-vegetarian dishes as such, but the thin crust pizzas could be better. It’s an eclectic menu and add on’s are available. Overall, it’s the ambience which is fine, its chic and informal, there are youngsters sitting around, newspapers and magazines are available, there is a large coffee bar , just chill out and relax. It’s not really heavy on the packet, say a per head of Rs 400/- to Rs 500/- for a snack plus juice etc. as per my estimates is the outer limit as such. But the Girl in the Café I could not find, the name is still a mystery. Maybe next time I will ask the friendly young staff about it. The menu card could be in better shape though.
Another place I like is smallish but lovable, ‘Backpackers’ in Sector 9, it’s a place to take you back to old days. The menu card is beautifully thought out, the eats offer a wide range and the music is of the days when radio was king and the LP’s played in cantonment towns. Neil Diamond was the flavour when I was there last; thankfully none of the mindless noise called hip hop assaults your ears here. Their Apple Pie with ice cream is heavenly, as is the breakfast menu and the club sandwich. I love to go there for the food, again not the typical Indian snack menu, but it offers a wide range and I am sure even expatriates from the west can enjoy it. A hint, they sometimes offer discounts on desserts, provided you are not finicky about something called cholesterol!.The place is at its best in evenings.
Otherwise try the Barista Lavazza coffee bar in sector 17, spacious, warm and friendly staff, even if they ask you every time for the feedback and your e-mail and day of birth. It’s active, live, pulsates with vigour, people working on laptops, reading or discussing. Its friendly overall on the packet, has a varied menu from rolls to brownies and pies, shakes to coffees, seating is comfortable, when tired of shopping, just chill out and browse through a newspaper. When last visited, it had two youngsters playing chess, five girls working on an advertising project and some gazing into each others eyes couples .
Otherwise stroll over to the Salad Bar, again in sector 17, not on a weekend, then you will know what it feels to be stuffed in a small place; though it’s large, but can be crowded immensely. It has a small but well-made range of salads, food with wide range of options, Indian to all sorts, a buffet table and yes, an adequate range of alcohol. Again its pocket friendly but watch out for the crowded days, then it can be ill mannered young children getting in the way or just thinking that loud talking and playing in the aisle is having a good time. This is something many parents in India seem to overlook, that their children can be pests in public but they will continue to smile indulgently, if only I could whack a couple of these pests!. And it’s not just at the Salad Bar, I found a similar scenario at Oven Fresh just a week ago and even at some fine dining options. To come back to the Salad Bar, it’s comfortable, it can be noisy, the singer can sing through all the noise but the salads are fine as is the club sandwich. Their all you can buffet including salads once had a friend eat from 1 pm to 3 pm, then being seriously over full and in misery he rolled on his seat and pretended to smile! It was quite a sight.
But right now it’s the Girl in the Café and Backpackers I am ready to go explore again, time and diet permitting. Eat a little, drink a little, don’t feel guilty, forget the cholesterol or walk an extra mile and feel young again.
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I like now a days what appears to be a largish version of a café, The ‘Girl In the Café’, in the shopping district, Sector 17, located on the second floor next to Sindhis Sweets and Canara Bank. The place has spaced out seating and comfortable sofa type chairs, so while comfort is assured, you cannot eavesdrop, now that’s a negative!. Its trendy, they have seating in the balcony, for the comfortable days or when you want to only watch your companion. Iit was a hot afternoon, a couple seemed happy sitting in the balcony without air conditioning, so love is not only blind but also impervious to inclement weather ! The snack or light food only café offers a wide range of coffees, mocktails, western snacks and juices. Sorry, it’s a no alcohol cafe. They did not have the Irish Coffee listed on the menu, I had a regular coffee instead, it was not hot the way I define hot in coffee but was satisfying. The wife liked her mango shake. The salad of the day and sandwiches were fine, as are the non-vegetarian dishes as such, but the thin crust pizzas could be better. It’s an eclectic menu and add on’s are available. Overall, it’s the ambience which is fine, its chic and informal, there are youngsters sitting around, newspapers and magazines are available, there is a large coffee bar , just chill out and relax. It’s not really heavy on the packet, say a per head of Rs 400/- to Rs 500/- for a snack plus juice etc. as per my estimates is the outer limit as such. But the Girl in the Café I could not find, the name is still a mystery. Maybe next time I will ask the friendly young staff about it. The menu card could be in better shape though.
Another place I like is smallish but lovable, ‘Backpackers’ in Sector 9, it’s a place to take you back to old days. The menu card is beautifully thought out, the eats offer a wide range and the music is of the days when radio was king and the LP’s played in cantonment towns. Neil Diamond was the flavour when I was there last; thankfully none of the mindless noise called hip hop assaults your ears here. Their Apple Pie with ice cream is heavenly, as is the breakfast menu and the club sandwich. I love to go there for the food, again not the typical Indian snack menu, but it offers a wide range and I am sure even expatriates from the west can enjoy it. A hint, they sometimes offer discounts on desserts, provided you are not finicky about something called cholesterol!.The place is at its best in evenings.
Otherwise try the Barista Lavazza coffee bar in sector 17, spacious, warm and friendly staff, even if they ask you every time for the feedback and your e-mail and day of birth. It’s active, live, pulsates with vigour, people working on laptops, reading or discussing. Its friendly overall on the packet, has a varied menu from rolls to brownies and pies, shakes to coffees, seating is comfortable, when tired of shopping, just chill out and browse through a newspaper. When last visited, it had two youngsters playing chess, five girls working on an advertising project and some gazing into each others eyes couples .
Otherwise stroll over to the Salad Bar, again in sector 17, not on a weekend, then you will know what it feels to be stuffed in a small place; though it’s large, but can be crowded immensely. It has a small but well-made range of salads, food with wide range of options, Indian to all sorts, a buffet table and yes, an adequate range of alcohol. Again its pocket friendly but watch out for the crowded days, then it can be ill mannered young children getting in the way or just thinking that loud talking and playing in the aisle is having a good time. This is something many parents in India seem to overlook, that their children can be pests in public but they will continue to smile indulgently, if only I could whack a couple of these pests!. And it’s not just at the Salad Bar, I found a similar scenario at Oven Fresh just a week ago and even at some fine dining options. To come back to the Salad Bar, it’s comfortable, it can be noisy, the singer can sing through all the noise but the salads are fine as is the club sandwich. Their all you can buffet including salads once had a friend eat from 1 pm to 3 pm, then being seriously over full and in misery he rolled on his seat and pretended to smile! It was quite a sight.
But right now it’s the Girl in the Café and Backpackers I am ready to go explore again, time and diet permitting. Eat a little, drink a little, don’t feel guilty, forget the cholesterol or walk an extra mile and feel young again.
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