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Thursday, February 10, 2005
Spilling the beans
Has there been a greater controversy in our time than the one about the Ethopian Qahwah? Most certainly yes. Nevertheless, the time has come to make a clarification on a subject that has no doubt kept most of you awake in your waking hours: my first impression was wrong, and I have come to the conclusion that the Ethopian Qahwah is indeed a fine coffee.
I had a cup of it (or rather, a bucket of it) at the Cafe Coffee Day in that excellent mall in Malad, In Orbit, and found it much better than I had when I had shared one with Yazad at that infamous blogger's meet. Yazad had made the division of one Qahwah into two on that occasion, so he is my convenient scapegoat of the day. Anyway, there is more to life than the Ethopian Qahwah.
There's the Cafe Viennoise! Emerging from the Wankhede Stadium after a marvellous innings by MS Dhoni on Tuesday evening, I took colleague, buddy and fellow-blogger Rahul Bhatia to Hotel Marine Plaza, where the first-floor restaurant is the genesis of a Mumbai legend: the Cafe Viennoise. I was first introduced to this sensuous delight in the 1990s, when I worked in MTV, by then-colleague David Polycarp. David had given me a piece of sage advice that I shall cherish till my grave: ask for extra chocolate flakes. So Rahul and I did. Rahul took a sip, and gasped in orgasmic delight. Tears almost rolled down his cheeks, soft music nearly played in the background, a goose bumped into another somewhere, softly, gently.
The said item is essentially an espresso with whipped cream and chocolate flakes, but that is quite as banal a description as saying that Mount Everest is a vertically extended hill. If you live in Mumbai, rush over and try it right now. (And cite my affiliate code while ordering, it's indiauncut26 ... ok, just kidding.) Leave the Qahwah, good as I have clarified it to be, for some other time.
Update (February 11): In case you are in Pune, Gaurav Sabnis has a recommendation for you. Read the comments on his post, as well, where more counsel emerges. Bring on the caffeine.
I had a cup of it (or rather, a bucket of it) at the Cafe Coffee Day in that excellent mall in Malad, In Orbit, and found it much better than I had when I had shared one with Yazad at that infamous blogger's meet. Yazad had made the division of one Qahwah into two on that occasion, so he is my convenient scapegoat of the day. Anyway, there is more to life than the Ethopian Qahwah.
There's the Cafe Viennoise! Emerging from the Wankhede Stadium after a marvellous innings by MS Dhoni on Tuesday evening, I took colleague, buddy and fellow-blogger Rahul Bhatia to Hotel Marine Plaza, where the first-floor restaurant is the genesis of a Mumbai legend: the Cafe Viennoise. I was first introduced to this sensuous delight in the 1990s, when I worked in MTV, by then-colleague David Polycarp. David had given me a piece of sage advice that I shall cherish till my grave: ask for extra chocolate flakes. So Rahul and I did. Rahul took a sip, and gasped in orgasmic delight. Tears almost rolled down his cheeks, soft music nearly played in the background, a goose bumped into another somewhere, softly, gently.
The said item is essentially an espresso with whipped cream and chocolate flakes, but that is quite as banal a description as saying that Mount Everest is a vertically extended hill. If you live in Mumbai, rush over and try it right now. (And cite my affiliate code while ordering, it's indiauncut26 ... ok, just kidding.) Leave the Qahwah, good as I have clarified it to be, for some other time.
Update (February 11): In case you are in Pune, Gaurav Sabnis has a recommendation for you. Read the comments on his post, as well, where more counsel emerges. Bring on the caffeine.
