A mélange of understated Euro-chic décor accents and
some well-priced comfort food from around the world is the perfect ingredient
for a promising lunch at the bright and cheery little August Cafe in Andheri
West.
FOOD
Excellent
SERVICE Enthusiastic
AMBIENCE Elegant
COST Moderate
VERDICT Very Good (**)
SERVICE Enthusiastic
AMBIENCE Elegant
COST Moderate
VERDICT Very Good (**)
By Raul Dias
Never has the adage ‘good things come in small
packages’ been more appropriate as we attempt to distil the essence of what
makes August Cafe such a perfect little all-day dining place. Its vintage-style
black and white chequerboard floor tile clad interior space—accentuated by a
brick archway and decorated with European flea market bric-a-brac—provides
barely enough elbow room. What with the tiny, faux marble-topped tables
jostling for their own precious little real estate space here. And while the
outside, partially covered patio area seems perfect for an evening visit, the torrid
heat makes it a no-go zone for us to tuck into our lunch at.
And so, we settle down inside the cool (in more ways than one!) cafe, paying a deaf ear, quite literally, to the cacophony emanating from the table next to us, where the topics du jour range from a bloody cut finger to a cantankerous old mother-in-law. But that does not put us off enjoying our first order of a well-made pulled chicken toasted sandwich (Rs 300). Juicy bits of mustard mayonnaise coated chicken are ensconced in a lighter-than-air ciabatta bread with a side of arugula and cubed potato salad we wished there was more of! The home-made peach iced tea (Rs 150) and a double shot espresso (Rs 180) are suitably straightforward, with the latter giving any Italian caffé a run for its money with its robust, freshly ground taste.
Though it was all things a good plate of nachos should be, i.e. crisp tortilla chips, dollops of cooling guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo, well-seasoned beans, all slathered with a silken cheese sauce, the misspelled ‘worlds’ best nachos (Rs 350) was also perhaps the world’s smallest portion of nachos and not to mention a grammar Nazi’s worst nightmare! Stinting on the promised popcorn flavour, the caramel popcorn shake (Rs 250) was a sickly-sweet overdose of caramel and served at a temperature that can best be described as tepid.
With a replay of the blood-dripping cut finger conversation in full force next door, we decided to skip the marinara pizza (Rs 350) and treat ourselves to something different. And that took the form of the very unconventional chicken cremosa pizza (Rs 550). Served on a Neapolitan-style thin crust base, this white sauce, caramelised onions and rosemary-scented chicken topped pie eschews both the ubiquitous tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese to very effective results, we might add.
With nothing else spelling comfort food like an all-American sundae, we chose to indulge ourselves with the August ice cream sundae (Rs 300). A perfectly constructed specimen, this one had all the trappings of a great sundae with a warm truffle cookie serving as the gooey foundation for a double scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, topped with lashings of caramel sauce and finished off with a shower of crunchy nut brittle shards.
And while we can’t wait to go back and try the rest of the menu, we’d do well to remember to sit ourselves outdoors next time and pay a deaf ear to the din inside!
And so, we settle down inside the cool (in more ways than one!) cafe, paying a deaf ear, quite literally, to the cacophony emanating from the table next to us, where the topics du jour range from a bloody cut finger to a cantankerous old mother-in-law. But that does not put us off enjoying our first order of a well-made pulled chicken toasted sandwich (Rs 300). Juicy bits of mustard mayonnaise coated chicken are ensconced in a lighter-than-air ciabatta bread with a side of arugula and cubed potato salad we wished there was more of! The home-made peach iced tea (Rs 150) and a double shot espresso (Rs 180) are suitably straightforward, with the latter giving any Italian caffé a run for its money with its robust, freshly ground taste.
Though it was all things a good plate of nachos should be, i.e. crisp tortilla chips, dollops of cooling guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo, well-seasoned beans, all slathered with a silken cheese sauce, the misspelled ‘worlds’ best nachos (Rs 350) was also perhaps the world’s smallest portion of nachos and not to mention a grammar Nazi’s worst nightmare! Stinting on the promised popcorn flavour, the caramel popcorn shake (Rs 250) was a sickly-sweet overdose of caramel and served at a temperature that can best be described as tepid.
With a replay of the blood-dripping cut finger conversation in full force next door, we decided to skip the marinara pizza (Rs 350) and treat ourselves to something different. And that took the form of the very unconventional chicken cremosa pizza (Rs 550). Served on a Neapolitan-style thin crust base, this white sauce, caramelised onions and rosemary-scented chicken topped pie eschews both the ubiquitous tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese to very effective results, we might add.
With nothing else spelling comfort food like an all-American sundae, we chose to indulge ourselves with the August ice cream sundae (Rs 300). A perfectly constructed specimen, this one had all the trappings of a great sundae with a warm truffle cookie serving as the gooey foundation for a double scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, topped with lashings of caramel sauce and finished off with a shower of crunchy nut brittle shards.
And while we can’t wait to go back and try the rest of the menu, we’d do well to remember to sit ourselves outdoors next time and pay a deaf ear to the din inside!
TIME:
12pm to 12am
AT: Shop 3&4, Sterling Apartment, Sundervan Complex, Off Link Road, Andheri West.
CALL: 49725993
AT: Shop 3&4, Sterling Apartment, Sundervan Complex, Off Link Road, Andheri West.
CALL: 49725993
(An edited version of this review appeared in the 30th March 2018 issue of the Mid-Day newspaper, India https://www.mid-day.com/articles/this-new-cafe-in-andheri-might-be-small-in-size-but-is-big-on-taste/19263183)
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