As it has often been told, gastronomy is the biggest form of therapy and there is no love bigger than the love for books, the two combined, is almost lethal. And as C.S. Lewis rightly mentioned, “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me”, Cha Bar makes sure you don’t have to compromise on either.
The city is now flocking with cafes that serve the choicest of beverages and food while displaying a collection of books that one can go through but there is something very different yet pleasurable in doing so in an iconic bookstore, leafing through the pages from their wide selection of books while leisurely enjoying a light meal. To make the experience all the more enjoyable, Cha Bar has recently introduced an all new menu, with culinary delights from around the world! The expansive menu will include a host of tempting offerings with handpicked signature dishes we all would love to indulge in. The new menu is in line with Cha Bar’s philosophy of offering yummy, wholesome and pocket friendly food. With more than 20 new menu items that broaden the choice, variety and value it offers, the dishes are prepared with new cooking techniques that accentuate the flavors. Cha Bar’s new menu is designed to appeal to the evolving palettes and preferences of casual dining guests, while providing guests with more options to their meal experience at any time of the day. The expansive menu has been brought out following months of culinary development, intensive research and consumer evaluation. The new menu poses for an excellent opportunity to be teamed with the array of exotic teas served at Cha Bar.
Cha Bar is the first of its kind urban contemporary space that created a rage in Kolkata in 2000, turning tea from a dry page in history to a lifestyle drink! Ms. Priti Paul’s brainchild backed by generations of Apeejay Surrendra Group’s experience in tea plantation business, Cha Bar was created as an integral part of more than 90 years old iconic Oxford Bookstore in city centre Park Street. The concept was expanded pan India integrated into Oxford Bookstores and customers loved the experience of being able to browse at leisure, leafing through the books of their choice, over a cup of tea from the wide selection available at the Cha Bar or simply unwinding with friends sipping the rejuvenating beverage, iced or piping hot!
Ambiance:
Opened inside Oxford Bookstore, the entrance has a graffiti made with bent tube lights and a showcase with a few coffee table books. The chamber opens into Cha Bar on the right and Oxford bookstore spread over in some 200 sq. yards. The place has books on every possible genre and the most comfortable and alluring places to sit and shuffle through them.
The stylish and relaxing ambiance of Cha Bar can make hours go by browsing through their huge collection of books while one is spoilt for choice with an assortment of teas blended and prepared with precision. A unique feature of the environmental graphics across all Cha Bars is the Tea-Pot wall which displays the different traditional tea-pots from across the world. This not only creates awareness about the tradition of tea-serving across different continents but also adds an interesting design element adding to the ambiance of the space.
Food:
Whether one prefers a rich, full-bodied, strong flavor, or a light fragrant taste, Cha Bar offers a wide and enviable choice. Cha Bar believes that there is indeed nothing quite like a good cup of tea so every cup of blend they serve has journeyed, be it from the dhabas in India or from across the Globe from other cultures. Today, Cha Bar offers this experience at Oxford Bookstores across multiple stores in Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.
Tea (cha, as they call it) is not just the soul mate of the samosa. A good, proper chai can conquer gloomy days and mighty kingdoms. From the Flowering Teas, Organic Teas, Herbal Teas, Diet Teas, Fruit Teas, to an exclusive range of Darjeeling, Nilgiri, Sikkim and Oolong, complimented by the best in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Moroccan, Russian, Sri Lankan, South African and Thai Teas – make up more than 150 varieties on offer to create pure joy for their customers as they browse through a book by their favorite author.
The revised menu will entice diners’ taste buds with classic dishes like the Pickled Vegetable and Hummus in Kaboush Pockets from the Middle East, the Classic American Hot dog, famous Scotch Eggs from England, popular Greek street food Lamb Souvlaki in Pita bread, Italian classic Thyme Grilled Chicken, Jalapeno & Olive Pizza and moving over to a sweeter note- Fig and prune with maple drizzle muffin, Vanilla bean and chocolate heart muffin, Classic rum ball, Caramelized apple cake and many more.
Recently we got the opportunity to try some of the items on their new menu, and before diving into their description, a taste of the menu will make you come back for more.
Executive Chef Abhishek Basu, The Park, New Delhi has done one hell of a job in curating this wonderfully delightful new menu as they now offer such culturally evolved dishes that not many places in Delhi even dare to serve. Some of the items devoured down were:
Greek Lamb Souvlaki in Pita Bread (Rs. 100): Souvlaki is one of the most popular street foods in Greece and for good reason! Juicy and well-seasoned meat garnished with cooling tzatziki sauce, wrapped in a delicious crispy and fluffy pita. Cha Bar’s take on this dish includes a mutton seekh roll, accompanied by mayonnaise and finely chopped onion and bell pepper sauce, wrapped in a fluffy pita.
Chilli Chicken Wrap (Rs. 110): Succulent and juicy morsel of chicken, tossed along with diced onion and bell pepper, in a sweet and spicy chili sauce, wrapped in a well-cooked paratha, will make you wanting for more.
Thyme Grilled Chicken, Jalapeno, Olive Pizza (Rs. 170): A classic Italian dish, super thin and crispy base, topped with chunky tomato sauce, slices of moist thyme grilled chicken, jalapeno and olives, topped with the right amount of cheese, is one of their hot selling items.
A classic cold coffee and an iced caffe latte were the drinks of the day, perfectly brewed coffee beans mixed with the right amount of milk/water, topped with ice, made it taste like heaven, slightly sweet and noticeably strong.
Classic Rum Ball (Rs. 80): Rum balls are a truffle-like confection of sweet, dense cake or biscuit material flavored with chocolate and rum. They are roughly the size of a golf ball and often coated in chocolate sprinkles, White chocolate swirls, or cocoa. Because they are not baked, the alcohol flavor and kick are not lost during the making process. Here at Cha Bar, instead of using the classic cake base, they have put a twist on their rum balls by using a brownie base, giving it more intense flavor, no wonder it is one of their highest sell outs.
Caramelized Apple Cake (Rs. 60): A delicious apple upside down cake that is perfectly moist and airy, and has a caramel glaze on top. When it is flipped upside down the brown sugar caramel goodness on the bottom drizzles down the sides. The apples were soft and baked right into the amazing cake. My first bite was amazing.
A complete package, a wholesome promise, along with an excellent ambiance, good service, delicious snacks, exotic teas and superb crowd, the place is refreshingly affordable and doesn’t make you think twice. An elaborate meal for two, complete with dessert and beverage will cost well below a grand. In conclusion, this is the place to spend a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Authored By- Shivani Rastogi
