Cafeteria & Co. Vijay Nagar Review

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Cafeteria & Co. Vijay Nagar Review: The new hip kid on the block sure is making waves!! I had to wait for the better part of an hour for a table of four the first time I went there around tea time, which is when most cafes in the vicinity see a slump in business. My second visit to this place was on a Tuesday afternoon, usually a slow day for eateries in this student-friendly neighborhood, but this café was full to the brim albeit thankfully with no waiting time. So, I think these guys must have cracked the code for being successful.

 The Ambience:

Is intriguing and I found the acrylic human figurines positioned or suspended in the unlikeliest of spaces both amusing and riveting. I also loved the quirky bunch like lights and the interesting mural, which seemed to replicate a charcoal drawing, spanning an entire wall.The VIBE is fresh, fun and light. The cooling in this sweltering heat was highly effective 🙂

After being seated I asked around about the owners of this place when their lovely Marketing Manager, Medhavi Batra dropped by my table for a brief chat. It was a surprise to see her randomly chatting up guests and taking their feedback more than a month after the place opened. So it was nice to know someone who’s doing their homework diligently 🙂 This place is owned by people who already run the very successful QDs and RICOS here in the Vijay Nagar area and in Satyaniketan and Royal Turban in Rajouri  Garden. (Didn’t I tell you about the code?….so now I can smile smugly:) Sumit Tandon is the Chef Owner who looks after this place on a daily basis with his partner Akhil Malik.

The Food:

Going through the menu, I came across many interesting sounding dishes – paneer tikka spring rolls, hexagonal Pizzas, French Crepes, Star Shaped Burgers, 3 way Chicken French Fries and many many more. I finally succumbed to the charms of the following:

# Maggi Masala Popcorn

 It seemed like the ideal thing to start with -landing up quickly on our table and being light on our tummies. The flavor was undoubted of good old Maggi but I wish there was more crunch to my corn which seemed slightly chewy.  

#Fresh Fruit Salad with Muesli

 This is something I make at home too. I loved the diced watermelon, pineapple and sarda chunks tossed in thick and creamy, chilled hung curd topped with crunchy muesli and garnished with a tiny sprig of mint. It looked so pristine cuddled up inside a white porcelain basket. What a beauty to behold! Cools you totally and preps you for the tasting spree ahead.

#Rice Noodles with Ginger Vegetables

 Full marks for the presentation. The noodles arrived nestled in a carved red box topped with inviting looking veggies in a mild, aromatic ginger sauce. Everyone at my table instantly perked up on seeing it. One bite of subtly flavored flat noodles transported me to foodie heaven. Perfect in every respect, this dish scores a perfect 10/10.

#Usain Bolt Burger

 Paneer steak marinated with peri – peri sauce, held together by star shaped wheat buns so soft, they were getting squeezed when I took a bite.Highly recommended that you do not miss it. Easily one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. The spicing of the paneer steak was perfect, the accompanying fries wonderful. The lettuce and tomatoes were fresh and crisp.  

#I’m Stuffed Mushrooms

 Now, this is one dish that you commonly find at every second eating joint in Delhi -button mushrooms are stuffed with cheese, veggies etc and deep fried after crumbing this was a great attempt to impress with the choice of superb ingredients and expert technique. You could taste the freshness of mushrooms, no mean feat in the month of June. The crumbing was done superbly; it didn’t feel oily to touch. The only let down here was the bland filling. I could taste the cheese and the capsicum but overall the taste lacked character.Adding a bit of flavoring with garlic powder and dried herbs would take this dish up many notches.

#3 Way Chicken Fries

A mound of crispy fries, with chunks of grilled chicken, chicken sausages and chicken tikka. This came topped with yummy salsa and a lip smacking cream cheese sauce. Deliciousness defined.My jaw dropped on learning that this plateful rendered me poor by the princely sum of 139/-++

#Enchiladas with Bhunna Mutton Filling

This one was giving out spicy aromas when it was placed on our table enticing me to take a bite. A highly aromatic and beautifully spiced novelty, this picture perfect dish had soft tortillas stuffed with both morsels and mince of mutton topped with cheese and a tomato based sauce. Would have been the show stopper but it had become too salty as all its major components had salt to begin with. The Chef was profusely apologetic and offered to make it again but we were too stuffed by then. Will have to go back for this one.

#Paan and Basil Iced Tea

Such a unique subtle blend of strong tasting leaves, so refreshing too.Though it needed to be a tad sweeter to bring out the complete bouquet of delicate flavors. Do try it.

# Tiramisu French Crepe

Although I saw people digging into gorgeously scrumptious looking Sundaes on tables around me, I went all out for this little beauty! I was completely sold on its dainty presentation. The crepe came folded in a triangle stuffed with a chocolate filling. Its ends were dressed with a generous smattering of coffee creme. I instantly found my food NIRVANA while polishing it off 😉

The Service

 Was very courteous and refined. The PRICES are extremely reasonable keeping in mind the freshness and high quality of ingredients. You can eat very well here in Rs 250/-per person.My verdict is that CAFETERIA and CO really do seem to have cracked the code.T he little teething problems will sort themselves out as the team is very keen on taking guest feedback and implementing the changes. I’m going back multiple times to try out their entire menu to the detriment of my waistline 🙂 I’m afraid it ll quickly become my favorite place to hang out.

Cost of Meal for Two:

Rs 500 (yeah! Damn Cheap!! )

It’s a 4.4/5 on the MOVILICIOUS METRE.

GlossyPolish Verdict

Fun value for money and Highly Recommended.