Located in a little lane off 13th Main, Indiranagar, is 'Socie-Tea' — an experience that is well worth the money you pay for it.
From a conventional French toast or bruschetta to the innovative dosa sandwich and North Indian style mathee, everyone can be assured that they will find something to suit their palate.
As soon as you enter, there is a cart that greets you where a happy-go-lucky man Kumar, makes delicious samosa chaat, topped heavily with onions and tamarind chutney. If you ask him for something special, he may just offer you Mumbai-style cutting chai, to be had in the traditional manner. What is different about the café is that it allows outsiders to come there and sell little things they've made as well. One can pick up an artist's painting if they like, or bite into a scrumptious marble cake made by a housewife.
"We consciously decided to make it something beyond a café with good food and drinks, because we wanted to create an ambiance that feels like home. The idea is to let people do what they love to do and indulge themselves," shares Ramya Naveen, the owner.
"While people shy away from being seen alone at a place, we're encouraging that by providing a little library, board games and newspapers of different languages. If someone wants to come and paint or do clay modelling, we stock the materials for them to do so," she adds. Coming to the actual food, almost everything has a special taste about it and the prices are shockingly cheap, considering the quantity given. "We try to keep a good variety but ensure that the food is as healthy as possible. Everything is freshly prepared within 15 minutes of the order being placed. We don't even have any aerated drinks sold here," explains Ramya. When asked what sells best at the café, she quickly says, "In starters, people enjoy the stuff chilli pakoda or a dosa sandwich along with one of our green teas. Lal chai, which is a typical West Bengal drink made of black tea, lemon and black salt, has been received well. In the more filling food, I'd recommend a paratha split end or the garlic chicken sandwich."
While the snacks are priced between Rs 35 and Rs 65, the banana, carrot or choc-roll cakes cost Rs 40. The 'Specialitea' green teas cost Rs 55, while the 'Who Came First' fresh fruits juice costs Rs 40. Remember to ask for the complimentary 'quickie', a mixture made of groundnuts, capsicum, carrot, onion, cucumber and a hint of lemon, which is great fun to munch on while you wait for your order.
