The challenge in many corporate meetings is to stay alert. Ask those who are periodically stuck in meetings how boring it can get. Stimulants like coffee, tea, cookies, candies or salted munchies don’t help beyond a point.
What if someone whipped up tasty short eats that don’t lead to a sudden spike and subsequent drop in blood sugar levels, helping one stay energised during the session? Whiteboard Café aims to offer such solutions.
The café is open to everyone, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. It also has three boardrooms — a 12-seater, a 10-seater, and a 6-8 seater — for hire on an hourly basis.
Named Kalam, Curie and Tesla, the rooms have projection equipment and all that’s necessary for meetings. Teams can opt for a four-course lunch or dinner or go for short eats.
The all-day breakfast section has cereals, fruit and nut platter, toasts and an Indian selection of dosa, pesarattu, uthappam and parathas. You could try the regular dosas and parathas or experiment with multigrain dosa, quinoa dosa, tofu dosa, broccoli paratha or oats poha.
If you have an appetite that demands a three or four-course meal, go for it. On a muggy afternoon, a soup (there are quite a few, from Italian minestrone to spinach) didn’t sound welcoming, but a smoothie sure did. The Energiser (almond, banana and vanilla) and Good as Gold (papaya and pineapple) seemed like definite winners. The menu also has an apple, beet and grape concoction titled Fighting Fit. Will it end up like a ‘healthy but not too tasty’ kind of drink a health freak would recommend? The smoothie turned out to be refreshing, with a dash of ice cream. Vegans can ask for soy milk substitute. Whiteboard has a number of options for vegans as well.
The starters offer all-time favourites like Bruschetta alongside tofu/paneer wraps and the humble sundal. The main course includes pasta that’s become a staple of any café. The pizza gets a healthy twist. A whole wheat paratha is the base, topped with grilled vegetables, herbs and cheese.
Burnt garlic rice is served with roasted vegetables. To keep it simple, try the Mumbai Chutney sandwich or a Quinoa Burger. The staff members recommend Pepper Power, where roasted bell peppers come with a stuffing of rice with nuts, tofu or paneer. It’s a generous serving; opt for it only if you haven’t worked your way up through appetisers and salads. The salads here can be filling meals for light eaters. Try the Three Bean Salad or Hearty Grain and Veggie salad of quinoa with vegetables in an olive oil-lime dressing.
Ice creams and pancakes find a place in desserts section, while the Fruit Shrikand offers sweet notes without going overboard.
The menu is wholly vegetarian and this might be a deterrent if there are non-vegetarians in a group.
An added attraction is the variety to books. Archie, Calvin and Hobbes, Amar Chitra Katha, popular fiction and management books are available to read. The café also has board games for children.
Where : Whiteboard Café, opp. Cyber Gateway, Madhapur
What : A café and a meeting place for businesses
When : 8 a.m. onwards, everyday
