Good food places get talked about. Our friend, Indu, told us about one such place tucked away in what is known as the Samachar Market in Mayur Vihar Phase 1 Extension. It serves good pasta, she said, whetting my appetite. I go to that market often to buy fish and Bengali vegetables (yes, some vegetables are Bong). So I decided that I would have a look one day.
I went there last week. I did a quick recce and spotted the shop in the main arcade. The place is called Nourish Café. If you are standing facing the fish-sellers, you’ll find the café in front of you, in the extreme left. It’s a small place, air-conditioned, with a few chairs inside, and a few seats placed outside. The food is assembled thereon a small counter at the back. I was in a hurry, so I had a look, picked up a menu card and decided to come back later.
It has quite a comprehensive menu –– with pasta dishes, burgers, salads, grilled sandwiches, oats, shakes, smoothies and so on. I asked for Café Special Chicken Pasta (Rs. 160), crispy chicken delight burger (Rs. 70), aloo tikki burger (Rs. 40) and a crispy veggie delight burger (Rs. 70). I wanted to take some dessert but there was only vanilla ice cream available, so I decided to give that a miss. Instead, I asked for cold coffee (Rs. 50).
The food was very good. The pasta was nice and creamy, with a white sauce that wasn’t too thick or saucy. The chicken in the pasta was soft and melty, and sweet corn added to the flavour. The portions were good, too –– two plates are enough for three people. We have a visiting Canadian niece who, after an overdose of maccher jhol and mangsho in Kolkata, was craving pasta. She enjoyed it, and so did I.
I liked the burgers, too. The bun was soft, and the chicken patty was thick and juicy. And there was even a disc of a chicken kabab between the buns, which gave a kick to the burger. I didn’t eat the veggie burger, but was told that it was rather crunchy and nice. And the cold coffee prepared in a blender with a small scoop of ice cream, milk, coffee, chocolate sauce and sugar was excellent. It worked as a sweet ending to a good meal.
Nourish Café opened last month but I was told by the young workers there that there is a branch in Indirapuram. It does free home delivery to nearby areas. (You can call 9811674241 and 9911497665 and place your orders.)
The salads include masala corn chaat (Rs. 80) and chicken salami with vegetables (Rs. 130). The egg with mayo sandwich is for Rs. 50 and chicken club sandwich for Rs. 80. There is even a section for weight-watchers –– shakes in soya milk (Rs. 70), brown rice with green vegetables (Rs. 100) or chicken chunks (Rs.130), various kinds of sprouts, multi-grain bread sandwiches, masala oats (Rs. 40) and oats Maggi (Rs. 60).
The next time fish and Bong veggies come home, there will be newcomers on the dining table –– possibly Maggi with a Chinese Tang or Mexican salami with vegetables. I like the way Nourish Café is giving a global touch to our half-Bong kitchen.
