Just at the K.K.Nagar arch where the Melur Main Road enters Madurai city, you cannot miss the large transparent window façade of Café TN59 now. It stands out for its name and the signboard flashing the district code distinguishes itself from the clutter of established vegetarian and hardcore non-veg eateries on the road facing the District Court building.
Barely a fortnight old, the café has rapidly carved a niche as the only place for short eats and beverages in the area. “It is okay if people eat at nearby places and chill out here with our desserts and shakes,” says M.Iniyaa, a foodie who veered into fashion designing and worked as a banker. “Years of varied experiences are now helping me to run the cafe,” she says, visibly happy with the walk-ins.
The café was accidental and set up in a jiffy, she says. She actually came to check the property for running a ‘bed and breakfast’ and found this platform to be ideal for a chic café. And when 60 orders came off smoothly in the first seven days, Iniyaa knew she would be able to make a mark. Customers doubled in the second week and now the 25-seater goes mostly houseful.
The menu is quite affordable to enable everybody to enjoy. From among the 133 items categorised under juices, drifts and shakes, fruit-tails, veg and non-veg starters and short eats, one can happily find something of choice too. You can order up a steaming cuppa coffee or replenish with fresh, seasonal juices and a pastry or a brownie, indulge in pizza, sandwich or burger, nuggets and cutlets or any usual café item you can think of.
Guhan K who is the consultant from Erode helped Iniyaa to quickly put together the appealing and cost effective menu that is filled with fancy and funny names and also make the items look beautiful and instagram-worthy pictures!.
“We want to convert it into a thematic destination for bikers, racers, cyclists and those with a passion for driving around,” he says. “We want people and travellers to come here and share their experiences, inspire others and perhaps plan weekend rides randomly.”
He is confident fitness freaks and riders will soon have their voices heard here. As they come by and start imparting information on easy and difficult destinations, pit stops, adventure trails and tips and guidance on how to go about it, more people with similar interests will show up. A big noticeboard and social media page are in the pipeline waiting to be launched within this month to give the new café an even newer look and profile.
And of course all the exciting conversations will happen over the hot and cold beverages and the food available. The menu is not extraordinary but the young entrepreneurs have given a twist to the regular items. To suit the city’s climate, a major part of the menu is filled with summer coolers robust in flavour.
I tried two -- the refreshing elani-nongu (tender coconut and palm) drink and the delightful ‘mango murder’. It came as mango shake in a bowl with a scoop of mango ice cream dipped in it and sprinkled with fresh mango cut into small pieces. Both cost Rs.80 each.
All items are priced between Rs.30 and Rs.160 and new combos are introduced every week. Iniyaa says the kitkat and oreo milkshakes keep the children happy, the young school and college goers indulge in the rich dates and nuts shake named “Fly Emirates” or the dudes and teenz shakes and turbo chargers that are thick, rich and creamy. The health conscious prefer a simple bowl of fresh fruits with naturally flavoured ice creams. Labelled as melting mountains, the ice creams have a dash of green chilly, beeda, pazhapalam , fig, pineapple, guava and more. The hot drinks and soups are called Lava.
There is a colourful variety of fresh fruit-tails offering combinations with pomegranate, watermelon and lime called Healthy Ride, apple, carrot and ginger called Revitaliser, kiwi, pineapple, watermelon and lemon called From Doctor’s Desk or the mambazha magic with mango, strawberry and apple and many more. Iniyaa assures no artificial syrups are used in making the fruit-based drinks.
The veg or non-veg platter with three pieces each of five different items can turn into a light meal too. For example, the non-veg platter has chicken nuggets/popcorn/fingers, fish fry and crab lollypop costing Rs.160.
The café is neat and remains open all days from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Between bites and bikes
Café TN 59
@Vinayagar Nagar (next to K K Nagar Arch)
Hits: Simple and minimal
Miss: Overly creative and lengthy menu
