With its minimalistic décor, comfy seating, soft music and unobtrusive service, a tea lounge at Buttons and Brews is every diner’s dream-come-true place to meet, eat and talk. And that was exactly what entrepreneur Mohammed Faiz had in mind when he opened a restaurant in the city.
“I have a large gang of friends and we always missed the ambience of the iconic Indian Coffee House (ICH) next to University College, where we used to meet for nourishment for body and soul. After ICH was demolished, we didn’t have another place like that to hang out and meet friends over a cuppa,” says Faiz.
Keen on opening such a place that would cater to all age groups and serve wholesome food, the self-taught chef and gourmand conceptualised Buttons and Brews. Initially, it opened with a takeaway counter with an interesting mix of ethnic eats and short eats such as pazham pori, vada, vettu cake, different kinds of cutlets, spring rolls and teas. In addition to the ubiquitous milky tea, lime tea and kattan are much in demand. Soon, stone benches scattered around the tiny garden around the takeaway was filled with students from colleges and coaching classes in the neighbourhood.
Buttons & Brews
“Each snack here is made by us. We don’t outsource anything and no leftovers are refrigerated for the next day,” says Dubai-based Noorja Sayam, Faiz’s sister, who supervises the kitchen in his absence. She explains that the recipes for everything served at their place was perfected by Faiz. “But the cakes, chocolate-layered cake and saffron milk cake, are all mine and I bake them myself,” she adds.
- Location: Opposite AKG Centre, Palayam-Airport Road
- Hits: The teas, King fish grill, saffron cake
- Misses: Fish cutlets at the takeaway, cookies
- Meal for two: Costs about ₹ 1,000 with tea, grills and dessert. The teas cost between ₹100 and ₹350.
- 0471-2470047
Showing the open kitchen next to the takeaway, she says all are welcome to step into the kitchen to check out what’s cooking. While the takeaway became a popular haunt, the interiors of the vintage bungalow was renovated by Shiraz Bava N. In September, the aesthetically done-up tea lounge and boutique opened its doors. Pristine white walls have a dash of green with plants placed on the walls in wooden planters while pen-and-ink drawings of familiar buildings such as the Secretariat, Napier’s Museum and Public Library capture vignettes of the city.
Cutlets at Buttons & Brews
“A chance meeting with a Sri Lankan tea estate owner motivated me to open the tea lounge, perhaps the first in the city known for its ardent fans of tea in many avatars. But this one will serve a different cup of tea altogether with its range of prime flavoured teas and curated menu. Although most Malayalis enjoy tea with milk, most of the teas served here are green teas and the flavour would be killed if we were to add milk,” says Faiz.
A fruit tea served in a French press has a lovely aroma of fruits, flowers and, of course, the welcoming fragrance of tea! A tiny sand clock with coloured sand is kept on the table to indicate the time to filter the tea into your cup. A plate of cookies comes with the tea. Although the cookies somehow miss the mark with its floury taste, the tea is a heart-warming brew to savour.
On the menu are jasmine tea, lemon-orange tea, hibiscus tea, herbal teas, fruit-based teas, premium white and gold teas. A retail space for prime tea has a staggering range of the flavoured teas. However, that is not functional yet.
While I am sipping the fruity treat, two plump chunks of king fish coated with sesame seeds arrive on the table. “My recipe,” says Faiz. Cooked to perfection, the king fish comes with a white sauce, freshly-made salsa and a mound of mildly spiced fragrant rice. As I take time to relish every bit of the fish, Faiz insists on giving us a taste of the coconut infused cassava (a.k.a kappa) served with onion chutney and the salsa. Buttery soft and cooked in coconut milk, the cassava is a treat that should not be overlooked for the more exotic items on the menu.
Grilled chicken at Buttons & Brews
While the availability of fish will decide the seafood served at the lounge, the rest of the dishes such as chicken grill, chicken omelettes, salads, soups, and chicken and fish cutlets will be constants. Breakfast has appams and stews, vegetarian and non-vegetarian on the menu. Buttons and Brews also takes up catering and their biriyani, according to Noorja, is much in demand.
I round off the meal with a generous slice of saffron milk cake that is suffused with the goodness of saffron. As I step out into the dusk, the takeaway is filled with legislators, activists and students, their conversation fuelled by glasses of tea and pazham pori.
It is open from 8 am to 10 pm.
