Located in the quaint and very colonial salmon-hued La Maison Rose, Coromandel Café in Pondicherry offers a great ambiance for Continental food and freshly baked desserts. The cafe opens as early as 8:30 am and closes around 10:30 pm. Ideal for early evening intimate catch-ups, the outdoor seating there affords private conversations over lazy pots of fine tea and fresh cakes.
We love the Saffron Kahwa for its warming notes, and how beautifully it balances the cakes and bakes. The coffee hits the sweet spot too — single-origin organic coffee from Coorg, this is like a head rush in every sip. The teas can be turned into boozy cups as well, with the addition of a shot of whisky (how ingenious is that!). And while the cake selection features old favourites and plenty of crowd-pleasers, our little love note goes out to the most luscious thing we have had in a while — the Mason 65% Chunky Chocolate. The Nut & Banana Blondies at Coromandel Café are TDF while also being gluten-free and vegan!
The twilight hour really changes the mood, and as dusk approaches Coromandel Café gently lights the leafy environs, and brings out an elaborate drinks and food menu. Fine French flavours meet that little local twist to produce inventive dishes. Since anytime is brekkie time for us, we went for their Hot Pink Benedict (eggs Benedict with a hot pink sauce) that were perfectly done and their Posh n Pink Tagliatelle (yes, we are partial to pink, especially when we sit in the courtyard of a rose-tinted villa).
Seafood lovers, be sure to try their Moroccan Spiced Prawns served with herbed zucchini and crispy rice cakes. We went a bit gooey thinking about their Ultimate Pancake Stack, which comes packed with nuts, mascarpone, and spiced jaggery syrup (yum!), but that's for the next time we come here. Coromandel Café also houses a CMYK Bookstore for you to browse while you wait for your order to arrive or get a table on packed evenings.
Price: INR 1,000 for two (approx)