A quaint little café situated near Symbiosis International University in Viman Nagar, Cara Café has quite a few delicious tasting items on its interesting menu. I have been told that the place is always buzzing with activity, and why not- it attracts a whole bunch of young crowd with it’s delicious food and inexpensive prices. When I headed over for the review in the day, I was pleasantly surprised to see a group of young kids enjoying their lunch hour, a couple of college kids on a date, a woman sitting alone and working on her laptop, a group of foreigners catching up over coffee, and a family with 2 kids having a good time. So you get the point- no matter how old you are, you must head over to try out some delicious Mexican and Italian cuisine, alone or with a group. The menu is all vegetarian, but it really won’t matter once you have tasted the food.
The ambiance is a confusing mixture of American and European. You have paintings depicting London and Paris, the tables lined near the glass wall will faintly remind you of a café beside a canal in Europe, some of the table stands are miniature famous red telephone booths of London….and then you have one wall covered with the view of Times Square, and a few cushions with the Statue of Liberty on them. So yes, you might be a little confused while you settle down. And then you notice the white walls and the lighting and the interesting map of the world on the ceiling (quite an ice-breaker during the awkward silences) The ambiance feels fresh, light and happy, unlike the usual congested cafes we have nowadays. There is ample of seating place(they even have an outdoor seating arrangement), good music which magically suits the mood (while the family ate, a soft tune played in the background..which slowly changed to the latest Avicii tracks as tea time approached)and enough air to breathe. I stress on this point since it is very important to be seated in comfortable surroundings while eating food. The ambiance (music included) here makes you want to eat more. How else do you think 2 women finished off tacos, pasta, pizza and mocktails all by themselves?
So let’s talk about the food. We ordered 2 virgin mojitos (had tried this on a previous meeting, and had loved the refreshing flavor) , one Cara Special Tacos, one Cara Special Pizza and a Pink sauce pasta. The average price of each dish is Rs. 150. The menu is all vegetarian, and the desserts are yet to be introduced. The owner did mention the menu undergoing a change, so yes we can watch out for a few more additions by Feb.
So here is what I had to say about the food-
Virgin Mojito- You know those scenes in typical chick-flicks where the girls are hanging out by the pool in their bikinis, sipping on their pink mocktails and discussing boys and clothes? THIS is the drink I would want to have in my hand if and when I am ever caught in a scene like that. It’s refreshing, gives the perfect sugar rush, and hell yeah is TASTY! Move over Ice Teas and Fresh Lime Sodas and other non-alcoholic drinks!
Cara Special Tacos- I like Mexican food, but sadly my experience has only been limited to Mexcian fast food at Taco Bell and a few local cafes. So yeah, I ordered a plate of Tacos for starters (decided to go main stream by not trying the Quesadillas and Enchiladas) My reaction when the plate of tacos arrived? – I was a little disappointed. The plate had 6 tacos, and they were tiny compared to what I had eaten at other places. So when I took the first bite of the taco, I wanted to hit myself for being this impatient. A classic case of never judge a book by it’s cover. Crunchy, mouth watering, SMOOTH tacos. And the cook has done a great job of adding the perfect Indian touch to it! I recommend the Cara special Tacos over the regular tacos cos of the extra cheese on top. It takes the culinary experience to another new level. And this was just the beginning. Rate- 9.5/10 (cos hey, this is India, and we have a total of 5 places that know what a Taco is)
Pink Sauce Pasta- Honestly, I am not a fan of Italian cuisine, so when I say this was abso-frikkin-lutely delicious, I mean it. The pasta was a combination of macaroni and fusilli (generous portions, mind you). Cheese was the dominant flavor, but there was a perfect mix of the spices, herbs, and sauce too. The garlic added an interesting tinge too. The texture was smooth, and I liked how there were no lumps formed in the sauce, even after it had cooled down. I’d rate it an 8/10.
Cara Special Pizza- First reaction: “This looks cheesy. YUM..but how do we finish this?” But soon after the first bite we realized this was not exactly any different from any other pizza. (Tasted a lot like the one at Darios)The pizza is extremely cheesy (which is a good thing, FYI), but a little too bland for my liking. I like my food with spices and flavors, so this was a little disappointing. The toppings included jalapenos, peppers, onions and capsicum, which all tasted very fresh. And a whole lot of cheese, in case you missed out on that point. Personally I feel they could add a little spice to give it an Indian tinge (and add it as a separate item on their menu) But if you prefer your pizzas bland- you are going to enjoy this one for sure. I’d rate it a 7/10
The service here is great- the waiters attend to every need of yours, take regular feedback from the customers, and make sure everyone there has a good time. The response time is good too. I wish they had menu cards instead of over-the-counter order placements, but this will come up soon once the new menu has been finalized.
So do hop over to Cara if you are in the area…be it with family, friends, or even alone, you are bound to have a nice time there. Visit it, and do share your feedback if possible.
Cheers!
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