Sweet, creamy lassis are selling like hot cakes off White’s Road. In fact, more like hot samosas. Opened two months ago, Singh’s Cafe already has a strong following. Located on a busy one-way street, Amandeep Singh Kandhari started the eatery with a simple menu of four Punjabi signatures — sweet lassi, samosas, aloo tikkis and paneer rolls. With the lassi (at Rs 60) selling out before half the day is over, this entrepreneur agrees the success has taken him by surprise.
“We make exactly 110 glasses of lassi daily and the sales begin as we open around 10 am,” says Aman, who lives above the 200-square-foot café. He adds that they use only pure cow’s milk to make the yogurt that has hints of gur (jaggery) in the mix. The delightfully chilled drink comes topped with a slap of thick malai and is served in an attractive terracotta disposable tumbler that has been sourced all the way from Jaipur. “We want to be eco-friendly,” shares Aman, adding that every recipe he uses is from his mother’s kitchen.
Offering only take-away options, the 43-year-old businessman is not kidding when he says with a laugh, “For Punjabis — it has to be big,” – referring to the hot, flaky samosas that are spicy and generously proportioned at Rs 15 apiece.
The aloo tikkis, popularly called ‘cutlets’, are another sell-out item. We try their paneer rolls and are suitably impressed with the mild homely flavours of the paneer and the extra soft rotis. “The key lies in the kneading of the dough,” lets on Aman, sharing that they use milk to bind the flour. If you are planning on dropping in at Singh’s Cafe, we suggest you slow down to the right side of the kerb when you enter Smith’s Road, holler out to Aman for a lassi as you roll to a stop and do remember that by 3 pm they are often sold out.
On White’s Road. Details: 9840090100