In old Italian films, lush houses adorned the screens. Some of them were not plush but had a gothic feel to them. The chipping paint, the grey walls, a feeling of desolation running through their ‘veins’, yet brimming with life. The first time you set your eyes on the building that houses The Tuscan Table, this is the feeling you get.
You are somewhere in Italy, away from the chaos of the city. The heavy wooden door, the cypress-style trees in two pots on either side of the entrance adds to the charm. Entering the place enhances the feeling. You are now in an old castle, a place you can easily picture Van Gogh making a masterpiece, or a perfect place to read Dracula.
The idea for the outlet was born out of Ar Swethaa and Ar Nithesh Aravind’s plan to open a coffee shop as they first met at, incidentally, a café. And after careful planning and exploration they made their dream a reality. “After two years of planning, travelling and experimenting, we were ready to bring our vision to life. A unique space that marries our architectural skills with our culinary cravings,” said Nithesh.
The ground floor of the two-storied building houses the billing section with a display counter, a barista station and a few metal chairs and tables. The first floor shows similar characteristics with the ‘abandoned’ décor getting embraced in every corner, including a mirror that may be straight out of a ’70s European horror film, and a table with an old green typewriter, and a vase filled with purple flowers.
The outside view of naked trees adds to the aesthetic and, of course, the café serves delicious coffee and bakery items to go along with it. Imagine croissants, cinnamon rolls and cookies and a nice hot cup of Hazelnut Latte. The Almond croissant hid a secret — an unusual filling of almond butter and jaggery enhancing the soft bread. The bakers were generous with butter as every bite of the croissant was comforting. We also tried the Lotus Biscoff coffee, which was strong, with biscuit crumbles adding to its creamy consistency.
The Vanilla Latte tasted like a good cup of strong coffee you would find in a regular shop but the aesthetics made the drink magical. It was the feeling that enhanced the flavour and made us yearn for rain. Two pieces of chocolate cookies that adorned our table were crumbly with a consistency between a cake and a biscuit. The use of jaggery added a distinct flavour, close to baked brown sugar. And tiny pieces of melted chocolate made our tongue ‘bloody sweet’ in a good way.
The Cinnamon rolls were average, bringing forth the cinnamon flavour excellently but the cookie dough-like consistency took away a bit of the pleasure. If you are looking for an escape or just want to relish gothic architecture with a decent cup of coffee or work on your next book, do visit this café and get lost in the magic of fantasy and imagination.
INR 1,000 for two persons. At Fourth Main Road, RA Puram