Chennai's popular café unveils festive menu with cosy Christmas flavours

If you are seeking a table full of warm, cosy flavours this Christmas, Ciclo Café’s new festive menu might be the perfect source of holiday cheer. Ciclo’s seasonal spread has a playful, comforting charm that instantly puts you in a celebratory mood.

Explore the festive Ciclo Café’s new spread

We eased into the menu with the Christmas mushroom pâté jar—easily one of the most charming starters of the night. A smooth, earthy mushroom pâté topped with a bright orange jelly, paired with warm homemade sourdough. This was a good twist to the meaty pâtés we have had before.

From there, we moved to the Beetroot crudo, which brought a burst of freshness to the table. With thin beet slices dressed with figs, pomegranate pearls, cream cheese, basil oil, and a honey mustard dressing, it was light and textured.

Only after these did we try the Walnut and Smoked salmon tarts, which visually were very much in the Christmas spirit. Flavour-wise, though, they were the least impressive for us. We felt it was too plain for our palates. If you wish to try, then we suggest you have the tarts before you dive into bigger and bolder plates.

Meanwhile, the Roast chicken and kappa delivered that feeling of festive comfort. Here, tender roast chicken meets soft, buttery kappa aka tapioca, with the coriander dip adding a delicate green brightness to the dish. The kappa was mildly spicy with the masalas. However, it blended well with the roasted chicken.

Then came the Pepper beef—Kerala-style pepper fry laid over cooling Greek yoghurt and paired with banana nachos. To be honest, we did not expect the beef and yoghurt to go well together but it did surprisingly. It was indulgent in all the right ways and would be our latest addition to the spiced winter warmers.

Desserts from the menu were where the celebration truly hit its stride. The Sticky toffee pudding was everything you want in a holiday dessert: warm, gooey, and soul-soothing, balanced by a scoop of almond ice cream. Whereas the Coconut milk and pineapple ice cream brought a refreshing tropical twist. It was essentially a Piña colada in a dessert form.

The Black forest tiramisu played between nostalgia and novelty, while the Nutella babka ice cream sandwich leaned fully into decadence. And the Cherry pie —warm, tangy, and served with salted caramel ice cream—delivered the final festive flourish.

We ended with a cup of their signature Cinnamon orange hot chocolate. It was thick, velvety, and heavy on cinnamon with hints of orange and cocoa flavours.

Meal for two: INR 500++. On till January. 12.30 pm onwards. Available at all Ciclo Café outlets in Chennai and Puducherry.