Find playful fusion menu and pastel charm at this new cafe in Chennai

Chennai has no shortage of cafés, but every now and then a place walks in and quietly raises the bar. Aarzoo, from a successful stint in Bengaluru, has done exactly that with its first Chennai outlet in Nungambakkam. A fully vegetarian café, we walked in expecting a pretty space and a decent menu. What we got was considerably more than that.

This chic new Chennai spot blends comfort, creativity and Instagram-ready charm

The interiors set the mood immediately. Pastel greens and pinks fill the room in the most pleasing way, with floral ceiling art overhead, globe lights hanging in clusters and gold-trimmed arched mirrors lining the walls. It is a warm and well thought- out place, where one might end up spending more time than you have planned for.

Coming to food, we began with the Grilled broccoli and boondhi, a starter that raised a few eyebrows at our table before it had even been tasted. Spice-blanched broccoli, grilled to a light char and topped with a generous handful of mini boondhis. It was an unusual idea that turned out to be a rather good one. The textures complemented each other well, and the flavour had a satisfying spiced warmth throughout.

Next up was the Idly podi gnocchi. It came with a personality to spare. Soft Italian gnocchi was tossed in a bold Andhra-style gunpowder. We enjoyed the concept, and the execution was largely solid, though the podi leaned quite fiery and could perhaps be dialled back just a touch to let the gnocchi shine a little more.

A Salted caramel iced mocha arrived mid-meal and was a great refresher. Smooth, gently sweet and nicely chilled, it was the kind of drink a warm Chennai afternoon calls for.

The Signature pizza bouquet turned heads when it arrived at our table. Presented like an actual floral arrangement, it was packed with vegetables and cheese and made for a thoroughly enjoyable eat. The novelty of the presentation aside, the flavours were solid and the cheese was generously applied. A crowd-pleaser in every sense.

We closed the meal with a Lotus biscoff cheesecake stick, which was delicate, creamy and carried that lovely biscoff flavour all the way through. A small but satisfying finish that sent us out the door on a sweet note.

Meal for two: INR 1,100. 4 pm to 1 am. At Aarzoo, Nungambakkam, Chennai.