A new coffee menu in Chennai that comes with its own disclaimer and earns it

Cafe Manana has always known what it is: a space that takes both its food and its coffee seriously. The new additions to the coffee menu arrive with a printed disclaimer that says with complete self-awareness that you are entering extremely experimental territory, and that conventional coffee drinkers may experience mild disbelief. It is the most honest piece of menu writing we have encountered in a long time, and the drinks behind it earn every word of it, in a good way, of course.

This Chennai café is serving coffee unlike anything you've tasted

We started with the Not tom yum cold brew, which is exactly as surprising as it sounds. Galangal, kaffir lime, basil, a chilli-rimmed glass and a raw mango garnish. It is savoury, herb-forward, citrus-bright, more mocktail in character than caffeine vehicle. It also pairs with a specificity that seems almost engineered: the Dan dan and edamame rice bowl, with its complementary spice profile and the umami depth of the edamame and dan dan chicken, finds its match in the herby tartness of the drink in a way that makes both things taste more like themselves. We had them together and the pairing held through every bite and every sip.

The Lemon tart latte came next. A dessert-style citrus latte in a martini glass with cream, milk and a caramel biscuit rim. It was not our favourite, which we say with the acknowledgement that it will absolutely be someone else’s. The citrus and coffee combination is a classic, and this version commits to the dessert end of that spectrum entirely. If you lean sweet and like your coffee to taste like something you would also happily eat, this is yours.

Then came the Montblanc Romano and everything else at the table became background noise. Citrus-tonic espresso with an orange cream topping, a saline accent and an orange slice with a creme brûléed surface sitting on top of it. The view of it arriving at the table is genuinely something. The barista has clearly thought about this one. The citrus and the caffeine work together in the way that classic combinations work: not surprising, just right, and executed here with enough care and restraint that it keeps revealing itself sip by sip. We finished it completely. We considered ordering it again. We held back only because the rest of the menu still needed attention, and we were not entirely sure we would have stopped at two.

The Rosepaal cold brew is the one that makes the table smile regardless of who is sitting at it. They hand you a rose paal pistachio popsicle and a glass of cold brew and the implicit instruction is: do what you want with this. Eat the popsicle first and then drink the coffee. Dip the popsicle into the cold brew. Let it melt in. Have the ice cream alone because it is excellent on its own, and the cold brew is there when you want to wash away the sweetness. There is no wrong answer. The whole point, the menu practically says so, is to experiment. We experimented. We had fun. That is rarer than it should be in a coffee order.

The Burnt corn caramel latte was one of the quieter surprises on the menu. Built with Kaapi Royale, burnt corn milk, a house-made popcorn syrup and a waffle crisp on top, it leans into mellow, toasty flavours rather than overt sweetness. The burnt corn lends a subtle roasted depth, while the popcorn syrup adds a gentle buttery note that never overwhelms the coffee. Smooth, well-balanced and comforting, it is an inventive combination that feels cohesive rather than gimmicky.

The Horchata latte with rice milk, roasted almonds and cinnamon, and the Brown sugar cinnamon latte round out the new additions. We did not try those two but the logic of both is consistent with everything else on this menu: take a familiar comfort idea, push it somewhere it has not been, see if it holds. Based on everything we did try, the kitchen’s track record on that particular question is very good.

Rs 325 onwards. From 11 am to 11 pm. At Cafe Manana, Anna Nagar.

Email: shivani@newindianexpress.com
X: @ShivaniIllakiya

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