A civil engineer, a marketing executive, and an HR professional walk into a restaurant. No, this isn’t bad joke format, it’s literally how Anju Bhaskaran, Munna John, and Jinu Jacob, have been spending their free time for the past few years. These three women entrepreneurs—all of whom are long-time friends and passionate gourmands who love to travel the globe in search of exquisite delicacies—have been researching/planning to open a casual dining space for more than a year.
“A few weeks ago, our dream finally became a reality,” begins Munna, handing us a glacé, which is essentially a piping-hot,super-strong espresso shot served with a dollop of fresh vanilla ice cream—their ode to Vietnamese iced coffee. Nestled in a quaint residential neighbourhood called Maveli Nagar, Cafe LatLong is clearly a nod to the geographic coordinate indicators: latitude and longitude.
Breathing space
This 42-cover outlet, located in Thrikkakkara, acts as a café, confectionery, and restaurant. So, while my vegetarian colleague tucks into their Greek salad (think tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and feta cheese seasoned with a tart dijon-olive oil vinaigrette dressing) I sneak into their impressive top-of-the-range kitchen and pâtisserie to grab a few delectable Almond biscotti fresh out of the oven! Soon after, I’m joined by Anju who gives me a quick tour of this homely 2,200 sq ft property.
“In keeping with our travel theme, LatLong’s decor is done up in a rustic fashion. It’s aided by liberal use of sturdy wooden furniture surrounded by olive green walls featuring large landscape paintings on one side juxtaposed with a stacked bookcase and unfinished walls on the other end,” explains the civil engineer, as I demolish their UK-style crispy fish/chips platter and parmesan-topped grilled beef fajita pasta.
DIY options
Though the co-owners have no prior restaurant experience, they’ve hired a consultant from a five-star property
in Bengaluru and roped in Thiruvananthapuram-based Hycinth by Sparsa’s ex-chef de partie, Raveesh M N, to finalise their spread. While skipping their signature umami bomb burger and rice bowl with orange chilly beef was a tough call, I couldn’t pass on their DIY grill section.
Despite their six different types of marinades, sauces, and butter variants, to pair with jumbo prawns, fish, beef tenderloin, and chicken—we recommend their well-done beef steak doused in double-hot harissa sauce. Since we’re strong believers in the phrase ‘There’s always room for dessert!’, our extravagant meal ends with a gooey lava cake. “We hope it will become the sort of unhurried café, where patrons can just chill out in a corner with a book,” concludes Jinu.
anoop.p@newindianexpress.com
@godsonlymistake