Cafe Coffee Day’s New Menu

Cafe Coffee Day has a new menu! Did you raise one eyebrow wondering what the fuss is all about? Good. That’s just what I did. With the exception of Costa Coffee, where I believe the selection of food is leagues ahead of every other cafe chain,  one menu goes out and another comes in, with very little perceivable difference.

I’ve been largely neutral about cafe chains, only preferring Costa Coffee due to better choices in food, with the Smoked Chicken and Gouda sandwich being a particular favorite. Cafe Coffee Day however, slipped deep down due to numerous service related bad experiences in their much touted lounges, especially one  in Connaught Place.

I haven’t been following the food at Cafe Coffee Day and won’t be able to make an informed comment on any flavor/filling additions etcetera. What I do know is that I largely liked what I tasted.

• Tandoori Paneer s/w (85)
• Smoked Chicken s/w (85)
• Tandoori Chicken s/w (80)
• Cheesy Veg Croissant (49)
• Tex Mex Veg Cheese s/w (70)
• Cafe Coffee Day Indulgence (75)
• Black Forest Cup (58)

… all washed down with cups of Black Coffee (58). Which brings me to another story. It appears Cafe Coffee Day Lounges have stopped serving simple black coffee; at least that what the staff tell me. If one wants a normal black coffee, one has to choose from a range of three types – French Press, Pour Over and another one the name of which I fail to recall. I now need to order a shot of espresso and add it to a cup of hot water to get my fix. Silly little MBA.

Now, the name of the food isn’t really representative of what you’re going to get. For example, the Tandoori Paneer sandwich will have the same flavors we associate with tandoori paneer, but don’t expect it to be grilled over coals and all of that. I won’t grudge them this sort of (mis)labeling, because I can’t think of any other way to convey the flavor without attaching ‘grilled’ expectations. They do appear to have done something with the bread; either the formulation, storage or heating method; the stuff stays soft almost forever!

I tasted one segment of every sandwich when hot and kept aside the rest for a minimum of 20 minutes and then tried them again. That’s because while some of us may eat the whole sandwich when served, others may linger over a few platters alongside conversation. I expected the bread to become hard, as would be normal for this genre of food, but all the sandwiches remained very soft and quite eatable even after sitting around for 20 minutes or more. This, I believe is significant progress and I thank the good folks at Cafe Coffee Day.

Most sandwiches looked like someone sat on them before serving – flat and slightly messy. Perhaps they need to think of appropriate heat-and-serve protocols that prevent this sort of thing.

Apart from the smoked chicken sandwich that didn’t taste smoky at all (try the Costa equivalent if you’re not sure what I mean), every other sandwich delivered on it’s labeled promise of flavor.

I suggest you try the new Cafe Coffee Day menu. It does appear they’ve been doing things other than repackaging and you might just be surprised.

1. Cafe Saturday at NOIDA [Closed]
   
2. Coffee Shop, The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi
   
3. Citrus Cafe – Udyog Vihar, Gurgaon