Grandmama’s Café

New restaurants are often signposts—pointers to new trends and metamorphosing neighbourhoods. This is certainly the case with Grandmama’s Cafe, which looks like it belongs in a Cotswold village. Dadar East is an unlikely loc­ation for whitewashed brick walls, mismatching floral chairs, English countryside knick-knack, lace lampshades and crochet samplers. Still, the place is packed, noisy and popular, and nobody seems to mind sipping their cold coffee as trucks trundle by.

One wall of the cafe is painted with traditional home remedies. Lace curtains and white wooden furniture complete the enticing picture. The staff, however, is not equally welcoming; the waiters are disorganised and disobliging, and bark ‘No’ to every request. We manage to find a table and get down to our meal. Much to our delight, the Norwegian Smoked Salmon Sandwich (Rs 320), made with dense bread and stuffed with generous amounts of salmon, cucumber and cream cheese, is excellent. And the open Mushroom and Cream Cheese Sandwich (Rs 200) and the Classic Bacon Lettuce Tomato (Rs 250) are both enjoyable. All the sandwiches are served with fabulously crunchy French fries. Like the fries, the thin-crust pizzas—both Pepperoni (Rs 320) and the Four Cheese (Rs 200)—are top notch. As is the beautifully dressed Ceasar Salad (Rs Rs 240) topped with grilled chicken. But the Vanilla Pancakes (Rs 190) and the Waffles (Rs 210) are stodgy and ordinary. All the drinks (Rs 130 each)—Green Apple Spritz, Strawberry Spritz and Mint Lemonade—are good fun. But the desserts are disappointing. Both the Salted Caramel Cheesecake (Rs 175) and Creme Brule Cheesecake (Rs 165) are dense and taste nothing like they should. And the Chocolate Walnut Brownie (Rs 90) is pedestrian. Grandmama’s Cafe has got many ingredients right. A little staff training might help to ensure that it remains a neighbourhood favourite.