02 November,2011 07:26 AM IST | | Tanveer Bookwala
Crispy Kream will need more than its all-vegetarian menu to draw in the crowds in a neighbourhood that's bustling with chic cafes and successful eateries
Spoiler Alert: This isn't the original doughnut shop but a modified moniker of the same. So if you're expecting an original glazed review, this isn't it.u00a0u00a0A quaint eatery called Crispy Kream has opened on the already culinary-attention seeking Yari Road. It's a step away from Bru Cafe, a stone's throw from Cheelizza and Chai-Coffee and two blocks away from some of the best restaurants in Versova.
Crispy Kream
Food: Average
Service: Prompt
Ambience: Cafe-like
The Pizza Dosa topped with cheese, capsicum, onions, chillies and
tomatoes was tasty
I say this, because if you must open amidst such intense competition, you have to offer a smacking USP to stay in the game. With high expectations, we stepped into Crispy Kream, which is a pure vegetarian coffee shop-cum-eatery.
We begin with the Cold Coffee Softy (Rs 70). The coffee arrives within minutes and the staff does their best to ensure that we are enjoying it. However, we aren't given the option to have the ice cream blended, or a choice of flavour. It's a default chocolate scoop, and not a softy. Misleading, for a generation that has grown up watching smooth ice-cream swirl out of a machine.
The Kreamy Oreo Coffee (Rs 80) is a typical chocolate shake with a smattering of Oreo mixed in. Nothing exceptional. A wee bit of innovation would have jazzed things nicely. Perhaps they could have thrown in finely crushed Oreos and placed it in the filter with the ground up coffee beans. Or even added a dash of cinnamon or caramel? The possibilities are endless and frankly, necessary for survival.
We decide to taste some of the snacks. On display are dosas, sandwiches, burgers and rolls. We are recommended the Pizza Dosa (Rs 70). An interesting looking pizza-style dosa arrives within seconds. Topped generously with cheese, onion, capsicum, tomato and green chillies, the dosa is very tasty. The downer is that the base gives way within seconds and soon, you end up eating what's left of the gooey dosa with a spoon.
The quintessential Cold Coffee (Rs 50) was chilled well and served as a blend of instant coffee mixed with cold milk in a blender, producing a thin, coffee-flavoured smoothie. However, a shot of espresso would have been nice. Given it's strictly vegetarian menu, and predictable coffee shop-like vibe, Crispy Kream will need to pull all strings to ensure the crowds don't get distracted by more promising options in the neighbourhood.
From: November 1 to 3
At: Shop No 6, New Neelam Buliding, JP Road, Versova, Andheri (W).
Call: 9821034241 / 9702480282
Crispy Kream didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals
