For open-to-sky pleasure in business district

The city can’t promise you a starry sky, but a new Ballard Estate café centred around an old peepul lets you dine as you watch the clouds drift by

The bylanes of Ballard Estate have a charm of their own. The neighbourhood’s wide, old tree-lined lanes hold gems from a bygone era. We’re told of a certain Ballard Pier Mole, a defunct railway station from where trains chugged to Peshawar. While there is no trace of it now, you can still marvel at the masterful architecture by Scottish architect George Wittet.

IF.BE, the new kid on the block, ironically, is nestled inside a 145-year-old ice factory—supposedly one of Asia’s oldest—that recently got a new lease of life as a creative hub for artists, architects, and designers. And it has a café that promises to offer simple salads, smoothies, juices, all under a banyan tree. Well, almost. On Calicut Street, where the main door of the just-launched eatery opens, the sight of a full in bloom gulmohar tree, juxtaposed with bright pink bougainvillea, makes it a pretty sight.

Smoke on the salmon

Fluid. That’s the first word that comes to mind when you enter and walk over the ice-cooling coil that sits under a glass floor at the entrance. You’ll be charmed by the opulence of the glass roof and the raw beauty of the weathered interiors. Inside, the café is to your right and its see-through walls let you feel a part of the larger courtyard, yet disconnected enough  to be in a world of your own. It’s the place where you can sit with a book for hours or have a quick bite and leave for your next meeting in the financial district. Whatever your agenda, a clear view of the sky is given, letting in ample sunshine, and allowing you to read the shapes of clouds.

Smoothies

We settled at a table to try the salmon with cream cheese bagel (Rs 350) and Bombay masala toast (Rs 170), unlikely bedfellows on the same menu, we think. Also, a cup of coffee here won’t drill a hole in your pocket. We met Shahrom Oshtori, managing partner, whose vision for the space—just like the partners of IF.BE, Kamal Malik, Abhijit Mehta, and Amardeep Tony Singh—is to build a community space that melds nature into your life. The café celebrates seasonal ingredients and a local farm in Karjat has been embraced to ensure the finest quality of fresh produce. There are plans to curate a terrace garden too. “We aren’t an ingredient-driven café and we aren’t going to be pretentious about it in our branding either. It’s only about good, comfort food, a good time, and good coffee,” he adds.

Mushroom Toast

When in Italy (Burrata salad with basil, plum tomatoes, balsamic reduction, pesto, and microgreens) (Rs 390) and Good vibes (avocado, orange, radicchio, frisée, and rocket leaves, tossed with lemon vinaigrette and dried cranberries) (Rs 310) salad, were well-made, but we thought the tang was missing. Oshtori pointed out our palate’s over-dependence on taste offered by processed dressings versus something made fresh. The Green junkie (baby spinach, kiwi, basil, mango pulp, and lemon juice) (Rs 190) and Strawberry skies [strawberry, mint, roasted almonds, rice crisps, and greek yogurt] (Rs 190) was different than what you will find in the smoothies section of most menus. We found The griller (serving grilled chicken with herb jus, garlic mash, and sautéed veggies) (Rs 370) and Salmon says (grilled Atlantic salmon served with lemon butter sauce and mashed potatoes) (Rs 550) slightly tough but the flavourful jus compensated for the texture. The Mushroom toast (Rs 190) was a perfect slice of decadence and the fish and chips (Rs 420), made with Giant Sea Perch had our heart. The Classic waffles (Rs 290) and Classic pancakes (Rs 290) served with fresh fruit and our preferred topping brought back memories of IHOP in America. Baked cheesecake (Rs 150) with Dope coffee (Rs 120) was a fitting way to end the meal. When the monsoons set in; we’ll be back here with a book as we sip on a hot cuppa and bite into the Bombay-style sandwich under the grey skies. No one to judge you.

The Banyan Tree Cafe 7/9, Calicut Street, Ballard Estate, Fort. From 8 am to 11 pm
Call: 9619033000

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