A resto-café where one can sit, dine and sip hot brew, munching on western snacks with friends and family in a nice ambience is what ‘Kahawa’ offers to its customers. The resto-cafe which is celebrating its first anniversary on September 2, unfurls the story of three childhood friends who are behind the success of the restaurant.
The three childhood friends had gone their own separate ways only to come back to their hometown, meet again and begin a resto-café! Ask the managing partner Liya Mathew about the eureka moment, and she says, “We used to meet at the city’s cafes and loved spending time chatting over a cup of coffee. That’s how the idea of having a coffee shop of our own came up but then we realised that coffee alone would not be enough to attract foodies. That’s when my father Mathew Varghese guided us, and we decided to include western cuisine ranging from Greek, French, American and Mediterranean.”
Ask Liya Mathew, who is an officer with the UNICEF, how they balance their time schedules for the restaurant, and she says, “The other two friends who are with Kahawa are Ranjana Karunakaran, who works for the healthcare industry and Sanjay Menon who owns a start-up IT business called Artin Dynamics in techno park. Both spend time here during weekends. Sanjay and his wife help mainly in baking and other PR activities.”
All the three friends who are alumnus of Chinmaya Vidyalaya Vaduthala believe in serving their specialty dishes in the authentic flavours and have not Indianised them. “The most sought-after dish is Moussaka - a Greek baked dish made with aubergine and herbs. They are medium spicy and are priced at Rs 200,” says Liya Mathew.
Another hot pick is Shepherd’s Pie - a traditional English baked dish and Cauliflower Au Gratin- a French baked dish. Kahawa also offers various plated meals in chicken, meat, fish, seafood and vegetarian. “Different sizzlers, pork chops and pork roast are other much favoured dishes,” adds Liya. Liya Mathew for whom her father is the guiding force and mentor, says, “My father and younger brother are awesome cooks. They always bake cakes and other delicious desserts at home.”
Some of the lip-smacking homemade delicacies that can be munched from Kahawa are chocolate fudge, double-chipped chocolate brownies, doughnuts and different pies like apple pie and carrot cake. The starting price of the desserts is Rs 45. From the piping hot brew, the two most recommendable coffees are blue grass and Mysore nuggets. “Blue grass is the typical South Indian filter coffee with chicory added whereas Mysore nugget is simple pure coffee,” says Liya.
Apart from these, cappuccino, espresso, and milk shakes are also offered for lovers of this dark brew. The restaurant which provides exotic coffee and scrumptious food is set in a nice ambience with a seating capacity of above 70. Ask Liya about the not-so-common name of the restaurant, and she says, “I have friends from Africa and from them I heard this word ‘Kahawa’ which means coffee in Swahili language.”
As the name of the restaurant is African, the interiors are also aesthetically painted in the Tinga Tinga art murals. “Africa is a land rich in flora and fauna and the tinga tinga art gives that appeal to the place,” says Liya.
The resto-cafe which situates opposite to Cochin Shipyard, MG Road is open for lunch from 12.30 pm to 3 pm and for dinner from 7 pm to 11 pm. Rest of the time the cafe is open and serves delicious hot brew and snacks.
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