Sarat Bose Road now has a slice of old Britain marking its pavement. A twee cafe, spearheaded by Vanita Tondon, a self-taught chef and a sharp entrepreneur, Brown’s opened its doors on Ashtami. “I have always wanted to open a cafe, something that was small and scalable, but didn’t have the courage to do so until now. Brown’s began as a small-scale cloud kitchen out of my home during the lockdown. It then grew into a catering service and now we’ve expanded to a cafe,” says Vanita, who is a graduate of École Lenôtre in Paris and the University of Nottingham.
The decor of the cafe is minimalistic, and the vibe mellow. The idea behind the cafe is to create a rustic space that caters to everyone — one can stop by for an hour of ‘me time’ over an Affogato (Brown’s makes their own ice cream from scratch), a cute breakfast date featuring their all-day eggs (they make a mean Akuri) or a snacky meal of Baba Ghanoush crostinis, burritos and ‘make your own pita-wiches’.
The decor of the cafe is minimalistic, and the vibe mellow. The idea behind the cafe was to create a rustic space that caters to everyone Soumyajit Dey
“Our cloud kitchen has larger portions, so the prices are higher. We’ve kept our prices very affordable at the cafe, so people can step in, have a good meal and not feel much of a pinch,” says the baker-entrepreneur.
The beverage menu sees a bevy of drinks — from classics like Americano and Cappuccino to the new crop of fresh cold press juices such as the ABC (apple, beetroot and carrot) and Tropical Tang (orange, pomegranate and black grape). A must-try is the Parisian Hot Chocolate, which is “a meal in itself” on account of the 54% of blitzed chocolate it’s made with. Sweets at the bakery constantly rotate — look out for their Cinnamon Rolls and Paris Brest Noisette.
What’s cooking?
Spinach and Black Rice Salad
A medley of fresh spinach, organic black rice, feta, roasted walnuts and a heady Italian dressing.
Paris Brest Noisette
This is a classic French pastry that features a crisp, almond-studded baked ring of pâte à choux filled with praline crème mousseline and dusted with powdered sugar.
Pizza Babka Loaf
The Pizza Babka Loaf is a twist on the ever-favourite pizza. It’s made with Brown’s in-house babka loaves, making every bite as fresh as ever.
Mushroom Khachapuri
A vegetarian delight, the Mushroom Khachapuri is a delightful preparation of mushrooms on a bed of bread. The bread is baked in-house and boasts the perfect consistency and texture.
Spinach and Mushroom Quiche
Chicken and Egg Sandwich
The classic Chicken and Egg Sandwich is made with an in-house loaf (that can be purchased on request) and comes with a side of mayo salad and fries.
Where: 174, Sarat Bose Road, Lake Terrace, Bhowanipore (next to Dunkel Braun)
Timings: 11am to 9pm
Pocket-pinch: Rs 1,000 for two
Closed: Mondays
