Has the heat killed your appetite? You’re not alone and for all weather-beaten foodies, Courting Coffees in BK Block has come up with a beat-the-heat menu to refresh and revitalise.
“The heat has been so uncomfortable during the day that customers are coming either early in the morning or in the evening. But also, not everyone has AC at home, so some work-from-home folks come in with laptops and use the café as a workstation all day. The new menu uses seasonal fruits, cool drinks and easy-to-digest ingredients that would make dining an enjoyable experience in summer,” says Sabitri Chakraborty, the concept food in-charge at the cafe.
The café has a sizeable clientele of health-conscious people — including those coming to and from gyms. “Such people avoid cold coffees with ice cream due to the high sugar content. So we’ve come up with Iced Lattes that are mildly flavoured with less sugary syrups.” The Rs 279 lattes are available in vanilla, lavender, tiramisu, rose and strawberry mocha. The lavender has become an instant hit.
There are also Rs 236 coffee coolers — concoctions of juice, soda, and espresso shots — that cool you down and provide that caffeine kick. A novelty for most customers, this beverage is available in cranberry, orange and mango flavours. It has a concentrated base of coffee but airy texture of soda.
The café has always had the likes of chocolate and banana smoothies, but the new mango smoothie is a guilt-free take on the yoghurt and fruit pulp blend that does away with the ice cream. They are using honey and protein powder instead.
Mini Pancake Platter at Courting Coffees
The café turned seven in January and to mark the occasion, every customer’s seventh coffee throughout the year is on the house.
Once diners have cooled down with beverages, they can opt for open toast, which is prepared with multigrain bread instead of sourdough as it’s easier on the stomach. “Unlike sandwiches, these quick bites have minimal dressing and won’t leave you feeling full. They come with healthy spreads like cream cheese grilled chicken, avocado cherry tomatoes and avocado poached egg,” says Sabitri. “We’re playing up the avocado as the creamy fruit is all good fat. But the combinations are all customisable.” The toasts cost Rs 279 per slice.
There’s also Korean bun — a soft, fluffy, sweet-and-savoury bread stuffed with garlic cream cheese and seasoned with chilli garlic oil. The all-day bowls are serving grills over fried items too. They have balanced portions of carbs in the form of rice, Along with grilled chicken or fish, they are served with sauteed vegetables for vitamins, mushrooms for iron and minerals and an in-house dip for taste.
For desserts, there are cheesecakes in mango as well as the New York-style cheesecake that has a hint of lemon. “Again, our healthy cheesecakes use 70 per cent cottage cheese and only 30 cream cheese,” says Sabitri. Children can go for a pancake platter with mini pancakes in plain, chocolate and strawberry flavours, served with ice cream, whipped cream and fruits.
The summer special menu should continue indefinitely.