Khushbu Kirti is tempted by the balance of flavours awaiting her at Cafe Tesu at DLF, Saket
A friend and I, over the weekend, decided to venture into DLF Saket and had the toughest time choosing what to eat — millennials, huh? We either didn’t like the cuisine, or the air conditioner was not good enough, or it was too crowded. We went from one restaurant to another and couldn’t pick one, until our eyes landed on a cute lil corner, right across Om bookshop. A cafe with a panoramic view of books? My nerdy friend and I saw all our doubts vanish into thin air. We learnt that Cafe Tesu had been newly inaugurated and saw our decision being made for us — none of us had any reservations since we had no opinion, whatsoever, about the same.
The moment we entered the area, the aroma of coffee beans engrossed our attention and tickled our taste-buds. So, an order for Cold coffee frappe was placed immediately, which went without saying. The frappe, which was fundamentally espresso muddled with ice-cream and milk, provided a calming buzz I was anxiously awaiting. Once I had coffee and was soothed, I was able to pay attention to my surroundings. There were hardly eight-nine tables, with a visible kitchen-counter laden with pink tiles. The cushions of the sofas were flowery, the place embellished by pink flowers in the corners. The plants, although artificial, suited the aesthetics well. The coffee and eatery flaunted a well-set combination of beige pink and turquoise, something that suits the Instagram aesthetics of the modern audience?
Since we had spent so much time roaming around, wondering what to eat, we were starving already. The first dishes presented to us were Chicken and chives dimsums, along with Asian vegetable dimsums. The former encompassed well-cooked chicken mingled satisfactorily with slight vegetables. Though watery and soggy, it tasted good and was garnished with micro-leaves and beans. The Asian vegetable dimsums was an absolute treat for veggie lovers. The outer layer was super thin, intrinsically engulfing steamed vegetables that tasted rich and mild on the palate. Coupled with the sauce, it tasted even better. The blend was subtle. The stuffing was just the right amount, as reiterated by Chef Madhav, “If we went too crazy with the filling, the dumpling wouldn’t have married with the sauce.” My friend and I laughed heartily at this, going on doing what all food-lovers do — talk about and consume food (inserts innocent face emoji). I do want to, however, highlight the sauce specifically, for it was that good. It basically was a mouthful of all spices in a tiny dip. The chef filled us in on the information about its preparation that took two weeks. Like my friend said, perhaps, it tasted like a sophisticated version of home-made aam ka achar.
My friend, Neeraj, had an Apple and cinnamon ice tea, that he described as, “A little sweet and mildly tangy drink, refreshing and flavourful. It tastes like an apple squash mixed in soda and makes for a good beverage for hot weather.”
We were then provided with a dish called Sunny avo (short for avocado), which was an open-faced sandwich made of multigrain bread that would turn solid if left aside for long. It was enriched with guacamole spread topped over the sunny side up. The sandwich was ornamented with eggs that came with runny yolk. The eggs, however, were cooked satisfactorily, the stuff on top of it included chopped vegetables and sauces that were not exactly my cup of tea.
While the food was adequate, the wait felt unpleasant. Probably owing to the nature of the size of the cafe and only the limited number of chefs the space could allow, the customers had to wait around for their orders to come. It had been two hours since we were at the eatery, and we realised it was a rather slow process.
Our penultimate dishes were Asparagus tempura roll, and the Las Vegas roll. The former incorporated salmon tuna and lettuce cream cheese. Outside, the orange and green tobiko provided a sophisticated and elegant touch. The sushi had a succulent sour flavour that lasted on the tongue. The Asparagus tempura roll was made of fried green chilli and plain kew pie mayo, topped with black sesame seeds. This vegetarian Japanese sushi did not have any flavour of its own. In plain words, it was ornamented with plain rice. Perhaps, sushi was not our thing. Nevertheless, merely tasting the dish could make one feel fancy, thanks to the exquisite aesthetics around it.
Finally, we welcomed the chocolate dessert with open arms. The Belgian chocolate tiramisu, although so sweet that it could render sugar-rush, was chocolaty enough to stick in the mouth. It took time to melt and so the taste lasted for a while. Having said that, the cake could have been softer.
Even though we spent quite a lot of time at Cafe Tesu, my friend and I were full and content. Overall, it was a pleasant evening and I’d rate the cafe a 6.5 on 10.