Rise And Shine! - At The Square

                              

                                                ''A lot can happen over coffee'' 

Well, this time around, it was breakfast at Café Coffee Day for food bloggers. This was for the launch of their new breakfast menu, aptly named as "Rise And Shine' at The Square. It was an honor to be invited by Mr. Ramachander Raman, Head, Food & Beverage, Café Coffee Day. Café Coffee Day being the first in India to introduce the concept of coffee bars in India, needs no introduction at all.  Elegant and chic, The Square on Vittal Mallya Road, prides itself on being India’s First Single Origin Coffee Café. The cool, cloudy morning set the perfect weather for breakfast at the Café and in the company of blogger friends, Deepthi,  Irin, Madhuri and Shubhada. A morning to look forward to indeed!

 I reached a bit late having gone to the other Coffee Day Outlet nearby, how like me! And goes to show how necessary a skill like driving can be! Am lost for directions when I take public transport and land up in situations like this when I do.  Just as well, a bit of exercise before the most important meal of the day helps whet the appetite as well as burn some calories before the indulgence. It was a really enjoyable walk to The Square in that weather only Bangaloreans get to enjoy every now and then. As I walked into the Cafe, Swaha and Nidhi of Madison PR had me seated at a table. The sun drenched bright interiors are an instant pick up, making you want to soak up the sunshine and bask in it. Perfect ambiance for that breakfast, the combined effects of good grub, fresh air and sunshine can seldom make a start to the day less than perfect. Not to mention the very welcome aroma of coffee as you step in. Can anticipation get any better for a coffee crazy foodie?

Mr. Ramachander personally took time to help us get acquainted with the new range of single origin coffees and some more about CCD. In the meantime, I was handed over the bright menu card to order my breakfast. I could hardly object as I very well know, a growling tummy is not extremely conducive to any kind of reception of information, even if it pertains to food! The menu has  pre-fixed combo options such as muffin or croissant, muesli and fruit bowl, warm Belgian waffles with choice of sauce, choice of eggs, potatoes and toast, egg whites with fruit bowl and yogurt for the health conscious. Of course all of these served with fruit bowl and hot Cappuccino or Latte. The A La Carte menu has options of choice of egg with grilled tomato and toast, waffles with choice of sauce, Swiss muesli with milk. Yummy side companions include hash browns, potato wedges, fruit juice, fruit bowl and yogurt. 

I opted for hash browns, toast, grilled tomato and a cappuccino. While the order was taken by the well trained staff, Mr.Ramachander put me at ease while he explained about CCD, the new breakfast menu and the coffee. Single origin coffee refers to coffee from a single geographical origin as in from one particular farm or a specific collection of beans from a country.  Brews from around the world from Ethiopia, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica are served at The Square. Indian single origin coffee from the Himalayas, Kathlekan and Rajgiri are also on the menu.

I thoroughly enjoyed the crispy and delicious hash browns and the eggs. I also realized its difficult to sit across a table, eat graciously and and actually converse sense when your mouth is full and your taste buds demand full attention! I unashamedly took a big bite of the waffles drenched in chocolate sauce from Madhuri's platter, dug into Shubhada's croissant, muesli and fruit bowl. Oh yes, the waffles were good, so were the potato wedges, very very crisp and very delicious. The strawberry jam which came with the croissants was also good, though a bit on the sweeter side. The incorrigible foodies that we are, we requested for more potato wedges. I don't really have to tell you how fast good food disappears on a cold day, even faster if it happens to be hot and crisp! We also got some chocolaty chocolate cake as CCD even had a cake ready for the birthday girl Madhuri!

 Clockwise from left, Irin, Deepthi, Gauri and me. Madhuri cutting her birthday cake, Shubhada and Omana, Head of Beverages, CCD Lounge and CCD Square. Pictures from Madhuri and Shubhada, thanks gurls!

I got a taste of the Ethiopian coffee which was really good, though I could not get to savor a full mug at leisure. Well, a reason to visit CCD I would say!

Though the experience was great as a whole, I did wish they had more options on the menu, the croissants though soft, could have been more flaky with the taste of butter coming through. For a better gourmet experience, the bread can definitely be better in flavor and texture with more enticing options here too.

Service was not very efficient, considering the few guests at that hour. Super efficient service would be very much appreciated by the office-going customers.

If you are in the vicinity of Vittal Mallya Road and looking for a leisurely breakfast replete with an array of coffees, you must try The Square for sure. And while you are there, do not miss the Ethiopian coffee, waffles, potato wedges and the hash browns. And yes, this I personally feel is more enjoyable as a leisurely weekend breakfast rather than a weekday one. If you had to hurry through the coffee and the breakfast, you would then not be able to fully enjoy the beauty of the place. The ambiance is a huge plus in favor of The Square, without which the experience would be incomplete and mission not quite accomplished! And I highly recommend a stroll along the sidewalks both before and after your breakfast, it truly is a pleasure! Talk about location advantage!

So go on a weekend, be an early bird, you would then get to savor the quiet of the roads, the cafe, the weather and the after-breakfast walk. Yes, they start at 8 a.m for the early birds and go on till 2 pm on weekends for the lazy bugs...

It was quite late by the time we finished breakfast and I had to rush back to my daughter who would have arrived from school. Given a chance, I would have loved to browse through their merchandise of coffee mugs, coffee powder and cookies. CCD gifted us a box of coffee as well as a coffee maker, a souvenir for me to remember that lovely morning at The Square.

Thanks for having us over Mr.Ramachander and here's wishing CCD all the very best!