Eat and drink cricket

15 September,2010 08:53 AM IST |   |  Promita Mukherjee

If you don't mind people bitching behind your back (about others), then head to mocha for some Champions League inspired dishes


If you don't mind people bitching behind your back (about others), then head to mocha for some Champions League inspired dishes

THERE is something about going to a coffee shop for dinner. For one, you can be sure to have giggly girls all around you, gorging on sugar-loaded shakes or cold coffees and cribbing about weight loss at the same time, doting couples coochie-cooing in the dimly-lit corners, a lone man sipping coffee, reading a deeply philosophical book or just ogling at the girls.u00a0


The interiors have lots of elements thrown in together

A bit of this, a bit of that
On the whole, the atmosphere is very different from what you would expect at a, say, regular dining place. But obviously!
So it was all this and more when I stepped into Mocha in Greater Kailash one fine evening. The place now also fancies itself as a lounge, so perhaps I was expecting a little more than a regular coffee shop. Needless to say, I was disappointed.
For one, there is a certain uncertainty about the place. It's as if they were unsure about what to make of the space available to themu00a0-- a cosy coffee shop or a chic lounge. Mocha here is spread over two floors. The first is the caf ufffd, and the second serves as a hookah joint. While the caf ufffd area is a mish-mash of this and that with the decor really confusedu00a0-- they have a swing and brightly coloured tables and chairs and sofas and what notu00a0-- the hookah area actually has some character to it. It also has a terrace seating arrangement and a cosy private seating area which you can take up if you have a bunch of hooligan friends to party with.

Where's the Bailey?
But enough cribbing about the d ufffdcor. The food makes up for it, well mostly. I was here to check out the new menu which is dedicated to the Champions League and has dishes named after the various teams. I started with some Irish Baileys Iced coffee. Frankly, I am a sucker for Baileys so I was extremely unhappy when I didn't find even the faintest taste of Baileys in the drink which was quite innovatively served in a bottle.
Next up was Royal Challengers chicken kibbeh with succulent, meaty kebabs. It had a distinct lemongrass flavour that you can make out and was pretty amazing.

Sweet and sour
Since Mocha is a cafe (basically), I went for an Oreo cookie and fudge brownie shake. I regretted it the moment I took a sip. It was way too sweet than what it should have been and there was no sign of that brownie. So I concentrated on the Highveld Lions beans and nachos. It was spicy and cheesy with crisp nachos, just as I like it. However, don't order more than one dish as portions are huge which meant I could only try this much. I tried some roast chicken and pepper salad with Caesar salad next. It had fresh ingredients and was quite good.

Dessert woes
It was time for dessert. Statutory warning: do not try having the chocolate avalanche (senior or
junior) on your own, unless you are famished. It is so good that you will not want to leave it, but you can't have one on your own. It's impossible.

Mocha
Food: Delicious
Service: Good
Ambience: Okay
Where:u00a034, M Block, GK-I
Timings: 10 am to midnight
Ring: 29237808
Meal for two: Rs 800 approx

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The Guide Mocha restaurant Champions League coffee shop