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| Breakfast date at Bokka Coffee |
‘Lunch dates are our date nights,’ said a friend while explaining how life had changed for his wife and him after they had kids.
K and I are not into date nights either. Breakfast outings are our thing. Spending a leisurely morning (close to noon to be honest), over some good food and coffee in a cafe, living the slow life for a change… that’s our recipe for nirvana.
Mumbai, Bandra (where we live) in particular, has some excellent cafes. I would stick my neck out and say that these match some of the best in the world in turns of food and beverages. They follow a Western template in terms of the menu. This brings a certain sameness to their offers.
This is a favourite bugbear of mine. Why don’t our cafe bring in some local favourites onto their menus? You will hardly find anything beyond the token Parsi akoori or a masala omelette when it comes to a desi touch. Don’t get me wrong. I love my eggs Benedict, eggs Royale, scrambled eggs, lox bagels, avo toast and croissant sandwiches. I just wish that someone pushed the envelope as The Bombay Canteen did, for example, by giving a contemporary dimension to Indian food.
There are a few exceptions. The Social restaurant chain for example which offers Indian breakfast options. Or the Chaayos chain, which follows a QSR model. We need more.
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| Cappuccino girl |
I was in for a pleasant surprise on this count when K and I dropped in at Bokka Coffee in Bandra for breakfast earlier this week. We liked the serene vibe of the place. Just what you need in the morning.
We loved the coffee that we had there. K has a very specific order in cafes which has flummoxed baristas across the world. ‘One cappuccino. Extra hot. In a takeaway cup. With a lid. To have here!’
She does not like her coffee to be too strong and the cappuccino at Bokka hit the spot. I like my coffee to be strong and with less milk, if not having an espresso.
A reader had once introduced me to the cortado. It is the same as a cappuccino but with half the amount of milk. I have been a fan ever since I had it at Bandra’s Boojee Cafe. The cortado at Bokka was all about perfection and balance and offered the perfect caffeine hit. The cortados at both Bokka and Boojee, as well as that in Subko, are better than some of the cortados that we have had during our holidays in Europe.
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| Cortado Cartel |
K ordered a masala omelette which was quite competent.
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| Masala Omelette |
Here’s what made Bokka different. It had a dosa section on the menu. I have often wished that I could have dosas in cafes and not just in Udupi restaurants. This was a dream come true. I have not seen this in any of the other cafes that I have been to. They offer ragi (finger millet) and pessaratu (green moong batter) options in Bokka. Both of which are comparatively low GI.
There is a base sada dosa version served with red coconut chutney and salad. And those with toppings which are made in the manner of French crepes, but with an innovative desi heart. They have vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Healthy ones as well as indulgent ones.
I chose the Kejriwal. The original Kejriwal sandwich is named after a dish invented at Mumbai’s Willingdon Club, as per the specifications of one of its members, a certain Mr Kejriwal. It is an open sandwich which consists of a slice of cheese on toast, topped with fried eggs which in turn are topped by finely chopped green chillies.
The dosa assumed the role of the bread here. I chose a ragi base and the dish was executed well. I missed the presence of green chillies here, but the salli (crispy potato straws) that they added gave an element of playfulness to the dish. The red coconut chutney was brilliant and every element of the dish… the soft dosa, the fried egg, the mozzarella, the salli… came together beautifully.
I am going to go back for more of their dosas. I want to try out their waffles too, as K loves waffles and it would be nice to find a good option close to home.
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| ‘Bokka dosa’. A Bengali would point out the need to rename this section on the menu. |
What’s in a name?
Fellow Bengalis on social media could not stop laughing when I shared the name of the cafe. Let me end the story with a conversation that we had with an earnest young staff member on the subject which explains the reason behind the giggles.
K: Why is the cafe called Bokka?
EYSM: It is named after a Bengali word which means mad.
Me: Is the owner Bengali?
EYSM: No
Well, that explains it. ‘Boka,’ means fool in Bengali. Not mad!
