I first went to the Cafe Coffee Day at Golf Green when I was in Calcutta a month back. I took my grandparent’s there for a rare outing. The coffee shop folks were extremely helpful and made sure that the Octogenarian and Nonagenarian guests were comfortable and at home. Arrangements to seat them were carefully made. The menu card was explained. It was their fist visit to a new age coffee shop after all. The order were patiently taken. The food was particularly good. I have eaten at a number of CCDs all across and would know. I have rarely had such fresh sandwiches at a coffee shop. Grandpa loved his Cafe Mocha. The buzz of chocolate making him feel nine again. The sandwiches met his approval. Satiated his new TV cookery show led interest in food. Grandma sipped on her peach ice tea. Smiling like a school girl. Mom, a recent cappuccino fan approved of the coffee – hot and frothy.
A month later Kainaz and I returned to Calcutta. We stopped at CCD Golf Green during the long drive back from the airport. Their coffee machine was under maintenance and they asked us to wait. We prepared to leave. Disappointed. One look at our tired faces and they whipped up two robust, life defining cappuccinos for us. The cappuccino met the very high standards of Kainaz the Cappuccino Queen.
I was surprised to see the big smile on the face of the Sounak, gentleman who took our order. I remembered him from our last visit. He took our order that time and made us feel at home.
Turned out that he too remembered me from my last visit. Remembered the table where we sat. Our exact orders. What dadu had liked it. And the number of photographs we took.
In case you are wondering, CCD was full that evening when I came with Dadu, Didu & Ma.
K and I made two more trips to CCD Golf Green. We didn’t have to specify our coffee preferences again. Half a sachet of brown sugar for me. One sugar free for K. Take away cups. Neatly labelled. Steaming hot. As K summed it up, “they make much nicer coffee at Calcutta”.
It’s good to be home.