Must try concept restaurants and cafés across India

by Vaishali Bhambri

A traveller’s haven, an inmate’s hope or a feeling of gratification – food is doing such wonderful things around the country that no one could have expected. Taking the trend of themed restaurants to a new height are these unique restaurants that also aim at doing their bit for the environment or the society.

Delhi

Kunzum Café, Hauz Khas Village

Though we can vouch for the fact that there is no dearth of cafés in the humble village, Kunzum still has a unique charm to it. A meeting point for travellers, the café has everything inspired from the travels of its owner Ajay Jain and of course the visitors, who pin behind their memories on the walls.

Jain, who is a traveller, photographer and author of two self-published books, is around the café when not on a biking trip. So what’s so unique about this place? Unlike most cafes, this one has no menu with prices or no food at all, except for tea, coffee and cookies. And the customers can pay anything that they like for the beverages or even not pay at all. The money margins are met through events like painting exhibitions, workshops etc. Treated as a melting pot for travellers from different backgrounds and origin, Kunzum serves as a hotspot for book readings, road trip planning, poetry reading and other events.

Tihar Food Court, Jail Road

You sit down for a lunch meal at an air-conditioned restaurant, a polite staff member serves you with a smile. Sound like an ideal working day lunch, doesn’t it? Yes, it’s all this but with a twist. The staff members here are convicts serving their term for heinous crimes. Welcome to the Tihar Jail Food Court.

Touted as country’s largest prison, the Tihar Jail authorities are known for their efforts in helping inmates start a better life by training them. At this food court, the convicts are employed as waiters and staff at the restaurant. The inmates who are interested in cooking are even free to make their way to the kitchen. The all-vegetarian menu at the food court is short and sweet with North Indian Thali, Samosas, Kachoris Rajma Chawal and few other packaged snacks such as biscuits and namkeen.

Meal For Two: Rs 300 plus taxes

Bangalore

Golden Pearl – The Floating Restaurant, Hebbal

Yes, this fine-dine restaurant does float! Built over the Nagawara Lake, the restaurant works on an eco-friendly model. The restaurant works entirely on solar energy from the panels installed on the rooftop. The management plans to preserve the dying lakes of the city through such restaurants and work towards keeping it clean and hygienic. The restaurant has neither toilets nor washbasins to maintain the cleanliness of the lake. These facilities are provided on the land area nearby. The management has made it a point to not install any engine to the floater to avoid any pollution. A jetty has been provided for the people to walk to the boat.

The highlight of the menu is seafood. A must try here is their Pomfret Fry and Crab Masala. The menu also serves North Indian, South Indian, Chinese and

Continental food. They also have a bar menu.

Meal For Two: Rs 1,200 + taxes

The Minute Bistro, Kasturinagar

Here you get food for free but pay for time instead. Following the popular tried and tested model of the Russian Ziferblat restaurant in London and Moscow, the restaurant opened its gates to the city last month.

A first of its kind in Asia, entrepreneurs Enayat Ansari and Nikhil Kamath adopted the concept for Indian foodies. “We call our menu the ‘buffet of threes’. The spread includes three varieties of homemade bread, cookies, fruits and also breakfast spread, every day. The coffee lovers can visit the café for Arabica Coffee, which we source from Coorg,” says Ansari.

The payment mode of the rooftop café is simple. For every minute that you spend in the restaurant, you pay Rs 5. Let us break it for you – the buffet here is priced at Rs 5 or Rs 8 depending on what you chose to eat. In lieu of your time, you get books to read, free wifi, TV with PS4, board games and free food too! College groups and youngsters form their regular clients, chatting over a cup of coffee and of course, counting the minutes.

Chavadi, Bannerghatta Road

Fondly called a community café by its owners, everything here from the concept to the décor promotes the feeling of community service and sharing.

The Wall Of Consent and Decent will greet you as you enter the place. The yellow wall has a TV where tweets of guests, who are free to debate over any topic, are streamed live.

Walk a little ahead and you will notice The Community Art Wall where budding art enthusiasts can paint their imaginations on an empty canvas. Adding a little thrill to the café is the Story Wall with a criss-cross pattern of threads with random words on it. You can change words and give a unique twist to the story, which was started by the owners. There’s a bookshelf too which stocks a collection of donated books, which the guests can borrow or buy. Finally, you will notice the Wall of Gifting Joy where you can choose to gift a plotted plant to a stranger at the cafe.

With so much happening around, the food is yet to come. The menu includes a lot of international grills, as they believe that people from different communities usually unite around fire. While you are here, try the Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Vegetable and Nigerian Suya.

Meal For Two: Rs 1,000 + taxes

Mumbai

Mirchi and Mime , Powai

Here food speaks louder than words – literally! Often referred to as a novel social experiment, the entire team at the fine dine restaurant has hearing and speech impaired individuals. As soon as you walk in, you are directed towards a reservation book, where you have to find your name, staff member then escorts you to your table. Ordering food is quite simple. All you need to do is point out the dishes you want along with the portions. For other requirements such as cutlery, crockery etc, a gesture glossary is also provided in the menu.

The best sellers at this unique restaurant include Pan-Tossed Calamari, Water Chestnut and Corn Tikki and Lobster Nihari among others.

Meal For Two: Rs 1,200 plus taxes

Ahmedabad

Seva Café , CG Road

The restaurant functions on the principle of ‘living is giving’. Imagine a restaurant where there are no prices on the menu and where the check reads Rs 0 with a footnote that says, “Your meal was a gift from someone who came before you. To keep the chain of gifts alive, we invite you to pay it forward for those dine after you.” Yes, the restaurant functions on paying for the person who will come in after you.

Instilling a feeling of peer-peer generosity, the café doesn’t treat you as a customer; rather you are welcomed as a guest. And what’s more, all the money matters are kept transparent and the profits are used in other social upliftment projects. Isn’t that a beautiful thought?

Known for their simple menu with homely food, try out their sandwiches and pastas.

Meal For Two: Rs 150 (inclusive of taxes)

Other cafes with a unique concept:

Dialogue in the Dark, Hyderabad

Based on the popular dine-in dark concept, the restaurant blindfolds you at the entrance. The guests are then escorted inside by the visually impaired staff that also serve the food and help you through your meal.

Sheroes Hangout, Agra

An initiative to bring back life to the lives of acid attack survivors, the café is run and managed by survivors themselves.

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