With regard to food, a glutton is someone who has an insatiable appetite and hence the word gluttony tends to not be complimentary. Chef Aarudra Giri however chooses to view gluttony from a much nicer angle. At Café Gluttony, her recently opened food venture, a glutton is regarded as a passionate foodie who has a well travelled palate. So being a glutton isn’t really a vice once you step through those glass doors !
With regard to food, a glutton is someone who has an insatiable appetite and hence the word gluttony tends to not be complimentary. Chef Aarudra Giri however chooses to view gluttony from a much nicer angle. At Café Gluttony, her recently opened food venture, a glutton is regarded as a passionate foodie who has a well travelled palate. So being a glutton isn’t really a vice once you step through those glass doors !
Having tasted Aarudra’s food ever since she began participating in the Gourmet bazaar and watching her relishes and desserts sell out as fast as she was making them, it became apparent that here was someone who took her craft seriously. Her foray into the culinary world began when an innocent conversation with her sibling, coupled with a passion for baking led Aarudra to undertake a course at the New York Institute of Culinary Education. Post her training she worked at restaurants in Bangalore and Chennai where she further understood the nitty-gritty of running a food business.
She started on a small scale 3 years ago and built a reputation among her clientele as a quality conscious pastry chef. Encouraged by her family and friends, Café Gluttony was launched at the Alankar hotel in September this year.
The first page of the menu reads, ”Everyday is a celebration of food at our Café”. That sentence actually sums up the vibe at this small but lovely café. The staff are cheerful, friendly and well informed. From the greenery that welcomes customers at the door to the lively mosaic patterned wall, it truly is a happy space. The chef and her team are especially proud of their coffee which is a product of consciously sourced coffee beans (from Valparai and Chikmagalur) which are then roasted in house. There’s a counter dedicated to the coffee paraphernalia with a quirky caption, 'coffee (n) survival juice' ! That’s how much pride they take in their food.
When chatting with Chef Aarudra, her modest and unassuming nature is instantly obvious. She quietly churns out new dishes without making too much of hoopla about it and accepts praise with a shy smile ! While their best sellers are the chocolate mud tart, cheese cake and chocolate cake…the latest items on her menu are already much appreciated. Do try the light-as-air caramel eclairs and the melt-in-the-mouth banoffee tart. Banoffee is a sumptuous combination of banana and toffee which is popular in the UK. The chef is a whiz at making the pastry base which is light and crumbly whether in a savoury chicken quiche or the sweet tarts. Earlier this week she was invited by C town's discerning foodies for a master class featuring her signature dishes.
The long tables against the window at Cafe' Gluttony are perfect for seating bigger groups of people. A family comprising of 17 members spent many hours of a Saturday evening feasting, starting with the Chef’s famous lamb burgers and finishing off with a delicious mug of decadent hot chocolate. And it was an evening thoroughly enjoyed by the children and adults alike.
Café Gluttony also serves a wide range of unusual beverage options. The iced rose green tea is a crowd pleaser and goes very well with a side of sandwiches. The Cajun paneer and aioli sandwich is one of the tastiest among the vegetarian selection. The menu also has vegetarian and non-vegetarian starter options so it caters to hunger pangs both small and large.
Aarudra’s training has not only influenced her cooking techniques but has also had a huge impact on her ideology of cooking without preservatives. She has been known to try and dissuade many a parent from adding an excessive amount of food colouring to their child’s birthday cake. Whole wheat and multi grain breads are made fresh each day and do get sold out quickly. The baguettes are made on order and are perfectly crusty on the outside with a soft, well aerated texture on the inside.
The Café also offers outdoor catering for numbers of 20 people and above. Party orders are also undertaken.
With the holidays coming up, it’s nice to have options like Cafe Gluttony to dine out with the family without having to compromise on the quality of food. Young chefs like these need our encouragement not just to follow through on their dream but to also help build a conscious lot of restaurateurs who care about their diners (fellow gluttons!) Chef Aarudra and her team certainly get my vote !
Café Gluttony (12 noon-11 pm)
10, Sivasamy Rd,
Ram Nagar,
Coimbatore-641009.
9994310024