Alwarpet’s 11:11 Reserve Cafe: Sip a cuppa, pause, reflect, write & send letters

CHENNAI: Tucked away in the quiet lanes of Alwarpet, 11:11 Reserve Café feels less like a coffee stop and more like a secret you stumble upon. With its warm, earthy interiors, thoughtfully plated dishes, and that unmistakable aroma of a freshly brewed coffee that invites you to pause, linger, and let conversations flow. The café takes its name from the serendipitous hour of wishes, and true to spirit, it crafts an experience that feels both intimate and a little magical.

Trishal Pradeep Chakravarthy and Geetha Agarwal joined hands to start the café, which commenced its functioning a month ago. “It took six to eight months for us to complete the research and development for the project. The primary reason for entering the coffee space is because there is tremendous growth in the coffee market in south India. But Chennai still needs to up its game, as it has scope and potential to ace the list. We wanted to launch a unique café on a massive scale,” says Trishal.

The nook and corner of the 11:11 Reserve Café goes by the idea of slow living and manifestation. The unique element that pulls the diner out of the crowd is the letter-writing experience, which is open from Monday to Thursday.

Instead of writing the letter to your cherished circle, this experience focuses on your future self. We manifest a wish or an idea, and address the letter to our future self, which will be delivered within a period of eight months. “What makes this experiential process more special is the handmade papers, colour waxes and a personal experience,” adds the co-founder.

Trishal credits the high visibility advantage of Alwarpet to start a café in this location. “The reach will be much faster as it is a mix of residential and commercial neighbourhood. And, we are open till 1 am to make use of the growing night culture in the city. We are a beverage-focused diner. Apart from our flavourful savoury dishes, the rose latte, tiramisu latte, and tres leches are our signatures,” he shares.

Talking about the development of Chennai’s culinary landscape, Trishal states, “In the past four years, medium-sized diners have done well. But there is a dip in the performance of large-scale ventures. And I believe that the next three years are a crucial period for Chennai to up its game and grow beyond Bengaluru, competing with Hyderabad.”

From the well-crafted menu, we start with the cream of broccoli soup, which is filled with wholesome flavours. The truffle parmesan V crisps tossed with truffle oil is quite filling and goes well with the dip. The meat pieces in the confit garlic and butter prawns are juicy. But more flavours are needed to strike the right chord.

Among an array of beverage menu, the rose latte, with a subtle taste of rose, and the velvety iced matcha vanilla latte top our list. Next comes the pumpkin-spiced latte topped with cinnamon, which has a distinctive taste to it and is not to be missed by coffee aficionados. To beat the scorching heat of Chennai, the blue sapphire elixir gets a ten-on-ten.

In the main course, Japan’s popular dish katsu curry, served with jasmine rice, is a comforting one-pot dish. Ending the soulful experience with their signature tres leches is a cherry on top of a cake. The fluffy cake, soaked in creamy milk, topped with fresh strawberries, promises a heavenly bite.

Though the café falls on the expensive side, the personal experience and varieties of flavours are worth a try. Meal for two people at 11:11 Reserve - Café and Pâtisserie is Rs 1,000.