Chennaiites find comfort at this bungalow-turned-cafe

CHENNAI: Spread across more than 5,000 feet, a few days ago, Chennai got its new cafe, which is set up in a huge bungalow yet cosy.

The creative minds behind this cafe are well-known cinematographer Nirav Shah, his brother Bhavesh Shah and Taruna Hinduja. Bask By Coffee? is set in one of the most busiest localities in Teynampet.

“Bask is a family-run cafe. Our mark in the cafe business started with the Coffee? which was started in the year 1999, but was shut in 2008 for various reasons. Coffee? was a cosy cafe where we got a lot of friends, who wanted us to restart the brand. In 2021, we re-entered the field with Coffee? Since 1999,” starts Taruna Hinduja, one of the founders of Bask By Coffee?, sitting on their community table.

Within a short period of its commencement, Bask By Coffee? is gaining popularity for everything it has, starting from its simple, cosy ambience to its kind-natured staff, and not to forget its good comfort food.

As Taruna was explaining to DT Next about the motive behind starting Bask, Bhavesh joins the conversation and continues, “Our motto is to create and build relationships and friendships at our cafes. This started since the time of Coffee? where people found new friends and bonds. One couple, who first met in our cafe, is now going to get married. The reason for starting Bask is that we felt that nowadays there are no such cafes in the city.” The couple said that they want to build spaces where people come on a regular basis yet not get bored.

The major unique attraction of their outdoor seating is the two community tables. Those tables are meant for different individuals to gel with each other and build a community to foster friendships.

Team Bask, had to regularly rework their menu to make sure their regular customers will have new options to try. When it comes to the pricing of the dishes, “This cafe is for everyone. We have set the pricing in such a way that everyone can visit and enjoy their meal. It is not always about money, it is about creating memories and experience,” comments Tanuja. Another notable element in this cafe is the name of the dishes on the menu. There are a few dishes which are named after their regular guests.

When it comes to food, this pet-friendly cafe offers comfort savours, that give a home-like feel with excellent flavours to relish your taste buds. One of the must-try is their Lotus biscoff milkshake- a cold, smooth milkshake combined with biscuit crumbles to break the monotonous taste.

Their Smoked chicken strips, accompanied with a cup of in-house chilli dip, is a combo of well-cooked crispy chicken with a mild taste of chilli. For those who prefer veg, Vegetable fried rice with saucy Chilli paneer is a wholesome meal. Teriyaki chicken bao is spicy juicy chicken stuffed between chewy bao buns. There are more options for coffeeholics as well.

“Feedbacks are very important for us. We make sure that our guest’s requirements are met and we give them the best cosy experience at Bask,” concludes Bhavesh and Taruna.