In Search of a Good Cup of Joe

There are a few restaurants in the NCR where you can get a good or even a great cup of coffee. The best is at Bizibean, South Point Mall, Gurgaon. The owners have been roasting coffee for over a decade and supply their espresso blends to prominent coffee bars, restaurants and luxury hotels. However, protocol being what it is, their clients cannot be revealed. The two partners, who quit lucrative jobs in the tech sector over a decade ago in order to blend, roast and brew coffee professionally admit that they have not been successful at educating the customer or growing the number of coffee lovers. They are appalled at the high prices consumers pay for ‘undrinkable’ coffee (their words) without a murmur.

At Bizibean – a relaxed space in the lobby of South Point Mall – coffee aficionados come with books and iPads as they settle in for a couple of hours, during which time they consume as many cups as they possibly can. The cappuccino, cortado and espresso all have a creaminess about them which is strongly reminiscent of Italy. The cortado is a shot of espresso with equal portions of foamed milk and is more popular than the strictly-for-connoisseurs espresso. Even the pour-overs from the French press and the Aeropress are made with precision by the well-trained staff.

The other restaurant that serves good espresso is Fio at Nehru Place. The staff knows to ask the temperature you want it at. The correct temperature is 92 degrees Celsius, but that doesn’t always go down well with the Delhi customer. You don’t even have to carry your Kindle here – the owner has placed his enviable collection of food books at the disposal of diners.

The third place is Kasbah in Greater Kailash N Block Market. They source their blend from Finca, the roasterie arm of Bizibean, and the owners themselves have turned into coffee Nazis by association.