As a Sunday cyclist, one learns to tread the hard, dusty road, persevere even when those legs are crying for relief and honkers and traffic snarls loom ahead.
Chennai-based Ashish Thandani knows the banes in a cyclist’s life, having tread those dusty roads. That was when he decided to start a haven for the cycling community with india’s first cycling-inspired Ciclo Café (pronounced cheeeklo which in Italian means cycle) that opened on Indiranagar’s 12th main some time ago. The cafe serves up interesting dishes with a wholesome touch thanks to Chef Mrinmoy, and is also a niche cycling boutique, all in one. “There are bicycle chains across Europe, and our idea was to have a dedicated space for cyclists, that also offers good food. Today, there are Ciclo Cafes in Chennai, Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Bengaluru. Cycling is at a nascent stage in India, and we wanted to tap into that segment and promote the culture of cycling across the country and connect with the community while also giving people an extensive menu of favorites. We realised that a pure pure bicycle shop would be tougher. A café that offers a large selection on the menu for all tastes, with a wholesome breakfast for cyclers, for those who want to indulge and catch up with friends for a drink too would be more wholesome ,” says Ashish R Thadani, CEO, TI Absolute Concepts (Ciclo Café).
But it’s not just cyclists that can rejoice at this Ciclo Café, but foodies too as the Mumbai-based Chef Mrinmoy Acharyya who was earlier with Indigo, Basilico, Tasting Room at Good Earth, etc has tried to keep the menu healthy, for cycling buffs but also goes all out with delicious, even sinful offerings. Chef Mrinmoy Acharyya says, “We have incorporated healthy food, while also giving everyone else an elaborate menu. We have taken great care in what the menu offers in terms of health food but a lot of people want to indulge when they eat out – so there’s something for everyone.” The cuisine veers towards European and Mediterranean cuisines, with a focus on comfort food. There’s plenty for the local palette too, like the rajma chawal and the Bengali prawn malai kadi. The Bengaluru menu has a more healthy touch, with spiruline in the hummus, macha creppes and peanut and wheatgrass waffles. “We also have a whole wheat pizza with no cheese,” the chef adds.
We started the meal with wasabi prawns – juicy prawns with a wasabi foam. The Kafir lime chicken tikka was an interesting spin and very tasty! We also had the decoded chicken wings, that came in a cube of glaze and an infusion of barbecue sauce. The Smoked Salmon Platter was delicious – we would have liked more capers though. Their pizzas are alright: We had the Meat Feast Pizza slice which was crusty and thin with pulled pork, sausage, and the Goan Pork Sausage pizza, which had us at hello, thanks to the Goan sausage!
For mains, we ordered the smoked scamorza tenderloin burger. The minced patty was delicious, simple and the brioche bun was the softest. A side of wedges with mustard and coleslaw with mayo brought the meal together perfectly.
We also tried the Telengana Mutton curry with rice – creamy, spicy and a nice change from the regular. They have sides like They have sides like cheddar jalapeno foccacia melt, gun powder Karari roomali, salads, green wheat grass risotto, burger and pizzas. There’s a also a diverse range of pre-plated meals with a local touch.
The brownie cheese cake was spectacular and the Jack Daniel's mud pie was good, albeit too rich for our taste. The place is designed with cycle rims as Chandeliers, walls covered with anecdotes from the history of cycling, pictures etc… and has a easy feel about it. An outdoor area would have been perfect for the festive season, though!
They have a ladies night on Wednesday and a sumptuous breakfast for cyclists which opens by 7.30 am… something I am going to partake of. For foodies, it’s a great place to meet friends and catch up over some unique fare on the menu, and of course, dose on the healthy!
