Scamper, nibble, gulp, and then scamper off again along the trail of coffee beans: This Flying Squirrel has been doing the rounds of coffee-growing regions in the South, with its encyclopedia of different blends and roasts. The online entity launched its specialised artisan blends, single estate coffees at a coffee cafe in Koramangala’s foodie district a month ago.
Perched atop a building, the whiff of coffee notes draws people to the micro roastery and Euro style café. What about the food, you ask? It’s a succinctly small menu of Continental favourites that compliment the brew, along with some delectable desserts.
Two Bengalurean buddies, an ad man and a third generation coffee planter came together to start this in 2013 with entrepreneur and restaurateur Phalgun Chidanand. Starting with the website of all things coffee www.flyingsquirrel.in, they decided to venture into a roastery cum café. Co-founders Ashish D’Abreo and Tej Thammaiah - have one thing in common, the earthy coffee bean they both are in love with and the brews they bring to your table. Tej’s estate, Nellikad in Polybetta, Coorg with its crop of Arabica and Robusta is the main source of beans, along with those from places in Chikamagalur. Together, these coffee men have given the country, and some parts of the world, different types of coffee and roasts customised for their eclectic clientele with their online retail, catering to those who know their bean. Now, the café takes it further — the different blends, brews, roasts, and how you can sip it, you’ll be intrigued.
The café itself was an idea that Ashish and Tej hope to start as a customised chain (only a few cafes), with a focus on good wholesome food that compliments your cuppa.
We started the meal with a Caesar Salad, which came in fresh lettuce-infused (the only way). It was delicious. With welcome Parmesan strips, we would have liked a grated drizzle, for a more balanced flavour. The garlic bread could have been toastier. Next on agenda were the sandwiches and steak. A small menu, the idea is to make this a coffee lover’s haven, where you can get good food too. Ingredients for some dishes have also been sourced from Tej’s estate.
“The online coffee brand has been around for three years. We grow most of our own coffee on the farm. Other beans we source from places in Chikamagalur. Tej works with farmers to do this,” adds Ashish.
The duo has been growing and roasting based on customer requirements, and this new address also boasts coffee tastings, state-of-the-art brewing equipment and a slew of appreciation classes, videos, demonstrations even as their website carries its beanful work forward.
Both these coffee entrepreneurs have done courses with the famed coffee taster and coffee cupping expert Sunalini Menon. The Flying Squirrel also sells Ms Menon’s own customised blend - Parama, which is most popular. The coffee menu offers five different kinds of coffee — Parama, Clouds in My Coffee, Aromatique, Sunkissed, Sattva, and two others, each its own unique taste trail. The roaster also recommends brewing required, styles of pouring, etc. “We explain everything so that the tenets of the coffee are enhanced,” adds Ashish.
Clouds in My Coffee, a monsoon Malabar and Parama were our faves too, though we are not coffee connoiseurs. Each coffee cup is presented with great fanfare, as pour over, espresso, Americano, double shot (for true coffee lovers), cappucchino and latte.
“The food is not complicated as we wanted to compliment the coffee. We use produce from the estate — oranges, musk melon, green pepper, kachampuli and Coorg’s famed birds eye chilli. Coffee wood has also been used to smoke meats and salads,” Ashish adds.
Essentially a coffee address, a quick lunch, or dinner might be key, thought it’s not for everyone.
There are a beef, chicken and seafood options, salads and sandwiches, an all-day breakfast that is very interesting, some vegetarian choices and yummy desserts (sourced from a home baker). We spotted a salted caramel and old monk and coke cheesecake, which was unfortunately over, also a Parama-infused crème brulee. Our sandwich was filled with the goodness of fresh veggies, plated nicely (for a café) with a nice mayo dip and crisp potato wedges. The steak was our favourite, nice tender medium rare fillets with a delectable pepper sauce and creamy mash. Essentially a coffee address, a quick lunch, or dinner might be key, thought it’s not for everyone.
A sense of flourish and flair, will it work in a foodie-driven environment? Ashish thinks so, as the focus is artisanal customised coffees, “Bengaluru has a far more knowledgeable populace of coffee lovers than any other city, it is also much more evolved in terms of coffee drinking,” says Ashish. If its fruity notes — wild berry, cinnamon, or woody ones, Ashish is the best person to tell you the coffee story, and while single estate coffee is the rage today, thanks to the mystique behind origin, the blends are most popular. A 36-seater space, it cheerful, young, for a coffee lover, and it has a wholesome menu compared to other cafes.
136,1st Cross Road, 5th Block, Koramangala,
Bangalore 560095. Tel: 080 40991044
Opening Hours: 11 am to 11 pm; 7 days a week
website www.flyingsquirrel.in
Meal for two: Rs 800 onwards
Coffee for two: Rs 400 onwards
It also sells coffee blends, roasts customised beans for over 3 kg and offers you a world of coffee.
