Today’s blessings were to recapitulate the college days with friends when we use to devote hell lot of time on the mall, which is the only aristocratic and happening place of our small town. In Shimla we lack the recreation places where we can go on our weekends with family and friends.
All the spots here are quite distant and not well developed to be visited on regular basis. I am thankful to my buddies who are ever ready to connect. From our college days the Indian Coffee House had been our favorite place for eating and gossip sessions. The best part of the place is that it is affordable and we can sit here for longer periods. The coffee house has plenty of space, and variety of south Indian eatables like Vada, Masal Dosa, Uttpam, Idli-Sambhar and the service is just quick and perfect.
The posters on the wall which seem to be fifty years old and a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and the waiters dressed in white with caps or long turbans creates a nice environment of the place. How can I forget the expressionless south Indian manager who is so very quick and particular in his calculations and would return all the chillar [change] but would never smile.
The India Coffee Houses were started by the Coffee Board in early 1940s, during British rule. The always present group of lawyers with humming sound of their ongoing discussions. It seems some time that we have entered some mess of High Court campus.
The Indian coffee house seems to be little out-of-date in front of other new coffee chains but sometime this old fashion really pulls you and for me this day was awesome and nostalgic with the lovely aroma of coffee.
You beat me here by doing a post on the Coffee House. I had been planning to do a post on the ICH since long time. This is one of a kinda place in town and generations have enjoyed the coffee and South Indian snacks here. Your observation of the South Indian managers is quite apt.”Saar, your balance” is all I have ever heard from them. The place ‘used’ to serve some good South Indian food in the past but the quality of food have deteriorated with time. Still, the place offers food at rock bottom prices.
Nice post. BTW can you recall the names of the heroines in those posters 🙂
There was a place called The Waffle House where we hung out. It was one of those places where the grill was out in plain site behind a counter with chairs. There were a few 2-seater booths as well. We would tip the waitress for letting us hang out there, because we did not buy much.
Sounds like a wonderful blessing just to get together with wonderful friends BUT it is a double blessing to have food served there also so you can prolong your time together.
I guess I forgot to sign out of my other blog that I just write poetry and short essays on and don’t really advertise to anyone. . . but this is still Paulie from Postcards from the Northwest.
Sometimes it is ahrd to find your blessing because you don’t use one of the BYB logos but I found it in the words used to describe the post anyway.