Two different coffee shops ( as differnet as chalk and cheese, must I say ) in three days...in Chennai. Am sure many of the coffee lovers who prefer to have their coffee outside the safe confines of their homes once in a while, would have visited atleast one of the two - The Amethyst. The fact that it is closer to Saravana Bhavan and Sathyam makes it all the more worthwhile to pay a visit. The place apparently has been renovated to match the splendour of the years gone by : it is actually a colonial mansion. A regular plain croissant used to be a must have for me, until recently when they removed that staple item from their menu. On the latest visit, I found the potato wedges ( 110 Rs ) to be the best of the breed, accompanied by a yummy creamy dip. The crostini was not all that great, but the coffee was its usual self - good :-). My friend ordered a tender coconut which was priced at a hefty 80 rupees, but the quantity made up for the steep price.
The USP of the place are its verdant garden, ample parking space, a stately interior with plush cushion chairs, well placed steel and coir seatings under cool natural shades around the main building, and of course the fresh and well done pastries and the best potato wedges ( as on date ) in town. For those net savvy folks, the wi-fi comes at a price of Rs.60 per hour ; always find atleast one netizen hooked onto a Apple MaC ( it always has been a MaC, wonder why. Is it the same person all the time ? ).
Location : The Amethyst, Padmavathi Rd, Gopalapuram, Chennai
Mocha Mojo is all hip and jazz. Modelled on 70s retro style, with chic colours on brick styled interiors and 70's western music and a toilet to go with the overall theme, the place is a definite stand out. The few times I have been there, the place is packed mostly with college goers but there is proof of middle age and working professionals haunting the place too. Everything about the place is different, be it the glass water bottle with a cork lid and a mint plant suspended within or the hookas on the first floor or the huge mug in which the final hefty bill is brought to your table. The menu is very western and has calorie information, with no room for Indian traditional fare. Me and my friends ordered minced lamb noodles ( Rs.250 ) and a 3 egg white omellete ( Rs.180 and came with some of the best fresh italian style bread, kidney beans based tomato sauce, flavoured butter and amazing french fries ). The coffee shop offers caffeine beverages, shakes, pastries and pies, panini and pastas and more. Not a everyday hangout place, but well worth the ocassional get-together.
Location : Mocha Mojo, 72, 1st Avenue- Indira Nagar, Adyar, Chennai-20
