Chaayos Cafe at GF Elante Mall — Restaurant in Chandigarh

Chaayos has been around for awhile now. With outlets open in multiple cities across India, it has a 3 themes that are employed across cafes in India. Which are Rustic, Rainy and Travel. The one Opened in the calm serene courtyard of Elante embraces a Rustic theme and gives a laid back and relaxing feel to the entire place.

We started with the Chaat palak patta crispies and Bun Omelette with Thandi Chai topped with sauf flavor and: Chaat palak patta crispie stood out as the single most interesting Indian snack I have had in awhile. A deep fried Spinach leaf in Gram flour topped with tamarind sauce, Jalapeno and salty namkeen. The flavor was mild and interesting. It wasn’t spicy but gave an amazing taste, blended well together and the Tamarind sauce worked perfectly well. The Bun Omelette well, wish I could say more but it was an omelette in a Bun. The best thing about it was that the omelette was well cooked and had an even flavor throughout. The Thandi chai unlike your expectation was a Chai frappe if you can believe it. Great concept but some things are best left hot. It was unusually sweet and I was struggling to even finish it. I guess to make it ‘tolerable’ the sweetness is needed to be dialed down, A LOT!

Next up was the Loaded chicken cheese max, Mushroom bun and Pineapple strawberry Panna (iced tea) and: The basic concept of a loaded chicken cheese max was to fill a hot dog bun with meatballs. A little strange but appreciated the effort. The filling as I said was meatballs with succulent sauces. It was flavorful but the only issue for me was the thickness of the bun. With respect to the filling, it was too thick. Each bite was more bun and less filling. The thing that made it taste better was the tamarind and honey based mayo dip. The max mushroom bun had a mushroom filling and was served with the Honey garlic Mayo dip. The filling in itself wasn’t fusing well and with the bun involved the texture was a disaster. It was spicy but the amazing dip pulled it up to an average taste. The Pineapple Strawberry Panna was an instant transporter to childhood. The first sip sent me back to the time I was sitting on the table sipping panna with my family. Nostalgic and tasteful to another level. The best drink in Chaayos without a doubt. The Pineapple complemented the strawberry flavor as if they were made to be served together. Do not miss it!

Let’s move on to the heavyweights now. The Kulhad chicken kulcha and the Kulhad Pav bhaji with Cheeku and Mango Shake and: I want to review them both together because there was hardly anything to separate them. Running back to the presentation first. Breads served with Bhaji/Butter chicken in a Kulhad. For those who don’t know what a Kulhad is, firstly need to travel in a train ASAP and secondly is a small clay pot in which chai is traditionally served and enhances the flavor with the earthly aroma. Though it did nothing of the sort with the Bhaji/Chicken. It was average at best and reeked of oil. The breads (Yes both of them) were cold, and soggy. The Pav wasn’t crispy at all which I personally like though according to Divya (The Digital Marketing head) it was supposed to be served that way. Personally that’s not how like things. But Kudos to those who do. The Cheeku and Mango shake were average too. Nothing standing out of the ordinary. One thing to be appreciated was the fact that natural ingredients were used to make them and not the artificial sweeteners we generally see being used while making shakes.

Coming to the dessert part, we were served Date and Fig cake with the Factory chocolate cake and from our final request, the ‘Meri waali Chai’: The cakes were good! The surprising cold cakes tasted really well. Could feel the natural ingredients and the freshness in them. Would definitely recommend it.

At the end I would like to say that this place has a huge potential to dial up on the taste. The already expanding franchise needs to pull up its socks to make sure they do not let the taste slip away with the...

This cafe opened up just a week before in Chandigarh and caught attention for bringing street food and the love of chai at one place, altogether!

Being a frequent visitor to Delhi, I know how it is when you crave for that "meri wali chai" and this being the 37th outlet(and the first in Chandigarh) caught my fancy!

So it was a Sunday morning brunch scene with a couple of friends, as we entered the cafe, the quirky decor and the astounding ambiance even at 11 am in the morning was something that made me feel wow! Right from the walls, to the seating, everything is just sorted! So we happened to try a few of their drinks, apart from their signature chai and some good stuff to eat. First thing that we had was the CHAI FRAPPE, or the- saunf wali thandi chai. It was good, refreshing and the flavour of saunf could be relished while I didn't taste chai in it. But, it was a cool intake! The next thing that came our way was the PALAK PATTA CRIPS, beautifully presented, topped with tamarind chutney and sev. It was lovely munching these. I bet, you'd crave for more. The next favourite dish that was delectable for me was the NAPOLI SANDWICH. The mushrooms filling in it was so chatpata and masaaledar that cutting chai and the former could be clubbed together for the best ever combo! Oh and how can I forget about the CHEEKU SHAKE they offer, probably the best one I've had till date. The MANGO SHAKE was good too, with fresh mangoes but the former was something palatable and unique. The THEPLA PANEER TACOS were a fusion of two cuisines and they surely did well in that. The Thepla was crispy and the filling was scrumptious(although not so spicy) The KALA CHANNA CHAT, was just like the chat next door, although the taste was descent. It could have been better if a little less of masalas and a little more veggies and green chutney could be added. The PINEAPPLE STRAWBERRY LEMONADE was a delightful drink and a treat to my taste buds. The taste of both the fruits was balanced and could be distinguished The VADA PAV, had well cooked vada which tasted dainty while I feel the Pav should have been made with a little more Maska. Then came the TEAM CHAI which can be customised according to your taste, clubbed with chocolate brownie.

All in all, it's a great place to sit back and gossip over a cup of love(chai) and enjoy...

Cafes are known not only for their aromatic coffee blends but also for their cozy and inviting ambiance. The warm, cozy atmosphere of a cafe makes it an ideal place to enjoy a cup of rich and flavorful coffee, tea or other drinks. In addition to their ambiance, cafes are also well-known for their delicious and unique coffee flavors. The rich flavor profiles of various coffee blends are often due to the roasting and brewing methods used by the cafe's baristas. A perfectly brewed cup of coffee can be enjoyed as is or with a variety of additions like milk, sugar, and different syrups. Cafes are also known for offering a range of non-coffee beverages like teas, hot chocolate, and smoothies, each with their distinct flavors and aromas. Overall, the ambiance and rich flavor of cafes make them an excellent place to relax and enjoy some quality hot or cold beverages. Chayoos …a tea, it is a common beverage we used to have in the morning. Whenever, we meet someone or someone comes to meet us, we often offer them tea as a welcoming gesture. Tea has special place in our heart, it works as mood swing, relaxing 😎. Now-a-day, many coffee cafe can be seen in and around the city, but shop cum café specially for tea is rare. Chaayos at elante Mall is one of the best place for tea lover that offers variety of teas like normal, kular, gur wali chaye. Tea was...