Babs' Cafe In The Woods; by advance reservation only. — Restaurant in Uttarakhand

As per an Irish proverb, Laughter is brightest in the place where the food is. And where the great food is coupled with great ambience and a warm, welcoming host, it becomes a soul touching experience leaving an everlasting impact and makes you crave for more and more. Bab's cafe in the woods scores a star in each and every aspect and we were left with no choice but to eat here multiple times during our short trip to sattal.

What we had: French press coffee: I am quite a coffee lover and generally brew my own coffee. French press here was spot on and this was my fixed order everytime. Mutton Burger: Perfectly cooked Patty and a fresh soft bun. This without doubt was one of my favourite here. Pahadi Dal and Aaloo Baingan: Cooked to perfection is to say the least. Never had a better day and sabji in the hills. Crispy Chicken: The chicken was perfectly tender and juicy in the inside and crunchy on the outside. I still wish if I could had it once more. Mixed Sauce Pasta: Cooked to perfection. Though these days almost every other cafe is serving pastas but few are able to do justice and Babs Cafe in the Woods surely hits a ton. Chicken Korma: Yet another great dish and can surely give a good competition to places famous for the dish. PEANUT JAGGERY ICE CREAM: I HAVE NEVER HAD ANYTHING BETTER IN MY LIFE AND TRUST ME EVEN SAYING THIS IS LESS. YOU NEED TO EAT IT TO KNOW IT. Other things we tried: Salad - Absolutely Amazing, Soup - Delicious to say the least, Paranthe - Decent.

It's rare to find such places and I am super happy that I did. And such a place can only be build when someone puts their heart and soul in it. Bab's Cafe in the Woods is not just a cafe but...

Maybe the food is great. Maybe the hospitality is excellent. We don't know - because when we turned up there, they were so overwhelmed with preparing an order for a party of around 8 people, that for around 20 minutes, no body came up to us to ask for our order.

There is a drawing room sized hall with seating, and a small attached kitchen that's it. The group of people seemed to be living in the nearby V resort. We were a family of 5 who visited here specially looking at the rave reviews on google. Stepped in, were server water. And then nothing for the next 20 minutes. Apart from the other party of 10 people playing games, and discussing their ordered food - no one from the kitchen popped out to convey they were a little busy, or to take any order.

Disappointed, we came out after 20 mins, and went ahead on our way to Mukteshwar. Caused embarrassment for me as my family was tired and wanted to eat, and they were less enthusiastic about me choosing this offshoot place, at a risky road.

Edit: The owner has fed back that we didn't book an appointment, and reported there unannounced, thus the delays. Would have been okay with me if I was informed this...

We found Bab's on one of our never ending searches for a novel food experience and were we glad! We pre-booked lunch for 2 and drove up from near Bhimtal on the designated day with our 2 dogs in tow. The booking experience with Nitya was smooth and communication including the expected menu was clear. She was very kind and encouraged us to bring our dogs along while their own dogs would be sequestered inside. For pet parents it is a big treat for pets to be welcomed with open arms :) The cafe is beautiful. Large and airy with details that an artist's eye does not miss. The food and service was above par. All the dishes we were served were fresh and were stars in their own right. We had - Slow roast pumpkin soup House Salad with homemade feta Tomato & basil bruschetta Spinach & ricotta crepes Pot roast chicken with herbed potato Slow cooked carrots with sweet potatoes Farfalle Aglio é olio Banoffee Pie

While we missed meeting Nitya, Geetika and the staff at the cafe were well trained and took great care of us. While we rarely get away from our own place in Seetla, we'll try our hardest to...