MUFFINS AND CROISSANTS WITH COFFEE AT JAVACITY
News Paper – The Times of India
BITE BY BITE
Published on - August 13, 1998
Author - Priti Ashoka
For foodies who love nothing better than a buttery croissant or a delectable quiche with a cup of herbal tea or filter coffee, Java City is the place to find it.
The first cafe opened at the Alliance Francaise in Vasanthnagar. And tomorrow, another Java City opens on Lavelle Road, near Shyam Ahuja. More to come.
I wandered into the Alliance Javacity last week with a friend. The cafe is airy and set with glass- topped tables and light chairs the perfect place to grab a quiet moment in your day.
It's also perfect to pick up a small loaf of different breads, tiny quiches, cookies and other mouth-watering stuff you would expect at a regular patisserie.
The filter coffee, although expensive (Rs 15) is a rich, fragrant blend of fine beans. I tried the onion and cheese croissant (Rs 20). The pastry is rich, butter melting in your mouth, and the sauteed onions with cheese filling complemented it.
Raj Madnani is the person behind Java City. He says he named it that way because the best coffee comes from Java! Madnani, a Harvard graduate, has lived in the US for 20 years, most of it in New York which is where he got his inspiration for Java City.
Although not a trained chef, he becomes quite passionate when talking about food! He swears that Java City's croissants are made only with butter, no margarine or inferior fats.
Croissants, as you may know, have the flour rolled out with a pat of butter encased in it. If the weather is warm, the dough and butter become soft and unmanageable, and the whole thing has to be constantly shoved into the fridge to harden.
According to Madnani, they sometimes take a whole day rolling out the croissants to their final flourish. He specially recommends his Richie Rich Chocolate Mousse (Rs 35 a slice), which he claims is made without gelatin. This one is definitely not for weightwatchers!
I took home a small 100-gm pack of Oatmeal Cookies (Rs 25) and Crunchy Jumbles (Rs 35). The Oat meal Cookies were excellent, melt- in-your-mouth goodness. The Crunchy Jumbles were chocolate flavoured, different and inferior to real chocolate, and a tad too sweet.
The breads, which come in mini-loaf size, are quite good. I liked the Wholewheat (Rs 10). The Cheese and Spinach (Rs 15) was sourish. But that is a personal preference for sweeter tasting and smelling cheeses, so make your own choice.
There is French Bread, Mini Baguettes, Ragi and a whole variety of breads made with different grains. Bread sticks come in nine flavours, like sesame seed and ajwain.
I love muffins and Java City's Orange Yogurt Muffin (Rs 6) didn't disappoint.
The cake selection is very interesting and you can choose between a slice (Rs 20 to 35), a 6-inch and. 9-inch size. If you want to be really fashionable, go for the teacakes, mini cakes with flavours such as lemon, orange and brandy and pineapple and rum.
Among the cakes and tortes selection, there is the Traditional Cheesecake, Black Forest Gateau. Velvety Mocha, Honey Almond and Java City Lime Tart.
