Puducherry is quite well known for its bustling 'cafe-culture', a term used to describe the many varieties of cafes in and around the White Town, funky, classy, earthy, traditional, some that serve authentic French cuisine, others that serve finger-licking fusion food and some that serve mind-blowing beverages and desserts.
My husband, Gautam, who is a self-proclaimed Masterchef and a die-hard foodie could not have let this opportunity go by, he took it upon himself to explore this cafe culture during our trip and sample as many delicacies as we could.
Here is a rundown of the cafes we visited.....
Baker Street
This popular cafe is located right on Goubert Avenue facing Promenade Beach.
There is a regular footfall of patrons in the cafe, there are very few tables and chairs to sit around inside the restaurant. People mostly pick up stuff and eat somewhere along the beachfront.
The menu comprises mainly on-the-go snacks with tongue-twisting French names like Escargot, a typical French spiral pastry eaten for breakfast and Chausson, called Sho-son, a crusty pastry filled with apple sauce, an apple pie.
They have a variety of yummy croissants with different fillings, varieties of macarons and pastries. They have a variety of baguettes and quiches with many kinds of fillings that were quite good.
The cafe is a great place to grab a bite, you get a taste of the most authentic French Patisserie for a very reasonable amount of money.
The overall experience was excellent and definitely value for money.
Le Dupleix
We visited this classy French and Continental villa-turned-cafe on our second day out. The opulent interiors are nicely done, you can sit out in the open or inside in the airconditioned area.
We opted for the cool air-conditioned interior since it was really hot and humid that evening.
We started our evening with a glass of Aperol Spritz, an Italian wine-based cocktail. The drink was made to perfection with the right amount of Prosecco and soda water at the right temperature.
We ordered a Bruschetta & Crostone, Homemade Ravioli with basil pesto sauce, Baby Broccoli and Mushroom Sobo Noodles. As you can see above, the Bruschetta had six pieces, each with a different topping. We skipped the dessert here and decided to walk towards the Beach and sample another amazing pastry at Baker Street.
This fine-dining restaurant comes with excellent ambience and good service. A meal for a couple would cost a very reasonable 3000 to 3500 INR.
The overall experience was excellent, the ambience was graceful and the food was value for money.
Coromandel Cafe
Coromandel Cafe, as the name suggests, is an ideal eatery to try some great coastal cuisine although they have all kinds of food options, Non-vegetarian, Vegan, European and more.
The highlight of the evening was Earl Grey Spritzer, a delicious concoction of wine laced with Earl Grey tea accompanied by a sumptuous French Creamy Seafood Plate, Crispy Prawns and Seafood Spaghetti.
To round off this heady mix of seafood was the heavenly Tiramisu.
The cafe is relatively pricey compared to other outlets in Puducherry although not too steep. Dining with drinks could cost you anywhere from 3800 to 4500 INR.
The restaurant seemed to be quite popular among the locals too as I saw many families waiting to enter as we left.
The overall experience was excellent, the ambience and food were definitely value for money.
Villa Shanti
This restaurant is known for its Indian and European cuisine. After trying all kinds of continental dishes on the first few days, we decided to go with Indian cuisine on Day 3.
The restaurant had a nice vibe and the seating arrangements looked welcoming. We ordered some Indian homecooked bread, garlic naan and paranthas with chicken curry and rice.
The food was regular Indian cuisine, nothing spectacular but not bad either.
But the big turn-off was that it was an extremely hot and humid evening, we were drenched in sweat when we walked into the restaurant but discovered after placing our order that it had no airconditioned indoor seating.
That for me was an issue, although we saw many families sitting in the open and enjoying their meal.
Had we gone there on a breezy cool evening, the experience might have been different. I think there should be some enclosed area with air-conditioning for particularly humid days.
The overall experience was good, seating could be more comfortable since the restaurant is on the ground floor, some kind of cooling would be welcome but the food was good.
Crepe in Touch
This quirky cafe is a delight from the word go.
First, the setting. The place is a miniature mall with a cute boutique, a trinket shop and a cosmetic store. So, while your crepe is being done, you can hop around and explore the goodies.
Two, the food. They specialise in crepes with all kinds of fillings served most authentically.
The cafe has a personal touch which is very endearing. No wonder it attracts a lot of younger crowd. Prices are very reasonable. The caretaker Surya posed with my husband and made crepes to order for us.
The overall experience was excellent and the place is value for money.
One can easily spend a casual, lazy afternoon in this place, munching on tidbits and shopping around.
Bread & Chocolate
This is one of the most happening cafes in all of Puducherry. They have two branches, one very close to the Aurobindo Ashram in White Town and the other is in Auroville en route to Puducherry.
We stopped at the one in Auroville.
The cafe has a very casual vibe, with adequate seating outside and some chairs inside too.
They offer a variety of vegetarian, non-vegetarian, pescatarian and vegan dishes. I was quite surprised to see a very exhaustive menu with on-the-go snacky foods like sandwiches, croissants, salad bowls and more and a meal menu with a lot of options.
We ordered some takeaway croissants for the evening and decided to sample a main dish at the restaurant.
We ordered a North African dish called Shakshuka, comprising eggs, tomatoes and paprika on a bed of spinach sauce with toasted sourdough bread.
The dish was well-cooked but quite bland, the sourdough bread was fresh. I have not tasted this dish anywhere else so I cannot compare it with another version of it about the authenticity of the flavours and taste. The croissants were heavenly, one of the best I've ever eaten!
The overall experience was good, value for money. I would have liked to visit the cafe again and try out some more of their baked delights but time was a constraint.
Les Alizes
On the last day of our trip, we went to this beautiful cafe in Palais de Mahe.
The restaurant is known for its local Pondi and continental cuisine.
Like Villa Shanti, this is also an open-air cafe with no airconditioned enclosure. But since it's a rooftop cafe and very well-ventilated from all sides, we could feel the gentle evening sea breeze flowing through its beautiful spacious interiors.
This was our last day in Pondi, so we decided to gorge on local cuisine. We ordered a seafood platter.
Portion-wise, the platter was wholesome with a good variety of fried prawns, shrimps and fish filet and a delicious tangy dip on the side.
For the mains, we ordered fish curry with appams*. Again, the portion size was good, the spice level was balanced and the presentation was ok.
For dessert, we ordered a creme brulee. The dish tasted alright but it was missing a critical ingredient, the hardened caramelised layer of sugar on top which lends this dish its signature taste and flavour.
The overall experience, food and ambience were good, desserts could do with some improvisations.
*Appam - Thin savoury pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk.
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