rose cafe- a pink and white laced wonder plucked from an english countryside!!

i have been reading the reviews on zomato and browsing through the picture of rose cafe for quite some time now….what appealed to me most was the decor of the place, it gives you a feel as if  a tornado with impeccable taste plucked this cute cafe from somewhere in the English countryside and plonked it right down in the middle of Saidulajab in New Delhi. So finally for my graduation lunch I , in the blink of an eye decided to visit this place with my partner!!

away from the hustle bustle of the city,located in the midst of the dirt road, called westend, leading from saket metro station towards the garden of five senses,if one is not looking carefully,one can easily miss this place as there is no sign board indicating the same!! Just by looking at the pastel pink colored wall with rose cafe written in cursive with black, one cannot imagine how good this place could be!! it is only when you step in, that you are transferred to a completely different, magical world, a place most girlfriends or girls with their starry eyed boyfriends would love to visit!!! 

Ambiance:
You don’t expect something quite like this and once you step inside – the wonder grows. The decoration is innovative with bird cages, antique mirror, china plates, flower pots, rustic yet chic interior. Like the name suggests, like a rose, this place is beautiful with white colored lacy curtains,cute lamps on the ceiling, rustic washed up wooden furniture with turquoise colored tiles on the table, walls done in a slightly paler shade of the same, pink cupboard, counter top, decorations, flowers,vases etc!!! 
though small in size the owner Ms. Sarita Ahuja has cleverly beautified this place and used the space in the best possible manner….
they have a sofa arrangement as well and a small al fresco seating too which is warm and welcoming if the weather is good!!
its like every time i swept a glance at the place i saw something interestingly adorable in one corner or the other …the rustic yet girlish…english look of his place enthralls you!!!

Service: 
the service at rose cafe is quick yet relaxed….they dont rush you with food….you get your order within 10-15 mins max….the servers are attentive, super friendly, suggestive…and have a good knowledge about what they are selling….going with the theme they are also dressed in pink shirts….and are crisply dressed!!!

i have a habit of observing little details about any place i visit…so before describing about my food journey, i would especially like like to highlight a few things that really impressed me about this place…
1stly, the owner…Ms. Sarita Ahuja… a sweet ans soft spoken lady is present at all times and makes sure all the customers pouring in…have a great time…by keeping a check on everything…be it the service or the food served….she really shows her passion for this lil cafe and spreading a smile across people’s face!

2ndly, though the staff was friendly but this particular person, who was serving us that day…Bobby…every time he came to take or order or serve us our dishes, he did so with such a huge and warm smile that you cannot help but smile back and appreciate the place and the work into it all the very more…!!

3rdly, Rose café caters to every need… may it be a quick bite and a cup of coffee, or a leisurely lunch with friends or loved ones. They have a permanent fixed menu as well as seasonal and special menus. This time in their seasonal menu , mango dominated the same to beat the heat this summer.

All of their food is prepared in small quantities, perfect to be shared by two or gulped down by one with a good appetite…. with special care using the finest and freshest ingredients available. even their coffee is freshly brewed which adds so much to the taste…deserts are freshly baked and served….so one is bound to fall in love with the moist yummy cakes they have to offer!!

food: 
finally coming down to the main portion…food talks:
to start off…we ordered their coffees to quench our thirst…
cold coffee with ice cream: vanilla ice cream blended with cold coffee was perfect for the scorching heat, perfectly balanced….not too sweet…not too bitter….great balance of coffee and ice cream which could easily be tasted!!

rose cafe iced coffee:they say its their secret recipe that goes into making this delicious drink and is a must try….a drink with three distinct layers….what my partner could guess was that the bottom most white layer is milkmaid topped with freshly brewed coffee mixed with water and ice and thus forming the middle thin layer where the above two layers mix up a bit(hope we cracked their secret recipe :p)…..this drink is soothing to the eyes and palate….with a slight bitter taste of the top layer along with the sweet taste of the bottom layer which completely complements each other…!!( a word of caution don’t try to stir your coffee as that would shake the balance and make your drink taste bitter)

rose cafe soda pop: its basically ice cream soda…we ordered green apple soda pop….a generous layer of green apple syrup topped with soda and ice….then frozen vanilla ice cream …finished with an amalgamation of soda and ice cream….it was refreshing and fizzy with adequate taste of green apple!!

to go along with our drinks and silence our hungry appetite, we ordered:
rose cafe melt: these are their open sandwiches… we ordered for garlic herb mushroom filling which was topped with a generous portion of melted cheese!! when the dish appeared i was a lil surprised as i was expecting the usual open sandwich we get elsewhere…but here small bread rolls were cut in half…perfectly baked till crisp…on which a generous dressing with mayo, mustard and black pepper was spread and finally a very generous amount of soft mushrooms wrapped in gooey melted cheese was served along with a tiny bowl of greens, which were again fresh, vibrant and citric..and perfectly went along with the sandwich……

shepherd’s pie: we ordered a non veg shepherd’s pie…the portion size was small…but adequate enough to be shared by two…mined chicken done in tomato gravy to combine the same topped with creamy mashed potato…baked till lightly golden brown on top!! though a traditional shepherd’s pie is made of lamb mince which combines much better than chicken….and is more succulent and flavorsome….and this was why i didn’t quite enjoy the dish and it left me in two minds!! where the potato mash was creamy and smooth…the chicken mice was a lil bland…didn’t combine and hence felt really dry!! it was accompanied by 2 slices of toasted garlic bread!!
to add to the flavor of the otherwise mild pie..i sprinkled their chili flakes …and oh boy i guess that also prepared from freshly ground chilly…it was so hot that i almost finished my entire drink just to quench that burning sensation….pls be careful with their chili flakes….super hot!!

and lastly to end this great graduation lunch, we decided to order a mango based dessert from their seasonal menu….
mango pavlova: pavlova is a meringue based dessert with a crisp crust and soft, light inside, usually topped with whipped cream and fruit….and that was what i was expecting….but what we were served was completely different….
served in an ice cream sunday bowl a scoop of vanilla ice cream was served with mango slices layered around it and beneath the same was a very small quantity of crushed “so called pavlova” which was more chewy than crunchy and more sticky(like amalgamation of candy floss and sugar pellets) than soft and light…and was overly sweet as if made from sugar syrup…..though it added to the texture but nowhere tasted like pavlova…it was like eating vanilla ice cream with mango slices with some sugary crush in between!!!
interestingly the mango slices were lined up in such a manner around the scoop that it looked like a rose….cliche !!

apart from the shepherd’s pie and mango pavlova…we thoroughly enjoyed our entire experience…be it the yummy comforting food….the warmth that the owner and staff radiate…the hospitality or the sheer beauty of this amazing place….we loved it all…..our total bill for 3 beverages, 1 sandwich, 1 pie and 1 dessert came to be 1850 bucks….

would def. be back to taste their waffles, cakes and other mains they have to offer….and offcourse to enjoy the surroundings!!