Café Oz is a new café in my favourite area of Delhi—Khan Market. I love the market that despite being a pricey hub for grocery-buying expats has a unique character of its own, and I love the fact that over the last two-three years this has indeed turned into Delhi’s very own “cappuccino district”. On an idyllic winter morning there can be nothing lovelier than browsing at a book shop or two at the market and then wondering as to which new café should one try out for breakfast or an early, light lunch.
Café Oz is a recent addition to the market’s growing tribe of informal eateries. It is also a welcome addition to the handful of places in the city which do serve a decent English or American breakfast. Only in this case, being Oz, there are the likes of Bondi beach eggs to sample. However, I have visited the place twice—both in the evenings; once for coffee with a friend and the other time for dinner with my five-year-old. The first time, I was astonished to find “navratra platters” being offered—during the annual period of abstentation, where, ostensibly, even the sensible KM-thronging populace would have been lusting after “pure veg” bites. The second time I visited, a month later, I was taken aback for a diametrically opposite reason. The café had by then earned a reputation for being a beef paradise; serving a true juicy beef burger—that you will not find at all, anywhere in Delhi (beef is a banned commodity of consumption; but there are some grey areas in the law and my understanding is that a restaurant can serve imported beef, not that procured from local holy cows!). What’s more, the other house speciality was beef kebabs, made in the manner of tiny tikkis, patties.
Apart from this reference to cattle, and ranches Down Under, I didn’t really understand the “Oz” character of this place — discounting also the India-Australia cricket match being screened on a flat screen TV. The menu is fairly typical of what you’d find at any other place. And honestly, I didn’t get the hullabullo about an iced Foster either. Apparently, the “Australian style café and bar” is the only place where you can get this in India. The beer is supposed to be poured out from zero degree storage straight into your glass. However, when it was served to me, it was like any other cold, but not exceptionally, draught.
Don’t go expecting anything exceptional, this is your average, albeit pleasant café.
Anoothi’s Ratings
Food: 2.5*
Ambience: 3*
Service: 2.5*
Value for money: 3*
(*out of five)
Thumbs up: Friendly vibes, breakfast (10 am onwards), surfing the net (!), vittoria coffee
Thumbs down: Gimmicky name, strictly middling product
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