Sip, bite & smoke for lounge lizards
ZEESHAN JAWED

Customers take a puff of hookah at Café Coffee Day Lounge at Lake Road and (below) a view of the eatery. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

Sling chairs, psychedelic lights, flavoured hookahs… This may sound like the lounge bar you raid after midnight, but it’s the Café Coffee Day lounge at Southern Avenue.

It has one major advantage over a happening nightclub: there are no age restrictions at this dry hotspot.

The mix is drawing youngsters in droves, hooked to Vanilla and Double Apple hookahs and fruit frapés.

“Instead of parks, the coffee shops have become the latest meeting points. This is the craze amongst the youngsters,” says Sheikh Raja, manager of the Lake Road outlet. Attitude, style and caffeine — the place has everything a youngster aspires for.

So, if your brew of choice is not beer but cappuccino, you now have at your disposal a lounge from 9 am to midnight on any day of the week.

Goodlife joins the crowd for a few drags…

Address: P-86 Lake Road.

Space stats: The café is divided into a smoking zone and a non-smoking zone. The non-smoking area can accommodate more than 50 people whereas the smoking area can hold over 40.

Coffee time: The cappuccino starts brewing at 9.30 in the morning and the cups are on the tables till 11.30 at night. Over the weekends, it is open till after midnight.

The national coffee chain is known for its reasonable rates that are a big hit with young (and broke) students, but here the lounge factor draws a more diverse crowd.

“The profile of the crowd changes every three hours. In the morning and early afternoon, it is the school kids who troop in. Towards the evening, we have a lot of college crowd and young working professionals. After 9 pm, it’s family time,” says Raja.

Creature comforts: The objective of a coffee shop is not only to serve good coffee but also create an environment for people to socialise. So coffee shops have been creating comforts for their patrons, in the hopes that they linger, chat and get thirsty again!

This coffee lounge has bright psychedelic lights and casual seating with couches, sling chairs and divans thrown around.

“This sort of a seating arrangement gives a lot of space for movement. Moreover, it has attidude,” smiles Raja.

Shisha style: Hookah is still in fashion and everyone wants to be seen taking a puff. Here, it comes in flavours like Mixed Fruit, Double Apple (red and green) and Sweet Melon, which are a hit with the younger crowd, while the older patrons prefer Mint and Apricot.

But for the stylish smoke, you will have to blow up Rs 100 for every half an hour.

Caffeine kick: The mainstay of any coffee shop still remains the java. While a Black Velvet (a simple black coffee) costs Rs 3 a Colombian Juan Valdez (rich, well-balanced coffee with fruity flavours) can cost as much as Rs 50.

The other varieties include Irish Coffee, Chococinno and Espresso Americano. Tea lovers would find comfort in options like Masala Chai, Strawberry Ice Tea and Hot Lemon Tea.

Dig in : The munch menu includes vegetarian samosas, vegetarian and non-vegetarian burgers, sandwiches and pizzas. For dessert, dig into Sizzling Brownie, Chocolate Fantasy, Twin Chocolate Mousse and Blueberry Cheese Cake. The quick eats come for between Rs 20 and Rs 100.