Friday, 28 June 2013

Cofi Club - Kakkanad


Cofi Club

The New 24 Hour Snack Joint In Kochi

By Lt Col (Retd) D Purushothaman Pillay


The recurrent school rain holiday notifications, that has been beeping on our mobiles late nights, this past week, ensured our foursome, proceeded on a celebratory drive, in the pelting monsoon rains. It has become a customary ritual for our family now, whenever a rain holiday is declared. With a spate of holidays, these trips have slowly evolved into an exciting exploration, focusing on unearthing newer dessert places, in our neighborhood. The last such midnight foray, led us to this surprise discovery.



In a cosmopolitan Kochi, which is still starved for 24 hour eateries, outside of luxury hotels, and the exception of Chillax on the Bypass, the "24 Hours Cofi Club" neon sign, adjacent to a Bharat Petroleum Gas Station, on the Seaport-Airport Road opposite Bharata Mata College, Thrikkakara, startled us. We trooped in enthusiastically, to check it out. We weren't disappointed. We entered into a warm, welcoming, brightly lit, neat environment, having comfortable seating, facing pleasing pastel, striped walls. A study of the menu, told us the place stocks up on a variety of beverages, cakes, small eats, desserts and sweet treats.






The beverage selection affords a choice from the usual teas- Black, Milk, Lemon, Iced teas priced between Rs 20-50, and two unusual ones Cucumber & Pomegranate teas, priced at Rs 69. I would love to check out the last two, when I am in a more experimental mind frame. Then there were the coffees- Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte, Mocha Latte, Cold Coffee, Irish Coffee and even some Hot Chocolate all priced between Rs 55-80, the Cold Coffee Crunchy was priciest at Rs 90. In addition, one could also choose from a variety of juices like, mango, orange, mausambi, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, carrot and the universal favorite fresh lime, all priced between Rs 25-60.




The snack options on offer included, Vegetable and Chicken Rolls, Burgers, Pouches and Pizzas, Banana Fudge and Puffs, Sweet Naan, an assortment of Sandwiches, Doughnuts, Croissants, Pies and Tarts, a choice of Cookies, Brownies and my personal favorite viennoiserie pastry Danish, all priced between Rs 20-45. The Chicken Burger is the costliest snack, coming in at Rs 50.





This Spartan cafe, with functional interiors and a somewhat basic menu, offers seating options in couples or foursomes, with a total seating for 20 odd customers. It must definitely come as a boon, for a lot many people like, the late night clubbers, car passengers transiting town, international passengers arriving or departing the city, IT office folk of the nearby IT park, students and obviously night crawlers like us.



The affordable pricing and pleasant service should make this place, quite a hit, among the college crowd, in the daytime, and the IT professional, by night. A seat behind those glass walls, gives you a wonderful perch, to watch the raindrops falling from heaven, by day, and see the cars whiz past, at night. The enterprising brother-sister duo of Shinoj Chandran & Devi Priya, have a winner on their hands, and need to be complimented, for locating their first joint, at a most ideal spot. This venture, though yet a three week old newborn, seems destined for great times. The co-located, Smart City and DLF Township, are sure to catalyse an impending influx of professionals, my gut feel tells me, we are witnessing the birth of a potent new brand in the cafe space. I am positive, that startling, "24 Hours Cofi Club" neon signs, would proliferate our cityscape and mushroom around the state, in the coming years.





We loved the pastries, especially the novel, firm, drier, dense-based Caramel Custard variant pictured above, it was a delectable delight, we were forced to stop at two. That rainy night Hot Chocolate, proved the perfect pre-snooze drink. In one word, we all are "Delighted" to have this new place to go to, for that, anytime snack, or more importantly our midnight dessert. We are certainly going there, again & again & .....for sure. Definitely worth a check out!





Cofi Club
Opposite Bharata Mata College,
Seaport-Airport Road,
Thrikkakara, Kakkanad
Kochi – 682030
Contact Person – Shinoj Chandran - 9809372780
Phone 0484-6404040