The combination of a mix of rainy days, traffic, closed restaurants and horrendously long tuk rides where only half your body gets wet are a few of the elements that make up a pretty rotten afternoon. And after close to one and a half hours of that particular cocktail, closing in on the brink of reasoning, we came across Cafe 40.
Cafe 40 hasn't been around for long, and from what we can tell, not many people know about it yet. Apart from a few random people dropping in to grab a bun on the go, there weren't many people around. And the thing is, if your experience here is anything close to being as good as ours, it's defs worth looking out for.
Ambience
Hidden in a literal nook in Rajagiriya, in a slightly less busy by road lies Cafe 40. With its quirky giant tree, wooden crate-style outdoor benches and the general golden-hued ambience added to be almost fairytale-like when you compare it with the situation we were in.
Unfortunately, because of the torrents of rain and a need to not get the camera wet, we decided not to take a picture from the outside. But we did take one from the inside.
The ambience at Cafe 40 mainly consists of little bits of a very Pinteresty catalogue taking up most of the place along with a couple of tables, chairs and a leather couch filling in as seating.
The cafe itself can seat up to around 15 people without feeling too crowded. And given how there is a whole range of seating to choose from, it's guaranteed to fit the bill on whatever it is that you're looking for. Plus, the cafe looks like something off a Hallmark movie.
That being said, we meant Hallmark in the 'cafe where guy spills coffee on girl' kinda way. If you're looking for privacy, you're gonna have to look elsewhere.
The Food
Cafe 40 is a cafe/ bakery, so, if you do happen to drop by, don't limit yourself to just the stuff on their display case. They've also got a bunch of mains in a small board next to the cash register.
Kicking things off with a Mac and Cheese (Rs. 450) was the best decision we made the whole of yesterday.
Coming in as a healthy bowl of macaroni cooked al dente with a thick layer of cheese and bits of herbs taking up the top, the mac and cheese was utterly beautiful. Milky and leaning towards the salty side of things, it was utter perfection for a rainy day. If you do go to Cafe 40, this is one of the dishes that we're highly recommending.
The Smoked Salmon Sandwich (Rs. 650) came in as a wooden board with 2 giant pieces of floury bread soaked in what we assume is either olive or sunflower oil with layers of seeni sambol, smoked salmon, lettuce and bits of feta hidden inside.
Sweet, salty, spicy and having a delectable tang pulling through with the addition of the feta, we loved it. For Rs. 650, it's a friggin steal. Plus, they're very generous with the amount of smoked salmon they include in the sandwich.
The Lemon and Blueberry Muffin (Rs. 250) was pretty great. Giant, dense and utterly moist, the muffin had just the right amount of sweetness. I'm not a very muffin person, but my lunch partner seemed to enjoy it.
The Cappucino (Rs. 400) – albeit picture-perfect, was a bit of a disappointment. While we could get a pretty good caffeine kick from it, the milk was not creamy as we anticipated.
[We're not entirely sure what kind of coffee they use. But we will update you on this ASAP.]
Apple and Ginger (Rs. 350) on the other hand was brilliant! The green apple gave it a wonderful tang to the whole thing while the ginger spinning back fisted itself into a frenzy that ensured that any form of throat ailment ceased to exist. Plus, it's the perfect combination of things to go with the Mac and Cheese you're bound to get.
Service
Nothing extraordinary here, but the staff was super friendly and managed to bring our food within 10 minutes of placing our order.
Conclusion
It's great! The space in itself is lovely, and the food is utterly affordable for a cafe. We highly recommend.
