Lounge, shop and read at this cafe

Lounge, shop and read at this cafe
Atul Vishwanathan & Moushmi Sinha | TNN


Sit on a tree stump, flip through an array of bestsellers and have a leisurely English breakfast. And if you fancy, shop a bit. At Ants Cafe in Indiranagar, you can do all that.
The eatery is attached to
The Ants: Crafting Traditions, an apparel and accessories store whose proceeds go towards giving a voice to underprivileged communities in the north-east.
Pradeep and Smitha, the husband-wife team that runs the store and cafe, initially intended to serve north-east cuisine. “But we couldn’t risk such a business proposition. We were not sure how Bangaloreans would respond. So we decided on serving sandwiches, pastas and omlettes. Including the original idea is still on the cards, though,” Pradeep says.
And joy of joys! Here you can have custommade meals. A look at the menu reveals a range of exciting and mouth-watering omelettes — Spanish, cheese, masala, corn, mushroom and cheese, ham and mushroom. Then there are exotic pastas, sandwiches, salads and burgers.
“I really dig the ambience. My office is nearby and I drop by thrice a week, usually for lunch. Their Assam tea is really nice,” says Amitabh, a regular. “We clear our heads and relax,” his friend Sudarshan adds. Sneha and Shweta, sitting in a corner digging into herb chicken salad and ham and mushroom omelette, are also regulars.
So what moves the fastest here? “Our omelettes are very popular. So are the toasts and pastas. We use only organic ingredients,” says Smitha.
Quench your thirst with Assam tea, flavoured granitas (crushed ice dessert), sparklers (soda-based) and smoothies (milk shake), besides the regular tea and coffee selections. To finish, you can choose from a variety of mocha and caramel desserts.
Though footfall at the cafe is not heavy, many are attracted towards its semi-formal, laidback approach. “There are offices and apartments nearby. People come here, crash on the couches and relax. There is a college too, so lots of kids hang around,” says Smitha. Business is brisk everyday, but more so on weekends.
The ambience is also worth a dekko. “The idea of tree-trunk couches came after a sale here. We rent out the premises sometimes for weekend sales. We spotted these at one of them and struck a deal whereby visitors here can actually try them out before buying. They add a rustic touch,” Pradeep says.
Smitha is a textile designer, Pradeep is also into textiles. They have personally designed the place, selected the menu and set up everything else here. The place sports bamboo blinds to shield the sometimes harsh natural light. Come sunset, Smitha’s personally designed fabric-wound-around-bamboo lamps are turned on.
‘Ants’ stands for ‘The Action North-east Trust’, an Assam-based non-profit organization that works with and acts as a resource for village communities, especially weavers.
Pradeep and Smitha worked with the Trust for three years before bagging the arrangement. The store opened in 2007 and the cafe sometime last year, but it was formally launched in November 2008.
“Since this is a semi-residential area, it’s not all that noisy. The place also attracts many stags, who just sit in corners and read novels,” Pradeep adds. They have an arrangement with a used-books dealer. You can read your novel and place it back if you don’t intend to buy it.
Surrounded by trees, on a quiet street off busy 100-Feet Road, Ants Cafe is ideal for both a refreshing beginning and a hassle-free end to your day.
Ants Cafe, 1st Cross, 14th A Main, HAL 2nd
Stage, Indiranagar
(Landmark: New Horizon Public School)
Ph: 080-41715639, 41521742
Meal for two: Rs 500
Open from 9 am to 8.30 pm