Stumbling upon a greenhouse in a shadowy mill where you can stop for sunlight and tea and sandwiches - sounds like nothing short of an Enid Blyton novel. Unfortunately, this is one that requires several rewrites.

Opened today at Raghuvanshi Mills, Cafe Verandah is a romantic glass-walled cafe with tiled seating, foliage and a roof that bears shadows of fallen leaves. Interestingly, it’s housed inside a marble store, a quirk that’s dulled down by the many clues its parent company carelessly strews around - from the ‘Elegant Marble’ etched on the glass panes and strips of samples adorning one wall to workers carrying slabs in and out of the cafe while you sip on your jasmine tea. Will this be set in stone? We hope not.

Garden State

Soaking in some Tuesday afternoon Vitamin D, we looked over the all-vegetarian, partly organic menu to see what other yum nutrients we could absorb. Here you’ll find a small selection of soups and salads, sandwiches, appetisers and dessert, and a vast variety of tea.

Deciding against the soup on account of warm weather was a decision we regretted as soon as we saw a bowl of delicious-looking broccoli foam cappuccino being served at the next table. This perhaps made our basil, tomato and mozzarella sandwich seem even sorrier, insipid tomatoes and skinny slices of cheese sandwiched in focaccia (the baguette, whole and white bread options were unavailable). Chewy cottage cheese didn’t make it easy to warm up to the harissa sandwich either, which came with saffron spread.

A Stone to Pick With You

It was really up to the polenta to save us now. This appetiser we picked from a mini list that included eggplant and zucchini lasagne and truffle ravioli, as well as herb crepes that weren’t available. It arrived as a tiny three tier cake garnished with a passable sundried tomato sauce. And to top it all, they weren’t serving any dessert save for the organic carrot cake, which we passed up for the dark chocolate frappe, a yum option.

Polished Off

In our last attempt to redeem Cafe Verandah, we called in the teapots. Cool crockery arrived, one half waiting for a taste of the passion fruit flavoured and chrysanthemum chai that the other half contained. Finally, we’d found something pretty and breezy to go with our garden state. Cafe Verandah also serves chocolate, mango and caramel leaves, “blossoming” tea with names like sensual interlude, organic options and tea wands for two. Starting at Rs 100 and going up to Rs 225, we don’t see neighbourhood office goers making this a daily dish. Coffee and fresh juices that suggest interesting fruit and veggie combinations are also available.

Just One Quarry

The slow service, uninformed staff and a general lack of preparedness was attributed to the fact that it was a soft opening. They promised to get better, and seeing that our food went untouched, even threw in the tea for free. Considering that The Tasting Room, a super option is just a stone’s throw away, we really do hope it’s all teething problems.  Especially since we love Cafe Verandah’s space and concept, and would like to stop by for more than just tea. The only question is - are they willing to lose some of their marbles?

Getting there: Cafe Verandah, Elegant Marbles (first left after you enter the main gate), Raghuvanshi Mills, Lower Parel, call 3225 5122, Rs 1,000 for a meal for two, no alcohol served.

bpb conducts all reviews anonymously and pays for its own meals.