Malvika’s Ramblings

Also known as Ultraviolet. A coffee shop in Lucknow. Actually it’s a lot more than that.

It’s Pride & Prejudice, Gangster gold, schoolgirl tee-hee, Kasol hippie-haunt, garden snacks, white Pondicherry feeling, terracotta figurines, bonsai pots, curries and tandoori, folded cloth napkin dining, bohemian kitsch, funky bottle openers, mosaic mirrors, youth, freshness, opulence, laziness, picturesque scenes – all rolled into a combo. Separate areas for different purposes and different moods in the same place.

There is large room which you can book for a dinner party. Another area where you can sit and enjoy fine dining. Another where school students collect to enjoy coffee, slush, mocktails and exotic stuff like hummus and non-exotic digs like pav bhaji. And also an area with white walls, green canopies of curly creepers over black wrought iron frames. There used to be a lounge but Lucknow doesn’t seem to have patronized the low seating, dark, hookah haunt much. A shop with curios, wall hangings, art and wine-stands still stands.

Sandaas Ashtray by Happily Unmarried, seen at Cappuccino blast

One can see the love and personal effort that has gone into designing the place. I would imagine that a person who traveled to places like Pune, McLeodganj and odd cafes abroad was inspired and returned to Lucknow to set up this place. The coffee shop is abuzz with activity with a softboard that announces “All IPL matches being shown here”. The target group at the coffee shop seems to be girls of 13-17 years of age. Ads for call-centre jobs and air hostess training are pinned up.

The ‘leisurely pace’ concept goes a tad bit too far with service that sucks; well-meaning waiters who seem to be sweet but just plain dumb. They don’t pause at your table; they don’t acknowledge your order. Instead they just float away with no nod, no ‘OK,’ nothing! And they are not under-staffed. Service is really slow. Part of the food comes first. They forget about the rest, they really do! We asked about the hookahs and they launched into an elaborate hunt for the correct information. Finally, when we reminded them, it was just a matter of handing us the hookah-menu from a table next to us. It’s a pity when a well fashioned place where gardeners have done their bit, special chairs have been imported and bathrooms are well maintained; when such a place falls apart because of poor hospitality. They could do with better menu design too. (On a second visit, the waiters were much more responsive than earlier. They were nice enough to let us take photographs of the place freely).

Ok, I’ll tell you what really worked for me. The room that can be booked for parties is really gorgeous in funky opulent style. Big enough for 25 people, just small enough to keep it cozy and intimate. It has golden fabric pasted on walls, super high back red couches (as if from a gangster movie) and black leather chairs that are so super kinky. The backs of the chairs have interlaced chains that looked like the lacing at the back of a corset. And the chandelier is in red glass, like someone mixed wine and light together. Good job!

This entry was posted on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 4:54 am and is filed under Reviews, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.