Araku Coffee, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Restaurant Name: Araku Coffee, Indiranagar, Bangalore
Phone: +917993989888
Address: 968, 12th Main Rd, HAL 2nd Stage, Doopanahalli, Indiranagar, Bangalore, Karnataka 560008 India
Time: 9:30 AM – 09:00 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,000
Cuisines: Cafe, Desserts
Facilities: Full Bar Available, Outdoor Seating, Table reservation required, Indoor Seating, LGBTQIA Friendly, Wifi, Romantic Dining

Having established a reputation for its coffees, grown sustainably and with fanner-focused practices, Araku arrived in Bengaluru in a cafe format.

It’s an arrestingly pretty space on 12th Main lndiranagar. The colour palette is predominantly white and there’s a calm, bright vibe to the place. On the ground floor is the cafe wrapped around the Modbar, a state-of-the-art coffee counter, and also a Sensory Bar, where you can taste manually brewed Araku coffees.

The food menu is also underpinned by the overall Araku principles of sustainability and bio-dynamic farming, Chef Rahul Sharma told me. The trace-ability of ingredients has been a key factor while creating the dishes; much of the fresh produce comes from Araku’s own farms in Denkanikottai, they make their own cultured butter that goes into the croissants and there is a concerted effort to introduce to the diner vegetables – such as sunchoke –  not often spotted on restaurant menus.

I went here for a solo lunch. I began with the Avocado Aioli (₹450). The aioli was creamy, pleasantly tart and scattered with zahtar. I would have liked less of the chickpeas that topped this dip for it unwittingly became the main ingredient.

For main course, I ordered the Battera (₹650). This was Araku’s take on the not so common pressed sushi of Kyoto and Osaka. The salt-cured fish was perfectly cooked, benefiting from the sticky, sweet dashi glaze it had been anointed with. The sticky rice complemented the fish very well. The menu mentioned wakame, but I didn’t see or taste much of this. The large ring of shredded purple cabbage that surrounded the fish and rice could, I thought, have done with some sort of dressing.

The staff is spiffy and well-spoken. But in a slight misstep my coffee and Honey & Lemon Cream Cake (₹275) that I’d intended as dessert arrived before the rest of the meal. The cake was a delight, sweet and moist and the cream topping gave it a wonderful lusciousness. The Americano (₹230), a drip-strength coffee, was just the thing to drink with the cake. The meal had its hits and misses for me. Overall, I would recommend it for the quality and freshness of the ingredients and cooking styles that let these shine through.