Meals and Wheels

If you’ve ever driven past the sprawling Adyar Villa in Kotturpuram, then without doubt you’ve experienced your eyes being drawn to the bright, cheery cafe bang opposite it. With decor the shade of a popular primary colour (hint: like pasta topped with grated cheese), the first coherent thought your mind draws about Ciclo Cafe is wow, those are a lot of wheels.

Ciclo cafe, little over two years old, is popular with both locals and tourists not only for it’s delicious food - Italian and American, but also for its theme. In partnership with several sporting goods manufacturers, the cafe made the news in the big way as being Chennai’s first ever cycling cafe.

So every nook in the restaurant is based on the cycle — the legs of the table are what used to be cycle forks while the legs of the round table are supported by rims, suspended balcony lights incorporate wheels and there’s even a quirky chandelier that contains cycle chains.

The food itself focuses less on heavier meal items  and main courses, and instead veers more towards baked goods and breads - pizzas, burgers and pies are predominant on the menu, as are quiches and cakes. Perfect for an early evening snack after an appetite-building bike ride.

Okay, confession time: I’m that  #basic and unadventurous soul in the friend circle who always orders the same thing wherever she goes (if she can find it). In this case it would be my Italian staples:  Vegetable lasagne and a lemon iced tea (undoubtedly straight out of a Lipton can, but hey, a girl can pretend), with a tiramisu for dessert.

Both the lasagne and the iced tea were on point. The tiramisu, even though it took two out of my cat’s nine lives to arrive, was creamy and delicious. My friend loved her buttery soft zucchini pie and waffles, even though they took their own sweet time to arrive at our table. Speaking of our table, it just so happened that our window overlooked the spacious and wide Gandhi Mandappan road on the same day it played host to a crowd of marathon cyclers. Tired and sweaty, but looking proud of themselves, they chained their bicycles and made their way into the cafe for a bite to eat.

Not that I would ever put myself through that amount of *shudder* exercise, but one can’t help but admire the aesthetics of having a delicious mini-burger after a long, scenic ride outside the city.  

For it’s great food and ambience, Ciclo cafe scores a solid 4.2 in my book. The 0.8 is because of the slow service, but hey, I heard their banana crepes are 100% worth the wait. I’ll definitely be going again!