Some days things just go wrong. Your sparkling coach might turn into a pumpkin and your prince charming into a toad. It is not always possible to have a magical wand and reverse it all. A bad day at office or a fight with your close ones, it all pulls you down. Well don’t worry, don’t cry, drink vodka and fly. :P ahan, well I would rather say grab a masala chai and fly to a world that is entirely yours. Sometimes you just feel like escaping or maybe you need a beach therapy. But you never know a masala chai can also be a saviour.
It was in the year 2010 that I first stepped into Oxford Cha Bar at Bhubaneswar. It was a lively Sunday evening. The place was pretty much crowded. After all it was Friendship Day. They say that the first impression is the last, though I don’t firmly believe in this statement. But definitely Oxford Cha Bar did cast a spell on me right on my first visit that later resulted in innumerable visits and memories. A place where you get both Chai and books has to be heaven.
It was in the year 2010 that I first stepped into Oxford Cha Bar at Bhubaneswar. It was a lively Sunday evening. The place was pretty much crowded. After all it was Friendship Day. They say that the first impression is the last, though I don’t firmly believe in this statement. But definitely Oxford Cha Bar did cast a spell on me right on my first visit that later resulted in innumerable visits and memories. A place where you get both Chai and books has to be heaven.
Coming back to my first evening at the Cha bar, I really
didn’t get a chance to go through the books. But I discovered a gem that
evening, the Masala Chai. The Chai is normally served in small glasses attached
to monkey holders. And hence the Chai became Monki Masala Chai for me. This is
the place where I was actually introduced to the world of good Chai. The aroma
of the Masala Chai is strong and heavenly, the kind of aroma that creates a
peaceful sensation in your nerves. I could actually feel the flavours of
ginger, cloves, cardamom in every sip. Now as I type down these words I realize
Chai is a feeling. Later I tried the Bollywood Masala Chai and the Truck drivers
Chai and I could not really find any difference between any of these except for
the fancy names, they all tasted the same. So I preferred sticking to my good
old Masala Chai. And this Masala Chai is something I would recommend everyone to
taste at least once. They have an exotic tea collection on their menu from
cutting chai, Nilgiri and Darjeeling tea to ayurvedic and herbal teas. I am not
a fan of iced tea. Still I did try Ice tea twice here and I didn’t really like
it. The Sandwiches, Pakoras, cookies, muffins and apple pie are something you
can have with your tea or coffee while you indulge in a book. I would never
suggest the hot chocolate but yes you can try coffee including spiced
cappuccino.
This is one place I have been going to all these years. This
is one perfect place to spend some “me” time alone amidst books in an
afternoon. I always opt for the table that overlooks the road. It’s a beautiful
feeling to simply sit there on a rainy afternoon with a book, chai and pakoras.
If you are someone who likes to spend some time alone reading, writing or
simply looking at the busy road while you sip a good tea then this is the place
for you. Now that I am away from Bhubaneswar I know the next time I go there I
will definitely visit this place for my favourite Monki Masala Chai. In fact
this is somewhere we friends go to at least once when we all meet. The ambience
is calm and soothing as well. Oxford Cha Bar is one place where you can find people belonging to almost every age group, school kids, uncles, aunties, love sick couples and people like me who just love the tea, the books and the place. Sometimes you might find writers typing hard on
their laptops or scribbling down something, or readers with books piled up on
their tables. And then you might also find stupid people you could observe smile
and laugh at silently. They always play
slow music, slow good music.
The book collection
is not that great. And now you find loads of fancy gift items being sold. The
service is not that good. At times you might have to knock at the kitchen
door hoping that the waiter would listen to you. And there might even be times
when they might say no to every dish you order, like everything on the menu
will be unavailable. But Monki Masala Chai is always available :D Life can’t be always perfect but there can be perfect
moments. One such perfect moment is inhaling the vapours coming out of the
monki masala chai, the feel of it when the hot liquid rushes down your throat.
And for these perfect moments I visit this place again and again.
Rating:
Ambience: 4.5
Food: 3.5
Tea: 5
Service: 3
