BENGALURU: When you wake up hungry enough to eat a horse or your sofa, head to Cafe Terra on Paramahamsa Yogananda Road, in Indiranagar, and order their Ham Basket.
The Basket is made from generous slices of ham baked with julliened vegetables tossed in cream. The meat is chewy and the creamy coleslaw retains a bite. This ‘heavy’ is topped with a sunny-side-up egg, which has soft edges. On the side, you get lightly toasted, crisp slices of bread, (too sweet) baked beans, herbed and grilled potatoes, (indifferently) grilled tomato and a cup of tea or coffee or juice. If you can have this and still manage a dessert, you should audition for Man v/s Food.
The Ham Basket, despite its few weak links, makes for a great breakfast.
If you like something lighter, stick to the pancakes. They are fluffy and mildly sweetened and the chef makes them with soyamilk on request (if you are intolerant to dairy). I suggest the pancakes with maple syrup (a common favourite) and pancakes with caramelised bananas. If you have a sweet tooth, you can order these with whipped cream and any of the fruity crushes.
I haven’t tried their coffee but their teas are worth going back for. I have gone back to have their ginger tea, it is watery and generous with the ginger. Their pot of masala tea, with the same consistency and the strong flavour, is also a good order. These cups are for mornings before a brisk walk in the sun or, for evenings, to wake you up for polite conversations.
The Srilankan Curry with Steamed Rice and Salad is thick with coconut milk. Therefore, it is mostly bland but the salad goes perfectly with it. The salad has purple and green cabbage, mixed with shredded coconut and crushed peanuts. You may bite an occasional slice of chilli in it.
The salad comes with the Malaysian Chicken Massaman Curry with Steamed Rice too. This one, blander than the Srilankan dish, has lightly cooked potatoes and soft pieces of chicken in it.
Spicy Prawn Curry with Mint Rice and Peanut Salad is more tomato based and tastes like “sambar” as a friend said. This does not take away from its goodness and the mint in the rice is more a nudge, than a push.
In the desserts, we try the waffle with vanilla ice cream. This smells of a warm kitchen with fresh loaves of bread and the ice cream is whisked to the right smoothness. That said, if you do not like eggs or the smell of eggs, don’t have this.
Price for two: Rs 1,000 (mains and tea)