Gurgaon is the foodie’s new Mecca, with an array of global dining available at the swipe of a credit card. Down Under is now down there, with Olive’s iconic cuisinista and owner AD Singh having set up shop with Olly, an Australian-style cafe at DLF CyberHub. Coffee, and lots of it, and lots of kinds of it is the ambience maker at Olly along with getting in touch with your inner barista.
Olly is about taste, not haste—artisanal coffees, fresh citrusy salads and cocktails in bottles. And here you can buy art, too, affordable and eclectic. It’s a good place to read either Ezra Pound or James Bond depending on your fancy, after all brunch inevitably catches up with twilight hour. “We’ve spent over a year working on creating Olly, our all-day cafe. It’s young, fresh, delicious, and brings a vibe with a menu that’s inspired by Australian cafes,” shares Singh, who is the MD, Olive Group of restaurants.
Evenings are the best time to step out of Olly’s informal interiors into its alfresco dining zone. It is where all the action is. There is much foliage that complements the white decor outside. Spending a late summer evening organically with thirst-quenchers such as artisanal cocktails that are free of synthetic ingredients and house-made cold-pressed juices is definitely politically correct.
The no-frills menu features a variety of innovative and healthy options that Olive kitchens have become famous for. The Aussies are a health-conscious people, and an Aussie-style restaurant like Olly can be expected to have an ‘egg’lectic menu, superfood salads, hand-rolled pizzas, grains and greens and homemade desserts.
Head Chef Jyotika Malik is the Wizard of Oz here, who says, “Olly has a menu that crosses culinary boundaries. It represents the international cafe culture, typical of an Aussie-style cafe, bringing the love of good food and great coffee to the heart of Gurgaon. Serving an all-day menu along with a grab-and-go section using fresh ingredients cooked from scratch is our USP.”
The fare is solid and dependable: the filling Olly Brekker, Prawns Pil Pil, Lamb Chops and Fish n’ Chips, that could work well for an executive with his tie knot loosened or a nerd with a Mac Air. And there is Banoffee or a Brookie for dessert.
Oh, and there is this charming typewriter near the bar. It is to tickle the muse with old world whimsy in the digital age, when most youngsters would never have seen a typewriter. Any patron of Olly can type out anything he/she wants—an ode to love in code, or a few lines on Olly itself. The team then picks out a few and puts it out on social media.
Olly plans to activate curated retail space at the cafe soon with products made in-house as well as outsourced such as art, plants, specially designed limited edition cushions, stationery, preserves, bread and more. A visit to the cafe is Olly’s well that ends well.
Where & What
Olly, Olive’s All-Day Cafe
DLF CyberHub, Gurgaon