Hi there!!
This weekend, we found ourselves in Mangalore, India, a costal food heaven and my hometown.
Although the place does not have a variety of cuisines, it is well known for a few food spots and with good reasons. Some of them are legendary eateries serving banger food since decades, and then there are a few artisanal bakes and café spaces that have come up in the last couple of years.
The first thing we did was to run to the beach and soak in the serenity. I let the waves wash over me for a while and then grabbed a few snacks to watch the kites that were flying around.
We then headed to one of our all-time favorite cafés here-
Buttercream Co. aka BuCo
The owner, Chef Shriya Shetty, started this as a small home bakery a few years ago and then went to build a cozy café in the heart of Mangalore.
The café was built with a lot of inspiration from modern and sleek designs, but was then coupled with warm, ambient lighting and more traditional touches such as incorporating terracotta tiles and paint local to Mangalore. This overall gives it an inviting feeling and we’ve spent hours- on multiple occasions – at this place.
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Since it was not our first time to this café, we knew what we had to order. But since we last visited this café in December, there were a few new things in the menu that caught our attention.
Aam Panna Soda
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Recently Buco partnered up with a local soda brand named Merger. Together, they created a mocktail menu with this soda as it’s base. Aam Panna is a typical Indian drink that uses raw mangoes with some spices, along with mint or mildly scented herbs for freshness. It was tangy and sweet, and it was packed with flavor. Although my girlfriend did not like the taste, I found it refreshing and a good pick for a 40°c day!
Chilli Cheese Toast
A fluffy loaf of bread sliced evenly with added cream cheese is heaven. Add to that a some spice from fresh green chillies and that cuts through the sweetness and you have a great snack! It felt like a breakfast on a school morning, and the nostalgia made it taste 10x better.
The Grinch
My girlfriend’s favorite dish on the menu! We always order this, and it was a banger, as always. We both love spice in our food, and this was just the right amount. From the bun to meat ratio to the fermented red chilli paste, this was an amazing transition from Toast which was soft and creamy. The fried chicken was super flavorful and juicy too. The burger is served with a dollop of that fermented chilli paste as a dipping sauce which was a great compliment if you wish to increase the spice level of the burger.
Mango Basque Cheesecake
We quickly moved onto the deserts and spotted a seasonal dish which would only stay on the menu till the end of summer. The mango cheesecake had a perfect creamy consistency and tasted exactly like a mango. While my girlfriend is not a fan of mango-flavored stuff because it tends to taste syrupy, this was an exception. It was served along with slightly tart strawberry jam mousse that cut through the sweetness and a walnut crumble that added texture to the creamy dessert. Adding all elements made the bite a perfect flavor bomb of sweet, tart, creamy, textured- it was a whole experience.
Chocolate Ellipsis Cookie
This cookie caught my girlfriend’s eye since she’s a sucker for all things choc-chip, but I was skeptical wondering if it would be too sweet. However, the chocolate chunks in it were bitter dark chocolate which balanced the sugary cookie just right! We spoke to the chef about it, and she mentioned using a mix of 40%, 55% and 75% single-origin chocolate chips and the thought she put in really comes through in how gourmet the cookie tastes.
We were quite full -on account of the snacks we had at the beach- and hence didn’t order much this time. However, here are some images from the order-everything-on-the-menu sprees that we have gone on before:
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Coffee Bite, Chimmi Chicken, Hummus and Chicken, Berry Chocolate Tart, Wabi Sabi Bun, The first time we tried - The Grinch, Tiramisu and the Churros- now, our all time favorites!
A weekends-only dessert which was a deconstructed Apple Pie, but I cannot remember the name.
Nutilla 4.0
It’s worth mentioning that this is made with their in-house “Nutella” and is the one of the best desserts I’ve ever had!!
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It’s a top-notch spot with amazing food and a great place to catch up and chitchat with friends. Also, absolute compliments to the chef who makes each meal here worth every penny spent!