Global Palate

The transportation to lands afar is quite quick. The decor seems straight out of a Mediterranean cafe while Arabic tunes greet you as you step inside the all-new Cafe Nomad,literally tucked away in the inner market of Chandigarh’s Sector 7. Following the footsteps of their uber successful Backpacker’s Cafe in Sector 9,Priya and Abhay Jagat’s all-new joint Cafe Nomad urges foodies to tuck into global platters. “There was a constant wish list from patrons who wanted to try new flavours and cuisines and that got us thinking,” admits Abhay as he hands you the book-bound menu of the cafe that’s titled ‘Journeys around the World’. And instead of sticking to one country or region,the Jagats decided to do more. “Which is why you’ll notice a lot of dishes from the Arabic world along side Mediterranean fare that brings in Turkish,Lebanese and even some Oriental cuisine,” he explains as we notice the flickering flames of a wood-fired oven at the end of the cafe. “That too was something we wanted to start with…the flavours that come in cooking from a wood fired oven are truly unique,” says Jagat as you realise it gives the place a warm,cosy feeling too.

Interestingly,the oven,apart from helping cook Meat Kibbeh and the likes will also dish out a delicacy from Syria called ‘Saaj’. “It’s made from pickled vegetables,olive,chicken,cheese and more,” explains the restaurateur as we notice the menu brings in some ‘classical dishes’ like Shorbas,Hummus,Oudja (a spicy omelette),Shish Taouk (a Turkish shish kebab),Cous Cous to pocket pita sandwiches and also the Shawarma. “There’s a lot of similarity to Indian food. While the tastes are unique,the ingredients are similar and it’s mostly finger food that encourages casual dining,” adds Jagat as we eye the couches lined against the wall and the sepia-toned travel photographs on the shelves.

Back to the menu,the pleasant surprise continues with the desserts. There’s Baklava,a popular Arabic dessert that is made from thin,flaky layers of pastry filled with chopped nuts,butter,and cinnamon and soaked in a honey or sugar to Chocolate ‘Kunafa’ and homemade ice-creams in flavours like Blueberry. We suggest you order some Moroccan mint tea to complete your gastronomical journey!