Venue: Connaught Place / Lajpat Nagar Market / Punjabi Bagh / Gurgaon (Sec 29)

Starbucks is perhaps the most popular coffee chain around the world. We in India had to go through a lot of patience for having them here. But the wait was totally worth since now we are regular patrons of this chain. We have tried various outlets and wish to recommend the following three items

a) Home brewed coffee- This is their basic black coffee which is served along with milk on request. The taste is mild but the smell of roasted beans is intoxicating.

b) Cafe latte – This is for patrons who don’t like it on the rocks but prefer a strong presence of frothy milk. Latte is mild and yet offers a complete coffee experience. Caution – even a short cup may screw up the night for an insomniac.

c) Red velvet cake- This item has suddenly become very popular and every diner worth his dessert is talking about this. We had a slice at Starbucks (it does look like red velvet) and saw that it’s a 50 / 50 combo of red sponge cake and white icing layered with slivers of white chocolate. It was slightly moist and melted in the mouth. Although very sinful (and expensive) it can surely be a worthy indulgence.

In passing all the Starbucks outlets that we have visited are done up in subtle colours and a combination of local craft styles as well as real paintings on walls. This they have managed to create a calming environment in their outlets.