Satya Niketan off Ring Road in South Delhi is a mess these days. Given Metro Railway construction in this area, roads have been blocked and parking here is a nightmare. Not to speak of the mud and dust that makes reaching this food zone a gritty effort. But some times it is worth it.

Like the cafe ECHOES here that is far less popular than the Starbucks and CCDs (Barista is a rather lost case these days). But needs a visit for good reasons.

When we went on a Friday evening – they were running a full house – almost in silence.  This cafe is serviced by deaf and dumb waiting staff. The theme is reflected all over the muted woody interior in words and art.

We loved the distressed wood tables and  chairs and when seated saw a menu that had numbers. Our attendant gave us pad – pen where we wrote the code numbers of the items that we wanted to have. We went with a simple fare – chicken pasta, fruit topped waffles and tea. They also have a pack of printed cards on each table with common instructions that the diner might have for the staff, eg. – “Bill please“, “Water” and “Thank you“. Cute and nifty we thought!

There was a li’l confusion with the order and we were served a vegetarian pasta instead of chicken. We then resorted to the above cards.  Once that was resolved, we were sorted. The pasta was not overtly creamy or tangy but very tasty. The tea was fine. The freshly made waffles (that’s why this dish took time) topped with fruits was filling and made a wholesome dessert. It was a nice experience over all.

It is debatable whether theme restaurants are worth the gimmick and the money. But some gimmick is good. Like the theme here that makes an inclusive social statement and holds a mirror to our mindset. In any case, ECHOES is a pocket friendly place serving decent food and should be high on your bucket list.