An established name in Chennai, Hyderabad and Gurgaon, Ciclo cafe opened its doors to namma Bengaluru recently. A bicycle themed restaurant, this unique chain is a venture of one of India’s favorite cycle brands TI cycles. With an exciting cycle store, lip smacking food, quirky decor and a totally pleasant ambience it is a great place to head out to relax and unwind.
Decor and Ambience
The first thing that strikes as you make your upstairs is the unconventional ‘bicycle’ wall depicitng multiple images of men and women on cycles all painted in pastel shades.
With a seating capacity of about 80, the spaces on top as well as the ground floor are aesthetically designed and are high on the class and comfort elements. There is a functional combination of high chairs, bar stools as well as conventional seating that give the cafe a contemporary look.
I was floored by the cycle themed accessories that included the cycle seats mounted on the walls, lamps and chandeliers replete with cycle chains and rims as well some extremely well captured bicycle photographs. The soft lighting, elegant French style windows and the perfectly matched color scheme only accentuate the setting and enhance the dining experience.
Food
While the name gives you the impression that the place serves quinessential cafe bites, the menu is actually very exhaustive, serving a wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarain sides that include appetizers, mains as well as desserts. The array of mocktails, shakes and fresh juices are a perfect way to kick start your meal. Their franken shake which is the unbeatable combination of chocolate, vanilla, oreo and nutella was too good to resist.
The appetizer menu has a wide range including nachos, quesadilla, zucchini taquitos apart from the innovative Gun powder ‘karari roomali’ which was truly delectable. With a mild blend of spices and the wonderful aroma of butter, this was a winner.
Equally enjoyable was the mini vada pav, a typical Bombay speciality.
The mains too has an interesting mix that includes various cuisines. Before delving into the mains, you could try some of their healthy salads on offer like the Quinoa, beetroot and orange salad. While the main fare includes Dastoor’s Dal Dhansak, Rajma chawal and Pav Bhaji on one hand, there is green thai curry and lemon grass scented rice for Oriental fans.
If you are in a mood to try some thing different sample their Barley and cottage cheese construct that is an interesting twist to barley. With flavours of cilantro sauce, parmesan and fresh cream, it tasted wonderfully well. So was the Sri Lankan pumpkin curry cooked in coconut milk (Watakka curry) that was served with rice.
Apart from this, there is a large variety of sandwiches, wraps, pastas, pizzas and risotto.
The desserts include the ever popular tiramisu, brownie cheese cake and chocolate ganache cake. If you have a liking for matcha, try their matcha milk crepe cake that is light and has a subtle flavor.
The salted caramel and chocolate torte was a perfect end to a wonderful meal.
Healthy options
The menu includes a host of healthy choices like the refreshing cold presses juices, pita bread with spirulina and jalapeno hummus, peanut butter protein shakes and the whole wheat no cheese pizza. Ciclo cafe also serves a sumptuous breakfast from 7.30 to 10.00 am which is ideal to stop by after a bout of cycling or workout. Again, the choice is large including eggs, French toast, poha, sabudana wada and even bun muska with cutting chai! For the health conscious there is millet upma, oats bhurji and quinoa and almond milk pancakes.
So whether you are food lover or a fitness freak, Ciclo cafe is a great place to try out.
Details: Ciclo Cafe is located on 12th Main Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore and is open between 7:30 AM to 11 PM, Ph: +91 8048664512. For more details on Ciclo cafe visit their website here or like their FB page.
Disclaimer: I was invited for a review of Ciclo cafe but all opinions, as always, are mine.