This new eatery in town is actually a restaurant under the guise of a cafe but perfect for a quick pizza bite or au00a0 eurasian meal complete with lemony, tangy tarts

Names echoing the many sounds and forms of the spice Pepper are done to death off late. We chanced upon one such eatery that has spurted on the busy St John's Road marking a side of town that isn't quite high on its count of restaurants and pubs.
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Pepper cafe
Food: good
Service: prompt
Ambience: plain

Vietnamese Chicken

This forlorn cafe has an ambience that is absolutely no fuss with nothing that will strike you as extraordinary or odd. Plain wooden chairs, tables and a few lamps is what completes the look. If you're looking for a mere quick bite, the vast restaurant menu might come as a sweet surprise. Pastas, pizzas and meal combos are the choices offered with a few starters thrown in.

You could give the starters a pass and opt for the main course if you're stopping by for lunch or dinner. Parmesan Chicken (Rs 279) and Vietnamese Chicken (Rs 269). The Parmesan chicken came crusted with cheese and doused in a wild mushroom sauce with a hint of cream and pepper. The Parmesan Chicken was crispy to bite into owing to the crust, cheesy and creamy with the flavour of pepper evident in each bite. A wholesome portion of salad and mashed potatoes garnished with coriander and herbs are served on the side.

The Vietnamese Chicken, a Chef's specialty was a delightfully wholesome dish. The chicken was tender and coated with brown sweet and tangy sauce and topped with fresh garlic. For sides, we had potato chips and a salad prepared out of vermicelli, chopped vegetables and garlic. The combination worked well and satiated our appetites without being too heavy on the palate.

The dessert options are limited here and not listed on the menu. Ask for the Chef's specialty of the day and you will be given a list. The Brownie wasn't available the day we stopped, so we settled for Burnt Lemon Tart (R 159) that came on a plate served with a scoop of ice cream topped with chocolate sauce each.

The tart had a fairly crispy crust and just right in its tang and sweetness, though hardly burnt. Bits of sugar crust will drop off the tart while you dug into it. The ice cream served alongside didn't pair well with the tart, but we assumed it was just to make up for the missing brownies. Pepper Cafe will soon open up a bar on its first floor to pull in young tipplers.

At: Pepper Cafe, No 9, St John's Road
Call: 41130000
Meal for two: Rs 1,000.