Coonoor’s Cafe Diem introduces a seven-course menu
The Hindu
The festive fare is a delicious mix of the exotic and local
Poached feta, roasted red peppers, and pickled olives served with focaccio, pita pockets make up the cold mezze platter that will be served as part of the seven-course festival menu at Cafe Diem, a vegetarian cafe in Coonoor. The platter also has a variety of dips including spinach artichoke dip, and sun-dried tomato pesto made with locally available natti tomatoes, and cous cous salad with mint tabbouleh and more. “We tweaked our existing menu with creative ideas to offer something exotic,” says Radhika Sastry, who owns Cafe Diem. While ingredients like asparagus and water chestnuts have been sourced from Bengaluru, others like artichokes, spinach, and beans like mocha kottai that are grown locally have also been used generously.
The restoration and redevelopment of the decades-old Calve College Government school, a landmark that occupies a prominent place in the city’s history is nearing completion. The Puducherry Smart City Development Limited (PSCDL), which has taken up the restoration, has planned to complete the work by the first week of July. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is the architectural consultant for PSCDL, while Puducherry Technological University (PTU) is the structural consultant. The work commenced in August 2021 and costs ₹4.75 crore.