The long, glass-topped display in the centre of the room makes you instinctively stop and stare. Like sirens on a rock, each one calls out to you; will it be the red velvet cheesecake or the dainty lemon tarts?
You could push past the temptation via the staircase at the back of the room. It’s so tiny and narrow that you’re going to have to be lithe and light on your toes. Upstairs, it’s quiet and peaceful, and you can barely see the chefs working behind the frosted display kitchen in one section of the room. It’s the perfect setting for discreet assignations, or even a business meeting.
Poetry, positioned as a dessert bar and all-day café, is Love and Cheesecake’s attempt at a new direction of business. The confectionery brand, which already has two popular patisseries in the suburbs, is looking to add a little spice to the mix.
The menu is not unlike most others cafés that have sprouted in the city. It’s a formulaic mix of popular cold-pressed juices, smoothies and flavoured iced teas; salads with exotic greens; fashionable small plates and sandwiches; the indispensable pancakes, waffles and eggs.
But Poetry rides the wave, stamping its own identity on the food. Our silky gazpacho was missing an acidic bite, but we quite liked the sweetness of the tomatillo and the saltiness of the feta cheese.
Their vegetarian interpretation of the Caesar’s Salad, crisp, crunchy and bursting with freshness, was pleasantly surprising. Long leaves of lettuce and toasted slices of overlapping baguette were topped with a tart Caesar’s dressing and grated parmesan. Piled on the side were triangles of mixed peppers and cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes and sliced black olives, all tossed in the same dressing.
For the mains, we went with sandwiches. The hearty but elegant croque madame, crowned with a fried egg and oozing with a cheesy béchamel sauce, was perfect comfort food: uncomplicated and easy on the palate. The unappetisingly named but trendy BLAT — a classic BLT with avocado —tasted much better than it sounded. They could have been a tad more generous with the lettuce, but this was as perfect a rendition of the salty, sharp, crunchy BLT as any.
Strangely, apart from the moist but delightfully light caramel cheesecake, it was the desserts that were the most disappointing. The layered chocolate sin was chaste — a characterless mass of chocolate. Their signature red velvet cheesecake, made with mascarpone and red sponge, has the appeal of a shiny, pretty bauble. We left both half-eaten.
Though Poetry will continue to attract customers for their desserts, it’s their savoury food, and the diligent service that truly shines.
WHAT: Poetry by Love and Cheesecake
RATING: ***½
WHERE: Shop No 6, Pali Darshan, Junction of 16th and 33rd Road, Bandra 
WHEN: 8 am to midnight
COST: Rs 1,200 for two (No alcohol served)
CALL: 98199-35135
Published HT Weekend 10 Sept 2016
Antoine Lewis aka The Curly-Haired Cook 