5/5 JHULAN M. 2 years ago on Google
New
Town
now
has
the
prettiest
address
in
town
to
go
sip
a
cuppa.
The
New
Town
Coffee
House,
opposite
Amity
University
in
Action
Area
II,
opened
doors
to
the
public
last
Friday.
But
so
heavy
was
the
footfall
in
the
first
weekend
that
the
authorities
have
decided
to
take
the
advance
online
booking
route
for
entry.
The
coffee
house
seats
92
people
at
a
time,
with
tables
placed
4ft
apart
to
ensure
social
distancing.
But
Sunday
saw
close
to
800
people
make
a
beeline
for
the
landmark,
with
footfall
peaking
from
3.30pm
and
crowds
lingering
even
at
7pm,
the
closing
time.
“This
is
becoming
difficult
to
manage.
Though
we
are
registering
names
at
the
entrance
and
asking
people
to
wait
in
chairs
placed
outside
they
are
all
crowding
at
the
gate.
We
will
talk
to
an
online
booking
platform
and
make
provisions
for
advance
booking
so
that
entry
gets
staggered,”
said
Hidco
chairman
Debashis
Sen.
Such
a
system
was
in
place
before
the
lockdown
at
the
Biswa
Bangla
Gate
restaurant,
with
specific
time
slots
given
to
those
logging
in.
Officials
held
a
review
meeting
on
Monday,
the
weekly
closing
day
for
the
coffee
house.
Lots
of
suggestions
have
come,
seeking
extension
of
hours
in
the
evening
and
additions,
like
Mughlai
Paratha,
to
the
existing
menu.
But
the
authorities
want
to
wait
for
the
set-up
to
settle
down
before
imposing
more
variety
on
the
Cafe
Ekante-run
kitchen.
Proposals
are
also
coming
from
bands
to
play,
for
events
to
be
held
as
also
a
cycle
stand
to
be
built.
The
bilaterally
symmetrical
facade
harks
back
to
Raj-era
architecture,
with
eight
fluted
Corinthian
columns
lending
character
to
the
look.
The
signage
bearing
the
name
hangs
from
a
cast
iron
hexagonal
latticework,
supported
by
cast
iron
columns,
which
serves
as
an
entrance
canopy,
standing
under
which
the
first
view
of
the
interior
can
be
taken.
“The
design
was
so
intricate
that
local
grille
makers
were
not
confident
of
taking
up
the
challenge.
So
we
got
it
done
from
Hyderabad.
The
fabricator
had
to
come
over
after
the
building
was
ready
to
take
measurements
as
a
difference
of
even
a
millimetre
would
have
created
problems
in
fitting,”
said
Parinita
Hati,
the
architect
who
designed
the
building.
If
the
seating
hall
lets
the
eye
travel
vertically
the
reason
is
the
extraordinary
height
of
the
ceiling
—
21ft.
The
ceiling
is
supported
by
an
old
world
feature
—
kori
borga,
but
made
of
steel
instead
of
sal
wood.
The
floor
has
anti-skid,
ceramic
hexagonal
tiles
with
three-dimensional
effect.
The
central
panel
of
terracotta-hued
tiles,
a
College
Street
coffee
house
feature,
looks
like
a
fissure,
sticking
out
from
the
3,000sq
ft
black
and
white
surface.
Another
structural
highlight
is
the
cantilever
mezzanine
floor.
“I
wanted
the
ground
floor
to
be
visible
from
the
verandah
upstairs,
just
like
it
is
in
the
College
Street
coffee
house.
It
is
an
extraordinary
feeling
to
take
in
the
ambience
and
activities
of
the
hall
below
from
above,”
said
Sen,
an
alumnus
of
Presidency
College,
which
stood
right
opposite
Indian
Coffee
House,
the
iconic
meeting
place.
Though
the
structure
is
air-conditioned,
Sen
wanted
ceiling
fans
too.
Thus
fans
with
extended
downrods
are
suspended
from
the
double
height
ceiling,
evoking
old
world
nostalgia.
The
fans
will
also
ensure
circulation
of
the
cold
air,
which
tends
to
settle
at
a
lower
level,
across
the
height
and
breadth
of
the
hall.
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