Eating Out: THE VINYL CAFE

THE VINYL CAFE

The restro-cafe culture is slowly picking up in Guwahati and a number of cafes have sprung up all over the city within a very short span of time. This is indeed a welcome development as the concept of good cafés, where youngsters can meet each other or hang around with their friends, was sorely lacking in the city. The huge number of eateries and cafes in the city can be gauged from the simple fact that almost 30 eateries are located in a span on a little more than one kilometre on the Rajgarh Link Road. In any case, we don’t see any reason to complain as long as foodies of the city are acquainted with new dishes and delicacies.

One of the lesser-known yet popular hangout destinations for food lovers in the city is The Vinyl Cafe. Although The Vinyl Café is not a new café, it is definitely one of the least explored ones. Very few people know about this café, possibly due to which it is still one of the best places to have a decent conversation in. This theme-based café is located in the Sundarpur area of Zoo Road, opposite the NRL petrol pump.

As the name suggests, the café is based on the theme of music. While the name of the café itself is pretty catchy for all music lovers, the interior decoration is truly unique and adds to that appeal. While pictures of music legends hang on the walls, the artistic murals add to its catchiness. This is one of the very few cafes in Guwahati to boast of a bookshelf! So for those who love the combination of books, music and coffee, this is bound to be an all-time favourite!

The café boasts of an eclectic playlist of music. For all lovers of popular pop music, they are indeed transported back in time to a vintage era where they are unwinding to the beats of their favourite songs. The eatery opens up to a beautiful balcony where one can watch the city of Guwahati pass by as they sip their ordered concoction. So for all those who love a smoke with their coffee, this is definitely the most favourite corner of the café!

This is one of the very few places where the coffee is prepared with freshly grounded coffee beans. Now that sounds fresh, right? Well, it surely does to us!

The first thing that strikes one as he or she enters the place is the interiors. While the entire cafe is small in size, it is artistically decorated and creates a surreal environment for dining out. The layout of the interiors is nice and simple and one gets a very positive feeling right from the moment he or she enters. The management has tried to give a Bohemian feel and style to the entire café and judging from the response of the crowd, it has met with a good response. The lights and chairs are all placed in an artistic manner and one can immediately guess that the designer has a fine taste in art.

So while the cozy and beautifully decorated interiors lift one's mood right from the moment he or she enters, the courteous behaviour of the staff and the wonderful quality of the food makes dining here a pleasant experience.

Coming to the food, the café has all the components of modern day cafes. Its boasts of serving all the food that is popular with the young generation. This is the kind of food that has become popular in the city only in recent times. While the menu is very similar to those one finds in a cafe nowadays, it is still a very nicely selected menu, offering an eclectic range of dishes. Besides the coffee, which we already mentioned is fresh, one can opt for the shakes and the wraps. Burgers and Mexican fries are another favourite items amongst the regular customers.

A customer Pari Dutta opined, "The interiors are very eye catching. The decoration is truly unique and it is a good place to hang out with friends. While the shakes are average, the serving of the pasta is pretty huge. One can enjoy a good evening with friends and good music".

The service is pretty decent. Highly customer friendly, the menu is budget friendly. Most of the customers who returned found the food to be quite delicious and well served. While not exactly student-rated, the prices are pretty reasonable compared to other theme-based cafes. A proper outing in the café will cost you dearer by around Rs 600.

Another customer Papia Bhadra Roy said, “It’s just opposite of the furniture building on Sundarpur. The place is cool – graphics wall plates with tool seating arrangements, including a smoking zone outside on the roof area which is good enough in this place. We had only ordered steamed momos which tasted average. The service was prompt but service could have been better.”

Another food said, "Vinyl café is the new hangout place for me and my girlfriend. We both are foodies and love to explore new places and this has become one of our favourites. The food quality, ambience and the customer service is amazing. I wouldn't give a second thought about revisiting Vinyl Café!"