Common Time

Does Delhi need yet another café serving us brown butter lattes and sausage croissants? Well, who am I kidding? We’ll never tire of them. 

For the Common Time outlet in Khan Market (my favourite one), take the stairs from Bahrisons Luxury Collection – not to be confused with Bahrisons Booksellers in the same market – and find yourself smack in the middle of a sensory overload. The logo outside does say Khan Kissaten, implying a more intimate experience, although I’m not sure if I could come back here with my laptop. It’s peppy and bright, buzzy with conversations and laughter that float in and out of my hearing range.  

The main café area is decently big, with a lot of wood panelling and soft lighting, but what really reels me in is a small balcony area with a couple of chairs, looking out directly towards a bunch of trees. It’s great for a quick smoke break. Inside, there’s an eclectic mix of vinyl records and cutesy merch lined up on shelves, and the counter with the bakes display and the wood. 

They take their coffee seriously, without a need for drama. There are your usual cappuccinos and seasonal pour overs, but the bet I took was on the orange-foamed mont blanc cold brew, and it’s perfect for sweltering heat. It’s surprisingly easy to adjust to the interruption of candied orange bites in the drink. Still, I needed a hug in a mug, so I followed it up with a mocha that was pure chocolate gooeyness. 

The food programme is pretty impressive as well, and one is hard-pressed to choose from the many, many variations of sandwiches, croissants, bakes and pastries. The chicken salami and cream cheese bagel is an excellent choice, though. So is the lemon poppy seed coconut cake, only slightly lemony but very creamy. 

By the time I left, I’d forgotten I was in the middle of Khan Market’s retail hustle, and that’s saying something. If you want to avoid it, Common Time has outlets in Lodhi Colony and Vasant Vihar too.