Pour Over Coffee Roasters

Pour Over Coffee Roasters, so far, has got three distinct characters – and in concept, they nail the respective feels of their distinct surroundings. One is a suave Khan Market eatery which turns into a bar at night; one’s the earlier-to-close Santushti Complex cafe which gears more towards breakfast and a crowd of all ages, and one’s a small kiosk, perfect for to-gos, operating out of a corporate office in Noida. That’s almost like the ideal kiss-marry-kill of coffee brand outlets.

As it turns out, this flexibility extends to the menu. You can sit all day and debate what constitutes a good dining spot in India’s most expensive market or a high-end shopping complex, but to be frank, as pretty as they are, it’s easy to forget once you realise how well-curated the menu is. Food, drinks (coffee and not), hard drinks: a crisply uniform 5 pages each, but a fresh mix of the old and new. Bean history flash cards and palette cleanser soda, here, do more for the experience than you think.

The coffee we tried

Skip your usual here and go straight for the PO Specials section of the menu, though I suppose there’s no preventing you from the manual brews if you’re that person. The Australian Mocha hits a balance between chocolate and sweetness without thickening itself into a glorified melted pudding. Still thinner is the Vanilla Cold Brew, which, no matter how many times you whisk that spoon and watch it become whiter, packs coffee so strong it could be a premature cocktail. Then rolls in the vanilla, which is a saving grace if you’re team cream  – it keeps you going back. Very amusingly, the Pour Over’s Bullet, which we tried hot, is the exact opposite. It’s sweetness followed by a bitter aftertaste. 

The cocktails we tried

(Before you ask, yes, they have shots and wine.) 

The Vine and Leaf – smoked tea and pisco with pineapple and lime – briefly renders my friend, who knows her teas, speechless and giddy. Then there’s the Piñapeñato, which is tequila with jalapeño, cherry tomato, and citrus, all gorgeously spicy. To be honest, these two would fit better on a brunch menu, but no harm at all. The Aurora Bitter, with rum, banana, Campari, and coffee beans, is darker, more sensuous-sounding, and, of course, perfect if you’re regretting not coming here for coffee. 

The food we tried

Come here for breakfast (whether pancakes or keema pao, shakshouka or eggs benedict) or snacks, if you can. It’s best not to order all at once: you need to seriously consider your palette before giving way to the larger plates. Small bites allow the taste of ingredients to truly seep in without giving entirely way to spice, such as in the mushroom curry empanada. The bruschettas lean sweet, which will suit some more than others. Satay chicken here is competent and familiar except for what I believe is a hint of mustard; other meat-based mains seemed a bit too testy to try, but in good faith, I’ll say it’s possible they deliver well.