Reality Equation

Italian Crossroads: Roadhouse Café

Roadhouse Café expanded recently with a new branch in the Bhat Bhateni area, and owner Chandan Kayestha was nice enough to spend some time talking about his strategies and Kathmandu’s food and coffee scene. Roadhouse, which has to its name two other full-fledged establishments in Thamel and Pulchowk and a stall at the Bluebird Mall food-court, gained popularity for its wood-fired pizza and is now a thriving chain, enjoying evenings brimming with customers looking for seats; some even waiting. But as Mr. Kayestha explains, it wasn’t always so.

Inspired by the cafés in Italy, he wanted to test waters and do something similar in Kathmandu, which resulted in the first Roadhouse opening in Thamel in 1992. “The concept was to do something more like a bar”, he explains, but it became increasingly evident that a shift away from conventions wouldn’t be easy. Early response was as expected—a moderate okay—but things started going downhill with the deteriorating political situation of the country. In the hope that perhaps response would be better in other areas, however, he dealt took a leap and set up a second Roadhouse in Pulchowk in 2003. It turned out for the better, and the new branch contributed to the prominence of the brand. The insurgency, though, certainly didn’t help and the owner remembers that “there were tough times”. Indeed, with a decline in foreign clients (a sizeable part of the customer base of many restaurants) and locals finding eating out late not a very pleasant proposition, Roadhouse wasn’t alone in its troubles, and even premium hotels could be encouraged to dramatically lower their rates to retain clients in the period, some like Fulbari even suspending operations.

So where does a third new place fit into the equation? Recent developments led to positive market forecasts in a lot of areas, including all-important aviation, which saw several foreign operators of the likes of Korean Air and Air Arabia announce scheduled flights to Kathmandu, with others still expressing interest. And that’s where warm evenings in the café come in, with people smiling to each other and politely suggesting that they would now please like that seat. An expansion elsewhere was starting to look like a very good idea indeed.

Bluebird felt the thrill as well, and responded with the huge, exclusive, premium Bluebird Mall, throwing top foreign players – Tissot, Nike, Philips, Wrangler – under one roof. And while they were at it, they threw in a food court too, with stalls from familiar eat-outs like Hunan, Te, Bawarchi, Tamarind and, of course, Roadhouse serving mall roamers drinks.

Coffee took a back seat to other offerings in the busy commercial hub in Tripureshwor, but Mr. Kayestha wouldn’t have that for long. Come 2007, with a new La Scala espresso machine (the same kind that adorns the Illy place in Thamel) and better business prospects, Roadhouse took yet another leap forward with this new third branch. “I’m glad interest in coffee is growing.” So are we, given given t he very few places to enjoy good coffee in the city. We asked him if, taking into consideration the growing scene, he was interested in promoting the culture: “Of course, why else would I get this expensive Italian machine?”

True, but what’s to say investing in expensive equipment is any guarantee of quality? Considering what Nanglo (and the Bakery café branches) did – or rather, failed to do – with their impressive collection of La Spaziale machines, we knew better. And so we were offered a single-shot espresso to come to our own conclusions. Unlike the Illy place, Roadhouse doesn’t serve water to clear any previous taste before downing the espresso – which, of course, we’d have liked – but they don’t charge a premium for it either. At Rs. 50, it’s worth it. What we got was an 1.5-ounce (approx.) shot made from medium-roast Nepali organic coffee, served in a clear cup. Unwanted acidity (and the bitterness that results from it) wasn’t a problem; however, we felt it lacked body and suffered from weak aftertaste. “We grind the beans in Thamel and transport it every other day”, which would explain why it looses some of the flavour, “but we’re getting a La Scala grinder soon”. So expect even better coffee when it gets here. In all fairness, though, the machine is only as good as the beans it’s fed, and ones produced here aren’t very consistent. “Although they claim it’s medium-roast, there’s no way of knowing for sure”. If, however, you’re not satisfied with what you’re served, Mr. Kayestha assures, the café will be more than happy to get you a replacement. So in a part of the world where people are only just warming up to the espresso, it’s okay. Enough flavour (and proper presentation) for it to deserve the “espresso” label, and mild enough not to scare those just discovering. Moreover, we found it encouraging to learn that the Pulchowk branch enjoys around 60 orders of coffee every day, and Bhat Bhateni, averaging 25 daily, is catching up.

The real treat in Roadhouse, though, is the pizza. It’s the sort of thing that, because it raises local standards, deprives you of the ability to enjoy pizza anywhere else (except, apparently, ‘Fire and Ice’ in Thamel). That the base is made locally in each branch (as opposed to in a central kitchen) ensures that it stays fresh, and the fusion of the more Asian flavours in an Italian recipe lends to it a unique profile. It doesn’t stop there, though; they even have the “Hawaiian” pizza, which is all about ham and pineapple playing nice with cheese. In fact, if you’re in the restaurant for a full meal, it has to be pizza.

So Roadhouse isn’t exclusively Italian in its offerings, with Nachos and fries making it to the menu. But as Mr. Kayestha points out, “there’s La Dolce Vita in Thamel for that”. La Dolce Vita features, among other things, a pump-driven Faema espresso machine, complementing an all-Italian menu. One can’t help wonder, though, after noticing the similar decor, what the connection is. “It’s an old café from 1986 I bought in ‘96, and Siddharth Gopalan did the interiors there as well”. The interiors, by the way, is something worth noticing – dark rooms, with posters of Italian movies populating the roughly-finished walls. Roadhouse, on the other hand, has a warmer feel to it with shocking levels of attention to detail. What the designer has done – taking “moving water” for theme – is used water pipes, traditional Nepali baskets and vessels, broken mirrors, coloured stones, rough wooden furniture to create something distinctly… odd. We love it.

And business, according to the modest Chandan Kayestha, is “doing alright”. No kidding; we noticed an increase in flow of customers from the time we first visited (although, considering the place was virtually empty then, that isn’t saying much). An advantage in location is that there’s Salsa Dance Academy on the floor above, so it’s not unusual to see dancers drop in after a class for drinks (and snacks, and before you know it, pizza). But unlike the Pulchowk branch, Bhat Bhateni isn’t overwhelming the friendly waiters. Yet. It still may be a good idea to call before you go: 4426587.