A quiet, snug place that titillates the appetites of both the epicurean and the erudite.
Because of the gung-ho responses from many on social media, it was hard to resist a visit to Bodhi Books and Bakes, a new addition to Maharajgunj’s expanding food hub. When we went there, it was easy to see what the Twitterati meant: the place is cozy, serves excellent cakes and has a collection of books that would make any bibliophile holler with excitement.
This is a food review, granted, but the books deserve a special mention. The café has everything from Cervantes to E.L. James, and Shashi Tharoor to Milan Kundera. One could easily spend an entire day just reading here or otherwise engaging in intellectual chitchat.
The café has a rich collection of cakes and pastries, all of their recipes concocted by its owner, Bidushi Dhungel, who is a political columnist for this paper. We first went with the red velvet cupcake (Rs 100). Very few cafes bake this cake in Kathmandu, and those that do can't do it so well. This one was delectable, but a tad buttery.
PICS: SARTHAK SHARMA
We then ordered the profiterole (Rs 100) and the apple pie (Rs 150). The profiterole is probably the café’s best creation. Positively oozing with cold custard cream and coated with thick chocolate, the giant profiterole should be on the list of all who go there. The apple pie was no less scrumptious, but again a lil’ too heavy on the butter.
After moving around the café to digress a little, we tried its mushroom and cheese patty (Rs 100). It was excellent: the cheese filling was generous but did not cloy, and the overall taste was truly satisfying.
The only disappointing dish we had was the cheesy pasta with tuna (Rs 110). The pasta was exceedingly dry, and tuna was truly lacking. The dish could have used a dash of spices and garnished with a few herbs to enhance the overall taste.
Bodhi Books and Bakes is truly a sanctuary, nevertheless. A quiet, snug place that titillates the appetites of both the epicurean and the erudite.
Sarthak Mani Sharma
How to get there: Find the street that leads to Chappal Karkhana in Maharjganj. Bodhi Books is a few meters west on your right.