The Piano Man Cafe in Vasant Vihar fuses lovely melodies with some delicious food and desserts. Situated within the Priya complex, the Cafe catches the eye for its quaint and old world look. Walk into this pretty little cafe and jazz music from the yesteryears greets you and immediately takes you on a nostalgia trip. Unlike other tea and coffee shops, which usually have a nervous, impatient feel to them, this one allows you to pick your corner and settle down with a mug of coffee and a book while jazz albums play in the background.
“Music is an integral part of our USP. We wanted to create a space where young and amateur musicians, particularly pianists could come and perform. I think it’s important to have a platform where new artists can showcase their talent to others” said Arjun Sagar Gupta, who owns the cafe and has been playing the piano himself for the last 14 years. In this spirit, the cafe hosts ‘Amateur Piano Nights’ every Wednesday to allow pianists in the city to come out and show off a bit. “At present we only allow people to do Western Classical and Jazz pieces. The cafe also functions as a great space for young musicians to meet experienced mentors who can help and guide them” he adds.
But music is not all there is to this cafe. “We conceptualized this place as a kind of ‘art cafe’ where different cultural and artistic activities could be encouraged”, said Gupta. They host monthly stand-up comedy nights where bigwigs like Rajneesh Kapoor and Abijit Ganguly have already performed. Additionally, they have been organising workshops in magic tricks, origami and plan to get into digital photography soon.
The food at the cafe, though vegetarian, is also quite delectable. The menu boasts of an interesting mix of dishes from different parts of the world. “Our food is very global and we’ve collaborated with the best in the industry like food consultant and blogger Ruchira Hoon-Philip to come up with a great spread”, added Gupta. Their collaboration with Passion My Cup of Tea also ensures that they have a rich collection of teas to offer. Clearly, with everything going for it at present, the cafe could become an excellent hub for food and art lover in the city. Here’s hoping.