New Delhi: Once the rain had cooled the August heat, coffee lovers and party enthusiasts packed into Greater Kailash 2’s San Cafe for a sunset coffee rave on a warm Sunday evening.
Neither rain nor the intense humidity can stop Delhiites from partying, and so they poured in from 5 pm onward. With two DJs, a dance floor, and activities sprinkled across the small space, it didn’t take long for the party to be in full flow.
Coffee and churros were overflowing, the origami station was thriving, and the face paint was already running out. The chic ambience of San Cafe gave way to its inner Gen Z spirit.
The idea, explained the business proprietor Vikram Bhasin, was to have something for everyone.
“I don’t drink, and I don’t want to serve it either. But people, especially young adults, go out partying and then end up drinking. I wanted them to have fun without drinking. Have a party, just no alcohol,” he said.
GK 2’s churro affair
The cafe recently opened its doors in June and, true to its ideology, is bent on “trying something new”. While San has brought back an important M-Block Market staple, churros, it has also given it a new life with its imported couverture chocolate.
Owned by B&B Prime Ventures, Vikram, along with his business partner, Puneet Babbar, took four months to complete the cafe, from conception to launch. However, the real mastermind behind the project is Vikram’s 25-year-old daughter, Medha.
Soon, the father-daughter duo mixed features of the old and the new to create San Cafe as a place for everyone.
“We wanted there to be something for everyone. For it to be aesthetically friendly, to attract the youth, but also create an experience. In the market lately, we only have bars or cafes like Chaayos and Third Wave; we wanted to fill in that gap. But more economically friendly,” Medha told ThePrint.
A concept reflected in their menu, with the cheapest item being tea starting at Rs 149 and the costliest being the pièce de résistance (and a best-seller), a churro fondue at Rs 999, with the remainder ranging between the two poles.
Even that irked Medha; she said that a full churro dip may be too costly or heavy for some, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t get to enjoy it. And so entered the churro shots—a churro half dipped in chocolate, served in a shot glass—priced at Rs 99.
The idea, added the MBA student, is to create an experience. The cafe, which carries an edge of sophistication, is sprinkled with little quirky details. Accented walls, outdoor seating, a churro window and the infamous “party button” in the washroom.
“There have been so many times people have come in just for the party button. At night especially, they come after getting a few drinks for it, but then they end up staying for the churros,” said Medha.
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Coffee, chai, chaos
But Sunday’s coffee rave was about intention. The cafe turned into a club for caffeine lovers, pizza-holics and churro addicts—Depot meet Big Chill.
Medha agreed with her father. She felt that parties can be fun and happy without serving any alcohol.
The same sentiment was echoed by the event’s creator, Bharat Sahni, whose aim for the evening was to “have fun, meet people, and create memories.”
Sahni is a dancer, a life coach, and a Reiki healer. He is also the founder of the Good Life Community, which focuses on bringing people together to enjoy and look on the brighter side of life.
“I’m an artist, and I wanted to bring in the concept of community art. It is also inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Ikigai,” the 31-year-old added.
He added that the term “rave” has been tainted in recent times.
“The idea was to meet people. Raves started because people wanted to listen to underground music, to enjoy life and connect with others. The drug scene came late, but raves were initially just about good music and connecting,” Sahni said.
Although the event was the Good Life Community’s first, they are already planning a Full Moon Night dedicated to music, madness, and good vibes on the outskirts of Delhi.
For the attendees, though, the first-ever coffee rave was already a hit. While some had been to San Cafe before, others fell in love with their churros at first sight; add to that Sahni’s DJ set and the activities, and the party was soon a hit.
But food blogger Kunal Khanna was less than impressed by the cafe.
“The rave, yes. But the coffee needs work,” said the food critic.
However, for a 27-year-old, it will be an uphill task to get used to parties without alcohol.
“I like the idea, but as a shy person, it’ll take me some time to shift to everyone else’s frequency,” the partygoer said.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)