In Chennai's Besant Nagar, Cafe Āve balances the comfort of Eden with edgy naked cakes and matcha lattes

The Hindu

08-07-2025

Eden played safe for three decades. Not surprisingly, it birthed a rebel.
A chic neighbourhood cafe, Āve is carving out its own niche on a leafy Besant Nagar lane, wedged comfortably between a tailoring unit, 'Paul's Unisex waxing bar' and the optimistically named 'Say Cheese' Dental Clinic. This space used to be home to 'Pretty 'n' Passion, a beauty parlour, which has now moved down the road. (No doubt, to a sigh of relief from unisex Paul.)
Inside, Cafe Āve is compact and minimalist, filled with sunshine that streams in from the French windows. A dramatic dessert counter, studded with tall cakes and chunky cookies, dominates the room. A waiter walks past with a tray heavy with cheese boreks, a nod to Eden, which is just two streets away.
When Aparna Venkatesh, Venkatesh MB and Subadhra Raju, all graduates of Institute of Hotel Management, Taramani, and best friends, launched Eden in Besant Nagar in 1992, they quickly gained a cult following for their dependable, continental vegetarian menu, which still pivots on corn florentines, paneer pasta bakes and olive garlic naans. Aparna and Venkatesh got married and years later their daughter Nayantara, moved to Melbourne where she studied Economics. However, she too felt the pull of the restaurant business and ended up doing a course in Patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu, London, as well as stints at Glazed, a gluten-free Melbourne bakery and a cookie shop called the Cookie Box.
Nayantara's menu at Ave is a blend of classics and experimental dishes, for while she is clearly anchored in Eden's comforting carb-laden embrace, she is also determined to let her personality and training shine through. The family legacy is evident, from the creamy coconut curry served with pandan rice, to her dad, sitting unobtrusively behind the counter to help with billing. But so is her individual, Asian inspired style, which she attributes to years in Melbourne, resulting in towering fluffy pistachio-lemon cakes and confident Japan-inspired egg sandos.
Already bustling, Cafe Āve can be noisy especially if you land a neighbouring table filled with children squealing for French fries. (Spoiler alert: There are no French fries.) Fortunately, they are mollified by pancakes topped with honey butter. In their defence, most of the menu is rather grown up: the waffles are made with herbed cheese, served with eggs and avocado. And even the French toast has a twist, pav bread with salted condensed milk, berries and malted crumbs.
I enjoy the tweaks. My fish – mahi mahi, which is sourced every morning – is light and flaky, encased in a crunchy tempura-style batter. It is served with a salad of finely julienned apples, fragrant with fresh coriander, Thai basil and mint. Sweet, spicy and salty, it is a simple but skillfully cooked meal. There are other reasonably healthy options: from zucchini hummus with pita and roasted vegetables, to pumpkin tacos.
I try the chicken congee, which is a brave choice for a cafe, given how unapologetically bland it is, perked up marginally by caramelised onions and chilli crisp. The hefty grilled aubergine sandwich, filled with pesto and ricotta, would be better grilled – Nayantara says it is work in progress. Eager for feedback from customers, she intends to tweak the menu gradually, making space for seasonal vegetables and fruit though the year.
Try the matcha, even if you are too cool to follow trends. Bright and refreshing without the grassy taste of desperation evident in much of today's matcha avalanche, this is made with creamy cereal oat milk and topped with a chewy knob of caramelised cereal. The menu also features indulgent no-cream, no-sugar hot chocolate, whipped till its light and frothy, and dependably strong espressos.
Using coffee from Vithai, which sources beans from farmers in Palani hills, Nayantara serves typical Melbourne-style flat whites, as well as Spanish lattes, Cereal milk matcha and brown sugar lattes. As she makes me Mont Blanc – black coffee crowned with soft folds of whipped cream and orange zest – she explains how she worked towards tailoring a menu that is concise and purposeful.
Eat cake. While this is always good advice, it is especially relevant here. Ignoring fondant (thank goodness for that) and fussy swirls of cream, Nayantara does 'naked cakes', without too much icing. 'I don't like things that are overly sweet. So we try and make our desserts salty-sweet,' she says.
By now, the children have left, and their table has been taken by gym bros flexing muscles and baseball caps as they dig into banana pudding. Beside them, a lady dining alone eats a slice of pistachio-lemon cake as she reads her book. In the corner, two bankers discuss strategy for their next meeting with the boss. It is disarmingly warm and homey, especially once I start eating the malted chocolate cake, dark with cocoa and Milo, and topped with a crunchy salty-sweet crumble.
'We grew up at Eden, so Besant Nagar is home,' smiles Nayantara, looking around her new space with contentment. I used to visit this space when it was a beauty parlour. When I walked in, looking for a restaurant, this felt just right.'
As it turns out, with life and with food, sometimes you need to travel the world to reignite the joys of home.