okay so this is kind of embarrassing but
basically i had the worst mornings for like… forever? i’d wake up, make instant coffee at home which tastes like sadness, get stuck in traffic, arrive at office feeling like death. my job was fine but my mornings were killing me.
then one day my friend rajesh (yes that rajesh) was drinking coffee that actually smelled good. like coffee-smelling coffee, not instant powder that smells like nothing. i asked him where he got it and he just said “oh some place near golf course extension road”
i was like “golf course extension road? thats like… the most random place” but whatever i was desperate so i drove there like 7:45 in the morning
the first time i went i was honestly skeptical
so im driving around golf course extension road right and theres literally just… regular buildings. office buildings. nothing that screams “good coffee place” you know? i almost drove past it but then i saw a small sign that said “The New Cafe” and thought okay maybe
parked, went in, and honestly the place didnt look like much. it was just… a cafe. white walls, few tables, couple people sitting with laptops. no exposed brick, no aesthetic, no trying to be instagrammy. literally just a place to get coffee
ordered a cappuccino because i wanted something with milk, not just black coffee
and like… the guy making it was actually paying attention? he asked me if i wanted regular milk or something else. i said milk is fine. and then i watched him actually MAKE the coffee instead of just pressing buttons
i dont actually understand most of the coffee stuff
but i know enough now that this guy knew what he was doing. like the espresso came out and it actually looked like espresso, not burnt water. he steamed milk and it actually had foam, not just hot milk with bubbles
when he handed me the cappuccino i took a sip and like… it was genuinely good? balanced or whatever the word is. the espresso came through. it tasted like coffee not like burnt sugar
i sat there for like 20 mins drinking it and just feeling confused because ive never had cappuccino at a cafe in gurugram that actually tasted good before
the guy came over and asked if it was okay and i was like “its really good actually” and he smiled and asked if i wanted a pastry. got a croissant and it was actually crispy and buttery instead of like… stale
so i started going back
not even meaning to like, it wasnt a “i found my new favorite place” moment. i just… kept needing coffee and this place made it good. so i’d go
after like the third time the guy remembered my order. i dont even think i’d introduced myself but he was like “cappuccino right?” and i was like okay apparently thats my thing now
his name is actually rahul. hes the owner i think? or at least he works there most of the time. he’s not like overly friendly in that fake cafe worker way. just… normal. if you ask him something he answers. if you want quiet he lets you be quiet
the coffee actually matters
okay so i’ve become kind of a coffee person which is weird because i used to just drink whatever. but when you have good coffee and then bad coffee you like… notice
when i go back to instant coffee at home now i actually hate it. its bitter and weird tasting. so ive started getting coffee from the place most mornings and yeah its expensive compared to instant but like… my mornings are better
i asked rahul once what he was doing with the machine (like he was like poking around in it) and he said he was cleaning it. like regularly cleaning it so old coffee bits dont get stuck in there and ruin new coffee. i never thought about that before but like… makes sense
he also explained the beans come from some roaster in delhi and they don’t use old beans. they buy fresh, keep them in containers, and use them up before they go stale. again, sounds obvious but apparently most cafes dont do this??
ive actually tried other coffee shops near golf course extension road
because one coffee shop isn’t enough apparently
theres one place that has like a “premium vibe” and the coffee is fine. but like… fine. not good. its the kind of coffee where you think “this is coffee” and thats it. doesnt make you think “wow this is actually good coffee”
there’s another place that’s smaller and the owner is some guy who seems to care. the coffee is pretty decent. not as good as the new cafe but like genuinely decent. the food is actually better there though. they have good eggs and bread
one place i went to once and the cappuccino was literally just espresso with hot milk. no foam. no steaming properly. just espresso poured into hot milk. i paid the same price as the new cafe and got basically half the drink. didn’t go back
the working situation
so im work from home like 3 days a week and coffee shops became my escape from my room. but not all coffee shops work for working if that makes sense
at the new cafe:
- wifi actually works. like i’ve been on video calls and it held up
- theres like outlets nearby some tables so you can charge your laptop
- its not insanely loud. you can focus but also not in complete silence which is actually better for concentration
- the staff doesn’t care if you sit for hours as long as you order stuff
i went to this other place once thinking i’d work for the afternoon. ordered one coffee. they clearly got annoyed that i was just sitting there with my laptop. someone came over like “you need anything else?” and it was obvious they wanted me to leave. learned my lesson – if youre gonna work at a coffee shop it has to be one that gets it
the new cafe GETS it. like people work there regularly and its fine. no one makes you feel weird about it
okay real talk about what sucks
because its not perfect obviously
- mornings are CHAOS. like 7 to 8:30 am is insanely busy. everyone rushing to get coffee for work. if you want peace dont go then
- they run out of pastries sometimes. like good croissants sell out by like 9am which is annoying when youre going at 9:15
- parking is just street parking. usually fine but can be annoying when its crowded
- the place isnt fancy so if youre looking for that instagrammy vibe it wont work
- sometimes the music is like old bollywood songs and thats not really my thing but whatever
- if you want like a pink latte with butterfly syrup or whatever theyre not gonna do it. they make coffee drinks not coffee-flavored sugar drinks
but like these arent real problems? theyre just… things
the thing that keeps me coming back
honestly its because rahul genuinely seems to care about making good coffee. hes not trying to be trendy or famous or whatever. hes just trying to make a good cappuccino
and like in a city like gurugram where every cafe is trying to be the next big thing on instagram or be uber cool or whatever, theres something actually nice about a place where the owner just wants to make good coffee
also consistent. like my cappuccino is basically always the same level of good. doesnt matter if i go monday or friday. its consistently well made
time to go matters
learned this the hard way
early morning (before 9am) = chaos, busy, quick service, no chill mid morning (9-11am) = my sweet spot, relaxed, quiet, can work lunch time (12-2pm) = busy again, lots of office people afternoon (2-4pm) = super quiet, peaceful evening (4 onwards) = picks back up, people hanging out
weekends are different. mornings are busier because people dont have to rush. afternoons are chill. go whenever feels good
milk choices
this sounds dumb but like… milk matters?
regular milk (cow or buffalo) = standard, steams normal, tastes fine oat milk = actually steams pretty good, doesnt taste weird, getting more common almond milk = fine but thinner, sometimes tastes a bit weird soy milk = i havent tried it
the new cafe has regular and oat milk. most of the other places too. not a big deal but good to know
i tried to understand the specialty bean thing
basically some roasters are actually good and care about quality. some just charge more for the same thing. the difference is hard to understand if youre not into it
but like… the new cafe’s coffee is reasonably priced and genuinely good. ive had more expensive coffee elsewhere that wasnt better. so like… whats the point
stuff i learned that i didnt expect
- the person making the coffee matters more than anything. a trained barista with okay equipment beats an untrained person with fancy equipment. always
- consistency is a sign of quality. if your drink is different every time somethings wrong
- you actually notice the difference between water that’s too hot and not hot enough
- old coffee tastes bad. like noticeably
- a clean machine makes better coffee than a dirty fancy machine
- microfoam is real and matters even though it sounds stupid
none of this i learned from articles. i learned it from watching rahul and noticing the difference
random questions ive gotten
Q: is the coffee expensive? A: not really? cappuccino is like 150-180 rupees. espresso is like 80-120. pastries are 100-150. thats not expensive for actual good coffee. youre not paying for brands or fancy location. youre paying for quality
Q: can you work there? A: yeah if you buy stuff. dont be that person who gets one coffee and camps for 6 hours. buy things. be respectful. then its fine
Q: is it good for dates? A: sure? its quiet during off peak hours. nice environment. not romantic but nice. id go there for a first date
Q: what about food? A: pastries and basic breakfast stuff. eggs on toast, that kind of thing. nothing fancy. good quality though
Q: is parking okay? A: street parking. usually fine. not complicated
Q: better than starbucks? A: better coffee quality for sure. less convenient because only one location instead of everywhere. if you care about good coffee go here. if you just want fast coffee go starbucks
Q: when should i go? A: mid morning or mid afternoon. mornings are crazy. lunch is busy. other times are good
Q: is it by ambience mall? A: its on golf course extension road yeah. not right next to ambience but same general area
Q: do they have cold coffee? A: think so? havent tried. ask when you go
honestly thats it
like thats my whole thing. i found a coffee shop that makes good coffee. started going regularly. met the owner. learned some stuff about coffee. now i have good mornings instead of bad ones
the coffee shop near golf course extension road doesnt need to be famous or trendy or on instagram. it just needs to make good coffee. which it does
if youre in gurugram and you actually want good coffee instead of just caffeine, go there. go during a quiet time. sit down. drink it. see if you like it
and if you find somewhere even better lmk because im always looking
thats genuinely it. stop reading guides and just go get coffee from people who actually care about making it good