Coonoor’s Cafe Diem introduces a seven-course menu

The festive fare is a delicious mix of the exotic and local

Poached feta, roasted red peppers, and pickled olives served with focaccio, pita pockets make up the cold mezze platter that will be served as part of the seven-course festival menu at Cafe Diem, a vegetarian cafe in Coonoor. The platter also has a variety of dips including spinach artichoke dip, and sun-dried tomato pesto made with locally available natti tomatoes, and cous cous salad with mint tabbouleh and more. “We tweaked our existing menu with creative ideas to offer something exotic,” says Radhika Sastry, who owns Cafe Diem. While ingredients like asparagus and water chestnuts have been sourced from Bengaluru, others like artichokes, spinach, and beans like mocha kottai that are grown locally have also been used generously.