The new avatar of 10 Ropewalk Lane sits snug between two nondescript junk shops in a sleepy little side-street of Kala Ghoda, just a few metres down from Trishna. When Farhad Bomanjee took over the premises - owned by his family, but occupied for years as a rent-controlled tea stall - he knew he had found a space for his dream project. Opened earlier this year, the Kala Ghoda Café is a coffee-shop-cum-gallery that showcases unusual art - a recent exhibition focused completely on recycled found photographs - and a small but mouth-wateringly fresh menu of coffees, teas and sandwiches and cakes. “I want the works to be seen by people who aren’t interested in the art scene - basically force it down the throats of lawyers, Dalal Street brokers, students, architects, and also just faaltus who want a moment of shanti, and perhaps also an organic coffee.” The daily clientele have grown by leaps and bounds, but inspiration and tranquility continue to converge in the oasis of Ropewalk Lane’s little big café.

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