The breakfast club

Continental spread

 ‘Here and Now’ in HSR Layout can be the perfect elixir to these ills. The place scores for the food and also for the fact that they try to make even waiting for a table a fun process.

It is easy to miss the entrance to the place though. The dingy staircase inside a residential building is not a worthy precursor to the beautiful and cosy space upstairs so don’t judge too quickly. Brightly painted walls, quirky decor, vintage windows and brightly lit interiors makes for a cheerful ambience.

Even though there are quite a few seating options (you can choose to sit indoors, outdoors or even on the ground), the waiting time to get a table is always on the longer side. But fret not because the place has thoughtfully provided a variety of board games and other attractions to take your mind off those hunger pangs.

“We wanted a place which will give one a relaxed feel so we opted for a mix of a proper dining space and a gaming place,” says Ayan Ganguly, who started the place with wife Niveditha and friend Shameer. “The focus was on providing a wholesome experience.”

Coming to the food, ‘Here and Now’ stays true to its aspiration of being a quaint European style all-day diner. Their all-day breakfasts is a big hit among the crowd. ‘Nice to meat you’, a full breakfast combo of chicken salami, chicken ham and chicken sausages, is an eternal favourite. There is an option to replace the chicken with pork too. Then there is ‘Can’t get any Pigger’, which is a pork lover’s heaven. Vegetarians can opt for ‘Hash Hotchpotch’, which is aptly captioned as ‘their allegiance to meat haters!’. It is a vegetarian extravaganza which includes cottage cheese, corn, peas, mushroom, capsicum, olives and more.

Oh by the way, did we tell you how much we enjoyed the quirky names and fun descriptions they have given for their dishes?

Moving on to the burgers, huge and delicious, there are fun options like ‘How have you Bean’, ‘Cheeky chicken’, ‘Clint Beastwood’ and so on. No recommendations, take your pick because everything is yum!

The sandwich section too is has ample options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. ‘Eggonomy’ is a must try here.

Omelettes command a loyal fan following here. ‘The Theory of Omelette’, a fluffy cheese-filled omelette, is a winner and comes in both veg and non-veg combinations.

The menu goes on to include pastas, salads and a section called ‘Sluggish Bites’ which includes experiments with baked beans, French toast, chicken wings, fries and wraps.

The portions are generous so make sure you have room for the waffles. The ‘Waffle Superload’ is a slice of heaven and even the regular waffles are mouth-watering. In the beverages section, the milkshakes are awesome as expected but the surprise is the refreshing ‘Ginger tea’.

‘Here and Now’ is located at 28, opposite BDA Complex, 14th Main Road, Sector 2, HSR Layout.