The buzz: Owner Niki, who comes from a family of ambassadors, and her well-traveled and loyal chef look to create homemade dishes from cakes and sandwiches to pastas and stews. The charming surroundings, comfort food, friendly service and free wi-fi lend themselves to an all-day lounge session.
The Décor: Classic English tea room. A blue and white motif runs through the café from the Liberty print wallpaper to the white wicker furniture. The alfresco wooden terrace above the tearoom has large ceiling fans to keep you cool in grand colonial style.
The cuisine: Fresh, organic vegetables and eggs from the royal projects plus quality imported goods go into the daily specials. The ox tongue stew is served with chunky pieces of potato and veggies. There are fresh soup but, if you can’t decide which once to choose, then the trio of degustation soups comes in three little cute ceramic cups. Try the cream of asparagus, tomato and celery sprinkled with toasted croutons. Few Thai dishes appear on the menu but the khao chae is popular. “This family recipe comes from my great grandmother who used to cook in the royal kitchen,” says Niki. The English tea set includes scones with clotted cream and jam, smoked salmon and cucumber or ham sandwiches along with a choice of tea or coffee. The cakes are baked by Niki and change daily. You can also pick from a range of teas and Italian coffees or iced herbal drinks such as lotus or pandanus.
The booze: Located next to Wine Loft you have the option of choosing a bottle from their cellar and taking it along to the café as there’s no corkage charge. Or select from their modest wine list of just four bottles.
The crowd: Nearby Japanese residents, ladies who lunch and hiso Thais.
Café Cassia
