Cafe L'Apostrophe, named after the French word for the punctuation mark apostrophe, is a cozy corner cafe in Banani with an ambition to contribute to the growing coffee culture in Bangladesh.
Their logo, featuring an apostrophe represents connectivity, which is a subtle nod to the way this cafe hopes to bring people together.
They serve a variety of comfort food such as croissant sandwiches and chicken cordon bleu with freshly brewed coffees and housemade teas.
“We thought of three things when coming up with the logo: community, creativity and coffee, and our cafe stands for all three,” said co-founder Kabir Meraz.
Food
We began our meal with their croissant sandwich, which was delectable from start to finish. The savoury-buttery croissants were filled to the brim with fluffy eggs, cheese,and fresh veggies with a slight crunch.
The freshness of the veggies was evident at every bite. The croissant was served with a side of fries, but truthfully, the croissant was so enjoyable in and of itself that we didn't feel the need for fries on the side.
Next, we had the chicken cordon bleu, which was an utter showstopper, generously dabbed with a rich pesto sauce.
The combination of the cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, and broccoli made for a masterful balance between savoury and salty flavours, with a slight tart sweetness from the cherry tomatoes and a subtle nuttiness from the pesto that worked wonders.
The pesto sauce predominantly lingered on our tongues allowing us to relish the taste, and best believe we devoured that chicken goodness with the veggies in a matter of minutes.
Lastly, we had the gourmet chicken pizza. While the pizza was fresh and well-made, the pizza fell short in comparison to both the chicken cordon bleu and the croissant sandwich.
The slices lacked the wow factor that could have made the pizza stand out amongst the other two. While the chicken on the pizza had a slight smoky touch we couldn't help but think that the pizza was a bit too ordinary in comparison and didn't really leave a lasting impression.
For our beverage, we went with the apple chai, which is an apple-based tea, infused with house-made spices, apples, oranges and many other fruits.
There was a strong hit of cinnamon right off the bat. While we couldn't strongly taste the apple or any of the other flavours very well this tea is definitely an acquired taste.
The tartness that lingers was surprisingly enjoyable and refreshing, especially on a rainy day. It’s the kind of drink that grows on you with every sip.
Of course, we ended our meal with a cup of hot mocha, warm and refreshing with a vital caffeine kick. This coffee was simple yet strong and enjoyable.
The price range for a meal at L'apostrophe is Tk185 to Tk1,200.
Ambience
Located in Banani, cafe L’apostrophe is a cozy corner cafe with bright colours in shades of blue and brown. The space has a striking background of the logo with multiple hands together holding a coffee cup,representing the sense of connectivity and community.
Challenges
Opened just over a month ago on February 14, Cafe L’apostrophe has a limited menu at the moment to ensure the quality of coffee, food and the service.
“We have a very limited menu right now because we want to ensure the quality of our existing dishes and beverages first, and then we can expand on the menu. I believe plating is an art too, and we should be consistent in the way we serve,” said co-founder Saif Ahmed.
As new entrepreneurs, co-founders Meraz and Saif pointed out that they face supply chain and procurement issues, and that when the supply of a product is limited, there’s no fixed delivery time. The price increases and that ultimately increases their cost as a new business.
“As entrepreneurs of cafes, we want to give our customers a memorable experience, for example, making some good quality desserts with philadelphia cheese and it's either unavailable or extremely expensive or could be delivered in months, which makes it difficult to put a dish on the menu with surety,” Meraz said.
Verdict
Their chicken cordon bleu and croissant sandwiches are both must-tries, and definitely go to check out their growing menu and don't leave without trying at least one beverage.