DownTown, the restaurant-cafe on P. T. Usha Road in Kozhikode, has a distinctive Malaysian flavour.
Not surprising, given the fact that its owner Baasil Moosa was inspired to start his own business venture while he was a management student in Malaysia.
Payyoli native Moosa set his heart on Italian dishes and other popular combinations while experimenting with flavours far from his homeland. Soon, he had decided on a cafe which could serve popular Italian stuff. Not one to sit on his dreams, he gave shape to them by starting a restaurant in the university where he was enrolled.
Studies over, he flew back home, but not alone. With him came his cafe! And that’s DownTown, a replica of his Malaysian eatery, close to the Taj Gateway on P. T. Usha
Road.
The venture took off in 2013. Today, DownTown is one the most popular destinations for foodies in and around Kozhikode city. It is quite a hit with families and the young crowd. Moosa recently set up another outlet on Thondayad Bypass within the city.
DownTown has its collection of special flavours and dishes. But the USP of the cafe is its customized catering. Customers can go to the cafe and ask for dishes of their choice mixed with their special spices and flavours. The cafe then delivers the orders exactly to each one’s special demand. Amusingly, these dishes are named after the customers who order them. If the flavours and tastes of the dishes ordered are groovy, they enter the cafe's menu.
Kids just love to freak out at this family-oriented joint. Moosa has a whole long list to 'catch 'em young'. Ice creams, chicken and veg nuggets, mini burgers, fresh juices and French fries are spread out to entice children. There’s no guessing game here as the illustrations on the menu cards tell them all… the names as well as the mixes.
Folks crowd into the joint for its coffees, smoothies, ice tea, burgers, ice-cream shakes, sandwiches, pasta, bakes, steak, sizzlers and pastries. Cappuccino, Turkish Coffee, Espresso, cold coffee and cold cappuccino are popular coffee buys. There are takers aplenty for Malaysian favourites like hot and cold Milo.
Quite a slurp down!
Must try smoothies at Moosa’s DownTown Cafe are their special milk and dry fruits shake, Queen of Hearts and Sunset Special.
As for the fresh juice smoothies, you have two layers of fresh fruits like strawberries and mangoes pulped into smoothies called 'Cute Couple' served in transparent cups. There are more couples down the line: Sunshine, a mix of strawberry and orange, DT special faloodas with their mix of fresh fruits, dry fruits and ice cream.
Healthy juices comprise the special ABC drinks which are sugar-free. ABC stands for apple, beetroot and carrot.
Moosa loves to serve in style. His iced tea comes in bulb-shaped glasses and is high on flavour. Lemon, honey lemon, green, orange, strawberry, green apple, watermelon and peach lemon are some of the popular iced tea flavours.
DownTown’s other specials like classic, citrus and strawberry mojitos, mango-pina colada and citrus blue icing soda are just the right stuff for summer.
There are six 'killer' flavours in DownTown’s list of ice cream shakes. They are a blend of the finest chocolates, fresh cream and dry fruits.
DownTown is scaling up with an outlet in England. Plans and preparations are on for its opening. Outlets in Malaysia, Bengaluru and Kochi are also on the anvil.
Right now the joints in Dubai’s Karama and Vasanth Nagar in Chennai are doing brisk business.
For details call: +91-495-4019037
Recipes of DownTown specials @ Onmanorama Food | Chicken club sandwich