HYDERABAD: It all started from a boutique 60-seater coffee shop in Madhapur in 2019 — the dream to focus on premium coffee and dining experiences for Roast. From successful expansion of the original site to Roast 24×7 in Gachibowli with 200 seating capacity, and now to a new flagship outlet in Banjara Hills with 500+ seating capacity spread across 47,000 sqft with four floors — it has indeed been a dream journey.
Hyderabad got its newest coffee place in Roast Coffee Culinary Xperience, popularly known as Roast CCX, founded by Hanumanth Rao, Vivek Reddy Pitta, Nanda Madhavaram, Praneet Reddy Chinna. Not only the place boasts a sprawling space to enjoy your tryst with coffee and food, it has a private screening room, a coffee room for those who want to learn more about coffee and finally a mini private restaurant set-up where one can hire a chef of one’s choice and have an exclusive intimate party.
For all those who are hooked to social media, there’s plenty of insta worthy spots — delectable display of the dessert section or the gigantic 20-foot-tall Loring S70 Peregrine roaster which can roast around 70 kg of coffee beans. Interestingly, it is India’s first S70. The S70 can roast up to 70 kgs of coffee per batch. Unlike a traditional drum roaster, Loring roasts coffee by recirculating hot air through a static drum rather than heating a rotating drum. The coffee counter is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment like pressure profiling espresso machines, dose-by-weight grinders, auto tampers, auto milk steamers, cold brew towers, nitro taps, pour steady and so on. They are planning to launch a retail website for a wide range of coffee products and a B2B model to supply coffee beans, bakery, and pastry products. On request, Roast also takes guests on a tour of its bakery on the first floor. Here, one can watch croissants being sheeted, dough for breads being kneaded and cakes getting their final look.
We started our journey into the culinary world of Roast CCX with a non-coffee drink—Biscoff Boba. Then we shifted our attention to Apple and Cinnamon Nitro Cold Brew and Coffee Lemonade. All three drinks were refreshing, especially on a summer evening. It was time for us to taste their specials from the menu like Avocado Tartare, Spinach and Soba Noodles and Kolokitthi (fried zucchini and brinjal chips with garlic yoghurt).
Another highlight in their menu is their all-day breakfast section, which has the best of indulgent and healthy options. We tried Brioche French Toast, their in-house freshly made French toast drizzled with golden maple syrup, whipped cream and assorted fruits and Acai-berry Bowl, which was antioxidant-packed goodness of acai berry powder, blended with berries, banana, honey and almond milk.
From their mezze menu we tried Sheesh Tawook, which had garlic scented chicken and harissa and Kebab Meshwi, which was cinnamon flavoured lamb kebab — succulent and juicy. Vegetarians must try Tofu Leeks Yakitori, tofu and leek skewers made with a combination of soy, sake and mirin. For sea-food lovers, there is Kerala Fried Prawns. Juicy prawns marinated in a spicy mix of black pepper and green chili, fried with fragrant curry leaves for a taste of Southern India.
Then there are pretty desserts — Reindeer Mousse and Hokkaido Cheesecake — which not only look great but it’s a treat to all sweet tooths out there and were an ideal end to our Roast CCX experience.
