A post-Mughal era bistro in the heart of Shahjahanabad

Situated in the heart of Shahjahanabad, Ebony Café commands a view of Jama Masjid. Step inside to get a slice of bistro-style dining with true blue Old Delhi vibe.

At first glance, Ebony Cafe looks like a usual café-next-door fashioned after European bistros — black façade with the name written in bold lettering, al fresco seating under an awning decked with fairy lights and a glass door that opens to the sweet tunes of old school Jazz music. Its walls are decked with chalkboards announcing the menu and some Parisian streets framed for nostalgia. But Eiffel Tower will have to rest another day because this café, situated in the heart of Shahjahanabad, commands a view of Jama Masjid. Once you ignore the raucous calls of the battery rickshaw wallahs and steadily make way past Kashmiri Wazwan shops and mattress makers along Pai Walan, you will find this eatery situated near gate number 3 of the grand mosque. And this is when one realises that at its heart, Ebony Café is of Shahjahanabad, for Shahjahanabad and by Shahjahanabad.

The facade of Ebony Cafe. (Photo: Shantanu Bhattacharya/HT)

View of Jama Masjid from Ebony Cafe. (Photo: Shantanu Bhattacharya/HT)

It is founded by a native and manned by two boys — brothers from Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, who have been living in Old Delhi. In addition, a chef, Sagar Singh Bisht manages the kitchen and guides the boys in their communication and presentation skills. “Some time after we opened, these boys came to me asking ‘Bhaiyya kuch kaam hai toh de do’. They were working right in front of the café, in one of the mattress making shops, and living on the streets. It felt right to provide them with education, work and safe housing,” says the 33-year old Mohammed Saddam Khan, who owns the place. He graduated in computer games development, from United Kingdom, in 2011, and can now be found in the bylanes of Old Delhi where his café opens at 3pm every day. In the morning, the brothers, Mohammad Jibraeel and Mohammad Naeem attend an Urdu-medium school in the area. Khan has also given them mobile devices to help them study remotely and takes care of their accommodation in neighbouring Chawri Bazaar. Between studying and working, they also offer their daily prayers.

Mohammed Saddam Khan, owner, Ebony Cafe. (Photo: Shantanu Bhattacharya/HT)

“My focus is also on their skills development training and equipping them with opportunities that will help them in the future,” says Khan who has taught the boys how to operate the coffee machine, procure raw materials from various vendors and make food deliveries. Soon, there is shuffling and a customer gets up to settle the bill. Jibraeel does mental math and tells him the correct amount; the brothers also know the menu by heart and are encouraged to read it aloud in English. Another order is taken, and Naeem expertly measures ground coffee and tamps it in the filter while Jibraeel measures milk and passes it to him. A brownie is garnished with nuts and chocolate sauce. Upstairs in the kitchen, Bisht toasts buns and sears a breast of chicken to prepare a burger. An electric oven, fridges, utensils and masala daanis (spice boxes) give him company. “Everyone starts from zero. I am proud that they are studying as well as learning life skills,” encourages Bisht.

The brothers, Naeem and Jibraeel, at work. (Photo: Shantanu Bhattacharya/HT)

The café opened in February 2021, shortly before the second wave of the pandemic hit. An obvious question that nags the rationale is how a café could work in a place that draws people from far and wide to its Mughlai cuisine. Khan’s answer is simple as he gazes out, towards Jama Masjid: “I wanted to offer something unique to this place”. Within a year, the place has established its presence and sealed its popularity among locals as well as expats. He swells with pride when he says that they get many repeat patrons “who get their laptops and work here, or simply meet after college for coffee.”

It’s almost dusk, and the call for maghrib (evening prayer) reaches the café from the mosque’s loudspeakers. Khan prepares to get up, once again leaving the boys in charge. Jibraeel cleans a table outside, with a wishful gaze, and we ask if he too wants to go and pray. “Yes, we both do... Once bhaiyya returns, I will go” he says sheepishly.

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