Ever since I came across the page for Elma’s on facebook, I was smitten. It was a few weeks before embarking on my Delhi trip I love dressing like an old British lady, & I knew at once that I had to see visit.
First of all let me say that finding Elma’s itself was no mean feat… even with a proper address. When buildings are numbered, it gives you some hope that the place will be easy to navigate, but no! Hauz Khas village, although awesome is also very messy. The nice man at Kunzum gave us approximate directions to a particularly narrow lane & after walking there for a while, we saw a lovely old school chalboard announcing the specials. Elma’s was up a narrow flight of stairs & when I reached there I knew the roaming around searching was worth it.
They already had me with the few (mostly lo-res/grainy) photos they posted on their page but when I saw the place for real it was even more quaint & charming than I’d imagined.
Aside from the menus, they has their stuff listed on chalkboards. The ceilings had cloth canopies in vintage-y floral fabrics (forgot to get a photo).
Other décor included a white upright piano, a dressing table, shelves of vintage crockery & cutlery, mini carpet looms, shabby chic mismatched furniture, & host of other adorable curios. I loved their attention to detail – You can probably tell by now that I’m sucker for good, themed décor.
We were lucky to get the place somewhat empty. It’s pretty small, & it got very crowded & noisy in the twenty or so minutes we were there.
Since we had just gone to Kunzum minutes before we weren’t really hungry but I obviously had to try something so we opted for a pot of rose tea.
Even though the there were tea strainers I opted to get a few rose petals in mine. Everyone who’s seen these photos has fallen in love with these pretty cups & saucers. I liked them very much too, & looking around on google / facebook / instagram makes one realize they’re sort of an Elma’s signature.
We also ordered this – don’t remember exactly what it was called but it’s three sliced of bread with bacon & cheese served with amazing home-made mustard.
Mom wasn’t into the whole vibe as much as me but she acted enthusiastic for the photo.
Me, drinking tea wearing my current favorite t-shirt.
My final comments agree with many other reviews I’ve read of the place… absolutely adorable but pretty expensive too. But for the lovely atmosphere & fresh stuff, I didn’t mind it shelling the money (or my mom, because she paid ). But if I lived in Delhi, going here would probably be more of an indulgence than a hangout (which is what cafés generally are). Also this is definitely only a place to have tea & cakes or similar, not a whole meal.
In the end, Elma’s was probably my favorite memory from the Delhi trip.
Elma’s Bakery, Cakes & Tea Room, 24/1 Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi, 110016, India
Note: Since I wrote this post in 2012, Elma’s has since rebranded as a bakery and bar (rather than a tea room) & moved to a slightly different location in Hauz Khas Village itself (see their facebook page). They also have another location, Elma’s Brasserie in Lodi colony Delhi. I haven’t been to either of the new ones, while they do seem to have retained some of that old world charm, I think the décor is quite different too. If you’ve been to the new place, do share your thoughts in the comments below!
