Helmed by two young women entrepreneurs, 26-year-old Ashna Mehta and 24-year-old Nitisha Mehta, Café 49 will add an easy-breezy vibe to The Emerald Hotel. The cafe is set to launch on February 16, 2022. 

An all-day space, Café 49 is the perfect little spot for animated coffee dates, intimate group dinners and cozy catch-ups over cocktails. Designed to put you at ease, the interiors reflect warmth and personality. Off-white brick walls provide the perfect canvas to highlight the salmon and teal coloured seating along with a bright and colourful photo-op wall with wings.

Flanked by tasteful display shelves on one side and an open kitchen up ahead, Café 49 is all about comforting guests with openness and quality assurance. The all-vegetarian menu focuses on a mix of cuisines with a heavy Mediterranean-European influence. Your quick catch-up sessions will flow smoothly with small bite options like the Corn Chipotle & Mushroom Nachos,Trio of Hummus & Pita, a Salsa Pani Puri, or the Tomato, Olives & Bell Pepper Bruschetta. Or if you&rsquore looking for the perfect evening snack to go with your Café 49 Cappuccino or Latte, opt for croissant sandwiches with fillings like Mushroom & Zucchini or Halloumi & Exotic Vegetables.  

If your friends and you have room for pizza, Café 49 offers some wonderful freshly baked choices like the Pesto Lovers Delight, Three Cheese Margherita or the Charcoal Flatbread with Smoked Veggies, which is one of their signature items. Burger fans can pick from different slider options including Mexican, Spicy Cottage Cheese and Mushroom & Cheese.

Café 49 also sets up the perfect ambience for date night where you can keep it simple with delicious pasta to go with your cocktail of choice. Choose from options like Spaghetti a&rsquola Fungi, Cilantro Pesto & a Classic Lasagne to go with cocktails like the gin-based Gin 2 Cherry (with ginger, green apple cherry), Uptown Martini (with passion fruit and honey) or the Tropical Paradise with spiced rum, banana syrup and orange juice. One can even try the aptly named Soul Mate (cocktail for two)with a medley of spirits and fruit flavours. For a comforting and filling meal opt for Café 49&rsquos Big Plates like the Mexican Platter, Healthy Tofu Bowl, Grilled Cottage Cheese Bowl or the Sun-Dried Tomato & Bell Pepper Risotto.

Aashna quit her job at Deloitte to pursue an MBA in International Hospitality Management from Les Roches, Switzerland and follow her passion for hospitality and real estate. She says she has a lot to look forward to in her quest to strengthen the F&ampB programme at the family-owned Emerald Hotel starting with this café. It&rsquos a project close to her to heart &ndash "Café 49 has all the elements to be Mumbai's very own Central Perk &ndash an iconic, cozy little spot where all of life&rsquos events can unfold in the form of stories told over shared plates, lots of laughter and warm cups of coffee. I look forward to good times here,&rdquo she says.