Cafe Zubaan, A Tranquil Haven For Changemakers
As the world hustles on with unspeakable and exhausting mode of hypocrisy and double standards as the new normal, who doesn’t crave to be tucked away into pages of their favourite books, under a serene roof, accompanied by an intimate circle of like-minded people, and to have a soulful conversation on revolutionary topics over melting delectables! Bangalore’s café Zubaan is the perfect spot for unwinding and building up the change makers. A perfect spot, which is an amalgamation of art and culture aiming to pave the foundation of revolution to the “ever changing society”.
At the corner of Koramangala, lies café Zubaan , filled with heady aromas of moreish Middle East cuisine, walls adorned with erudite quotes in captivating frames, and shelves brimming with historical and non-fiction books.
Labeeb Usman and Jasna Moidu call themselves the parents of this gorgeous cafe. Labeeb and Jasna are partners in both life and business, and vow to make their customers feel at home.
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‘Zubaan’ which can be loosely translated to ‘tongue’ stands for strong voices and languages of bravery, courage, and kindness. The makers say, Zubaan, is a place that is “centred around books, conversation and delicious Lebanese-Middle East cuisine…one of the favorite places where you can just “be””.
Labeeb and Jasna has converted a home into café, making sure to keep all the elements of a ‘home’ intact, by adding personal touches of their favourite quotes, plants foraged from various ‘homes’ they know, and a special playlist to add to the magic of their lovely café. There is a reason behind the couple’s grip on the concept of home. Labeeb and Jasna believe that home is a place where revolution begins and revolution is the foundation of the ever-changing society.
Café Zubaan maintained the aesthetic vibe of their unique café in the menu offered. Finest dishes of Middle East are served in this riveting café. The carefully curated menu includes warm and delicious Habbat Ali Hamra, layered dishes like Mousakka, Maqlooba, curried dishes like Bamia, and of course, the most favourite desserts, Umm Ali and Kunafa.
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A specially designed breakfast platter will be served on weekends – from Friday to Sunday. The platter include the piquant Turkish Cilbir, Emirati Baleelat, Yemeni Shakshouka and several other finger-licking servings. Turkish Lahmacun and Manakeesh are also among the menu served in the café.
Zuban stands for community building, learning, unlearning, learning to unlearn, and growth. Walls of Zubaan are filled with words from intellectuals and thinkers like Maya Angelou, Frida Kahlo, Mirza Ghalib, Akka Mahadevi, and several others who contributed greatly to the world.
‘Kahwa Aur Kitabein’ is a conversation series initiated by the couple, which focuses mainly on topics of gender, class and caste. The session aims to build a safe haven for like-minded individuals to bare their progressive thinking and have thought-provoking discussions.
The first session if Kahwa Aur Kitabein was started on Ambedkar Jayanti. The first guest of the session was Aswini KP, UN Special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance. Since then, Zubaan hosted poignant speakers to talk about various significant matters.
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Cafe Zubaan is a home for everyone. A place to ponder, produce, share joy, grieve, to have some ‘me time’, to have a dinner date, to cure hunger, and to cure cravings. At the bottom of all, “Zubaan makes sure each and everyone feels at ‘home’”.
