Eating In An Atelier: Chorus Café Is A Seamless Conversation Between Food And Art

A simple afternoon in January became one of the most cherished meals I would ever have. I’m talking about a café, yes, but also a mood board disguised as a lunch spot. And during our ELLE Gourmet team lunch, this became hilariously obvious. We sat down for a quick meal and somehow ended up eating like we hadn’t seen food in months, laughing loud enough to become part of the ambience and stretching a one-hour break into a whole afternoon. If a place can make a tableful of adults behave like that, it’s doing something right.

Located within the flagship store, the café functions as a contemporary space where flavours and conversations unfold with the same elegance. Conceptualised and designed by Karishma Swali, Co-founder and Creative Director of the Chorus Collective, stepping into the Chorus Café might nudge you towards a tiny ceramics display glowing on a side table, or casually lure you into a buying a new piece of art to add to your wardrobe. A white dress for that Italy trip, or a denim jacket for an evening with friends. There's no rush, make your choice over a cup of coffee, or a salad from the café.

The Art Of Looking Closely

Floating above the bustle of Kala Ghoda on Level 2 of Atelier Chorus, the café feels like stepping into a living studio, a place where fabric breathes, colour hums, and craft shapes every corner. Here, the boundaries between cuisine and couture dissolve. The dishes themselves echo the atelier’s artistry. 

At the café’s core rests The Offering, a sweeping textile artwork shaped by the Chorus Collective. It stretches across the wall like a crafted horizon, textured with hidden hands that appear only if you linger, the ghostly signatures of artisans who leave themselves in the work without announcing it. Close by, Construction IV, another creation by the Collective in wood and cotton thread, captures the whispered choreography of an atelier: the pause before a cut, the sculpting of fabric across a form, the contemplative pull of thread. It is both sculpture and memory, a still life of craftsmanship in motion.

A reading room extends this world further. Filled with books on design, art and architecture, it feels like a refuge for slow thinking, a place where guests, creators and wanderers can leaf through ideas, trade impressions, and slip into small, thoughtful conversations that linger long after the visit ends.

Where Flavour Meets Form

The menu reads like an ode to handmade processes: folds that mimic quilting, lattices as delicate as crocheted lace, loaves woven with the precision of warp and weft. Even the colours on the plate surprise with a sense of wonder, a vivid pink smoothie bowl, a constellation of garden-fresh fruits and vegetables arranged with almost sculptural intent. Novelty never overwhelms; instead, it settles into a quiet harmony that feels both intimate and intentional.

The café’s culinary philosophy mirrors its design language. The entire menu is fully vegetarian, with vegan adaptations available for almost everything, reinforcing its commitment to mindful dining without ever compromising pleasure. What arrives at the table feels like edible craftsmanship, where colours, textures and flavours are woven together with the same precision found in the atelier downstairs.

The First Plates set the rhythm. The Chorus Quilt emerges as a tactile, generous beginning: house-made black garlic hummus, smoked carrot, romesco, herb cream cheese and spinach-chive yoghurt arranged around warm pull-apart bread, addictive in a way that feels almost engineered.

The Garden Weave Salad, with its miso-braised watermelon and chimichurri asparagus, feels like a study in contrast, while the Lace & Leaf Salad pairs avocado and snow peas with charred cabbage for a green medley that’s both cleansing and satisfying. Even the Tomato Gazpacho, elsewhere on the menu, reads like a warm-weather sonnet of slow-roasted tomatoes and smoked paprika.

Among the mains, the kitchen leans into heartier compositions. The Embered Pumpkin, a South American–style stew paired with sticky rice, arrives glowing and fragrant, earthy without being heavy. The Black Bean Aioli, served with crisp garden vegetables and matzah bread, is austere at first glance but reveals impressive depth with each bite.

The Orzo Verde, the Grain & Root bowl and the café’s interpretation of handkerchief pasta each play with structure and softness in compelling ways. But it is the Fazzoletti with Tomato and Basil that effortlessly claims centre stage. Silky, fabric-like sheets of pasta folded into themselves, cloaked in San Marzano tomato sauce, basil pesto and cool stracciatella. It was, without question, the star of our meal.

Sweet And Sour

Beyond savoury plates, the menu opens into brighter, fruit-forward compositions. Açaí, matcha and cacao appear in bowls that feel almost sculptural, layered with berries, chia seeds, mango coulis and granola. Infusions like Agua Roja, Cucumber Basil and the Pineapple Picante offer refreshing interludes; the Pineapple Picante in particular brings a vivid burst of tropical sharpness softened by agave and lifted with jalapeño and coriander stems.

For those with a sweeter tilt, the café continues the narrative of craft. The Passion Fruit Sorbet I tasted was a delicate interplay of tartness and creaminess, brightened by white chocolate ganache and a petite macaron. The Carrot Cake with Frosting is comfort done with elegance, moist, spiced, and topped with frosting that leans tangy rather than sweet. The menu also features richer offerings like the Forest Noir, Raspberry Pistachio Dacquoise, pistachio croissants, and a roster of impeccably made bonbons with single-origin chocolate. Across the menu, there is a steady interplay of restraint and creativity, a commitment to flavour that never shouts, only hums with assurance. 

The Chorus High Tea extends this philosophy into a leisurely afternoon ritual for two, unfolding as a series of refined, almost jewel-like compositions: chèvre wrapped in fruit pâte, avocado toast layered with cashew cheese, truffle taleggio paired with onion preserve, zucchini and cucumber picnic sandwiches, Valencia orange cheesecake and dark chocolate pistachio cannoli. Presented with tea or coffee of choice, it becomes an invitation to linger.

ELLE Gourmet’s verdict

Chorus Café blurs the line between cuisine and craft with rare sincerity. The food is thoughtful without being fussy, the design is immersive without feeling staged, and the atmosphere has that rare ability to soften even the busiest afternoon into something quietly joyful.

Address: Level 2, Mittal Avenue, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Time: All day dining