"There are only two refuges from the miseries of life - coffee and music."
...so says the menu at Mocha. It is only now, after spending four hours at Mocha, that I realize how much I had been longing for Home. Not home in the sense of LA or Carlsbad or the United States - but the feeling of complete comfort, a mix of old and new that puts you at ease and urges you enjoy the moment for everything that it's worth.
My cab ride over to Mocha was beautiful. Sundays is a big day for Bandstand (the street that runs along the ocean and in front of my hotel), as there are usually tons of people enjoying the ocean, chatting on benches, eating grilled corn on the cob, drinking fresh squeezed juice, and smiling. I thought that it might be deserted today due to the weather, but was happily surprised to find the complete opposite. People were still doing all of the same things, only drenched from head to toe. No one looked bothered or annoyed by the heavy downfall, merely pleased to be enjoying the day.
It's ironic that I would reference Lula's in my past post, as I'd been searching for a place like it ever since I'd left Notre Dame (and been unsuccessful in LA thus far). Mocha is as close to Lula's as I've come, and I would go so far as to say, surpasses it in many ways. The decor is very India with deep, rich colors, antique style furniture, modern Buddha paintings and carvings, mismatched pillows, intimate seating areas, and star shaped lanterns hanging from the uniquely shaped roof. It's beautiful. With my eclectic musical tastes, its rare that I find a place playing better music than what my iPod has to offer - not so with Mocha. The music was a fantastic mix of soothing electronic, modern Hindi songs, and a range of US songs: from 70's California folk-rock to deep, rarely played Coldplay tracks. They didn't play a bad song. The sound system was heavy on the bass, but in a soothing way. I started off with a Chai tea latte, then decided that it was definitely worth breaking my coffee fast for an extremely appropriate cup of Monsoon Malabar coffee. I got a little hungry, so I decided to have a grilled vegetable and cous cous wrap. (How great is cous cous?)
I did some more trip planning and almost finished White Teeth (best line from the book: "You are the one extra chili pepper in the hot sauce!") Four hours later, I was the most relaxed and content I've been since I arrived in India. I finally decided it was time to go home around 5pm. I still smell like strawberry mint hookah. I can't wait to go back.
...so says the menu at Mocha. It is only now, after spending four hours at Mocha, that I realize how much I had been longing for Home. Not home in the sense of LA or Carlsbad or the United States - but the feeling of complete comfort, a mix of old and new that puts you at ease and urges you enjoy the moment for everything that it's worth.
My cab ride over to Mocha was beautiful. Sundays is a big day for Bandstand (the street that runs along the ocean and in front of my hotel), as there are usually tons of people enjoying the ocean, chatting on benches, eating grilled corn on the cob, drinking fresh squeezed juice, and smiling. I thought that it might be deserted today due to the weather, but was happily surprised to find the complete opposite. People were still doing all of the same things, only drenched from head to toe. No one looked bothered or annoyed by the heavy downfall, merely pleased to be enjoying the day.
It's ironic that I would reference Lula's in my past post, as I'd been searching for a place like it ever since I'd left Notre Dame (and been unsuccessful in LA thus far). Mocha is as close to Lula's as I've come, and I would go so far as to say, surpasses it in many ways. The decor is very India with deep, rich colors, antique style furniture, modern Buddha paintings and carvings, mismatched pillows, intimate seating areas, and star shaped lanterns hanging from the uniquely shaped roof. It's beautiful. With my eclectic musical tastes, its rare that I find a place playing better music than what my iPod has to offer - not so with Mocha. The music was a fantastic mix of soothing electronic, modern Hindi songs, and a range of US songs: from 70's California folk-rock to deep, rarely played Coldplay tracks. They didn't play a bad song. The sound system was heavy on the bass, but in a soothing way. I started off with a Chai tea latte, then decided that it was definitely worth breaking my coffee fast for an extremely appropriate cup of Monsoon Malabar coffee. I got a little hungry, so I decided to have a grilled vegetable and cous cous wrap. (How great is cous cous?)
I did some more trip planning and almost finished White Teeth (best line from the book: "You are the one extra chili pepper in the hot sauce!") Four hours later, I was the most relaxed and content I've been since I arrived in India. I finally decided it was time to go home around 5pm. I still smell like strawberry mint hookah. I can't wait to go back.
posted by Steven | 5:32 PM
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