A table worth settling into
With a waffle in front of me and daylight coming through the window, I have very little interest in making this a quick stop. Dark wood frames the room, plants lean into the light, and the table fills with patterned china. These are modest details, but together they give Café Masalathe atmosphere I love. White teapots and fabric tea cozies are as much a part of the scene as the food. I come here because I enjoy being here. The waffles make that an especially easy decision.
The family behind the welcome
Much of the team, from the kitchen to the dining room, belongs to the family that owns the café. That is part of what makes Masala special to me. There is something reassuring about a place where the people preparing the food and the people bringing it to the table share that connection. On my return visits, the appeal is the whole experience: the food, the room, and the people who give it its character. Family ownership alone cannot make a café a favorite. Here, it is part of a combination that keeps bringing me back.
A waffle can make a meal of it
The savory side deserves room in the conversation. One of my plates has a waffle folded around a substantial egg filling, tomato and greens, with a bright ribbon of sauce across the top. Another arrives open-faced, carrying cheese, leafy vegetables and savory toppings. There is plenty happening before dessert enters the picture. I like that variety: the same café suits a proper meal or a sweet break. If you arrive hungry, I would look at the savory choices first. A waffle this well occupied makes a convincing case for sitting down with a knife and fork.
Dessert has rather grand ambitions
Then there are the sweet waffles. My banana-and-chocolate plate builds upward: banana pieces around the base, chocolate ice cream in the middle, cream and mint above, and chocolate running over the lot. The floral plate provides the polite surroundings for all this enthusiasm. On another visit, cherries and scoops of ice cream give the waffle an entirely different look. This breadth of choice is one of the pleasures of returning. I can come back to a familiar room and still have a different plate in front of me. Choosing is a small problem, but a very agreeable one.
Give the tea its own moment
The tea deserves a decision of its own. In my photographs, orange slices float in the cup while a white pot sits close by, with a strainer and a fabric cozy completing the arrangement. I love how much of the table the tea is allowed to occupy. The published menu ranges from Darjeeling and Earl Grey to spiced milk teas; coffee drinkers have their own selection, too. With so many flavors to consider, I would choose the drink as carefully as the waffle. Here, the cup is an important part of the reason to stay.
Taka’s Take: make room for a return visit
I would put Masala into a Gifu day with some breathing room around it. Come for a meal, come for tea, or give yourself permission to make a waffle the main event. The attraction for me is how naturally the food, the atmosphere and the family-run character fit together. I already know that I enjoy coming back; the menu gives me plenty of reasons to keep doing so. For another side of my café travels in Gifu, my Café TEF story takes you into Tanigumi. Here in Gifu City, I am happy with a table, a teapot, and the next decision about waffles.