Winterfell Cafe, Srinagar

With the upcoming café culture in Srinagar, the people of Kashmir too have started catching onto the trend of dining out. Eating out, whether it is with your friends or family is a serious pastime. People are always in search of the best serving cafes and restaurants and the booming café and restaurant business in Kashmir has also paved way for food bloggers in the valley. There are quite a few food influencers that have gathered a decent following on social media with their posts. Winterfell, a Game of thrones themed café in Srinagar had recently invited a few food bloggers of the city to review its long and exciting list of beverages. This is what these foodies have to say about the drinks

A Must Visit for GOT Fans

NAJWA SHABIR @kaeshirfoodie

Najwa Shabir

Thanks to the internet, Kashmiris too have joined the vast majority of fans who want to be wowed by their favourite TV show characters coming to life. Winterfell cafe, a game of thrones themed cafe in Srinagar, is giving GoT fans something to cheer about. Besides a magnificent throne and a glistening sword, the cafe is decorated throughout by game of thrones artefacts and a life sized graffiti of Jon Snow. Besides the unique set up, the cafe is also winning the hearts of foodies by their amazing selection of food and drinks.As a foodie who enjoys trying out new flavours and an ardent GOT fan, it was a delight to be invited by the Winterfell cafe owner to try their drinks. The owner who himself has perfected the art of whipping up delicious mocktails and mojitos, was the perfect host. Not only did I get an opportunity to taste the majority of the drinks on their menu, I had the honour to watch him and his staff prepare them expertly as well. My favourites include the “Yuzu popcorn”, a mocktail that not only refreshes you but gives you the satisfaction of having enjoyed a tub full of popcorn without the guilt of course.Another favourite was their “Oreo mint shake”. The subtle flavour of the Mint mixed with the dense Oreo cookie flavours certainly make for a perfect shake combination.If you are a GOT fan looking for a place to watch the series come to life and enjoy some good food, I would say Winterfell cafe is a must visit for you.

Yuzu has A Distinct Aroma and Flavour

DR NOREEN QAZI @noreenqazi

Dr Noreen Qazi Sipping on a Mocktail

I am a dentist by profession. Apart from being a nerd, a lot of other things interest me, like blogging influencing people with the things I do. I’m obsessed with food aesthetics. It’s a new trend in Kashmir, where food bloggers are actually helping the restaurant owners to render a better service to the customers. We review food for them, also help them promote their brand by means of our social media. The trend is new here but 5 years from now, you’ll see a lot of people taking up blogging as a full time career. We recently had an invite from one of the renowned cafes, Winterfell. We were asked to review almost 20 drinks, which included shakes and refreshments. We had to rate them, and also put forward the best ones.

My favourite among all were “Yuzu Popcorn”. The yuzu has an aroma and flavour that is distinct from any other drink you have ever had. It is very refreshing and the taste lingers for a long time. It’s something new and I have never tasted something like this before in Kashmir, so I would rate it 9/10. The other drink would be the “Mint Oreo Shake”. I loved the combination of mint with Oreo, It is a perfect blend of the two. It is the best thing to have if you are craving for something minty! A thick and creamy fun drink. Really something to try if you are at Winterfell.

Great Cafes Sell Memories

ZOYA & WALEED @allfoodeverythingkashmir

Zoya and Waleed

Going to a cafe or a restaurant is not only about the dining experience. Great cafes sell memories, and they are good at that. Winterfell serves a wide range of cool and creamy shakes in a variety of flavours and colours. The place has deliciously designed milkshakes where everyone will surely find something for their “sweet tooth”. The drinks, combined with the unique experience, is what makes for great memories. My top two picks and recommendations would be the Popcorn Caramelito and Nutella Milkshake. Other recommended drinks would be Banana Caramel, a banana milkshake with a hint of caramel, Oreo Mint (the drink was seriously delicious, the mint flavour was refreshing without being overpowering) and KitKat Oreo, a Winterfell special that never fails to disappoint. If you want to try shakes, Winterfell café is the place to be…!

The Menu Offers Some Exciting Mocktails

AAMIR RAWA @food.in.kashmir

Aamir Rawa

Winterfell is one place where you can enjoy fun-filled conversations with friends and family over a few drinks and great food.As is evident by the name, Winterfell is a Game Of thrones theme Style Cafe with rustic cottage ambiance. There is even a chance for you to claim the Game of Thrones throne with a selfie of course. The menu offers a variety of exciting mocktails like their “Yuzu Popcorn”, which basically consists of popcorn at the base and zesty yuzu for a lingering taste. Another Shake worth trying is the “Mint Oreo Shake” made using Oreo cookies, milk & a hint of mint for that refreshing feel. If you are looking for mocktails that would be real thirst quenchers, then you must try their flavoured mojitos and lemonades. Go refresh yourself and impress your taste buds with just a sip of these chilled goodies.Go discover your personal favourite drink.

Would Strongly Recommend the Banana Hazelnut Shake

SUHEEM & UMAR @kashmirfoodgram

Suheem & Umar

When people think of eating out, they tend to focus more on the wholesome experience, rather than thinking of only the food. They don’t want it to be just a sit down eat and go kind of experience. They want to feel special and want to be transported to another world. This very psyche gave birth to theme based cafes in Kashmir. Kamran Nisar, is a diehard “Games of Throne” fan was the first one to come up with a Games of Throne theme based café in city. The throne, dim lights, game of throne posters, graffiti on walls and the wooden interiors ooze out the essence of Winterfell Café.  We recently had an opportunity to try their shakes and mocktails, if you are one of those who start drooling at the Instagram-worthy pictures of humongous milkshakes dripping down the mugs and mason jars, then a visit to the Winterfell Café is a must. Of the large variety they offer, we tried almost 10 shakes. KitKat Oreo Shake is a treat to have, both Oreo and KitKat were combined in such a way that it could easily pass through the straw, which others fail to do. Oreo Shake is cold and mild, refreshing bits of Oreo biscuits give the shake the chocolate flavour it needs. Also chocolate and almond shake where pieces of almonds were not felt in mouth and almonds were properly peeled off. The ones not to be missed are Banana and Hazel Nut, Oreo Mint, KitKat Oreo Shake and Chocolate Almond. Out of all I would strongly recommend the Banana Hazelnut shake as it also has medical properties that gives relief to people with bowel symtopms. The banana, hazel nut and milk diet is recommended for weight loss, as it it provides the body with ample dosage of proteins, vitamins, dietary fibre and minerals.

Go for the “Kiwi Lemon Mojito”

HAMZA BILAL @thetruevagabond

Hamza Bilal

Food bloggers beverage tasting invite from winterfell turned out to be amazing. Apart from the fame it got from its theme, based on “Game of thrones”, this place has actually a lot to offer, especially the drinks.  Kamran, the owner of the cafe, being a wonderful host knows his drinks and served us more than 30 drinks, most of which he made himself. Though all the beverages were good some of them tasted absolutely amazing. Each blogger was asked to choose their own shake, so I went for the Chocolate Almond which actually tasted like a normal chocolate shake. However, I tried some other shakes and one among them was ‘Oreo Mint”. It was a perfect blend of both the flavours, I personally didn’t expect that mint and Oreo could go together but it did and that too in an amazingly delicious way.  Another drink I would like to mention  “Kiwi Lemon Mojito”  also known as Green Wave in other cafes, was best served here. Overall  the experience was great. I would  definitely recommend this place for the amazing drinks they serve

Besides serving some serious drools to the foodies of Kashmir, Winterfell café has also provided platform to the youth of the valley with its weekend book launches and open mikes. Ta-Ha Mughal, a writer who has been a part of Winterfell café’s journey since the start feels it is reviewing the social space in the city.

 “It is quite heartening to see many young entrepreneurs making inroads into the café business in Kashmir, a conflict marred valley which has seen a sharp decline in terms of social spaces post the nineties. Kashmir, historically speaking was a cultural hub where all the exchange of myth, Orality or folklore would be centralized in our economic craft centers. These gatherings would paint a social atmosphere and consequently entail specific social behaviors with ‘art and craft’ acting as a social lubricant.  However, with rapidly evolving lifestyles these social spaces diffused, only now to be promisingly replaced by Café Culture in Kashmir.

I am personally glad to be a part of Winterfell’s journey even before its initiation. Not only has it seen a very rapid growth soon after its opening, but it has also revitalized the vanishing cultural and social spaces. With its weekend small-scale gatherings pertaining to art, culture or music; it has not only invigorated a fresh energy amongst the youth who have now  begun seeing the Café as a platform of public acknowledgment and acceptance but also promises a space for cultural and ideological exchanges by inviting diverse people from outside. There is no art that can survive without an art lover. No conception of aesthetics exists in the absence of an aesthete. If Winterfell is doing brilliant in reclaiming these spaces, in addition to its job role as one of the exemplary cafes with respect to its food quality, services and consumer satisfaction; why shouldn’t it be hailed as one of the finest available places you can drive down to on the banks of spectacular Dal-lake?”

SOURCE: https://www.instagram.com/winterfellcafeofficial/?hl=en

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