A brand-new tea bar called Tavalon just opened by Union Square in Manhattan. 
It sells high-end loose leaf teas in a microscopic but slick storefront decked out like a lounge. The founders are young corporate law dropouts, a turbaned Sikh dude named Sonny Caberwal and his biz partner John-Paul Lee. Sonny is also a tabla-ista who rocked out on a Thievery Corporation album a couple of years ago. It’s the second gen version of the ‘I’ll open a little restaurant’ dream:
There’s a new wave of Indian restaurants as lifestyle businesses being started by young, desi Manhattan professionals. Indian Bread Company, Chinese Mirch, and their granddaddy, Kati Roll Co., remind me of the second wave of upscale restaurants in London’s Brick Lane; they’re slicker than the usual desi joint… As young restaurants, owners, friends and relatives still work behind the counter… educated urbanites… A lot of the initial marketing of these places goes through word of mouth, friends of friends in the high-speed desi network; it’s the ‘I’ll open a little restaurant’ dream made real. [Link]
The place is decorated with white tile in a fabric texture like Tamarind, white orchids, uplit shelves like a cosmetics counter and menus on 32″ LCDs. It sells teas in tins and test tubes. My buddies DD Pesh spun in the DJ perch yesterday, and Sonny played stand-up tabla by the door.
The teas themselves mimic vitamin water with frou-frou, we’re-not-Lipton themes like anti-aging, energizing and balancing. The bar also carries some wicked-looking paraphernalia including a tea stick, a perforated, stainless steel cylinder which you fill with loose leaf tea; stainless steel honey spoons shaped like honeycombs; and sinuous, double-sided sugar spoons. It’s all very SoHo-boho chic (tongue-in-cheek).
They’ve got a blend called Ceylon King for the days you’re feeling Ravanous. Thankfully, they don’t carry any redundant-dundant ‘chai tea,’ but do stop by and give Sonny shit for his ‘secret Indian spices’ 
Kama Chai Sutra: … teas just don’t get any more flavorful than this organic chai, made with a secret blend of Indian spices.
Gratuitous tea pr0n:
Related posts: Indian scientists create “tea pill”, The Empire Kind of Strikes Back, Star-rupees, Peace, love and breakfast cereal, Her 58th Year of Freedom, Electrohop therapy
how about “Teatotal” ? I only drink tea, therefore I’m a teatotaler?
actually come to think of it, i would call my tea house “Mad Hatter’s”
with Ennis as the hatter (turban, hat, whatever) Bong Breaker as the March Hare A N N A as Alice, of course
nominations for the role of the Dormouse is open. Great if you like getting stuffed into teapots.
we’re all mad here!
peace
Siddhartha – what’s an oteler?
say what, brother?
I’m in for Udipi Palace this Sat. at 5:30, then chai and paan and guavas in the torrential downpour that is sure to be upon us this weekend.
Who else is in?????? Do we have a crowd? I can’t be seen in public without a posse, really.
Dhaavak, how exciting! She’s such a Kensington hippie, did you get to meet her dreamboat of a husband too? Please tell me where they live so I can shave off his mooch while he sleeps. It’ll do wonders for his career, I know.
Bong – Ah pity you foo for not thinking of this before me! My tea bar would deffo be called “Teatea Bar”.
pattie, you like face fuzz? had no idea.
gotta have someone to counter act the silicone watchers.
and as for the interesting comments about me beinh high as kite, and of course bhang, nihangs….a lot of people seem ‘high’…especially those who are quick to call others ‘permanently high as a kite’. they’re often equally as zonked. but such is life, we all have to deal with each other and ourselves. pattie doesn’t have the time of day to really care what others think of her, it’s just a reflection of themselves Yes, but I was just teasing Pattie as Sikhs are supposed to refrain from certain dodgy intoxicants, although there is a sect of Sikhs (“Nihangs”) back in India which includes some members who apparently indluge in bhang. That’s what I was referring to in my insinuation — I was just joking around because Pattie sounds permanently high as a kite.
ah, jai, so, you dabble in the shit. sorry, but all i can lay claim to is raj bhog and strong coffee. that does me in fine. this will really make you drop bricks, but i don’r even drink alchie. …anyway, we’ve spent waaayyyyyy to much time on this, back to the tea.
and the kashmiri tea with saffron and almonds… YUMMMMMM……..
i like teany in nyc
i love the curious illuminated little teapot on the website. that is just so quirky, it’s charming.
Sounds like a great name for a milk bar, actually.
Or I could call it: “I Got Chai On It”.
For the record, coffee kicks tea’s ass.
Pattie (who for some reason has now taken to referring to herself in the third-person) is taking certain people’s jokes too seriously. There is no need to “retaliate”.
Jai is actually a very clean-living individual in these matters and does not dabble in any intoxicants, apart from the occasional coffee.
@dhavaak & Neha
Its a lil hole-in-da-wall paan shop, right near that library, next to, I believe, a place called Chandni Chowk. If you STILL can’t find it ask some uncleji to direct you to the dude with the pink tea.
There is no seating, so order a large cup to go, and let it cool a bit–its hot.
Cheers!
I would call it “Tut tea”, as in “tutti.” For example, “Oh, I love Tut tea, it tastes so good once it hits your lips!”
Eddie – where you at? why don’t you want to hang out on Gerrard with us? do we smell funky?
On that Tealuxe tip… I loved it in Beantown on Newbury. The best, in my (biased) opinion is the Pomegranate Pear. Be sure to get the pita and hummus plate to go with although i think they changed the pita. I went all the time in high school and they used to have these freshly baked pillowy soft pita goodness. I went a few years ago when I was back in town and it was normal Sahara-esque pita. Has anyone been recently and know if they switched it up again?
Also what has been bugging me since I moved to New York is the HUGE Tealuxe banner on the side of the CitiGroup Building at 51st and Lex. Does anyone know if there’s a Tealuxe somewhere inside? I looked high and low in that place and found zilch and can’t figure out why a banner would be on the outside of the builsing if it’s not inside. No locations in New York on the website yet the banner is the same logo as my beloved in Boston so I’m pretty sure it’s referring to it.
I love tea.
i prefer tea houses like this one, in the middle of oakland’s diverse and working class fruitvale district. very community-oriented.
Neha,
Oh I so LOVE Toronto, but alas I live way down south in Jersey 🙁 I am sure, however, that the spontaneous Toronto uprising will attract more Mutineers in due time. Sip away y’all!
because some people choose to cross the lines of ‘joking’. some things just ‘aren’t’ funny, the pot references being one thereof.
Jai is actually a very clean-living individual in these matters and does not dabble in any intoxicants, apart from the occasional coffee.
now, that is indeed funny. besides, i don’t consider coffee an intoxicant. aphrodesiac, yes….but definately not an intoxicant.
nina, that’s quite invetntive, ‘teatotal’…i like that.
For the record, coffee kicks tea’s ass.
as much as i love my tea….i have to agree there. and the stronger the java, the better.
nominations for the role of the Dormouse is open. Great if you like getting stuffed into teapots.
I claim role of cheshire cat.
and abhi might make a good Caterpillar.
To each his/her poison…. Back in the day, long nights on call, the “khadaa chamacch” cup of tea was what got me through. Dont know If I can take it again though…..
Short on time here.
Tea ROCKS, coffee SUCKS. I don’t drink any hot drinks, I really don’t like caw-fee but tea is cool. I mean hot. Tut-tea – good. Teatotal – better. Tea tea bar – breast. The March Hare! Awesome. No room! No room! I smoked tea once, it was crap. Neha, yes you smell funky. You, not the others. Just. You. No seriously. F*CK COFFEE.
and abhi might make a good Caterpillar.
i bet jai has me tapped for that role. oh, well…i like caterpillars too!
oy… all the more reason for you to come on up here and have some chai with us all – but i am so going to try out the pink tea. Speaking of pink tea – in rustic old poonjab, i’ve had milk overboiled in earthen pots until it gets a rosy hue – lovely texture … – dont know if they still do it – this is just a distant memory when BiJi was still around (and no, not the pop group beegees, that’s my granny for those out of it).
-note to self – must change socks today.
lingus… a mutiny of two aint mutinous? oh well – will wait and see how it develops then connect offline
Bong Breaker,
Have you ever had a cup of oh-so-creamy-rich-poured-from-tumbler-to-davara-and-back-by-loving-hands South Indian coffee? If you have, I don’t know what you’re thinking, still voting for tea. If you haven’t, I recommend you reserve your judgement. Really, you might find your mind completely blown after a cup.
If I had one, I’d call my tea place “Tea hee.” tee hee.
whoa! wasnt intended as a q… was concurring… but let’s wait an’ see.
Tut-tea – good. Teatotal – better. Tea tea bar – breast.
umm…right…the first two rock. 3 times is just not a charm. I smoked tea once, it was crap.
there ya go jai, a confession.
F*CK COFFEE
reminds me too much of coffee enemas. I love my coffee but not that much.
That would be something fun to go into Starbucks for.
Bong, I just had my annual bath this past Friday, my stank is barely a week old!
Dhaavak, looks like the force is weak in Canada. You’re right, we should keep hi-jacking the threads till we meet the desired response. Badmash said he would be down this summer so we may be able to organize a nice meetup then…
Eddie, fair enough, let us know when you’re in the north woods and we’ll do up a party-sharty.
I’ve seen postings on Craigslist for Tavalon seeking servers/hosts/or something all over the place.. I had no idea it was being run by Sonny 😀 Congratulations, man! 🙂
That can’t be THE Punjabi Boy, can it?
Wow, if that’s a week’s worth I don’t want to be anywhere near anywhere that even RHYMES with Toronto on day 364.
Pattie, that is surely one of the less interesting confessions I’ve made on here. But true nevertheless. I was about 12 or 13 and first we tried it with some paper, but that blew away (we were on scout camp) so I chopped the cigar tube my friend stole off his dad up and fashioned a rudimentary pipe. We smoked some tea and channeled our spirit guides.
Madurai, can’t say I have my friend. Perhaps I’ll change my mind, but one reason I don’t like coffee is that I’m so unaccustomed to caffeine one cup puts me on edge, sends my bowels into somersaults and makes me piss more than beer.
On that note, have any of you tried caffeine-enriched beer? I have! I urinated for three days. Without stopping.
So I guess this should be a helpful tip.
That would be something fun to go into Starbucks for.
lmao!
Pattie, that is surely one of the less interesting confessions I’ve made on here. But true nevertheless. I was about 12 or 13 and first we tried it with some paper, but that blew away (we were on scout camp) so I chopped the cigar tube my friend stole off his dad up and fashioned a rudimentary pipe. We smoked some tea and channeled our spirit guides.
lmao..i dunno about that….i like that little accoint much more than some of the others. lol…it just seemed fit in perfectly with jai’s ‘what have we been smoking’ trip. you ‘channeled you spirit guides’…lol…sounds more like a sitting bull or geronimo impression going on there, but interesting.
On that note, have any of you tried caffeine-enriched beer?
eewwwwww…..i love my caffiene too, dearly, but beer tastes like soap water and does messy things to the brain. i’ll pass. now, some badam kersaria with caffiene. oohh..
BongBreaker,
It’s a bit of a mystery. Our friend here surfaced on the “Nessie-Desi” thread a few weeks ago, and DesiDancer and I decided to screen him to test his authenticity but he’s playing his cards close to his chest.
(Take a look here and scroll down a bit: http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/003103.html)
I’ve noticed that our other new friend Jay Singh on PP also sounds remarkably like Punjabi Boy, although he denies being the same person 😉
Is the name “Tea-Bagh” already taken? If not, I am opening my stall in Pankot Palace.
Neha, Dhaavak – yessir mutiny meetup in TO this summer!!! I’ve learned than some mutineers from across the border will also be it the city in said time frame. I’m going to be in al-emaraat over June and I’m hoping to make a stop on the way back (early July). Will you guys be around? Drop me a note: thebadmash at gmail dot com and we’ll work out the details.
so far, you’re good to go, mola.
Neha, Dhavaak, other torontonians…. I am up for a TO meet-up… this summer that is. I’m due for a TO trip. Bring yer friends and companions. Or if you don’t have any friends, bring your companions. Or if you don’t have any companions, only friends, bring them along. Or if you have friends and companions, but prefer your friends to your companions, they’re more than welcome…. I’m sure you get the picture.
Metric ang – yes and for admissibility to the meetup, please bring proof that you are indeed a bona fide mutineer. What kind of proof you ask? Well, “A proof is a proof. What kind of a proof? It’s a proof. A proof is a proof. And when you have a good proof, it’s because it’s proven.”
😉
I’m sure the proprietors of Tavalon are wishing now that they could steal some of these Tearrific ResTearant TiTeales. Tavalon isn’t half as memorable as “Teatotal.”
Another contribution from me: Tea Me.
Or perhaps: Tea Ball (A tea sports bar)
Anna, if you’re reading this — consider a “name my restaurant” themed Friday. Instead of 55 words, readers have to come up with clever 2-5 word titles around a Teame… I mean, theme.
Could also be: name my novel, or name my movie…
Amardeep, you’re teaming with good ideas. That’s a corker. I enjoy punning, after all I have tabloid roots.
I forgot you were all American with all this tea. I had a cup of Earl Grey in Manhattan. Sweet fancy Moses, it was AWFUL. HORRIFIC. They brought it in a coffee push-down filter thing. No no no.
Tea+Pot.
Now there’s a shop I’d go to. All those who’ve come up with good names – just hope no one tealeafs your idea (sic).
Madurai Vivekan, I think tumbler davara coffee totally kicks ass. Maybe Leo Coffee in DC/NY would convert these ‘tea’thens 😀
“I forgot you were all American with all this tea. I had a cup of Earl Grey in Manhattan. Sweet fancy Moses, it was AWFUL. HORRIFIC. They brought it in a coffee push-down filter thing. No no no.”
i have to admit, i’ve never had a really decent cup of regular tea (not the multi-hyphenated chock-a-block-with-everything tea) at any American outlet. the water is always lukewarm and the tea insipid. i did go to a tealuxe in Cambridge and wasn’t impressed. maybe i ordered the wrong thing.
See what happens when you don’t give us a new post all day? We reach 95 posts on a tea shop!
Badmash – Haha, amazing! I kinda miss that Jean, he was funny.
I’ve tattooed Abhi’s name on my bicep inside a heart with a garland of thorns around it. That should do for proof, I hope.
Metric Ang – tapping fingers Excellent! I’m really excited!
Bong – Don’t worry, I’ve got enough Yardley Lavender on me to powder a caram board for 12 hrs. Geez. That’s really gross. Why are you making me say these things!?
badmash, metric ang, neha … we’re cooking with gas now… na? metric ang, see if you can drop me an email and that’ll keep us all in the loop…
besides i think the natives are getting restless .
Neha – That’s such a coincidence! Meself, I’ve got me a Manish tattooed twixt a skull n’ crossbones on me drinking arm….. beautiful!
Badmash – Jean was great, but I think my fave was Canada’s 10th PM, though he was before me time. Ya know, the bill of rights n’all – gotta love it.
As for authentication, I think there can be a better test for mutineers… i.e. 1. Who is Patti Kaur hot for? 2. What’s Razib’s topic of choice? 3. What’s Abhi’s dad’s name and is he cooler than your dad?
And many more…..
Answers: 1. anyone with 2 legs and a pugri. 2. genetics and the hotness (A+ factor) of random blonde females. 3. “yo dad” and yes.
🙂
Gah TO meetup! That’s so close… and yet… I’m off to the motherland for the rest of the year. If you guys decide to have another meetup sometime when it’s winter and you know, frigid and the sidewalks are icy and nobody wants to leave the house after 3pm because it’s already dark, I’m down. We can all wear monkey caps and “mufflers” annnd, on the topic of this post, drink that horrible haldi-aada-pepper-honey-milky-tea concoction to keep colds at bay.
Ha, I have a tattoo of Ennis’ face. On my face.
Oh yeah and my back has been entirely dedicated to Anna. It’s a photo montage of Anna through the ages, from high school to Sepia Mutiny. It’s called an Annathology.
Metric, yo’ quiz is too easy. That won’t discern the sepiites from the sepians. Drive-by one-day visitors know who Pattie Kaur’s hot for!
Neha, it ain’t THAT gross. Not compared to some of the stuff I’d written and then deleted before hitting ‘Post’. Well…then again it is Yardley, that is gross.