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The Art of the Afternoon: Discovering Oju's Kissaten Rituals There's something to be said about restaurants that understand the difference between serving food and creating an experience. In the crowded landscape of Delhi-NCR's dining scene—where every other week brings a new "concept" that's usually just repackaged pretension—it's rare to encounter a space that actually delivers on its promise of thoughtfulness. Which is why my recent afternoon at Oju by Neuma, Karan Johar's latest venture in Gurugram, felt like a small revelation. I'll confess: I approached the Kissaten Rituals with the sort of weary skepticism that comes from attending too many "curated" events where the curation extends only to the Instagram aesthetic. Celebrity-backed restaurants, in particular, tend to be all sizzle and no substance—pretty spaces where the food is an afterthought to the décor. Oju, I'm pleased to report, is not that restaurant. The Japanese Art of Taking Your Time The kissaten, for those unfamiliar, is a uniquely Japanese institution—part café, part social sanctuary, where coffee and conversation are treated with the same reverence as a tea ceremony. It's about slowing down, about quality over speed, about creating a space that exists outside the frantic pace of modern life. And on a crisp winter afternoon in Gurugram, that's precisely what Oju managed to achieve. The collaboration with Caarabi Roastery immediately signaled serious intent. This isn't some generic coffee program cobbled together as an afterthought; there's genuine care in the selection and preparation. The specialty coffee and tea offerings formed the backbone of the afternoon—a foundation that gave everything else permission to shine. Cocktails That Actually Think Let me talk about the drinks, because this is where things got interesting. The Yuzu Wake is the sort of cocktail that shouldn't work on paper. Tequila with espresso? Orange liqueur with yuzu? It sounds like the confused fever dream of a bartender trying too hard. But Sia—the mixologist behind the bar program—has pulled off something genuinely clever here.

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This post was published on 24th November, 2025 by Rahul on his Instagram handle "@rahulprabhakar (Rahul Prabhakar)". Rahul has total 68.1K followers on Instagram and has a total of 2.4K post.This post has received 93 Likes which are lower than the average likes that Rahul gets. Rahul receives an average engagement rate of 0.31% per post on Instagram. This post has received 117 comments which are greater than the average comments that Rahul gets. Overall the engagement rate for this post was lower than the average for the profile.