ode to cardboard
The coffee Cardboard Bombay , located in the district of Bandra-Kurla Complex, in Mumbai (India) is made, literally, of cardboard.
The interior of this quirky café is everything a display of eco-design, because the cardboard used is completely recyclable and biodegradable.
In front of Cardboard Bombay are Yung and Bhavvna Dhanani, two creative minds who decided to bet on sustainability and originality, a mix that is working perfectly for them.
The architect Nuru Karim from NUDES studio was in charge of designing this interesting space with sinuous shapes that we invite you to discover.
Cardboard Bombay: India's Most Instagrammable Design Cafe
MUMBAI CONNECTION
Yung Dhanani was born in Mumbai but grew up in Spain, specifically in the Malaga town of Torremolinos. At the age of 14, his parents sent him to study in India for two years so that he could soak up the Hindu culture (Sindhi).
“I never thought that he would end up dedicating myself to the kitchen. I got into the family business, importing fabrics, because it involved traveling all over Asia, meeting all kinds of people, trying his food… I couldn't say no!” Yung tells Traveler.es
One of his passions has always been music: “I have written songs for the soundtrack of a Bollywood movie and composed the music for the Oppo brand together with the artists Yash Narvekar and Rishi Rich”, he continues.
Yung Dhanani, adventurer and coffee grower
How did you end up opening a coffee shop? “I have a good hand in the kitchen and I understand flavors well. In the year 2012 I returned to Mumbai to continue with my musical project but the hospitality industry crossed my path”, Yung explains about his beginnings.
In 2015 he opened the BAD restaurant, which did a great job. And in 2018, Yung and his sister Bhavvna opened Carboard.
“We proposed to an investor, Thyme And Reason, the idea of opening a cardboard restaurant with the architect Nuru Karim of NUDES Architecture, with whom I also worked in the previous premises”, explains Yung.
Were seven months of testing with the material so that it was waterproof and could be used without problems. "And we did, in fact, the chairs can support a weight of more than 200 kilos,” says Yung.
Bread with strawberries, emmental, riccota, kale, pesto and balsamic
SPACE
Cardboard Bambay is India's first carton coffee: the tables, the chairs, the lamps, the cutlery, the plates, the cups... and, of course, the menu, have been made using this material.
The project bears the signature of the architect Nuru Karim, who baptized it as 'Cardboard Bombay'.
Paperboard? It's possible? “We wanted to innovate with a very humble material that many people use for packaging and from there came the idea of using the 'Parametric array' method to give the material more grandeur”.
Original and sustainable
the illustrator tanya eden she was in charge of creating the logo and graphics of the place, which is characterized by the use of waves and sinuous shapes.
The table tops are impregnated with wax to prevent water absorption and thus allow its maintenance, which has been subjected to various research and experimentation processes.
“We have exposed the material to monsoons and after eleven months of tests on its strength and durability, we saw that it was suitable for our project”, says Yung
A slice please!
SUSTAINABILITY: AT THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING
The creation of coffee is a small (but important) step towards a community more aware of climate change and the protection of natural resources.
Cardboard advocates the use of environmentally friendly products and recyclable materials.
cardboard is a 100% recyclable and renewable material, as well as durable, insulating and acoustic.
And, of course, it has passed all the tests of exposure to water, moisture and temperature changes.
Everyone at the (cardboard) table!
COFFEE AND MORE
“When it comes to cooking, I am inspired by my travels –Yung has lived in Spain, China, Vietnam and India and traveled throughout the Asian continent– and I take the famous umami as a basic concept”, Yung tells us.
Ingredients such as coconut, maple syrup and South Indian spices.
One of the star recipes? The groovy. "Is about the typical pil pil prawns but with a fusion of coconut and olive oil accompanied by shallots in a marinade of grain mustard, curry leaves and maple syrup,” Yung explains.
South Indian pil pil prawns, also known as groovy
As for coffee, they serve two types, one 100% organic and Arabica, originally from Tamil Nadu. "I've got my own roasting center in Chennai. In my travels around Denmark and in various cities in India, I learned how to roast coffee and how to be a barista thanks to my partner Samuel Babu”, he states.
Marching an espresso!
THE CUSTOMER, DELIVERED
“Our clientele is very varied: families with children, tourists, people who work in the world of stationery, curious people and of all ages who comes to take a look, including politicians and the occasional celebrity, ”says Yung about the clients who come to his store.
Yung is inspired by his travels to create the menu
Remember fondly as a customer entered the cafe and burst into tears seeing how a material he had worked with all his life had become something so innovative and original.
“In addition, the food transported him to his childhood. That moment was very beautiful for me and gave me a lot of strength to believe in the project, value what we have achieved and move on”, recalls Yung fondly.
Welcome to Cardboard Mumbai!