Tea Villa Cafe# draws you to it immediately. In the bustling, yet serene sea facing Versova, the white and pastels spread thin across the street, will almost make you mistake it for a spa. Not fashioned like the run of the mill tea cafes in the city, with muted interiors and old fashioned china, Tea Villa cafe looks like it started from scratch. The innovative wall art, lined with cups and saucers with cheeky messages and puns on chai give the place a yuppy, yet muted vibe. Perhaps what struck us most about the interiors was the cozy seating upstairs under a wall of tea bag lights, with the holes in the wall that made for afternoon light to come in just the right angle.

Besides the special tea menu, which one can hardly go wrong with, we were also pleasantly surprised by the food. We even sampled the soup (not a good idea to mix with tea because after a point it just feels like you're inhaling hot water) and the cream of Almond and broccoli pronounced all flavors without leaving a layer on the spoon (our test for creaminess)

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For people that are just about starting to include salad as part of their diets, watermelon and arugula and feta cheese seem to be the favorite across the board, but Tea Villa didn’t quite get it right as the watermelon wasn't crunchy or ripe enough. Their pastas and pizzas are excellent, with several options for vegetarians. You can be sure to order anything, with the assurance that it will be good. The service however, is slow. It may have been because we were a slightly bigger group. Our waiter Ma****h was enthusiastic, cheerful and so hardworking, but had no support from his colleagues. In fact, they barely responded if we asked them for something.

The waffles with the banana and caramel were what we were looking forward to, but the caramel disappointed a little with its maple syrup like taste and strange consistency.

The place, however, has a wonderful, peaceful vibe and can be made into an afternoon reading haven to get a little breathing space from hectic maximum city.