At Play Theory in Coimbatore, board games meet comfort food

A white ghost sits in the middle of the table. Next to it are a green bottle, a grey mouse, a blue book and a red chair. Cards flip one after another, and hands hover above the table, ready to grab the right object.

We are playing Ghost Blitz, a fast board game where logic and speed compete with each other. If the card shows an object in its correct colour, you grab it. If the colours mislead you, you must identify the object that does not appear on the card. It sounds simple until the brain begins to overthink.

Their khaosuey Maggi brings Thai-style flavours to instant noodles.
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Special arrangement

A few rounds in, the table becomes a theatre of confusion. My colleague lunges for the wrong object. Laughter erupts, and the next card flips before anyone has recovered. At one point, while we were trying to identify the odd object on the card, the ghee podi chicken and tandoori paneer wrap quietly finds our table. For a second the food looks like another piece in the puzzle.

The spice mix carries the warmth of podi balanced with ghee, clinging to crisp pieces of chicken. The heat arrives first on the palate, followed by the nuttiness of ghee that softens the spice. It is the kind of plate that encourages quick sharing, fingers reaching out between turns.

The ghee podi chicken
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Special arrangement

The paneer wrap follows with a different rhythm. The paneer sits tucked inside a warm flatbread with a tandoori sauce that brings smoke and spice together. Each bite carries a light char while the paneer remains soft, the spice lingering gently on the palate.

The cafe boasts a tall rack of board games. The shelves hold more than 300 titles stacked in colourful boxes — from quick party games to strategy sessions that could stretch across an evening. The cafe grew out of a hobby shared by three friends — Vidhya Lakshmiganth, Krithika Nishanth and Niranjini Nagarajan.

Paneer wrap at the cafe
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Special arrangement

“What began as a hobby slowly became a passion,” says Vidhya. “We have been playing board games with friends and family since our college days. It was already part of our families, and we wanted our children to grow up with it too. Board games help develop quick responses and thinking skills. Over the years we travelled to discover more games and the collection kept growing. Eventually we felt the city could use a place where people gather around a board game instead of their phones.”

Across the room, another group debates a move in Catan, while a nearby table bursts into laughter over a bluff that has gone terribly wrong.

“Our collection ranges from gateway games to deeper strategy titles,” says Krithika. “Players can try cooperative games, social deduction, bluffing and bidding. Some come for quick party rounds, while others stay for longer games like Wingspan, Stone Age or Sheriff of Nottingham. We wanted a mix where beginners feel comfortable and regular players still find something challenging.”

The evening’s spiciest dish arrives next — Buldak cheese noodles. The bowl lands on the table in a striking red-orange swirl, the sauce clinging to glossy strands of noodles. The noodles are coated in a fiery Korean-style sauce that builds heat slowly, while melted cheese spreads across the surface and melts into the sauce. The first mouthful feels mild for a moment before the spice gathers at the back of the tongue, with the cheese stepping in to soften the burn.

“We experiment a lot with the food,” says Niranjini. “Among the noodles, our khaosuey Maggi brings Thai-style flavours to instant noodles. Across the menu we have more than 50 dishes including appetisers, pasta, burgers, sandwiches, shakes, mocktails and hot beverages. We like to add small twists that people do not expect.”

Not far from the tables, a digital darts board hangs in a corner like an invitation. Before long, a few curious glances turn into a quick contest, with formats such as cricket and football lighting up the screen. Darts arc across the short distance, striking the board as it lights up. With the football mode turning each throw into an attempt at goal, the quick contest ends with my colleague claiming the win.

Back at the table, another playful dish arrives — the UFO Nutella burger. Two sealed buns hide a molten centre of Nutella and peanut butter. The first bite releases the filling slowly, turning it into a sweet spill of chocolate and nutty richness that refuses to stay neatly inside the bun.

“Every sauce we prepare here is made fresh,” says Niranjini. “Nothing is ready-made and nothing is frozen. We want the food to arrive fresh so people enjoy the moment at the table — the conversations, the laughter and the surprises that come with it.”

The evening winds down with dark thick hot chocolate, served warm and dense enough to feel almost like a melted dessert in a cup.

Published – April 01, 2026 03:03 pm IST