Cafe Indie cooks up a way to chill out

There are only two ways to relieve the pressures of work. One is to do nothing other than completely relax oneself, while the other, perhaps more enjoyable, is to do something exciting that awakens a tired heart.

For Xu Meng, the owner of Cafe Indie who also works at a national bank, the latter is the preferred choice. She established the cafe so that she and her friends could escape their insipid daily routines.

Xu said she now feels pleasure in life because she is always connected to something she thinks about. That feeling has filled her heart with enormous satisfaction.

Though it cost her more than 100,000 yuan to create that feeling, Xu said she is not hurrying to get her investment back.

With neither specific financial plans nor an accurate evaluation of customer flow, Xu said she runs the cafe with a gentle hand and only hopes to break even.

The name "Indie" is a hint at her business model - the cafe has no financial supporters and as a result refuses to surrender to cliched themes and market needs.

Located inside a plain alley in Wudaoying, near Yonghegong (Lama Temple), Cafe Indie puts out a cozy glow.

Yellow light leaks through white-framed European pastoral doors and windows, as if whispering to passers-by to enter.

A meter-tall toy rabbit stands beside a menu board at the entrance, somewhat representative of the soft-voiced hostess.

In the way of every cafe, the interior is broken up into several private areas. In one corner hides an 8-square-meter spot, 30 centimeters lower than the majority of space, which successfully creates a subtle retreat.

The white walls are painted with gray flowers that, along with leopard print couches and bright lighting, draw a rather post-modern picture.

Above that room, the cafe takes on a different feel - there is an atmosphere of evening chatter, nurtured by dim yellow lighting and a gabled roof and protected by a wall of plants. Waiters tiptoe up the stairs but as the silence is broken, the space falls quiet.

Cafe Indie is more than just ambience though, there is a menu to savor.

Chef Chau Chun-wai, from Hong Kong, offers not just a list of delicacies but also stories of his obsession with cooking.

Having worked in various Chinese and foreign restaurants in Hong Kong, Chau has taken on a number of cooking skills - his favorite is Japanese food, which was also the starting point of his career.

Years spent with Japanese cuisine have nurtured in Chau a refined taste. When preparing lasagna with a shrimp and basil sauce, Chau said he painstakingly models the shape of noodles.

Food lovers should note that Chau is only in Beijing for four more months - he is here to accompany his girlfriend as she learns dancing.

Chau said his immediate goals are to teach Xu how to cook so she can save some money, as well as learn how to make a Northern China specialty, hand-pulled noodles.