End of an era as Darcy's Kitchen ( MSQ branch) shuts down in Muscat

I follow select social media pages and one of them is our all time favourite cafe Darcy's Kitchen. About 10 years ago, the cafe culture of Oman received a real shot in the arm as a charming cafe called Darcy's Kitchen came up in Madinat Sultan Qaboos. While they already had a branch in Shatti Al Qurum, this cafe in Madinat Sultan Qaboos soon became the number one spot for an anytime break from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Be it a coffee, breakfast, brunch or tea- we could pop in anytime be assured of great food, ambience ad top quality service with a very personal touch.Home away from home- the thought that popped into my head every time I was there... Given all the above, imagine my dismay when, I saw this post from Darcy's Kitchen come up on my newsfeed late last night "Dear D’Arcy’s customers! Sadly, after 10 successful years, our MSQ branch has closed due to the landlord’s redevelopment of the entire area. We would like to thank each & every one of you for your loyalty & friendship. We are aggressively working on our new location and will inform you as soon as we have an opening date.' The flood gates of memory opened up as I sat remembering all those times hat we had spent there. Looking through my blog I found this post and decided to share it here again. We all have a place that we love to head towards time and again. A place where we can just sit and have a chat with friends over a cup of tea, coffee or enjoy a quick meal. Or if you will, sit out in the sun, basking in the warmth of the venue, but even more, the sheer pleasure of being in a place where each member of the staff is keenly attuned to your individual preferences and greets you like a long lost friend. Darcys MQ, Quaint, beautifully decorated and serving the best coffee.

I've got exactly one such place and its probably where I spend the most amount of time, outside my own home. This charming little cafe is called 'Darcys Kitchen' and its located at Madinat Qaboos (MQ) in Muscat.

'My Take' with a Cappuccino While I'm fairly engrossed in my book, magazine or newspaper if I'm alone here, or chatting animatedly with friends or family in other situations, I do take a look around and nod at a familiar face every now and then. Most of the customers are regulars just like me and over a period one gets to know them somewhat too.

But then there are the other faces that seem somewhat out of place and that is exactly the reason why they stay in the mind. Every other time that I'm there, I see a 35' ish local man, who has a slight limp- and if one looks at him closely, doesn't seem to be entirely normal. Now I don't know why that is so, but one generally avoids making eye contact with him, for fear of...? I really don't have the answer here, but am just sharing my thoughts. And believe me, I'm not the only one there who does this, its probably the majority of others present too.As for the staff, I've noticed that they sat him in a quiet corner where he's served a cup of tea and a small bite and after a short respite, he's off and on his way.. But last weekend saw a departure from the norm. My husband and myself were sitting outside and having our scones and tea and this man walked out.It was evident that he'd finished and was leaving. But here's the real surprise. Just as he reached the small gate which serves as the exit and entry point, he stopped, looked directly at us and waved goodbye. I too waved back instinctively. I really don't know what it was about that simple gesture, but it touched me a great deal. For all the times, I'd thought of him as 'not exactly normal" he'd been seeing and focusing on me as a person who he'd learnt to recognize. Then one day, he actually reacted and how! I find myself thinking of him every now and then. And have made up my mind that I will have a real conversation with him when I see him next.

Just one more reason to head back to Darcy's!! And while I have many photographs of the exterior, Im choosing to use the pic that Darcy's Kitchen used to make this announcement of shutting down

Goodbye Darcy's Kitchen MQ- we will always cherish those beautiful and incomparable memories....