Chhaya Café, 1823 East Passyunk Avenue, prepares for dipping temperatures next week with the return of richer, heavier and heartier brunch flavors. Chef and owner Varnana Beuria serves up a winter menu with sweet and savory selections that embody the concept of comfort food. On the beverage side, Chhaya’s Heaven Sent Elixir takes center stage as a must-have concoction that is both soothing and flavorful for those dealing with the pesky flu.

Starting this week, Chhaya will debut the following items every weekend during its brunch service:

Stuffed French Toast Waffle - Chhaya's french toast takes on the appearance of a waffle as it’s dipped into a house-made egg batter and finished on the signature waffle press. Two pieces of the golden brown toast are then filled with a decadent layer of a berry infused cream cheese filling. A bourbon maple syrup is then drizzled over the entire waffle giving a sweet finish to this delicious make-over of this brunch staple. ($10.00)
Warm White Bean and Asparagus Salad - Cannellini beans, roasted asparagus and cherry tomatoes are quickly sautéed in a walnut pesto made in-house from scratch. The mixture is then served atop a hearty slice of warmed country white bread, garnished with sliced toasted almonds, and finished with a fresh squeeze of lemon. ($10.00)
Sunrise Eggs - Oven-roasted cherry tomatoes and asparagus are folded into scrambled eggs and served on top of an open-faced herb biscuit. Sunrise eggs are accompanied by a small side salad of arugula with slices of fresh strawberry. Smoked salmon is also offered as an add-on, placed just on top of the eggs. ($10.00, salmon $3.00 extra)
Whole Wheat Crepes - Steak and Eggs Crepe with Béarnaise sauce joins other rotating crepe selections. ($12.00)

Warm White Bean and Asparagus Salad, Chhaya Cafe

In addition to homemade scones, brownies and muffins, Chhaya will debut new flavors of fresh biscotti ($1.00 per piece for all varieties), including:

Chocolate biscotti with walnuts and the subtle flavor of ancho chilies
Cinnamon biscotti with almonds
Chocolate biscotti with white chocolate chips
Vanilla biscotti with dark chocolate chips

Featured daily coffees and teas will include:

Belgium Hot Chocolate created from a semi-dark Belgium chocolate sauce, mixed into steamed milk. Fresh whipped cream can be added on top at no extra charge. ($2.75 12oz, $3.25 16oz)
White Hot Chocolate and White Chocolate Mochas created from Belgium white chocolate and espresso, then mixed into steamed milk. ($2.75 12oz, $3.25 16oz)
Heaven Sent Elixir is a mixture of honey, lemon, pulverized ginger and black peppercorns,steeped with any variety of loose-leaf tea in stock ($3.00 12oz, $3.75 16oz). Caffeinated tea varieties include: Morning Blend (Yunnan and Keemun), Kenilworth (Black Ceylon), Blue Lady (Black, lavender and grapefruit), Sun Dew (Green, dried flowers, apricot, citrus), Eros (Black, mandarin orange, vanilla, mallow flower), Tear Water (Earl Grey, violets) and Bancha (Second flush Japanese green). Decaffeinated varieties include Rooibos (Orange peel, cinnamon), Witch Blend (Hibiscus, blackberry, apple) and Tranquility (Spearmint, chamomile, citrus, lemongrass). Chhaya serves only the finest and freshest tea blends in the world from House of Teas.

Chhaya will also continue to serve its year-round menu of sandwiches, salads, baked goods, waffles and crepes. All food and drink items are made fresh, in-house every day, from the muffins to the sandwiches, even the chocolate sauce and chai.

For more information, call (215) 465-1000, click here, follow @chhayacafe on Twitter or like Chhaya Café on Facebook.