Love me or leave me!” I heard from the table beside. Moons ago, but dramatic declarations like this echoed within the cosy confines of Samovar till it downed shutters last month.

A clutch of such little eateries intimately saw hot and heavy romances go from bloom to gloom. In the days we faced, not Facebooked, the object of our affection. When reading a text meant a beau whispered tender verse from a book into your burning ears. When breaking up was to suffer seeing tears fill a beloved’s eyes, not done saying “It’s over” the wimpy way of short messaging.