At 15, with Rs 100 in our pockets, we walked into Alfredo's through the arched doorway that led to the al fresco cafe seating of kidney-bean shaped tables. We'd ask to sit inside, specifically on the mezzanine level, which would fit all 10 of us and give us room be noisier. From there, we had a birds' eye view of the indoors, its pale-yellow walls, a large mirror, mosaic tiles and wooden seating.

Four Seasons Pizza, which came with four types of toppings on one, a Hawaiian Pizza that came with pineapples, Fungi Ala Basil pasta and a round of lemon and peach iced teas. Dessert was a standard order of vanilla ice cream on a warm brownie by the Brownie Point counter outside. This was our go-to order, and the bill would be divided equally—even though the boys ate way more than girls.