Fantacy at Midnight
After dinner destinations are changing. Whereas people would head out to a pub or a coffee shop in the past, today’s generation is busy indulging its sweet tooth, finds Priya Pathiyan
GLOBALLY, from Greenwich Village to Greater Kailash, desserts are the dish du jour. People with a taste for tiramisu might enjoy it at any time of the day, but the new trend is for people to frequent dessert bars into the wee hours of the night.
Even in New York, despite the vibrant club scene, places like ChikaLicious, Cocoa Bar and Daniel’s dessert lounge have become hangout hotspots, especially for the chocoholically-inclined.
“Today, there’s a greater emphasis on fun conversation, which you can’t really indulge in if you’re in a noisy pub or disco. My friends and I prefer to hang out at the nearest parlour, gorging on pastries or icecream,” says 22-year-old Khyati Daryanani from Bangalore. And whether it is the simple pleasures of a brownie with ice-cream or an elaborate slice of decadence made from imported ingredients, Indians are increasingly familiar with all kinds of desserts. Across the country, people are pampering themselves with mousses, cheesecakes, mud pies, crème brûlées and much more. Observes Vijay Arora, owner of the hugely popular Gelato in Delhi, “Although our ice-creams like Ferrero Rocher and Belgian Chocolate are best-sellers, people love our sorbets, especially the kiwi one, and fruit sundaes as well.”
Dessert bars are coming into their own. Bunty Mahajan, proud proprietor of Deliciae, a dessert café in Bandra, Mumbai, says, “As of now, there are just a few places like ours that specialise only in desserts. Our clientele is varied, from 18-year-olds to the older agegroup, but they are all diehard dessert fans.”
Management consultant Chaitanya Mule admits, “My wife and I have decided to dedicate one night a week for sheer gastronomic indulgence. We treat ourselves to a three-course dessert meal, starting with something like a flaky pastry (apple or peach pie) with ice cream, going on to a cheesecake and ending with something extremely rich and chocolatey. The rest of the week, we watch our diets and work out, but this ritual is sacred!”
A dessert aficionado herself, Kainaz Messman, chef and owner of popular South Mumbai dessert bar, Theobroma, agrees: “Eating in moderation is the key. If you have a balanced diet and lead an active life, a dessert (or two!) will do no harm. They make you feel better instantly and they are much cheaper than therapy!”
And speaking of cheaper, the latest concept of a ‘dessert date’ suits people’s pockets better than a formal dinner. Anka Radakovich writes in the New York magazine: “The dating pecking order tends to go like this: dinner, drinks, coffee. Anything less than dinner tells your companion you’re less willing to invest, in one sense or another. But the dessert date, a trendy new courting ritual, sends no such message. It’s still cheap – without seeming that way.” Closer home as well, the younger generation has discovered the joys of pigging out in tandem, without worrying about the price tag. “My girlfriend and I meet at the dessert café almost every night. This way, we don’t spend a bomb, and are able to enjoy some cosy time. And plus, there’s chocolate!” enthuses collegian Neil Sequeira.
Getting your just desserts just got more exciting!
GLOBALLY, from Greenwich Village to Greater Kailash, desserts are the dish du jour. People with a taste for tiramisu might enjoy it at any time of the day, but the new trend is for people to frequent dessert bars into the wee hours of the night.
Even in New York, despite the vibrant club scene, places like ChikaLicious, Cocoa Bar and Daniel’s dessert lounge have become hangout hotspots, especially for the chocoholically-inclined.
“Today, there’s a greater emphasis on fun conversation, which you can’t really indulge in if you’re in a noisy pub or disco. My friends and I prefer to hang out at the nearest parlour, gorging on pastries or icecream,” says 22-year-old Khyati Daryanani from Bangalore. And whether it is the simple pleasures of a brownie with ice-cream or an elaborate slice of decadence made from imported ingredients, Indians are increasingly familiar with all kinds of desserts. Across the country, people are pampering themselves with mousses, cheesecakes, mud pies, crème brûlées and much more. Observes Vijay Arora, owner of the hugely popular Gelato in Delhi, “Although our ice-creams like Ferrero Rocher and Belgian Chocolate are best-sellers, people love our sorbets, especially the kiwi one, and fruit sundaes as well.”
Dessert bars are coming into their own. Bunty Mahajan, proud proprietor of Deliciae, a dessert café in Bandra, Mumbai, says, “As of now, there are just a few places like ours that specialise only in desserts. Our clientele is varied, from 18-year-olds to the older agegroup, but they are all diehard dessert fans.”
Management consultant Chaitanya Mule admits, “My wife and I have decided to dedicate one night a week for sheer gastronomic indulgence. We treat ourselves to a three-course dessert meal, starting with something like a flaky pastry (apple or peach pie) with ice cream, going on to a cheesecake and ending with something extremely rich and chocolatey. The rest of the week, we watch our diets and work out, but this ritual is sacred!”
A dessert aficionado herself, Kainaz Messman, chef and owner of popular South Mumbai dessert bar, Theobroma, agrees: “Eating in moderation is the key. If you have a balanced diet and lead an active life, a dessert (or two!) will do no harm. They make you feel better instantly and they are much cheaper than therapy!”
And speaking of cheaper, the latest concept of a ‘dessert date’ suits people’s pockets better than a formal dinner. Anka Radakovich writes in the New York magazine: “The dating pecking order tends to go like this: dinner, drinks, coffee. Anything less than dinner tells your companion you’re less willing to invest, in one sense or another. But the dessert date, a trendy new courting ritual, sends no such message. It’s still cheap – without seeming that way.” Closer home as well, the younger generation has discovered the joys of pigging out in tandem, without worrying about the price tag. “My girlfriend and I meet at the dessert café almost every night. This way, we don’t spend a bomb, and are able to enjoy some cosy time. And plus, there’s chocolate!” enthuses collegian Neil Sequeira.
Getting your just desserts just got more exciting!
posted by Jinu @ 6:48 AM
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