Crème De Fiesta... Abundant sweetness!

As I walked into the shop the first thing that struck me were the brightly lit, colour co-ordinated, happiness radiating interiors. An array of cakes was laid out in one show-case counter, while the other counter was laden with savoury items. The shop I had walked into was the newly opened Crème De Fiesta; a cake shop.

Fiesta is the brain child of the Habibulla family (Saifuddin and his wife, Munira). Their manufacturing unit is based at Kondhwa and the company has been in the baking business for a quarter of a century. Until now they retailed their baked items through their five franchise outlets and various shops (Dorabjees, Maxx, Hypercity) in and around Pune. This new shop at Koregaon Park is their first company outlet. 

Crème De Fiesta specializes in theme cakes for any and all occasions. Photo-print cakes are also made on order. They have a wide variety of cakes. Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Rolls, Jam Rolls, Muffins, Rich Chocolate, Chocolate-Orange, Ferrero Rocher, Fresh Fruit, Carrot Cake, Banana & Walnut Cake and Date & Walnut Cake to name a few. They also sell cute cup cakes and Chocolate Mousse cups. 

Other than cakes they bake dinner rolls, buns and breads (White, Multigrain, Marble, Garlic). They have an industrial range of cakes which are packed in a way to ensure that the cakes retain their freshness for a month. They seemed like the ideal thing to carry on long journeys and picnics. They also carry a very decent selection of savoury bakes.

From the savoury section I tried their Chicken Cream Tikka Roll, Chicken Quiche and Chicken Puff Patties all of which were delicious and very well made. The bread used for the Tikka Roll was soft and fresh and the Chicken Cream Tikka tucked within the roll brought back wonderful memories of parties at home when Chicken Cream Tikkas were always ordered as starters. The pastry crust of the Chicken Quiche was light and flaky and the filling was stuffed with a generous quantity of chicken and a creamy mix of eggs and cheese. Their Chicken Puff Patties were reminiscent of delicious patties I had regularly eaten years ago (at Crème De Fiesta’s old Sacred Heart Town-Wanowrie outlet: 2002-2006), and these were just as yummy as they were then. Sigh! 

The cakes I tried were Éclairs Crunch, the Ferrero Rocher and the Rich Chocolate cake. The choux pastry of the éclair was light and beautiful. The Ferrero Rocher was a decadent delight! The Rich Chocolate, too, was good but I would have preferred the cake sponge to be a tad softer. Having said that, it truly epitomized a ‘rich’ chocolate cake! They definitely had not been stingy with the chocolate. (Claps gleefully)

Huge paintings adorn one corner of the cake shop. These painted canvases are for sale and are beautifully done by Safuddin and Munira’s talented daughter, Huseina. This shop is a treat for your palate and for your aesthetic senses. 

Sometime soon, people around this shop are going to be treated to the aroma of freshly baked wares wafting into their homes. Saifuddin plans to install a small bakery at the back of the shop. Nothing compares to the scent of freshly baked cakes. Just the thought of muffins and fresh crusty bread, straight out of the oven, warms the cockles of my gentle Bawi heart. ;-)

Do walk into Crème de Fiesta to check out their cakes, breads, tarts and more. You will be greeted with counters full of mouth-watering goodies and warm smiles. 

Address: Survey No 14A/3A, Lane G, Opposite Shahu Modak Garden, Koregaon Park, Pune
Tel: 020 30189975

Please note: The photographs posted above in the write up are clicked by me and the ones I'm posting below this comment are photographs shared by Saifuddin Habibulla.

Awadhi Festival – Food for the senses, from Senses!

Unlike the gloomy rainy days that we have been experiencing, the Saturday afternoon was bright and breezy. I had been invited me for a small preview of the Awadhi Festival being hosted by Senses at Marriott Suites Pune. As I walked into the restaurant, the first thing that wafted my way was the aroma from the tandoor. The redolence enveloped my senses and all I could think of after that was ‘kababs’.

As we settled in at the table, the servers brought us glasses of Phirni Milk. It was cool milk, fragrantly laced with saffron. It was a perfect start to the Awadhi festival tasting. As we sat sipping the Phirni Milk, we were served melt-in-the-mouth Galouti Kababs. These were tiny bite sized kababs and were so well made that I wish they had been bigger! (Gluttonous ol’ me) They then served us a platter of Tandoori Malai Broccoli. As I’m not a fan of the vegetable I hesitantly took a piece. It was beautifully done! The florets were soft and creamy and the intermittent charred bits lent a lovely texture to the vegetable. They served some beautiful Varkhi Parathas to go with the starters. These are soft layered Parathas and easily, one of the best I’ve ever had.

After a while I headed to the main buffet. They had a few more starters there and I tried the Murgh Malai Tikka, Chicken Hoisin, and Crumb Fried Mushrooms. All three were delicious, but the mushrooms won the race. :) Before edging towards the main course I also tasted a bowl of Tomato Egg Drop soup. The piping hot soup was excellent!

For the mains, I tried the Murgh Korma, Dal Makhani and Mutton Dum Biryani. The Dum Biryani was well made: Fragrant and flavoursome but the champions were the creamy Dal Makhani and delectable Murgh Korma, especially when paired with the soft, layered Varkhi Parathas. It was the common consensus at the table that the chefs had outdone themselves with these dishes. 

I also tried a wee bit of the noodles, some chicken in Chinese sauce (the name of which I, unfortunately, do not remember) and a vegetarian fried rice from their Chinese counter, all of which I cannot complain about.

As we got talking, I completely forgot I had yet to visit their dessert station. When I realized that, I rushed to the dessert counter as the buffet timing was nearly at an end. The desserts I chose were a Black Forest pastry, a Balushahi, a few shards of chocolate, Rabdi and Seviya ka Muzzaffar . I’m not much of a pastry person when it comes to a buffet but, I have to say, the Black Forest Pastry was a decadent delight! The Balushahi was nothing special and the Seviya was yummy but a tad dry as it had been laying in the chafing dish for a while. The Rabdi was classic! Lush and creamy! Had I not been as stuffed as I was, I could have polished off an entire bowl of that wonderful dessert. As for the chocolate shards, t’was just that – CHOCOLATE! I had grabbed a few to appease ‘le diable en moi’. (Very evil grin!)

The festival has an extensive menu of Awadhi Cuisine, along with the regular Chinese counter, Salad counter and live counters (Jalebi included - sigh!). There’s a lot going on at the buffet and there are plenty of choices that one can indulge in. If you have a night out planned, or an event to celebrate, this week, then this buffet is just the thing for you. During a conversation with the Chef, he informed us that he plans to curate a new menu every night, for this festival.  The festival is only on for their dinner buffet and this week long festival is on from July 15, 2016 to July 23, 2016. The buffet is priced at 1050/- + taxes. Do give it a try; I’m sure you will love it!

Food: 4/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Service: 5/5

Address: Marriott Suites Pune, 81 Mundhwa, Koregaon Park Annex, Mundhwa, Pune

Tel: 020 26747474 / +91 9158990657

Some more photographs to feast your eyes on.. :-)

Malaka Spice – Dependable for great food, as always!

I picked up a dear friend, my namesake Kainaz, and her darling daughter Kloee for lunch on a Thursday afternoon. In known circles my friend Kainaz is a ‘rock star’ who creates the most awesome Chocolate Brownies, Quiches, Cookies and Cup-cakes. Our friendship is merely six months old but sometimes souls are simply destined to connect beautifully (touch wood) and so it was for us. This was going to be our last meeting before she heads out to UK, to settle with her husband, Rolan. Our pre-planned destination for lunch was Malaka Spice. 

As usual, having skipped breakfast I was hungry enough to eat a horse. When we reached the restaurant we quickly ordered drinks and starters. For drinks we ordered an Orange Juice, Virgin Mojito and Cold Coffee. Our starters were Chicken Frittura, Firecracker Prawns and Murtabak.

Chicken Frittura was batter fried chicken pieces served with a tangy Mango Sambal dip. The chicken was fried just right where it remained juicy and tender and that Mango Sambal was tangy, spicy and delicious! 

The Firecracker Prawns, marinated in Thai spice paste and coriander, encased in a thin wrapper (with crisp noodles peeping out from one end) were fried to crisp perfection and were delectable! They were a delight to the eyes because of the way it was presented on the platter and were even more pleasurable when bit into. 

The Murtabak (we chose mutton mince instead of chicken mince), was well spiced mutton mince wrapped in thin crepes and pan fried. They were absolutely yummy! I could not find the slightest fault with any of the starters. Without a doubt, I give each and every starter a well deserved 10/10.

For the mains we wanted to order Indian Crayfish in Black Bean Sauce and Singapore Chilli Prawns. Disappointingly, the Indian Crayfish was not available, so we opted for Prawns in Coconut Cream instead. We ordered Jhala Rotis as accompaniment to the curries.

When set at our table, at first glance, both curries were very similar in appearance but when we tasted them, they both had their own distinct flavour and were not alike at all.  The Singapore Chilli Prawns were mind-blowing and they weren’t kidding when they named it Singapore ‘Chilli’ Prawns. I absolutely love spicy food and these prawns tossed in spicy Singapore Sambal made my taste buds do a lively jig. 

The Prawns in Coconut Cream, were just as delicious but, comparatively, more delicate in flavor. The prawns for both dishes were cooked ‘exactly right’ and the Bawi in me rejoiced at each and every bite.

As for that extraordinary Jhala Roti, it partnered both the curries to perfection! Jhala means net, netted or web. I will not say any more about the Jhala Roti as I would like you to feast your eyes on this beautiful creation and experience its taste (and uniqueness) for yourself. Each and every dish served was beautiful in terms of flavour and texture. It’s only right, then, that I give them full marks. :)

Our choices for dessert were Royal Chocolate Mousse and Banana Toffee with Ice cream. The Royal Chocolate Mousse was the only disappointment of the day. I ate a spoonful and took another one to confirm what I felt on my palate. The mousse was grainy, instead of being smooth. My friend, Kainaz, is a chef and she concurred. The mousse was rich, decadent and, taste-wise, I could find no fault with it but that grainy texture took away the smooth pleasure that my tongue was waiting to experience when I took that first spoonful. 

I don’t like fruits; except mangoes and bananas, which I love. (Those who follow my work know that well!) Hence, the choice of Banana Toffee with Ice cream which was sweet ripe bananas fritters tossed in caramel and served with ice cream. It is a classic dessert and the hot-cold combination blew me away. It was an incredible finale to a fabulous luncheon!

At the cost of sounding repetitive, we were, truly, very disappointed to have missed out on Indian Crayfish in Black Bean sauce. :( I hope, with all my heart, that Malaka Spice has Indian Crayfish in stock when I visit next.

As for the rest of the experience through the entire afternoon:

Team Malaka Spice, kudos! The service, the ambiance and the food were excellent! I look forward to visiting you guys next month; to bid another friend good-bye as she is moving away after getting married and then again, to celebrate mum’s birthday as she and dad plan to come into town next month. Amen to that! ;)

Ambiance: 4/5 (had to battle a fly or two)

Food: 4.5/5

Service: 5/5

Address: Lane 5, Opp Oxford Properties, North-Main road, Koregaon Park, Pune

Tel: 020 26151088