Why this place continues to be my favorite bakery in town, 2 years and running……
My first tryst with Bombaykery was in 2015, shortly after they had started, and it was the food equivalent of love at first sight (or love at first bite, in this case). And it’s been over a year and a half, and my love affair with them continues. So there was no limit to my happiness when I realized they are opening their outlet right near my office (cue the extra hours at the gym).
Bombaykery has managed to keep up their standards across all these months, with this brand new outlet as another feather in their cap. It is a cute little hexagon-shaped shop, and the moment you enter, all you see is desserts from wall to wall, and of course, the smiling faces of the staff, always eager to pack you the very best of goodies. Though they are restricted in terms of space, they have used it well, and the process of browsing through the items, making a pick, and placing the order is super smooth. And when I thought Mitali (the chef behind this venture) was skilled at just divine desserts, she upped her game and has started off a savory menu as well- and no, it does not disappoint in the least. And these savories also carry forward their philosophy of bite-sized goods, so that you get more variety, with lesser guilt.
This time around, I got myself packed a bunch of their stuff- some that I had tried before, and some that I hadn’t.
Dark Chocolate and Salted Caramel Bar: I think I was so busy devouring their desserts all this time that I never thought of trying their chocolate bars. And now that I have, it feels as if I’ve been missing out on something so great for so long. The chocolate bar was simply amazing. The chocolate had been tempered perfectly, had a nice sheen and snap to it, and was filled generously with delicious salted caramel. The chocolate was just the right amount of bitter and the caramel had a wonderful balance of sweet and salty.
Brookie: A mix of brownie and cookie, this had a base of fudgy brownie, topped with a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough. The chunky chocolate on the cookie layer was nice, but the brownie could have been a bit more gooey.
Biscotti: Probably the best I’ve had- finally one that got the sweetness right. Biscotti needs to be just faintly sweet, and that’s exactly how this one was. Also, it was really toasty and crunchy, and would be a perfect accompaniment to tea/coffee.
Cupcakes: I tried my all-time favorite Nutella Cupcake- it has Nutella filling and is topped with Nutella icing- so how can you go wrong with that? A new one I tried was the Salted Caramel Popcorn Cupcake which was wonderful- from the light and buttery texture of the cupcake to the delightful salted caramel flavor of the cream cheese frosting- everything was perfect.
Choux: I tried the Chocolate and the Salted Caramel variants here. The choux pastry was light and airy, and was filled generously with the respective sauces- thick and luscious chocolate ganache and creamy salted caramel sauce.
Satin: They also have mini versions of some of their signature desserts, and each one looks like a piece of art. I tried Satin which had Belgian white chocolate mousse, enveloping soft almond sponge layered with passion fruit and coconut caramel, and Valrhona Dulcey cream, and all of this was placed on a thin and crunchy lime and milk chocolate crunchy base. The mousse was moulded perfectly and was coated with chocolate spray, which was really thin. The mousse itself had a pannacotta-like texture to it, and the entire dessert, despite having white chocolate, was not overly sweet, and it was nicely balanced with the acidity from the passion fruit and the lime.
Banoffee Dessert Jar: They have dessert jars in single as well as sharing variants. The banoffee had been perfectly constructed with even layers of crumb, banana toffee sauce, and whipped cream, and everything was perfectly balance.
Marble Tea Cake: The chocolate and vanilla marble tea cake was moist and fresh and very mildly sweet, which is just the way these dry cakes should be.
Granola: The granola was really nice- it was crunchy, and had just the right amount of honey. It was loaded with dried cranberries and blueberries, hazelnuts, and other goodies along with rolled oats. A nice snack to have as it is, or mixed with some yogurt for a healthy and wholesome breakfast.
Chex Mix: This was really good as well- a nice sweet-salty snack which is quite addictive.
Coming to the savory side, what blew me away were the Croissants. The texture was simply perfect, and dare I say they were the best croissants I’ve had in the city. The pastry was light, crispy, and flaky and the inside was buttery. They have quite a few variants ranging from cottage cheese to thai chicken and tukey ham and cheese, and I went with the Bombay Masala and Cheese, and the combination was so unique and delicious. The gooey cheese, blended with the slight hit of spice was like magic on the palate.
Pao Bombs: This is a really cool new concept they have come up with- these are essentially mini buns which have different types of fillings- ranging from vada pao, choley, to spicy chicken keema and mutton boti. I tried all but the chicken one and was very happy with them. The vada pao one had a nice spiced potato mixture spiked with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and ghati masala (the magic red spice that brings vada paos to life). The choley one had nicely cooked choley with a lovely ginger flavor, and the mutton boti was really flavorful and delicately spiced, and the mutton chunks were quite juicy. It is amazing how they have managed to get the bread so light and hollow on the inside, fill it generously, and yet not let it go mushy.
Pattice: The filo on the pattice was very flaky and crisp, and the fillings generous. I tried all four variants- Thai vegetables (nicely minced veggies flavored with Thai spices), Mushroom (finely diced mushroom coated in a creamy sauce seasoned with pepper), White Chicken (minced chicken in a delicately flavored creamy sauce), and Pepper Chicken (nice flavor from the curry leaves, but could have had a bit more peppery kick to it).
Each item not only tastes good, but is also very polished in terms of its presentation. That, added to their cute branding, makes their items a perfect option for gifting. Of course, if you don’t end up polishing off the box yourselves.
I am also amazed to see how they have built a huge brand name and following, have continued to keep their standards while expanding their menu, and have now taken up the onerous task of running an outlet, but they are still as hungry for feedback as they were when they started off. Rather than praises and laurels, they are happy to get constructive criticism so that they can keep improving.
Overall, Bombaykery has me hooked, and I totally recommend the place for all your sweet (and now even savory) cravings!
You can also place your order online at: http://www.bombaykery.com
Overall Rating: 4.75/5
Location: K 12, DLF Cyber Hub, Phase-2, DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon
Phone No.: +91 +91 8010708708
And I have to say- the deliveries arrived on time, they were all packaged really well, and there was no damage to the products despite the huge distances they had traveled. Each pack of sweets came in their original packing, sealed properly in bubble wrap, and kept in a cardboard box.
So if you want to gift some of these items or you want to treat yourself with some regional delicacies, SaleBhai is the place for you!
They then served us an Amuse Bouche- a sweetened hung yogurt shot, served in a container with smoke created with liquid nitrogen.
Next up, we had more smoke and effects with the Nitro Sev Puri, which was bhel puri, served on papdi and topped with sev, sweet curd, saunth, and mint sauce. The masala was nitro-chilled live on the table, and sprinkled over the sev puri, resulting in a cold, delicious chaat.
We then had Cheese Soya Tacos, which had crispy corn tacos filled with juicy, cheesy soya keema, coriander, pickled onions, and sour cream.
The Forest Creamy Mushroom, one of their signature dishes, consisting of earthy gucchi and button mushrooms served in a creamy, cheesy sauce with black pepper and coriander leaves, topped with shavings of parmesan- a delight for mushroom-lovers.
Next up, we had the Non-veg Tandoori Kebab Platter, which had Ajwaini Fish Tikka, Chicken Malai Tikka, Chicken Tikka, and Mutton Seekh Kebab. All the kebabs were cooked well, and flavored nicely.
For main course, we went with the Chicken Tikka Makhani Combo, which consisted of a bowl of butter chicken, a bowl of dal makhani (thick and creamy), served with your choice of bread.
We also had Grilled Pepper Chicken which had a grilled chicken breast marinated in garlic jus, served with pepper sauce atop creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes, a crisp garlic bread smothered with zingy pesto, and perfectly grilled vegetables. A tasty and filling dish.
We ended this meal with a wonderfully composed dessert- Choco Oreo Cheesecake, which had creamy Philadelphia cheesecake sandwiched between oreo cookies, served with rabdi, brownie crumble, and gems.
At the end of the meal, we were served Choco Cigars, which were essentially paan, covered in chocolate, and shaped like a cigar.
We tremendously enjoyed all the food, and Chef Bharat has really excelled in both, the classic dishes, as well as the innovative ones. And the best part about the innovations, is that though the presentation and combinations are new and different, the flavors are still given utmost importance.
The non-veg starters had a selection of Shikari Tangri (chicken tangdi kebab), Charkha Murg (chicken chunks marinated in an herby green paste), Rajpootana Seekh (soft, succulent mutton seekh kebabs), Raamgarhiya Macchi, Lehsooni Jheenga, and Wings Chatkari Masala. Our favorites were the Charkha Murg and the chicken wings which were coated in the most delicious sauce made with red chilies.
They also had live counters serving up different types of chila (paneer, vegetable, shahi dry fruit), and a counter for the famous dish- Dal, Baati, Churma, which was nicely done, though the baati could have been a tad softer.
Though we were quite full already, we made our way to the main course section, which had two soups- Makai ka Raab, Pudina Murg ka Shorba. The chicken shorba had delicate flavors and was super-tasty.
The non-veg section had Laal Maas, Junglee Kukkad, Mewadi Macchi, Safed Maas, and Kacche Aam aur Murg Biryani. The biryani was nice, but the laal maas could have been spicier to reflect the original recipe. But the Junglee Kukkad was really flavorful.
Making our way to the dessert section, we tried the Gulab ki Kheer, Gond ka Halwa, Mawa Dry Cake, and Mango Shreekhand, apart from the regulars like Gulab Jamun, Phirni, Chocolate Pastry, and ice-cream. And of course, no visit to Barbeque Nation is completed without hitting the kulfi station, where we tried the mango and the malai kulfi.
Overall, it was a pretty good experience, and the service was, as always, prompt and courteous.
While Haveli Dharampura is truly mesmerizing, the best part about the Haveli for foodies is their restaurant Lakhori. Names after the traditional red bricks which are used in abundance in the Chandni Chowk area, and also in the restaurant, Lakhori brings traditional Chandni Chowk delicacies and the rich Mughlai cuisine to the restaurant table.
On our recent visit to Lakhori, we went for the chef’s special tasting menu, which started with the welcome drink of Kanji, which had a lovely sour and spicy taste and was really refreshing in the Delhi heat.
We enjoyed these drinks with a lovely snack to munch on- Kadak Roomali Masala. It was a really innovative dish- a large, crispy roomali roti sprinkled with Western Frontier masala, onions, tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, and coriander. The dish was a nice take on masala papad, and we really enjoyed it.
We were then served Palak Patta Chaat and Dahi Puri. The spinach leaves were lightly battered, not oily at all, and really crispy. They were topped with yogurt and sauth sauce, sprinkled with sev and pomegranate seeds. The dahi puri had crisp gol gappas filled with yogurt, mint, and sauth sauce, served with two types of water- spicy, and sweet-spicy, both of which were absolutely on-point in terms of flavor.
But the one kebab which was the most innovative, and something that we had never even heard of before- the Egg White Kebab. The chef explained that this is his own creation, and me makes it by poaching eggs, separating out the egg whites and removing the moisture from them, and mixing them with roasted chana for binding. The kebab had a smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture, was spiced deftly, and was served with a spicy apple sauce, which made for a very unique combination, which worked together beautifully.
These were without doubt some of the best kebabs we’ve ever had, and what made them so amazing was the fact that they were made with simple, humble ingredients, had clean, delicate flavors which complemented each other well, without anything being overpowering, and most of them were kebabs that you don’t normally see elsewhere. These are for sure, must-haves.
For main course, we had Purani Delhi ki Paneer Tokri, which had tangy karahi paneer, served in a crispy katori made with rumali roti. The Aloo Katliyan Achaari had thin slices of potatoes, coated with pickle spice, and were nice and tangy. The Dharampura Special Dal was thick and had a robust flavor, one which can only be achieved through slow cooking, and for a change, we could actually taste the dal, and not just the butter and cream. Another great dish which looked as great as it tasted was the Kinari Bazaar Kofta Dogla. It consisted of soft koftas made with paneer, covered in blanched spinach leaves, with two different types of gravies, tomato-based, and cashew nut-based. Both the gravies were really creamy and rich, and this dish in its entirety was brilliantly put together.
The non-veg dishes, Chicken Qorma and Mutton Ishtu were both out of this world, and had us licking our fingers. The chicken was braised in brown onion and yogurt gravy, which was spiced well and scented with rose and vetiver extract for fragrance, and the mutton was made in a thick, whitish yogurt-based gravy. Both the dishes were super flavorful and the meats were cooked perfectly.
Throughout our meal, the service was superlative- the dishes were timed well, the server was knowledgeable about the menu, and we really felt like royalty, having this divine meal in the luxurious surroundings.