(Pop) Corn Stars!

Popcorn, the all-time favourite go-to cinema hall snack is getting a major image overhaul these days at restaurants, bars and patisseries across the city, finding itself in everything from cocktails to cakes and a whole lot in between

By Raul Dias

Monk E Corn 
Never mind the rather wacky name, this drink at the Pickle & Pint restobar champions a very unusual cocktail ingredient like popcorn with great aplomb along with another much-loved rum brand. So, what we have here is a melange of Old Monk rum, popcorn syrup, apple juice, lime and aromatic bitters all shaken together and served in a chilled crystal old fashioned glass, garnished with its raison d’être ie. popcorn and an apple slice to add more texture. “Popcorn and Old Monk are two crowd favourites. Popcorn is an ingredient that one can play around really well and so when rum is infused along with it, it makes for a rather unusual cocktail that brings in that classic movie theatre nostalgia”, says Mitesh Pawar, the bartender at Pickle & Pint, who also mixes up another popcorn-based vodka cocktail called the Willy Wonka.
At Paradise by Tunga, P16, Central Road, MIDC, Andheri East.
Call 67898944/678898900/9930374565
Cost Rs 295++

Chocolate Caramel Popcorn Cake
This stunning looking speciality cake at The Oberoi Patisserie brings to fore the delightful balance of sweet and savoury with every bite.  Here, the highlight is the Tarta Caprese sponge cake that’s layered with unctuous chocolate marquise, raspberry confit, the star ingredient aka. caramel popcorn and a mirror-like chocolate glaze. Caramel popcorn adds the surprise element of texture and helps maintain a fine balance of savouriness that elevates the flavour profile of the cake. “Anybody can make you enjoy the first bite of a meal, but only a pastry chef can make you enjoy the last,” says pastry chef Prashant Sabne at The Oberoi Patisserie. “It is with this continued endeavour to bring our guests exquisite culinary experiences, that my team and I continuously research and innovate, staying firmly rooted to familiar tastes and classics such as this popcorn cake”
At The Oberoi, Nariman Point.
Call 66326245
Cost Rs 2,500++ per kilo

Chocolate Pot de Crème with Salted Caramel Popcorn
The lip-smacking sum of its rather unusual salted caramel popcorn and lemon-poppy olive oil cake parts, this layered dessert served in a clear glass pot is a textural treat. The light-as-air chocolate mousse, crumbly cake, silky caramel and then crunchy salted popcorn all add to the dessert’ edible and visual brilliance. “Without the popcorn this would be just another chocolate dessert, which although delicious, isn’t quite as unique! The salted caramel popcorn adds crunch, surprise and a play of textures, which is so critical in any dessert,” says Dheeraj Varma, the head chef at Monkey Bar.
At Summerville, Junction of 14th & 33rd, Linking Road, Bandra West.
Call 26005215
Cost Rs 270++

Popcorn Old Fashioned 
Besides its name, there’s truly nothing ‘old fashioned’ about this popcorn cocktail served at The Quarter at the city’s Royal Opera House. Try fashionably modern and very avant-garde instead! Here, popcorn is infused in bourbon and left to macerate for 24 hours. It is then strained using a muslin cloth and mixed with just simple syrup and served on the rocks in an etched crystal glass with a small side of popcorn fastened onto the glass with a tiny wooden clip. “The idea behind the Popcorn Old Fashioned was to create something that’s a little sweet and a little salty for a perfect cocktail starter. We serve it with a side of butter salted popcorn to whet the appetite. The bourbon used in this cocktail is infused with popcorn for 24 hours giving it that wonderful buttery fragrance”, says Nikhil Naik, The Quarter’s bar manager.
At Royal Opera House, Mathew Rd, Opera House, Girgaon.
Call 8329110638
Cost Rs 700

Caramelised Popcorn with Crispy Bacon
This dish of a bed of caramelised popcorn with crispy bacon sitting atop it, that’s part of the new café menu at the Asian restaurant Hello Guppy, is one of those dishes that defy both convention and definition. Is it a snack? Is it a dessert? The mind questions when a birch wood bowl of this dish is put in front of you. But then you realise that it doesn’t really matter as it makes for the perfect indulgence for any time of the day. “Popcorn as a food is loved by everyone and can be enjoyed at any time of the day. Interestingly, in Japan it is found everywhere—except at movie halls! I was therefore inspired to create a dish that uses popcorn as a key ingredient, since it is so ubiquitous in Japan,” says Vikram Khatri, the executive chef at Hello Guppy.
At Ground Floor, Godrej-BKC, G-Block, BKC.
Call 26534720
Cost Rs 199

(An edited version of this article appeared in the 3rd September 2018 issue of the Mid-Day newspaper, India on page 22 https://www.mid-day.com/articles/pop-corn-stars/19763193)

The Lure of Lavender

It’s literally raining purple with a range of lavender-infused desserts and goodies at restaurants and patisseries across the country that pay homage to the delicately perfumed flower and its gorgeously vibrant hue!

By Raul Dias

Is it a flower? Is it a herb? While there is enough conjecture about the botanical underpinnings of lavender, one thing is for certain, this season, it has crept into a host of desserts and goodies at restaurant and patisseries across the country. Places that are celebrating the purple-hued flower (we’ll just leave it at that!) in myriad ways. And why not? Being particularly compatible with the dessert-friendly flavours of honey and lemon, lavender is a perfect springtime flower to brighten up—not just a table—but also what’s served atop one!
Here’s a list of a few such preparations that are imbued with that heady dose of the flower’s power:     

Lavender and Blueberry Viennese Shortbread with Rose Petal Panna Cotta at Estella, Mumbai
This rather delicate confection is an intricate construction of two lavender-flavoured shortbread fingers sandwiching whipped cream and blueberry jam, and topped with more cream and jam, with a sprig of lavender and rosemary as the garnish. Accompanying this, is a wobbly panna cotta that does a jig, not just on the platter, but on your palate as well.   

Lavender Panna Cotta at Latest Recipe, Le Meridien Gurgaon, NCR
In this iteration, the actual panna cotta—that simply translates from Italian into English as “baked milk”—is the creation of the hotel’s Executive Pastry Chef Anil Kumar, who was inspired by the refreshing and delicate lavender flavour. The fact that this flavour has to be used just in the right amount for its effect to show up and can only be infused with cream, got him excited to try it in this panna cotta. And what a sublime creation that turned out to be!

Lavender Macarons at Cocoatease, Mumbai
Riding high on the crest of the macaron wave are these crispy, chewy, French macarons filled with a lavender-infused Swiss meringue buttercream. According to Manju Hemrajani, Co-owner, Cocoatease, people in India are slowly and steadily getting accustomed to and have started understanding the subtlety of flavours, because lavender is an acquired taste and needs to be used with caution. If used in excess, it makes the product taste bitter and pretty much inedible. But there’s no fear of that happening in the case of these delectable morsels of heaven! 

Lavender and Bitter Chocolate Bon Bon at The Oberoi Patisserie & Delicatessen, The Oberoi Gurgaon, NCR
Chef Gagan Rahi, Sous Chef (pastry) has used luxurious Valrhona chocolate and lavender flowers to create these chocolate bon bons. The bitter sweetness of the lavender flowers lends a sweet pungent after-taste to the chocolate and pairs beautifully with the intense chocolate-y notes for a well-balanced pairing.

Almond and Lavender Latte with Lavender and Lemon Cookie Crumble at The Korner House, Mumbai
As the only lavender-infused drink on this list, the latte is a creamy, rich, vegan almond and lavender blended latte topped with dairy free cream and lavender oatmeal cookie crumble. According to its creator Chef Vicky Ratnani, the reason behind its genesis is simple: Veganism is growing rapidly and people like to have nut milks. And so, the idea of doing an almond milk and lavender latte was not just au courant, but unique as well. We couldn’t agree more!

Japanese Lavender Cheesecake at Bodega Cantina-Y-Bar, Kolkata
So obsessed is this Park Street, Kolkata restobar with lavender that they’ve come up with a very unique dessert using the flower! The Japanese Lavender Cheesecake is created by ace Mumbai pastry chef Sanjana Patel and is made up of a deconstructed cheesecake that comes with lavender lemon gel and lavender flavoured ice-cream. The ode to lavender is thanks to the restobar’s Chef and Co-founder Urvika Kanoi​’s​ chef ​school address in London which had a beautiful garden on the opposite side which would bloom in summers.

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Halo Halo Sundae with Lavender Ice-cream at Shizusan, Mumbai
Shizusan—Mumbai’s newest Pan-Asian restaurant too seems to be enamoured by the lure of lavender. In the Halo Halo Sundae, the classic sundae from the Philippines sees the traditional purple ube yam ice-cream scoop being substituted by the floral hit of the lavender ice-cream that goes on to get combined with shaved ice, condensed milk and generous piles of sweet beans, jellies, and rice crisps in a glass. ‘nuff said! ​  

(A shorter, edited version of this piece was first published in the April, 2017 issue of The Week's Smart Life magazine)