Café Noir - Bangalore

Eons ago, when I visited Bangalore, I went to this mall called UB city and the people I was with decided to eat some pastries at this quaint little place called Café Noir.

Cut to the present. Couple of weeks ago, I was in Bangalore for R's housewarming. Over the weekend, S and I decided to catch a movie - Thor, The Dark Legend. I was hungry and getting cranky. It was a little past lunch time. Just as we picked up the tickets from the counter, I saw this place with a old-world-charm-feel outdoor seating, some comfortable indoor seating and very few people. I looked up to see the board - Café Noir. It rang a bell; I still don't recollect the group I went with the first time around but certainly remembered the food.

I ordered a creamy pesto pasta and S ordered a sandwich on panini bread. I longingly looked at the cold storage where these little witches..er.. desserts were neatly arranged. S reminded me that we were getting late for the movie with a promise to come back another time. The "another time" came quite soon. Just 2 days later, we hit this place for lunch. This time, we ordered french onion soup, a small pizza, a Mediterranean pasta (which unfortunately was misheard in the kitchen and churned out a mushroom pasta). S dislikes mushrooms; yet we almost cleared the plate only to realize towards the fag end that this is not what we ordered. We informed the waiter who promptly apologized and offered to replace the dish. By then we'd almost finished the meal and we simply waived it off.

The dishes were simply excellent, the bread fresh and the pasta sinking in a generous portion of sauce. We'd picked a Prestige pastry which had layers of chocolate and caramel with orange. We asked for the check and received along with the bill, a complimentary chocolate mousse for the goof up on the pasta. That sure was a decadent surprise.

Café Noir is at UB City and Phoenix Market City, WhiteField, Bangalore.

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The Baker Showcase - Bangalore Chapter - Grand Finale

What a fitting finale - is all I am going to say. Do wait for the post event write up by KP. However, there's going to be something in the blog. First off, the road trip to Bangalore with the Photostrophe team - Jenny and Raghu. Food & music kept us company through the trip. As we moved on, we spotted a few bikers in Bullets, and I tried to shoot them (in vain) :-). There were quite some scary moments on the road (one in particular near the Krishnagiri toll) but lots of funny moments, especially when we saw a goat riding pillion in a bike :D :D (and no we didn't get pictures of that)

It was an exhausting day, but seeing the bakers gave me all the enthusiasm I needed. It was very kind of Sini to drop by.

The drive back to Chennai was uneventful, with an awesome lunch at Gyan Vaishnav Dhaba (er.. did I get it right?) at Vellore. Tummies full, we reached Madras in record time and I can't wait to put up the pictures.

Update:
Here's another post-event write up. This post is dedicated to Lavanya Lakshmanan (she wasn't able to make it to the event and I did miss her).

I landed at YWCA at 3 pm after juggling through the crazy Bengaluru traffic. (This place is right next to the Koramangala Police Station, weird in a way because the gate is invisible and one tends to get inside the police station - Oh it happened - :P)

PS: I even had a name tag - yay - thank you guys. 

The bakers were setting up their tables; I said a quick round of hellos to all of them and noticed that Charmaine had finished setting up. After getting some quick pictures at their table, I weaved around to see what was happening and to block some of the items on sale (Now, I know Bala couldn't quite get his hands on some desserts, so the easiest way is to pay up-front and ask them to keep it aside - *evil grin*).

And then, as I looked around, I was suddenly lost. I wasn't sure if I entered the baker showcase hall or was it a fashion parade! Amazing clothes ! (I was mentally kicking myself for having forgone my mini skirt in favor of a plain old salwar kameez) And being a big fan of jewelry, I noticed this pretty lady in a super huge jhumka, that I couldn't resist asking her where she got it. (There's a photo of her and her earring below). I met yet another lady, and both of us were smiling when we noticed we were wearing similar earrings. (I quite forgot what we spoke about, but I do remember most part was about the earring)

The bakers themselves were beautiful to look at. I particularly loved Vaishnavi's top, and of course, I loved Hamsini's shirt, with the multi color scarf around her neck. Boy, she absolutely resembles my cousin (Savi akka - if you are reading this - then Hamsini looks a lot like you). Vibha - I loved your blue too :D

Alright, let's get to what was on display - now, where do I start - cup cakes, fondant work (thank you Vibha for the panda ;-) ) , hand painted chocolates, flourless cake with almond and maple syrup, chilli choc cup cake, brownies, blondies, bread baskets, plum cakes, Pinocchio cup cakes and the likes, not to mention Vibha's "Decorate your cup cake" special for the kids. And I loved the cheesecake in a jar (from Vaishnavi); I'd bought it purely because I loved the jar; But I'd realize later on that I loved the cheesecake just as much! (The little lavender flower stuck to the jar is now decorating my microwave oven; I didn't have the heart to throw it)

What doting husbands & families our bakers have - Prithvi and Conan (that's Mr Vaishali and Mr Ashwini) were taking care of their wives' stalls and even suggested what exactly we need to buy from them! The entire clan descended to Vibha's aid - her in-laws were proud of what she had done! Ditto for Nikitha. Hamsini had loads of volunteers to help her and Heena's best friend was around to help her. Vaishnavi's husband shot pictures of everyone else other than her stall! :-P Ankita's little one wasn't well, yet she put up a brave face.

Heena was the first to sell out - 150 pieces in under 30 mins. She was followed by the rest of the bakers and in under 90 minutes almost everyone sold out. There was a great demand for Hamsini's macaroons (even those that were on show purely for decorative purposes had takers).

What really amazed me at this event was the kind of packing every dessert had. Such delicate work, I am sure it must have taken tremendous effort and time, but it was worth every sleepless night! The pink covers for the blondies, the neat brown thread tie-up for Hamsini's goodies, the little box for the fondant work - excellent from the word go!

Kids and adults thoroughly enjoyed the evening; At about 4 pm, I hardly had any space to stand and had to venture out for some fresh air.

This event gave me the opportunity to meet lots of people (who hitherto have just been online acquaintances) and somewhere there's a bond beyond just baking. (Psst - I already have a few lunch dates lined up :P - spicy Andhra cuisine to the tangy Punjabi cuisine)

Despite the tiring travel, the event was fun and just kept me going through the weekend. And yes, the jinx is now broken. May we now look forward to many more such events! (in many other cities)

Good show KP - once again - take a bow dude!  Vaishnavi and Hamisni - you girls too! You deserve all the applause! (clap clap clap)

And all your bakers - do take a bow! Great event! :-)

The full set is available in Facebook in the guild page - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.435032519872254&type=1

Here's KP's write up: http://www.thefoodiediaries.in/2012/09/the-baker-showcase-bangalore.html

More pictures are available in the Guild. https://www.facebook.com/groups/homebakersguild/photos/

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Meet the bakers - Ankita Saxena Sinha

Mummalicious - now even the sound of it is so delicious and droolworthy, don't you think!

Meet Ankita of Mummalicious - vegan, sugar-free, egg-less, alcohol - you name it, it's available here.

Excerpts:

D: Have you started retailing yet? Would you like to do that in future?
A: Not at the moment but Oh yes, I will retail in the next 2-3 years. I should have gotten the necessary skills by then.

D: How's HBG and the showcase helping you?
A: HBG has given me a platform for both sorting out problems by asking other fellow bakers and also an appreciative and cheering audience. Its tough to imagine how I would have progressed without HBG. Thanks again to Bala and Nanditha for this platform.

D: What's your specialty?
A: Cupcakes & decorations are my USP. Trust me when I say that I have started serious baking less than a year ago. (Now that's hard to believe, ain't it?)

D: Where do you source your ingredients from?
A: I generally get it from Bangalore and Delhi, especially the sprinklers, liners etc. The accessories and decorative stuff come from the US or the UK.

D: What do you plan to bring for us on 1st?
A: I am planning to bring cake, a few cupcakes (vegan cupcake, one hot surprise and at least 2 more varieties) cheesecakes & savories (cheese & bacon savories). With a 2-year old daughter most of my baking is accomplished only when she is sleeping, i.e. between 11pm and 6am. So starting from an ambitious plan of several things I am not yet sure how much I will be able to finally make.

When I asked her what exactly got her into baking, this is what Ankitha had to say - My journey onto cake decoration started with an incident I witnessed at 2nd birthday party of a dear friend's son. They had ordered a really beautiful and expensive farm themed fondant cake. While the cake was really beautiful and tasty the fondant covering was rubbery and weird in taste. So all guests were removing this fondant as if it was a wrapper and eating the cake. This started my quest for perfecting edible decorations – which are both delicious and beautiful.

Good luck Ankitha and see you on Saturday!

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Meet the bakers - Heena Awasthi

On today's feature, we meet someone who always likes to do it sweet, Heena Awasthi. (Interestingly, or should I say ironically, her page also features a recipe for garam masala ;-) ) Heena has been trying her hand at baking for about 5 years now. (This is perhaps the shortest blog ever, Heena answering my questions crisp and to the point :-))

Excerpts:


D:  Do you retail yet? What are your future plans?
HA: No, not yet. But if opportunity comes I might like to give it try. As of now my hands are full with orders, baking & cooking classes.

D: How is HBG and the showcase helping you, as a home baker?
HA: I must start by thanking Bala for creating such a beautiful platform, where bakers and loads of amateur bakers share their work and queries. There is so much to learn on HBG. This showcase will surely provide us a larger audience and more visibilty.

D: What's your speciality?
HA: I specialize in egg-less bakes, mousse cakes, Fresh fruit Gateau, Chocolate based Tarts & Cakes and fondant toppers.

D: What's your theme for this showcase?
HA: I plan to bring some Ferrero Rocher Cake, assorted pack of tartlets. The rest is a surprise.

D: Where do you source your ingredients from?
HA: I source them from wholesalers in Delhi and Bangalore

Heena wishes to have her own garden kitchen some day, with all the fancy gadgets! (Let me know when you get that done, would so love to see that, knowing I can never have one of my own). She also wants to undergo professional training to add new dimensions to her skills. (Do we see a future Cordon Bleu student here?)


Good luck Heena and May all your dreams come true. See you at the showcase!

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Meet the bakers - Charmaine Saldanha

A freelance corporate communications specialist for large MNCs, mother of 2 teenagers, craft specialist, a baker (for about 30 years now), meet the charming Charmaine Saldanha

Excerpts

D: Where do you showcase your goodies?
CS: I put everything up on my FB page - charmaine.saldanha.  I do this business from home, with a friend of mine, Louella Sequeira.
 
D: I saw those little ivory buds you'd made. How did you ship them to Australia?
CS: The rose buds were for a bride in Australia.  Her mother was making the cake and had made ivory roses and orange lillies and they needed ivory rose buds as fillers.  The bride and her mother were on a brief visit to Bangalore as this is where they lived till 12 years ago.  They carried the rose buds back with them.

D: What do you specialize in?  
CS: My specialty is my Rich Plum Cake.  This is made with my grandmother's recipe - so this is a third generation recipe!  The fruit is all cut by hand and the cakes are baked at home - 4 at a time.  This year I plan to make 500 cakes.  Friends who live in the US and UK get their friends to carry back cakes for them, so every year about 10 cakes go overseas.  In addition I get regular orders from people in Mumbai and Delhi and Blue Dart carries the cakes.


We have a wide array of baked goods as well as other stuff.  I make wine too and in fact am currently trying to promote wine and sandwich spread hampers that people can gift - rather than the usual bouquet of flowers or bar of chocolate -  especially when they are invited out for a meal. I have an array of 5 low-cal sandwich spreads in addition to other spreads and plan to launch flavoured butters soon.


D: How is HBG and the showcase helping you as a home baker?  
CS: HBG is giving me a wider audience for my goodies.  It is also turning out to be a wonderful, generous forum on which bakers are sharing tips and knowhow.  I hope it stays that way.

D: Where do you source your ingredients from?  
CS: My USP for most of my goods is good, wholesome, homemade food, reasonably priced and so I dont use too many exotic ingredients.  I source my ingredients and packaging from wholesalers.  I make things in small quantities to preserve the quality.

Charmaine says that her mother is an adventurous baker who relies more on smell and taste than following a recipe, while she tends to follow a recipe a little more, though instinct plays a large role.  

She just finished making a string lampshade, to replace a Warli lamp shade that she'd made a couple of years ago.  Her previous craft project was to make a patchwork bedspread using material left over from the cotton kurtas she'd made for herself over the years. She stitches some of her own clothes as well. (Do you take orders on these craft projects? I might be interested :-) )

Her daughter, Nina, seems to have a talent for needlework and has now developed quite an interest in baking.  Her son, Nikhil, too is very happy to experiment in the kitchen.

So the trio spends quite some happy moments in the kitchen.

Look forward to seeing you at the showcase! Cheers!

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Meet the bakers - Vibha Gupta

Vibha sent me a note with a sad smiley, asking if I had forgotten her and why I hadn't written to her! That's when I realized my bakers were taking this blog super seriously and notwithstanding my writer's block and illness, I wrote to her. :-) (and it was so lovely to read whatever she had written, that my fingers were simply playing on the keyboard. And that her daughter clicked Send even before she could finish the email, is another story :P)

Meet the mother, wife, daughter-in-law, sister, daughter, friend, home manager and an agony aunt - Vibha Gupta of Sugarcraft.


D: What prompted you to start Sugar craft?
VG: I like to celebrate every small and big thing in my life and in the lives of people around me. Be it in making and presenting food (even a simple breakfast or snack), home decor, dressing up my daughter, painting or even expressing my anger (how can someone creatively express anger? Vibha - please let me know, I am sure people at home would be happy ;-)) Sugar crafting came to me when I found that its the perfect way of expressing absolutely anything on a cake. It brings such joy to the eyes and makes the person almost re-live experiences and create memories that can last for a life time. My philosophy in life is "why should any thing be boring when it can be beautiful? "

D: Have you been retailing? If not, future plans?
VG: I have been making cakes on special orders and collaborating with others in the cake business and creating for them sugar craft cake accessories to better their cake expressions.I spend time with the clients understanding what they want and like their cake to be.I definitely dream to have a bakery of my own. I will get there in time.

D: As a home baker, how's HBG and showcase helping you grow?
VG: HBG is the most amazing thing that has come out of Facebook for me after me finding my long lost friends. A page which has it all - bakers who share the same amount of passion and oodles more, the friendliness in sharing recipes and helping one another. It's like an extended family that is there to guide support and even mentor you regardless of how simple or complex the problem is. The concept is beautiful and an extremely successful one. Three Cheers to Bala & Nanditha.

D: 100 butterflies and 100 doves? - what was that for? :) must have been exhausting? How did you manage?
VG: That was for a baker friend of mine, helping her make her yummy creations even more beautiful. She so wisely said you do what you do best and I will do what I do best :-). After all out sourcing has become ubiquitous  ;-)

D: What difficulties do you face while making these intricate designs? I am sure you need tremendous concentration, with what the non stop phone calls, someone at the door and all that?
VG: My workspace is my dining table and kitchen. I have soothing music on almost all the time while crafting. I usually work at night once I have put my daughter and hubby to bed. It's the best time of the day or should I say night? They are fast asleep and I can focus totally. Also no phone calls & thankfully no doorbells too at night. Difficulties is the weather at times but an AC and adjustment in the recipe carries me through.

Her daughter is the first to taste the gum paste for the craft. Vibha gives a little of the gum paste to her daughter for crafting, and more often than not, it ends up directly in the little one's tummy.

That peacock in the picture was freehand design, made for a client's mom's 60th :-)

See you soon at the showcase and all the very best!

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Meet the Bakers - Sini

A mother to two lovely daughters, wife to a caring & supportive husband, a child of God, a chauffeur, a nurse, a musician and a baker for you - Ladies and Gentlemen - Meet Sini of Homemade Delite.

Excerpts:

D: You started Homemade delite in 2008. How long have you been baking for? What was the catalyst that prompted you to start this as a business?
Sini: As the proverb says the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, my first baking experiment was on my would-be husband and the proverb turned to be true.  But I grew up in a family where my father, mother and sisters bake. I wouldn't be the baker I am if it wasn't for my baking substitution queen, Mrs.Waldock, the constant encouragement from the Frazier family, Swati and my supportive family. None of the cakes leave home without my family critiquing.


D: What is your specialty?
Sini: Right now ,Theme cakes

D: Where do you source your ingredients from?
Sini: For a simple cake everything locally and for decorating abroad.

D: What do you think is the most difficult cake you've ever baked?
Sini: The first try on anything new is generally difficult and it would not be an understatement that my first order was the most difficult attempt - it was an 8 kg chocolate cake and while decorating I had a panic attack and it was my husband who did the frosting for the cake and I just sat there and watched him.

D: How do you think HBG and the showcase helps you as a home baker?
Sini: HBG has become a platform for me to learn and share the trade and it does help when everyone talks the same language. This showcase I'm hoping will help the home bakers like me to give a good exposure and build up network.

D: What do you plan to bring to the showcase?
Sini: Homemade delite's goodies that'll delight everyone's taste buds! :-)

Can't wait to try your angry birds cake, Sini. I do hope you are bringing that to the showcase. Thank you so much for offering to bake something when I was down. I am so touched. :-) 

See you at the showcase and good luck! Cheers!

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Meet the bakers - Deepakshi Raju

A business analyst at Intel by day and a baker by night (I'm not sure which one she enjoys the most :-P) - That's Deepakshi for you. Amidst her super busy schedule, I'm happy that she actually found time to write to me. :-)

Excerpts:


D: Where do you showcase all your stuff? Is there a page or website?
DR: I post it in FB – Cake Cottage.. but have not really marketed it :-)

D: How long have you been baking for? Have you had formal training?
DR: My mom is the Master Baker at home. She trained me on the nuances of baking. I started baking about 7 months ago trying to get a “Thomas & Friends” inspired cake for my son’s second birthday and got seriously hooked!

D: What do you specialize in baking?
DR: No specialization yet… I love exploring and trying out new recipes.

D: How, do you think, as a home baker - the showcase and HBG is helping you?
DR: Its beyond what I had imagined. I never thought I would actually showcase my wares anywhere. This platform and the guild has helped me learn a lot and encouraged me to take this step.

D: Do you have some future plans in baking? May be opening a store?
DR: No plans for the long term future to make this my full time career… one never knows I guess :-)

D: Do you still work at Intel? If so, how do you find time for baking?
DR: Yes, I still work at Intel as a Business Analyst. I love my job and also thoroughly enjoy baking and cake decoration. It’s a hobby that finds me guzzling “Red Bull” at 2am to finish a cake for the next day :-)

D: What do you plan to bring to the showcase?
DR: Have not finalized my menu yet. But will be keeping it simple and hope all you enjoy it!

She's baking the next birthday cake for her son - a tall order from a little man - Spiderman, sitting on top of Lightening Mcqueen and incorporate Nemo (from “Finding Nemo”) in there somewhere!! Talk about challenging customers. This challenge, she would love to take up :-)

See you at the showcase! Good luck!

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In search of the elusive morkali

A friend, whom I've known for about 9 years now, was telling me about this famous place in Bangalore that serves amazing morkali. And I was all drooling about it at work; Couldn't wait for the clock to strike 6 so I could get on the 201 and head to IndraNagar. He got delayed at work, so I spent the time getting a foot massage and shopping - yeah what else to do in Bangalore but SHOP!

When we did land at the place where used to be this famous shop, all we saw was Dominoes Pizza. HUH. Then some guy out there told us the restaurant had shifted to 12th Main Indranagar. Total facepalm moment, because that's where we started off from.

This place is the very famous Mouli's Annapoorani.

What I loved about the place was the quick service, but honestly, the morkali is not as amazing as it is claimed to be. It was dry and there was no spice at all. But I loved the fact that it was served with chinna vengaya vethakozhambu. Yum! (This place also serves pongal with vethakozhambu). There was no tempering in the coconut chutney, a big let down.

The roti combo (akki roti, ragi roti and one more) was decent. I've never liked ragi roti and this place is no different. Murugakeerai adai was okay. I know there are people who swear by this place and if you need good South Indian food, yes you can go here, but I'm sure your mom / wife / girl friend makes better food at home.

And, they have curd rice on the menu :D :D

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Meet the bakers - Hamsini Appadurai

The Baker Showcase Bangalore is back with a bang and today we meet the pâtissière of Delices - Hamsini Appadurai. For some reason she reminded me of singer Hamsika (but the resemblance ends there, for Hamsini says she hasn't progressed beyond bathroom singing). A soft skills trainer, specializing in working with children, Hamsini is a lady of many talents.

Excerpts:


D: Have you had formal training in baking? 
HA: I have never had any formal training,but seems like I have been baking for eons.I did work at the Taj for a couple of months in the Bakery and Confectionery as a Management trainee.My mom baked my first cake with me when I was 14 and I was hooked. Coming from a very orthodox South Indian family,they couldn't understand my passion for baking; hence I pursued a career in Corparate Management..Anytime I went to a store or traveled abroad,I would get tempted by the baking section. I couldn't get out of my addiction for baking. I would wait for occasions to bake ,be it for friends or relatives.I even dream of making delicacies, much to my husband's annoyance. My bedside table is always cluttered with recipe books and my Ipad is loaded with recipes and pictures.My company Delices - a Fine French Patisserie is 3 months old and I am like a mom,with her new born looking forward to each day with eagerness and excitement.

D. How do you think HBG and the showcase helps home bakers?
HA: I am quite excited to be a part of HBG. It really feels like I am finally home and there are other people like me ,who think of baking all the time.I feel I am with my own kind of people ,who understand my language.I also think the showcase is an opening to a whole new beginning.It gives you a gentle push forward. It's also a great place for sharing and building good rapports with like minded people.

D: Do you have a store or do you operate from home? If from home, do you plan to open a store some day?
HA: I do operate from home ,but I have a separate floor which is only for my Patisserie. I have plans to retail next year. I have started forming the recipe for that already.

D: What's your specialty?
HA: Flavours of Europe in Bangalore.

D. What's your theme for this showcase?
HA: Mainly French and Italian  delicacies. Something to satisfy everyone's palate - from French Pastries to egg-less delicacies to Health breads to Hors d'oeuvres .

D: A few words for those that are newbies to baking / taking this up as a profession?
HA: If you love what you are doing , you will end up doing what you love. I believe that if baking is your passion,and where your heart truly lies, then every positive energy in this Universe is going to drive that towards you. Happy Baking and do not forget to add a big dollop of love to all your recipes; the outcome is something spectacular.

Hamsini also helps her husband in the coffee plantation. Her evenings are spent with her 10-yr old daughter, who perhaps will soon take after her mother.The little girl spends all her free time in the pâtisserie This mother-daughter duo blend math and cakes very well.

See you soon at the showcase!

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