Bonjour, Goregaon East

Egg croissant

It's a dry day, October 2. We sip on cold chocolate (Rs 215) at the newly opened Le 15 Petit Café at Oberoi Mall around noon time, well before the rush of busy shoppers fills the space. On a wet day too, we would happily make this trek from Andheri to Goregaon East to be in this pretty Parisian pocket sitting behind the escalator like an open secret on the ground floor.

Cold Chocolate

First, for the string of naked yellow bulbs that pep up the blue and pink décor, second for the scrumptious French invasion with its open kitchen, tempting dessert counter, and a whole menu that covers crêpes, eggs, waffles and sandwiches. In the dessert counter, we spot Pooja Dhingra's macaroons and tempting gooey brownies. This 20-seater café is located exactly below Theobroma, sits on the first floor.

Our server greets us with a contagious smile and we kick-start our lazy brunch with a chicken ham-stuffed egg croissant (Rs 330). The scramble is chunky, and the satay mayo and cheese are an oozy combination that we pair with the side of pickled purple cabbage and fresh mint leaves. The croissant has a perfect flaky coat and is well-cushioned inside.

Our veggie waffle (Rs 250), a skinny and soft version which has the texture of an omelette - though executive chef Pablo Naranjo Agular makes it without eggs - is dressed to kill with roasted bell peppers and eggplant, a tart tomato sauce balanced by sweet caramelised onions and generous amount of guacamole, garnished with mint leaves and roasted seeds.

Lebanese Crepe

The Lebanese Crepe (Rs 190) is a let-down; the curtain-thin crepe is draped in marinated veggies, basil pesto and herbs; the hummus dollops are insufficient and the overall bite too dry. We wash it down with a musky, refreshing elderflower lemonade (Rs 180).

For a café in a mall, the menu is designed to attract. We've decided to run the extra mile in our evening workout to make room for tamara (Rs 300), a gooey filling chocolate cake sparkled with pistachio. The side serving of rose cream is light, and the floral splash adds a blossom to every bite.
Agular seems to be quite the heartthrob here, as customers patiently wait to speak to the Colombian chef, who is ever-smiling and happy to chit chat with patrons. The café is bang on with its price points, dishing out an affordable gourmet experience. The only itch was that our bill took way too long to arrive, and we finally we paid it at the counter; something the team will have to work around on heavy rush days.

TIME 10 am to 11.30 pm (all days)
AT Oberoi Mall, ground floor, Goregaon East.
CALL 91361 15886

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