Ending on a sweet note

We've been loyal patrons of Haagen-Dazs (HD), the premium ice-cream brand which has outlets all over Mumbai. And the launch of its new patisserie menu, was enough to make us salivate at the thought of cupcakes, macaroons, tarts, pastries and cookies, which we were quite sure they would do a good job of. But taste first we must, and so we headed to their Bandra outlet, which is the only outlet at present to have the new menu for HD Cafe. And after stuffing our faces with a number of yummy desserts, and no doubt, stepping out an hour later a few kilos heavier, we're happy to say, they lived up to our expectations. Presenting our five-must-haves from the patisserie menu:

Baked Cheesecake
Rs 195

According to Anthony David, Chef, Haagen-Dazs, India, the baked cheesecake in the patisserie menu is the best in the country. While we haven't tasted as many cheesecakes, as we're sure he must have done, we do think he's pretty close to the mark. The cheesecake was just as it should be - very, very creamy and very, very cheesy. A scoop of vanilla ice-cream with it, and we were good to go.

Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
Rs 120

Sharing a secret about this tart, Chef Anthony told us that a thin layer of dark chocolate separates the tart shell from the chocolate truffle, so that the shell does not become soggy and remains fresh. And fresh it was, with a soft, biscuity texture that went extremely well with the gooey truffle, and the hint of hazelnut.

French Macaroons
Rs 60

We were literally spoilt for choice when a tray of colourful macaroons was placed before us. We went straight for the Dark Chocolate.The soft macaroon oozed out a flavourful filling as we bit into it. We could taste the fruit in the Mango macaroon, while the Kiwi was a tad too sweet for our taste. The macaroon fest ended with the Strawberry, which was fruity, sweet and proved once again that there's more to desserts than just chocolate.

Apple Pie
Rs 180

When our apple pie arrived, we wondered where the flat thin pieces of crust were, the ones we've usually seen on apple pies in other bakeries and so, we were a little sceptical. But one dig of the spoon in the pie and all those thoughts vanished. While the apples cooked with raisins and cinnamon tasted sweet, the crumble on top, made of flour, sugar and butter, gave it the right texture. A bite of the pie and then of the praline and cream ice-cream served with it, we told ourselves, that's what sweet dreams are made of!

Dark Chocolate Dome Pastry
Rs 120

One bite into this dome-shaped pastry and we knew this would appeal to our coffee-and-chocolate-loving self. The coffee mousse, layered with dark chocolate sponge and chocolate ganache on top was a creamy, melt- in-the-mouth affair and stirred up all good emotions.