Mumbai Food: Sample tasty baked goodies at Bandra fine dine

The bakery spread

There's much to love about a bread basket - the joy of slicing into a freshly baked loaf, cracking open a baguette, or lathering sesame crusted bagel with cream cheese.

With visions like these in mind, we stopped by to check out the new bakery section at the all-day diner, It Happened in New York, in Bandra. The baked goods greeted us at the entrance, ensconced in a glass case, and arranged attractively on wooden stands.

But then, looks can be deceiving. Our eyes were drawn to the Foccacia (Rs 130), glistening invitingly in the pale light. That sheen, we realised on biting into it, was due to an overload of olive oil. The bread was so greasy that we could barely register the freshness of the rosemary or tanginess of the brined cherries. We abandoned it after two bites.

Rainbow Bagels

The bakery section has two bagels on offer, a poppy seed-crusted one and Mini-Rainbow Bagels with Cream Cheese (Rs 184). The latter was what they call a 'playful twist on the classic bagel' and was a set of 12 colourful bagels, each about the size of a finger. They looked pretty but tasted dry, and did not have the crispy crust or the chewy centre we associate with classic bagels. The cream cheese was stellar, though.

The lone highlight in the savoury section was the Crown Garlic Bread (Rs 107). It was soft and had a delicate, slightly nutty garlic aftertaste.

In the sweets section, they were out of the Cronut, and Donut Holes, so we settled for the Chocolate Muffin (Rs 84). Studded with big chunks of chocolate, it was again too dry to enjoy.

It could've been the fact that we visited the place late in the evening, or that it was a bad day in the kitchen, but It Happened in New York could do well to remember that baked items need to be enjoyed fresh. Else, they're not worth it.

FOOD Forgettable
VERDICT
SERVICE Prompt
COST Expensive