This new churro outlet in Chowpatty hits just the right spot

Heart-shaped churros

It makes sense going to a churro parlour with 19-year-olds. Firstly, they don't count calories, and secondly, they make for fun company during a sugar rush.

With two in tow, we alight at Charni Road at 4 pm, when the city is a steam box and the sun a source of misery. We walk to Toro Churro that sits cosy between Kobe Sizzlers and Sukh Sagar.

A franchise of a name all the way from New Zealand, we've walked in on its one-month anniversary, as we find out later. The place is done up in red and white, and a table against the wall seats four. The wall has frames with illustrations of churros and quotes like, "Can't be sad when you are holding a churro." We settle into a cosy corner seat and pore over the all-vegetarian menu to find out if the quote stands true for us.

Feta surprise

From the langos (Hungarian for bread), we pick feta surprise (Rs 285). But eating it turns out to be akin to sleeping on a new mattress, because like you have to wait for a few nights for it to become comfortable, the base of this dish takes some time to soften up. And the lack of seasoning in the dish, which is topped only with raw tomato pieces, helps us lose interest in it in a jiffy.

The light and hearty cheese and jalapeno savoury churros (Rs 190) makes up for the dull start. The churros are pleasantly brittle, and warm and fluffy inside. The dip of cheese and jalapeno is somewhat fiery, and we wash it down with an overtly sweet, cinnamon-spiked apple bliss cooler (Rs 161). From the fancy churros section, we order heart-shaped churros, which are drizzled with caramel and sprinkled with a bright pink glitter, leading our teenaged companion to think out aloud, "Will our poop shine?" Bursting into giggles - the sugar high already setting in - we explain, "We'll find out tomorrow." The caramel is gooey and since we are used to salted caramel, it takes a few bites to appreciate the toffee flavour that reminds us of Alpenliebe candy. The glitter irritates our palate, however, though the kids don't seem to mind it.

Torolicious monster

Our cookies and cream signature churros never arrives, and we turn our attention to torolicious monster (Rs 619). It arrives looking like tinder ready to be set on fire. We ditch our forks and pick a "log" each with our hands. The sugar-dusted churros are dressed to kill. Drizzled with dark chocolate sauce, caramel and Nutella, with scoops of Amore vanilla ice cream and topped with gems, white chocolate sprinkles, pistachios and cookie dust, it makes the laughter settle for silence. We lick our fingers clean but are unable to finish this monstrous serving. But, it makes us smile, and we realise that the quote does stand true.

But we are not done yet, as we have to try the hot chocolate shot (Rs 80) before we end this sweet surrender. A cup of dense, dark and hot liquid is brought to us. We take the first sip, careful not to burn our lips. The thick concoction makes us swoon, and we place it on the top of the list of best hot chocolates in the city. It makes for a beautiful paradox right in your mouth - it's dense and warm on our palate, but has a light and fuzzy after-effect. "It's the kind of hot chocolate that doesn't burn your tongue, but you wouldn't mind it even if it did," the youngsters quip. Can we have another round, please?

PS: While San Churros still remains our go-to churro destination, this one will satisfy your sweet cravings if you're in the vicinity.

ON: 12 pm to 12 am (Monday to Thursday); 12 pm to 1 am (Friday to Sunday)
AT: Shop No 14, Sukh Sagar Building, NS Patkar Marg, Girgaum Chowpatty.
CALL: 23676665

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