A flaky friend

Almond creme croissant

For this writer, the second best breakfast item after steaming idlis with chutney are flaky croissants. They are immensely versatile - whether filled with spiced minced lamb, melted cheese or even chocolate, and they never fail to satisfy, provided they are made right. The best ones are crisp on the outside, pull-apart tender on the inside. Happy to announce that we lucked out last week.

Pizzo and Crozzo is a young, homegrown brand that offers a fresh croissant delivery service across Mumbai. There's a decent variety to choose from, including cinnamon crunch mini croissants, mini croissants with chocolate hazelnut drizzle, butter croissants, pain au chocolat, almond creme and strawberry lattice.

The prices are reasonable; a box of three butter croissants cost us Rs 230. Deliciously flaky with well-defined layers, this glorious, golden-brown croissant has a gentle salty and sweet aroma to it. It is balanced in taste, and you can tell that it is freshly made. Which is the reason orders need to be placed a day prior. In the mini croissant box, the chocolate hazelnut drizzle comes in a syringe.

We quite liked the concept because it allows you to drizzle just the amount of chocolate sauce you'd like. This would rock your boat if you have a sweet tooth. If you want a good mix, we'd suggest the assorted pack of croissants (Rs 269 for a pack of three), which is ideal for breakfast meetings. Getting the balance absolutely right for almond creme croissant is quite tough because it can get cloying.

But the almond crust here is scrumptious. While the ingredients for a croissant are simple , usually flour, sugar, yeast, salt, butter and milk - the baking process is a complex craft. And Pizzo and Crozzo seems to be doing a stellar job of being as truthful to the classical French recipe as they possibly can.

To Order: www.pizzo.in