We’re in it together

As the pandemic continues to challenge our lives, we look at recent collaborations in the F&B space, and ask key players if it’s the way ahead

If nothing else, the pandemic has taught us fortitude and the need for new findings. While on one hand, the hospitality industry received a tough blow with restaurants closing down, on the other, cloud kitchen owners and home bakers expanded their small businesses. More than half of the digital world was divided over sourdough perfecting tips; some were absorbed in bread detailing, and some others tasted chocolates and took notes over Zoom calls. We learnt to find a way. But with a fresh set of challenges around the corner, how are restaurant/brand owners, chefs and food developers preparing for relevance? We’ve hand-picked a few agents of this emerging change who stress on quality, budget, originality and innovation.

What’s in a cone?

All those who salivate at the very thought of coffee and also, a kunafa, the syrupy Middle-Eastern dessert, should be glad to know that Bandra-based Kunafa World is joining hands with Dope Coffee Roasters. The coffee roasters for this venture are called The Dark Matter. “It has taste notes of pomegranates, smoked woods and dark chocolate. The strength of coffee, the milky sweetness of cream and the crunch of kataifi cones is a match made in heaven,” shares Dr Arshia Siddiqui from Kunafa World. She is thrilled that in only two days, they’ve sold nearly 100 cones.
Log on to: @kunafaworldmumbai on Instagram

Frozen goodness

Frozen cookie dough from Shivesh Bhatia X Berrika

Baker Shivesh Bhatia, who gave us a zillion home baking goals during the lockdown, recently announced his new product called double chocolate s’mores cookie dough. Bhatia joined forces with Berrika, an online farmers’ market, to make this frozen cookie dough available for all. The dough can be consumed as is or can be baked into cookies. Ask him if it’s a Christmas gift for foodies and he says, “I love Berrika and everything they do. Getting together with them to create this item for Christmas has been extremely exciting.”

The young baker adds that since he has never worked on anything tangible other than his books, developing a type of dough that people could actually have in their kitchens felt great. Coming to the idea of joint ventures as a fix for uncertainty, he maintains, “When you join forces and share resources, you end up achieving quality and budget that one single individual or company might not be able to offer.” 
Log on to: berrika.com

Merry cocktails

Only good things can happen when old friends ideate together. All outlets of Woodside Inn now have a new range of cocktails that were thought over and brought to us by Pankil Shah, director and co-founder, Neighbourhood Hospitality Pvt Ltd – Woodside Inn and Pooja Dhingra, founder at Le 15 Patisserie.

Pankil Shah

The cocktails showcase different flavour profiles and techniques influenced by the Le 15 menu. Dhingra adds, “We have come up with something called ‘_Not_ A Hot Chocolate’ which uses Le 15 classic hot chocolate mix and whisky. It is then clarified with lime and milk solids for a beautiful and balanced flavour. We’ve also used special ingredients like pickled strawberries, Le 15 rose coffee mix and Le 15 salted caramel mix in these cocktails, and even a Le 15 pink negroni served with a pink rose.”

Pooja Dhingra

We are curious about what prompted this range. Shah shares it was born of a tradition: “At her café, Dhingra has a night of Christmas carols every year. Since our newest Bandra outpost is in her new locality, we decided to carry on the tradition there. That is how the festive launch came into being.”
Log on to: @woodsidemumbai on Instagram

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