Not quite like Willy Wonka’s, but Colaba’s new cacao mill gives you enough reasons to take a trip to town
Chocolate Sourdough Toast
Far from the rush of the Causeway, the four famous Pasta lanes of Colaba have a vibe of their own. With century-old buildings and old mills that house art galleries and graffiti on walls, 2nd Pasta Lane has a new addition that has caught everyone’s attention. The Cacao Mill by Subko, the artisanal coffee brand’s chocolate venture is the city’s first chocolate factory. Here, you may not see the chocolate river and edible meadows of Roald Dahl’s imagination, but you can surely stroll in and ask for an edible pod-to-bar experience, enjoy baked goodies and sip on Subko coffee (or hot chocolate) as you pick from a line of craft chocolates.
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Mushroom Pepper Fry Quiche
The space in its previous avatars had a textile factory and later, an art gallery that shut down. We walked in to encounter the heady smell of coffee (and chocolate perhaps), strolling nonchalantly towards the centre of the 2,000 sq ft space. Lit by the mild afternoon sun that gently trickled down the sunroof, a tiny cacao plant looked captivating. On one side, there were large screen-printed slabs that carry illustrations of the chocolate-making process. On the other side, expert staff was seen gently tempering, demolding and creating magic with chocolate. Ruqaiya, the staffer at the counter, was kind enough to take us through the process, speaking of working with single-origin cacao beans and highlighting farms not only in Kerala (which is already known for its cacao), but also in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. She also made a few recommendations for our solo chocolate coffee date upstairs.
Flight of six small cubes
We started with iced cappuccino (Rs 248), made from Ratnagiri SH3 beans, with just the right proportion of coffee and ice, making it perfect for the sultry weather. The Subko pain au chocolat (Rs 266) that everyone kept recommending was buttery and flaky, and the filling was gooey and decadent. We got something more chocolatey to match this treat—the sourdough toast with brie and 45 per cent milk mini (Rs 434). Imagine fat chunks of chocolate, on a thin layer of brie on freshly baked sourdough. There’s a dark chocolate variant as well. It was the coming together of three of our favourite ingredients—what’s not to like? The mushroom pepperfry quiche was unlike anything we’ve had before—a flavour bomb with pepper notes and crunch from tiny raw onions, and the flaky crust made it a treat to remember.
The spacious interiors of the chocolate factory are a throwback to its erstwhile mill and art gallery personas. Pic/Shadab Khan
We were disappointed that the cruffin—a cross between muffin and croissant—that we were looking forward to was sold out. Happy with the sugar rush, we walked down to the cellar, a temperature-controlled experience zone where you can sample freshly made chocolate and pick bars and squares with a dash of crazy-filled experiments.
From artisanal takes on classics such as Twix, Snickers, Bounty and Reese’s, to slabs of pure indulgence to small and big cubes in flavours such as pista-cherry, and flavours inspired by Subko coffee’s kitchens and a few experiments, there were unique offerings. Like the seabuckthorn meringue pie cube, which is created in partnership with Project Roots by chef Prateek Sadhu that focuses on providing a platform for foraged produce from Jammu, Kashmir, Leh and Ladakh.
The advantage Subko has is its coffee roasting background—the technical know-how crucial to experimenting with flavour change allows them to get nerdy with the notes. On our way out, we picked podi gunpowder POTO chips (Rs 329) and box called flight of six small cubes (Rs 943) that are like bonbons, but reimagined in interesting flavours. Ours had single-origin cacao and coffee: banana-honey-almond, the SIF kaapi, rustic apple tart, sea buckthorn and meringue pie that we nibbled on our ride back home; happy with this delight on an afternoon in April.
What: The Cacao Mill by Subko
At: 2nd Pasta Lane, Colaba Causeway.
When: 9 AM to 9 PM (Monday closed)
Call: 9004700654
Rating: good
The Cacao Mill by Subko didn’t know we were there. Sunday mid-day reviews anonymously and pays for meals.
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