Sunday, February 7, 2016

Old Madras Baking Company

I've written 4 posts on this place after each successive visit and trying new items. Please scroll down to see them all.

Visit #1


Having heard a lot about this place, me and a friend headed here around 9.15 pm on a Sunday night after visiting Go Go Ramen next door since I hadn't eaten anything there. I was looking to have a non dessert item for within rs. 150. Something like a croissant or a chicken puff.

Unfortunately other than the loafs of bread and some cookies in the display case, there was not much else. Well can't blame them it was Sunday night after all! There were some pies and salads but they were priced at almost 300 bucks so that was out of budget then.

My eyes kept wandering over to the cookies and just then a customer came in and ordered the second last dark chocolate cookie confidently. That did it, I ordered the same thing and the service guy went ahead and heated it up in a convection oven. This was nice to see because usually the heating is done with a microwave oven but a convection oven would heat the food more evenly although it takes more time. Also chose one blueberry donut since there wasn't much other choice.

The heated dark chocolate cookie for 50 bucks was very good. Seeing the nice shiny crust, I suspected it would taste as good, but confirmation is always nice. It was intensely chocolately and crunchy n just seemed quite fresh and yummy. Worth it. The donut was good nothing special to speak about.

The ambience is very nice and the wooden paneling everywhere gives it a rustic feel. I'm sure the place would really come to life when there's the smell of fresh bread wafting through the air. However, not a fan of the seating arrangement which is communal there are no single tables just a big central table with chairs all around. So there's no privacy at all. We were trying to eat while a lady was gushing out details of her love life to her friend. Gets a bit awkward if you're not in the mood for sitting in a crowd.  I've been reading really lovely reviews of all the baked goodies like the croissants and more that this place has to offer and am eager to visit again much earlier in the day.

There's also two chilled display cases one of which houses cheeses of all varieties from gouda to the smoked variety. The other display holds tempting variants of ham that are sold per 100 grams. There are also shelves of locally produced products like Posh Nosh sauces among others. A nice move to support local entrepreneurs. Also saw some imported goodies among these. So there's plenty here for the quality conscious foodie and if you're a lover of freshly baked bread even more reason to make a languid visit on a lazy weekday afternoon for some fresh bites. Prices although high are justified given the quality offered.

Visit #2 















                                                                                 




















 Butter Croissant

I had heard their croissants are really good and I've never had a croissant before, so wanted to see how good it actually was. Again it was served heated on a paper tray. Soft to the touch and when I took the first bite into it, I was amazed bread could taste soo good! Wow, the light flaky buttery layers melt in your mouth and the freshness and crispiness add a new dimension. A must must try especially when it is fresh baked in the mornings.













They have interesting brands displayed on the cases. This ginger beer looked tempting but the price tag was high! Anyone tried it?




Wheat Bread, Nutella Brioche:

Then I asked them to parcel a wheat bread that cost 60 rupees and a Nutella brioche for 80 rs if I remember correctly. Brioche was good but not as soft as I would have liked. Maybe that's how a brioche should be? Not sure, since it was the first time I was having this. There was decent amount of Nutella within but one always needs more. ;)






Cheese and meats 



As someone who cooks quite often, the cheeses and meats section looked very interesting to me. There was many imported varieties of cheeses and meats. The problem was I had never tasted most of these before and so couldn't possibly choose. However, the staff were kind enough to offer samples of any meat and cheese I wanted to sample. I tried samples of French Emmenthal (very strongly flavored cheese. Definitely not for the average cheese lover.) and some others and finally settled for the Plain Gouda cheese which costed 180/- for 100 grams. It was not too strong or too mild for my taste. They give a thick slice of the cheese. 


                                      

Over at the meats section, there was pork, bacon, ham and plenty of varieties of chicken too. They had a meat slicer to slice the meats thinly. Here too I tried samples of salted bacon and pork but the tandoori chicken salami impressed me! On having a taste, it had a lovely tandoori flavor and would go perfectly for home made pizzas or sandwiches. They said it was one of the favorites of customers too, so I went with that easily. 100 grams came to just 120 rupees. Totally worth it. 





As soon as I got home, sliced up the wheat bread into a thick slice and toasted it along with bits of the tandoori chicken salami and Gouda cheese. It was divine!
                                                 



 Visit #3


Another day, another visit. I wanted to try the multi grain bread this time. It was amazing and packed with lots of grains. Great when toasted and buttered. Also chose the chicken makhani puff (rs 70) which I've heard was good along with the Danish custard (rs 60). Both were delicious. Chicken puff wasn't too heavy on the spices and was buttery and yummy. So was the Danish custard which wasn't overly sweet.



Visit #4


This time I just decided to have bread. As usual ordered the butter croissant and another bread I wanted to try: a Ciabatta loaf (70 rs). This bread is firmer and more strongly flavored than a normal loaf. 





Highly recommended place. Most of the items here seem to be well made so I am looking forward to trying almost their entire menu! Of course, it's priced above average but the quality makes it worth it for sure.



Old Madras Baking Company Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato