13 April,2012 11:41 AM IST | | Aviva Dharmaraj
If you live in and around Khar, you've waited a long time for Bianca; you just didn't know it. Your days of picking tired bread loaves off beige shelves and settling for violently coloured pastries are over. Aren't you glad? We certainly are.If you're hoping to grab a quick bite indoors, there's place for you and at least three others to plonk themselves closer to the entrance. The far end of the narrow patisserie is stocked with a variety of breads, including multigrain loaves and pizza bases in two different sizes.
Khar's new patisserie opens at seven every morning and stays open till 11 pm.
Love and lavash
We enjoyed the Garlic, Basil and Paprika breadsticks (Rs 45). Besides this, they also do a Cheese and Onion, an Italian Herb, and Plain. The real star, however, is the lavash (Rs 50). We would certainly go back to grab another bag of these slim and crispy wonders.
Bianca also does a Mushroom pâté, a Spinach-and-Cheese dip and a Jalapeno Hummus, each priced at Rs 95. The afternoon that we dropped by, however, they hadn't stocked any, as they were having some trouble with the refrigeration.
The Garlic, Basil and Paprika breadsticks can be enjoyed with any of their three dips available, but taste great on their own as well.u00a0Pics/ Santosh Nagwekar
Spoonfuls of sugar
The Gooey Chocolate (Rs 120) was a recommendation made by proprietor and Les Roches graduate Sahil Wadhwa.
The recommendation is well deserved. The luscious chocolate ganache cake carries a hint of coffee that deepens the flavour of the chocolate. Do follow Sahil's heating-and-eating instructions and pop the pastry in a microwave for 10 seconds. Your effort will be duly rewarded.
The Crème Brûlée cupcake (Rs 80) is a speciality. It's essentially a baked Philadelphia cheesecake over a buttery biscuit base. The treat however, as also the reason for its name, is the layer of hard caramel that they flambé on the spot, which provides an interesting contrast in texture.
Coming soon
By the end of the month, you can choose to âmake your own sandwich' for prices ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 150. Fillings will include Herbed Chicken and Paprika with Cheese and Goats' cheese and Mushroom, and at least fives types of bread, including. Croissants, quiches and puffs are some of the other additions they hope to soon make to their savoury menu.
Bianca opens early - seven every morning - and stays open till 11 every night. So, you can drop by post an early morning jog to grab a loaf of multigrain bread, or treat yourself to some dessert on your way home after a long day.
