It’s a stretch

A new kunafa place in Bandra is perfect for post-meal dessert cravings, but leaves us asking for more flavours

The first time this writer tried kunafa was in the Middle East. Pure, decadent and full of stringy cheese, it changed our view of what traditional desserts in deserts (pun intended) can taste like. It is made with shredded pastry called kateifi that looks like ultra-thin vermicelli or laccha sevaiyan that is soaked in a sugar syrup and layered or wrapped with cheese and other ingredients like cream or nuts. Popular in Egypt and the Levant region, it’s a speciality that we were excited to try.

Kunafa World, a tiny café at Pali Naka with its three tables for outside seating and battery-lit candles in a lantern, makes an earnest attempt to bring in the cafe feel, but the place is more of a delivery outlet. You could stop by for a quick post-meal dessert treat but that’s that. At the outset, we had our eyes set on Nabulsi cheese kunafa (R396), a specialty that originated in the Palestinian city of Nablus and uses a local white-brine salty cheese called Nabulsi as the filling. The blend of stringy Nabulsi cheese balanced perfectly with the crunchy, buttery semolina crust that had turned just the right shade of golden. However, we felt there could have been more of the cheese for that well-rounded, goodness feel in the mouth that a well-made kunafa can give. We even watched it getting made on rotating burners while the staff rolled out kunafas like clockwork, packing them neatly in to-go boxes for the delivery crew waiting outside.

Nutella cones

They have two base pastry variants—crust made with long thin vermicelli threads or the one with semolina dough. The pastry is heated in butter, the filling is spread and topped with more pastry, and cooked on small plates on rotating stoves for even cooking. The plates are flipped and cooked on the other side as well. Some kunafas need to be cooked in the oven as well. Thick sugar syrup is poured on the pastry during the final minutes of cooking and crushed pistachios are sprinkled on top as a garnish. You could add more of the syrup served on the side as it brings out the flavours. We are told they go the extra mile to source the kateifi as well as the Nabulsi cheese from the Middle East for that authentic taste and experience.

The cafe has three tables for outside seating and battery-lit candles in a lantern. Pics/Shadab Khan

The kids were particularly excited about the Nutella cones (Rs 343 for four) made with kateifi woven into cones, filled to the brim with pure, indulgent Nutella—it sure is the straightforward way to chocolate heaven. The crunchy nutty kunafa (Rs 286), loaded with fried nuts, was a good play of textures in every bite and the crunchy caramel (Rs 286) had a robust earthy flavour that cuts down the syrupy sweetness but adds its own richness. For first-timers, we recommend opting for combos that allow you to choose from different flavours and options of cream cheese and cheese with various topping options. 

For chocolate lovers, there’s plenty to choose from. Think rich and crunchy Snickers, Kit Kat, Bounty and Oreo—and if you, like us, are a fan of Lotus Biscoff, there’s that on the menu too. These make for great Insta pics, too. However, for an all-kunafa menu, we’d have liked to see some bold flavours that went beyond the chocolate profile; let’s say matcha, mango, or tiramisu, for instance.

Where: Kunafa World, Shop no. 3, Simple Apartment, 16th Road, Near Mini Punjab, Bandra West

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