Forget about being prissy when you’re visiting the newly opened Lokomades in Bandra West. Open your mouth wide, pop a bite-size puff whole and chomp away. Just try not to be around owners Chandni Patel and Nikita Dalal. They will ask you a question just to see you awkwardly tuck the goody on one side of your mouth, as you try to spew words. “We like our guests to talk like minions,” Chandni laughs. Chances are, you might talk anyway to express your wonderment when you have dug into a dessert as delish as the Lokomade.
SO GREEK, SO GOOD!
Loukoumades (or Lokma in Turkish) are Greek goodies that are deep-fried dough balls traditionally garnished with honey and cinnamon. Chandni and Nikita were gobsmacked by them while on an all-girls trip to Europe. As they moved from Greece to Turkey, a modern twist (with stuffing) to the treat welcomed them. Back in India, at a popular pop-up bazaar, their take of the dish sold like hotcakes. “In two days, we sold 450 batches, and had repeat customers,” says interior designer and an avid baker, Nikita.
For nine-odd months, the duo laboriously worked on the menu, which now includes classics such as The Sugar Rush and Honeylicious (Rs 152), modern take like their best seller Hula Hoop (Rs 238) that has a mix of white, milk and dark chocolates; and the Next Generation — includes Nutella Strawberry Bliss (Rs 238) and Marshmallow Blueberry Cheesecake (Rs 238). Chocolate ganache and chips, Nutella sauce and a splash of dark choco together may sound overwhelming but it’s not. They tasted perfect, especially combined with the fruity freshness of strawberries. “Most chocolate lovers fall for this one,” Chandni offers about our next indulgence, Marshmallow Blueberry Cheesecake, which also came with rainbow sprinkles and white ganache stuffing. The loukoumades were crisp to bite into, fluffy to chew and then the sauce melted into our mouths! They are warm to eat and adding a scoop or two of vanilla ice-cream made for a delightful treat. It wasn’t an overdose of sweet, as the dough cut the sugariness just right.
(Clockwise from top left) Salted Caramel Milkshake; Patata; Lokomades
HOT POTATOES
The thrill of trying something new made us have a go at the Greek doughnuts first, but there are more dishes you can sink your teeth into. Patatas (Rs 181) are large freshly-baked potatoes that are loaded with vegetables like red cabbage, capsicum, olives, pickle, etc., different salads and sauces — our choice was Beetroot Mayo topped with Chipotle sauce. It was flavoursome with the perfect proportion of the dip and stuffing. Then there were the French Fries (Rs 152). If you like them crisp and are wary of the sauce making your portion limp, you have nothing to worry about. Every bite had a crunch and the Piri powder, cheese and chipotle dressing made it better.
To flush it down, we had Salted Caramel Milkshake (Rs 181), which was not the most exciting beverage and a tad low on flavour. It would have been the perfect excuse to have another batch of lokomades for a heavenly aftertaste, but we reckoned we had sinned enough for a day!
Verdict: The new treat must not be skipped. There are ample exciting flavours to choose from.
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