Valentine's Day Menu at Bon Appetit Cafe

Dear All,

This is a PR post. It is based on the fact that a dear friend, and the owner of Bon Appetit cafe, Rahul Arora, has kindly fed me his phenomenal valentine's week menu, which is from the 7th to 14th of February, 2013. As all the food described here are limited edition, I suggest you head over soon to the outlets at Salt Lake or Hazra, and try them for yourself. 

Rahul has, very kindly, provided me with a copy of the menu which I am posting here. After this, I will be going to the good part.

Of course, this post actually spans two days. The first day, I sat down beside my friend, and over a few lolly pops and cups of excellent black coffee, watched him make fondant roses. 

Fondant roses. White - INR 50, Red  - INR 60/- and Black - INR 70/-

These roses, to be precise.

He also was making teeny tiny white flowers out of fondant.

I took one in my palm to observe it better.

Before I knew it, it was in my mouth.

It was sugary.

These make great cupcake tops.

For example, like these tiny cupcakes.

Orange and Chocolate Ganache cupcakes, INR 35/-  each.

See?

The Orange and Chocolate Ganache cupcakes came with a high tower of dark chocolate ganache, and the aforementioned sugar roses. These are going to be perfect for the chocolate lover who wants a bite-sized chocolate explosion in the mouth.

Strawberry and Red Velvet Cupcakes. INR 35/- each.

 The strawberry and red velvet cupcakes were lightly sugared, and the light creamy topping on top and the sugary hearts made me go ... awww! They were almost too cute to be eaten.

Almost.

Lemon Surprise Cupcake. INR 35/-

The lemon surprise... let's just keep it a surprise. I would have to say, though, these were my favorites among the four. And this was the most moist one. I LOVED it.

Cinnamon Apple White Chocolate Cupcakes. INR 35/-

These are a must for those of you who have a little carrot cake hangover. The cinnamon and the white chocolate makes these a joy to behold and consume.

Paneer and Bell Pepper Salad INR 100/-

We were served two salads - the Paneer and Bell pepper for the vegetarians, and the Chicken Mortadella and Bell Pepper for the non-vegetarians.

While smooth slices of fresh paneer rested cozily in a creamy dressing, peanuts were strewn around the top to add that extra hit of crunch.

The chicken counterpart was silky slices of chicken mortadella salami, combined with the crunchy peppers and peanuts. Perfect for a lazy afternoon and a glass of soda.

Chicken Taco INR 110/-

 The chicken taco and paneer taco came with a huddle of chicken, refried beans, mayo-laden slaw inside. I personally thought the combination had a mild kick of spice. However, my co-diners were more taken by it and declared it to be pretty spicy. So, beware spice haters.

Black Pepper Paneer Skewers INR 100/- 

 The paneer and chicken skewers were absolutely perfect.

No really.

That is all I want to say to you.

They were peppery, and came with a creamy slaw.

However, I think I want to have a side of buttery rice and a poached egg with my chicken skewers, which I ate so fast that I forgot to take pictures.

I sorry.

But, see this lovely plate of assorted chocolates.

Assorted Chocolates. Priced 35/- each.

There were crunchy anise and and oat flake ones, rocky roads filled with marshmallow and almonds, boozy raisins filled medallions, and orange-flavored white chocolate delights. I ate them all. They were amazing.

And that is all I want to say about them.

At one side of the table, a glass of kala khatta soda remained, for those times when you feel too thirsty and must drink soda.

Enough Prevarications. Onto the Pièce de résistance of this particular tasting session. 

Once again, I bring to you three unforgettable desserts which I ate today. The trio of mousse shots can be bought either separately, or together. Bought separate, they cost INR 35/- each. However, if you buy them in handy dandy packs of three, then they cost INR 90/- where you get one of each.

You have no idea how many I am thinking of buying together.

Passionfruit mousse shot. 

The trio of mousse shots began with a light passionfruit one. It had a light passionfruit gel sandwiched between layers of delicately flavored cream. Overall, this one was tangy, not too sweet or sour. Perfect for those with less of a sweet tooth.

Orange Cream Mousse

Sandwiched between layers of light whipped cream with bits of orange rind hitting your tongue is an intense orange gel. This combination was the crowd pleaser. However, my tastes run towards the darker aspect.

Mocha Mousse Shot. 

 I had to put in two pictures for this. Firstly, because I want you to understand the genius of this recipe. The whipped cream is lightly flavored with chocolate. Nothing overpowering. However, the dark chocolate that you see is no ordinary thing. It is a concoction made with chocolate ganache and espresso coffee combined to form a layer which will give you, to loosely quote a friend (on another context though!), "a sugar high and a caffeine kick" at the same time! Eating this one can become addictive, as a small bowl packs a power packed punch, which is definitely addictive.

The menu will be available at both the outlets of the cafe from 7th to14th February, 2013, and I would suggest you head to either of the two to sample some. 

Bon Appetit, The Cafe
AD 34, Sector 1, Salt Lake
Bon Appetit, The Cafe
109/26, Hazra Road, Kolkata
Contact: 9836760160

 Disclaimer: Poorna Banerjee dined at Bon Appetit Cafe as guests of the owner. However, the post has been written from an unbiased point of view, highlighting the menu's many delicacies. Poorna Banerjee has received no monetary compensation for writing the post, and all her opinions are genuine, honest, and her taste buds are still singing in the aftermath of it.