‘Order’ of the day

Okay, I admit. I had heard a lot about Dolcemi’s Tiramisu being one of the best in Mumbai, but somehow, the opportunity to try the Italian delicacy hadn’t presented itself. Until now. Kaveer Shahani, the co-founder of the year-old Italian dessert kitchen has invited us to taste some of the new additions to their menu and although there are no changes in the Tiramisu section, the other goodies on the list also seem exciting. Our spoons are out.

Indulgence galore

We start with the Dark Chocolate & Walnut Brownie (Rs 100) which has a generous quantity of walnuts in a bed of gooey Belgian dark chocolate. The best part? The crunchy walnuts and the fact that it’s not overtly sweet. We have not yet recovered from how good the brownie has been and find ourselves having a go at the Chocolate Chip Cookies (Rs 225/100 gm). Kaveer has just zapped them in the microwave for a few seconds, and they crumble easily in our mouth, oozing out their Belgian dark chocolate goodness. Two additions in the biscotti section catch our eye — Al Cioccolato e Nocciole (Rs 235/100 gm) and Al Cioccolato e Pistacchi (Rs 265/100 gm). The former is a dark chocolate and hazelnut biscotti, while the latter contains pistachio and white chocolate and we are hard pressed to decide which one we like more. Okay, we’ll go with the latter — the nutty saltiness of the pistachios in the crunchy biscotti are perfect for dipping in coffee.

On the health side

There’s good news for those with special dietary requirements but wanting to indulge in a bit of sweetness. Dolcemi’s health conscious section has some treats like the Dark Chocolate and Orange Truffles (Rs 300/100 gm), that’s gluten free and has no added sugar. The truffle with the cocoa dusting outside and the soft centre requires that you have it at one go, almost like a panipuri. I do that, and the truffle’s gone in less than 30 seconds — it’s a melt-in-the-mouth affair. The Baci di Dama (Rs 360 for eight pieces), eggless hazelnut cookies, are tiny bites of sweet treats. The pastines, biscuits with a marzipan like texture, are available in three variants – almond (Rs 300/100 gm), hazelnut (Rs 325/100 gm) and pistachio (Rs 385/100 gm). The almond one is the sweetest one of them all, and so it’s again the pistachio that has our attention. Enjoy the soft, chewy pastines with a glass of unsweetened iced coffee and you’re all set.

Handed down generations

Like always, I save the best for last. The piece de resistance is the La Torta Tenerina (Rs 1,500/16 slices, Rs 750/eight slices), a recipe that comes from a town called Ferrara, just outside of Bologna. It’s a 100-year-old recipe and occupies a place of pride in Italy’s culinary history. The Belgian chocolate tart has a moist centre, almost molten and comes with a fine dusting of powdered sugar. Have it at room temperature and you will be hard pressed to recall a better tasting chocolate cake. Last but not the least, I dig into the tiramisu, even though I should be walking all the way back home after eating all those desserts. It’s true, all that they say about it.