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Croissants, coffee and conversations…Suzette Mumbai

By October 10, 2014August 1st, 2024No Comments

Nothing like a great start to the day.

Ever since Jerome of Suzette, Bandra, introduced me to the fresh croissants that they bake, I have been dreaming of them. Visits after that fateful morning left me disappointed as the croissants were always over by the time we reached Suzette.

Jerome tells me that they bake only 10 –12 croissants on weekdays and about 25 on weekends. He doesn’t have a display counter at Bandra and people are not aware of the croissants and he hates throwing the unused croissants. Plus croissants should be had within a couple of hours of baking according to him as it’s very hot and humid in Mumbai and they go limp later on. Hence my bad run with the croissants, which kept getting over by the time I reached Suzette, continued.

This morning I had a plan. I decided to go to Suzette straight after I finished my morning chanting at a friend’s place next door. I must confess that while chanting the thoughts of the croissant did cross my mind occasionally! Once done, I headed to Suzette. On the way I got the news that our uncle who is in the hospital was in good spirits this morning and was responding to his treatment.

I entered Suzette in a happy frame of mind. Got a table inside, it was 9.15 am and I tentatively placed my order for a croissant.

Guess, what? I got one!

I dug into its sinful and soft buttery flakiness and occasionally smeared the croissant with the lovely strawberry jam (from Fabindia) which came with it. I paired this with the robust cappuccino (double shot) that they serve here. I was in Parisian heaven.

I raised a toast to my brother and sister in law whose wedding anniversary it is today.

I have rarely smiled so widely in the morning as I did today. Yes, good food makes me happy. There is something about carbs that is so beatific.

I spotted Jerome, one of the owners of Suzette, digging into a sunny side up crepe. Always a good sign to see a restaurant owner eat the food served in his restaurant.

Jerome was a corporate lawyer. He came to Mumbai, got bitten by the entrepreneurial spirit of folks here, decided to ditch his good salary, neck ties and pinstripes and the stress of handling angsty clients and decided to open Suzette with his wife and his business partner, Pierre. They started with Nariman Point, then came to Bandra and now plan to open in Powai soon. Today Jerome is in his tees and denims and much happier than in his charcoal suited lawyer days.

Jerome and his partners have been to the Paris Baking and Confectionery school and attended courses in crepe, macaron and croissant making. The food served at Suzette shows that the have been good students. We have tried the macaron too and its really good and right up there with those of Pooja’s at Le 15 Patisserie.

They put a lot of importance in the produce used at Suzette. The butter used in the croissants is French. The ham used, which I was so impressed by, Spanish. The cappuccinos, which we love, are made with the very expensive Pride of Cow milk and a store roasted coffee mix of Monsoon Malabar & Arabica beans and that too at just 120 bucks. (My cappuccino and croissant was a bit above 200 Rs). The chocolate in the chocolate crepes and hot chocolate, Belgian

The good thing about Suzette is that they have dishes at all budgets. Eggs at Rs 90, coffee at 120, sweet crepes at 120 or so and then the more expensive crepes at 350 and upwards. When I told Jerome that Powai will be good as there is a big expat crowd, he said his focus is on the local Indian crowd.

We got talking about social media and I asked Jerome how he felt about reviews on social media websites. Jerome said that what he liked was that it helped him keep track on what was happening at his various outlets when he was not there. What he does not like, understandably, are attention seekers and people who get abusive.

I headed home after croissant, coffee and conversations, the recipe for an ideal morning.

In case you have noticed, this is my second post on Suzette in a month or so. But, that’s me, when I like a place I keep going back to it rather than experimenting with new places.

When at home in Mumbai, I love my routine.

Talking of desserts, I am doing a Sweet Walk for Fox Life on Sunday. Keep a look out for the contest on twitter and do join in as I take you to my favourite dessert spots in Bandra

 

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