Sweet Nothings At Theobroma, DLF Cyber Hub, Gurgaon

There is a reason why announcements of Mumbai trips were always greeted with pleas from friends and colleagues. “Get us something from Theobroma,” was the usual refrain from sugar addicts who wanted to score brownie points at the family dessert table. That is because Theobroma happened to be the one-stop shop for sweet somethings for both Mumbaikars and outsiders who passed through the city.

But now Delhiites and G-towners have reason to rejoice as the Mumbai institution, which is a patisserie, bakery, chocolaterie and café, all rolled into one, has opened its first outlet outside Mumbai at DLF Cyber Hub, Gurgaon on February 4, this year. Two more branches, including one at Delhi’s Connaught Place and another at the Mall of India, Noida are scheduled to open its doors to dessert junkies soon.

And just like the queue of the Golden Ticket winners outside Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, there is always a line of people inside the Cyber Hub outlet of Theobroma. There are tables placed both outside and within the outlet to nibble at your purchased goodies at leisure. The glass showcase inside the shop is livened up with macaroons in all shades of the rainbow with fillings including pistachio, coffee, chocolate, red velvet and lemon. Sharing space with them are gorgeous red velvet cakes, opium cakes (classic genoise or an Italian sponge cake filled with chocolate cream), hazelnut éclairs and other melt-in-the- mouth chocolate confections.

The most drool-worthy section, however, is the one devoted to brownies where a raft of trays, packed with the square, gooey confection, is an instant draw. Brownies, a signature dessert of Theobroma, has always had its devotees and come in assorted avatars at this patisserie. The overload brownie is aimed at the dedicated chocolate fan while the Oreo brownie is a chunky dark chocolate brownie baked with broken Oreo cookies. For the adventurous soul, there is the red velvet brownie, which has cream cheese swirls with a mild chocolate flavour on a red velvet brownie base.

Despite having a serious fan following for its brownies, Theobroma pays homage to other chocolate delicacies as well. The dense loaf, another house speciality is a rich chocolate cake made with melted chocolate while Dutch truffle, sold both as pastry, half kg and 1 kg variations, is a classic chocolate cake that takes care of serious chocolate cravings.

It is true that chocolate themed desserts are perennial favourites at the patisserie, but the savoury dishes of the menu do the balancing act nicely. There is a host of options for leisurely breakfasts including a full English breakfast, French toast, pancakes with maple syrup and more. The Sandwicherie section of the menu is a celebration of the sandwich, boasting of varieties such as chicken Chettinad, pan tuna, croque monsieur in the non-vegetarian segment while the vegetarian sandwiches include interesting options like hummus and feta, chilli aubergine, and barbeque pepper paneer. For a hearty meal, all sandwiches can be teamed with potato fries or baked pita chips at an extra cost.

Of course, you can always round off your meal with some divine desserts. And that will be the perfect icing on the cake!