Lonely Planet India - August 2016

Above: Yes those

are chocolate

muffins with extra

chocolate sauce

that you can inject

at The Artful Baker

Below: Hot chocolate

and scones at Elma’s

Brasserie will warm

your insides

Dessert trail through New Delhi NCR

POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME

What is it about the rain that makes

you want to bury your face in a pile

of chocolate cake? Dreary days quivering

with thundering skies and a sense of

impending doom turn warm and fuzzy

at the mere thought of a cup of steaming

hot chocolate. Rainy days were made

purely to stare at the downpour through

glass windows with desserts piping-hot

beverages and a book within reach.

New Delhi you won’t be surprised

to hear has cafés and bakeries where

you can devour every bit of sugar

you can lay your sticky fingers on.

Start your quest at the capital’s

go-to dessert haven The Big Chill Café

(see Where to Eat for all details).

This American diner-style space

is an oldie but a goodie. Noisy and

plastered in vintage movie posters

it does a mean Double Chocolate

Decadence – a gooey base of bittersweet

chocolate fudge that melts into a velvety

mousse sitting under a layer of cocoa

powder (` 280). Don’t miss the Banoffee

Pie either – chunks of banana poking out

of silky caramel drowning in whipped

cream (` 230) or the creamy right-

amount-of tangy Blueberry

Cheesecake (` 260)

all threatening to throw

you into a food coma.

For a bit of peace

and quiet head to Elma’s Brasserie

in the city’s up-and-coming Meherchand

Market a cutesy tearoom with large white

windows pastel green doors and floral

printed chairs. Order the scones here

(` 150); the fluffy little monsters come

stuffed with black raisins and are served

with fresh cream and mixed berry jam.

There’s little in the world more soothing

than a hot chocolate on a rainy afternoon.

Elma’s hot chocolate is dark and rich with

marshmallows and will have you purring

like a kitten (` 250). The cakes arrive fresh

from its Hauz Khas bakery late morning;

the Red Velvet (` 280) is worth sticking

around for and not just because

it’s as big as a small door.

4

EASY TRIPS

Foodie

Break

54 July 2016