As you step inside newly-opened The Muffin House, you would certainly search for muffins first. Indeed, there are many varieties. But then the eatery is not just about muffins. This bakery at Ambalathara is where you can also buy pastries, cakes, breads, cookies, and snacks. The unplastered brick wall on one side with a plaster of paris coating stands out, so too the drawings showing the history of baking.
Before you dismiss the place as one among the many bake houses in town, listen to what the owners say that makes the place different. “This is a franchise of Shabana’s, one of the popular bakeries in Nagpur. At The Muffin House, you get all the eats that are on the menu at Shabana’s,” says Shanavas Ahmed, one of the five partners of The Muffin House. We are told that Shabana’s, run by a city-based Malayali family, has been going strong for the last 35 years. “We use the same recipes and ingredients to make our products,” adds Mohammed Haneefa, who has been with Shabana’s since its inception and now heads the production at The Muffin House.
Haneefa claims that they don’t use any kind of preservatives in their products. “Everything is made at our production centre upstairs,” says Nishad Mohammed, another partner. There aren’t enough seats to enjoy a light meal. As I find one, I am served a muffin and a pastry. Meanwhile, the blueberry muffin turns out to be a tad too sweet, but the pastry, a black currant one, melts in the mouth. “We use imported fruit crush in our cakes and pastries,” Nishad adds. If you are in the mood for muffins, there is much to choose from – chocolate, choco chip, strawberry, butterscotch, banana, vanilla, choco-caramel or the one with choco-berry filling.
The cakes counter has red velvet, blueberry, butterscotch, pineapple, mango… Or you can get custom-made cakes for special occasions. “And you can see it all live at one section of the bakery,” Shanavas says.
They insisted that I try the cookies and it wasn’t a bad decision to relent. Pizzas, burgers, rolls, samosas and puffs are also available at the store. I go for fluffy kachoris. The tamarind chutney that goes with it is a must try. The good news is that the place will soon have Bengali sweets. And if you wait a little longer, a chaat counter will also come up, promise the owners.
Located near UP School, Ambalathara, it is open on all days from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Contact: 9544889000
