Suzie’s Patisserie
A tradition of baking at home and for relatives and friends led the mother-daughter team of Susan and Anthea Padua to officially start Suzie’s Patisserie two years ago. For Christmas, the self-taught bakers have their traditional fruit cake on offer. Says Anthea, “It has seven different kinds of fruits and nuts and of course, a little rum. We usually soak it around November. We also have goodies like marzipan, kalkal, chocolate fudge, rose cookies, smaller rum cakes decorated with a snowflake, as well as cookies such as gingerbread man, Danish, peanut butter, and chocolate chunk.”
Prices start at ₹10 for chocolate. Homemade cakes go up to ₹1200 a kg and the chocolate cheesecake is ₹1,800 a kg. Call 9886214180.
East of Bangalore
“My cousin and I were having a conversation about how difficult it was to get good smoked and cured meat in India. So, we did some research and we realised that actually it’s not as hard as it is made out to be,” says Jacob John. Initially, they made 1 kg of bacon for their respective families but soon other relatives started asking for smoked meat too. “It grew organically from there,” says Jacob. Now over 100 people are part of a group where Jacob informs the participants the menu for the week. (The cousin backed out as his priorities changed, laughs Jacob, but adds that he still helps out.)
For Christmas, Jacob says, “The menu is whole, herb roasted chicken with bacon stuffing (₹800 per kg) and rack of pork ribs with a sweet barbecue sauce (₹1,500 per kg).”
Call 7760333370.
Bangalore Connection 1888
It was after finding a photo of his great great grandfather PV Kuppuswamy Naidu at his bakery that Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef Priyank Sukanand had an epiphany.
Known for quarter loaves, cakes, kheema samosas and different types of biscuits, the original - Naidu Bakery - opened in 1888 but closed in 1985. After returning from London and not finding a suitable job, Priyank then decided that he would continue his family’s legacy by opening Bangalore Connection 1888 last year, in the same spot in Shivajinagar that his ancestor’s bakery once stood.
For Christmas and up to January, Priyank says they are offering hampers that aim to bring back the tradition of sending greeting cards and displaying them around Christmas. “The exterior of the box is designed on those lines. We have two variants: Modern Christmas Luxury Hamper (₹3,000) and the Old Bangalorean Christmas Hamper (₹2,000).”
The Old Bangalorean hamper contains plum cake, Grandma’s sweet and sour brinjal pickle, kalkals , a box of macarons, a box of chocolates, and a mulled wine kit. The Luxury hamper contains these products as well as orange peel squash, marmalade, and five tea bags of traditional Indian teas with floral notes.
Call 9108511888. Home delivery is available.
Curly Sue Pork
The name, Curly Sue Pork, comes from my daughter, who has ringlets and loves her pork, laughs Radhica Muthappa. Formerly kitchen executive at The Park, Chennai, she moved to Bengaluru after marriage. “Curly Sue Pork is my husband Uttam Muthappa’s brainchild. He has been a foodie ever since he could eat. So, this is a labour of love where he wanted to take home recipes, modernise them, and use the old method of slow cooking. We started last year with Coorg food because that is where we are from.” For Christmas and up to January, Curly Sue Pork is offering a hamper that can be customised. The centerpiece is rosemary crusted pork rack and the other items are pandi curry, chilli pork, pulled pork and bacon jam. “We had a lot of trials for the rosemary rack. It is marinated for six hours and then marinated again for 24 hours and then cooked for about three hours. The idea being if people want to have a roast at home, all they have to do it put it in the oven. That’s for people who want to experience the joy of cooking. Or they can just pick it up cooked.”
Minimum order is half a kg. Prices start at ₹425 for pandi curry. If more is required, order in advance.Call 9900026681. Home delivery is available.
Melt It Down
After some time working at an event production company, Priya Vijan realised that she wanted to do something on her own. Baking happened by accident and she started Melt It Down in 2012. “Earlier, I used to bake at home but from the last two years I have my own kitchen.” And just last month, Priya made it to Top 40 of Season 6 of MasterChef India.
For Christmas, she says, “I have been focussing on making plum cakes without any artificial flavouring; the core ingredients are organic. The fruits have been soaked in rum for almost four months and I use home ground spices as well.” She adds that the hamper comprises of the plum cake, cranberry coconut granola, garlic chilli swirl, gingerbread cookies, and cherry logs.
The hamper costs ₹1,800. Call 9886808899. Home delivery is available.
