Film Nagar has become the latest destination for standalone restaurants, a sure sign that joints in a drive-in or stowed away in a shopping complex don’t cut it for some diners. The new guy on the block? Farine, a scalable sub-brand of Conçu which has already gained more than enough buzz to get the city.
I first step into Farine on a Tuesday afternoon, an unusually sunny one in the middle of the persistent cloudy climate. Ceiling-to-floor windows has the minimal interiors done in a soft pink (think ‘Dolce Vita’ shade by NARS) and white.
Twenty five-year-old Kasim Ali Khan has worked with Conçu co-founder Swati Taneja to bring Farine to life. “I feel lucky because I got to be deep in everything from the inception to the construction and interiors to the menu decisions to the branding,” says Kasim proudly, “I’ve learned so much and I have Conçu to thank for exposing me to much of that before this.”
Kasim Ali Khan of Farine
He also jokes about getting messy on the construction site, showing no job is too small for him as an entrepreneur.
So how does Farine set itself apart? It’s not like Conçu but it does breathe a little bit of the same air, as expected. “We have the same desserts menu as Conçu, and everything is carefully brought in daily from the central kitchen which is pretty close. We are working on expanding the kitchen but we won’t let that slow us down.”
Not just sweet
Savoury-wise, Farine has a compact but diverse menu for many palates. Divided into ‘Small Plates’ and ‘Big Plates’, it proves the team wants to start off slowly and build organic growth to the menu rather than overwhelm straight off the bat. The small plates menu offers dishes like the very Instagrammable watermelon and feta salad with a raspberry vinaigrette, pita pockets in both vegetarian and chicken variants and a number of other eats such as Peri Peri fries and bruschetta.
Beef burger and French fries on Farine’s ‘Big Plates’ menu
I dive straight into the bigger plates. First a beef burger nestled between soft and fresh buns (I wouldn’t expect anything less from a place whose name literally means ‘flour’) and teamed with sliced gherkins, slightly tangy cheese and fresh lettuce. A good beef burger doesn’t need to be fancy and the meat should speak for itself; the one at Farine ticks all the boxes here. The meat isn’t dry to the point of chewiness, the buns stay neatly intact and the combined flavours are moan-worthy.
As if the burger wasn’t enough, a plate of honey-glazed chicken with sprinklings of rosemary, along with mashed potatoes is set before me. Not a major fan of chicken breast, Farine has been mindful to keep the fillets minimal in size so as not to kill the existing flavour of the meat. The rosemary is subtle and the mashed potato is polished off in no time at all.
Interiors of Farine’s front dining area
And, of course, is a trip to Farine complete without a sweet-gasm? Ever the choco-holic, I dig into the Nutella red velvet cupcake which didn’t disappoint. Don’t worry, I’ll be back for more.
