What does it take to make til chikki exciting again? Could we make it slim as a wafer, one or two millimetres thick instead of the usual s...
What does it take to make til chikki exciting again?
Could we make it slim as a wafer, one or two millimetres thick instead of the usual six to eight? Could we dip white miso-spiked squares of it halfway in dark chocolate? Could we package it like mint chocolate thins, individually wrapped portions stacked up, each one a crunchy, fun, single bite?
At Bombay Sweet Shop, they did all three. And while they were at it, they put together a smoked almond chikki with rose petals, orange zest, saffron and melon seeds, as well as a five-seed chikki with melon, poppy, pumpkin, flax and sunflower seeds.
“Our chikki encapsulates what we’re trying to do here: getting inspired by what is traditional and then reimagining it completely, but with relatability,” said Sameer Seth, co-founder Hunger Inc., which is the parent company behind the feted restaurant brands The Bombay Canteen and O Pedro. They launched Bombay Sweet Shop in March, in a high-ceilinged, well-lit space inspired by the concession stands of Mumbai’s single-screen cinema theatres of the 1940s and ’50s. Rose pink encaustic mosaic tiles on the floor feature bees hovering around flowers petalled with kaju katli diamonds. The treats themselves were showcased like jewels and souvenirs, in...
