It was a very special occasion this time at home… Its my Dad’s birthday and not just any birthday cause its the big 70 or Sapthathi as we call it… Normally we would’ve planned to go out for dinner but because of the Covid season thats still going on and because of the risks involved, me and my mom decided to give him a treat at home and for that we decided to order in some special food and of-course being the foodie in the family, I was tasked with handling the entire operation 🙂 So, considering how much my parents enjoyed the Tender Coconut Pudding Cake I got for them for their wedding anniversary, I felt that the homechef Priya Kolassery from Kolamass Kitchen was the perfect choice for a cake this time as well… Recently she had started selling homemade chocolates as well and so this was the perfect opportunity to try them as well… As I was looking for more options, the homechef Sanda Doina Toma who made the Apple Pie that I enjoyed recently contacted me informing me of two new items – the Cinnamon Buns and Lasagne… So, I decided to go ahead and placed the order for both of them as well… The following pic shows the spread consisting of everything I ordered… Those who know my dad is very much aware of the fact that he has one of the most intense sweet tooth in the world and hence the reason for spread having mostly sweets and only one savoury item… 🙂
So, first lets talk about the cake… Its a Mango Mousse Cake this time with a Jelly topping as can be seen from the pics below… While placing the order, the chef informed me that there is an option to do this cake with Strawberry instead of Mango but I still chose to go ahead with Mango as this time its the cake for my dad and he prefers Mango over Strawberry… So, the basically this cake consists of 3 layers, the bottom being a Vanilla Sponge Cake above which there is a layer of Mango Mousse and its then topped with a layer of Mango Jelly having some fresh fruits inside as can be seen from the pics below…
Coming to the taste, as I requested, this cake was sweeter than last time but again not too much… The Sponge was incredibly moist and soft with a nice and incredibly lite texture… It was just sweet enough with a nice flavour of Vanilla in it… The consistency of the mousse and jelly was just right with a really rich taste of Mangoes in both of them… The fresh fruits in the Jelly consisted of Grapes mostly along with a couple of Cherries… I felt the flavours were all very well balanced between the richness of the mousse to the earthiness of the sponge and the refreshing fruity taste of the Jelly along with the fruits adding another dimension to the flavour profile… Overall, we loved this cake…
Next up is the homemade Chocolates… When I was placing the order, turns out only 3 kinds were available namely, Dark Chocolate with Nuts, Mango with Nuts and White Chocolate with Fruits… I asked for one of each and the following pics show them…
Coming to the taste, all 3 of them were quite sweet like most Chocolate Bars… The Dark Chocolate bar had enough sweetness to mask the bitterness and so it was enjoyable for all of us… The flavour of Chocolate felt quite rich in it and worked great as expected with the nuts (Almonds and Pistachios mostly if I am not mistaken)… The Mango based bar had a rich flavour of Mangoes and White Chocolate and there were some candied pieces of Mango itself in it… This one was my dad’s favourite among the three… The 3rd one ie, White Chocolate with Fruits was the favourite for both my mom and me… It had a great creamy flavour of White Chocolate (better than most white chocolate options) along with the flavours of the candied fruits cutting thru that richness… Overall, I felt they are really great choices for Chocolate bars and I am regretting the decision to buy only one of each here 🙂 The chef does offer more kinds of Chocolate bars which I am hoping to be able to try soon… 🙂
Next, lets talk about the two items I got from chef Sanda and lets start with the Cinnamon Rolls… Cinnamon Rolls for those who may not be aware are a snack / breakfast / dessert option thats quite popular in Europe and Americas… It is made by applying a thin layer of Cinnamon powder and Sugar mixture with Butter on dough before being rolled and cut to individual portion sized sliced and then fried or baked… Its then served as it is or with a topping of icing / frosting most popular being the Cream Cheese Frosting… Here, as per what the chef told me and as can be seen from the pics below, its the baked kind and they came with a frosting on top…
Regarding the taste, as the name implies, there was quite a strong presence of Cinnamon in the rolls… The pastry of the rolls were a bit crispy on the outside while moist, soft and fluffy inside with quite a generous application of the Cinnamon mixture.. Along with Cinnamon, there seems to be some roasted Walnuts blended into it as well… I felt the taste of Butter Scotch in the frosting which was also creamy, which I guess means that its probably the Butter Scotch and Cream based Frosting that has been used… But it also seemed to have a citrus element too though I couldn’t determine what exactly it was… Overall, I felt its one of the best if not better than any of the Cinnamon Rolls I have ever had… A must try indeed if you ask me…
Now last but not the least is the only savoury item that we got and that is the Lasagne… For those who may not be aware, Lasagne is a casserole dish made by stacking layers of thin sheets of Pasta alternating with fillings such as cheese and/or vegetables along with whats called a ragù, which is basically a mix of Minced Meat and a Sauce which is usually Tomato based along with spices such as Oregano, Garlic and Basil… This stack of Pasta is then baked topped with grated Mozzarella cheese… Its considered a comfort food in the Italian Cuisine… While ordering, the chef informed me that she makes this using Beef and neither I nor my parents eat Beef, I asked her if she can make a Chicken based version for me and she agreed… The following pics show the Lasagne that arrived…
Coming to the taste, first of all, I felt that the salt level was a bit too high for my taste (just my personal taste… Dad loved it as he likes this level of saltiness)… Other than that, I felt that the pasta used were cooked such that it literally melted in my mouth, making me wonder if it was fresh pasta that was used here… You really don’t need teeth to eat this as its that soft and lite to eat… The ragù appeared to have been cooked perfectly with a nice flavour of the Chicken used along with the sweet and sour taste of the tomatoes and the cheese and of-course the taste of the spices… There was a slight kick of heat as well making this Lasagne ever so slightly on the spicy side (the chef did ask me earlier if its okay to add the Chilli Flakes) and I loved it… I can go as far as to say that this was the best Lasagne I have had for a long time… Definitely a must try if you like the Italian Cuisine…
So, altogether I think it was a great spread of food that was worthy of the special occasion… I think the food from both the homechefs Priya Kolassery and Sanda Doina Toma are some of the best in terms of food in Trivandrum and I am looking forward to have more from them in the days to come… 🙂
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