#le 15

Take a walk down any Bandra street and you’ll realise that dessert –cupcakes, specifically – are no further than ten minutes away. Which is why we were surprised at Twitterverse’s outpouring of glee following Le 15 Pâtisserie’s announcement of an outlet in the area. Maybe it’s the patisserie’s reputation: their signature macarons and red velvet cupcakes are routinely sold out at their two counters at Palladium and Raghuvanshi Mills’ Good Earth. We were curious to try those in addition to the new Bandra-only treats like green tea cookies, salted caramel tarts and desserts in a jar à la Country of Origin.

Past the outdoor seating area, helmed in by a white picket fence (although, isn’t that an American ideal?), and in through a pink door, a Parisian bakery opens out in front of you. When we walked in one weekday afternoon, the two vitrines were thankfully still full of macarons in an assortment of colours, tarts, cupcakes and tiny pastry squares – a happy, rainbow clash with the baby pink walls. Framed quotes from Julia Child as well as a poster of the Eiffel Tower (just in case the name didn’t alert you to the bakery’s French-ness) and behind-the-scenes photos from the patisserie’s central kitchen in Lower Parel complete the picture.

In the hour we sat there, eating a chocolate tart (rich, indulgent and with a thick layer of dense chocolate) followed by their salted caramel one (the chocolate ganache overwhelmed the caramel that was tucked beneath it), we saw a pair of girls take away 18 macarons, while another group of four was upset that there were no eggless macarons on offer. Without any such dietary restrictions, we quickly demolished our mint chocolate, pistachio (the best of the lot), dark chocolate, coffee and passion fruit macarons. The creamy, ganache-filled centre balanced the brittle yet crumbly cookie base. It was now becoming clear why area residents with a sweet tooth had more than enough room in their hearts and stomachs for the new eatery.

The tiny portions are served on a white cake stand if eaten in the café. Unfortunately, the plastic cutlery you’re meant to eat your chocolate-strawberry pastry and green tea tart with will stop you from being transported to Paris’ 15th arrondissement, which is where Pooja Dhingra, Le 15’s owner and head chef spent a year (and which lends its name to the patisserie). The green tea flavour was not discernible under the butteriness of the crunchy tart but the chocolate-strawberry, a pastry layered with ganache and strawberries, balanced intense and sweet flavours.

We were ready to walk out, when our attention was drawn to a posy of cupcakes. The Oreo, Nutella, red velvet and chunky chocolate ones that we tried were fresh and fluffy, though the red velvet was the clear winner, subtle yet tangy. The Nutella too, with a generous filling of the hazelnut and chocolate spread is recommended. We wanted to round off the meal with a cup of coffee but were told an espresso machine was forthcoming. Disappointed, we made our way home, but only with our boxes of 18 macarons.