With a line of fusion desserts, two 23-year-olds hope they can make Indian sweets cool for millennials
After a dance injury took Harshit Agarwal off the stage, the 23-year-old wondered what would become of his career in November last year. One day, when he was craving mithai, he realised that no one sells Indian sweets per piece, and not many do a good fusion either. He shared this idea with Reynold Mascarenhas, a batchmate at the dance class he attended in 2014.
Harshit Agarwal (left) and Reynold Mascarenhas. Pics/Shadab Khan
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Last week, the duo launched Bistapurfi - we'll let you guess the meaning behind the name - which recreates Indian mithai with a fusion twist. Until they figure out the e-commerce logistics, for now, their menu is available for order on their Facebook page and website. "The consumption of mithai is restricted to festivities and occasions. You can't buy a single piece, and not many eat it every day, like you would crave a cupcake. We decided to change that. As of now, we deliver between Churchgate and Andheri, but are happy to go beyond," explains Mascarenhas, who is in charge of marketing.
Motichoor and Carrot Cake
The young men, both graduates in mass media, collaborated with Le Cordon Bleu chef Dhawal Shah, who executes their maverick ideas. Harshit is a filmmaker, while Bandra-based Reynold is a graphic designer. "So, you can figure that we know exactly what we want. Our designs have a minimalistic approach, and we have even decided to go with pastel colours for our desserts," adds Agarwal, whose family has owned a sweets shop in Lower Parel for two generations. For Bistapurfi, he has tapped the manufacturers for base mithais made of the purest ghee. "Our vendors know we are using their mithais for fusion desserts," he adds.
Strawberry Chocolate and Malai Burfi Tart
While we feel the prices are a bit steep, the opinion changes once we sample the fare, as each of the desserts is dense and filling. We take a bite of the Motichoor and Carrot Cake (Rs 199), in which the motichoor filling is covered with a light cream on a carrot cake base. A tad bland for our liking, we quickly turn our attention to the Rose Burfi with Chia Seeds (Rs 199), which really is just a falooda in a bite.
Raspberry Kaju Katli
What we get is a creamy, wholesome and well-textured burst of flavour. Pitted against it is a Strawberry Chocolate and Malai Burfi Tart (Rs 199) with a shortbread tart holding a strawberry treated chocolate, and a silken malai barfi filling. We totally dig the Raspberry Kaju Katli (Rs 115), which has a melt-in-the-mouth filling and blends modern and desi ingredients.
Rose Burfi with Chia Seeds
And, if you're still wondering what inspired the name, well, it's really not that hard. Ever heard of that all-time classic Indian mithai, Pista Burfi? Sounds just like it, doesn't it?
Log on to: bistapurfi.com
Call: 8369491592
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