A peek into the kitchen of Fort patisserie La Folie

Beyond obsession thatrsquos what La Folie means in Frenchrdquo says Sanjana Patel chef and coowner of La Folie which opens at Kala Ghoda at the end of this month with a straight face Standing in her 2500 sq feet commerical kitchen at Saki Vihar Andheri East and the familiar fragrance of chocolate wafts through the air intermingled with a caramelish scent peppered with a candyfloss sweetness The mouth waters and I swallow the temptation that rises like an irresistible waveOn the long centreplatform Patel is piping crimson macaroon batter on a large tray that she pats at regular intervals from below ldquoThatrsquos to remove air bubblesrdquo says Patel who has worked as a chocolatier at Jean Charles Rochoux Chocolatier and Monsieur Olivier Bajard in Perpignan South of France Patel has been catering from the kitchen for the past 10 months and presently delivers between Andheri and South MumbaiThe processes Patel moves about her space with a military finesse as I shadow her around the kitchen She stops at a tempering machine and asks me to look into it Inside is a rotating container of melted Venezuelan chocolate that is continuously pouring from a tap above The picture of Willy Wonkarsquos sea of hot chocolate flashes through my mindAt La Folie a chef uses a carpainting airbrush machine on a bitesized cakePatel takes a bowl of tempered chocolate and spreads it on a sterilised platform to make chocolate garnishes for the cakes For this she uses a scraper that painters use to scrape walls with ldquoItrsquos the best tool I could find to spread the thick liquidrdquo says Patel who smears a little of the liquid onto her lower lip to test the temperature She lets me do the same and as I savour the taste Patel is already taking account of who is overseeing the macaroons in the oven chopping hazelnuts into perfect halves while assigning another chef to start icing the Infinite Caramel Cake which has to be delivered in an hourhttpimagesmiddaycom2014jan07A147050jpgA chef at La Folie places a mould to make different chocolate shapes for cake garnishingShe takes over the Pabana a passion fruit and mango cake with coconut mousse ldquoThis is a lowcal glutenfree optionrdquo says Patel as her wellpracticed hands lift the cake from the milkchocolate base and begin to apply gelatin on the circumference dusting it with coconut powder A bright orange on top and a velvety white on the sides she finishes the piece of art with thin chocolate slabsPatelrsquos team comprises an architect an interior designer and a few amateur home cooks among pastry professionals who all share the passion for desserts ldquoI wanted to hire people who had a sense of design and artrdquo says Patel who looks at the final cakes steps back and smiles in satisfactionTastingShe cuts a generous piece for me I dig my spoon into the many layers of passion fruit mango custard mousse cake and the crusty milkchocolate base and take a wholesome bite allowing the fruity flavours to mingle on my palate The white mousse that was dusted with coconut balances the acidity and the chocolate base is scrumptiousI also try a bitesized Rouge Velour a lemon genoise cake layered with strawberry compote and a light cregraveme Chantilly Philadelphia Tangy at first and then instantly creamy this one makes the chocolatefan in me bow to the magic fruit desserts can stirThe cafe will serve signature cakes such as Rouge Velour Infinite Caramel The Candy Cake along with artisan desserts including macaroons truffles pralines and cookiesAt La Folie 16 Commerce House Rope Walk Lane FortCall 22672686 or log on to wwwlafoliein