New Yorker cafe in South Mumbai has finally shuttered this week after 45 years. Their much-loved gooey and sizzling brownie with ice cream had created a mini dessert revolution. We tuck into to that sweet rewind story
The Sizzling Brownie at New Yorker. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Most Mumbai kids from the Nineties have a New Yorker memory. It was one of the first outings as a collegian who drooled over their first taste of Nachos with Creamy Cheese Sauce and Enchiladas. For youngsters with big appetites and less pocket money, the highlight of that meal was the shareable Sizzling Brownie with a dollop of vanilla ice cream garnished with toasted cashew nuts. The server had poured a fudgy chocolate sauce all over it.
September 11 saw the last service at New Yorker, the 45-year-old establishment that is often credited for giving Mumbaikars vegetarian Tex-Mex. While palates evolved and paved the way for better representation of the cuisine, the sizzling brownie with vanilla ice cream and fudge sauce flourished across menus, and continues to be a favourite.
New Yorker owner Ranbir Batra reveals, “My family was inspired while on an overseas trip, when they tasted the hot-and-cold dessert served dramatically on a sizzling plate. They were told it was a dessert that didn’t move too well. They returned and tweaked the recipe. We created a fudgy sauce; it picked up ever since it appeared on the menu. They borrowed the idea of hot plates from restaurants that served sizzlers.” The sizzling brownie became a favourite across age groups.
The Vanilla Brownie Ice Cream at Fountain Sizzlers. Pic/Shadab Khan
By the late ’90s, Fountain Sizzlers at Fort also began serving it on their menu. Ayush Arora, second-generation owner, says, “It retains its position as a favoured chocolate dessert due to nostalgia, and reminds you of childhood. Everyone from the ’90s grew up eating it. We prepare an in-house vanilla brownie ice cream to top it. When the brownie and ice cream mix together you get a hot-cold sizzle on the palate. Once the chocolate sauce solidifies on the sizzling plate, it adds a gooey texture,” he adds.
Cake and cookie
It also led to a brownie revolution in the city. In 1997, chef Manish Khanna started Brownie Point in Bandra and at Alfredo’s in Juhu two years later. “Just like our city, patrons prefer their food to have some chataka and drama — so the sizzling brownie with ice cream was a hit. That it was a sharing experience, made it affordable for youngsters too,” explains Khanna.
Brownies by Manish Khanna
He recalls the difficulty of promoting the brownie. “When I told clients, it was a combination of a cake and a cookie, they were confused. I would urge them to try it. That’s how it picked up,” says Khanna, who runs the dessert brand Noir along with Brownie Point outlets across the country and Dubai. “The shelf life made it easy to stock and store. A brownie can be stored at room temperature for up to a week. The generous amount of butter and sugar acts as preservatives, allowing this option. It became the perfect gifting option too.”
Brownie bliss
A decade later, in 2007, Prachi Agarwal Goel started the first Brownie Cottage kiosk in Bandra, baking out of her home on a Sunflame cooking range. “New Yorker was the first place I ate a sizzling brownie with ice cream; I doubt anyone else was doing it. It was unique, and was available only at restaurants,” recalls Goel.
Manish Khanna, Prachi Goel. File pic and Sucheta Thakur
“My husband has a massive sweet tooth, and always told me the brownies were unique. It’s how I began making chocolate brownies. It has stood its ground because it is chocolate — it is gooey, it is easy to make, easy to gift and store due to its shelf life. No icing, no decoration, and yet, it’s tempting to bite into. An authentic brownie has its flaky cracks on the top and a gooey centre. Back then, you had to explain to patrons about the idea of a brownie,” she adds.
The authentic brownie is made with less than five per cent flour while the rest is 45 per cent dark chocolate and butter.
Sucheta Thakur, a loyal patron who lined up outside New Yorker for one last indulgence. “Back in the day, when fancy desserts meant ice cream sundaes, sizzling brownies were VIP desserts. You had to travel all the way from Andheri to Chowpatty to taste it! As kids, we would fight to have the bigger bites, burning out tongue in the process,” she reminisces.
All we wish for the city is, may the sizzle never fizzle.
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