Ace cricketer Virat Kohli recently revealed that he managed to go to Thom’s Bakery in Fraser Town in disguise to purchase puffs for his actor-wife Anushka Sharma; co-owner of the bakery, Binu Thomas, hopes to host him at least on his next visit
The best way to explore a city is through local cuisine and residents. And Royal Challengers Bangalore’s exskipper, Virat Kohli is lucky to have actor Anushka Sharma in his life. Having grown up in Bengaluru, she knows the city in and out and is able to give the best suggestions on food joints here. In the latest interview with Danish Sait for RCB Insiders, Kohli revealed that after the India vs Sri Lanka Test match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, he sneaked into Thom’s Bakery & Supermarket in Fraser Town, after hearing good reviews from his wife. Kohli went onto say, “Anushka grew up in the city. She has so many friends and memories. She loves Thom’s Bakery in Fraser Town. Anushka loves their puffs. Since a mask was mandatory, this was a perfect opportunity to experience some normalcy and walk into Thom’s Bakery. I promise you no one noticed me at all and it was such a liberating feeling,” recall Kohli.
He further added, “I ordered puf fs, got them packed and went to the counter to pay and that’s when I got nervous because I had my credit card. But that’s when I realised the fame of that bakery. He was so busy with his work and did not care whose credit card it was.” Of course, the news has left Bengalureans and more so, the owners of the bakery both amused and shocked.
“We were surprised to know that he had visited our bakery. We are also disappointed that we couldn’t meet him. Hopefully, we will be waiting for his next visit to our bakery,” says Binu Thomas, co-owner of the bakery. Even the staff is quite let down at having missed a chance to meet and greet Kohli. Naveen Nathanael, who takes care of the finance section at the bakery, wished he had known about it. “We also got to know now.
No one informed us. We could not even check the CCTV footage because we have backup only for one month,” says Nathanael, who has been working at the bakery for the past nine years. One of the best parts of the interview was when Kohli mentions that the staff was so engrossed in their work to ‘read the name of the customer’ on the credit card.
“For us, customer service is top priority,” says Nathanael. Thom’s Bakery, which started in 1970 by PM Thomas, was started exclusively for freshly-prepared bakery items, before they extended it into a supermarket. After Thomas passed away in 1986, his sons took charge. “Many old Bengalureans, even those living outside the city, make sure they visit our bakery when they are here,” says Nathanael. For anyone who wants to try their famed puffs, the vegetarian and chicken options are priced at Rs 18 and Rs 22, respectively. They also have mutton puffs which are priced at Rs 25.