Les Amis serves up a 'dessert wonderland' with gelato, tall cakes and chocolate on tap!

Expect bright and airy Scandinavian-inspired interiors spread across a 7,000 sq ft store on Chamiers Road
Jamun gelato scoops
Jamun gelato scoops

After two years of delivering gelato to your door, Les Amis by Whipped Foods recently opened their first brick and mortar store. But stepping into the swanky Scandinavian-style 7,000 sq foot space on Chamiers Road — we quickly realize this is not a scoop-and-go kind of spot. If anything, growing from 12 flavours in 2019 to a whopping 400 at present, this is more an ‘Alice in dessert wonderland’ situation. The more flavours we explore, the deeper down the rabbit hole we go... 

On the ground floor, pails of gelato reveal pops of colour that tempt and transfix. Like the deep purple from the tart jamun in the current seasonal selection or the magical swirls of pink and blue from the sweet cotton candy flavour that call out our name. Moments later, a waffle counter lures us in another direction — with a chocolate fountain in its midst — for an extra dip off indulgence. And then we spot a freezer full of ‘nostalgia popsicles’ skipping us down memory lane with flavours like Condensed Milk and Semiya Ice. 

<em>Brightly-lit, spacious interiors at Les Amis</em>
Brightly-lit, spacious interiors at Les Amis

Jamun for joy 
You could order right away or if you suffer from long periods of indecision when presented with a menu (like we do), relax those nerves by watching your gelato or sorbet being made right in front of you, just a couple of feet behind the counter. “Our most novel feature is the seamlessness between production, display counters and customers,” says Praveen Rajagopal (28) who shares that he imagined this space more like a ‘showroom’ than a café. Praveen left a lucrative job in finance in Belgium to be a full-time entrepreneur when he moved to Chennai last year and partnered up with friend Abhinav Reddy (28) who has hospitality experience from running food trucks in Bengaluru.

<em>Ivory x Fresh fruit tall cake</em>
Ivory x Fresh fruit tall cake

Tall cakes & coffee breaks
We move up to the first floor to see what else is in store. And discover a bespoke cake studio called Charis run by head chef Cheruba Nelson. Look out for entremets straight out of a picture frame, tall cakes that tower above five inches, wedding cakes that you can sit down with the chef and sketch together and of course gelato cakes! 

<em>Cafe Bonbon</em>
Cafe Bonbon

Off the shelf, there are also a number of savoury bites — which catch our eye. We opt for the Croissant Tonka which oozes a golden yolk from the poached egg filling and a Chicken Béchamel Puff with airy pastry, made in-house. This is quickly chased down with a creamy Vietnamese cold brew from an espresso bar on the same floor. “We have beans roasted in small batches coming in from plantations in Coorg and Yercaud every week,” Praveen informs us. Dessert is an assorted sampling of their newest hot seller — Milo Dinosaur which is as malt-y as they come; a sweet-meets-tart Mangosteen and the tropical Jackfruit. We wrap up with a French-style Breton made with an almond flour coconut cake studded with mixed berries and  a dark Belgian chocolate ganache. Dig deep for a hint of crunch with a bed of Madagascar Vanilla orange sablé. 

Gelato priced at INR 195 for two scoops. Savoury bakes at INR 150 upwards. Coffees at INR 150 upwards.
 

Coming soon: Brekkie on the roof!
In the weeks to come, look out for a Parisian-style breakfast menu available on the rooftop, complete with freshly-baked viennoiseries, breads, cured meats, cheeses and eggs. Praveen tells us he is also planning to open up the gelato kitchen with available slots for folks to bring the fruit of their choice and make their own gelato.

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