Crema and Treviso, two new dessert brands in Chennai deliver reimagined renditions of the classic cheesecake and tiramisu

Pina Colada tiramisu or Salted Caramel cheesecake? Thirty-year-old Nishant Vijayakumar recently launched two new dessert brands — Crema and Treviso with delicious flavour twists on the New York-style cheesecake and classic Italian tiramisu respectively. The cheesecake, for instance, doesn’t just have an assortment of 12 different toppings but “eight different bases” you could choose from, according to Nishant. These include crushed caramelised cookies, brownie bits or healthier Graham crackers powdered and paired with jaggery for sweetness.  

Brick and mortar stores are in the works for both, come Diwali. But currently, operations are underway at his Royapettah outlet of Brownie Heaven. Dessert enthusiasts might remember that this was the first venture he set up as a fresh-in-the-biz 22-year-old back in 2015. Since then, this menu has grown from six brownies to 99! So, we’re plenty stoked about what is in store in terms of flavour profiles for Crema and Treviso. Meanwhile, his store count has grown to 22, spread across metros like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa and Delhi, just last month.  

Go for ganache
We start off by tasting the eggless Chocolate Ganache cheesecake which comes in a mini version (120 ml) for those fretting over that cheat meal. Creamy, decadent, and a testament of will to stop at one spoon, we cajole ourselves to move on to the rest of the spread chilling in our fridge. We recommend you place your order in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before you dig in, for a ‘sweeter’ experience. Slices of Blueberry cheesecake and Lotus Biscoff are next. “We actually make our cream cheese in-house,” Nishant shares with us over the phone from Delhi, where he is setting up the kitchen of their newest  Brownie Heaven on the hot and happening Club Road, with another planned for Vishakhapatnam later this month.
 

Tiramisu more!
We find ourselves smitten with the Lotus Biscoff option, so much so, that we are hesitant to share! It’s evident from the rich consistency that high-quality ingredients are not scrimped on. “For our tiramisu, we use Italian mascarpone and Danish whipping cream,” says Nishant, while the savoiardi (lady’s finger biscuits) are handmade. Even the coffee used is single-origin, sourced from an estate in South India and prepped in small batches every weekend for a medium to dark roast. Our luxurious layered Classico tiramisu is delicately espresso flavoured and so light that we go through almost the entire 300 ml tub in one sitting! We’re counting down to round two for more tiramisu: Pistachio and Banana & Caramelo  — we’ll be seeing you soon.

Look out for cheesecake shakes on the menu next. Cheesecake at INR 200 a slice; eggless jars at INR 290 for 300 ml and INR 145 for 120 ml. Tiramisu at INR 200 to INR 275.