Buns away! PappaRoti just opened its first outlet in Chennai

With frozen dough all the way from Malaysia, there's a good reason why these buns never disappoint
Buns away! PappaRoti just opened its first outlet in Chennai

Kunal Jethwani was 11 when he had his first PappaRoti bun in Malaysia. Now, at 34, he owns three franchises of the international coffee chain in India — the most recent of which just opened shop in Chennai last weekend. With a stronghold in real estate via their company Ashok Constructions for the past decade — expanding the family business to hospitality has been a long time coming, since the first outlet opened in Hyderabad two years ago. Even more so for the much anticipated 900 sq foot outlet at Palladium in Velachery, which was slated to open its doors last month. “We had some delays and then a tragedy in the family, so it has taken a while,” says Kunal, who co-owns the 55-seater cafe with older brother Nitin. 

<em>Interiors of the outlet at Palladium Chennai</em>
Interiors of the outlet at Palladium Chennai



Now that they are finally here — speedy expansion plans are in the pipeline, “We’re looking at three or four outlets in Chennai soon,” he shares, although he can’t commit to dates just yet. It’s a tad difficult to concentrate on business, however, when you have one of the iconic PappaRoti buns laid on the table. The aroma of freshly baked goodness draws you in — and we’re tempted to ditch the fork and knife, except the bun is oven hot! “At Papparoti, everyday is Sun (scratch that) Funday,” reads a tall canvas from across the room — setting our expectations high, as we dig in.

<em>Brownie Frappe</em>
Brownie Frappe



Dough-re-mi
First up, we go the classic route. A plain but entirely satisfying coffee-coated bun with a buttery bite. We’re in heaven. There’s a reason why the culinary team (irrespective of the country) is on point every single time, Kunal shares with us. “We have about 50,000 buns of frozen dough flown in from Malaysia every month,” he tells us. “So while it is baked here — the truth is that neither my chefs nor I actually know the recipe or the perfect consistency — the recipe is top secret!” The ‘rise up’ per bun takes between 10 and 12 minutes — followed by which, staff will offer you as many as 13 toppings, which are part of a standardised menu, wherever you go in the world — whether in Vietnam, Australia or the UAE.

<em>Nutella with gems</em>
Nutella with gems

Lotus + biscuit
Look out for flavours like dates, Nutella and toffee. We opt for the Lotus biscuit which strikes us as unexpected — turns out there are no bits or biscuit powder. Instead, we get a dense biscuit paste of sorts which has us finger-dipping in the bowl (just for the topping) — admittedly, more than once. This is before we move on to the Hazelnut and Nutella variant, which is every bit as decadent as we imagined. Sipping on tea or cold coffee alongside these buns does come with disadvantages — we must point out, given the varying grades of sweetness. So perhaps, sip and bite separately. Or better yet — opt for a savoury bun like the Cheese one with liquid cheddar drizzled on top, for a taste contrast.

For drinks, we chose the Iced Chocolate that was creamy with shavings of chocolate, distinctive, with each sip. The Brownie Frappe was a tad too sweet for our palate, unfortunately. But what really stood out was the Pappa Milk Tea — frothy, light and smooth as silk; we want this in our lives on the daily. 

<em>Scotch eggs off the savoury menu</em>
Scotch eggs off the savoury menu

Too hot to handle!
The rest of the menu comprises of some staple breakfast favourites that call out to us for a salty bite: like Eggs Benedict, Scotch Eggs and Middle Eastern favourite,  Shakshuka. “The savoury options on the menu slightly vary from city to city, depending on what customers want,” adds Kunal. Unfortunately, the Scotch Eggs with a coating of chicken mince is insipid and cannot be managed without a dip (or drown) in the cheese sauce by its side. The Shakshuka (which takes an eternity to arrive) comes in a scalding skillet. Despite a brief warning and us taking care not to touch it  — eating out of the piping hot pan is no easy task. The lightest meeting of elbow to handle — and we’re ‘branded’ all right. Dessert is a cube of ice dressed up in a dripping tissue as we hobble out.

Rs 800 for two.

sonali@newindianexpress.com | @brightasunshine

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