JOIN USAnkita Kaushik says she always wanted to get into the food industry, but when she spoke to her father about it, he wasn’t very encouraging.
“Then I got married and things fell into place,” says Ankita who has started ‘Smacznego’, an eatery near Banashankari BDA Complex, with her sister-in-law Reshma Sandeep and cousin Abhishek Kagganti.
Just off the busy street, with stools as the only seating, it attracts a young crowd earlier on in the day, mostly college students. And they are mainly here to snack on the savoury offerings — the variety of nachos, fries in eight or nine varieties, sandwiches, quesadillas, wraps and even some rice.
“We started off experimenting with one or two varieties of fries but others have evolved over the past 14 months. We started the cheesy fries topped with three kinds of sauces, cheese and jalapenos as a non-spicy snack for kids,” she says. However, she says youngsters came up to them and said it would be great if they could spice it up.
“So we introduced the chilli cheese fries. It’s exactly the same except that we sprinkle green chilli pieces on top.”
Amid the more typical ‘schezwan wala’, ‘fiery’, ‘tomatina’ and ‘American barbecue’ fries is a variation called ‘mango mazaa’. Tossed in mango powder and topped with mango mayo, jalapenos and grated cheese, this snack promises to be a tangy delight.
The ‘loaded’ comes with vegetables — tomatoes, onions, capsicum...whoever said fries are all unhealthy?
The nachos come in three varieties — ‘cheesy’, ‘loaded’ and ‘fiery’ — as do the sandwiches in ‘veggie’, ‘cheese jalapeno’ and ‘coleslaw’. Regulars who ask for it are often treated with the creamy corn one, which hasn’t made it to the menu yet.
Ankita also describes the flavours the rice comes in — ‘peri-peri’, ‘desi schezwan’ and ‘green and cheese’ — as Indo-Mexican. The tacos come with the two standard fillings: potato, or ‘po-taco’ going by the menu, and ‘bean stalk’.
The desserts are popular too, considering that’s what inspired ‘Smacznego’ in the first place. “We live in South Bengaluru and felt that it lacked go-to places for cold stone ice cream. You’d have to travel to Koramangala or all the way to Indiranagar if you craved one,” she adds. “The crowds come especially to eat our desserts post dinner; this is largely a family crowd.”
Among the chocolate variants, the ‘Ferrero-Ricious’ is a favourite. A milkshake with this chocolate as an ingredient is also much sought-after. The beverages include bubble teas, with edible malic acid and fruit puree.
The latest addition to the menu are the pastas and the momos. “We thought that since students eat lunch here, it would be good to introduce a few filling items. And it has worked,” says Ankita.
Despite popular demand, the three partners are certain they don’t want to serve
non-vegetarian dishes. “We are vegetarians. We’re planning to move to a bigger place in VV Puram and we’ll certainly innovate some more, but we plan on keeping our menu all-vegetarian,” she says.
‘Smacznego’ is located at 2470, 21st Main Road, 25th Cross, Banashankari.