The French connection

The air was heavy with the scent of baked goods as Amande Patisserie, a French-style cafe that specialises in macarons, inaugurated their store in UB City.

Rows of the rainbow-coloured, cream-filled sandwich cookies were showcased in the stands to be ogled at. The macaron is said to be the ‘crown jewel’ of the confectionary world and not without reason.

According to Prasanth Shadakshari and Venkatesh Raghu, the co-owners, it takes over a year to make a macaron.

“The temperature needs to be perfect. Even if it’s a little too hot, too windy or cold, the macarons will spoil. It’s a very technical product,” says Prasanth, who bakes the macarons. Venkatesh, who looks after marketing, says that they could write a book about the 100 ways to not go wrong while making a macaron. But Prasanth says they still have a long way to go.

What is a ‘macaron’? It is most often mistaken for a ‘macaroon’, which is a coconut and almond-based confectionary.

A macaron is a dainty French cream-filled sandwich cookie made from fresh ground almonds, egg whites, icing and granulated sugar.

The patisserie is the first of its kind in Bangalore. Venkatesh says that they
are one of the largest producers of macarons in the country. “We are looking to give these classical pastries a modern twist,” says Prasanth.

They conceptualised the idea when they were roommates in Sydney. Venkatesh is a foodie and a traveller and helps Prasanth with the taste. “After cooking, I don’t feel
like eating,” says the chef.

“We cater to a niche clientele of expatriates, people who have travelled and understand fine food,” says Venkatesh.

He adds that it’s his dream to open a cafe on Champs-Elysees and bring Parisians French food with a hint of India in it.

They have gathered their loyal fan-base over time. “I had a French client and
was looking for a French cafe, which is really hard to find.

I discovered them on Zomato and since they are in the same area as my work place, I eat there whenever I can. I just order in. I’ve told the whole world about them,” says Alia, who works in Sonata Softwares.

According to Venkatesh, it’s the increasing Japanese population in the City that the cafe is very popular with.

Yuka Kikuchi says that she was the first Japanese customer at Amandé. She happened to chance upon their factory in TR Nagar and has been addicted since then. She says that it reminds her of the time she spent in Europe. 

Both Venkatesh and Prasanth say that the market is picking up and people want more authentic food. “People are travelling more these days and they know what they want,” they agree.