It's a milky way of tantalising flavours

In the searing temperature of June, one feels the heat even when shopping inside an air-conditioned mall. For a foodie who is fond of milk, there would be no better sight than that of the popular milkshake stall Keventers.

Shining and polished interiors with vintage artefacts (phone, lantern and typewriter) and well dressed staff in black uniform marks the open counter of Keventers in Select Citywalk mall, Saket. Undoubtedly it is a complete contrast to the old rugged look of how the place has been in Connaught Place, since time immemorial.

Having grown up on flavoured milkshakes, it is easy for a Delhiite to visualise the fat glass bottle filled with the thick liquid in colour and flavour of one’s choice. The thick straw enables the rich shake to be sucked in, leaving the mouth with a chilled blast of butterscotch or chocolate. 

The lesser known story behind the dairy brand is its legacy of over 100 years, which makes it probably the first milkshake brand to originate from India!

“Back in 1925, Edward Keventers, a Swedish dairy technologist first established his dairy plant in the Chanakyapuri area. In the seventies, the dairy plant was later acquired by industrialist Ram Krishna Dalmia, great grandfather of Agastya Mihir Dalmia,” informs Aman Arora pointing at his friend.

Arora with the Dalmia scion is working to reintroduce Keventers by giving the brand “a brand new look and feel, and taste profile as well”.

As far as the look goes, it gets thumbs up from Metrolife, but when it comes to taste, one can’t be anything but honest. The age-old favourite, butterscotch flavour gets ordered first and is extraordinarily sweet, just like almost every other flavour that one tries at the outlet in Saket.

To add to the drinking pleasure, the two owners from the new generation have also introduced fusion flavours and even gelato. While the Redberry Bramble gelato isn’t appeasing, the Melting Roses shake (infused with rose flavour) gets just about an average feedback.

For a ‘chocoholic’, it is a must to try the Chocochip Shake for want of bitterness from cocoa beans. What is served in return is another glass of sweetness that kills the joy of a chocolate lover.    

The thickness of the vanilla ice cream which forms the base of these shakes is apt but  one is unable to decode the secret of the pre-mix that the brand concocts in Mumbai and then disseminates it in the rest of the country.

“We want to make many changes,” says Dalmia adding, “We will also introduce a flavour of the month as we open more outlets in different malls.”

The two are aware of the competition in the market but believe that the brand’s goodwill is sufficient to draw crowds to its new avatar. Will the ‘taste’ then pose a tough challenge, we shall see…