Bloggers Meet over snacks, coffee & more @ Au Bon Pain powered by Bang In The Middle

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Does Au Bon Pain require any introduction? Surely not. A well known international cafe bakery chain, it did get itself entangled into some controversy as this particular outlet was replacing 'music world' an iconic destination for the city's music lovers. However the hatred died out soon, & Au Bon Pain established itself as a sought after destination for the Park Street crowd looking for a break from all the hustle bustle of the pub's & restaurants around.
Initially the store looked quite impressive, & to be honest I believed the prices would be too much compared to my budget, & generally kept to the nearby CCD or the KFC when I was supposed to meet some friends. However their '99rs chicken wings' introductory offer dragged me inside about a couple of years back. The prices seemed okayish, bakery items great, & been a fan ever since. Between my couple of visits to this store & their Acropolis Mall outlet, I quite liked their tea pots, mojitos & bagels. However on my last visit to their Acropolis Mall outlet I was disappointed to find tea bags in place of loose long leafs, & was told that is going to be the standard throughout their chain. Anyway that couldn't be a deterrent , & I continue visiting this place. If not for the quality snacks, it's the spacious ambience which draws me here again & again. I particularly like the sofas by the glass windows overlooking the busy crossing, sipping on some tea, it's a pretty laid back & relaxing atmosphere.

Recently I received a mail from Bang In The Middle , the ad agency which manages the PR for Au Bon Pain, informing me about an upcoming bloggers meet they will be organising at the Park Street Outlet. I couldn't be happier. An invitation from one of my favourite cafes to try out items from their new menu! This couldn't surely be missed.

It was a Saturday afternoon. The city had just had a mild shower partially relieving it of the scorching summer heat. By the time I got to the outlet, most of the other bloggers had arrived, few were yet to be there. I noticed they have changed the layout a bit, this new wooden wall separating part of the outlet was something I didn't like. Somehow it has made the old spacious outlet a little cramped. However I was elated to find this new posters declaring unlimited tea refills for a minimal price. Now my love for the cafe grew more. Another reason to visit it with a book in hand, sit by the window & sip on the tea.

Anyway it was time for the reason we were here. To try out items from the new menu. It was a marathon of tasting foods. The items I tried are as follows:

Cold Coffee:

This was the drink which we started with. It felt a bit light, but creamy & optimally sweet

Cone-wich:

One of the new items on the menu, these are cone shaped sandwiches served in paper cups. The conical bread wraps the inner cheesy mix, with bit of sesame seeds sprinkled on top. In my opinion however its better served in a plate, as getting it out of the paper cup without getting your fingers messy was a bit tricky. We tried the Paneer Tandoori, Chicken Keema & Mushroom-eggplant variants. All were fresh & flavourful however I'd recommend the latter two. Maybe that has got something to do with my weakness for cheese & mushrooms.

Peach Mojito:

Served in a takeaway glass with lid, the quantity is good, however since it's served without ice, the chill factor was missing, also the flavour was a bit watery.

Banana yogurt with Chia seeds:

Banana & yogurt mix always tastes like the traditional 'sinni prasad' from puja offerings to me. This one was no exception as well. May be it's healthy drink, but not as tasty for me.

Orange Papaya Cooler:

A newly introduced summer cooler, again focussing on the health part, however the papaya quite neutralised the kick of the orange, in my opinion a little extra lime would definitely bring out the flavour, & make it more appealing to the tastebuds.

Watermelon Mojito:

This one is one of my favourites from this place. Watermelon pulp mixed with mint leaves & ice cubes. This one never fails to impress me.

Croi-mosa:

It's a marriage between a croissant & samosa, two highly unlikely items that can be combined. Soft croissant with a filling of mildly spiced potatoes, a great snack to go down with hot tea or coffee.

Poha Bagel Sandwich:

Yellow coloured poha (cooked flattened rice) served as filling inside a bagel sliced in half. Innovative offering from the new menu, served with Au Bon Spain's signature cheese blend & mint chutney. A out of the box combination served in a box (pardon the pun), this was quite good.

Grilled Chicken Jalapeño & Corn:

Have had this before too, & one of my regular orders partly due to the taste, mostly due to the presence of corn & chicken in the same Sandwich.

BBQ Chicken Wings:

This was the dish which had brought me to the world of Au Bon Pain. & To this day it's one of my favourites too. The fleshy chicken wings cooked in the mild BBQ sauce were gone in seconds as they arrived at the table. That speaks loads about how good they are!

Classic Mojito:

Extra minty , extra tangy & extra fizzy. The way I like my Mojito when it's non alcoholic. This one was prepared well.

Mocha Coffee:

Quality mocha beans with that superb aroma & frothy top, however the coffee could do with a little cream milk.

Apple Juice:

A polar opposite to the peach Mojito,t he apple juice had intense apple flavour & smell. Those who love apple juice can go for it, I not being much of a fan tried only a sip.

Asian Noodle Salad:

On my numerous visits, I had never tried any of the salads, so this was the first time I tried one. Sesame ginger noodles on a bed of lettuce with tossed almonds, carrots & spring onions. The green veggies & the noodles were a treat to the tastebuds , & sumptious too. Definitely recommended if you are on a light diet.

Dark Hot Chocolate:

Ordered the first cup, accidentally dropped it even without sipping. Ordered a second, took a sip, & I knew I was not going to share this one. Surely will order again during my subsequent visits.

Chocolate croissant:

Freshly baked croissant with a inner filling of chocolate, & some chocolaty strands on the top too. Absolutely fluffy, amazing in taste. A must have item.

Peri Peri Chicken Wings:

Chicken Wings in Peri Peri sauce. The wings itself were meaty & juicy, however the peri peri sauce is a bit on the milder side, somehow the BBQ version had tasted better, & I'm gonna stick with that when I order next time.

Creamy Basil Veggie Pasta:

Considerable amount of veggies (not excessive though) with a subtle essence of basil, topped with parmesan cheese & served with brown garlic bread. This one too was a great dish, tasty & the veggies proportions was good too.

Blueberry muffin:

Freshly baked muffins are a speciality of Au Bon Pain, this one was no exception. The condensed blueberry jelly & its essence keep you hooked onto it till the last crumb.

Dutch Choco:

Another great muffin from the ovens of Au Bon Pain. Rich dark chocolate muffin topped with a cube of chocolate, a must have for chocolate enthusiast & regular muffin lover alike.

Banana walnut muffin:

Needless to say, another exceptional baked goodie. Soft & fluffy, with ample walnuts & banana essence, great tasting & enjoyable to the last crumb.

With that, this food marathon came to an end. Once again Au Bon Pain held onto its name & fame regarding the bakery products. For the first time tried the pasta & noodles, absolutely loved those. Loved the hot chocolate & coffees well. However some of the cold beverages were disappointing, though most ample in quantity.

A note of thanks to the Au Bon Pain management & Bang In The Middle for organising this wonderful food tasting event. Also thanks for the boxes of truffles & candies that were given out after the event.

Needless to say I'll be visiting again.

Till then

Happy Eating

Cheers!