KOCHI: First bite in, and your taste buds are already arrested. The distinctive sharp flavour of caramel entwined with cheese is indeed an indulgence, this is the Lotus Cheese Cake of the Downtown Cafe, Panampilly Nagar. Head over to Food Daddy in Kaloor and order their Biscoff Ice Cream Shake. With the first sip, you can sense the staggering punch of the cinnamon, replete with rich caramel.
Lotus Biscoff cookies, first baked in a small hamlet in Belgium in the 1930s became a favourite treat in the Europe before moving to the United States as an in-flight snack. Decades later, post gaining momentum in the Gulf countries, the treat has made an appearance in India and has received rave reviews from cafes who have popularised the taste.
"We import Lotus biscoff from Dubai to make our specialty pancakes, cheesecakes, shakes and waffles. They've received an extraordinary response from the customers. Word-of-mouth reviews and those from celebrities have helped. The flavour is unique and is unlike other biscuits," says Sajid K S, part of the management team, Downtown Cafe. The staff adds that Lotus delicacies do not require sugar due to the strong flavour.
Despite its arrival ages ago, one can't help but wonder about the sudden surge in Lotus biscuits. "The primary reason is that it has become readily available. Burger Junction was perhaps the first eatery that started biscoff shakes, and the rest followed.
The products were popular in the Arab countries; it gained thrust as major players like Cochin Trade Links got into the game and made the biscuits available at an affordable price," said Karthik Murali, one of the administrators of Eat Kochi Eat, a group of food connoisseurs. "It is unlike your ordinary biscuit, simultaneously it isn't an acquired taste either. A likable flavour, caramel sets the tone in the biscuit with cinnamon. Lotus Biscoff shakes and waffles are available at Food Daddy, Burger Junction, Wafflebae and Downtown Cafe," he adds.