The Artful Baker serves a melange of French confectionery items, bread and savoury bites and is becoming an increasingly popular breakfast spot, especially among joggers who frequent the nearby Lodhi Gardens.
They have a range of quiches, vol-au-vents and pizza slices which, we were assured, are all baked fresh daily. Among these, the Herbed Chicken Sourdough stood out for us, with its mild garlicky flavour and tangy tones. The chicken vol-au-vent was just about okay, not something we’d go back for, but surprisingly, it was the vegetable quiche with its mix of zucchini, eggplant and cheese which took the cake.
We’d also highly recommend munching on their uber flaky croissants (the almond’s the best, in our opinion, or the simple butter croissant if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth) and the crispy pain au chocolat (the chocolate filling is just the best).
Their display had us drooling the minute we entered: Rows upon rows of creamy, crusty, flaky, pretty-as-a-picture desserts. We zeroed in on a few of the options, namely the Millefeuille (which, in addition to the usual vanilla custard, also has a layer of hazelnut custard here), the Montecristo (chocolate mousse with an almond crunch base) and the Raspberry Melange.
Each bite (with eyes closed) transported us to the banks of the Seine, and whereas the Millefeuille and Raspberry Melange have made it to our list of favourite desserts in Delhi.
Other highlights include the generously-sized chocolate muffins (these are accompanied by a chocolate injection so you can inject as per your preference) and the raspberry cheese tart which stands out in its stark simplicity.
Do sip on a glass (or in this case, a mason jar) of fresh watermelon juice. They also stock on cold-pressed juices, in case you’re looking for takeaway options. If you want to feel like you’re vacationing in Europe, we suggest ordering a hot coffee and sipping on it whilst you look out the large bay window.