The word ‘hangry’ may have been associated with the Oxford English dictionary only until as late as 2015, but the emotions associated with the word have been in my life forever. One such mercurial bout happened to me in mid-June 2018 around 10 pm-ish in the city that never sleeps – ‘Mumbai’. So, I was new to this city and also with no friends and the mess food was not much of a savior either. I hated this city. So, out of nowhere, I rang up a colleague asking if he could explore the Goregaon neighborhood with me for finding something to curb my late-night cravings. He, being the chivalrous person that he is, instantly agreed and we set out on our voyage. Our ride stopped in front of this cute little eatery named ’99 Pancakes’.
Although I don’t have a sweet tooth, there was something about this eatery because of which I couldn’t resist going inside its doors. Maybe it was the ambiance or the aroma of freshly out-of-oven pancakes or the unique name. As we entered, the open kitchen policy caught our attention. We could actually have a sneak peek into the making of our dish. While we ate those hot and soft pancakes drenched in Nutella, topped with Strawberry and choco-chip toppings, we spoke about everything under the moonlight sky and I knew I had found a friend for life!
After that day, 99 Pancakes became our go-to place. I doubt if there has been a week when we haven’t visited it once. It has witnessed post-work rant, late-night appetizers, sudden trek plans, life-altering talks, and the romantic Mumbai Rains (pun intended). If I couldn’t visit the store physically, their food would find its way to my room through the punctual Zomato/Swiggy delivery guys.
99 Pancakes finds its roots in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai. Its first outlet opened in 2017. Today, the brand has spread its wings over 15+ cities across 70+ outlets. There are further global expansion plans across UK, US, and Australia. 99 Pancakes is helmed by Vikesh Shah, who has 20+ years of experience in the dessert industry. The concept of creating Dutch Poffertjes in a manner that would appeal to the taste buds of Indian consumers has worked in the brand’s favor. The A1 quality and popularity of the eatables produced have been widely recognized. It has won several accolades like the ‘Popular Dessert Chain’ Award by Trip Advisor, Times Hospitality Icons, among many others. Given the rising word-of-mouth publicity, I am quite confident that the brand can go places.
Now that I have left Mumbai behind me, I think a part of me is still somewhere there in that 99 Pancakes eatery. Perhaps that explains the 99 in its name – 1 short of 100. Because once you taste it, one part of you remains lingering in their cozy outlet wanting to come again and complete the whole….
Review of 99 pancakes by Curly Tales: