My first brush with Tanvi was when my cousin had called us over to her house to celebrate her anniversary. Dessert was a beautiful, decadent Chocolate and Fresh Strawberry Cake which we all went gaga about and polished off and on further enquiry it turns out it was from TG by Tanvi Ghai and I was an instant fan. I went on to eat quite a few more desserts at various parties till Tanvi herself got in touch recently and we connected personally.
Kolkata girl Tanvi Ghai is a third generation food entrepreneur who started cooking from the age of five or six and never looked back. She was extremely sure about her decision to study pastry and went to Le Cordon Bleu, London just before turning twenty. After some internships in London, then when she completed her course, she interned at the Oberoi in New Delhi for a very brief period, then returned to Calcutta to start her own venture.
The recipe she uses for her delicious brownies is what she has been using since before she went to London. Tanvi says, “When I bake something for someone, I want the product to be wholesome and satisfying and the person eating it should feel completely happy inside out, that is the sort of food I want to cook and serve … hence the menu is usually not extremely fancy but has more of statement desserts with a few fancy ingredients here and there … that is what I would like my brand to be known for … soul-satisfying dessert … I still feel that a gooey and rich chocolate cake is one of the best desserts that there is but is extremely underrated where food trends are concerned.”
Tanvi recently sent across a delicious Hamper of her Diwali Specials that completely charmed my taste buds. Almond Rock Chocolates – perfectly toasted almonds coated in chocolate. I guarantee you can’t stop at just one. Absolutely loved them! Shortbread Cookies half-dipped in Chocolate, wholesome buttery cookies with a lovely chocolate coating (yes I believe everything tastes better with chocolate!!). The most unusual pick was The Nut Slab – caramelized toasted nuts with a biscuit base loved it, so did everyone at home and really liked the texture but that it was not overtly sweet. A perfect bite! Saving the best for last was her gorgeous brownies – gooey, decadent and delicious in three flavors – Double Chocolate Chip Fudge, Coffee White Chocolate and Oreo Fudge all excellent but I will express a slight preference for the Chocolate Chip Fudge ones. Perhaps one of the best brownies I have had in the city. The hamper is exquisitely decorated with superb presentation so I was almost reluctant to open it but after sampling all the goodies am so very glad that I did.
TG also serves up some beautiful cakes like her signature Chocolate Cake which is her top seller and most famous cake – dense sponge with a gooey chocolatey filling inside, it’s a very rich cake. Her brownies are also hugely popular and they usually go in logs, but for bulk orders or for occasions like Diwali they have the smaller boxes of six pieces. The hazelnut nutella cake – loaded with hazelnuts and nutella, with a rich sponge is just mouthfuls of nuts and chocolate. For her cheesecakes and fruit cakes she makes the jams herself. She works alone so she tends to take a few days of notice before an order needs to be dispatched, roughly 3 days is ideal so keep that in mind when you order. Bulk orders would require more time. Tanvi can be reached at +91 9830590898 and I highly recommend her wonderful desserts and festive hampers.
Rukshana Kapadia is one of Kolkata’s highly renowned and respected food bloggers and is the founder of theculinarycommentator [1].com.