A sweet ending

Ophelia has partnered with Istanbul Baklava, a well-known sweet store in Lajpat Nagar, to curate a special dessert menu for the festival, ensuring an authentic taste of Turkish sweets. Unlike most places that use pre-made filo sheets, Istanbul Baklava crafts fresh, handmade layers, resulting in a flakier texture. The festival menu features classic baklava, soğuk baklava (a cold, milk-soaked version), and Midye Baklava, a mussel-shaped pastry filled with nuts and soaked in syrup. The festival showcases a diverse selection of Turkish-style coffees, including Turkish Coffee, Ottoman Coffee, and Dibek Coffee—a unique blend of coffee grounds infused with herbs like mastic gum, cardamom, salep, and hazelnut. The standout offering is the Special Istanbul Coffee, brewed in a sand pit using a traditional cezve or ibrik—a narrow-necked Turkish coffee pot designed for slow brewing. This method enhances its rich, chocolatey flavour with hints of pistachio, making it taste more like hot chocolate than a conventional cappuccino or espresso.

The festival also spotlights kunefe, a decadent dessert made of crisp, sugary kadayif—similar to vermicelli—encasing rich, sweet cheese. Prepared live at the dessert counter, it is cooked using a specialized kunefe machine that ensures even heating. Chef Pandey emphasises that this technique is key to achieving the perfect bite. Running until March 20, the festival has received positive feedback. “If our guests love these flavours, we may consider making them a permanent part of our menu,” the chef adds.