Tucked away in the Chattarpur district on the south end of New Delhi is a foodie's dream come true. Welcome to Savorworks Coffee & Chocolate Atelier, India's first bean-to-bar and bean-to-cup atelier. Founded by power couple Baninder Singh and Paweena Withyasathien in late 2021, this coffee shop is doing the most out here.
While other people were spending the pandemic baking bread or learning Japanese, Singh was perfecting his coffee roast. What started off as a small project quickly snowballed into a full-fledged roastery with a beautiful coffee bar. Meanwhile, Withyasathien, a master chocolatier and accredited pastry chef, was whipping up jaw-dropping, house-made delicacies. She even designed their gorgeous coffee packaging.
The shop is known for its emphasis on craft and community. It has direct connections to the coffee farmers and invites them to share their stories and processes with its patrons. The shop is dotted with design choices intended to draw the patron into a deeper understanding of coffee, from how it's made to what we can do with it.
At its heart, Savorworks is a passion project. Running a cafe doesn't require roasting your own beans or an obsessional devotion of testing each of your blends thousands of times before deciding what's the best way to brew it. It also doesn't require designing origami-style cups designed specifically for each blend in order to amplify its unique characteristics. But that didn't stop Savorworks from doing them anyway.
With fun names for the coffee like the single roast Honey I'm Nuts and the Boss's Wife house blend, it's not all work and no play. If you get the chance to visit, you'll see the two roasters at work behind clear glass with the logo "Where Passion Meets Art" emblazoned on the side. If you're lucky, you'll even see Singh hard at work inside as he prepares the coffee to roast. It's wonderful to see a self-described hyperlocal coffee roaster capable of competing on a global level.
There's no doubt that the chocolate being made by Savorworks is top shelf. Its Mee Boon bar is a shoutout to Withyasathien's Thai roots, complete with toasted black sesame seeds and chewy goji berries. Of course, it has the staple dark chocolate and milk chocolate but it also has a Gin & Tonic chocolate bar with lemon, lime, and juniper oils added for a fresh burst of botanical citrus. And don't forget about its bonbons boxes.
Chocolate bars aren't the only house specialty, though. With a slew of desserts like the tiramisu in an edible chocolate cup, the chocolate mousse cake, and the classic almond croissant there's something for every sweet tooth. It even makes its own gelato in house for the best affogato you'll ever have in your life. For anyone unfamiliar, an affogato is a scoop of gelato with a shot of espresso poured on top.
The lunchtime special
Not to miss out on creating the full experience, the atelier also offers savory options – all prepared in-house. The feta avocado sourdough toast is a house favorite topped with feta, cherry tomato, and a balsamic glaze.
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