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Brownies beckon

A festival at the Muffin Tree takes you beyond the usual brownies

You can almost picture it in a nursery rhyme. `The muffin tree' draped with just baked muffins and fragrant cocoa blossoms. With a pool of hot chocolate right beside it. And marzipan flowers waving in the background.

Reality is not so different. Because, the Muffin Tree at the Courtyard by Marriot takes indulgence to a whole new level under the guidance of cheerful Chef Sunil.

Their latest brownie festival, for instance, doesn't just stop with ordinary walnut brownies. Though I must note, at this point, that these fudgy brownies, rich in dark chocolate and generously studded with crisp walnuts, are easily one of the festival's highlights. There are also velvety mascarpone brownies, made with creamy cheese and milk. And more solid raspberry brownies, with bursts of fruit surprising you between the chocolate.

Considering how heavy each piece is, it probably makes sense to stick to your favourite flavours, unless you want to eventually occupy two Muffin Tree chairs at a time. This holds good for another reason too: as in life, not all brownies are created equal. Some are better than the others. And yes, there'll probably be a couple of inevitable duds.

So take your pick from the menu, which changes daily, carefully. There's an interesting peanut butter brownie, covered in a layer of thick golden peanut butter. And if you're an After Eight addict, maybe you'll like the unusual mint brownie, covered in peppermint-flavoured frosting. There's even a caramelly pretender, which isn't brown at all: a white chocolate `brownie' crunchy with almond flakes.

And that's not all. In an evil twist designed to drive gym trainers across the city to despair, the festival includes a wicked accessory counter: an alluring collection of bright bowls just overflowing with toppings: chocolate flakes, mango pulp, grated almonds, colourful marshmallows, cherry compote, raisins... So you can add a scoop of ice cream, and then run wild. I doubt even Alice had it this good in Wonderland.

SHONALI MUTHALALY

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