Here's all you need to know about Pooja Dhingra's Pardon Our French café

In the quiet arcaded lanes of Ballard Estate where time tends to move a little slower Pastry Chef Pooja Dhingrarsquos Pardon Our French cafeacute is her living the Parisian dream A cafeacute with good food a great beverage programme and a flower shop selling blooms with a fortune cookie style message attached to go with your coffee And while Fort wasnrsquot her first choice for the cafeacute rsquos location Bandra with its steep rents wasnrsquot working out In hindsight returning to town feels instinctive ldquoI always wanted to come back but unlike the last time Le 15 Cafeacute in Colaba I wanted a space where my kitchen and cafeacute could coexistrdquo she addsAt Pardon Our French Pooja Dhingra trades precision for play shaping a cafeacute that feels more instinctive than exactingThe current space on Adi Murzban Path once a bank later a warehouse sits somewhere between a coffee shop and a bakehouse It carries the same love for pastry and the same technical grounding that we have come to know of her this time however with a freer more instinctive spirit Just 22 seats softly lit with cobbledstreet style marble flooring and inviting canebacked chairs and a wall of blooms this is her tiny piece of Paris in Mumbai Even the smallest touches carry that intent ldquoIrsquove always loved how in Paris you have bakeries with flower shopsrdquo she says ldquoI wanted that here too The idea that you can buy yourself flowers with your coffee Each bloom comes with a tiny note a personal takeaway like a fortune cookie but softer Something just for yourdquo explains DhingraLast July her friend and designer Purva Mehra was in Paris at the same time and they spent a lot of time going to cafeacutes That trip became a turning point ldquoThe Paris I knew at 23 is very different from the Paris I know now I wanted this space to reflect something more grownup more selfassured with a voice of its ownrdquosays DhingraAt its core the brief was simple loosen the rules ldquoI just wanted to have fun and not be tied down by the past or the baggage of running a cafeacute Importantly this space wasnrsquot about recreating the past I didnrsquot want to build something based on my history thatrsquos too much pressure Of course Le15 came from a place of love of wanting people to feel something That emotion stays But the focus has shifted Wersquore doing new things that feel right because theyrsquore delicious and fun and not to impress anyonerdquo says DhingraBisou BisouWhat defines the cafeacute is the mood The menu doesnrsquot feel overworked It moves shifts adapts ldquoSome things are planned others happen You get the sense that not everything needs to make sense on paper only on the plate Therersquos a quiet confidence in thatrdquo she adds That philosophy carries over to the menu where even with desserts Dhingra is really just us having fun ldquoThere are familiar things but also things we just feel like making Itrsquos a more evolved version of what I wouldrsquove done ten years agordquoEggs and soldiersThe shift from her earlier venture is deliberate ldquoEverything is different the space the thought process the menu Earlier desserts were displayed and you walked in and chose from what you saw Here I didnrsquot want that Instead therersquos a changing dessert table where we make what we want for the day If I wake up wanting to make an apple tart or a pecan pie Irsquoll do itrdquo explains DhingraThe menu is intentionally structured in three parts beverages savoury and desserts ldquoThe savoury curated by Chef Anandita Kamani is still small and evolving but meticulously designed Itrsquos lighter a little more balanced so that you can indulge in dessertrdquo says DhingraBrown butter madelinesDishes lean into the personal for instance like the French toast is savoury ldquoThatrsquos how I grew up eating it this is my dadrsquos recipe slightly tweaked I didnrsquot even know it was supposed to be sweetrdquo she adds The Eggs and Soldiers was our favourite a classic British breakfast consisting of a softboiled egg with a runny yolk served in an egg cup paired with toasted bread cut into thin strips soldiers for dipping The POF Fries are proof that simple cafeacute style fries do not have to be greasy or mediocreAnd then there is the food which stays with you in small lingering ways A Chocolate Cake layered with mousse olive oil and a hint of sea salt A Lemon Cake that feels bright and balanced and would have us return A Chikoo and Hazelnut creation that surprises you then wins you over Brownbutter Madeleines that are simple in theory but precise in execution are what you will come back forPOF FriesThere is playfulness too Soft serves that lean into nostalgia creating a Sundae of your childhood Then there is the hot chocolate affogato that feels like comfort in a cup and desserts including the Strawberry and Cream which has mascarpone cheese basil oil and honey toast that donrsquot try too hard to impress but do anywayThe beverage programme however takes centre stage It is something that Dhingra has leaned into and is very proud of From Brown Butter Cappuccinos to Bisou Bisou a double espresso with Valencia orange and raspberry dust Salted Honey Rosemary Lattes and playful cold brews even the coffee carries that same thoughtfulness familiar but just slightly unexpectedTwo weeks on Dhingra is already feeling at home in the new space ldquoItrsquos the sense of community you feel in the area that is just so heartwarmingrdquo she says ldquoIn just the past week wersquove gotten to know so many offices around us People drop in every day for coffee An office across the street made a little souvenir that we have framed and kept and so many small things That feeling of belonging thatrsquos what cafeacute culture is really aboutrdquoPOF SundaeSomewhere between Paris and Mumbai between instinct and craft this cafeacute finds its rhythm And in doing so it reminds you that not everything needs to be perfectly planned to feel just right ldquoThis isnrsquot about me as a person Itrsquos about the experience wersquore creating Wersquore not attached to the outcome Wersquore just putting out things we genuinely love and hoping people connect with thatrdquoPardon Our French feels like a place built for people for conversations that stretch for soft pauses for shared plates and second cups The name too reflects that shift ldquoWe wanted something with a connection to Paris but also something cheeky Something that gives us room to playrdquo she says ldquoTherersquos nothing too serious about itrdquoNothing here feels rushed Not the food not the space not the experience It is the kind of place where you can order cake before noon without having to explain yourself ldquoWersquove just loosened our collars a bitrdquo smiles Dhingra ldquoLetrsquos just behellip a little more freerdquo she signs off