THE FLOURIST Sugar, flour, and everything nice

Photo: Darshan Chakma

Everyone wants to cook now. Even the women, whose inner-feminists had sought to leave the kitchen behind, now want to be master-chefs. And those who aren't cooking now of all times, will most probably never cook. They shall eat because someone has to devour all the scrumptious delicacies that are popping up everywhere.
From so many new restaurants, delis and lounges opening up everywhere in Dhaka, we decided to visit one small shop that flaunts amazing looking pastries. All it took to happen was a woman who loves cooking, a man who is all for supporting his wife, and a satiated friend who invited her pastry-cook friend to start selling her delicious work.
Saria Saguaro Bibi, an advertising executive-turned-pastry chef, is the founder of “The Flourist”- an endeavor that had first started as a mere blog. Saria earned a diploma from Le Cordon Bleu London in Patisserie and quit her day job to follow her passion for cooking. Upon returning to Dhaka, her passion received a boost after her friend suggested that she should start selling her cooked goods because she knew she would definitely buy them. She started taking orders at home and very soon, The Flourist turned into a home bakery. As her customers and orders increased with time, she took up the extra space at the Urban Truth Store located in Banani. Handling orders for as many as 150 people, all alone, she could only afford to bring her cakes and macaroons for sale over a countertop on Fridays. And this is how The Flourist's Pop-up Cake Shop came into being.
The shop is located within the Urban Truth showroom in an allotted section. It is tiny, but adorable. Saria stocks it with around 250 cupcakes and 150 macaroons, along with truffles and cookies. There are slates adorned with colored chalks that give the place a very European deli feel. The staff is fun and friendly, moving and nodding to the music in the store, and explaining to the customers what the stock is full of. The staff consists of Saria, her husband Zubair Hassan and an assistant. They make a small but efficient team- tending to queues of customers, prepping boxes for take-away orders, and packing up the large pre-orders for deliveries by the side. And that's quite a lot to accomplish in the constrained space. It all works smoothly as you see the customers behave politely when they keep staring at the beautiful cupcakes and macaroons, evidently indecisive about which one to pick. Some like to eat there right away, only to come back to the counter and want more. Kids eat their chocolate cupcakes and end up with chocolate paste on their mouths and pastry-paper halfway down their throats.
The delicacies are as wonderful as the decor. I chose a Salted Caramel Cupcake and Lemon Tangy Macaroon. Saria said that macaroons are generally very sweet and the tanginess in it can balance the sweet to some extent, and since I don't have much of a sweet tooth, it would be good for me. She was the cook and I was the hungry taster, I had to take her word. And she was right; the tanginess was quite powerful, but I could taste the alarming sweetness of the macaroon shells too. The cupcakes were just heavenly. Barely halfway through my cupcake, I found our photographer already showing off to the world online what he was getting to enjoy.
It is evident that a lot of work and attention goes into Saria's work. For one person to prepare huge orders throughout the week and then prepare the stocks for a weekend sale requires tremendous effort and dedication. She says that after returning to Dhaka, she had to test and try cooking 8 different recipes for macaroons until she was actually satisfied. She loves her cakes American, her frosting European, and is not very fond of working with fondant. Her food is a result of personally customised recipes, inspired by different cultures and styles. She chooses an organic approach to her cooking, preparing her own almond meals and using milk from her relative's farm. Not only does it result in delicious food, but also happy customers who keep coming back for more and are willing to wait and even change dates for their orders.
If you have a taste for flavours other than just red velvets and chocolates, I don't think I could suggest you a better place with such a range of flavours and items other than this shop. And even if you'd rather pick the red velvets over s'mores and banoffees, this is still a good place to visit.
Find more about their menu and other details on their Facebook page 'The Flourist' and make your sweet Fridays sweeter: www.facebook.com/theflourist.blog