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Poona has always been known for its bakeries, but recently a chic patisserie has created quite a buzz amongst café society. Le Flamington, a charming Parisian-style chocolaterie, patisserie, boulangerie and café with two outlets in the city, has many features that make it extra special — the pastries, chocolates and desserts are unique and irresistible, the choice of coffees and chocolate drinks is as innovative as it is impressive, but the most talked about factor is that this lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ)-friendly café is literally a labor of love, run by a gay couple, Khuzaan Dalal, a Parsi, and Taha Khan, an Ismaili.
Coming from orthodox families, Dalal and Khan met on an Internet dating app in 2012, and hit it off immediately, having a lot in common. After his schooling from St Mary’s School and Sardar Dastur Hormazdiar Junior College, Dalal decided to study law because the timings (7.30 to 10.30 a.m.) suited him and allowed him to work. At 19, he began working at La Bouchée d’Or, another of the city’s well-known patisseries, and obtained a diploma from the Redcarpet Hotel and Culinary Academy in Poona. A year later, he met Khan on an Internet chatroom dating app, and the two hit it off immediately, having a lot in common. Khan had recently returned to Poona from the US, where he had received his master’s degree in Baking and Pastry Arts from the Culinary Institute of America.
Six months into the friendship, Dalal’s parents wanted to know where he went every night. "I’m a terrible liar,” Dalal says with a smile, "so I just came out with it and told them I was gay… Both my parents took time to accept the situation.” Khan’s parents too struggled to accept their son’s sexuality, but did not stand in the way of the two friends going into business together.
Five years later, the pair set up their first café at a prime location in Kalyani Nagar, and named it after Khan’s grandfather’s favorite horse. Building on the equine theme, the café has Cinderella’s fairy tale carriage as its trademarked logo. As starry-eyed youth, both Dalal and Khan were determined to "prioritize people over profits” and have succeeded to a large extent.
"In 2017, there was a café boom in Poona, but we were the first ones to bring a modern twist to traditional desserts,” Khan recalls. "Then Covid gave us a lot of time to think about our business and to strategize. Masculinity seems to be dominating every business and there is a lot of toxicity in the city against people who are different. We have made a conscious effort to create an inclusive environment. The two factors that set us apart are our products and our ethics. Initially, we faced a lot of flak because we belong to the LGBTQ community, so we put up a disclaimer stating that we don’t discriminate when it comes to sexuality and mental health. We used to have mental health workshops run by a psychiatrist for our staff. The aim was to bring about acceptance of people’s differences.”
Together, Dalal and Khan have worked on the tiniest details for their café, from the Paris-inspired décor to the ingredients and the delectable menu, at the same time making sure that Le Flamington is an LGBTQ friendly and inclusive organization not only for customers but also their staff. Although their openness and inclusivity on the LGBTQ front has been a talking point, Le Flamington has succeeded in attracting a variety of customers both at the Kalyani Nagar outlet and at Salunkhe Vihar, with the food being the main attraction in both places.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Dalal points out, "Le Flamington is a homegrown artisan brand that specializes in single origin chocolates, artisanal breads, contemporary desserts, savories, gluten-free and keto-friendly products. We believe that a good environment creates great products. Each of our products is based on an emotion. Above all, our aim is to give customers a Rolls-Royce for the price of a Fiat.” The resulting menu is varied, exotic and affordable. The price range for specialties offered on Zomato etc is approximately Rs 350 per head. This includes one pastry, one coffee and one savory, eg a quiche. Coffees are priced at Rs 200.
The savories on offer include sandwiches, crab cakes, shrimp burgers and vegan options. The keto (high fat, adequate protein, low carbohydrate diet) menu has buns, entremets, peanut butter bars, almond butter giandujas (chocolate paste) and cookies. The breads, chocolates and desserts are bestsellers, where customers are truly spoiled for choice. In the latter category, Le Flamington’s specialties include the Mini Modern Black Forest, a flourless chocolate cake with cherry gelée, cream and dark chocolate mousse. An unusual offering called The Grey, inspired by "the beauty in ash” and coinciding with the release of the film Fifty Shades of Grey, turns out to be a flourless chocolate cake with activated charcoal jelly, smoked chocolate ganache, milk chocolate and raspberry mousse. The seasonal jamun is converted into a mousse pastry called Monsoon Breeze and there is also an alluring chocolate concoction called Dark Desire, named after the Netflix series. In addition to these reasonably priced treats, Le Flamington offers — for the first time in India — single origin chocolates, that is chocolate that’s made from one type of cacao harvested in one region, on its drinking chocolate menu. The chocolate comes from France, the US, Switzerland and Belgium.
Not surprisingly, Le Flamington won the Best Patisserie award "on merit” at the Times Food Awards for three years in a row, from 2017 to 2019.
Asked about his religious beliefs, Dalal replies: "I respect my faith. I do believe there is a presence and a higher power. It is sad that the community is dwindling and that our lineage is being destroyed. People seem to be forgetting the essence of life and living, and intolerance is growing. To my mind, in any equation and in any relationship, be it between parents and children, friends or lovers, governments and nations, what we need is understanding. It is only through understanding that we can achieve acceptance.”