Food Review: Cinnabon

Residents of Bandra, brace yourselves. Your traffic situation is about to get a lot worse. Cinnabon’s first Mumbai outpost is located in the traffic-snarled, perpetually congested junction of Pali Naka, where the wafting aroma of baked good loveliness is sure to stop many a passer-by in their tracks (and cars). Despite a limited outdoor seating area, the cinnamon-laced confections of this American chain are designed and concocted to best be eaten on the spot. In fact, most of the square footage in this small space has been dedicated to displaying its trays of cinnamon rolls.

There are variously-sized cinnamon buns, which might make choosing difficult. But know that the Cinnabon classic, the minibon classic, and the Cinnabon bites are different sizes of the same product. At its base level, the Cinnabon is a sticky swirl of warm dough laced with wet Makara cinnamon (a strong Indonesian variety), and glazed with cream cheese frosting. It’s a curious blend of pungent cinnamon and sugar, a taste that could take some getting used to. A cinnabon doesn’t have the instant appeal of a donut or a brownie so we recommend sampling the Cinnabon bites before proceeding to larger sizes. The Cinnabon classic is big enough for two people (or one person with a prodigous appetite), while the minibon and bites are more suited to individual portions.

The limited menu offers a caramel pecanbon, an explosive combination of hot caramel sauce and crunchy pecan nuts. The dough and cinnamon are a constant across preparations but some might prefer the milder taste of caramel sauce to the intense sweetness of the cream cheese frosting. Though Cinnabon is primarily a takeaway, the buns are best had warm and fresh while at the bakery, as they tend to get chewy if allowed to sit for over 10 minutes. The sugar-dusted cinnabon stix look like cheese twisties and can either be had plain or with tubs of extra frosting or whipped cream at additional cost. We weren’t big fans of the frosting, but do think the flaky sticks pair well with the cream.

Cinnabon also sells a decadent albeit random range of beverages like strawberry and mango chillatas, mochalatta chill, ice tea, ice coffee and a non-alcoholic lemon mint mojito. The whipped cream-smothered chillatas are heavy frozen beverages that are best had alone (or not at all). In other words, stick to the cinnamon goodies and then get thee to a treadmill.

Cinnabons are priced between Rs65 and Rs135. Cinnabon opens its second outpost in Juhu soon.