Shilpa Datla shifts focus from the construction industry and sets up Feu, a French-inspired patisserie in Hyderabad
“Building materials and number crunching weren’t something I enjoyed much,” says Shilpa Datla, suppressing a grin. Seated on the aisles of Feu — a French-inspired patisserie she co-founded with Madhavi, by the large window overlooking the quiet bylane, she talks fondly of the European cafés where you can watch people on the street as you indulge in a dessert and coffee.
A third generation member of the family that started NCL (Nagarjuna Cements) Industries Limited, she studied commerce before she realised she wasn’t cut out for it. “I pursued interiors,” she adds. However, Shilpa worked in her family’s line of business for a while before being overcome by the urge to do something that blended in her two twin passions — interiors and cooking, more specifically baking.
- What: Feu, a French-styled patisserie. (Feu stands for ‘Flame’ in French).
- Where: Road no 1, Jubilee Hills, Aruna Arcade.
- When: Open 10 am onwards, all days. Call 040-23557260
She felt Hyderabad has the appetite for more dessert places that serve global-inspired favourites and artisan breads. ‘Inspired’ is the operative word; she reveals that Feu serves French classics like the macaroons, ispahan (with rose, raspberry and litchi), tropical exotique (with mango, passion fruit and pineapple) and strawberry cheesecake velour, along with other global favourites. A few confections have been tweaked to cater to the Indian palate that prefers enhanced sweet notes. “When we asked my husband’s German friends to sample our black forest cake, they loved it and said it was authentic. Some of our Indian friends felt it wasn’t sweet enough,” she notes.
Feu’s fusion combinations include macaroons in flavours such as buttermilk and rock salt, gulkand paan, berry rose tea, and cheetos, alongside original French flavours. The éclair comes in variants of chocolate, vanilla, pistachio and fruit. Tea-time cakes such as the banana walnut cake and carrot cake, green apple caramel tart, Japanese cheesecake with blueberry, hazelnut rocher and verrine tiramisu are some of the several treats. Ask for your dessert to be paired with the right coffee from the menu. The patisserie serves single origin coffee sourced from Karnataka.
Feu is a patisserie and culinary studio rolled into one. Mumbai-based pastry chef Sanjana Patel is the baking consultant who has also trained the chefs. The studio with its unhindered view of KBR Park along the Jubilee Hills road will play host to pop-up food promotions, celebrity chef cook-off events and baking sessions.
The artisan bread counter will begin stocking sourdough, rye and multigrain breads, and baguettes. Soon, the weekend breakfast menu will serve brioche, sandwiches, croissants, granolas and smoothie bowls. Through the day, also try recipes that use handmade pastas, and savoury cookies like the parmesan and basil.
A see-through kitchen station allows guests to observe chefs as they plate the desserts and give finishing touches. Want more drama? At the live dessert counter, chefs will offer a visual treat as they work with chocolate and fruit-based desserts.
Shilpa signs off with a note on their ingredients: “We use vegetable gelatins and all our sauces, jams, tartinades and compotes are made in-house. Only natural colours are used.”
