What is a puff? 
The puff pastry, or pâte feuilletée, is a French invention often attributed to the painter Claude Lorrain in the 17th century. It arrived in India with the British, who brought their love for tea-time savouries to our shores. Parsi and Irani bakers in Mumbai adopted these delicate, laminated techniques with enthusiasm, swapping European fillings for spiced potatoes and minced meats

Chilli Cheese Toast Puff
This take on the Chilli Cheese Toast abandons bread entirely. They choose to use their signature flaky, ultra-buttery dough as the base. They layer it with sharp Emmental cheese and finish it with a defiant, sweet-heat drizzle of hot honey. It’s a decadent, sticky, and dangerously addictive reimagining of a canteen staple.

AT TwentySeven Bakehouse, Oberoi Garden City, International Business Park, Goregaon East
CALL 8655790594
COST Rs 190

Kori Roti Chicken Puff
Maska Bakery is where contemporary Mumbai finds its comfort zone. Chef Heena Punwani approaches the puff this month, keeping monsoon in mind. Her Kori Roti Chicken Puff uses a cross-laminated pastry designed to shatter into delicate shards — a direct tribute to the snap of a traditional kori roti. The chicken gassi inside is a warm, coconut-scented embrace against the rainy weather. Maska is teasing the arrival of South Indian-style Motta Puffs this season too. Vegetarians will love their Baarish Bhutta Puff which is a hat-tip to Mumbai’s endless love affair with the rains. This iteration is filled with velvety corn mousse that carries a chatpata punch. The buttery pastry does all the heavy lifting. 

AT Maska Bakery, Ground Floor, Mogul Lane, Mahim.
CALL 8591162752
COST Rs 450; Rs 350

Podi Potato Puff
Chef Niyati Rao is playing with our childhood memories at her Vikhroli patisserie. Among a parade of Indianised Danish and puff pastries, the Podi Potato Puff sits like a trophy. The secret also lies in the heritage. The podi recipe is straight from the chef’s mother’s kitchen. It hits the palate with a robust, nutty, and spicy intensity that slices through the buttery richness of the dough (In Picture: Kori Roti Chicken Puff at Maska Bakery)

AT Ringo, Sculpture Park Plot, Ground/1st Floor, The Trees Road, Vikhroli East. 
CALL 9867438632
COST Rs 350

Butter Chicken Puff
Butter Chicken and Paneer Makhani Puffs have been a staple on the menu at this Bandra eatery for some time now. They have managed to marry the intricate, paper-thin layering of a high-end patisserie with the makhani gravy everyone loves. The filling is soulful, and a generous scattering of black or white sesame crowns the pastry. It’s a textural triumph that you must bite into.

AT Subko, Mary Lodge, 21A, Chapel Road, Bandra West. 
CALL 8591745691 
COST Rs 355 (for Paneer Makhani); Rs 425 (for Butter Chicken)