A no-frills Swiss snack is the hottest thing on menus this winter. We bring you some fondue fundas At most parties in Europe in the early 1970s, it was common to see guests huddled around a pot of cheese or oil on a wicker flame. As the conversation picked up, they speared their pick of the accompaniments8212;bread cubes, beef pieces or potato wedges8212;with forks, dipped them in the cheese or sizzled them in the oil and munched. The fondue from the French word 8216;fondre8217; meaning to melt was the ideal communal meal8212; easy to make, fun to share, easier to clean and became a regular item on the party organiser8217;s menu. It8217;s taken a while for the Swiss some say, French dish to make its way to India, but this season, the fondue is the hottest thing doing the rounds in the country8217;s restaurant circuit. Here8217;s a peek at the most popular fondues on the menu.
SWISS ROLE At the various Mocha outlets across the country, chef Brainard Colaco serves two kinds of fondues8212; the first, the chocolate fondue, made of Belgian chocolate and accompanied by Angel Hair cake, butter cookies dipped in white chocolate and marshmallows. But the one which is really popular, is their cheese fondue, which follows the traditional Swiss recipe. 8220;We mix three different kinds of cheese8212; Gruyere, Cheddar and Emmenthal. For a good fondue you need at least a mix of two kinds of cheese for the right consistency,8221; says Colaco. His fondues are served not just with bread cubes, but with potato wedges, mezze sticks and a raw egg. 8220;When the other dips are over, you break the egg over the hot pot and cook a cheesy scrambled egg,8221; he says. In their new menu set to be introduced next month at their Mumbai outlet, Colaco is even serving up a personalised fondue hot pot, customised for individual clients. 8220;It8217;s ideally a communal meal, but we thought we would introduce something for the single customer as well,8221; he says.
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BENGAL TWIST At KK8217;s Fusion, a restaurant in Kolkata, every time a guest orders a Bourguignonne/Burgundy, he is in for a surprise. A European style fondue which probably evolved in the Burgundy province of France, it comes as a small pot of piping hot olive oil on a wicker flame. Accompanying it is a selection of marinated raw meats and seafood. All that the guests need to do is cook the prawns or chicken in the oil, dunk it in the accompanying sauces and tuck in to what is actually a lovely blend of tapas small dishes. 8220;The ground rule in fondues is to innovate so that each bite has an element of surprise,8221; says Pradip Rozario, owner and chef, who comes with over a decade8217;s experience of having worked with the Taj group of hotels, and now owns two of Kolkata8217;s most popular restaurants8212;Kurry Klub and KK8217;s Fusion. Rozario even serves traditional Bengali fish like mourala and topshe with his Burgundy fondue to those keen on experimenting. Rozario8217;s other specialities include a spinach cheese fondue and a tomato fondue, both popular with vegetarians, for which he uses Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and wine. In fact, the popular chicken and fish orlies too make their way into the fondue with wasabi-flavoured mayo or a makhni or garlic sauce.nbsp;
SWEET AFTER-TASTE At Choko La, the swish chocolate boutique at Delhi8217;s Khan Market, the toast this season is their chocolate fondue. The dark brown sauce melting in the pot has a high percentage of cocoa, which lends the chocolate a slightly darker, smoother taste. With it comes a choice of churros, lightly toasted in cinnamon sugar, French biscuits, a melt-in-your-mouth sponge cake and seasonal fresh fruits like kiwis, cherries and different kinds of berries. For good measure, there8217;s a generous sprinkling of dried apricots as well. Chef Krishan Pal at Tabula Rasa in Square One mall in Saket, south Delhi, spices up his chocolate fondue with a dash of cognac. 8220;The thing to ensure in a chocolate fondue is that it8217;s not too sweet. The cognac lends it a tangy flavour,8221; he says. The chocolate fondue there is served with profiteroles, meringues, macaroons and biscottis among other things.
MUMBAI MASALA At Out of the Blue on Pali Hill Road in Bandra, one of Mumbai8217;s most happening restaurants, there8217;s a separate section for fondues on their menu. Here they have a four-cheese fondue which blends melted Gruyere, Fontal, Provolone, Asiago cheeses with wine, garlic and pepper. But that8217;s not all. There8217;s even a beer cheese fondue for those tripping on lager beer and a Fondue Indiana, for those who take their Indian curries seriously. It8217;s curry-flavoured with a dash of cheese and accompanied with pakoras and grilled cottage cheese as well as sauteed mushrooms.
Paromita Chakrabarti is Senior Associate Editor at the The Indian Express. She is a key member of the National Editorial and Opinion desk and writes on books and literature, gender discourse, workplace policies and contemporary socio-cultural trends.
Professional Profile
With a career spanning over 20 years, her work is characterized by a "deep culture" approach—examining how literature, gender, and social policy intersect with contemporary life.
Specialization: Books and publishing, gender discourse (specifically workplace dynamics), and modern socio-cultural trends.
Editorial Role: She curates the literary coverage for the paper, overseeing reviews, author profiles, and long-form features on global literary awards.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent writing highlights a blend of literary expertise and sharp social commentary:
1. Literary Coverage & Nobel/Booker Awards
"2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | Hungarian master of apocalypse" (Oct 10, 2025): An in-depth analysis of László Krasznahorkai’s win, exploring his themes of despair and grace.
"Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2025" (Nov 10, 2025): A comprehensive guide to the history and top contenders of the year.
"Katie Kitamura's Audition turns life into a stage" (Nov 8, 2025): A review of the novel’s exploration of self-recognition and performance.
2. Gender & Workplace Policy
"Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy: The problem isn’t periods. It’s that workplaces are built for men" (Oct 13, 2025): A viral opinion piece arguing that modern workplace patterns are calibrated to male biology, making women's rights feel like "concessions."
"Best of Both Sides: For women’s cricket, it’s 1978, not 1983" (Nov 7, 2025): A piece on how the yardstick of men's cricket cannot accurately measure the revolution in the women's game.
3. Social Trends & Childhood Crisis
"The kids are not alright: An unprecedented crisis is brewing in schools and homes" (Nov 23, 2025): Writing as the Opinions Editor, she analyzed how rising competition and digital overload are overwhelming children.
4. Author Interviews & Profiles
"Fame is another kind of loneliness: Kiran Desai on her Booker-shortlisted novel" (Sept 23, 2025): An interview regarding The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.
"Once you’ve had a rocky and unsafe childhood, you can’t trust safety: Arundhati Roy" (Aug 30, 2025): A profile on Roy’s recent reflections on personal and political violence.
Signature Beats
Gender Lens: She frequently critiques the "borrowed terms" on which women navigate pregnancy, menstruation, and caregiving in the corporate world.
Book Reviews: Her reviews often draw parallels between literature and other media, such as comparing Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune to the series Only Murders in the Building (Oct 25, 2025). ... Read More
