My 3 Favorites from Hobnob

NO! I am not a brand associate of Hobnob, nor have I been paid by them to write this post. It’s just my love (leaning almost towards lust) for the goodies at this bakery that has driven me to share the top three things that I simply can’t say no to.

A few days back, a bag full of Hobnob goodies inspired me to write about them. So I took some photos. Here we go…

Item # 1 – Death by Chocolate

Yes, if you are a normal human being, you’ll probably feel overdosed till the point of death, after having this block of rich, creamy, chocolaty, *insert appropriate adjectives here* pastry. This little piece of chocolaty bliss is just for 55 rupees. You can slightly warm it in the microwave and enjoy with vanilla ice cream or chill it and enjoy the gooeyness. Also, if you are health conscious, the small-serving-size-trick is very much implementable here. Cut the pastry into 8 pieces. And BELIEVE me, even that one piece will be pretty fulfilling.

Item # 2 –Cheese Cup

If you are sad, this is probably the quickest thing that can cheer you up. Too bad, the cup in this photo is almost empty. The cheese is dressed with strawberry jam, chocolate sauce and tiny bits of fruit cocktail at different layers.Once, it got melted by the time I reached home with it in my hand. Kept it in the freezer and viola! The resultant was some awesome ice-screeammm!!!

Price: 74 rupees

Item # 3 - Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have had chocolate chip cookies from a lot of places but this one surprised me because…

i. It was very reasonably priced

ii. It made me feel like I was floating

Price: 100 rupees for 250 grams. Store them in a jar and hide them in your cupboard because no sane person in your home will spare the cookies once they know the magic these cookies can conjure up.

Note to the Critics…

My love for Hobnob has at times been disdained given ‘that there are way better bakeries in the city’ such as Pie in the Sky, Art of the Tart, etc. Well, there plenty of reasons why Hobnob is a favorite.

Firstly and most importantly, I love it because its branches are so strategically located. Once, I happened to come across a Pie in the Sky outlet in side a not-so-prominent lane in Gulshan. Went in and bought some croissants and Alaska brownies. Well, the stuff was really good but sadly, it was stale. Reason: bad location, less customers, stale items.

Secondly, the prices are truly reasonable. Enter any other generic bakery in town and the prices will be almost the same with nothing even near the same quality to offer. So, Hobnob gives you value for your money.

Thirdly, the customer service is not bad either. Once, a friend and I had to arrange a treat for around 20 people and the customer rep helped us make our decision and even gave a bulk discount.

And of course, there are a few things the place could change to become even better. Delivery is the first thing it must make sure it does. I know people who are ready to switch brands and even pay extra to get that amazing moose cake to their office. Secondly, the air conditioning could also be improved at the outlets. Sure, you want me to know that your cookies are oven-fresh. But I don’t make me enter an oven for that. Thirdly, the salesmen can do with a bit of Redbull. Its is good of them to calmly bear with their customers but when there are three in a row, tapping their feet, the men should know when and how to ask their customers to make their decision  quickly.

So next time, you see a Hobnob outlet, I’ll consider you sinful if you don’t glance an eye of love (read: lust) towards it.

Oh Please! Don’t Give Me Pepsi when I ask you for Coke!

I was no older than seven when it happened but I remember it pretty clearly still. I and my family were shopping in this open-air bazaar in Sharjah and though it was night-time, the air was hot and humid like it always is. So, naturally we felt thirsty at some point in time and thought of having cold drinks. Walking along the pavement, we almost ran towards the first chiller we spotted and started exchanging coins for cans. Once my dad quenched his thirst he said something like… Pepsi is just too sweet, wish Cocacola’s chiller was somewhere near.

Thirteen years later, in Pakistan…

I had to get a drink with my doughnuts and munchkins and asked the Dunkin’ Donuts man for a Fanta and he gave me a Miranda! And I was almost about to return it back to him but then I told myself not to be that … well, choosy.

But actually it was not about being choosy. It is about getting what you want and what you ask for! May be the difference isn’t perceivable in the non-disposable bottle version of these drinks we get in Pakistan commonly but Pepsi and Coke ARE poles apart and so are the other apparently similar drinks from these two companies such as Sprite and 7up.

Pakistan, is probably one of the very few places in the world where Pepsi rules in general. When people here want a ‘black’ drink they are very less likely to ask for Coke. And even they do, they are as unlikely to get it because of the push marketing/supply strategy that both Coke and Pepsi use today.

Ask a shopkeeper, a supermarket sales person or someone sitting across the counter in a renowned franchise such as KFC and he/she will tell you about how they can keep chillers of either Pepsi or Coke at a time and not both. And I think that is PLAIN dumbness. Well, I don’t mean that literally because of course I know these companies secure their sales by driving out their main competitor from the point of sale but does that lead to brand loyal customers in the end?

I think not.

It’s not true for me at least. I might be having Pepsi for about ten years now, not having a choice that is but that hasn’t really toned down my desire to have Coke each time I purchase a drink. And though I know the poor salesperson is not to be blamed but every time he gives me something other than what I had asked for, I feel like screaming in his ears, “Oh Please! Don’t Give Me Pepsi when I ask you for Coke!”

P.S. : I have enabled the option for commenting anonymously, so for those friends who go through a lot of trouble while posting a comment, you can use this :)