Covering ourselves is necessary. Yeah well, turns out the same goes for food while microwaving it.

How would you feel, when after a loooooong, extremely dramatic week, you finally have a Friday (which was quite eventful too: Exams, work, friends getting lost in the middle of the city, you know, that kinda stuff) , and as you wake up from your 3 hour slumber, you have your whole evening planned out, which includes blog-updating, full-blast music, one tree hill, NO studying, NO parents.... AND you can’t find that one thing which is the reason you’re still alive: COFFFEEEEEE.

My maid generally makes me coffee. She’s not here. Mum’s out with friends. Dad working. HOW DO I GET OVER MY POST-SLEEP-ZOMBIE-MODE if I don’t have the most wonderful thing in this world: Coffee?

No, we’re not short of coffee powder. I just don’t know how to make coffee. And yes, I know how hypocritical I sound.

Yes yes. Bring it on. I own a food blog, I’m 14 years old, and yet I can’t turn on the gas, much less make coffee. Blame my parents. -_- (But I do know how to make different types of salads. With mayo. Lots of mayo.)

Yes, I’m addicted to milk coffee. And I know, that’s not a very good thing. But I NEED it after I wake up. It gives me strength. (:P)

But, seriously. I’m badly addicted to it. I need it atleast twice a day. Or my head doesn't work. Granted it has made me do some crazy things, but still, I need it. And I know I’m not the only one.

I can easily buy a coffee machine. My family has been discussing it for months. You know how it is. We still haven’t the reached the part where we actually go out and check out those stuff.

Anyway, after I drive all my friends crazy on whatsapp, complaining about how I won’t survive without coffee, two of them (Ilina and Ranjabati) try, yes, ‘TRY’ to direct me on how to make coffee using the Microwave. They did a good job.

One problem: I couldn’t find the coffee powder.

So basically,after I bring down the entire house looking for coffee powder, and am unsuccessful at it, I call up my dad to help me with the search for it. Mum couldn’t respond to her calls because she was in some concert.

After half an hour, just when the wonderful sound of the doorbell reaches my ears, signing the arrival of my knows-where-the-coffee-is-dad, I get a call from mom who tells me where it is. Eh, sorry dad.  I love you too.

Anyway,  Dad being dad, decided to take matter into his hands and make coffee for both of us. Happy ending, right? Not really.

He forgot to put a cover on the milk while heating it in the microwave. Yeah... not a pretty sight. Milk spilled over the entire microwave, broken cup.. You get the drift.

He obviously still didn’t give up and yes, after one and half hour after my usual coffee time, I did have coffee.

But I learnt a very, very valuable lesson: Always put a cover on the food while heating it in the micro with that white plastic bowl thing. (I have earlier experiences, trust me, it involves raw mac and cheese and three broken bowls.. No wonder my parents don’t let me cook) Here’s the picture of the cover thing: 

And we have our first interview: Mrs. Magpie it is :)

I was preparing for my mid-term blocks when my mom asked me to check out the newspaper one day. Apparently, it contained the advertisement of a new cake shop which had recently opened in town. It was named “Mrs. Magpie”.

The name immediately drew my attention. Reading its description, I got excited because it was a patisserie (Mrs. Magpie taught me that word) and I’ve always had a sweet tooth. Just a few days later, my dad came home with a small package of cupcakes from the same cafe. A friend of his had gifted it to him. 

And, wow, did the cupcakes look good! They were so different from the usual ‘muffins’ we Calcuttans are used to. Decorated with frosting and detailed designs and so colorful  they looked so inviting! I didn't hesitate to dig in. 

And man, once I started, I couldn't stop. Small, perfectly flavored, they defined delicious. Now, after this, how could someone expect me to not drag my mom along with me to 570 Lake Terrace Road, where this wonderful cafe is located, as soon as my exams ended?

Okay. The appearance of the

shop. Anybody passing through 

that road had to be blind to not stop and admire the shop. Alongside are the pictures, you can imagine what it looked like to a thirteen year old girl, who’s grown up adoring fairy tales and Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. And someone who loves eating.

And this was JUST the entrance. The inside of the shop? God, don’t get me started. I’d actually not say much because I want you, the reader to go check it out. But, ah, my reaction: Ohmygodsoamazing. 

And the food. Not at all a disappointed. Just perfect J And the cakes. Made with so much creativity and thought. They looked so tempting. I am particularly amazed by the way each cake was based on a theme.

The following December, I even got my birthday cake from Mrs. Magpie (something I had decided to do the moment I entered the shop for the first time). It was a kitty on a ball of wool. It was so adorable and tasty! :D I tried to preserve the kitten for a few days, but ah well. It did end up in my tummy after a while. You can see the picture!

So, basically, due to my obsession with the cafe (as you can clearly see above), I decided to take an interview of the owner, Ms. Sohini Behrens, who's really sweet and was kind enough to give lovely answers for my blog. We exchanged a few e-mails. Here it is:

Me: We don't really see a lot of cupcake stores in Kolkata. So what inspired you to initiate this?

Ms Sohini: At the time I thought of the shop there weren't any cupcake stores in Kolkata. One could only get regular pastries in the usual shops and the offer had not changed very much over the years.

I wanted to do something different and the cupcakes were a natural choice. One can do a lot with it in terms of cake, fillings and frostings with endless possibilities to decorate.

                                                              

Me: Did you always want to be a baker? I mean, everyone loves cakes, but making so many day after day is surely not easy!

Ms. Sohini: Actually I wanted to work as a fashion designer while growing up and I had a great job with Sabyasachi.

It was while pursuing my masters in Fashion Marketing and Management in Paris that I got interested in desserts.

I had always wanted to start my own business so I decided to open my own café. To get the necessary skills I did a patisserie diploma at Le Cordon Bleu London.

Then Mrs. Magpie was created!

Me: Everyone I know who's visited Mrs. Magpie seems to love it. Are you happy with the way things have turned out?

Ms. Sohini: I am really happy with the way things turned out. I felt it would do well, but not everyone might like what I like so I wasn’t sure, but the response has been great so far.

Me: Your store looks like a living fairytale. Any specific reasons for this?

Ms. Sohini: I wanted the café to have a unique style and to be a place to indulge one’s fantasies. The candy shop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory often came to mind when I was designing the shop. Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree and Alice in Wonderland also influenced me. These were stories I loved to read when I was a kid and sometimes it’s nice to be a child again.

Me:  Do you ever get frustrated while trying to come up with new idea? If so, what keeps you going?

Ms. Sohini: At the moment the ideas are still flowing freely ;)

I have the chance to travel a lot and always find new sources of inspiration.

Me: Haha, I'm glad! :D

This is just the first slot of questions. There’s a second slot coming up :)

In the mean time, you can always check out the cafe's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MrsMagpieIndia?fref=ts

Have you visited Mrs. Magpie yet? What did you think about it? Please leave behind comments! J