Inippu, meaning ‘sweet’ in Tamil, underscores what lawyer-turned-pastry chef Sruthi Anil set out to achieve when she gave that name to her eatery located at Kannammoola in Thiruvananthapuram – a cosy outlet featuring desserts showcasing seasonal ingredients.
The eatery displays a humble front, with single units of desserts, neatly arranged inside a glass case, without jostling each other for space under the warm lighting from a wicker lantern. An incomplete basque cheesecake, Korean cream cheese buns, dessert tubs, and cookies are on show for customers to choose from before being served at an optimum temperature.
The interiors, with limited seating and floral table mats, create a warm, welcoming ambience resembling a quaint European bakery.
“When people ask me, ‘Why start a patisserie?’ my only answer is ‘Why not?’ ” says Sruthi, 33, who started Inippu in July. “It is the kind of food I enjoy eating and know how to make well,” adds Sruthi, who holds a diploma in pastry making from the Academy for Pastry and Culinary Arts, Bengaluru.
“I have always wanted something of my own,” says the pâtissier, who worked in litigation for five years after completing a degree in law. “The cafe was a retirement plan until the pandemic gave me a different perspective on life. I took a leap of faith by leaving my job. And after getting my diploma, I worked across eateries, cafes and cloud kitchens to understand how a kitchen works holistically,” says Sruthi.
Customers at Inippu
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The menu
Inippu has a dynamic yet limited menu consisting of sandwiches, dessert tubs, pastries, cheesecakes, toasts and beverages, prepared in finite portions. From the classic burnt basque cheesecake to the cream cheese chicken sandwich, the space does not scream big and bold, but subtle and succinct flavours.
The savoury options at Inippu feature four types of sandwiches: cream cheese chicken with chilli oil and caramelised onions, egg salad with tomato chilli jam, red pesto with confit garlic and basil chicken, and garlic yoghurt with salsa chicken. The sandwiches use freshly baked ciabatta, an Italian white bread variety.
Cream cheese chicken with chilli oil and caramelised onions sandwich at Inippu
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The smooth filling of cream cheese chicken with chilli oil and caramelised onions sandwich contains shredded chicken folded into a the slightly acidic cream cheese. The caramelised brown onions combine with the spicy chilli oil, cutting through the richness of the rest of the mixture. The crunch from the bread crust and its soft inside work perfectly for the sandwich, which pairs well with a thick, milky, iced Milo, topped with a pinch of salt.
The pâtisserie also has a toast menu featuring seasonal fruits and a dense Hokkaido bread (Japanese milk bread), topped with a smooth anglaise (custard).
Currently, Inippu serves tiramisu French toast, blackberry vanilla toast, and strawberry French toast. This menu changes according to availability of the ingredients.
The blackberry vanilla toast has a thick slice of slightly charred, toasted bread, topped with a blackberry compote and vanilla cream cheese anglaise. The blackberries are reduced with sugar to lose the moisture and attain a jam-like consistency, while retaining their tartness. The sour compote on top of the smooth, sweet vanilla-cream cheese anglaise is soaked in by the dense slice of bread. The moist slice of bread, with the silky anglaise and tangy fruit, makes for a satisfying bite.
Blackberry vanilla toast at Inippu
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The basque cheesecake is a light rendition of popular desserts with notes of orange subtly singing through each bite. The cake is airy, smooth, and not overtly sweet.
Sruthi says, “We want to serve laminated desserts like croissants. We would like to expand to a bigger space and list Inippu on online delivery apps.”
Cost for two ₹900. Open from Tuesday to Sunday at 11.30am to 8.30pm.
Published – December 09, 2025 05:30 pm IST
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