Nowadays it is very difficult to get good quality shop bought sweetmeats in Mumbai. Having been disappointed with all the commercial Diwali fare, I had a sudden craving to eat a really good quality, authentic Bengali sweet like sandesh. We therefore made the effort to visit the Napean Sea Rd outlet of the famous Sweet Bengal chain of Bengali sweetmeat stores. I bought Gur Sandesh at Rs 16 per piece and Plain Sandesh at Rs 14 per piece. Even though the price was high, I thought - never mind, the quality is sure to be good. How wrong I was!
After we came home, we eagerly opened the box. One bite was enough to convince me that Sweet Bengal is a totally over hyped rip off. The sandesh was not at all what a good Bengali sandesh ought to be. It was dried out, obviously not fresh, and tasted as though maida or some other flour had been added as a bulking agent. I have previously bought some other type of sweetmeat from Sweet Bengal, I think it was a ladoo or something like that - equally bad, but I thought that at least their Bengali sweetmeats would be up to standard, especially considering the good reviews they get in various newspapers. Obviously they pay for their reviews.
Never again.
Overpriced substandard garbage is what Sweet Bengal offers gullible customers.