Tag: Reviewer

Peshawari Food Festival @ Kama, Radisson Blu, Kaushambi

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Crownit, a social app that allows users cash-back on restraunts, spas and other offers, recently hosted a bloggers table at the ongoing Peshawari Food Festival at Kama, Radisson Blu, Kaushambi. For a foodie like me, food festivals are an opportunity to try authentic cuisines within the comfort of my city. This was my first time at Radisson Kaushambi and there I learnt that they keep doing these food festivals quite often and bring the tastes of different regions for their clients. The current food festival focuses on delicacies of Peshawar and continues till the 4th of September. IMG_5924

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Anjeer & Potato Cutlet with Buttermilk

The experience began with a combination of a welcome drink and a snack bite. It was Buttermilk along with Anjeer and Potato Cutlet topped with Prune Sauce. The buttermilk was good and so was the cutlet, but I found the sauce a little too sweet for my liking, I would have preferred mint chutney to it.

For drinks we were served Florina, which was a refreshing mixed fruit mocktail. The presentation of starters was amazing; we were served Suleyamani Murg ke Kebab, Peshawari Paneer Tikka, Tandoori Phool and Peshawari Raan. Out of all the things served I loved the Raan; I haven’t ever eaten meat so tender. In fact mutton is something I usually don’t eat outside, I am basically a chicken person, but oh my ghosh, this mutton was mind blowing. You simply have to try it out to believe. The next best was the Tandoori Phool, which were florets of cauliflower marinated in tandoori masala and roasted to perfection. The Paneer Tikka and Chicken were good too, but the raan and tandoori phool were clear winners.

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Tandoori Phool
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Peshawari Raan

 

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Suleyamani Murg Kebab
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Peshawari Paneer Tikka

Soups were brought in post the starters; there was Paaye Ka Shorba and Chana Pudina Ka Shorba. I opted for Paye Ka Shorba, though I have never really tried it and was a little apprehensive too, but I thought of giving it a shot. Paaye Ka Shorba aur Kharode Ka Shorba as its popularly called is made by boiling animal bones in water with a little bit of vinegar. The valuable nutrients are literally leached out of the bone marrow. After two to 48 hours of simmering, the liquid is retained and the bones discarded.

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Cartilage found in animal joint areas such as chicken feet, beef or lamb knuckles, trachea and ribs, hooves and skin, tend to yield the most nutritious broth. It contains cartilage (gelatine), bone marrow, amino acids and minerals. The end ingredient is a broth that contains all the valuable nutrients that are found in animal bones.

I couldn’t really accustom to the taste, I found it little oily, sticky and salty. It’s a kind of taste that one needs to develop over a period of time and may be cant appreciate in first instance. My mother who happened to accompany me tried the Chana Pudina Ka Shorba and highly recommended it.

The main course comprised of Dumpukht Murgh, Meat Kofta Curry, Paneer Handi Korma, Subz Gulbahar, Peshawari Choley, Yakhani Biryani, Maash Pulao, Qatlama and Khamiri Naan. Except the Peshawari Choley, which I missed by chance I tried everything and also I opted for normal roti in place of Khamiri Naan (never really liked them). The Dumpukht Murgh had a thick gravy and was delectable, but again for a change I loved the Meat Kofta Curry more. Though the koftas were little too big and also a little dry, but the gravy was awesome. Paneer Handi Korma and Subz Gulbahar will surely make a vegetarian very happy, even I liked them being a hardcore non-vegetarian. The Maash Pulao was a type of vegetarian pulao made with lots of green sprouts, a healthy option but surely not for me, especially when the aroma of Yakhni Biryani was pulling me towards it. The Yakhni Biryani served with Raita and Salan was just yumm, this is a must try and I am sure you will love it as much as I did. The most surprising dish was the Qatlama and I am sure no one can wildly guess with the name what it can be. Qatlama was like a desi version of pizza and is very popular in the Peshawar region. It was basically the khamiri naan, topped with vegetables and melted cheese just like a normal pizza and it tasted as awesome.

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Desserts are the last part of any course and sometimes it’s really true that best things are saved for last. Badam Nariyal Ki Kulfi and Sheer Korma were the real delights. The badam kulfi with hint of nariyal in it was really awesome, and I loved the faluda, which was coloured orange with the use of saffron. The combination of white kulfi on the bed of orange faluda was not only tempting to the eyes but a feast to the taste buds as well. Sheer Korma was no less, it was like the traditional meethi sevaiyan loaded with dry fruits and was very very tasty.

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Special mention for Chef Vishal Nigam and Chef Devi Lal who prepared these delicacies not just with expertise but also with lot of affection, passion and love.

Overall my experience at Kama was worth every moment spent there and I am feeling bad that I missed out on visiting the place earlier, but better late than never. I look forward to many more culinary experiences at Kama in time to come.

Do visit the Peshawari Food Festival at Kama, Radisson Blu, Kaushambi

From 18th August to 4th September

Kama - Radisson Blu Kaushambi Delhi NCR Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Chaayos Opens Its Doors at GK2 M Block Market..!!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Chaayos recently opened its doors at M-Block GK 2 Market and also launched a 7 star new menu. This menu comprised of special teas, both hot and cold, some mouth melting savories and teacakes. I was invited for a review with my other foodie friends and I am grateful to my friend and a co-blogger Radhika for that, do follow her page on facebook

We began our tasting session with ‘Desi Sab Kuch Chai’. It was a very typical masala chai infused with spices like Cinnamon, Cardamom, Ginger, and Basil etc. A perfect companion for those rainy evenings or winter mornings. ‘Assorted Pakoras’ were served along with the chai and it made the perfect combination. The onion pakoras are just worth it, you will want more and more of them, they were so addictive. Its definitely a must try dish on the menu. Along with it we were served ‘Bun Maska’ and ‘Egg Bun’. I tried the Egg Bun and really liked it. It was soft and delectable. The taste was mild, as the egg was not loaded with too many spices; it was just perfect, and as soft and mild as the bun itself.
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Next up was a specialty tea, it was a lot of fun, because we weren’t told about the tea, we had to taste it and identify the ingredients. So after the first sip itself, I could gather that it was a honey lemon tea with a dash of ginger. It was amazing, and it had a very refreshing aroma, perfect for a sore throat or just to soothe it. From all the teas that I tasted, this one was my personal favorite. It came the ‘Loaded Chicken Cheese Max’. This one is a lethal combination, trust me. Don’t think much just go for it and I am sure you will love them both. There was a Paneer version too, but I gave it a skip, who wants to eat paneer when you can have chicken 🙂

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And now it was time for their very famous ‘Kulad Chai’, which was served in actual kulads. I am not very fond of teas otherwise, but the aroma of this tea made me go for it and I am glad I did. Its awesome. Those fond of tea, will love this preparation.

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The next tea that I tried was one of the most unique teas I have ever tried. It was the ‘Aam Papad Tea’. As the name suggests, it felt as if I was drinking a liquid form of Aam Papad. It had exactly the same taste, and aam papad is something I relish occasionally with the fear of having a sore throat. But just the way guys on TV promote Mango Drinks saying that the mango season never really gets over, you can similarly relish the taste of aam papad with this tea without any apprehensions. I loved it. From the savories, next we tried was the ‘Butter Chicken Wrap’ and ‘Kadhai Paneer Wrap’, I must say that the filling in both the wraps was very different, It was really loaded and every bite of it was heavenly. I wont really reveal what all it had; all I can say is that you must try it.

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Last but not the least, was the ‘Thandi Chai’. They have about 3-4 flavors available in the same, what I tried was the Saunf flavor. After trying all the savories and filling myself up, this saunf flavoured thandi chai seemed just perfect. I quite liked it and I am looking forward to try the other flavours on my next visit there.

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For dessert, there was ‘Bananaa Cake’ and ‘Lemon Cake’. The cakes were nice, but a little too dense for my liking. I know I know, I am little nasty when it comes to reviewing desserts, but what to do, I am a baker myself so I end up highlighting the negatives first. But nevertheless, the cakes weren’t bad at all.

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I had a lot of fun with my foodie friends and now its your turn..You must surely plan a visit to your nearest Chaayos and more specially this newly opened one in M Block GK 2 Market and enjoy a tea of your preference with some amazing food. I just love the warmth and vibrancy this place exudes, its so comfortable that you almost feel as if sitting at home with a cup of tea and some pakoras.. bliss!

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Chaayos Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Mon-Key Shanti Theatre Festival Day 2- Dance Like a Man

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

The Mon-Key Shanti Theatre Festival by 3 Bells Productions truly came as something that provided me with a lot of man ki shanti. Spread over two days, it showcased 5 of the top plays of the country. I am glad that I managed to see at least 4 out of those 5. Day 2 on MSTF16 showcased ‘Uproute’(which I missed), ‘Dance Like a Man’ and ‘Massage’.

I cannot describe my experience of both these plays in one post and hence I am dedicating this post to ‘Dance Like a Man’ and would cover ‘Massage’ in the next post.

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I am doing so because both these plays were very different from each other and yet similar, as they had a strong message to give out. They rendered me speechless and now that I have found my words, here is a gist of what I saw and what I felt.

We often assume that men aren’t the victims of gender discrimination, it’s only the women who suffer, but it’s not true. Men also go through the agony of proving themselves on the yardstick of masculinity. Mahesh Datani’s ‘Dance Like A Man’ portrays just that.

Mahesh Datani in ‘Dance Like a Man’ has very beautifully shown the Indian culture and the social issues that have been in the society since inception. The theme of the play revolves around ambition, career, relationships, family responsibilities and society, all against the backdrop of dance as an art form.

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The play tells the story of three generations; Jairaj and Ratna, their daughter Lata and her finace Vishwas and also using the technique of flashback, Jairaj’s father Amritlal. Jairaj and Ratna have a constant conflict with Amritlal, who doesn’t understand their devotion to dance and more especially of Jairaj. As per him dance is made only for females and no respectable man will ever pursue a dance as his career or profession. He feared his son becoming womanly and hence it was unimaginable for him to see his son dancing.

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Dance had different meanings for different characters in the play. For Amritlal it was only a hobby that too for women and men shouldn’t pursue it at all. For Jairaj, it was a form of self-expression, and he wanted to develop a career in it. For Ratna, dance was her ambition, she had these slight shades of grey in her character, like she married Jairaj only because he was a dancer, as husband and wife they didn’t share a very loving relationship. In fact she even joins hands with her father in law in destroying Jairaj’s career as a dancer in order to pursue her own dreams. Ratna not only curbs jairaj’s ambitions and desires by constantly misleading him, but also moulds their daughter lata into becoming a traditional dancer. Lata on the other hand, though passionate about dancing, but did not think of it as a means to earn money or fame. For her dancing was an art form that she loved pursuing as a hobby. She had a balanced mind unlike her parents. She was strong headed too, she wanted to marry Vishwas but did not want to give up on her passion for dance. In the beginning of the play itself she once asks Vishwas if he would allow her to practice dancing after marriage.

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It’s indeed a beautiful play that touches hearts and brings in light the plight of our society and poses a question on gender discrimination. Datani has shown that not only women but also men suffer the burnt of gender discrimination and are not allowed to follow their passions if they aren’t accepted by the society. The actors are commendable. Each one of them seemed in the skin of the character. But a special mention for Gunit and Paras who played the roles of Lata and Vishwas and also the younger versions of Jairaj and Ratna. How comfortably they switched themselves from one role to another, it was a delight to watch. Also the director Prof. K.S. Rajendran’s control over the entire play is just amazing.

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Prof. Rajendran teaches at the National School of Drama. He is a well known director of plays in various Indian languages.
His directorial work ranges from adaptations of Shakespeare, Brecht, Ionesco and Genet to contemporary playwrights and authors such as Omchery, Shankara Pillai, Shiva Prakash, Tendulkar, Alekar, Kambar, Indira Parthasarathy and Lalit Mohan Thapalyal, besides Sanskrit classics by Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti and Shudraka.
He has conducted workshops and lectured on theatre in India and abroad.
His noted productions include MARAT/SADE, UTTARA RAMA CHARITAM, GirishKarnad’s WEDDING ALBUM, MACBETH, AURANGZEB and VIKRAMORVASHIYAM.

If you have missed out on watching it this time, plus do catch up whenever the show happens next, I am sure you will love it as much as I did. I am thankful to 3 Bells Productions for organising such a great theatre festival and giving us an opportunity to witness something as beautiful and meaningful like this play.

Her Resurrection- Book Review

Her Resurrection- Book Review

Posted on by Sunil Malhotra

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The book has been very aptly dedicated to Jyoti Singh and all the innumerable victims of sexual violence.
It takes you through the tragic journey of Maya,the protagonist of this highly moving and poignant tale.
The author has beautifully captured the ethos and pain of Maya tracing her journey from a young eight year child,a burden,as referred to by her father. From child sex abuse to the rape of a teenaged Maya.The hatred and ridicule of the Society which still considers women as the weaker sex to be lorded over and abused by the so called superior species of man, this book discovers many shades of her persona, beautifully captured in words.
The centre of her strength through these early disasters in life of Maya is her mother who installs a sense of purpose in her.
Maya from a remote village who despite all opposition sets out to realise her dream of education.
The journey takes her to Mumbai where she is forced into prostitution and her subsequent getaway from a brothel to further deceit and abuse at the hands of men to her eventually overcoming her utmost desire to kill herself and redeem and reclaim her dignity form the crux of this moving story. The book literally showcases the cruelty that our society has to offer especially when it come stop rape victims and women involved in flesh trade. But it also shows the power and strengths that every woman possesses and the fact that she can overcome any challenges life throws at her and emerge as true winners.
A very beautifully penned story capturing the pain, the grief and the undying underlying grit of Maya. Its a tale of survival and reclamation of one’s own identity.
A must read.
Grab your copy today.

Available on Amazon

Price Rs 150/-