Author: Aditi Malhotra
Marketing & Social Media Consultant | Content Writer & Columnist | Events & Wedding Planner | Award Winning Home Chef | Home Baker | Artist | Photography Enthusiast

Kolkata Food Festival at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel- Khoob Bhalo!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

As part of the Grand Trunk Culinary Journey, Kolkata Food Festival is being hosted at the Leela Ambience Convention Hotel. Its the last stop of this journey which started from Amritsar and made stops at Old Delhi and Banaras. The food festival celebrated cuisines from across the NH1 (Grand Trunk Road), bringing to you mouth-watering dishes from various cities that came along the way.

 

To bring out the authentic flavours of Kolkata, Chef De Cuisine Ashwani Kumar Singh travelled to the City of Joy to gather the secrets that lie hidden amongst the busy lanes of a city famous for its indulgent variety of Bengali cuisine.

The food festival aims at recreating the culinary delights as well as the ambience of Kolkata and brings together its culture and music for an unforgettable experience.

Within this culinary journey our first stop was the Cutlet/Chop/Bhaja counter which served a wide variety of fried fish, chicken cutlet, mutton chop and Vegetable Chop and trust me words can’t do justice to such an elaborate spread. It was awesome, crispy fried fish, some small, some big, some like cutlets and some like fingers, it was a treat of tastes. I personally loved the prawn cutlet and fried fish.

And how can one ignore Jhalmuri and Puchkas at a Kolkata Food Festival, and I have never ever tasted Jhalmuri earlier because I don’t like the taste of raw mustard oil, but this was awesome. Crunchy, crispy and flavoursome. Also the puchkas were fantastic, the water was just perfectly spiced.

The main course again was an elaborate spread and consisted of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies. Bhekti Paturi, Kachu Pata Chingri Vapa, Lau Ghanto, Galda Chingri Malai Curry, Chittal Peti, Kosha Mangsho, Murgi Jhol, Chicken Vorta, Sukto, Aloo Posto, Lal Saag, Paneer Er Rosha, Chollar Dal, Kacha Lemon Moong Dal, Kichuri, Bhaat, you name it and it was there and that too in all authenticity of the tastes and flavours. Kudos to chef Ashwani Kumar, that he left no stone unturned to bring in the actual flavours by using best of the ingredients and some of those were directly sourced from the city of joy.

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The Achar counter was one of the highlights for me, I simply relished all of them. Gondhoraj Ghol, which was basically ber done in a sweet and sour way was mind blowing, Pineapple Chutney, Tomato Chutney were two other things I loved, and you know usually they are eaten after the meal in order to increase appetite so that one can then savour the sweetdishes.

And who can beat Bengalis when it comes to sweet dishes, I mean these sweet dishes have just no comparison at all. Sondesh, Nolen Gurer Rosogulla, Kamala Bhog, Malpo, Sita Bhog, Pithas, Mihi Dana, Dimer Halua, Payesh, Mishti Doi.. OMG my mouth waters even as I write about them. The platter that we were served was so tempting that I can’t tell you, and it was such a great sugar rush, that even though were were full, it was difficult to resist the temptation.

Trust me when I say that this is one festival you should not miss, because we often don’t get to satiate our cravings for Bengali food, so while its there, make the most of it. You still have about 4 days, as the festival is on till the 16th April, so waste no more time and head straight to Leela Ambience Convention Hotel and enjoy this feast of Kolkata Food. I had a great time indeed!

 

 

Don’t Miss These Amazing Spring 2017 Fashion Trends – Suzy Walsh

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

As a fashion enthusiast, you probably keep an eye on changing seasonal trends. Fashion is not just about the top brands, but it is also about how you interpret ideas for your personal style. In this special post, we will talk about the best spring 2017 trends. These are ideas that made headlines during the four spring fashion weeks and are absolutely perfect for any fashion-conscious girl. We will also add a few tips on how you can make the most of these ideas.

Think pink: One of the hottest colour palettes of spring is pink! From the mellow pinks to hot fuchsias, pink made a nice comeback to the runway, and we love the amazing mix of shades. You can try pastel pink dresses or bright outfits for casual brunches – there’s enough for everyone. For a few ideas, check the collections of Balenciaga and Valentino among others.

The classic floral girl: Floral prints for spring can be boring, but not this time. A lot of designers and fashion houses, including names like Balenciaga and Chloé, worked with floral in a different way, adding a more retro twist of the 70s. While bright colours were pretty evident, we think that simple floral outfits can make a mark any day. This is more like a classic style, and the good thing is you will find plenty of options in budget on online stores.

More jumpsuits: If you are tall and have a body to flaunt, jumpsuits can be your staple for casual clothing. Jumpsuits look great for any occasion, as long as you choose the right colour. You can find some amazing simple jumpsuit ideas in the shows of Hermès and Vanessa Seward. There were no big hints, but it was more about minimalism, which works best when you are looking for something comfortable yet appealing.

Stripes with a difference: Spring 2016 had a lot of striped looks, but those were bold and contrasting stripes. Come 2017, we will see a lot of functional and more wearable stripes that seem to follow no fixed lines. This is more like origami of lines, often inspired from seaside and office stripes. If you are fond of simple trends, we presume that this should be your singular pick of the entire list. To know more about this idea, take a look at the collections of Chloé and Sonia Rykiel.

Hoodies are here: Hooded outfits are usually reserved for fall, but there’s no harm in trying new things after all. Top shows of Balenciaga and Paco Rabanne featured hoodies with a difference for spring 2017. Instead of regular sweatshirts, hoodies worked best as an addition to regular outfits meant for spring.

Hope you liked this post and have made your shopping list. For more, keep following this amazing blog.

[Images: en.vogue.fr/fashion]

Author: Suzy Walsh is the chief author and editor for The House Of Elegance Fashion – an emerging blog on style, fashion and trends. She is known for her incredible sense of style and has worked with many leading portals as a guest author.

 

Wet Brush- A new revolution for hair care system

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

How many of us fear shampooing our hair just because of the tangles that it invites.. isnt it true, every time you shampoo your hair, you dread passing a comb or brush through them because of the tangles. Tangles are painful and the worst part is the hair breakage that it generally results in. But worry no more, Wet Brush a revolutionary product from USA is now here to shoo away your hair problems.

Recently Looks Salon, at GK 2, organised a session for hair care where in they showcased Olaplex. Hollywood’s most sought after hair product and treatment that repairs damaged hair and takes it back to its virgin state. Olaplex with its range of 5 revolutionary treatments have reached various top line salons across the country.

After a hair care treatment of Olaplex, followed by a shampoo, came the time to experience the use of Wet Brush. I normally fear someone else removing my tangles as I feel that I know my hair the best, and untangling them with minimal pain is something I can do with much more care. But hold on, with the Wet Brush, even if someone else is detangling your hair, you won’t event come to know. This is exactly what happened with me, as I settled on my chair after the shampoo, I was dreading the detangle, but within seconds, my hair was tangle free and I didn’t even come to know of it. The Wet Brush just glided smoothly through my hair and I was astonished with the result.

Wet Brush – Wet Brush is the #1 selling professional brush in the USA.
The Wet Brush glides effortlessly through wet or dry hair for healthy detangling and eliminates all tugging, tearing, pulling or ripping. Perfect for all hair types, it will give you gorgeous, healthy, tangle-free locks in minutes.

This is one product that you must have and all I can say is that even the other Olaplex treatments and products are totally worth it. Do try at a salon near you. Its available across all Looks Salons in the country along with some other reputed salon chains. Strongly recommended.

Happy Hair = Happy Me

SoulKonnection Presents Soul 108

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

SoulKonnection is an organization that is a celebration of conscious life through various wellness events of Self Transformation and Uplifting Programs. On 8th April 2017, Soul 108 by SoulKonnection is a one day festival in Andheri, Mumbai inviting people to experience a holistic healing experience. It is a one of a kind festival that gives a platform for participants to engage in a wide array of traditional and non-traditional activities including Yoga, Meditation, Dance Movement Therapy, SoulKonnect Self – Healing, Lifecoaching – Secrets of Time Management, Sound Healing and Art Therapy.

Soul 108 is designed for all age group including kids, adults and seniors. There are special Art Therapy and Etiquette classes for children to experience, while their parents can attend workshops simultaneously. Besides this, an array of food stalls will ensure a guilt-free, healthy experience with fresh produce, organic food and drinks. The workshops aimed towards self- exploration and self – discovery will take place through the day while the evening will include live singing and stand – up comedy act.

The event is designed and curated by the Founder of SoulKonnection, the celebrated Life Coach, Amit Bhandari who is an ex-captain of the Merchant Navy. His award-winning methods have helped clients across India and Australia.

For Adults –

Time Hall 1 Hall 2
9 – 11 am Yoga & Meditation SK – Self Healing
11:30 -1:30 am Dance Movement Therapy Secrets of Time Management
1:30 – 2 pm Break Break
2:30 – 40:30 pm Yoga & Meditation SK – Self Healing
5 – 7 pm Dance Movement Therapy Secrets of Time Management

 

For Kids –

Time slots for Art Therapy –10 to 11 am, 12 noon to 1pm, 3 to 4 pm, 5 to 6pm

Time slots for table décor & etiquettes – 11am to 12 noon, 2 to 3pm, 4 to 5pm, 6 to 7pm

Evening entertainment Segment –

Time Activity
7:30pm Panel discussion with faculty
8:30pm Stand Up Comedy Act
9pm Live singer with acoustic guitarist

 

New Summer Menu at the Civil House, Khan Market

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

A place that is bustling with people on a weekday afternoon, speaks volume about its popularity anyway and trust me when I stepped into Civil House around 1PM on a weekday, I was taken by a surprise with so much of crowd.

They are in process of launching a summer special menu and I settled down to explore the same with some of my foodie friends. We tried the following dishes from the new menu:

Stuffed Mushrooms with Quinoa Salad with Cheddar- a beautiful preparation, the crunchy quinoa filling in the mushrooms, made them taste so different and nice and topped with cheese, this dish definitely needs a place in their permanent menu.

 

Crispy Fried Quinoa Cake with Hot & Spicy Tomato Dip- I think the more I try quinoa is different avatars, the more I fall in love with it. Its healthy for sure and its so adaptive that one can really play with flavours and spices to make it taste different each time This fried quinoa cutlet was extremely delicious and I loved it.

Harissa Marinated Chicken with Root Vegetables and Salad- The glaze on top of the chicken is reason enough to make your mouth water and it tastes as awesome as it looks. This surely is a must try. For me it was one of the best dishes of my lunch that day.

Vegetable Timbale- A very authentic French dish, this had mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese in creamed tomato sauce wrapped in layers of green and yellow zucchini. Taking a full bite of it gives you foodie experience that you cant afford to miss.

Homemade Spinach and Broccoli Fettuccini with Bell Pepper Cream Sauce- This dish is definitely a must try and you just cant miss it. The green coloured spinach fettuccini not just looked amazing but tasted amazing too and the bell pepper cream sauce enhanced the taste so much, that its worth drooling.

Raw mango Risotto with Pine Nuts- Truly a summer special, the taste of raw mango chunks mixed with Risotto is an innovative and delectable dish and highly recommended. Its an outstanding combination of flavours.

Homemade Chilli Linguini with Minced Lamb- This was another delectable preparation, though after trying the other dishes from new menu, my expectation of innovation was raised and hence found this dish as a regular one, but no compromise taste wise, the taste and flavours were more than perfect.

Quinoa and Fresh Avocado Burger- A delightful preparation and surely a must try, I can easily say that one of the best burger that I have eaten in recent times.

From the existing menu I tried another two dishes which were awesome, and I regret not trying them earlier.

Beetroot, Feta and Walnuty Burger with Homemade Hummus, trust me when I say you would have not eaten anything like this before, because the beetroot cutlet is just marvellous. It looks appetising and tempting and tastes equally good. I could have gorged on and on, it was so delicious.

Pan Seared Sea Bass, Mixed Greens Risotto with Fennel Butter, another winner dish and words cant really explain this entire foodie experience. Each and every dish was commendable and one really needs to visit this place soon and try them all.

For desserts we tried the Vanilla Panacotta, Orange and Pink Pepper Corn Gastrique and OMG, this was an out of the world experience, I mean seriously, such a summery and refreshing dish that you must must try it out. I have never been fond of Panacottas but this truly changed my mind forever. This was one indulgence that I cant get over and I am going to go after this one every now and then. There was Dark Chocolate Fondant with Ice Cream as well, but for me the Panacotta’s taste lingered on.

As part of the summer menu, there are some amazing drinks too on the offer and the best part about these drinks is that they do not contain any added sugar or artificial flavours, thus making them a healthy option too.

Avocado and Chocolate Smoothie, Guava Mary, Orange Cinnamon Ice Tea, Strawberry Coconut Mojito, Green Vegetable Juice(spinach, brocolli, apple), Pineapple Strawberry Smoothie, Oatmeal and Almond Milk Smoothie(vegan) and Homemade Ginger Ale . Out of these Avocado and Chocolate Smoothie was awesome, and the taste was simply unmatchable. Next I loved the Green Vegetable Juice, which was so so refreshing and is perfect for summers. The other drinks were good too and I am sure will be loved by all.

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This summer menu at Civil House is available from 1st April onwards and this is one thing that you should definitely be trying this summer, because even I didn’t know that summers could be so cool.

Civil House Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

California Boulevard- Restaurant Review

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

California Boulevard is a hollywood themed restaurant situated in sector 29 of Gurgaon, but please mind it, its not in the popular sector 29 market of Gurgaon thats flooded with restaurants and bars, instead, its situated near the IFFCO Chowk Metro Station and is away from that hustle bustle. So if you wanna spend some quality time enjoying good food in a great ambience, this is the place. The ambience is very premium and classy and of course very English, with hollywood movie posters and name stickers of famous movie stars placed on the floor. The huge red coloured tram looking bar is definitely a highlight.

Coming to food, all I can say is that each and every dish was awesome and this place is highly recommended. Some of the dishes that I tried and loved included Khumb and Singhade is Galauti, trust me you won’t even know its veg, there is just no difference in the taste, it was so awesome. Then I had Mutton Kakori Kebabs, soft, succulent and very tender, this again is a must have. Cottage Cheese Tai Chi, Crispy Nachos and Peshawari Boti Kebab, Kafir Lime Chicken Tikka are another set of recommended dishes. With all these appetisers I was so full, that I skipped the main course completely. My son for sure tried the Dal Makhani with Butter Naan and was extremely happy with it. For dessert we tried the new entrant in the menu, the Bolivian Cocoa Walnut Pudding and it too was amazing. It was a sinful indulgence for sure, but totally worth it.

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Tasty Thursdays…Select Recipes from Indo-Japan Food Forum

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Recently the first ever Indo- Japan Food Forum took place at the Assocham where in collaboration of Japanese food in India was the highlight. As everyone cant be a part of such events, we bring to you some of the selected recipes that were created specially for the event which have an essence of both Indian and Japanese Food. Enjoy

And here is a little about the people behind these amazing recipes..

Zariya Fest, Select City Walk

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Elite Delhi schools have a general perception of creating spoilt children who dwell in mal-influence. However, who go unnoticed, are the children who use their resources to bring change. Rajavi Mishra, Hanssa Jain, and Sharanya Khemka, students of Step by Step School, founded ‘Zariya’ in 2016. In collaboration with the NGO ‘Samarpan’, an initiative to provide a caring home for orphaned children, Zariya aims to fight child abuse and neglect that takes place in New Delhi. Its first ever endeavour was to develop a sense of achievement among such children. This was done by organizing an 8 month long vocational skill building programme: Kala Ki Pehchaan.

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To showcase their progress and raise funds for the cause, Zariya organized a fest on 20th March at Select CityWalk, which featured performance by the children of Samarpan NGO, concerts, stalls and fashion show. www.foodcloud.in had signed on as the official food partner for the event. They intended to come forward with other inspiring projects to serve the cause. Many home chefs who are associated with food cloud showcased their culinary skills at the event and sold their deletable food. From Thai to Lebanese, Continental and some amazing desserts, there was something for every tastebud to savour. Akanksha Goel, Arsh Khetan, Soven Soni, Ranveer Singh Aujla,Malika Thakur, Shivank Sareen, Sachi Sinha, Utsav Maheshwari,and Dhruv Narula, students from Step By Step School and Sanskriti School played a crucial role in making this show a success. It was a great event and I had a lot fun visiting the same.

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MAFF, JETRO and ASSOCHAM host India’s first Indo-Japan Food Forum

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Ministry of Agriculture Forestry And Fisheries,Japan,(MAFF) held its First Indo-Japan Food Forum in Association with Jetro and Assocham at Assocham House, Delhi, on the 16th of March, 2017.


The main focus of the Forum was to promote Japanese food and it’s favourable food preparation methods and techniques effectively in India.
The theme of the Forum was ‘Food and Health’
The Forum saw high ranking officials from the Ministry of Agriculture from Japan and India, Jetro and Assocham address the issues of creating awareness of Japanese food and food processing technologies in India.


Leading producers of Miso, Marukome Co Ltd, Kagome Co Ltd, and other food processing companies graced the occasion and their representatives explained in detail about the company background and their future plans to invest and produce in India.


Mr Tejima, Founder of Sushi Junction, and online Sushi store took us through their process of opening an online food delivery store to its present day success in this niche segment. He laid emphasis on the quality of food served by them and the growing awareness in the Indian consumers towards Japanese food.

The Forum also saw the presence of some distinguished Indian Chefs who prepared some very innovative Indian Dishes using authentic Japanese ingredients.

Here is a glimpse..

All in a all an exciting time ahead for Indian foodaholics to get a taste of multiple Japanese food products and More Japanese Cuisine to be made easily available for food lovers.

Hoping and Wishing great success to this exciting new phase.

Power Woman- Gita Gopinath, the woman behind Sundri, a world class salon!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

When we talk about unisex salons, most of us end up thinking it as a new age funda, but not many know that there are women who have been ahead of times, and they did this some 27 odd years ago, yes 27..

Gita Gopinath is one such woman, who not only dared to dream but also fulfilled and nurtured her dream to the extent that today she boasts of a salon that is 27 years old. Gita was married back then when she started all this, she faced some resistance from her family, more so from the husband and in-laws side, but she did not give up. She was one amongst the first batch who was trained by Blossom Kochar, back then. Once she enrolled for the program with Blossom Kochar, there was no looking back. Starting with a small salon, today she has a multistories building to call of her own. Situated in sector 14 market of Faridabad, Sundri by Gita Gopinath is one of the most reputed salons in the city. Here is Gita Gopinath at her salon..

Gita at work

Equipped with the latest technologies and trends, today Sundri is a perfect mix of modern methods and age old experience. The place is a beautiful one indeed and Gita’s personality reflects in each corner of the place. I was so surprised to find a floor place dedicated to a small library having philosophical books, on positive mindset and lifestyle, exclusively for the members of the salon, where in they can sit in peace, read, relax and unwind. Its such a beautiful thought I must say and the credit goes to Gita for thinking and planning all this along with her designer Deepa Devarajan, who helped bringing that serenity to the place. Deepa not only helped on designing this floor, but she is responsible for the overall design of the salon and its a perfect example of one power woman meeting and collaborating with the other.

Gita Gopinath with Tamanna Sing and Deepa Devarajan

Coming back to Gita, she has not just successfully taken Sundri to newer heights, but also passed on the legacy to her younger son. Karthik Gopinath, Gita’s son was a step ahead of his mother, as he not just got inclined to this business of styling at a much younger age, but also added feathers to his cap by winning prestigious competitions into hair styling in his teens itself. He is a shy dude who knows his work well and lets his work speak instead of himself. With the mother son duo putting in all their efforts at the right place, I see the future of Sundri stronger than ever. It was a pleasure meeting both of them and learning so much about their life, their struggles, their perseveration and their devotion towards their work. Its truly inspiring to meet such people who are so clear of their dreams and leave no stone unturned to follow and realise them.

Gita with her team..

I wish them both a great deal of luck, and for all of my readers, all I urge is that do visit Sundri once, get yourself pampered with their services and you will know how different your experience will be.