Category: Food

Pan Asian Foodie Experience at Kylin Premier

Kylin Premier situated in the Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj offers scrumptious Pan Asian cuisine that you can’t afford to miss, be it Chinese, Thai or Japanese and even Malaysian, it serves authentic food and also has some great drinks on the menu to explore.

Image Courtesy- Mr Polkadot

The ambience is chic and classy and gives you a fine dining feel. To begin with we ordered Chicken Dimsums with Shanghai Chilli and Chicken Dimsums with Aromatic Curry. Both the dimsums looked gorgeous and tasted equally good. The purple colour of Chicken Dimsums with Shanghai Chilli was a highlight, I kept on staring at them for a long time before actually eating them, and one bite into it, and you know you couldn’t have asked for anything better. The Aromatic Curry Dimsums on the other hand had a Thai curry base to them which added a great dimension to the overall taste. You cannot afford to miss both these dishes.

Sole Fish in Chilli Hoisin and Chicken Finger Chilli Hoisin and 5 Spice were other two starters that we tried, they both tasted quite similar, the only difference was the type of flesh you were eating, but at the same time, both did taste good.

Spicy Veg Roll or Veg Sushi as we would like to call it was another winner dish, a perfectly rolled sushi with great pickled veggies stuffed in. I simply loved it. Rice Paper Rolls and Yasai Tempura can also be given a try.

For the main course we tried Chicken in Ginger and Mild Soya, Stir Fried Ginger Soya Fish, Oriental Veg in Chilli Bean and Lohan Veggies with Oyster Mushroom along with some Udon Noodles and Wok Fried Sticky Garlic Garlic Rice. All the dishes were amazing, I especially loved the chicken and udon noodles.

To go along with our food, I tried the Cosmopolitan and then later settled for Magical Ming a Gauva based mocktail. I also sipped Green Apple Martini from a friend, and can easily say that drinks at Kylin are wonderful.

For desserts we tried Tub Tim Krob, a typical Thai dessert made with water chestnuts and coconut cream and milk. Its truly delectable and refreshing and you must try it.

Overall I had a fantastic time with my friends at Kylin and I look forward to visiting the place again soon.
Kylin Premier Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Change is Here- Dominos Pizza Badal Gaya!

It is rightly said that change is the only constant and when the change is for better, its always welcomed with open arms. Just recently our favourite Dominos has changed for better.

Domino’s Pizza, the market leader in the organized pizza segment, unveiled its most significant product refresh with an across the board enhancement of its pizzas.

The improvement to its pizzas include a new soft and tasty crust, more and bigger toppings, more cheese and a new herbier tomato sauce made from imported Californian tomatoes.

The launch of the All New Domino’s Pizzas will be supported by an aggressive advertising campaign across Television, Digital, Press and Radio. It will also be accompanied by a focused outreach effort targeted at its existing customers.

Domino’s Pizzas will now sport a new look and come in an attractive blue and white packaging that highlights the changes. Even after these improvements, the price of Domino’s pizzas will remain unchanged and this will help deliver better value-for-money to customers.

Talking about the new launch, Mr. Pratik Pota, CEO, Jubilant FoodWorks Limited said, “Earlier in the year, we had unveiled our new strategy for driving sustainable, profitable growth. The key pillars of these were Product Improvement, Value For Money, Seamless Customer Experience and Superior Technology all enabled by a focus on cutting costs and driving efficiencies. As part of this strategy, we are pleased to unveil today the largest ever upgrade of our pizzas. The new improved Domino’s Pizzas will have a softer and tastier crust, more and bigger toppings, more cheese and a new herbier tomato sauce.”

Mr. Pota further added, “We will be investing nearly Rs.100 crores behind the upgrade. We believe that the vastly improved product will help both drive frequency amongst existing customers as well as attract new ones, and thereby expand the Domino’s franchise and help growth in the market”.

Domino’s pizzas will now come with a new soft and tasty crust that consumers will enjoy until the last bite. The sauce will now be made of Californian tomatoes and will be tastier, giving Domino’s Pizza a distinct herbier flavour. The quantity and size of the toppings across pizzas have also been increased along with the amount of cheese to provide the consumers with a more satiating and mouthful bite.

Speaking on the new brand transformation Mr. S. Murugan Narayanaswamy, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Domino’s Pizza India, “In the last 20 years we have continuously adapted ourselves and brought the brand closer to our consumers. Our signature 30 minutes delivery promise and the launch of the Pizza Mania range are examples of this. The All New Domino’s is an outcome of insights gained from customer feedback, market research and store observations. Responding to specific feedback on the product gleaned from these, we have completely upgraded our product. We have planned a 360-degree marketing campaign ‘Aapne kaha, humne Kiya’ around the same. We are confident that our customers will love the new, enhanced product.”

And after hearing so much about the new changes, it was absolutely mandatory for me to try these new improved pizzas because just hearing about more toppings, softer crust and cheese along with the tomato sauce, my mouth watered and I had to try them on my own for sure. So I ordered myself a Barbecue Chicken Pizza and Paneer Makhani Pizza and truly the crust was much more softer and almost melted in the mouth. by just looking at the pizza one could make out that it has more cheese. loved the big chunks of chicken and paneer in the respective pizzas. The paneer especially was really soft and I loved it. The taste of the new tomato sauce was more evident in the barbecue chicken pizza and I really liked its freshness. Overall this has been a great change and I look forward to try the other variants of pizza as well. Dominos has been a market leader and I am sure with all these new improvements they are bound to go places.

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Hanging Out at SummerHouse Cafe!

Recently when my blog completed 2 years, I though of celebrating the special day with my special friends and headed out to Summer House Cafe for the same. It was a Sunday evening, and Summer House was also organising a Salsa night and this gave us another reason to chose this place for our celebration. Music, Dance, Friends, Amazing Food, I mean what more do you need to celebrate an important day.

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Initially we settled ourselves on the Terrace and enjoyed some starters and drinks.  The terrace was a very cool vibe to it and feels like a perfect place to hangout and chill with friends.

A veg platter, Oriental Spring Rolls and Falafel & Hummus made for our starters while Mai Tai and Junniper Pimms were our selection for drinks. The veg platter included Paneer Tikka, Roasted Pineapple and Stuffed Soya Tikka along with mint sauce, kachumbar salad and yogurt dip. The paneer tikka and soya tikka were perfectly done and spiced. Though the pineapple too was good, very juicy and nicely roasted, but I found it too spicy, if it would have been a little less spicier, it would have been better, as too much of spiciness doesn’t gel with everyones tastebuds.

Oriental Spring Rolls were to die for, crispy on the outside, stuffed with sautéed veggies, it was awesome. I can gorge on them anytime. Falafel served with Pita and Hummus were good too, though I would have preferred if the falafel wasn’t too dry. If eaten alone without the dips, it didn’t go down too well with me because of its dryness.

As for drinks, Junniper Pimms was a gin based cocktail with chunks of cucumber which give it a very refreshing taste and Mai Tai was a rum based cocktail, which had both dark rum and white rum along with orange and pineapple juice. Both the drinks not just looked good, but tasted good as well.

After sometime, we came downstairs to explore the inside seating and also enjoy the Salsa night. We ordered Bloody Mary, LIIT, a Pineapple and Red Bull based Mocktail and one other Pineapple Mocktail, both of which were amazing. Then we also ordered some Nachos to go along and sat ourselves in comfortable couches. The ambience downstairs is also very alive and quirky. Paintings, artefacts and random quotes on the walls, make for an interesting decor overall.

By 9:30, the place was buzzing with people dancing away to some great music and showing Salsa moves with their partners. Those who didn’t have partners, also found like minded people, who were all set to explore and thump their feet on the ground. It was an amazing sight to see so many people dancing, looked like many poetries in motion together.

We further tried a thin crust Bell Pepper & Onion pizza and loved it. To end our evening at a sweet note, Banoffee Pie made for a perfect companion. The taste still lingers on. Well in the end all I can say is that I had a perfect evening spent at Summer House Cafe and for me this place will always remain on my go to list when hanging out with friends.

Summer House Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Thai Khun at Kylin Express…!!

Thai Khun typically means Your Thailand, and at an ongoing festival Kylin Experience at Holiday Inn, Mayur Vihar brought the Bangkok Food Street experience live for its customers through this festival. Thai Khun is on till Sunday, i.e. 6th of August. So do try and experience the same.

I personally loved my overall visit at Thai Khun, the concept, the ambience and most importantly the food, all were simply great. Concept wise, the moment you enter you are given Thai Baht, which you can spend to buy food from counters selling different items. There is a fruits counter which serves special Thai fruits and salads. Then a grill counter, dimsums counter, the curry station and others. One could explore each one of these and get food in exchange of the Thai Currency (artificial of course).

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The ambience was given a look and feel of local Bangkok food street with colourful Thai umbrellas and rustic stalls. Now coming to the food, I have never been a big fan of Thai food, but this food festival changed my mind set. I have to say that I have never eaten a better Thai food than this. Each and every item in the menu was absolutely amazing and what made me drool for them even more was the fact that they were priced very reasonably. It didn’t feel at all that I was dining inside a hotel, the prices were apt as per the theme, and did full justice to the street food concept.

My personal recommendations would be the Salads, all of them were simply flavourful. Try the Corn on Cob, Lemon Grass Chicken Satay( never eaten better than these), Chicken and Veg Dimsums (loved the way the were roasted to perfection, the smokey flavour was a true enhancer), Grilled Soya Chaap, and Pandan Leaf Chicken. This pandan leaf chicken is something you can’t afford to miss, the sweetness and flavours of pandan leaf on a perfectly grilled piece of chicken was a mouth melting experience and I loved it.

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For the mains I tried the Red Thai Curry Chicken with Sticky Rice and it was yummy! and I truly mean it, It was by far the best I  have eaten, and also one of the reasons was as contrary to the use of Red Paste or Green Curry Paste, here everything was prepared fresh, no pre-made pastes were used in the making of gravies, and that I think gave it a very fresh and appealing taste overall.

For desserts we tired the traditional Thai dessert Red Rubbies, which had Water Chestnuts and Coconut Cream and it was delicious.

I had an amazing amazing time exploring Thai food at Thai Khun and you too must make the most of it, so hurry up..!!
The Kylin Experience - Holiday Inn Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Back to University with Leela Ambience Convention Hotel!

Wanna revisit college days, head straight to Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, and in case you have missed eating the typical canteen food, the Back to University Food Festival at Leela, will help you recreate those memories again.

The ambience really catches your eyes the moment yo enter Cafe Knosh, with a huge gold spot bottle forming the centre piece and scholar hats and degrees hanging on the ceiling and blackboards on the walls.  A nice bus stop, sports zone and cycles, trophies shelf and loads of interesting artistic decor really brings the college life magic alive.

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Loved a Tapri Chai Thela, which served some cutting chai along with age old rusk and cookies. It was like a Deja Vu, remembering number of times we went for tea and biscuits to a near by thela and enjoyed simple things of life chatting away with friends.

The food has been inspired from various colleges across Delhi and typically served specialities from all these colleges. Like Rajma Chawal and Dosa from Hansraj College, Egg Fried Rice and French Fries with Mint Chutney from Ramjas, Minced Cutlets, Omelletes and Chicken Curry from St Stephan’s, Chole Bhature from SRCC and so on.

We tried Vada Pao, which was nice, crispy and spicy. I really liked it. Next on my plate was a piping hot Mattar Samosa, which was delicious. The stuffing of potatoes and peas was perfectly done and was very flavourful. You can’t afford to miss this one. Relish it with a glass of cutting chai and you will experience sheer bliss.

Then came one of the best dishes of the evening, the chicken sliders. Juicy chicken patty in soft buns, it was mouth meltingly delicious and again a must try.

We tried both Chicken Maggie and Masala Maggie, I mean how can you ignore Maggie in college days, its been a lifeline for most of the people and one dish which has evolved so much in taste. I mean the typical masala maggie is actually a legacy of colleges and at Leela, the same tastes were recreated, I personally enjoyed the Masala Maggi more.

We also relished some Crispy Fried Fish with Tartar Sauce and Paneer and Chicken Tikka and all of them were delectable and perfectly done. This is something that at least I didn’t get in my college days, changing times.. but I am glad I could experience it this way!

Then we came down to trying a plate of Kadhi Chawal and Chicken Curry Rice, a staple diet for many in college time. I still remember how we used to crave Rajma Chawal and Kadhi Chawal and the days Chicken was served was a boon. I loved the typical way of how Kadhi Chawal and Chicken Curry Rice were served here, nothing fancy, steel plate, rice topped with gravy and some onions and voila, you are good to gorge upon those plates.

Apart from trying these college legendary dishes, if you have appetite for more, Cafe Knosh serves an amazing spread of buffet that you can lay your hands on along with this special menu

I thoroughly enjoyed this REWIND.. BACK TO UNIVERSITY concept as those are the best days of anyones life and who doesn’t want to revisit them again. SO catch hold of your friends and head straight to Leela Ambience Convention Hotel to indulge in some great food and create new memories. The festival is on till 13th August so make the most of it!

 

 

ChaoBella- A perfect amalgamation of Oriental and Italian Cuisines!

Situated in Crowne Plaza, Okhla, ChaoBella as the name also suggests represents unity of two different cuisines under one roof. It serves authentic Oriental and Italian food and I simply loved it. The place has a very warm vibe, and his chic and classy interiors.

As it was my first visit to the place, I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to try both the cuisines and hence ordered a perfect mix of starters in order to have best from both the worlds.

Shredded Crispy Mushroom, Zhang Fei Spicy Chicken, Vegetable Dumplings and Chicken Jaozi made for the Chinese starters and Pizza Con Pollo Affumicato and Margarita Pizza for the Italian appetisers. I loved the mushroom and zhang chicken, both. The dumplings were perfectly done and I loved the way a green dot represented the vegetable dumplings and a red dot on Chicken Jaozi, they both looked as amazing as they tasted. I also tried Chicken Manchow Soup, which was great and loved a tiny miny chicken dumpling that floated in the soup and gave it an added taste.

The Margarita Pizza, Veg Pizza and Smoked Chicken Pizza were amazing, I especially loved the Veg Pizza. The juices of the vegetables, cheese and a nice crust made for a great pizza, I thoroughly enjoyed relishing a big slice of it.

For the main course, we tried Pan Fried River Sole, a stir fried fish served with Sichuan pickled vegetables and pine nuts and it was really nice. The fish was tender and juicy and the pickled vegetables made for a great accompaniment.

Sautéed Chicken Breast served with Charred Asparagus and Porcini Sauce was another amazing preparation. Loved the juicy chicken breasts, it was mildly spiced and I really liked it.

Chicken in Sichuan Sauce, Malak Vegetables, Chilli Garlic Noodles and Vegetable Fried Rice made for a perfect Chinese Meal, I loved each and every item and I can really gorge on these anytime. Its surely been one of the finest Chinese meals I have eaten.

For Desserts I tried the Tiramisu, which was the only thing I found below standards, as I could not taste coffee much and neither the taste of mascarpone cheese was coming across. I loved the presentation though and the macaroon served along was yummy.

ChaoBella - Crowne Plaza Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Going Nuts over Dunkin Donuts!! Unbeatable Prices Will Make You Drool Even More..!

” A Donut a Day Keeps My Sadness Away” If you wondering who said these valuable lines, please don’t look any further, its me, yes these valuable lines come straight from my heart 🙂

And now for the best part, when yummylicious donuts from Dunkin Donuts are available at unbeatable prices, you surely deserve more than one donut a day 😉 A box of 6 may be.. yes a wonderful box of 6 assorted donuts.. can’t ask for more..

I recently order one for myself and starting at those beautiful looking donuts is a delight in itself. I ordered myself a box full of my favourites, Cookie Cart Wheel, Death By Chocolate, Alive By Chocolate, Classic Glazed, Caramel Donut and Cinnamon and each of them was just out of this world. The cookie cartwheel loaded with oreo crumb is so so delicious and death by chocolate and alive by chocolate have all always been my weakness, I just can’t have enough of these. Loaded with chocolate on top and melted chocolate that oozes out from within, its pure food orgasm.

The caramel donut with oodles of caramel goodness can’t be ignored. I am a sucker for cinnamon so its a must in my box and a classic glazed donut tastes amazing with a hot cup of coffee.

And can you imagine getting a small glazed donut at just Rs 25 and Death by Chocolate, Alive by Chocolate and all at only Rs 35, I mean isn’t a steal away deal. This will surely make you go for more than one donut, so what are you waiting for, order your box now..!

A tour of the Anmol Bakers Factory at Greater Noida!

Anmol Industries, formally known as Anmol Bakers is a well known name when it comes to Biscuit brands in India. Today Anmol Biscuits is amongst the top 5 biscuit brands of India and shares a great market share. From the very beginning the main motive of the brand has been quality product in affordable prices and this is what makes it very popular with the masses.

I recently got a chance to visit the factory in Greater Noida where the biscuits are produced in tonnes every single day. With more than 400 people working in the factory, this unit alone produces 54000 ton and with an average of 165000 packets of biscuits per hour, isn’t that humungous.

Can you imagine the ton of Maida and Sugar used everyday in the factory..? Take a guess… its 120 tonnes of Maida and 40 tonnes of Sugar daily.. OMG..

Though this factory is partially automated and uses a lot of human labour, its still wonderful to see things happening seamlessly one after the other.

We explored each and every nook and corner of the factory, right from the warehouse where raw material is offloaded, to then seeing the movement of big grinders, grinding the sugar and mixers, mixing the dough. Then we witnessed how the prepared dough goes in the hot ovens and is baked as per the design and flavour, then the people lift stacks of biscuits and out them on other machines where they are packed and sealed. I mean the whole process is so mesmerising and also one respects and regards the people who work in these extreme hot conditions and put in so much hardwork and efforts to get us the most yummylicious biscuits.

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We even went to see the lab, where in expert professionals continuously strive to provide the best quality product. Random raw material checks, finished product checks and scope of improvements are the things that keep these experts on their toes.

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Though Anmol enjoys a 4th position in top biscuit brands, it has all possibilities of further climbing the ladder in near future. Upon being asked about the future marketing plans, the clear answer was- Anmol has decided to increase its investment in brand building and has roped in actor, Akshay Kumar as their brand ambassador to help in creating greater awareness of the brand. In addition to the new brand ambassador, Anmol will significantly increase its investments in advertising and sales promotion activities to cater to wider audiences.

“On the basis of extensive consumer research, we have undergone a complete change in terms of our logo and packaging to be seen as a young contemporary Indian brand, which is in line with the aspirations of the youth. The new Anmol logo is a reflection of Anmol’s values of spreading joy and warmth and has been designed to appeal to its core target audience. We aim to increase our turnover from Rs 1200 crores in 2016 – 17 to Rs 2000 crores by 2020”, said Mr Bimal Kumar Choudhary, Managing Director.

Guided by strong principles of Quality, Ethics and Brand Promise, Anmol has evolved as one of the most trusted and responsible brands in the packaged food industry in terms of hygiene, quality and taste. Hygiene and cleanliness is served first in all the production units. Usage of head-caps is mandatory for everyone entering the unit. They have given emphasis to provide innovative products as well as sound health regimes suiting the Indian consumer palate.

Anmol is also venturing into fruit cakes and some premium range of biscuits, and yet the price point is maintained. We sampled a few of them, and they were delicious.

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I really had a very exciting day spent at the factory and this experience is gonna remain with me for a lifetime. Also I really wish I am able to once visit their fully automated plant and see how biscuits are made totally with machines.

 

 

Masaledar Monsoon Menu at Kopper Kadai!

Hey Delhites,the monsoons are here, the advent of the rainy season. When one talks of rains invariably the thought of piping hot tea and pakodas comes to mind at least here in North India. And keeping exactly the weather in mind Kopper Kadahi at Rajouri Garden have come up with a special Monsoon menu curated by Celebrity Chef Akhshay Nayyar.

The specially curated menu for Monsoon festival will be available till July 30th, so don’t forget to hop on at Kopper Kadai before that, make the most while the season lasts.
Not just food, but the place is aesthetically decorated n cosy atmosphere created over two floors of the place makes you feel at home. Experience for yourself the efficient services of a real courteous staff in a super cool ambience with some extraordinary dishes created with love n passion.
A simply wonderful culinary delight with a selection of veg n non veg dishes and a variety of supercool drinks.
The special Masaaledar Monsoon Menu boasts of some mouth watering delicacies like
First n foremost The Chillar Chai, a lovely concoction made out of churned ice, lemon, honey n masalas, this one is an absolute must. The bite sized samosa was a delight stuffed with gobhi.The Biryani pakoda was another innovative and delicious offering.
The poatleez, stuffed with cottage cheese n spinach was lip smackingly good. The Tundla Station Cutlets and Raincoat chicken were a treat to be savoured. For me the outstanding dish was the Barsati Mutton Pepper Fry. Simply superb, the mutton done to perfection.
The Hi chai with pakodas and the cool Mad over Mango were truly satisfying to the palate.
The kaala khatta with Vodka infused grapes, pomegranate n tamarind toffee is cocktail to watch out for. The Jamun Tini a Gin stirred Jara Plum pulp was a really delightful mix.

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If you have appetite for more, a decent buffet comprising of main course Indian dishes was also laid to satiate your taste buds. And I can say that the food was overall very well prepared and surely gives the authentic Indian flavours to its best.

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All in all a wonderful culinary experience. The rain dance show prior to the main event was truly a spectacle. Come on Delhites Rush to Kopper Kadai for an extremely pleasant experience and enjoy monsoons like never before.

The Incredible Benefits of Garlic

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Garlic is often seen as a delicious staple ingredient, something one has to have in their kitchen. But it’s also seen by many as dispensable. If you don’t happen to have any, or if you can’t be bothered to prepare it, then no big deal. But the addition of more garlic in your diet isn’t just good because of its exquisite and unique flavor; it’s also because garlic is incredibly good for your health. So here’s a productive rant about, well, garlic!

 It’s good for the heart

High blood pressure. Artery hardening. High cholesterol. Coronary heart disease. Blood coagulation. These are all things that are bad for your heart – and guess what food helps fight them all? You know it: garlic. Garlic has been shown in multiple studies to improve the health of your circulatory and respiratory system – you can check out the results of some of these studies at http://jn.nutrition.org/content/136/3/736S.full. However, as with any food that’s good for your heart, you’re also going to need to give it some help by getting regular sleep, exercise, and by drinking plenty of water. Sitting around and eating garlic won’t make up for a day spent doing no physical activity.

It’s good for the skin

Garlic is filled with antioxidants. These, of course, are essential for several elements of your health, and you can read more about them at https://www.verywell.com/benefits-of-antioxidants. But they’re especially useful when it comes to promoting skin health! Antioxidants are essential weapons in the battle against the bacteria that can cause skin blemishes. Another reason garlic is so good for the skin is because it has a lot of anti-inflammatory properties! Skin conditions that are affected by inflammation, including acne and psoriasis, can be soothed with the intake of garlic. In fact, many have reported positive effects when rubbing a slice of raw garlic directly onto problem areas…

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Proper preparation

Mincing is often seen to be the easiest way to get garlic into a meal because it softens the sharp flavor really will. But something you should consider that helps protect the good elements of garlic during cooking while giving you a nice chunk of the stuff is adding slices instead of mince. Get yourself a sharp knife – you can read more at http://www.cutitfine.com/utility-knife-reviews/ – and carefully cut some nice slices of garlic. Sauté it over a gentle heat for about thirty seconds before adding the other ingredients.

Going raw?

As with many foods that are often give ‘superfood’ status, many would argue that the best way to get all the benefits of garlic is to eat it raw. Thankfully, there are several ways to do this that don’t involve simply swallowing garlic straight-up, which can be overwhelming to say the least! Again, a really sharp knife will come in handy to get the garlic into more ‘user-friendly’ portions. Putting thin slices of garlic on buttered toast, putting it into guacamole or salsa, stirring it into a cooled pasta sauce, adding them to mashed potatoes… there’s no shortage of ways to introduce raw garlic into your diet without having to deal with the overpowering taste!