Ikreate Passions

Junglee Billee and Wai Wai- Foodies Meet

Posted on January 18, 2016August 3, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

The capital’s newest culinary café and bar hosted a slurpy culinary affair in association with the CG Foods, the makers of the popular instant noodles, Wai Wai. The chefs at Junglee Billee showcased the Wai Wai’s versatility and taste edge by dishing out of the box recipes paired with the innovative drinks.

The menu was curated to showcase Wai Wai’s unique concept of Munch it, Soup it and Lunch it. The three course meal specially created for this occasion by the chefs at Junglee Billee was really something I looked forward to. The cooking session was moderated by chef Pawan Bisht.

The breezy, chilly winter evening made it a perfect time to savour these hot delicacies and the first item on the menu was like a god made match for the weather. It was a tomato and jasmine tea soup. Aah, the mere thought of having a cup of warm soup, sitting on the terrace of Junglee Billee, watered my mouth. I was anxiously waiting for the chef to start preparing it. This recipe was shared by Nida Mahmood, Founder-Junglee Billee, created with Wai Wai noodles, tomato broth flavoured with jasmine tea and seasonal greens.

It was really a very unusual combination of adding jasmine tea in tomato soup and it turned out to be really amazing.The wait wait crunch added on top made it even more delicious.

The participation of fellow bloggers and food enthusiasts was a delight to see. In fact every recipe was volunteered by some one or the other, along with the chef.

By the time we were served the soup, our next volunteer had already stepped forward to prepare the next dish. It was the Crispy Wai Wai, Aragula and Strawberry Salad. The salad was really yummy and yet again wai wai added that extra crunch to it. Such a simple recipe and so awesome to taste, I am definitely gonna try this at home 🙂

The way this evening was unfolding, it was truly delightful. The atmosphere, the preparation of dishes, unique fusion of tastes and presence of so many like minded people, made it one of its kind event.

The next dish seemed very very interesting and it went on to become my favourite, once I tasted it. It was the wai wai kurmure bhel. From now on my bhel puri at home will always be made like this, it was so so delicious. I throughly enjoyed watching the recipe, and enjoyed even more relishing it. Really sometimes, small twists with the ingredients add so much to the taste and enhance it to a different level. This was one of the prime examples of the same. I will be soon making this at home and share the recipe with you all.

These were the starters, but have to say, they were very fulfilling in themselves and made me look forward to the mains even more.

The first item in this category was Chicken Tostadas. The volunteers this time were boys and it was so much fun watching them struggle with cooking the chicken. While cooking, the aroma of chicken filled the atmosphere and it was becoming difficult to wait for the dish to get completed and served. But the wait was worth, the Tostadas was excellent, the chicken was so tender and full of taste. In the process I learned that to make good dishes you don’t need too many ingredients , you just need the right ingredients used in the right way.

The next was Junglee Billee Signature Keema Wai Wai. From the time, we were given the itinerary of the event, I was so looking forward to this recipe. Keema is an all time favourite, and any kind of twist to it was more than welcome.

I liked the overall concept of this recipe, and the way ingredients were used, but somehow, it tasted a little bland to me. May be the keema needed to be more spiced up, I don’t know if its a matter of personal choice or if others felt it too. But nevertheless I am going to try this recipe with my twists and see how it turns up. Will share with you all, if my experiment is successful 😉

The end to the scrumptious evening saw the chefs bring out a special desert, the wai wai sutarfeni, that left everyone surprised that how wai wai can be used for making a dessert.

It was a wonderful experience watching the entire process of making this dessert, though the end result wasn’t really something that I would fancy, personally. The aroma and taste of the rose syrup was too overpowering for my liking. But it surely calls for an applaud for the chef to think of something like this, may be a few alterations here and there, and one can adjust the taste as per personal liking.

It was surely that one dish that you prepare at home and it will leave your guests in awe, the moment they know its been prepared using wai wai.

Also present on the occasion was Mr. Nirvana Chaudhary, Managing Director, CG Foods talking about the journey of Wai Wai noodles and its immense popularity among the youth.

The innovation by the Junglee Billee chefs was definitely the highlight of the foodies meet, but what stole the thunder was the unconventional food and drinks pairing. Some of the mocktails showcased were Ginger Mint infused Green Tea with Chicken Tostadas, Junglee Smooch with Wai Wai Sutarfeniand Coastal Cooler with the Aragula and Strawberry Salad.

Wai Wai which is part of the conglomerate CG Corp. Global, is the only instant noodle brand that is pre-cooked, flavoured, seasoned and fried before packaging, which makes it a great hit among noodle lovers as it can be eaten straight from the package or cooked in soup form.

About Junglee Billee

India’s first, exclusively curated Boutique-Studio-in-Bar. The first, exclusive club bar for women members. A highly stylized, designer eatery and lifestyle destination dedicated to the deserving Divas of modern times. Almost every element in the resto-studio – (furniture, lights, table tops, wall art, curios, objects d’art) – are specifically curated and exclusively designed and are for sale. All of these elements for sale are limited edition designer pieces. A women only members club offering special privileges. A highly stylized, designer eatery and lifestyle destination designed for and dedicated to the deserving Divas of our times. The restaurant isTongue in Cheek quirky, Curated, crafted, cared, bespoke.

Overall, it was a great culinary experience and I cherished a lot. It was a great opportunity to learn new twists of tastes, meet fellow foodies and treat my taste buds. I really look forward to go to Junglee Billee again and try their existing menu too.

Spread the love

Mister Chai@ Shangri-La’s – Eros Hotel, New Delhi

Posted on January 17, 2016August 3, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

Going to Shangri-La, always becomes a nostalgic experience for me, not because of the hotel itself, but because of the group it belongs to, the Eros group. This is because in very initial years of career I got an opportunity to work with Parkroyal Hotel by the same group, which is now known as Eros Intercontinental, and somewhere I still feel connected to it, so even though Shangri-La had not opened then, its belonging to Eros group, gives me that sense of a mutual connect.

Now coming to Mister Chai, its a newly opened tea restaurant at Shangri-La, and its appropriately located right in the middle of the hotel lobby.
I have been to Shangri-La a lot of times in the past, and hence can vouch for the fact that this place in the lobby which earlier served just as a lounge, is completely revamped. The look and feel, the interiors, the menu, everything is new and thats what makes it very very exciting to visit.

Mister Chai is a unique concept that has been curated to give patrons a local ‘tea shop feel’ focusing on regional Indian street food and beverages with a strong focus on tea.

Conceptualized by the renowned Dubai based interior design company – Stickman Designs, Mister Chai is an intimate and relaxed space

Beveled antique mirror walls add depth and open up this subtle space. Brass shelving has been suspended delicately from the ceiling, displaying the unique varieties on offer. Each feature adds its own distinctive character to create the perfect ambience for guests to relax and savour the delicacies on offer.

Unlike a conventional tea lounge, Mister Chai is a dining destination in its own right. Popular Indian street food has been re-invented and presented in exceptional style. Experienced and talented Chefs under the guidance of Executive Chef, Neeraj Tyagi have collaborated to design a menu that is as creative as it is well thought out.

To start with we were the ‘Chai Ki Tapri’, which consists of the traditional Cutting Chai, Meri Apni Cutting and Kadak Masala Chai and provide the quintessential Indian Chai experience.

The beverage menu also consists of other drinks like Black Teas, Green Teas, Oolong Teas and Herbal Teas, Regional Teas as well as a selection of Iced Teas and other drinks like Neembu Lemon, Ginger Punch and Coffees, both hot and cold.

With the chai, we got a ‘Tin of Rusks’, a perfect crispy accompaniment that completes the road side tea drinking feel in an amazingly plush environment.

There was also a ‘Namkeen ka Dabba ’, which is also considered to be the famous Indian savory teatime snack, comprising of Chakli, Curry Patta Peanuts, Channa Jor Garam giving our palate the perfect flavourful punch.

Along with the tea, we also ordered a ‘Masala Chaas’ and ‘Ginger Punch’. Both the drinks were equally refreshing.

The next in menu was the ‘Corn Bhel’, the perfect fusion of bhel puri taste with a twist of corn as the main ingredient. It was truly amazing. I loved every bite of it and even loved the small cute bucket it was presented in.

The ‘Wow Pao’ is a modern take on the native Maharashtran snack consisting of aperitifs such as the Goan Chorizo Pao, Shikampuri Pao or even the classic Vada Pao. Each and every variety of the Wow Pao was actually wow, there is no better word than this to describe it.

The most interesting thing these paos come with is these droppers filled with chutneys, inserted right in the middle of the pao, just press it and enjoy.
The next was Dahi Puri,written as SPDP in the menu, which was so mouth watering to look at, that I just could not resist them, they tasted perfect and took me to the chowpatty of Juhu instantly.

Continuing with the Maharashtran inspired relishes, the next was ‘Colaba Fish Fry Sandwich’. From the entire menu items tasted so far, this was the best. The fish was crunchy, crispy, mouth melting and tasted amazing sandwiched in the middle of a soft bread.

Still continuing the Mumbaiya flavours, the next to taste was some Kaanda Bhajiya and Mumbai Sandwiches called the MTDC, and believe you me, I have practically lived in out of Mumbai for 8 years and know the taste of local street food very well, I have tried making this Kaanda Bhajiya at home many times, it comes to be good, but still doesn’t taste the way it does at Chowpatty in Mumbai, but Mister Chai, amazed me. They have truly mastered the local flavours with their own twists and created an excellent menu. I have been missing going to Mumbai for a few months now, but guess the need to satiate my craving for Mumbai street food can now be met at Mister Chai. The sandwiches too were just too perfect and had that flawless local flavour.

Now was the time for our very own Samosa with a twist. Being a cook myself and trying new things, experimenting with food, I have made Samosas with different fillings, like cottage cheese, chicken, keema etc. but still never tried or heard of ‘Butter Chicken Samosa’. This Samosa was just too good to be described in words, I loved it, relished it and still crave for more.

There was the regular samosa as well, with potato filling, and was nice too, but another show stealer here was the ‘Chilly Cheese Samosa’. It was just too good, a samosa filled with goodness of gooey cheese, just wonderful.

These Samosas again came with cute syringes filled with chutneys, you could inject theme directly into the samosa, your plate or even your mouth 😉

The menu also has a section called the ‘Firangi Twist’ which helps cater to the most discerning of palates, comprising of noteworthy dishes such as Chocolate Toast which is toasted brioche bread layered with melted Cadbury silk chocolate, Chicken Khurchan Tacos comprising of slowly cooked chicken, guacamole, tomato chutney and garlic yoghurt all wrapped in a roti. I tried the Chicken Khurchan Tacos and must admit that the twist of taco as a roti was simply amazing, it was a chicken taco and yet not completely videshi, it still retained our Indian essence.

Further into the menu, Mister Chai offers its patrons an assortment of elegant pastries, macaroons, and handcrafted chocolates imbued with regional flavours. A few of the signature chocolates are Paantastic which is an ivory White Chocolate enriched with Saffron blended with Gulkand, sweet Anise Seeds and Cardamom, Mango Bite in which Aam Papad and Passionfruit puree is blended with White Chocolate in a Milk Chocolate shell among other hand crafted chocolates.

I tried the chocolate macaroon, which was awesome, I could have eaten a few more of them, but I resisted the temptation.

I tried the different flavoured chocolates and have to say that all of them were simply mind blowing, loved each one of them, but coffee crunch is going to be my favourite.

We also tried the black forest pastry and it wasn’t the regular types at all, it was different in every sense possible and is very difficult to describe it in words. There was another fruit pastry which was wrapped in a white chocolate cup and it too tasted amazing.

Great food, fantastic ambience, and top class service is what we expect from any five star, but giving us authentic flavours of regional street food, in a classy atmosphere is truly remarkable for a even a 5 star to deliver, and kudos to the team at Mister Chai for doing so. Its really commendable and very very highly recommend. Must must try. Simply loved it.

Spread the love

Barcelos Opens its Door at Hauzkhas Village

Posted on January 17, 2016August 3, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

After successful debut in India with its first restaurant in Khan Market, now Barcelos launches its second restaurant in the most happening and a very prominent foodies zone, Hauz Khas Village in New Delhi.

Barcelos is famous for its flame grilled Peri Peri menu and has created its own unique following by introducing to the discerning Indian foodie their own brand of innovation. Barcelos revolutionized the concept of the ‘burger’ in India by presenting it in different colors! That apart, they have created a niche for themselves with their innovative salads, beverages like Molecular drinks, boozy shakes and by introducing India’s first Sangria Bar.

Barcelos is a town in Portugal hence the theme of Portugal is reflected through the interiors and designs of the restaurant. Barcelos keep its focus on the modern and antique art for the interior. Stretched in the area of 3600 sq ft, Hauz Khas Village outlet has raw and rustic interiors. Each wall of the restaurant depicts the story of Portugal which is very unique and attractive. The famous personalities and the different shades of Portugal have been painted on the walls. Also the 3D painting of real streets of Portugal on the wall is quite fascinating which creates an authentic ambience of a Portugal town inside the restaurant.

Sometimes its just wonderful to gorge upon a pre-decided menu, where in you don’t need to apply brains on selecting dishes from the menu, and at the same time enjoy best of the food, just sit back and relax, while you get served.

For starters, we were served Pita Bread with assorted dips, a chicken platter which included chicken liver with garlic oil, chicken drumstick, chicken wings and boneless thighs with onion & peppers, along with their signature 4 mini burgers, two of them were mutton and 2 chicken, with a red and black burger of each.

All of the above mentioned dishes were appetising to even look at, and highly tempting, especially the red and black burgers. For a long time, you just wanna look at them and not even eat, they are a photographers delight. When you look at food like this, you truly start believing that food is a work of art, and nature has really blessed us humans to savour things like these.

The pita bread platter, was truly awesome, the dips were mouth watering and I just wanted to keep them eating more and more. It also had some nachos and two vegetable cutlets, but the pita bread and dips alone were more than sufficient. The hummus and yogurt dips were the best out of the lot.

Now coming to the non vegetarian platter, the chicken pieces were very tender and delicious, but the only thing was that all the chicken pieces tasted the same, so it didn’t really matter if one was eating a boneless thigh piece or a chicken wing. The flavours were not very distinctly different from each other. Its my personal opinion that a platter means one gets to taste different kinds of dishes in a single combo dish, but here it wasn’t the case. But then may be its because of peri peri being the main ingredient in all of the above.

As for the burgers, after gazing at them for a long time, I thought of finally tasting them and they were as tasty as they looked. I tried both mutton and chicken burgers and they were awesome. I am not too fond of mutton when eating out, but this was an exception and I don’t regret it at all. The mutton was very very juicy and tender and so was the chicken. My only suggestion to the team at Barcelos is that they should make their burger patties slightly bigger, because what happened in both the burgers was that in mere two bites the patty got over while a lot of bun was still left, which doesn’t really work for me. I enjoy burgers in which the patty is as much as a part of the last bite as the bun.

The starters were accompanied by two molecular mocktails, Tangy Mango and Kiwi Kooler. The tangy mango was somewhat like the Aam Panna that we make at home, the only difference being this didn’t use raw mangoes, so it was more like a masala mango drink and I really enjoyed this one. Kiwi Kooler was good too, very very cool and soothing, and I think it will make for a perfect summer drink.

For the mains we were served Chicken Espeteda, Chicken Pita and 1/4Chicken. The mere presentation of Chicken Espeteda left me drooling, the food that looks so good and tempting is like half the battle already won, and if it tastes also awesome, then we get something we say as Sone Pe Suhaga. And this dish truly meant the same, it looked delicious and tasted delicious too. It came with a plateful of fries which were just a perfect accompaniment for the chicken. The chicken hanging in skewers, a plate full of fries at bottom.. aah.. just too good.

The Chicken Pita was made to perfection and held its very authentic taste in place. The bread was soft and the chicken succulent.

1/4 chicken tasted good too, but the only disappointing factor was that almost all chicken items had a very similar taste, it was very difficult to figure out any distinct flavour difference in them, which made the chicken dishes look more repetitive.

We got a desserts platter, which had a chocolate truffle pastry, a rusk biscuit, and vanilla ice cream on top of a cookie. All the desserts were good, but nothing exceptional about them. I was looking forward to some innovation in this department too, but was little disappointed. I am sure the team will definitely look into the same.

Overall, definitely a place worth visiting, the burgers, and pita bread is highly recommended.

Spread the love

Lohri Goodies from Grocerybag.in

Posted on January 17, 2016June 28, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

Sundar mundriye ho! ..Tera kaun vicharaa ho!
Dulla bhatti wala ho!..Dulle di dhee vyayae ho!
Ser shakkar payee ho!..Kudi da laal pathaka ho!
Kudi da saalu paatta ho!..Salu kaun samete!
Chache choori kutti! zamidara lutti!..Zamindaar sudhaye!
Bade bhole aaye!..Ek bhola reh gaya!
Sipahee pakad ke lai gaya!..Sipahee ne mari eet!
Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi! ..Bhave ro te Bhave pit!

This folk song is almost like a synonym with the festival of Lohri.

Lohri is a very popular Punjabi festival, especially celebrated in the Northern parts of India. There are many origins of Lohri: all forming part of folklore. However, the main theme of Lohri is the belief that Lohri is the cultural celebration of the winter solstice. Lohri is meant to be celebrated on the shortest day of the year, but since many years it is celebrated on the 13th of January across Punjab and other northern regions of the country.

For Punjabi families Lohri means coming together of families, lighting a bonfire, sitting together, celebrating, singing songs and relishing some savouries which are associated especially with this festival.

And amidst everything, Delhi has another reason to celebrate as Grocerybag brings us directly from the heart of Asia’s oldest market of Khari Baoli, the decadent treats and surprises to gorge on with delight, just at the click of a mouse. Having been in the trade for more than two centuries, Grocerybag has amassed an all-embracing understanding of the choicest range of grains, spices, dry fruits and much, much more! They have reinvented themselves from being just a grain wholesaler to a comprehensive grocery solution provider; Grocerbag.in is a unique endeavor through their new online platform.

And for the festival of enthusiasm, delight, and prosperity Grocerybag created a special hamper for us to enjoy the gourmet range of delicacies that they have in store for the beautiful celebration of Lohri.

I felt very lucky indeed to receive the Lohri hamper from Grocerybag which not just reflected the essence of the festival but also the promise of quality product that the brand delivers. I was delighted to see so much goodness packed in this one small little box of Lohri goodies from Grocerybag.

This small little box was loaded with 7 goodies that perfectly captured the sentiments of Lohri and the items that we have been relishing since our childhood on this occasion.

It had almonds, raisins, corn kernels, revris, jaggery, cashew nuts and peanuts and I must admit that even without opening the packets, the quality of product spoke for itself. By just looking at the products one could say that they are the best.

The revris tasted just perfect, very crisp and yet not hard or chewy on the teeth. It had a great taste and aroma of cardamom which made it even more irresistible. The almonds too were very crisp and so were the cashew nuts. I was really impressed with the quality of peanuts as normally when we buy these peanuts with shells, most of them are either empty or have those bitter tasting, rotten peanuts, but in this packet, each and every shell opened to beautiful and tasty peanut seeds.

After tasting the products I vouch for the quality and taste and rate it really high. My favourite was the jaggery, because it wasn’t a plain jaggery, but the one which is made using other dry fruits. It tasted just yumm and I am placing my order for it right away.

The hamper also came with a handwritten note from the team and it makes it even more special for me to always remember Grocerybag whenever I order my groceries next.

I highly recommend using Grocerybag for ordering not just your favourite dry fruits and savouries but all the goodies and products that they have available on their online portal. They have almost everything that our kitchen needs, from pulses to spices, to oils and ghee, condiments, pickles & murrabas and lot more. They also offer free delivery across Delhi and NCR and makes it very convenient to now get best of products at the ease of simple click. So don’t think much just log on to http://www.grocerybag.in and you are sorted.

Spread the love

Back to School@ Odeon Social- Restaurant Preview

Posted on January 13, 2016August 3, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

After the highly successful Hauz Khas Social and Defence Colony Social, this Social Circuit, is ready to open its doors at CP, right above Odeon Cinema, and is called the Odeon Social. The place is done up to give a school like feel, with all prominent things you see in school, bringing those memories back, the only difference being, this school has a lot of cool quotient, as here you are allowed to drink, dance and enjoy a wide variety of food. Sounds like a dream school, isn’t it, and trust it me, it truly is.

I felt privileged that I got a chance to attend a preview session of this place and I am already looking forward to going there again, as they open their doors this 15th onwards.

The concept of Back to School, is reflected in each and every element of the restaurant. Some parts give you the feel of that teacher’s staff room that we saw in our school times, complete with those big tables, old style phone and even a typewriter. There is a huge show window with trophies and books, a wall that adorns shields, a blackboard to write those interesting ‘thoughts of the day’, a principal’s room, which makes up their storage, because a principal’s room is always a restricted area, there is a home science department, which makes up for their kitchen, and a skeletal in showcase welcomes you right in front of this department.

There are those long benches, where you can co-work, or just enjoy food and drinks alone or with bunch of your friends. They have a long running bar which allows multiple people to sit across unlike that small canteen window, where we pushed around our friends to get food and drinks.

The huge balcony which overlooks the road, also has some seating and a couple of swings to remind you of your school ground, and makes an ideal place for warm winter afternoons and pleasant summer evenings.A lot of boards with names and marks of students adds more value to the ambient feeling of school.

They even have a huge school bell, to tell you, when its really the time to go back to home ;). But the best thing is that the theme is not just restricted to decor, but it truly reflects its essence in the menu, the food presentation and taste of the food.

They have introduced about 15 exclusive items in the menu which compliment the theme, apart from the regular menu. Vada Pao, Samosas, Bread Pakoras, sound like familiar canteen dishes, isn’t it, and they are all part of the menu, but prepared in a much more interesting way, with some twists of tastes.

The plates and glasses that they serve in take you back to school in an instant, and they way certain items of the food are presented is so so interesting to look at. So be prepared to get your lunch served in tiffin boxes and enjoy a walk down the memory lane.

Even the drinks are served in a very innovative way, with the mocktails served in jars and cocktails served in very tall glasses that remind of test tubes.To start with, we were served with Masala Guava and Pink Cream cocktails, and both of them were excellent, especially the Masala Guava. Unlike the usual guava drinks that are made from the pink guavas and are sweet in taste, this one was from the ‘Kachha Green Amrud’ that we normally enjoy with some chaat masala, it tasted exactly like that and was yum.

For starters, we got to taste their Chilly Chicken and the vegetarian version with Chilly Paneer. The chilly chicken was awesome and done to perfection, the chilly paneer was somewhat more spicy than the chicken, and hence a little too hot to handle.

The next was the Vada Pao and I have to say that after Mumbai, it was the best Vada Poa ever. Its very hard to get such an authentic taste in Delhi, but this one truly had that local essence, though the pao that they used was not a typical bun, but a very soft and delicious pita bread, which did complete justice to the softness, the texture and taste of the bread. The most putting off are the pao that we get in Delhi otherwise, but this made an exception.

We were also served a non veg version of Vada Pao, which was a chicken pal, and it was also the best ever I had. The chicken was very juicy and tender, and had a very mild yet a very great taste.

The dips and accompaniments were great too, especially those fryums that were long forgotten.

The next set of drinks included a Social Shake, which is our very own cold coffee, for me, I found it little bitter, and I am sure it can be looked into, but the Ferrero Social Shake was an ultimate, it was a sure shot hit. Perfect sweetness, perfect thickness, perfect balance of whipped cream and milk and a ferrero rocher on top. These shakes come along with two yummy wafers to munch along.

But the show stopper was the 3 layered dessert. It had layer of soft chocolate cake, topped with vanilla ice cream and a the third layer of chocolate ice cream, a very hot chocolate sauce is then poured on top of it, creating a melting well of ice cream, which is very very tempting to look at and equally awesome to taste.

I am so very looking forward to the official launch of the place and explore other items on the menu and get my taste buds lingering. I highly recommend all grown ups to pack your bags and Go Back to School @Odeon Social

Spread the love

Amazing Concept, Awesome Food- Restaurant Review- I Do Barbeque, Jaypee Siddharth

Posted on January 10, 2016August 3, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

I have visited a lot many restaurants and amazing food joints, but this one is a class apart. From ambience, to the food and most importantly the novel concept, this place entices you through and through.
Let me introduce you to ‘I Do Barbecue at Metro Grill by Jaypee Siddharth’. Metro Grill at Jaypee has introduced this very innovative concept ‘ I Do Barbecue’ which is synonym to DIY (Do it Yourself) and winters in Delhi has been the perfect time to launch this concept.
The ambience is just beautiful and apt to spend a winter evening enjoying with your family and friends, its one of those places, where the more people you visit with the more you will enjoy.

Now the idea is, that they have these shops, from where you buy your selection of meats or veggies, then select your marinates or rubs, and then they set up a barbecue grill for you, which comes with all the necessary equipments and spices, oil, utensils etc.
The meats start for as low as 90/-Rs for 100 gms and veggies for Rs. 65/- onwards per 100 gms which makes it very reasonable and affordable as against normal 5 star rates.One can choose the accompaniments and dips as per liking from a variety of offerings.
You are also given a chef’s apron and all necessary assistance you could need to become a chef and barbecue for yourself. The staff is extremely friendly, takes care of minutest details and makes you feel very very comfortable. BTW, they also have few leisure games to take care of those long interesting hours that you sit and enjoy while barbequing the food.

Well, in my case I left the decision of choosing meats and marinates in the hands of extremely talented and friendly chef, chef Ashish Joshi, who is the executive chef for Jaypee Siddharth. To start with chef brought us Five Spiced Chicken Picatta, Cajun Chicken Breasts & Tandoori Marinated Cottage Cheese Steak.

The chicken breasts were very tender and very very yummy and so was the chicken picatta. I was surprised to see that the cottage cheese was very well coated with the spices and retained the complete flavour, because normally the paneer tikkas that we get at restaurants end up tasting bland with a very thin coating of the marinate, but this cottage cheese tasted amazing, were grilled to perfection.

The fun of doing it one self, makes the barbeque experience indeed a unique one and most enjoyable. The next set included some Curried Spice Fish Fillet and Indian Spiced Pineapple and both the preparations were impeccable. The fish was succulent and pineapple very very juicy and both the marinades had a very distinct flavour complimenting the dishes respectively.

The place in itself fills with so much excitement, that one starts looking forward to going there again even before the first visit comes to an end. My son accompanied me on the visit, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, because its not just eating, but the entire process of choosing things, wearing the chef’s aprons, chilling and relaxing, sipping a mocktail,/cocktail while you see the food getting grilled, and giving them twists and turns in between.We tried the Fruit Punch and Mixed Berries Mocktail and both were amazing

The next we tried some Garlic Peppered Marinated Chicken Sausages and Orange Citrus Glazed Chicken with Skin. I am personally not very fond of Sausages, but all I can say is they tasted quite nice, but this zesty chicken was something I cannot forget, it just tasted amazing. It had a perfect zing because of the orange flavour and the spices balanced it nicely, so as to not overpower the citrusy taste.

Last on the barbeque were some Chicken Thighs with Balsamic Reduction Marination and Garlic Peppered Chicken Breasts. And once again they tasted awesome, though we ended up tasting quite a variety of marinades and rubs, but I must say that each one had its own distinct flavour and cannot be compared. One must definitely try all of them and pick your own favourites.

Well they also offer a Lazy Menu, for those who do not want to indulge in this process of Barbequing, though I highly recommend giving it a try, its so much fun. The lazy menu includes some pre decided food combinations and have quite a few options to choose from, not only in Indian, but Continental, Italian and other Cuisines as well.
In spite of feeling too full with the over load of Barbeque menu, we ordered Dal Makhani and Butter Naan. Somehow without a Roti, Indian meal seems incomplete and hence the choice. I suggested the chef to keep some Roomali Rotis as accompanimants with the Barbeque Menu, so that it becomes a complete meal in itself, and I hope they would try and accommodate the same in near future.
The Dal was simply top class and proves the quality of overall preparations of the restaurant.

I really cannot put in words how much I enjoyed being at this place, and I extend my wishes and thanks to Chef Ashish Joshi, F&B Managers Prashant and Ravish for their hospitality and excellent fooding experience.

This place is highly recommended if you are fond of Barbeque Items and want to spend a great time in the company of your family and friends trying your hands at doing the Barbeque on your own without worrying about getting and collecting the ingredients and cleaning the mess next day. I give it a very deserving 4.5 star rating out of 5.

Spread the love

Restaurant Review- Filmy Cafe and Bar

Posted on December 29, 2015August 3, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

Weekend in other words means exploring new places to eat and spend fun time with family and friends. This weekend was no different, and I got a chance to visit this newly opened cafe and bar called the “Filmy Cafe & Bar by Deez”.
Deez Biryani has been a synonym for best biryani for almost all Delhi Walas and I am no exception, so when I came to know about this new venture of theirs I got all excited.
Filmy cafe & bar is a cosy place tucked away in one of the most prime locations in Delhi, i.e. Connaught Place and further more, it is very prominently located in the PVR plaza building and makes it an ideal place to indulge in food after a movie at PVR. Anyway, movie, or no movie, it surely calls for a visit if you are a film buff. The entire place has a very thematic ambience with posters and dialogues of famous films adorning the walls. The seating is very comfortable and we see filmy cushions thrown away on couches adding more to the theme.
The music at the place, is a great mix of bollywood and hollywood numbers and keeps you in an upbeat mood.

Now coming to food, they have an elaborate menu to choose from, and very cleverly, the menu is also divided into bollywood and hollywood flavours, where in bollywood represents our very own Indian food, and hollywood serves a mix of International cuisines from American, to Italian, Continental and Chinese.

They have a great bar menu as well and a wide range of cocktails and mocktails to choose from.

As per their manager, Mr. Subhash’s recommendation, we ordered Chilly Chicken Dry and Bhatti Ka Murg Tikka for starters, along with Cosmopolitan( A vodka based cocktail) & Safe Sex on the Beach.
The drinks were fabulous and so were the starters. The chilly chicken was spicy, just the way it should be, and the bhatti ka murg was a sure shot hit and highly recommended.

For the mains, we settled for the bollywood menu, aka our Indian cuisine, because of the big bollywood keeda that I have in me 🙂
We ordered, Dal Makhani, Peshawari Korma Gosht, and Murg Handi Biryani(how can one not try the biryani that the Deez group has been known for all the time).
Dal was rich in its texture and had a perfect taste, the mug biryani was great as expected from Deez, but the only surprise part was, that it had pieces of chicken tikka rather than the usual road chicken pieces. It did take away the authentic biryani taste somewhat, nevertheless the biryani in itself was good. The clear winner was the peshawari gosht, the gravy was very rich in texture and tasted just awesome. The mutton was tender and makes for a perfect meal with hot tandoori rotis. Trust me, you don’t need anything else, if you are a mutton lover.

I was almost full, but was tempted to try the desserts, because of the filmy names that they were given and got most interested in “Chakki Peesing Peesing” and ordered the same, and also on staff’s recommendation ordered “Fried Chocolate Bars”.
Chakki Peesing Peesing was a twisted version of Kesar Kulfi on a bed of strawberry crush, topped with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce. It made for a rare combination and definitely a must try.
The fried chocolate bars, were also good to taste, but the only disappointing thing was, that barring one main flavour, which is the chocolate bar, and the kulfi, there was no differentiator in the desserts. The chocolate bars were also served with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce and had the strawberry crush on the base. As a good gesture of Mr. Subhash, we also got a complimentary Paan Bahar to taste, but again the same thing, only the pan kulfi as a central flavour was different, rest all same. After the initial bites, once your dessert starts melting somewhat, all the desserts start tasting same. This is something I am sure they need to work upon.

All in all, it surely is a highly recommended place, and food and film lovers must give it a try. It has a great ambience, great music, and great food and you would not mind splurging your money on this one.

Spread the love

Crispy Chilly Corn with Mushrooms

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Aditi Malhotra

If I have to describe this recipe in two words- Simple and Amazing. And yes these two words perfectly describe this recipe, because its really simple to make and amazing to taste.

So lets get started..

Ingredients:

1 packet corn kernnels( 200gms approx)

2-3 table spoons corn flour

Oil for frying

1 table spoon oil

1 capsicum sliced

3-4 button mushrooms sliced

1/2 carrot, chopped

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 spring onion along with its greens

1 table spoon soy sauce

1 table spoon vinegar

1 table spoon chilly garlic sauce

Salt to taste

1/2 tea spoon ajino moto.

Directions:

Take out the corn from the packet, and pat dry in a tissue.

Add cornflour to the corn and let it rest for about 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok and fry the corns till golden brown in colour, just be careful, at times the corns tend to splutter. To avoid them spluttering over your hands or face, just half cover the wok with a lid.

Remove them on a tissue paper once golden brown in colour and drain out any excess oil.

In another pan, heat oil, add garlic and brown it. Add onions without the greens and sauté will light golden brown. Now add mushrooms and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the capsicum, carrot and onion greens, now add the sauces one by one and stir it for another minute or so. Add salt, and ajino moto and another gentle stir and your crispy chilly corn is ready.

A perfect snack for winter evenings. Enjoy…!!

Spread the love

Restaurant Review: Guppy by ai

Posted on December 7, 2015August 3, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

How do you feel, when you visit an unknown place, for a cuisine you haven’t tasted before, and you are completely unaware of whats in store..?? You either come home disappointed or you come home pleasantly surprised.

This Sunday, went by for me in a similar manner. We went for Guppy by ai, and I have to admit that I was completely unprepared in terms of what was I expecting. I had just no expectations, I had never tasted Japanese Cuisine before and didn’t know what it would be really like, would be spicy, would it be mild, what kind of appetisers, what soups, what main course.. I just had no idea.

But yes, I was very pleasantly surprised indeed. The moment I stepped in, I was in awe of the place, the ambience itself is so overpowering, that one automatically starts to get curious on how the food would be.

Guppy has introduced this special Sunday Brunch Menu, so you don’t have to toggle your head on what to order, you just sit back, relax and let the surprises come in. I didn’t even bother to look at the menu, and surrendered myself completely and waited patiently for the course of meal to start.
My mother accompanied me for this surprise brunch, and unlike me, she did have a pre conceived notion, and wasn’t really happy at my choice of coming for a Japanese Food Brunch.

As we sat down, the first thing that we were served was a variety of two soups, MISO SOUP and MUSHROOM SOUP, and it was a great start indeed. The soups tasted very different from the regular soups, but they tasted awesome. My mother too had her inhibitions dropping down and seemed pretty glad now.

The next in line was a set of cold appetisers, which included TENDERLOIN TATAKI, SALMON TATAKI, TOFU SASHIMI, POTATO SALADA, TAMAGO YAKI and SPINACH GOMA, barring the SALMOM TATAKI, which was a raw salmon, I tried everything and liked them all. TOFU SASHIMI was the best out of the lot, and its sauce was simply amazing.

Next was CHICKEN SHUMAI STEAMED BUN, and this cute little thing, tasted as good as it looked. They had options in PORK and MUSHROOM fillings as well in the steam bun, but I was content with my chicken bun and also by the time I finished it, I had already started to feel full.

And now it was SUSHI time, and to be honest, this word doesn’t excite me enough as raw fish is something I am allergic too, but after a lot of convincing from the staff, I settled for a VEGETARIAN SUSHI and I have to admit, it was a delight. I did tempt me to try the non- vegetarian versions, but I somehow refrained.

But I can surely say, for those who like SUSHI, this is the place. As and how I was tasting these dishes, my curiosity for what next was increasing. The next thing to be served was the TEMPURA FISH, a perfectly golden fried fish, very mild in taste, but fried to perfection. The spicy mayo that accompanied it, made up for the mildness of the fish. I also tried the TEMPURA ROCK CORN, which was basically baby corns fried in the same way as fish and they were delicious too.

My tummy was really full by now, but the curiosity was in tact and I eagerly waited for the next surprise. The next section was for the grilled menu, and it included MUSHROOMS, SWEET POTATO, TOFU, CHICKEN and FISH. I settled for CHICKEN AND FISH, I did try the SWEET POTATO too, but it was way too sweet for my liking, as it wasn’t dessert time yet. The grilled fish was just about ok, but the grilled chicken was definitely a hit. It was so tempting to even look at, that it made my son, who till now was only patiently watching me and my mom stuffing ourselves, get up and take a look at the chicken and expressed his will to now try it out.( He isn’t much fond of international cuisines and hence was just toying with a coke in his hand watching me and my mom eat). He liked it instantly and asked for more and this kind of gave him some confidence in the overall cuisine and now he went on to try other things as well, and enjoyed two steamed buns after this.

The next was JAPANESE PIZZA PANCAKE CHICKEN, and it was simply awesome to taste, tender chicken on bed of fried potato, made it a unique combo but amazing to savour.

Now was the time for main course, I didn’t have much space left to accommodate it, but I surely wanted to give it a try and hence asked for very small portions of the same.

The main course included CHICKEN CASSEROLE, NOODLES and GARLIC RICE, and all three of them were great to taste. Even my son liked them and by now was pretty excited with the JAPANESE CUISINE.

I was so delighted with the entire course of food, that I now desperately waited for the dessert. Desserts are the last part of any cuisine and it feels so great, when they end up being the best. The dessert platter was just amazing and each and everything was simply delicious. It included VANILLA ICE CREAM, CHOCOLATE CAKE, CHOCOLATE FONDANT and FRUITS. The ice-cream was surely not the regular vanilla ice cream that we eat, it had a very distinct taste, the texture and creaminess was just perfect. The cake was a mouth melting experience and chocolate lovers would surely fall for it. The fruits were OK, but the clear winner was the Chocolate fondant, I can’t really explain, what it was, but it was amazing to taste.

This brought us to the end of this HAPPY SUNDAY BRUNCH and I am so glad that I went for it, and even more glad that I didn’t set any expectations.

I have a special mention for the staff of Guppy’s, they were more than friendly and accommodating. The service was great too.

On the beverages front, tried VIRGIN MOITO, VIRGIN MARY and JUST LIKE THAT( a guava drink), all of them were upto the mark and perfectly blended.

Overall I had a great fooding experience and I am definitely going there again.

Spread the love

Restaurant Review- Cress Bistro

Posted on November 23, 2015August 3, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

At the on set, I have to mention that this place is for those, who crave difference. If you want to experiment with your taste buds, don’t think twice, straight away head to Cress Bistro.

Its a cosy place tucked away in the DDA market of Masjid Moth, GK3. The ambience is simply amazing and ideal to spend pleasant evenings as most of the seating is outdoors, though they do have some space available indoors just in case, you can’t handle the cold, especially in the coming few days 🙂

Now coming to food, for the starters, we ordered, Chipotle Chicken Tikka, Chiang Chui Chilly Chicken and the Burmese Samosa. All these things were directly on chef’s recommendation and must say that he is well aware of his best offerings.

The chipotle chicken tikka, was the best out of the lot, it was a true mouth melting experience. The tender chicken pieces marinated with chipotle spices made it a perfect tikka experience, but far different from the regular tikkas. Same goes for the Chiang Chui Chilly Chicken, it wasn’t the regular dry chilly chicken that we Indians are used to eating. It had a very distinct flavour, but it was great too. The Burmese Samosa was something I had never eaten earlier, and hence a complete surprise. These were chicken dumplings served on a Burmese gravy, and I am sure this is one thing you will get to try at this place only and no where else. It was good, but personally speaking , this kind of a taste needs to be developed, I can’t judge it by eating one time, so this is for sure one thing that will take me back to Cress.

For the main course again, I left the recommendations to the chef and opted for Peanut Butter Chicken over the regular one, Dal Makhani and Meat Beliram and I really have to mention that all three of them were pure delights.

The Peanut Butter Chicken was very very different from the regular one, and the flavour of peanut was very evident, though not over powering. Dal Makhani was at its makhani best and the best from this lot was the Meat Beliram. I have to confess that I haven’t eaten a better mutton dish than this one and neither have I experienced such tender pieces of meat whenever I have eaten out.

The dessert was the Hero of the entire menu, The Chocolate Decadence. I am a baker myself and it takes a lot to appreciate what other bakes 😉, but I was totally awestruck with this one. It was a chocolate lovers delight and a must for all chocolate lovers.

Overall, a great food experience and a must visit for those who want to try different things.

Spread the love