Organic Farmer’s Market on 30th Jan at IHC

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

There is increasing evidence to suggest good and healthy food is a scarce commodity. Centre for Science and Environment’s research has found various contaminants and unwanted substances in human food – be it antibiotics or pesticides, to name a few of these. In order to further its objective of promoting natural and good food, CSE is organising a Farmers’ Market on January 30. The event will be held at India Habitat Centre’s Margosa lawns from 10 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon. The participants in the Farmers’ Market will include individual farmers, farmer collectives like Kheti Virasat. On display and available for purchase will be their produce such as grains and vegetables. Visitors will also have the option of sampling dishes made out of natural ingredients.

Underlining the importance of good food, CSE Director General Sunita Narain said, “We eat relatively good homemade and locally grown food only because we are not rich. As we proceed on the wealth ladder, the business of food also changes—moves to industrial and processed food. Unfortunately, this also means we will move down the food-nutrition ladder unless we put protective systems in place. CSE has been a strong advocate of what we call ‘good food’ – food that is good for nature (rich in biodiversity), nutrition (not junk food and without poisons) and livelihoods (where local people derive benefits). A few years ago, we published our book, First Food, in which we celebrated the diversity of such food and recipes from across the country. To take this work forward we are organising an Organic Farmers’ Market.”

The Farmers’ Market will have a number of educative demonstrations for visitors. These will include: how to make your own compost, how to put together the right ingredients for a pot to grow plants, how to create a healthy plate and a cooking demonstration on millets, among others. The theme for the Farmers’ Market is millets.

Said Narain, “How can we continue to eat local food, built on local biodiversity? How do we improve food safety without deploying inspectors who destroy small and local good food businesses, but do not hurt the ever-evolving and sophisticated industry of global food? These are critical questions. We are running out of time in the food-health trajectory.”

The stalls at the Farmers’ Market will sell various products such as organic vegetables, millets, dishes staples, breads and dairy products. Sessions on traditional and natural food, food and health, air pollution and other issues important in preserving good health will be held. Some well-known personalities from the world of food will deliver talks and participate in the event.

CSE’s Programme Director for the Environmental Education programme, Ranjita Menon said, “Good food is all around us. For generations, Indians have incorporated biodiversity in their daily food – using millets instead of wheat or rice, eating vegetables sourced from forests rather than farms, eating local food and changing their diet with changing seasons.”

Event Highlights:

Organic Farmers’ Market to be held on January 30 at Margosa Lawn, India Habitat Centre
Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about healthy and natural food
Stalls will sell farmers’ produce and also hold live cooking demonstrations
Moving up wealth ladder leads to abandoning of natural food, says Sunita Narain

Event Details:

Organic Farmer’s Market by Centre for Science and Environment

on January 30, 2016 to promote good food

at Margosa Lawn, Habitat World, India Habitat Centre ( Entry from Gate No. 2)

Free Entry

Time: 10:00 am- 3:00 pm

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Bear Grylls Takes Hollywood Celebrities To the Wild

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

Kate Winslet, Kate Hudson, Ed Helms, James Manderson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and other renowned personalities take on a one-on-one adventure challenge of surviving the wild with Bear Grylls

Famed adventurer and survivalist Bear Grylls returns for a second season of ‘RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS’. The programme will take eight of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities and sports stars into the most pristine locations around the world for a 48-hour journey. RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS will premiere February 1 on Discovery Channel and will air Monday to Friday at 7 pm.

The celebrities that will join the survival expert Bear Grylls in the season II are Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet, Oscar nominee Kate Hudson, ‘Hangover’ star Ed Helms, Emmy nominee and ‘Modern Family’ star Jesse Tyler Ferguson, ‘Furious 7’ star Michelle Rodriguez, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Drew Brees, and award-winning film and television actors James Marsden of X-Men: Days of Future Past and Michael B. Jordan of ‘Fantastic Four’.

Together, they will tests their survival skills and mental and physical limits as they enter into uncharted territory and wilderness. From skydiving into the Catskill Mountains, to rappelling down the cliffs of Utah and battling torrential wind and rain in Scotland, Bear Grylls and each celebrity will push themselves to the limit in some of the extreme environments to successfully complete their journey.

Commenting on the programme, Rahul Johri, EVP & GM – South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, “Discovery Channel continues to offer differentiated content that delivers supreme viewing experience to our viewers. The new season of RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS will show leading celebrities challenge themselves in the harsh wilderness.”

Join the action-filled one-hour episodes every Monday to Friday at 7 pm on Discovery Channel, Discovery Tamil and Discovery HD World from February 1.

About Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel, the flagship network of Discovery Communications, is devoted to creating the highest quality pay-TV programming in the world and remains one of the most dynamic networks on television. First launched in 1985, Discovery Channel reaches 210 million subscribers in Asia Pacific. It offers viewers an engaging line-up of high-quality non-fiction entertainment from blue-chip nature, science and technology, ancient and contemporary history, adventure, cultural and topical documentaries.

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Ordering home-style food made simple with Biteclub.in

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

What do you do, when you wanna have home style food, but not wanna cook either, or when you crave for some simple regional food, but don’t want to visit that fancy restaurant, or when you want to eat home style food while in office and you didn’t get your tiffin..or worse still, when your maid doesn’t show up and you don’t know how to cook..
You crib..crib and crib more..
But ta daa.. you no longer need to crib.. www.biteclub.in has made it really simple and convenient for us.

Biteclub is a Gurgaon based marketplace for chef prepared meals, which has daily menu options of different meals to choose from. The menu options are plenty and range from India food to Oriental and Italian etc. and also the food is quite reasonable making it very pocket friendly.
They recently launched a campaign called Musafir Hoon Yaaron.. an innovative food tour that will offer a chance to Delhi NCR residents to sample scrumptious, home style regional cuisines.
I ordered on a day when Punjabi Cuisine was the highlight. I must admit that when I was looking through the menu of the day, the options were many, and all of them looked very tempting and inviting. After a lot of head spinning, I opted for Mutton Gushtaba and Ghee Rice by Chef Gautam Jana, and Veg & Paneer Jalfarazi, Dal Makhani, Jeera Rice & Methi Parantha Combo by Chef Shivani Sahni for the mains and Gajar Ka Halwa and Death by Chocolate Cake for dessert.
Before time delivery of the order was the first thing that I loved about ordering from Biteclub. The hygienic and neat packaging of food spoke volumes about the quality assured by the brand.

The food was exactly the way I expected it to be, nothing out of the world and fancy about it, but simple and home style tasty.
The mutton gushtaba was good to taste, but had a little too runny gravy, I personally feel that it could have been a little thicker, but nevertheless, with ghee rice, it tasted just right.
The paneer jalfarazi and dal makhani were just the way we cook at home, and the methi paranthas were great too.
The gajar ka halwa too had this home made feeling to it, and was nothing like those over dose of mawa halwas that we get in markets, sweet shops and restaurants. It was simply awesome, but the show stealer of the day was the death by chocolate cake. It was a real mouth melting experience. I just could not get over it for a long time and wanted more of it.

I am definitely ordering from Biteclub again, to explore new menus, other chefs and the death by chocolate cake and will also recommend to all my friends and colleagues.
Do give it a try..!!

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Finally India gets beauty products without chemicals…!! Vert -Fresh & Handmade

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

Finding beauty and skin care products for people with sensitive skin is a never ending task, but I think, finally I have got the solution to end my search.

Vert brings completely chemical free, beauty and skin products which are safe, fresh and handmade.

I happened to visit their store at DLF Palace, Saket and also got an opportunity to meet the brains behind this concept, Ms. Anupama.

It was during her travel to Europe, that she came across products that were totally natural and chemical free, and this gave her the idea to bring this concept to India as well.

Since then months of research and handwork went in to develop beauty and skin care products that give us the freedom from chemical abuse and Vert was born.

They are known for their high quality ethical products which are made from natural ingredients in innovative ways to produce traditional concepts with contemporary twists. Their natural bath & body care products are carefully made by hand, using time honoured methods. They are individually hand cut, hand poured & hand wrapped, ensuring that the products are of high quality through all stages of the manufacturing process. It is their belief that what is best for our skin should also be best for our mother Earth.

Manufactured in smoke free environment the products are 100% vegetarian which contains no animal fat. They are not tested on animals.

Their products are made by using only the finest oils, herbs & botanicals which are sourced from across the world, and have long lasting fragrance.They endeavour to keep their packaging simple, minimal and recyclable to avoid it clogging up dustbins and the environment. All of their packaging material which includes bottles, jars and lids can be easily recycled after you have finished using the products. No paraben is used as preservative in any of the products.

I was really impressed with the detailing with which I was explained about the products. I am listing down a couple of them here for all of us to understand what actually goes into making them.

Lemon Grass Ginger Body Wash

In this soap free blend, rejuvenating lemongrass essential oil is paired with fresh, stimulating ginger absolute to invigorate the senses. Further enriched with soothing aloe vera gel, fresh lemon juice & sea salt to gently cleanse, they have also added shea butter to nourish and moisturise the skin.

Cafe Walnut Foot Scrub

Pamper your feet with 100% natural foot scrub. This super luxurious blend of coffee & walnut powder not only exfoliates the dead skin but also contains antioxidants which repairs damage due to environmental pollutants and free radicals. A splash of fresh lemon juice is added to deodorise, ligten, tighten and brighten your feet. Be ready to flaunt your feet with this one. I can really vouch for the effectiveness of this product, as I tested it at their store, though on my hands and not feet, but just two minutes of scrubbing, left me with soft and supple skin.

I also happened to test a solid perfume, called Love Potion and I fell in love with its fragrance right there and then, and even after 6-7 hours, it smelled as fresh as it did when I applied it.

I was really very impressed with the entire range of products, which includes, face creams, face cleansers, face scrubs, foot scrubs, foot creams, shampoos, soaps, lip scrubs, perfumes and even a choice of gift hampers to pamper your loved ones.

I got lucky that a sweet little hamper came my way, and I will surely write about them once I experience them for a little while, but two days of use, and there is this one product that I really wanna praise, its the Ginger, Clove & Lemon Shampoo for Daily Wash. I have a very oily scalp and need to wash my hair daily, but one wash with this shampoo and it controlled my oil beautifully, its first time in years that I gave a days miss to my shampoo, and washed it after a day. This alternate day of hair washing is something I haven’t experienced with any product. I am very sure their other products will also deliver the promise of quality.

Look forward to using them and experiencing freedom from chemical abuse.

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Dunkin Donuts Launches 4 New Coffees

Posted on January 19, 2016August 3, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

Given Enough Coffee You Could Shake The World!!!

This is what Dunkin Donut claims as they launch some very interesting new coffees. Its not a very regular thing when innovation with coffee happens. We may visit different cafes, and they might name their coffees differently, but they all end up tasting the same, with hardly a difference to make out.

To bridge this gap, Dunkin has really gone overboard in their research and come up with not one but four new coffees, and these coffees are of the kinds that we normally don’t get in coffee shops.

Mr. Dev Amritesh, President and COO, Dunkin Donuts, India along with their coffee expert Barista Phelix, hosted this exclusive session for food enthusiasts.

Each coffee had its own story to tell, which was communicated through AV medium and elaborated by quick witted and very lively Dev himself.

The first coffee is named Bangalore Start-Up Coffee. As the name suggests, its for the night owls busy working on ideas that will one day(hopefully) change the world. A 100% Arabica roast coffee beans decoction, in piping hot milk, inspired by South-Indian filter coffee and the start-up culture. But you really don’t need to be in a start-up to drink this one.

This coffee reminded me of the coffee I drink at home every morning, which is basically coffee added to a warm glass of milk. To get this kind of homely taste in a coffee shop, is something we never expect. We go to coffee shops for fancy coffees, but sometimes what you really need is that feeling of home comfort, home like taste and Bingo, this coffee gives you exactly that.

The next coffee, is meant strictly for bold and daring people, because this guy is tough and its actually named Tough Guy Cappuccino. This coffee is like the real friend who has no sympathy for you, he is like the friend who tells you, your face is dirty and you look like an idiot, when other friends like your pic on the social media, this coffee makes you wake up and smell the coffee. The triple shot of dark roasted espresso with a tint of brandy is so tough that you can’t escape the reality. Do not drink this one if you are clear-headed!

I personally liked this coffee the most, though the comfortable Bangalore Start-Up Coffee reminded me of home like taste, this one truly became my best friend. The aroma of coffee, the tint of brandy, made it a more than perfect combination when in need to think clear. I am gonna go back a lot to Dunkin for this tough guy, because you don’t find guys like this easily these days 😉

I even clicked a selfie with this one 🙂

What do you do, when somedays you felt like being held, you hold a cup of fuzzy mix of chocolate and coffee, with whipped cream for some extra love and cinnamon for the feeling to linger. This is the coffee you hold when you need to be held. Its your partner in therapy, its called the Therapeutic Cappuccino.

And just as the name says, it is that therapy you need when sometimes you are too low or even too happy, its a coffee, you at back and relax with. Its a coffee that makes you forget things happening around you, its a coffee, that even after its finished, makes it difficult to part with. So its really not a coffee, its a therapy, its a coffee spa, its a massage, that you want to go on and on with. The chocolate and coffee mix, the sweetness of whipped cream and that dash of cinnamon, all put together make it more than a perfect combination of tastes.

And last but not the least, came the coffee which had no story, it was too direct and straightforward. Simply a no nonsense stuff, a straight up black coffee, minus the bitterness. This is one thing that we all drink black coffee for, for it being straight, strong and directly hard hitting, and at the same time, we still dislike the too much of bitterness it comes with. I am personally very fond of black coffee, but yes honestly speaking, the bitter taste it leaves me with, is not quite liked. Duncan has really found a solution to it, and come up with a coffee, which is black, but doesn’t taste bitter. And to substantiate the difference, we were served a Dunkin Black along with a regular Americano Black Coffee. The difference was very very evident and Dunkin gives me another reason to go back to them.

In fact Dunkin has really given me 4 new reasons to go back to them again and again and I definitely will. I am very sure that these four new coffees will give coffee lovers a lot of reason to visit Dunkin Donuts soon and I recommend tasting all of them, so at least 4 visits for that and then keep going back for one or the other 🙂

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The School Opens- Back to School@ Odeon Social

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Aditi Malhotra

What do you call a school; where the school boys aka waiters dressed in white shirts, trousers and green sweaters, serve you cocktails in a school water bottle, right at the entrance? A very very cool and happening school, isn’t it. Yes and we call it Back to School@Odeon Social and the school is officially open now.

Social took over CP with the launch party of Odeon Social hosted by Riyaaz Amlani, CEO & MD Impresario Handmade Restaurants on Thursday, January 14. As the third Social in Delhi within the last year and a half and the ninth in India, the launch of Odeon Social is an ode to the timeless stories embedded in the walls & pillars of Connaught Place.

The grand launch party saw Ash Roy and Ashwin Mani Sharma’s latest project – ‘Bit of Both’ take the energy to another level with their music and set the tone for the night. Their groovy and dance-floor friendly music was electric and relaxing at the same time and in spite of lack of open spaces, it saw people dancing at their respective places; it was just so hard to resist not dancing.

Recess saw guests snacking on food being served in tiffins and sipping their drinks in water bottles.

Pork Popcorns, Chilly Paneer, Chaat, Chicken Tikka and many other mouth- watering snacks were being served.

The bar was open, and liquor was almost freely flowing for people to taste variety of cocktails, tequila shots and tonics.

The place was bustling with people and yet the staff very efficiently managed to cater everyone with a personal touch. It was truly commendable.

Speaking at the launch of Odeon Social, Riyaaz Amlani, CEO & MD, Impresario Handmade Restaurants said, “With the launch of our third Social in Delhi, we stay committed to the creation of innovative and easily accessible workspaces across the city. The initiative stays true to its course – a collaborative space for inspired ideas where creative energies can complement each other. And of course, we continue to push boundaries across food and drink as well, for a relaxed space where you can work and play. Odeon Social only adds to our intelligent network of collaborative work spaces spread across the city with the convenience of easy access.”

Many eminent personalities including Harmeet Bajaj, Sid Mathur, Sunil Sahni, Rahul Aggarwal, Gaurav Karan, Actor Sameer Kochhar, Shivkaran Singh, A.D. Singh, Thenny Mejia and Ramola Bachchan were seen at the launch.

Nida Mahmood, Pranav Misra (Huemn), Shyma Shetty (Huemn), Anuj Bhutani (Reboot), Shweta Kapur (431 88), Abhishek Paatni (Thread Factory), Gauri Verma (The Jodi Life), Surbhi Shekhar, Aashna Singh (Olio), Sneha Saxena (Olio), Pranav Guglani (Cord), Dhruv Aditya Davé (Stylist) from the young fashion fraternity were also present at the launch to check the new Social out.

Odeon Social has now swung open its doors in the hub of Delhi – Connaught Place and should definitely be a must visit on your list.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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