Kalimpong-The Land of Kings
Adorned with a breathtaking backdrop of Eastern Himalayas, carpeted with virgin forests and encircled by unchartered villages, this place offers a spectacular milieu of towering snow-capped peaks. Situated 4000 ft above sea level in the beautiful knolls of Darjeeling between Siliguri & Gangok, it shares borders with Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh, which are all within a few hours drive from here.
The Very Appetising Asian Hawkers Market…!!
AFTER attracting more than 45,000 visitors in 2015 and getting rave reviews from the media, the Asian Hawkers Market was back with a bigger and spicier second edition to make the Valentine’s Day weekend more special at the Select Citywalk, Saket, on February 12-14, 2016.
This three-day food festival saw the best of five-star and standalone restaurants come together to present the cuisines of Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
An impressive slew of debuts was be the big attraction of the Asian Hawkers Market-II (AHM-II), Delhi’s only celebration of Asian cuisines being presented by Veeba Food Services Pvt. Ltd., makers of the popular sauces, mayonnaise and salad dressings.
Spicy Chicken Momos from Chi were simply amazing. Standing there waiting for them to serve the momos, the mere preparing of chicken satays looked very inviting and hence I ordered a portion of that as well, and they were delicious.
The hustle bustle and the liveliness of the place was so overwhelming, the aromas of food were filling the air around, and one ends up feeling eating even when not hungry.
This aroma took me to the stall of Bercos and I ordered the combo meals, one with noodles and garlic chicken and other with fried rice and garlic chicken, and again both of them were delectable.
There was a lot more on the offer, like the Baos from Fatty Bao, the Sushi from En, Sandwiches from Big Fat Sandwich, Sugarama’s pralines and macaroons and ice-creams from Hokey Pokey and many more stalls selling awesome food, but one can only eat selected food and crave for others thinking and planning that next time when Asian Hawkers Market happens, this is where I am going and this is what I am eating.
So here is to all those stalls from which I missed out on eating this time that next time around I will surely make up for it and hope to see you guys soon.
The Navajo Guardian
The Cigar City of Cuba; Pinar Del Rio was spell bounded by the tropical breeze flirting with palms, steely grey shades adoring the skyline, the froth kissed white sands in the foreground and waves crashing across. Frank Carter was driving through this tropical paradise island from Havana Airport for cracking off a deal. Being 27 he successfully steered the business of repairing & selling luxurious yachts in Miami. Every deal he made was a success but never kept close contacts with his clients as most of them came either from the Hollywood with hell lot of snob or the mafias with litres of bloodshed. Frank was a man of words; he knew to keep the promises and stressed in getting transparency in the business. He loved working with people having transparency in their businesses but rarely met such individuals. This deal was an eye opener for him stating that there exist noble men just like Don Vito Corleone.
Prized Possession
An old book, grandparent’s photograph, a die-cast metal toy car or a wine bottle; anything can mount up to a prized possession. Somehow Austin never had one and didn’t think of anything or anyone as a prized possession till he set his eyes on her.
Exhibitor’s Abode.. Consumer’s Paradise- India Design Exhibition 2016
Style, Class, Richness, Grandeur, Opulence were some of the words that come to mind the moment I entered the decoration arena of India Design Exhibition.
This Ogaan initiative, presented by Asian Paints was in its fourth successful year and brought together renowned designers across the globe to showcase and exchange dialogue on various perspective of this domain.
The platform for India Design ID 2016 comprised of three verticals – Exhibit ID, ID Symposium powered by Roca and ID Satellite. These three arms brought together prominent design experts and international design visionaries to share their experiences, knowledge and aesthetics through exhibitions, installations and discussions.
Commenting on the initiative, Gaurav Mashruwala, CEO, Ogaan Media Pvt. Ltd. said, “Ogaan has always been at the forefront of furthering the cause of design, be it fashion or lifestyle and decor. As we embark on our journey for the fourth edition of India Design ID 2016, we are proud to reinforce our role in fostering talent and growing the business of design in the country”.
Exhibit ID was the exhibition space that showcased the finest in home decoration, with high-end brands and designers unveiling their latest collections.
The Decoration Pavilion included established names such as SPACES Home and Beyond, arttd’inox, Antonio Lupi, beyondDESIGNS, K2India, Poltrona Frau Group, Baaroq Designs, Sarita Handa, The Charcoal Project, The Pure Concept and CJ Living to name a few.
The Trends Pavilion featured designer interpretations of the colour trends forecast for 2016. Asian Paints announced their Colour Next 2016 forecasts at the event to supplement the efforts of creating awareness and backing the design intent of India Design ID 2016.
And finally the outdoor space featured installations by leading designers like Peek-a-boo Patterns, CMYK Book Store, Studio Wood, Bird Fire, THE PURE CONCEPT, Alex Davis and many more.
This year there was a second decoration pavilion called New Decoration which was an addition to India Design ID 2016 which featured new exhibitors namely, Diviana, Fcdi – FCML Design initiative, SAINT-GOBAIN, Square inch, Spaces Home and Beyond, Häfele India and Sunil Sethi Design Alliance.
ID Symposium, powered by Roca seeked to inspire the design fraternity in India, and also offer a networking opportunity to build relationships within the industry. ID Symposium featured engaging speakers from different walks of life, such as Ashiesh Shah, Dominique Jean-Lavabre, Nipa Doshi, Tom Dixon, Fernando Menis, Greg Reaves, Mario Bellini, India Mahdavi and Toyo Ito to name a few.
This year visitors to India Design ID 2016 had wide array of eating options to choose from, such as Brown Sugar, Dunkin Donuts, Jugmug Thela, The Park Café, Junglee Billee, Ploof At The Beach, F.A.T Chef, The Backyard, Zeaside, Drifters Café.
ID Satellite, the hip offsite vertical discovered design districts of Delhi with promotions, collaborations and events across different venues through week long festivities at design districts like Lado Sarai, Meharchand Market, Shahpur Jat, Defence Colony, and MG Road with new additions at Khan Market and Greater Kailash which had the capital buzzing with design. The participating venues featured design-linked activities across lifestyle stores, restaurants, malls, bookshops, galleries, select public/private locations, with an explosion of launches, new collections, cocktails, previews, reviews and special events.
Each stall at the exhibition spoke volumes about the effort that designers put in to create such exquisite collection. I was in complete awe of the place, it was truly a visual treat hoping from one stall to another.Some of the stalls still managed to stand apart distinguishably from others and one such stall that caught my eyes was by INLIVING(Consciously Engineered). Their collection was truly mind blowing, they specialise in solid wood furniture and recycled products are also their USP. The colours, the vibrancy and the intricacy of designs were remarkable.
Other stall that really caught my attention was Sarita Handa’s stall. It was classy in every sense, and the live demonstration of hand embroidery done at the stall made it even more delightful to watch.
The lights at Ivanka Lumiere were out of this world, I just kept staring them for along time. The designs were really cool, modern and chic.
I filled my tummy with delicious Italian Food served by the The Cafe, The Park and that is how I brought my day at the India Design Exhibition to an end. It was an overwhelming experience and I look forward to it already for next time.
Park Hotels Serve Delectable Italian Food at the India Design Exhibition
This year, India Design Exhibition offered a lot of eating options, but I chose to settle for Italian Food at the Cafe, the Park.
The entire concept was very inviting, with them bringing out the old world charm and serving food in ‘Bernies’ and terracotta utensils.
I ordered a Minestrone Soup which was simply amazing to taste, to go along with it there was also a chicken appetiser, though little bland, but was tender and juicy.
For the main course, we ordered chicken and bell peppers risotto, and I have to say that it was one of the best I had in a long time.
The chicken was cooked to perfection and the risotto tasted just awesome.
But the best was yet to come, it was the chocolate mud cake with caramel sauce, and no words would be enough to praise this delicious dessert. It was a heavenly experience, simply mouth melting. I could have easily taken another portion of the same provided I wasn’t too full from chicken risotto, but nevertheless I relished it completely.
Dining at the Cafe, the Park was a perfect way to end my day at the India Design Exhibition. They had a fun selfie contest too, and I did upload my selfie now lets see if I win or not..
The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi hosts a live cooking session with Actors Rohit Roy and Mona Singh..!!
The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi , the capital’s newest Leela property hosted a glamorous chocolaty affair with actors Rohit Roy and Mona Singh. The actors along with executive chef Rohit Tokhi, whipped up some special Valentine’s Day dishes and dedicated it to their loved ones.
The menu, which was curated specially for the evening, included dishes like warm Chocolate pudding, chocolate dipped strawberry.
On being asked about cooking, Mona said, “I love cooking and experimenting with food, and when I am not working, cooking makes my most favourite pass time.”
Rohit on the other hand, loves eating but very openly admitted that he cannot cook, though he did help the chef with little stirring of the chocolate mix 🙂
The actors were in Delhi for their upcoming play ‘Unfaithfully Yours’. “The play showcases relationship between two people who aren’t married to each other, but share a unique bond, one accidental meeting leads to an instant connect, such that for the next 25 years they meet each other on the same day at the same place, every year.”, explained Rohit about the gist of the play.
But in real life, he believes in being very faithful to his wife Mansi, who was accompanying him at the event, and quoted “I very strongly believe that marriage should be for the keeps, and today’s youth should understand this, and be ready to compromise and adjust”.
While Rohit has his valentine by his side, on being asked about her Valentine plans, Mona Said,”Oh, I will be celebrating Valentine’s day performing with Rohit, and otherwise my parents are my true valentines”.
On being asked about her current assignments, she said, ” One of my shows on Sony TV just wrapped up and now I am again on a break as far as TV is concerned, but I am enjoying every bit of doing theatre and which is why I am here.”
The warm chocolate pudding they made, turned up to be really awesome and was relished by everyone present.
There were other snacks also to relish, like Potali Samosas, Chicken Satay and many more..
Speaking about the event Mr. Jaideep Anand, General Manager, The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi said “Valentines is all about making your loved feel special.We are delighted to host this lovely evening close to valentines with the two actors. Further to this, we are offering an array of interesting valentines day packages for our guests to make their day special.”
It was a great event hosted by Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, a beautiful property that needs to be explored more, and I wish luck to both the actors for their play. And to capture the memories selfie toh banti thi..!!
‘Save your Soles’ Monte Carlo unveils the new fad accessories, Socks!
It’s an unsaid fact that the clothes you wear have to be trendy & stylish, so why should your socks be dull & boring all the time? Keeping this thought in mind, Monte Carlo Fashions Ltd recently unveiled ‘Summer Solemate’ their new socks offering for the spring and summer seasons of 2016.
The collection boasts trendy socks crafted using comfy blend of fibers, keeping in mind that the product not just exhibits style but is also of premium quality.
Collection Highlights
Fashion ‘Sole’mate
Unlike the boring neutral socks, the Fashion range is comes in a variety of styles with playfully juxtapose shapes and patterns against a vivid color palette. Crafted using various blends of cotton, this out-of-the-box range will surely be a fun addition to your summers’ wardrobe.
Sporty ‘Sole’mate
This range is for the sports & fitness enthusiasts. This version includes a high performance series with natural odour control & moisture management. Crafted using a blend of cotton & Lycra, the Sports range is full of cushioning, ventilation and support
Formal ‘Sole’Mate
This range is an assortment of Formal socks, & is based on a palette comprising Pastels & Neutrals with easy patterns like stripes, geometric, etc. These are mercerized cotton socks comes with special features – ‘no sag’ grip with reinforced toe and heel for better ventilation. Ideal for any formal occasion!
The high summer season brings with it many a style conundrum. Whether with denims, classic suit, sportswear or shorts – socks this year will definitely be the top accessory. So it’s time to unleash your imagination & add a new pair of socks for every occasion!
This collection is available at Monte Carlo’s exclusive stores, as well as at more than 1200 Multi Brand Outlets, and online at www.montecarlo.in
‘Sunday Brunch’ on a platter at “House of Commons”
“House of Commons” a British inspired Gastro pub, located in the heart of the city is the latest entrant in Connaught Place.
Having borrowed its title from the United Kingdom’s Parliamentary House, the space eludes an old world charm of the English Era. Located in Central Delhi, with subtly stunning architecture and a scintillating menu that bridges the gap between Asia and the west.
Creating great food is not hard work alone; it can be loads of fun too. But, Sunday mornings are exclusive, that time of the week when you want to have the best food, but you would do anything to avoid going into the kitchen. After waking up late on Sundays, when breakfast is out of the question, a sumptuous brunch seems very inviting.
The good news is that you don’t have to enter the kitchen and yet have a chance of digging into a lavish, delicious meal.
You can now experience a scintillating menu at House of Commons, who have shaped the menu to maintain a balance between a typical gastropub food and the best of Indian and International fusion to suit the palette of their discerning customers.
The Sunday Brunch will feature a lavish spread of delicacies & offers you an appetising spread of The China Casserole, Red Wine Poached Pear Salad, The Ultimate BDK, Classic Fish and Chips, Chicken Chettinad, Goan Prawn Curry, Sangria Pork, Tiramisu, Insalata Caprese, Caesar Salad.
Timings: 14th & 21st ebruary, 2016. 12:30 pm onwards.
Price: 1400/- meal for two
Venue: M-39, Second Floor,
Outer Circle, Opposite Shankar market,
Connaught Place, New Delhi