Goa, India

Best Lifestyle Blog of Goa

Tag: Food Blogger

Garnet Glow Gourmet Tea- Product Review Powered by Food Bloggers Council India

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

I have never been a tea drinker, but since last 2-3 years I have taken a conscious shift towards green teas and flavoured teas. I still can’t have the typical ghar ki chai or the masala tea, but green tea, lemon tea, black tea and other flavours are something that I sip on a daily basis. I recently discovered Garnet Glow Gourmet Teas, as these were sent to me by the Food Bloggers Council India for sampling, and since then I have been hooked. Garnet Glow has a huge range of flavoured teas available and they are even into customised teas. They allow you to use your tea base, then flavours and fragrances and boom.. you have a pack of your own customised tea just the way you want, and I think it also makes for an interesting gift.

Well from their pre-mixed range, I tried the Vanilla Black Tea, Jasmine Green Tea and Coconut Darjeeling Tea and must say that these single serves were amazing. Tea leaves looked and smelled absolutely fresh and the aroma was very turning on, while I was making the tea. My personal favourite out of this was the Vanilla Black Tea. The taste of Vanilla wasn’t over powering at all and this is what I really loved about it.

One must definitely try these gourmet teas and I am sure you will fall in love with them. So as I head to sip my next cup, why don’t you order some tea for yourself http://bit.ly/2nO1XAM

 

Smaaash Sky Karting and Pit Stop Brewpub- An enthralling experience!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Adrenaline pump, technological excellence and unexplainable thrill is what you get when you go sky karting at Smaaash. Equipped with the best in line technology, this sky karting is as thrilling as it can be but also at the same time, its extremely safe. Shaped like a canter, it excites you even before you enter this place. Its so wonderfully done.

The best of technology being used in the carts has been imported from Spain. These carts are all electric, top of the line and offer superior acceleration as compared to engine powered carts.Not just that, being electric also means that these carts are  noise, vibration and pollution free. Also the design and technology are so simple that those who have zero driving experience can also glide their way smoothly.

The racing track has been designed and executed by Germany based Protex Karting. The track features dramatic elevations meant to be battled with karts that are equipped with exclusive speed control. The Protex barriers instead of the old tyres which usually form the boundaries of the tracks have been deployed to give better and great safety to the karters. These barriers are spring loaded and shock absorbing which makes things more safe and sound.

I loved the fact that safety has been given utmost attention, making it a great experience especially for kids. Otherwise also, they provide everything thats required to make the karting safe, crocs, hair caps, helmets and neck rest and that too without any extra charge. They also ensure that when kids are karting, no adults are allowed, in order to avoid any rash encounters or bumping etc.

After a thrilling 5 minute lap, I settled down to watch the kids going for rides over and over again and enjoying themselves thoroughly.

We came down to the PitStop Brewpub after this fascinating experience to satiate our hunger pangs and I must say that the quality of food and drinks served at this place is just awesome. We tried Chicken Tikka, Oriental Chicken Basket, Tempura Stuffed Mushrooms, Beer Batter Fish N Chips, Galauti Kebab, Burrah Chop Adraki and Gosht Seekh Kebab and I must say that each of the dish was fantastic, no complaints at all. In fact I strongly recommend Stuffed Mushrooms, Seekh Kebabs and Burrah Chops, as they were outstanding.

Coming to desserts the PitStop Rush Sunday is a must have, and you can also try the Red Velvet Cheesecake and Brownies.

[easy-image-collage id=6030]

Overall it was a great experience, full on thrill and entertainment and tasteful meal, what else can one ask for.

PitStop BrewPub Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Easter Special- Pet Themed Cakes & Cookies- Courtesy Eat Treat!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Its Easter, and baking is surely a mandate on this date, though we can go ahead with the regular Easter Special bakes and include the Easter Bunny in it, but isn’t it fun to anyway bake some pet themed cakes and cookies all around the year..

We often find ourselves wishing we could bring our furry friends to work or sneak them to parties, because our pets are the just the best things about us (no jokes)! We’ve found a yellow bunny cake and cute kitty cookies that the great folks on Instagram are talking about, for those of us who miss our puppers wherever we go. Pet themed cakes are just what you need.

So here is our pick.. take a look at these.. aren’t they so lovely..

http://eattreat.in/magazine/pet-themed-cakes-birthday/

 

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

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

[easy-image-collage id=5985]

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

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

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

 

 

New Summer Menu at the Civil House, Khan Market

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[easy-image-collage id=5923]

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

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

California Boulevard- Restaurant Review

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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

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

[easy-image-collage id=5895]

Tasty Thursdays…Select Recipes from Indo-Japan Food Forum

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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

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

Zariya Fest, Select City Walk

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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

[easy-image-collage id=5859]

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

[easy-image-collage id=5867]

 

Relive School Moments @ The Classroom, Sector 29, Gurgaon

Posted on by Sunil Malhotra

The Classroom at sector 29, Gurgaon is definitely a walk down the memory lane.
As one enters the first thing that hits you is Nostalgia, as the name suggests the restaurant decor is around classroom.One is transported back in time to the school going days and that itself is a very pleasant feeling. I mean we all still have that child somewhere in us, those numerous memories of school days and in this fast paced life, that’s one place we now seek revisiting the most. Though nature doesn’t allow us to go back in time, but all thanks to places like Classroom, we can at least relive those moments and refresh our most cherished memories.

[easy-image-collage id=5838]

The restaurant boasts of a 400 cover spread over three floors.They have a really exhaustive menu both for food and beverages.
Very interesting snippets and photographs adorn the walls.
The classroom effect is very much visible in the lovely decor right from blackboards with some amusing messages to the books used as lampshades, very innovative really. They even have a recreation zone complete with snooker, foosball, darts, and even some swings.

[easy-image-collage id=5842]

For Starters we had Palak Patta Chaat, crisp fried palak well mixed with yoghurt and sweet saunth chutney and some green mint chutney.

Club Wellington Eggs Kejriwal, a simply awesome butter toasted bread with cheddar cheese, mushrooms and eggs sunny side up done to perfection. The Lukmi, a Hyderabadi recipe, crisp patty filled with flavoured mince.
The Classroom Maska Chicken served with a rumali, a superbly done tandoori butter chicken in a very innovative style, please don’t expect the typical gravy butter chicken, it was truly different and highly recommended. Really an awesome creation.
The chicken Momos were well done but nothing exclusive really.
For the main course we had The Andhra Chicken which was mildly spiced but with the right authentic flavour. The Keema Ghotala, a really mouthwatering lamb mince with egg and served with really soft maska buns, a real treat.
Meen Moilee a real delicacy of sole fish made in Malabari curry very easy on the palate and left a lingering taste.

[easy-image-collage id=5847]

Not to forget the Cocktails n Mocktails.

Couple Chemistry was an interesting mix of Vodka,Pineapple Juice and Beer, and served in a very unique manner,by way of presentation. Year Repeat had a great mix of Vodka, Apple and Peach syrup topped up with Sparkling Wine.
Also had the house brew of wheat beer an absolute delight. Sweet Like You and Outstanding Kick made for some interesting Mocktails.

[easy-image-collage id=5852]

The staff is most courteous and eager to serve you with a smile. Superb Food. Excellent Service. Great Ambience. This is a place to visit again and again.Highly Recommended.
The Classroom Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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


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


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


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

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

Here is a glimpse..

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

Hoping and Wishing great success to this exciting new phase.

Theme: Overlay by Kaira.  Copyright @ikreatepassions 2024
Goa, India