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Bo-Tai, Not Just Food, But An Experience!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Some places offer great food, while some offer experience, very rarely we come across places that offer food which not just food, but a wholesome experience. Coincidently, I have felt this at two places and its no surprise that both these places come from the same group. Masala Library by Jiggs Kalara was my first such experience where in I felt that its not just about food, but everything put together, and now my second experience came when I recently visited Bo-Tai. Conceptualised by Zorawar Kalra, this restaurant offers all the ingredients be ranked amongst the top. The ambience is perfect, very classy and refined, the hospitality is top notch, from the moment you enter, you are entire experience is personalised. The staff attends to you with utmost care, attention and knowledge of food and drinks.

 

The presentation of food is commendable and the most important thing, the taste is unmatched. Bo-Tai is a Thai speciality restaurant and it truly serves the best Thai food in the city.

Here are some of the highly recommended dishes

Scallop Carpaccio- A mouth melting experience, the scallops were just so delicious.

Crispy Caramelised Raw Mango Prawns- These are definitely a must try, super scrumptious prawns and that tangy taste of raw mango was just perfect.

Chicken Florets- True to their name, these blue coloured chicken dimsums in chilly oil were delectable.

Duck Sausages- The best dish I had, the sausages were simply mind blowing and the duck meat was so soft and juicy. The pumpkin dip and baked mashed potatoes as accompaniments enhance the taste greatly.

Lamb Satay- One of the finest satays that I had in recent times, you cannot afford to miss this dish, and the peanut dip too wasn’t the regular type and was really delicious.

Lamb Chops- Utterly delicious and succulent lamb chops, totally worth a try.

Masamman Curry- So when we talk of Thai curries, this curry usually sets the benchmark and I have to say that this was perfect. Served with Steamed Rice, they completed my meal.

Dessert- You have to try to believe how delicious it was.

Also for dessert you can try the Caramelised Banana Cocktail, it was just too good.

Me and my son had a great time enjoying this scrumptious food and overall experience at Bo-Tai. Highly recommended. Do share your feedback if you happen to visit.

 

Bo Tai Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Global Cuisine with a Difference @ Leela Ambience, Gurgaon

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Leela Ambience has always been a top notch when it comes to food, the chefs at Leela keep experimenting to deliver the best experiences to their customers and just recently they have started EPIC, Global Cuisine. Curated by the executive sous chef Abhishek Gupta, EPIC boasts of global cuisine but with a difference.

I have been lucky enough to try this specially curated menu and trust me its not just a meal, its like a poetry in food, or may be a food story that keeps flowing  to you, each item on the menu has its own story to tell, from ingredients to its preparation, this is a tale you don’t want to end. In fact the chef has even written the entire menu in a story form, which in itself was very appealing to me.

This is a proper sit down meal, where in each course is served in a unique manner, with excellent presentations and the chef himself comes to the table each time to explain the dish. The theme was monochrome and hence each dish represented different shades of one colour and I can’t tell you how good the food looked. It was so tempting to look at that at first you can’t take your eyes off it, and all you wanna do is stare, but at the same time, temptation makes it difficult to resist.

I am not going to spill too much on this one, because its an experience you need to indulge in yourself, but certainly I am telling you the names of the dishes and leaving you swoon over the pictures so that you drool over them and plan your visit to Leela soon.

Finger Millet Tart

Millet Tart filled with Edamame and Peas with some sour bread sauce, it was a delightful beginning with this dish. Look at the green colour, so refreshing to the eyes and the taste buds.

Deceptive Tuna

Compressed watermelon, beetroot textures, pork, caramelised grapes, inspired by textures of tuna, this was a delectable preparation in monochromatic red.

Tawa Chicken Brûlée

This was one of the highlight preparations for me, a tawa chicken served like mousse, and caramelised served with a galauti parantha.

Peruvian Style Bean Ensalada

One of the best things I had that evening, a crunchy and juicy salad made with three different beans, you have to try this one.

Fermented Bread

A fermented millet bread served with smoked butter and coriander and thyme paste.

Grilled Lamb-Diana Red Rice

Cumin rubbed grilled lamb served with special Karnataka red rice simmered with fennel seeds, shallots and mushrooms which gave it a very creamy texture just like a risotto and the lamb too was perfect.

Then we tried three different desserts and each one of them was a work of art, both in presentation and taste.

Beet the Rose with Raspberry
Jhangora Blueberry
White Chocolate Cardamom Stone

Each course is served with a wine to go along and I am sure you will love this dining experience to the core. So what your waiting for, make your weekend special, as this curated global menu is available only on Saturdays at the Elitaire Lounge.

Experiencing great North Indian food at The Yellow Chilli, Goa!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

When you are away from your home town, apart from missing your loved ones back home, you miss the typical home food the most. During my recent trips to Goa, one evening I was really missing the typical Indian food, especially the Dal Makhani and some Butter Naans and then I remembered The Yellow Chilli by Sanjeev Kapoor which is housed in the very famous Mall de Goa and I immediately jumped with joy, grabbed hold of my friends and we all headed straight to the restaurant.

The quirkiness of the places catches your attention immediately, with some amazing caricatures adorning the walls. The seating is casual dining type and is apt for families and youngsters both.

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To begin with we settled for some Masala Papad, Dahi Ke Kebab, Tangra Chilly Paneer, Lehsuni Murg Tikka and Chanak Tawa Masala. The Chanak Tawa Masala was easily the best dish, nice and crispy fish with a flavourful masala and I simply loved it. The Lehsuni Murg Tikka was another delightful preparation, the chicken was mouth meltingly soft and the taste of garlic was just right.

Dahi Ke Kebabs were nicely done and I loved the small innovation of adding a bit of cheese in the centre, which tasted quite well. The Chilly Paneer was good, but could have been better, as the taste of salt and garlic overpowered everything else.

For drinks, we tried Jaljeera, Butterscotch Caramel and Tarbooza and all of them were good. I personally loved the Jaljeera, my friend ended up ordering the Butterscotch Caramel twice so I am very sure it would be awesome too.

For the mains we settled for Lalla Mussa Dal, a hot favourite at the Yellow Chilly and Ghee Roasted Chicken. Both the dishes were great, and we relished them with butter naans.

Bebinca with butter made for our dessert and it was delicious. You can’t miss on trying a bebinca especially when in Goa. Overall it was a great experience of having typical North Indian food in Goa and satiating my taste buds to the fullest. So when in Goa do try the Yellow Chilly and I am sure you will love it.

The Yellow Chilli Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Dakshin Food Festival at Crowne Plaza Rohini!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

The word Dakshin, by default doesn’t excite me much, because I am not a big fan of South Indian Cuisine, but recently when my foodie friends decided to visit the DAKSHIN Food Festival at Crowne Plaza Rohini, I reluctantly agreed. I am so glad that I actually went, because my perception of the Dakshin food changed completely, it was so so good that I can actually now say that I relished it.

The spread was an elaborate one and offered wide variety of dishes for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. I tried quite few things and I have to admit that I loved each one of them. Some of them need a special mention, The Rawa Fish was an amazing preparation, crispy outer coating to an otherwise tender fish, it just melted in mouth. Chonka Idly, Maysore Bonda and Paneer 65 were other delightful preparations. I loved the tiny tiny crisp idly a lot. Mulagu Vada too was a delectable dish and so were Chicken 65 and Meen Pollichathu.

Then we tried the Veg Stew with Appam and it was simply delicious. Rasa Omelette was a dish that stood out for its awesome flavours. Ulli Theeyal Mutton and Mangalorian Fish Curry were relished with Malabari Paranthas and trust me they were drool worthy.

After a hearty platter of desserts, we ended our culinary trip to Dakshin, without having to go their actually and enjoyed ourselves to the core. Now I can say that I look forward to more such festivals and I am extremely open to explore more South Indian dishes.

Pan Asian Foodie Experience at Kylin Premier

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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

Image Courtesy- Mr Polkadot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Change is Here- Dominos Pizza Badal Gaya!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Hanging Out at SummerHouse Cafe!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thai Khun at Kylin Express…!!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Back to University with Leela Ambience Convention Hotel!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

ChaoBella- A perfect amalgamation of Oriental and Italian Cuisines!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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