Tag: Restaurant Review

Goa is here…! Goan Food Festival at the Peninsular Kitchen brings authentic Goan food to Delhi!

We all know that as soon as Christmas and New Years are approaching, Goa becomes one of the hottest destinations in India. We all crave the crazy nights, dancing away, having fun with family and friends and most of all the amazing coastal food. But everytime its not possible to pack our bags and go to Goa, so how about satiating that craving for Goan Food right here in Delhi, yes its true. Peninsular Kitchen brings to you the Goan Food Festival from 9th to 23rd Dec where you can indulge in some amazing Goan preparations.

I was invited on the launch day of the festival to experience awesomeness, by Vickrham from Food Maniacs. It was a pleasant evening and a cozy ambience at the peninsular kitchen and my culinary journey began by trying out the very Goan Kokum Curry or Sol Kadi as it’s popularly called. It’s a natural digestive and serves as an excellent cooler for the stomach especially after the spicy Goan fish curries. It’s prepared with Kokum and Coconut Milk and spices like cumin and it was awesome. It reminded me of homemade Masala Lassi.

Sol Kadi

Next I tried some Rasam, after the cold and refreshing Sol Kadi, this was hot and spicy but equally tasteful.

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For starters we tried Golden Fried Prawns, Butter Garlic Prawns, Chicken Cafreal, Cauliflower Cafreal, Butter Garlic Mushrooms, Fish Fingers and Prawn Rissoles from the Goan Menu. Golden Fried Prawns reminded me of the saying that somethings are best kept simple, this was one simple recipe and yet to tasteful. I loved it. The Butter Garlic Prawns went on to become my favourites and even the mushrooms in same preparation were drool worthy. A word of caution for the Cafreal preperations, they were hot and spicy. Especially the Cafreal Prawns and Cafreal Chicken was very spicy, it was coated with thick green chilies and coriander masala paste, undoubtedly delicious but definitely spicy. So if you can’t handle spices, give it a miss. Somehow the cauliflower and potatoes in the same masala tasted less spicy.

Golden Fried Prawns
Prawns Cafreal
Butter Garlic Mushrooms
Butter Garlic Prawns
Chicken Cafreal
Cafreal Vegetables
Prawn Rissoles

We also tried the Erachi Vada aka Mutton Vada and Fried Fish Koliwada from the regular menu. The Erachi Vada was completely new to me, I have never tried anything of the sort, a mutton cultlet made of minced meat along with dal, it was crispy yet tender. I really liked it and you must try this one. The Fish Koliwada was good too.

Erachi Vada

Moving on to the main course, we tried the awesome Pork Vindaloo, again thick gravy made with red chilies paste, spicy but delectable. Then there was the popular Goan Fish Curry, Chicken Xacuti, and Vegetable Xacuti and Cafreal Vegetables. I personally loved Vindaloo the most and its surely a must try. It tastes best with a Pav or Appams. The Fish Curry was delicious too, and served with Prawn Rice, it makes for a perfect combination. I also ordered for Chicken Ghee Roast, a very typical costal dish, fiery red, tangy and spicy with an unmistakable flavor of ghee-roasted spices, this authentic home-style chicken dish is not for the faint heart. Try it with Malabari Paranthas and thank me later, but do keep a glass of water ready with you.

Chicken Ghee Roast
Xucati Vegetables
Vegetable Vindaloo
Mushroom Curry
Fish Curry
Pork Vindaloo
Ghee Roast with Malabari Paranthas and Appam
Pork Vindaloo, Fish Curry and Prawn Rice

I loved the entire spread and at no cost one should miss it, so please make the most of it while the Goan Food Festival is there, and even after that keep visiting Peninsular Kitchen for their authentic coastal cuisine.

I brought my spicy culinary journey to an end with sweet caramel custard but I am already craving the spicy dishes as I write about them.

 

Peninsular Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Beat the Blues with Biryani Blues..!!

Everyone has those days when you don’t want to cook and neither go out for dinner, and hence the best option is to get some amazing food delivered at your door step, and recently one of the days I did just that..!

I ordered a single meal in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian option from Biryani Blues… Why single meal??? Because it gave me a chance to explore both their famous biryani and some really delectable starters. In the non-veg meal, I got a more than sufficient quantity of Chicken Biryani along with Mirchi Ka Salan and Raita, and I got a generous quantity of Chicken Nizami as a starter. I simply loved the Biryani and was totally bowled over by the Nizami Chicken, the biryani was just perfect and the best part was that in most restaurants biryani is over powered with spices in the name of authenticity, but this one was perfectly balanced. The taste was mild and no spices over-powered each other thus retaining the essence of Biryani.

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The Nizami Chicken was tender, succulent and perfectly spiced. I was very skeptical before ordering, but now I am specially going to order a full portion of the same.

 

Now coming to the vegetarian meal, it too had Veg Biryani with Mirchi Salan and Raita and Paneer 65 as the starter. Being a non-vegetarian one always feel that Chicken Biryani is the best, but all I can say is this was no less, its heaven for vegetarians and the Paneer 65 was simply awesome. I have never been fond of non-vegetarian food with South-Indian touch, but now my perception has been changed forever.

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All in all, if you really want awesome food, at reasonable prices and that too at the comfort of your home, just go for Biryani Blues, you will love it!


 
Biryani Blues Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Set’z- A Fine Dining Restaurant Where Luxury Meets Affordability!

Class, opulence, elegance and a truly high class ambience is what comes to your mind the moment you enter SET’Z at DLF Emporio Mall and rightly said, what else can you expect from a restaurant being located at the most posh mall of the capital city. So SET’Z not only boasts of world class ambience but also a very carefully chosen global cuisine and it also allows its customers to customize the dishes as per their taste and choice. Recently SET’Z has also come up with an interesting regime of having a ‘customer choice menu’. So in this regime, they include some new dishes every month across different cuisines and ask their customers for a feedback, post evaluation the most popular dishes are retained in the menu and the dishes that don’t seem to connect much with the customers don’t find space in the menu. I really found this concept to be amusing and recently we visited SET’Z to review their Indian menu with addition of some new dishes.

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To begin with we tried a wide variety of their kebabs in both vegetarian and non vegetarian. Khumb Shikampur, Kathal Mamra and Charoli Kebab were served first. Khumb Shikampur was a mushroom based kebab, soft and delectable. I personally loved the Kathal Mamra, a succulent kebab made out of jackfruit, though a bit spicy, but it was full of taste. But the best was the Charoli Kebab, a truly exquisite kebab made of almonds, very soft and delicious. For the non-vegetarian spread we had Murg Shole, Mulayam Murg Seekh, Set’z Seekh, Macchi Zaitoon Sarson and Raan-E-Set’z and all the dishes were good. Murg Shole was a spicy chicken tikka which was nice but nothing exceptional, the Mulayam Seekh, was basically kakori style chicken seekh, very tender and juicy, the Set’z Seekh was normal mutton seekh kebab, Macchi Zaitoon Sarson was a nicely done fish tikka and the best was the Raan-E-Set’z, a true delicacy that you must try.

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Out of this spread I personally recommend Kathal Mamra, Charoli Kebab, Mulayam Murg Seekh and Raan-E-Set’z to definitely be a part of their regular menu.

Our next set of dishes from the coastal part of India, south India predominantly. A live crab in a glass box was brought on the table before it went on to become a delicate dish. I don’t eat shell fishes and hence just viewing the live crab was interesting enough for me and I have tasting a skip, though my fellow foodies who tried it, appreciated the preparation really well.

Jumbo Lobsters were next on the table and though they looked tempting enough I had to skip them as well.

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Then there were Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian dumplings along with a Soya Bean Potato Crispy Fry and both of them were nice.

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By the time we tried all these starters along with a few drinks, I was too full to try the main course, but I just thought of tasting them so that I can share with all my lovely readers on what was good and what wasn’t.

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Rather than serving entire dishes, a special Thali was arranged for us, with smaller portions of main course dishes and a variety of breads. The Thali included both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes like Vegetable Gassi, Telangana Bhindi, Gosht Dalcha, Kothmiri Tawa Chicken and Tomato based Fish Curry… and there are many more options to choose from which satiate your craving for both Indian and Coastal food. In breads also there was a lot to choose from, Lehsuni Dhaniya Lachha Parantha, Zaitoon Cheese Naan, Gilafi Kulcha, Appam, Dal Miss Roti, Methi Roti, Hyderabadi Naan and more.

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The desserts too were served like a platter with a variety of sweet desires to choose from. It has Coconut Barfi, Custard Apple Payasam, Anjeer Ki Kheer, Thande Gulab Ki Kheer and Khubani Ka Meetha. I personally liked the Anjeer Ki Kheer, Coconut Barfi and Custard Apple Payasam the most out of the lot.

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I liked the overall concept that one can choose the dishes that we would like to see on the menu regularly. Also the thing that I loved about SET’Z is that it has different kitchens, all live kitchens for different cuisines and one can make changes and customise dishes as per specific taste or requirements.

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This place should definitely be on your list, and trust me its niche and classy in every sense but it will not burn a hole in your pocket. They have very pocket friendly prices and especially on the beverages, so don’t worry be happy and go for it..!!


 

SET'Z Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Boombox Brewstreet is back with a lot of Boom and Bang..!!

Boombox Brewstreet located in the hustling bustling market of sector 29, Gurgaon is definitely your next go to bar and casual dining space. Music is in the air, on the walls and everywhere here, because that is the central theme of this lively place. The place opened some 4-5 months back and then temporarily shut for renovation and now its back with a bang. I was recently invited by Mukul Verma, co-owner of the place for a wonderful food tasting session.

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My foodie experience began by a mind blowing gastronomic Amuse Bouche, which was melt in a mouth version of our traditional dahi bhallas, served like a dollop of curd on spoons emitting smoke, it was sheer delight to watch it.

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Something is Fishy and Yeh Reshmi Zulfein were served first. Something is Fishy was a tangy and lemony fish tikka and served with big chunks of aloo chaat, which gave it a real twist and a pleasant one indeed. I loved it. Yeh Reshmi Zulfien was a nicely done Reshmi Chicken Tikka marinated with creamy pesto sauce and tandoori mayo, I loved it.

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Up next were the Chemical Brothers, a trio of Jhalmuri, which had one original style, one fennel flavoured and one achari, well Jhalmuri has never been something that I am keen for and hence I did taste, but didn’t like it much. I find the flavours of oil too strong for my liking.

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Aye Mere Pyaare Mutton, Punjab Se Lekar Delhi Via Spain and Mr. Gulati Kebab were served next. Aye Mere Pyaare Mutton was a sure shot winner for me, tender and saucy meat balls served with cucumber and basil yogurt and tomato chutney. This is not to be missed. Mr. Gulati Kebab, served with chutney droppers and mini paranthas were delectable too, the kebabs were really soft and delicious. Punjab Se Lekar Delhi Via Spain was also an interesting dish, where Rajma Chawal were fried like a croquette in Amritsari Papad Crust.

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Teri Meri Kahani, Kool-Cha and Main Toh Raste Se Jaa Raha The found space on our tables next. Teri Mere Kahani was an interesting version of Caesar Salad with Vegetable Croquette, it was really nice. Kool-Cha was an amazing take on a stuffed kulcha with a tasteful filling of Chettinad mushrooms, I really loved the taste of it. Main Toh Rasta Se Jaa Raha Tha was Boombox way of presenting Dahi Puris, they were nice and tangy, but one should have them immediately because they tend to turn soggy sooner than you imagine.

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Hothon Pe Bas Tera Naam Hai, PB&J and Imly Ka Buta Berry Ka Pulao were the final dishes served, Chicken Tikka done the Chettinad way with some molecular gastronomy on display with coconut bubbles is what made Hothon Pe Bas Tera Naam Hai. A Parsi influenced dish, Imly Ka Buta Berry Ka Pulao was basically rice cakes with pulled khatu meethu chicken and tasted really well. PB&J was also an interesting concept of bread spheres with paneer filling, fried like pakodas  with salli crust and served with a berry jam, no.. the jam wasn’t sweet, it was salty and spicy and delicious.

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This brought our culinary journey to.. no not an end, but a break, which was followed by desserts to finally bring it to an end. There was I Love My India, Rabdi & Boondi Cheesecake with Kiwi and Blueberry, I really loved this one and got inspired to try making it at home(you know I am a baker and a cook who loves to experiment with food..isnt it). The other dessert was called Khaike Paan Italy Wala, a paan flavoured Tiramisu. I did taste it and it was nice, but I basically don’t enjoy paan flavoured desserts so didn’t have much of it.

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Overall I loved my experience at Boombox, the ambience, the food, the presentation of food and the molecular gastronomy was really commendable. Even the drinks were amazing, I tried the Orange Mojito and Slushy Margarita, my son tried the Oreo Shake and all the drinks were superlative.

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I highly recommend visiting this place where you can enjoy some great music, quirkiness and amazing food that looks equally interesting.


Boombox Brewstreet Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Fusion Bistro- A true fusion of global cuisine!

With restaurants creating more confusion in the name of FUSION, its very hard to find a place which actually remains true to the word, but better late than never, I actually came across this wonderful restaurant that boasts of a fusion of cuisines under one roof rather than fusion of ingredients. Welcome to FUSION BISTRO, which is an amalgamation of cuisines from across the globe maintaining their authenticity in every way.

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This place is loveable from the word GO, the moment you enter, and you fall in love with the ambience and simplicity of the place. Minimalistic, comfortable yet impactful décor, ample lighting and a huge space spread across 2 floors, is what makes this place different right from the start. These days we see an overload of theme decoration, concept restraunts, cluttered spaces and hence a lot of times the focus shifts from the most important thing FOOD to making the place stand out in terms of decoration only, but thankfully Fusion Bistro is truly different.

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Now coming to the main thing Food, we started our culinary journey with Thailand and opted for Chicken Tom Kha Soup, it was a creamy coconut milk based soup spiced with ginger and lemon grass. Though I am not too fond of Thai, but I loved this one. To go along with the soup, we ordered Warm Chicken, Avocado and Fresh Leaves Salad and it was wonderful too. Loved the combination of chicken and avocado with garlic dressing and crunchy fresh leaves.

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For drinks we tried Fruit Punch and Watermelon Lychee Punch and both of them were nice and refreshing.

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Next on our table was Penne Pasta with Mixed Sauce and Marinated Stuffed Chicken Breast, a continental combination worth exploring. The pasta was just perfect and getting the tanginess of tomatoes along with creaminess of cheese was a culinary delight for me. The stuffed chicken with mushroom sauce and goat cheese along with mashed potatoes..mmm.. something I love completely. My mouth waters even while writing about it, it was yumminess overloaded. This is surely a must try.

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Next we moved to trying some authentic oriental food and ordered Chicken in Soy Garlic Sauce and Chicken Hakka Noodles and I can say that they were easily the best hakka noodles I have eaten in a long time. The Chicken was delicious as well.

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Settling for Indian in the last we ordered, Non Veg Kebab Platter, which comes with a generous serving of Dal Makhani and Raita as well, the Hyderabadi Biryani and Awadhi Chicken. The platter was simply amazing, it had chicken malai tikka, seekh kebab and fish tikka and all of them were succulent, tender and full of taste, and the dal was awesome too. I loved the way biryani was served covered with a hot tandoori roti; it just looked irresistible even though it was covered. After lifting the roti away, the biryani looked even more scrumptious and so it was. The flavours were perfect, it was served with a salan and raita and salan was the only thing which I didn’t quite like, rest everything was fabulous. Chicken Awadhi had rich gravy, which was similar to butter chicken in texture, but the taste was very distinct.

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Now coming to my favourite part of the meal, desserts, they have a decent variety to choose from, but it’s my suggestion that they include some Indian Desserts in the menu and also more options of non-chocolaty desserts for those who don’t like chocolate much. Nevertheless I love chocolate, so for me it was good enough, we ordered a Tiramisu and Death by Chocolate. The tiramisu was extremely delicious and death by chocolate was true to its name, I can really die for it, it was so so so delicious. I loved it.

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I overall had a lot of fun visiting this place and I highly recommend it, you must give it a shot and I am sure you will love it.

A special mention for the entire staff of Fusion Bistro, they were very friendly, warm and hospitable and knew their menu and recommendations very well. I also happened to meet Mr Arvind, owner of the place and he too came across as a very warm person.

I am definitely visiting them soon for another culinary journey and make sure you do it as well. Cheers !!


Fusion Bistro Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Add Some Raftaar To Your Food Scene…!!

Raftaar Lounge and Bar located at Club Road, Punjabi Bagh held a Blogger’s meet over lunch recently and I was glad to be a part of it.

First things first, its a huge property spread across three floors and ample parking space, and you don’t even have to bother for parking your car as they offer valet service as well. As the name suggests, the whole concept of the lounge and bar relies on speed. It has a high on energy and power packed ambience, the place is a complete gear of fine dining and clubbing with family and friends. The place is meant to indulge you into delicious food and drinks and makes you party all night with electronic dance music.

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This luxury lounge and bar is designed for an evolved nightlife experience. From the very boulevard it looks like an edifice of energy. Eerie from the first step and it gets a whole lot interesting as you walk up the stairway of the Raftaar, a nightclub/lounge that’s not just on the fringe, it’s completely detached from the real world, bringing back the treasured world of dance and entertainment with lifestyle experience.

With the expanse at three levels, each with different experience of its own like Sophisticated Car lounge, Rustic Bikers Place and first ever Private Pool Dining at Open Terrace, this place is just worth the visit.

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Raftaar has exactly what you need for a bull blown party and it comes bigger, bolder and stronger with its state of the art sound walls, fantastic lighting and sound system reverberating with gut – busting music ranging from national and international top charts, house, electronic and percussion. The staple entertainment also boasts of Live Acts – concerts and live bands that are edgy, raw and play with bone – jarring enthusiasm promising a night that’s erotic and high profile.

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The food menu is set as per the tastes and preferences of the Delhiites. With wide varieties serving the customers with their vegetarian as well as non – vegetarian menu, it has something to suit every taste bud. To start with they have Caesar Cardin Salad, Hawaiian Boat, and Oia Greek Salad with Feta en-routing with Dahi ke Kebabs, Malai Soya Chaap, Murg Tikka and Amritsari fish with Prawn Recheado and Finding Nemo. On your way to final destination with NH – 1 burger get fuelled up with energizing appetizers and drinks. Paneer Bemisaal, Dil Khush Malai Kofta, Pindi Chana, Murg Lahori with Amritsari Kulcha and Pesto Naan will be greeting you at the table. Special appearances of Parmesan Chicken, Kerala Prawn Curry and Grilled Chimichurri Fish will make the journey more lip smacking. Highway Glory and Alive by Brownie Sundae will be waiting for you at the finishing line before you get indulged into a sweet affair.

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Our culinary journey started with Nachos Crusted Fish Fingers, which were nice but slightly overcooked, they could have been crispier.
The Mogewala Tangri Kebab was a real treat. It was really properly cooked with meat melting in your mouth.
The Nimbu Adraki Murgi was another delicious dish made to perfection.The flavours of Nimbu and Adrak blending perfectly.
Their chilly chicken was yet another well made preparation nice n soft with the right amount of chillies.
The cocktails n mocktails to go along were equally presentable and mouthwatering.

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The main course had the Dal Makhni,Gosht Nihari and Methi Murg Lahori n must mention all three dishes were simply superb, easy on the palate with very subtle flavours.

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To round up this mouth watering journey of a scrumptious spread was the Dessert Sunday. It was like heaven for chocolate lovers, don’t miss it.

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All in all a great place to spend some cool time with your friends and family.Strongly recommended.


Raftaar - The High Speed Lounge & Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Hyatt Place, Gurgaon Celebrates 2nd Anniversary with a Lavish Sunday Brunch..!

Brunches to me are celebration of food, you get to explore so many tastes, cuisines and flavours under one roof, and what would you call a brunch that was organised to mark completion of 2 years of a modern essential business hotel, double celebration! Yes, Hyatt Place, a modern business hotel, strategically located in Udyog Vihar, the heart of Gurgaon recently completed two years and a grand celebration took place with an exclusive buffet laid out at their Gallery Cafe. Hyatt Place in association with CrazeMag and Saddi Dilli, two very successful online publications, invited a selected few bloggers to be a part of this celebration, and I was privileged to be one amongst them. A sweet gesture of sending a personalised invite made me look forward to the event even more.

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It was a warm Sunday afternoon and I headed to Hyatt Place with lots of excitement in my heart, I was looking forward to the lavish celebration brunch and also meeting fellow bloggers. A very warm welcome by the entire staff including the hotel General Manager, Ms. Maulina Gupta and Head Chef Gaurav started the event at the right note. While entering the gallery cafe, the dessert lay out caught my attention right away and I was already eyeing it. an array of cocktails and mocktails were being served and, a special Hoegaarden Beer counter was set. I tried the Mango Marry and this mango version on the likes of Virgin Marry was awesome. I really loved it. I also tried a orange mocktail and it too was made perfectly.

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Chef Gaurav, briefly explained about the menu of the day, highlighting the fact that it has got something for everyone, even  preferences of children were kept in mind while designing the menu. After this brief introduction and welcome address by Ms. Maulina Gupta, we were all set to explore this culinary journey.

There was a wide range of breads like French Baguette, Multigrain Loaf, Pitta Bread, Soft Rolls, Focaccia Breads, Puffs etc.to choose from along with a plethora of dips, Roasted Vegetable & Parmesan Dip, Marinated Olives, Mustard Vinaigrette, Flavoured Butter, to name a few.

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Antipasto, which is an Italian word for ‘before the meal’, also had a lot of options to choose from, soups, salads, cold cuts and some traditional snacks were a part of this section. I tried Roasted Pear, Baby Spinach & Walnut Salad and it was amazing, I also tried Pineapple Carpaccio, Smoked Chicken with Arugula & Quinoa and Peppered Fish. There were other dishes like Squids, Khandvi, Dhokla etc as well and the spread had a wonderful balance for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. For me it was a very satisfying experience, I loved each item, and now my expectations from the main course and live counters was raised very much.

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Eggs to order and Pastas as per choice were being made tirelessly by the chefs at the live kitchen. For starters there was Murg Malai Tikka, Fish Fingers, Chilli Paneer and Corn & Cheese Poppers. Being a non-vegetarian I opted for Murg Malai Tikka and Fish Fingers, the tikka was melt in a mouth kind of an experience, the chicken was so tender and mildly spiced, and the marination made it very very delectable. The Fish Fingers were crispy outside and soft inside, just the way they should be.

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My next halt was the TEX MEX Live Station, which was serving Burritos, Quesadillas, Enchiladas, Nachos and Various type of salsa and refried beans. I tried the Chicken Quesadillas and they were out of this world, I could not resist a second helping and enjoyed every bite of it. I even propagated it to the fellow foodies.

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The next Live Station was of Barbecue and Grill, and the sheer aromas of meats getting grilled pulled me to this counter. I opted for some Lamb Kibbeh and Paneer Shashlik, as my son who was accompanying me is very fond of Paneer.

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This entire area where the Live Stations were placed was a gastronomic as well as a visual treat. The lawns with lots of greenery, cane furniture and wooden sheds made it an idle spot to sit back and enjoy tasteful meals. With approaching winters I am sure this place will be a favourite for many.

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Coming to the main course, it had Indian, Asian and Western items. My tummy was filling, but I had no intentions to miss the main course and hence I tasted a bit from every cuisine. The Indian section consisted of Murgh Musallam, Paneer Laung Lata, Methi Chana, Aloo Gobhi, Mirch Baigan ka Salan, Dal Makhani and Mutton Biriyani.

I picked the Mutton Biryani and my son settled for Dal Makhani and Murg Mussalam. The Biryani was undoubtedly the best I have tasted in recent times, the mutton was tender and juicy, the spices perfect and loved the fried onions that topped it. I started by taking only a spoonful of it, but after tasting it, I had to help myself with a better serving. The Dal and Murg Mussalam as per my son were equally outstanding, he being a blogger and a foodie has become an expert in Dal Makhani over a period of time, and he generously and willingly gave it a 5/5.

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The Asian Section had Vegetable Hakka Noodles, Seasonal Vegetable with Hot Garlic Sauce, Fish in Lemon Sauce and Chicken in Soya Ginger Sauce and I tried the Hakka Noodles with Fish and they were good too. By now I was already convinced with the quality of food at Hyatt Place, because I didn’t come across a single food item which was disappointing or below my expectations.

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The Western Section had Poached Fish in Tomato and Saffron Broth, Bouquet Erie of Vegetable, Double Baked Potato and Roasted Chicken. I tried the roasted chicken and the double baked potato, the chicken was nice and juicy, the potato too had a perfect taste, just that the outer shell of potato was slightly hard making it little difficult to cut through.

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Now coming to the best part of the brunch, the desserts, the spread was so beautiful and lavish that it was hard to choose on what to pick and what to leave.

But being a chocoholic, I am a little biased towards chocolate desserts and hence tried Chocolate Orange Dacquoise, it was dense and flavoursome, I quite liked it. The next I tried Burnt Chocolate Gateaux and I can again say that this was the best I have ever eaten, it was so moist and delicious that I ended up helping myself with two generous servings. There were drool worthy Indian Desserts as well, but I guess I gave my all to the Chocolate Gateaux but I am sure the other desserts would be as delectable as the ones I tried.

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There was a special counter for kids which served interesting pan cakes, assorted cupcakes, chocolate dumplings and more.

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Then there was a small cake cutting ceremony lead by Ms. Maulina Gupta and the entire Hyatt staff and it brought my pleasant day to an end.

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The experience at Hyatt was soulfully satisfying in both culinary and overall way. I really look forward to visiting the place again sometime soon. Here is to the fond memories of the day..!

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Enjoy your Sunday at Hyatt Place Gurgaon with SOCIAL SUNDAY BRUNCH at GALLERY CAFÉ where you choose from an elaborate buffet spread serving a wide selection of Indian, Asian and Western delicacies. Get spoilt for choice and select from an expansive range of salads, Antipasti, Live Counters and Desserts.Spend the day with us and we will make sure to make it a memorable one.


Hyatt Place Gurgaon Hosts SOCIAL SUNDAY


Timings:  12:00 Noon – 1600 Hours


Rates:


INR 1199/- plus taxes per person for non-alcoholic


INR 1699/- plus taxes per person for the beer buffet


INR 1899/- plus taxes per person for unlimited IMFL


 

Gallery Café - Hyatt Place Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Reasons Why I Look Forward to Next Season of Asian Hawkers Already..!!

There are many food festivals, then there is Asian Hawkers, probably the best thing ever happened to the category called food festivals. I have been hooked to it ever since I went the last time and this season was bigger and better. With many more restaurants and food chains finding their way into Asian Hawkers, it had all the elements to become nothing but the best food festival ever.

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With acclaimed names like Fatty Bao, Dimcha, The Grand, Le Meridian, Pa Pa Ya, Burma Burma, Bercos, Carls Juniors, and many more, this is a perfect place to find them all under one roof and make it a foodies paradise.

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Here are my top picks from the season


Pa Pa Ya- From the house of Massive Restaurants that includes big names like Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra and Farzi Cafe, this Asian Kitchen is something to watch out for. Pa Pa Ya hosted a preview of their menu at Asian Hawkers as they are yet to open their restaurant in Delhi and now I am sure it will be one of the most awaited ones. Pa Pa Ya redefines your imagination of Asian Cuisine, it takes you on a gastronomic experience that is superlative in all regards. The Butayakitori Apple and Betel Leaf Tartare, which was pork belly skewers chargrilled with sichimi, mirin and soyal was delectable. The flavours that were infused in the tender pork belly were mind-blowing. The Hoisin Chilli Duck Pa Pa Ya Dog was one of the most talked about dishes at Asian Hawkers. Words alone can’t describe this delicacy.. you have to try this out once the restaurant opens and just do mmm..mmm..mmm.. its that orgasmic. Yak Udon was great to taste, it had a bowl of steamed Sudan noodles topped with tossed chicken. Worth trying. Even the vegetarians had a delightful time at Pa Pa Ya, Red Curry Infused Wild Mushroom Rangoons were a popular pick, these were deep fried Burmese dumplings that were stuffed with mushrooms and cream cheese. The presentation was just awesome, the best and the most unique things about these dumplings was that they were open from the top, unlike the all sides closed dumplings that we are used to seeing. Edamame and Chick Pea Sliders were another hit. Lotus flour buns with chick pea and edamame patties were drool worthy.

Tuna Pizza
Tuna Pizza
Pa Pa Ya Dog
Pa Pa Ya Dog
Pork Belly
Pork Belly
Chik Pea Sliders
Chik Pea Sliders
Mushroom Rangoons
Mushroom Rangoons

Wok Tok by the Grand– Wok Tok by The Grand, was my next halt and I can say that I was extremely happy to have chosen it. I ordered Sarawak Pepper Chicken, tender chicken pieces tossed in pepper sauce, this was an amazing dish and made for a perfect starter. I next ordered Sichuan Dumplings, and going by the popular belief, I was expecting dumplings as in like dim sums, but this was different, It was a dry chicken tossed in Sichuan sauce, but nevertheless it was very tasty and hence I wasn’t complaining. For the main course I ordered Sliced Chicken in Black Pepper Sauce with Noodles and this too was very very tasty. Wok Tok carries the legacy of the grand and hence you can expect nothing but the best from here. I was really satisfied with my culinary experience at Wok Tok.

Chicken in Black Bean Sauce + Noodles
Chicken in Black Bean Sauce + Noodles
Sichuan Dimsums
Sarawak Pepper Chicken
Sichuan Dumplings
Sichuan Dumplings

Bombaykery– Ok now being a baker myself, this comes difficult to me, but also most naturally, I don’t have enough words to praise this amazing bakery. They are just too good, extremely addictive I must say. I normally don’t but bakery stuff from outside, but just a look at their stall and I could not resist and I ended up buying not just one but quite a few things. Their travel cakes are to die for and you have to order to believe. You should check out their Zomato page and place an order as soon as you can, you will love it. And while you are placing order for travel cakes, don’t forget to add some chocolate fudge. I tried the milk chocolate fudge and I polished away all 6 pieces by myself within a day, they are so damn addictive. Their cupcakes, macaroons and dessert jars should also not be missed. All I can say is order anything and everything and you will enjoy for sure.

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Milk Chocolate Fudge
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Milk Chocolate Fudge
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Nutty Chocolate Travel Cake
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Nutty Chocolate Travel Cake

So if you have missed the excitement this time, watch out for the next Asian Hawkers to be held in February and enjoy feasting..Till then try these yummy outlets individually and have a merry time..!!

Parsi Food Festival at Made In India Restaurant by Radisson Blu, Noida

A Parsi Food Festival is going on at the Made in India restaurant of Radisson Blu Hotel, Noida and a special bloggers meet was organised for the launch of the same.

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The menu for this ten day long culinary festival has been specially curated by Master Chef Kaizad Patel, with some of the most authentic and traditional signature dishes from the Parsi kitchen, including a great mix of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian delights, like Bhujeli Kaleji, Kid Gosht and Chapat, amongst many others mouth-watering delicacies. Parsi food has its roots in Persian and Gujarati cuisines and much of the food is a meat-lover’s dream come true.

Commenting on the Parsi cuisine and the special menu for the Parsi Food Festival, Master Chef Kaizad Patel said, “Parsi cuisine is a mélange of different flavors and has an eclectic mix of hot and sweet, sour and spice. This delectable cuisine is deeply influenced by various parts of the country that the community has travelled to and its soul lies in the ingredients used to make the mouth-watering delicacies. We are delighted to bring back the traditional recipes and recreate the authentic flavors at the Parsi Food Festival at the Made In India restaurant in Radisson Blu MBD Hotel Noida”.

Chef Kaizad Patel held a Parsi cuisine Masterclass also at the event, where he shared his experiences and also the recipes for mouth watering Parsi Dishes. Chicken Farcha made in a tomato based gravy with special Parsi masalas and the ever popular Patra nu Paneer or Paneer cooked in Banana leaves were the highlights.

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Being brought up in a Parsi Caterers family, Chef Kaizad says he always knew someday he would always take up this family business. He have always had a different approach on views and always wanted to exceed expectations. This has been his drive and what keeps him going.

Upon completing catering college, He joined the Ratan Tata Institute, Mumbai, as he wanted to broaden his horizon on Parsi food. He came across interesting people who shared their views on Parsi food. After completing almost a year; He joined the Oberoi Hotel’s, Mumbai and worked his way up the hierarchy. After his 3 ½ year employment with the Oberoi Hotel’s, he decided to go and study further in Culinary Arts. He joined the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, which is affiliated with “ Le Cordon Bleu”. He joined the Ritz Carlton, San Francisco as an intern and upon completing his internship, he was hired and trained by the Ritz Carlton values, which changed his life, truly.

On his return to India he decided to take over his family business as he felt the need to revamp the image of the business without changing the core values of the community and the business, which were instilled into him. He always looks at a glass full and not the other way around. He has just begun his journey as a Caterer (for the last 10 years) and has a long way to go…..

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After the masterclass, the journey of exploring Parsi Cuisine started with Murghi Na Farcha, really crisp outer with succulent chicken within, this was an absolute winner.

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The next on the menu was Bhujeli Kaleji absolutely soft and delicious. The Makai Cheese Na Pattice, a cutlet made from cheese and corn was an absolute delight as was the Kera nu Cutlets, made from banana.Both very crisp and absolutely delicious.
The main course consisted of Tarapori Prawn Patio, shrimps in a gravy.
Salli Jardaloo Murghi was another delightful chicken creation garnished with crisp n thin slices of Jardaloo.
Then there was Wafer per Eedu, an egg dish made with wafers, coriander and green chilles fried till golden brown and it turned out to be  a really delicious dish.
To accompany this was the ever so delicious Patra nu Paneer an absolute delightful dish.

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Then there was the Bhindi Sambhariya, crisp thin Bhindi deep fried and made with special Parsi sambhar spice.
The almost mashed brinjals in a light gravy was another mouth watering dish.
The above were accompanied with some crisp breads.
There was also the Vegetable Pulao Dal for the rice eaters.
The food all in all was good but slightly on the sweeter side to my liking.
For dessert there was the Chapat with Parsi Peg Ice Cream which was really out of this world. Then there was the Lagan nu Custard another winner.

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All in all a very satisfying experience and strongly recommended. Really worth a visit. To indulge in an eclectic mix of hot and sweet, nice and spice, which sums up the Parsi cuisine, make sure you head to ‘Made In India’ restaurant, the home grown name popular for being the pioneers of traditional cuisines and reviving cultural heritage through the medium of culinary art.


What: Parsi Food Festival


Where: Made in India, Radisson Blu Hotel, Noida


When: 14th-23rd October


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Made In India - Radisson Blu Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Flavothon at Cha Bar, Head Straight There For A Surreal Experience..!!

Cha Bar, Delhi’s favourite tea cafe organized “Flavothon” a food lovers meet with Executive Chef Abhishek Basu from The Park sharing tips on multi-dimensional cuisines complemented with some exclusive teas from the extensive Cha Bar menu. Flavathon introduced some mouth watering dishes in their new menu.
Cha Bar, a brain child of Ms Priti Paul, backed by the decades of experience of the Apeejay Group. Cha Bar was created as an integral part of the 90 year old Oxford Bookstore.
Cha Bar provides its customers the experience of browsing through the wide selection of books at leisure, sipping a cup of tea of your choice with some savory snacks being served.

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There was the Erachi Pathri which was really delicious. The Turkish Sigara was another crisp one with both veg n non veg variety. The Cocktail Sausage Roll was a delight.
Absolutely wonderful was the Dahi Bhalla, very soft and the curd was really refreshingly delicious.
They also had the Spinach and Feta Cheese Quiche and Some delicious Chicken n Cheese Toasties which were absolutely mouth watering.

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There was a wide range of desserts like Gulabjamun Cheese Cake, Flurry’s Heritage Chocolate Boat, Pineapple Colada Muffin, Coconut Cookies and Chocolate Rum Balls to name a few paired with some exotic teas like Arabic Spice, Bollywood mix, Cha Bar Blend, Moroccan Mint and a host of other varities to choose from.
A special mention here for there Filter Coffee which was really superb.
From desserts, for me the most delectable was the Gulabjamun Cheese Cake,really worth dying for followed by Rum Balls which were a real treat.
The quite ambience and the mouth watering snacks provided a great sense of tranquility. Highly recommended for a really surreal experience.

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About Cha Bar:


Cha Bar is the first of its kind urban contemporary space that created a rage in Kolkata in year 2000, turning tea from a dry page in history to a lifestyle drink! Ms Priti Paul’s brain child backed by generations of Apeejay Surrendra group’s experience in tea plantation business, Cha Bar was created as an integral part of more than 90 years old iconic Oxford Bookstore in city centre Park Street. The concept was expanded pan India integrated into Oxford Bookstores and customers loved the experience of being able to browse at leisure, leafing through the books of their choice, over a cup of tea from the wide selection available at the Cha Bar or simply unwinding with friends sipping the rejuvenating beverage, iced or piping hot!


Whether one prefers a rich, full-bodied, strong flavor, or a light fragrant taste, the Cha Bar offers a wide and enviable choice. Cha Bar believes that there is indeed nothing quite like a good cup of tea so every cup of blend we serve has journeyed, be it from the dhabas in India or from across the Globe from other cultures. Today, Cha Bar offers this experience at Oxford Bookstores across multiple stores in Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.


From the Flowering Teas, Organic Teas, Herbal Teas, Diet Teas, Fruit Teas, to an exclusive range of Darjeeling, Nilgiri, Sikkim and Oolong, complimented by the best in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Moroccan, Russian, Sri Lankan, South African and Thai Teas – make up more than 150 varieties on offer to create pure joy for our customers as they browse through a book by their favourite author. Cha Bar’s Menu boasts of exotic and cultural blends like the Moroccan Mint, South African Rooibos, Decaf Teas, Green Teas and Ayurvedic Teas with healing powers and all of them are popular amongst our patrons. Special category of ‘Chai Hindustani’ and the Cutting Cha has been reinvented here at Cha Bar. Single Estate Virginal Teas from our Plantations in Upper Assam are also served here in a truly contemporary setting delivering an experience that has made Cha Bar a preferred destination. It was in April 2007 that we first brought Bollywood Masala Mix Cha, Truck Drivers 100 Mile Ki Cha, Katakali, Formosa Oolong, Yellow Tea, Emerald Green, Vervain Blue, Jasmine Pearl, Chinese Lapsang Souchoung, Verbena Tea, Licorice Tea, Fruit Melange, and Japanese Genmaicha to our Menu.


To complement the collection of Teas, Cha Bar offers a wide selection of Ala Carte savories such as fresh wholesome salads like the Mediterranean salad, classic Caesar salads with a choice of dressings that are perfect for a nutritious meal. Scrumptious finger foods like muddled nachos, chilli cheese toasties, keema samosas, onion pakoras, sev tikki pav are the ideal appetizers to share with friends and family. Other tit bits include the classic English tea sandwiches, pita wraps and rolls, house special soft centered muffins, freshly baked cookies and cupcakes, home-style special cakes and pies like the carrot and walnut apple and cinnamon pie is perfect to round off tea-time or take away. Other delightful savories include Falafel Hummus in pita pockets, Lebanese Choley Frankie in spiced pita wrap, vada chutney, chicken and vegetable pot pie, potato fry basket, Chocolate Croissant Roll, Muesli and Parmesan cookie and Seasonal Fruit Tart.


The stylish and relaxing ambience of Cha Bar can make hours go by browsing through our huge collection of books while one is spoilt for choice with an assortment of Teas blended and prepared with precision, and after exhaustive research, with personalized and informed service. The space dedicated to the Cha Bar adds to the experience. The natural colors of all material generate a serene, placid, refreshing and a comforting environment. The unique design and concept incorporates the original textures of wood, steel, glass, aluminum, onyx which are uncoated and exist in their original beauty and contours. The predominating color white used in our latest Cha Bar in Connaught Place offsets the brilliant mélange of hues of the Oxford Bookstore Connaught Place – the active space brimming with energy.


A unique feature of the environmental graphics across all Cha Bars is the Tea-Pot wall which displays the different traditional tea-pots from across the world. This not only creates awareness about the tradition of tea-serving across different continents but also adds an interesting design element adding to the ambience of the space. It also showcases how different Teas in our menus are served and promotes the dying truck art of Pakistan and the Bollywood poster art of India, for which special artists are commissioned by, Ms Priti Paul, Director, Apeejay Surrendra Group and herself an art aficionado.


Oxford Bookstores which houses Cha Bar is fiercely passionate towards raising funds, raising public consciousness and sharing responsibility towards one horned rhino conservation in India’s North Eastern state of Assam. Oxford Bookstores and WWF-India Partnership seeks to enroll customers of Oxford Bookstores and Cha Bar in the cause of conservation. When customers of Cha Bar choose our Single Estate Assam Teas, a portion of sales of every cup they sip, matched by Oxford Bookstores, helps preserve the life of one-horned rhino and their habitat in Assam as part of one horned rhino conservation efforts by WWF- India. Every time they buy a book, they directly but voluntarily donate towards ‘Give Back to Nature ‘programme of WWF-India, specifically supporting the Wild Wisdom quiz, India’s only national level quiz to sensitize and generate awareness among children by fostering a sense of competition, pride and knowledge of Indian biodiversity.


Cha Bar Menu is refreshed regularly with additional varieties of exotic Teas and scrumptious snacks with in-house experts at Apeejay Tea Group with experience of nurturing tea in our plantations dating back more than a 100 years and renowned Chefs of the Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels with nearly 5 decades of experience in fine hospitality and award winning Food & Beverage offerings.


About Apeejay Tea Group:


Apeejay Tea Group is amongst the largest producers of tea in the country with 17 estates spread over 50000 acres in Upper Assam producing 25 million kilograms (approx.) of tea. It is a matter of great pride for us that Harrods, London has appointed Apeejay Tea as its sole India partner for sourcing Indian Teas. An exclusive collection of our single-estate teas, Sessa, Khobong and Pengaree, are on Harrods’ prestigious shelves. Typhoo, our FMCG brand is UK’s third largest tea brand and an over 100-year-old iconic British brand retailing in nearly 50 countries globally including India. London Fruit & Herb, Heath & Heather, Melroses and Ridgeways are some of our other International brands.


About Oxford Bookstores


Established in 1919 Oxford Bookstore is the best equipped ‘base-camp’ for journeys of the mind offering its customers the widest range of outstanding titles and consistently courteous and informed service for close to a century. Today, with India’s first dedicated Children’s bookstore, Oxford Junior, India’s first of its kind tea boutique, Cha Bar, India’s only literary festival created by a bookstore, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, Oxford Bookstore offers booklovers access to the very best in publishing enhanced by a variety of events which salute books, visual & performing arts and celebrate the word. Oxford Bookstore measures its success by the smiles on millions of happy customers that the brand has served over the last 9 decades. There are a few treats as sumptuous as a visit to Oxford Bookstore in India. Each time you walk into our iconic store in Calcutta where the brand started in 1919, its charm leaves you wanting for more. Our fleet of 200 happy to help expert booksellers and informed hosts work day and night to bring to customers world class reading experience be it through our books or our fine teas and live by the brand’s motto – Much more than a bookstore – at every store, be it Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore or Bhubaneswar. In December 2012 Oxford Bookstore took a chapter from its growth story in India by launching, Katakali, its first overseas bookstore in the luxurious Taj Palace Hotel at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains in the exclusive palm-filled oasis of the Palmeraie, Marakkech. In April 2013, with the opening of its most architecturally crafted retail store in a stunning new destination in Delhi’s historic centre, Connaught Place, Oxford Bookstore carved out yet another incredible space for quiet browsing, reading and contemplation. Its growth story continues…


For more information, please also log on to:

www.oxfordbookstore.com


http://www.apeejaytea.com/

 

Cha Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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