Category: Restaurant review

Am I at Sea?

I often come across as a slightly lost and confused kind of a person. Be it my extreme hyperactivity levels, or slightly irritating ability to connect random things, they tend to add to an aura of confusion around me. I try to be a WYSWYG (What You See is What You Get), with hardly a difference between what I show to the world, and what I am. But do I succeed?

Deep down I remain an extremely confused person. I am unsure about my life, career, settling down, choosing between poha and eggs for breakfast, or even about what my interests are.

Although beneath the multiple layers of confusion, both externally and internally, I always stay true to one thing- people around me. I learn things through them, see the world through their eyes, and interpret their tastes to venture into untested culinary territories. I believe my intelligence stems from the people I know, and it will keep growing as I keep connecting and sharing with more number of people.

But as the number of people I know keeps consolidating into smaller and smaller groups, I am totally at sea with respect to which ones to manage my relationships with. Manage lesser number of people and shrink this unique intelligence network of mine? Or, Keep growing it for an indefinite period and attain Moksha?

Confusion follows me everywhere, or rather I take it along with me. It is topmost on the list of things I carry, higher than my phone too. So when I was in Goa last weekend it chased me, and I guess it infected my friends too.

On a hot Saturday noon, we left our resort looking for something interesting to do in Goa. Goa always has options, but my mind was muddled trying to balance my quest for finding a new Goa and my friend’s zeal to discover the Goa I already knew.

We decided to venture out to this French Beachside place called La Plage (The Sea in French), at the Ashwem Beach. The ride was long and the sun was strong, but my Kokam Juice-powered body was turning the hot winds into a fearless cold sweat. The ghost of confusion was off my back, and I was calmly enjoying the ride. And then we arrived at La Plage.

Sitting neatly in one corner of the beautiful Ashwem Beach, La Plage is a French Cuisine hotspot run by a French lady. Once we entered the place, I could feel a difference in atmosphere. The decor was crisp, spacious, and well-organized. The tables were marked, and the owner took reservations. No wonder Haute Cuisine and its related culture had its origins in France, they can make even a Beach Side Shack run in an elegant manner.

I had a brief conversation with the owner. She was a charming lady, probably in her mid-50s. She had beautiful silver hair, a wrinkled yet shiny skin, and a demeanour which was friendly yet authoritative. I sensed perfection, something which had translated into this place, and into its food. She allotted us the table we wanted, having comfortable resting chairs, the kind of which my GrandPa used to have.

We ordered a Sula Zinfandel Rosé, served perfectly chilled tucked in an ice-bucket. A Rosé evokes fascinating memories of me drooling over Roohafza as a kid, but as the present sinks in, I am channelled back into a more alcoholic mode of refreshing luminescence.

Nothing freshens things up as a Rosé

I picked up the menu, and there was finesse sprayed all over it. The dishes were deliciously described, helping me imagine the culinary outcomes of my order. We ended up ordering Fried Sardines with a Red Pepper Sorbet and a Tomato Crumble.

I sat back and started sipping the wine back, the conversations were flowing, but I was a bit lost in myself. Probably it was the wine, or it was the heat. Or just me.

The dishes arrived, breaking my imaginary (order->culinary outcomes) equation with ease. The plates were just like everything else at the place, nothing short of perfection. The plating was so gorgeous that it would have been a sin even touching the dish, leave aside eating it. But then I took the fork, captured the dish, and poked in.

Sardines were a bit too Fishy and bland for my liking. For someone who prefers dipping in Goan Masala rather than the Sea, it was like eating a tasteless porridge. Probably that’s the way the French make it. But then I discovered the Red Pepper Sorbet.

Crispy Sardines with Red Pepper Sorbet

Served as a dip for the Sardines, Red Pepper Sorbet took me through a dreamy journey of the La Plage kitchen. I saw someone roasting the Red Peppers on open fire inducing a lovely burnt taste. I saw someone blending it, adding Sugar, dash of alcohol and some lime juice to the mix.I looked around for some Ginger in the kitchen. Probably that could have taken it to another level. Probably not.

The fish dipped in sorbet was another being now. It had a new life, and its renewed life had a new meaning.

Tomato Crumble looked as a something ready to breakdown, but still so firmly bound. A layer of juicy tomatoes and a crust induced with three secrets of French cuisine (Butter, Butter, and Butter) was mixed with crunchy walnuts and separated by a sheet of melted mozzarella. The side was a simplified Caesar Salad with a thickish, and quite evident vinaigrette.

Tomato Crumble with Caeser Salad

I cut through a sizeable cross-section of the dish to taste. What followed were the slightly sugary notes of tomatoes along with the crunch of walnuts. A thought that Mozzarella and Tomato would have been married to each other in their previous lives crossed my mind. The dish was totally different from the Sardines Sorbet combination, as the results were much more on expected lines. But both the dishes had minimal spicing, and relied on the purity of the ingredients involved.

We took a break from eating and walked towards the beach. The sun was at its peak but there was a something more pleasant about the atmosphere here. I took a dip and came back to our table. I took a few sips and then closed my eyes.

I re-entered the kitchen looking for the refrigeration unit. I opened it up and tried to look for the Red Pepper Sorbet but couldn’t find any. I opened my eyes. My friends were back. And we ordered some Sorbets and Vanilla Ice Cream.

The Pure flavours of Vanilla and Fruits

It was simply the best Vanilla Ice Cream I had ever consumed, as it relied more on the purity of the vanilla beans involved rather than anything else. It is a pity that the brilliance of Vanilla has been reduced to a default flavour by commercial ice cream makers. The term Plain Vanilla is both misleading and disrespectful to the delight Vanilla can be.

The sorbets were an experience, involving a series of tangy strawberry, floral litchi, elegant guava and regal flavours of mango.

Post the meal I sat with my eyes closed. The wind was blowing smoothly and my feet were tucked in finely powdered cold sand. I had found the new experience I am always on the lookout for in Goa. A sense of eerie calm had replaced the ghost of confusion which always rides on my back. This is what a great culinary experience can do to you.

I was still at sea, but more sure about my being than ever.

April 6, 2013
La Tagliatella | A Bloggers’ Table in Delhi

The moment I landed in Delhi last month, I messaged couple of my friends stating that I felt a certain disconnect with this city. Yes there are things that I love about Delhi, but then Mumbai is Mumbai. Of all the places I have stayed or experienced, Delhi is the place with the least number of exciting stories. Yes there have been adventures, but they are a bit down on the podium of my wonderland. Probably it is the feel of the place, or the people, or just me.

On this visit though, I got a chance to attend a food event in Delhi. I have been through lots of them in Mumbai with varying experiences, but one thing has been common, I have always loved the people I meet at such events. Food is secondary, it is always the people which make my evening.

Thanks to Anaggh, I received an invite for the event at La Tagliatella (at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj). It is an European food chain specializing in Italian cuisine which has recently set shop at Delhi (soon to be followed by one in Bangalore).

I was accompanied by my sister who took these wonderful shots of the food we were served.

We were welcomed by Snehal Kulsheshtra from Amrest (the holding company for La Tag) and Simone (the warm, friendly restaurant manager). The place had two levels with the lower level representing an open-bistro format (not necessarily the best one to have in a Huge Delhi Mall). The décor was neat and Simone and Snehal were both extremely informed and friendly.

In some moments Anaggh appeared and so did few other Delhi bloggers. The chatter topics in the evening ranged from chuna-infused beer drinking tales to Delhi wedding catering, from filthy politics to Italian food.

It was great to meet a high-on-energy Dushyant with his family (my go to person for legal affairs now) and a dripped in Mumbai nostalgia TK (who shares his surname with the ever so weirdly named Ritika Mahalingam). Also met a few others from the Delhi food blogging scene (which I felt is still in a nascent stage as compared to the much more mature Mumbai one).

We started with a few glasses of Fratelli Red accompanied with some extremely yummy Focaccia. Focaccia was freshly baked and the ones with tomatoes (and a hint of basil) on it was worth multiple encounters. Tomatoes were really juicy and had a refreshingly unique taste. More on tomatoes later.

Caesar Salad was served next and although it looked great with hefty shaves on parmesan on top, I didn’t like the Mustard and anchovies vinaigrette dressing a lot. Nothing against this one but I prefer mine at Out of the Blue in Mumbai, fresh with cherry tomatoes and a cream cheese dressing.

Insalata Caesar Salad with Mustard and anchovies vinaigrette

After the salad (and a few more glasses of wine) we were ready for a round of pastas. Given the name of the place (Tagliatella means Pasta) we had high hopes, and yes, a high appetite.

The clear winner for me was Pappardelle Pepe Noro with Gamberi (Peppery Pasta with Prawns). The pasta was freshly prepared with mesmerizing tones of roughly ground pepper passing through it. Prawns were perfectly cooked and they blended really well with the peppery tones. I ended up cleaning half of the servings of this.

Pappardelle Pepe Noro with Gamberi

Another winning flavor from the evening was that of Cuore di Zucca (means Pumpkin’s Heart in Italian). The sweet pumpkin mash delightfully mingled with fresh pasta, the texture was creamy and just perfect for the flavours surrounding it. A must try for Vegetarians.

Cuore di Zucca

There were two other pastas served, Tagliatelle Carbonara (Creamy Pasta with Turkey) and Ravioli Verdi. The former was a bit too creamy and low on spice for my liking and second one didn’t leave behind any special memories too.

Tagliatelle Carbonara | Ravioli Verdi
Post this we were served the Pizzas, all of them freshly prepared with a lovely thin crust and an ensemble of multi-colored veggies, meats, and cheese on top. After spending sometime chasing artichokes on one of them, I tasted the Pizza Verdure Grilgliate (Delicious Tomatoes, Onions, Capsicum and Caramelized Apples). And the tomatoes again were simply brilliant.

Ensemble Pizza | Pizza Verdure Grilgliate
Tomatoes at this place were special, juicy, a bit sugary, and evoked the freshness of a misty winter morning, or a dew-laden green lawn. They reminded me more of a citrus fruit than the typical tomato we at home. Snehal then talked to us about the tomatoes, which were imported from Europe. I wondered, can’t they be grown here? Whatever I stuffed a few more of them into my mouth.

Then the desserts followed. the Lemon Sorbet was a bit too purist for Indian Palates (as in low on sugar), Fondue wasn’t memorable, Tiramisu was good, and the cheese cake was different. To my surprise, it was in a semi-solid state, the flavours were right, but I guess my mind expected something different.

Tiramisu and Cheese Cake

So apart from my conversations and few new friends from Twitter, I took back the peppery tones of pasta, the simple wonders of pumpkin, and the uniqueness of tomatoes.

And by the end of the evening was I able to spell out the name of the restaurant properly? I don’t think so.

And did my love for Delhi grow? I don’t think so.

You can check all the photos from event here. They were clicked by Shruti Deshpande.

Disclosure: Restaurant’s Public Relations agency covered all the expenses associated with the food tastings mentioned above. For more details refer my disclosure page.

April 6, 2013
Thali Memoirs and A Visit to Rajdhani

Honestly, I have slightly moved away from the Thali format (by Thali I mean the Unlimited Thali formats, representative of the scores of Marwari-Rajasthani-Gujarati style platters). My initial indulgence in Thalis was a result of petty bets on hogging more rather than any particular interest food. We took so much interest in wiping clean watis of aam-ras, popping those mini-puris and puran–polis, or having more servings of Khichdi-Kadhi than each other, that we hardly noticed the freakishly amazing array of flavors on offer.

But it helped that in the prime of my hogging days I was based in Ahmedabad, the capital of thalis in India. Slowly I was getting educated about a culinary tradition basic to Indian cooking and eating, the Thali. It took different meanings- from the thali eateries outside Baroda station which were a simple and affordable replacement for home cooked food, to the luxurious experiential dining at Vishala in Ahmedabad. One of my favorites was Pakvaan at Ahmedabad (Near Ellis Bridge), for me it stood for affordable luxury, especially in the cash-strapped days of engineering.

But then there was what most consider to be the Holy Grail of all Thalis, Govardhan Thaal, at SG Road, Ahmedabad. I remember sneaking past its 56 dish-written whiteboard on multiple occasions, just to be turned-off by the Rs. 120 price tag. I recall when Dad came to visit me and asked for a place where we could go out for Dinner, Govardhan was the place I chose. And I still remember that meal, from the rose-petal-water handwash, right to the rasmalai.

Times changed and once I came to Mumbai, Rajdhani at InOrbit, Malad gave me an opportunity to relive those Thali memories. Sometimes I feel Thali eating is more about an interesting company, you don’t get time to talk between that quick serving, but you can easily talk with your gestures, eye movements (about to pop-out in case you have had more than enough) and more often than not, a Burrp.

But then offlate my eating capacity has taken a dip, and the more I have explored food, the more I have started resisting thali. It has become very difficult for me to consume in high quantities, and also I need time and space to absorb a dish, both aesthetically and through my digestive system. Needless to say sometimes the Thali restaurants do come across as slightly intrusive, with their hands popping out of all directions with food, allowing little peace of mind.

So initially when I received this invite for Rajdhani, I was slightly tentative to go. But then I thought, let’s go, for all the great memories…

The Visit to Rajdhani

I will not talk much about the food on offer, because there are few people (Gaurav, Shirin, and Krytie) who have already talked about it. To be short I loved the starters (Patra and Vatana Pattice), then I was lost in the middle with lot of servings, and then regained some ground with the Kheer, a piece of Jalebi, and some Kadhi-Khichdi, and ending it all with a gorgeous Paan-Shot (I like the one served at Punjab Grill much more, guess they use an actual Paan). It’s not like I didn’t like the food, but somehow as I mentioned above I have moved away from the format. But that’s my perspective, a lot of people do love this format (like almost all the members in my entire family).

I think it is much more important to highlight the processes straight from sourcing to cooking, from serving fresh to developing a signature serving style, from expanding the concept from a single restaurant to a chain, and above all for serving fresh food, daily. So here are two things which stood out for me during my visit:

Serving FRESH food, daily: Most of the successful players in the business tend to be experts in minimizing wastage, reusing stuff and taking pains to source good quality stuff at minimizing wastage. And yes these are traits more important than having a wide menu, or a great ambience. If you are not getting what I am trying to explain, read something about the restaurant business like Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, its all about minimizing wastage and keeping your costs in control. So a lot of places you go to actually don’t end up serving “FRESH” food, because it doesn’t make business sense (remember the times when you had so much Garlic in your Daal Tadka, or on a Sunday Brunch you had 2-3 types of Shredded Chicken Salads).

I love Rajdhani because it serves FRESHLY COOKED FOOD. You visit the kitchens and see limited quantities of a standardized menu being prepared, and you notice the limited cold storage, you know you are eating fresh stuff. And given the tough Industry this is, it is a big USP. And believe me it is a USP. It is one thing which makes Rajdhani food similar to food at home, along with the service which is full of Love (or as we do in India, with Ghee).

Check out this video of our Kitchen tour (and you can take one anytime during your visit to Rajdhani). Mr. Nair, the VP of Khandani Rajdhani, guides us through the cooking process, the techniques, and the history of Rajdhani.

Speaking the Language of Food: Goto any restaurant and you see people from all over India working as part of serving staff. But go to a Rajdhani and you will only see people from Rajasthan. Why? Simple, these are people who have grown on Daal Baati or a Gatte ka Sabzi, they will serve what they know. Plus these guys have developed their own code-language of communicating to cut down on service time. We got this small demo at Rajdhani.

The effort which the staff puts in serving is something unachievable in any other format, they know about the food, they contribute to its creation, and also create a new affectionate language around the same, and the feeling is communicated to its customers. I was reminded of this quote from the Italian movie Life is Beautiful.

You’re here serving, you’re not a servant. Serving is the supreme art. God is the first of servants. God serves men, but he’s not a servant to men.

Serving really is a supreme art at Rajdhani. (Although as I mentioned above I have moved away a bit from this format, still I appreciate the effort they put in their service).

The things which is commendable is that apart from achieving the above two, they have been able to replicate the model, and scale it to create a sustainable and a profitable business model out of it. On the sidelines of the visit when I was chatting with Mr. Nair, I recognized his love for Thali format and the cuisine, heard stories of his early days in business running Thali formats in Gujarat, and realized where all this love and affection in the staff comes from.

And he too like me, loves Govardhan Thaal and rates it as the best Thali Restaurant in India

I believe that if you are fond of Thalis, Rajdhani is a must visit place, for all its good service, and freshly prepared food. For people like me, I believe there is space in the market for a slightly slow-paced Thali restaurant.

Featured Image by Gaurav

Disclosure: Restaurant’s Public Relations agency covered all the expenses associated with the food tastings mentioned above. For more details refer my disclosure page.

September 23, 2012
Breakfast, Bagels and more at Grain & Bagel, Malad

For most of us the definition of the weekend means going southwards in the city to explore the various interesting treats the new cafes in Bandra have to offer. It was in one such place earlier this year that I was introduced to the concept of Bagels. But couple of weeks back, I got an opportunity to head northwards to Malad to learn more about Bagels.

After I moved from Andheri I have rarely been to Malad. But Malad is developing, with a string of residential and commercial complexes coming up, there is a visible need for interesting cafes and restaurants. Grain & Bagel is an attempt to tap into this market, currently dominated by elaborate food courts and restaurants in malls in the area.

The first thing which is noticeable is the approach to the cafe, it’s hidden somewhere between concrete towers behind Infiniti Mall. It might give you an impression of an office cafeteria from a distance but once you enter the place, you find an open, warm and welcoming place.

The location works to its advantage as it offers peace inside a corporate park, as compared to the roadside noise of numerous other cafes elsewhere in Mumbai. The interiors are spacious and open and they do have FREE WIFI! Now about the food.

Breakfast menu: Maggi, Eggs and Pancakes

From the time I checked up the menu I was most excited about the Mornay Maggi. The dish is reminiscent of some lovely cheesy Maggi you will end up having in a hill station Maggi-Momo shack. Maggi is prepared in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce and plated with some parsley on top. Be it the excitement of having Maggi after sometime or the simplicity of the preparation, it took us no time to gobble it up.

A breakfast place is almost inconceivable without the presence of eggs (neglecting the brilliance of South Indian Veggie joints). We ordered a couple of egg dishes- the Irani Omelette and Scrambled Eggs with Pesto. The Irani omelette was quite “normal”, something which I won’t feel like having in a nice café. But the Eggs with Pesto made my day, the dash of pesto in scrambled eggs just takes them to a lovable level. The eggs were garnished with bits of Feta and some fresh Parsley, but the sad piece of bread and hash-brown served with it could have been avoided, or presented in a better way.

We ordered the regular pancakes (with maple syrup) which were soft, fluffy and simply delicious. The best bit is that they have an eggless variant, hopefully equally tasty!

Bagels

I am still getting used to the taste of Bagels and its texture. Caramelwings enlightened me about how the dough is hand shaped, boiled and then baked to achieve a dense and rather chewy consistency of Bagels. Reema added that these Bagels represent the New York style of Bagel making, popularly served with a healthy spreading of Philadelphia cream cheese with some simple toppings. I am lucky to be in this awesome company!

We first tried the Veggie Bagel with a Rye Bagel with lots of fresh veggies, a garlic cream cheese spread and a schezwan sauce. Simple and I would assume I still need some Bagel education before I can comment on their quality.

Although I loved the Fluffy Scrambled Eggs with Chicken and Cheddar Bagel. It was plated with salad and I somehow feel that softer fillings rather than crunchier ones will suit me better, given the texture of Bagel.

The next step: Risotto and Spaghetti Bolognese

Thankfully I am much more informed when it comes to Risotto, the one we ordered with Mornay Risotto with Asparagus Tips. The dish looks simple yet elegant with Asparagus tips on top. Asparagus adds a crunchy and distinct element to an indeed well-done dish.

Spaghetti Bolognese was a bit of a disappointment with the lamb meat tasting rough and not smooth enough as expected. I was expecting meat to be soft, but it was of chewy consistency, something which disturbed the neatly done flavors of the sauce.

Desserts

We were served an assortment of desserts (Ganache, Mousse, Cupcake with amazing frosting) but I will talk about just one. Mandarin Pot De Crème was my favorite dish on the menu. As I heard the girls discussing its complex recipe with Chintan (one of the owners) I tasted the most amazing mix of Chocolate and Orange, which took me straight from the simple childhood delights of Amul Orange Chocolate to the complex world of orange reductions and cooked chocolates. Who cares, brilliant dessert!!! The best.

All in all Grains and Bagel was an interesting journey, I learned a lot about Bagels, scrambled through the remains of the delicious scrambled eggs with pesto, fell in love with the creamy Risotto and ended it all with the zest of Orange in Chocolate.

Definitely worth a visit, especially if you stay in the neighborhood of Malad.

I was accompanied by Ashrita, Amrita, and Reema for the review.

Disclosure: Restaurant’s owners covered all the expenses associated with the food tastings mentioned above. For more details refer my disclosure page.

September 11, 2012
Mini food-sammelan at Out of the Blue, Powai
Few weeks back, I joined a bunch of interesting people for an extremely engaging and mazedaar discussion on food. The discussion was accompanied by a lovely dinner served at Out of the Blue, Powai. Before I start I would like to thank Reema (my afternoon post-lunch-food-discussion-buddy on Twitter) who made sure Shirin sent me an invite for the meet. Also thanks to Kunal and Shirin for organizing this.

Out of the Blue is amongst one of my most frequently visited places in Mumbai, and the visits have increased since they have opened closer to home at Powai. I have visited the Bandra one many times quite memorably after losing a drinking bet in Bandra; once with a pretty girl, once with a dumb girl (I think both of them were the same, maybe); with friends and with family. The visits to Powai have been mostly with my colleagues. But this time I got a chance to meetup with few foodies at a food bloggers meet organized by Burrp.

From right: A retired chef, a baker, and a big bhookad

The bloggers included:
- Shirin, works with Burrp, eats and writes for a living, what an awesome life!!!
- CaramelWings, a commercial pilot, looks-Punjabi-is-Marathi kind of rare girl, loves KRK, makes lovely brownies which she doesn’t share with everyone and writes about food at Caramel Wings.
- Krytie Saxena, ex-Marriott Chef currently working for a production house, and reinstated my belief in Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. She writes at Foodietryingstein.
- Reema , is a Bong-Mumbaikar who is married to a Tam and is a converted vegetarian. She ensures that I feel hungry post-lunch by posting tweets about Gulabjamuns and Jalebis. She writes at Sumthinz Cooking
- Adarsh, works with Zapak, used to work with Zomato, and possibly created that chik-chik feature (shake for recommendations feature) on their app. He has promised to take me for an Andhra meal. He reviews restaurants at The Big Bhookad.
- TheBlackSakura, works with Zapak again, loves baking, knows a lot about seafood, is quite fit for a big-time foodie, and blogs at Thoughts on a Plate.
- BellyfirstTweet is a Capoeira dancer and a well-traveled photographer. I am sure Bhagyashree (of Maine Pyaar Kiya) hates her as she ate off a Pigeon once. She writes at Belly First. And her photographs are brilliant.
- Kunal, works with Out of the Blue and leads their marketing efforts. I need to ensure that he too starts blogging.
We started with Chicken and Ham Fondue and my favorite dish at Out of the Blue, Desi Fondue. More than the striking similarity with my name, I like it because it gives me a feel of a creamy Dal Makhni, but with a lighter seasoning and a decent helping of cheese. When I asked Chef Juliano (Exec Chef, Out of the Blue) about its origins, he replied that it was an accidental innovation, with its recipe being a closely guarded secret. To be honest I have tried something similar myself at home and it hasn’t turned out to be half as good as the Desi Fondue at Out of the Blue. That’s one reason I will keep coming back to this place.

During this period we had a lengthy round of introduction with topics switching between humble origins of the Fondue, street food in Indore, how to check freshness of fish, abuses and awws for the Britannia uncle, great old-time restaurants in Mumbai losing their charm, cupcakes, traveling to China, Brazilian martial arts, how to clean and cook a pigeon, roadtrips in Punjab and many more.

Switching back to food, for the main course I ordered a Grilled Rawas which was served with Lemon Butter sauce. I loved the dish for its simplicity. The fillet was grilled with a simple parsley-dominated marinate which as the Chef described allowed the one to enjoy the natural flavors of fish. I like my fish to be simple and not over-influenced by masalas, and I got exactly what I wanted. I tasted lemon butter sauce for the first time that day, and I think it will go as well with Aloo Parathas as it went with the fish. Contrary to what I had assumed the lemon butter sauce requires much more effort than simply mixing the core ingredients. Chef uses two different utensils (ceramic and steel), melts the butter in steel, shifts it to ceramic and mixes fresh lime juice (as citrus doesn’t go well with metal). Talking to a Chef always throws up so many interesting insights, these guys do put in a lot of effort in every dish!

On the other plates I noticed Grilled Basa served with Caper sauce, Lamb Shanks which looked really bulky but equally yummy (and got Salonee extremely excited) and a four meat sizzler. Somehow I didn’t want to complicate the simple flavors of my fish that day, and I didn’t play around a lot with other items.

All dishes were accompanied by a Caesar salad which gave an extremely fresh feeling in the mouth, lettuce and cherry tomatoes were topped with a creamy dressing and just the right amount of croutons.

After this I had to run out for a late night office meeting and I missed out on the fun everyone had at the dessert counter. It was an evening where I realized that there is no better appetizer than talking about food itself and nothing better than meeting people who think and eat like you.

Featured image by Salonee

Disclosure: Restaurant’s Public Relations agency covered all the expenses associated with the food tastings mentioned above. For more details refer my disclosure page.
May 24, 2012
Discovering the passion for macaroons

In purely structural aspects Macaroons are reminiscent of cream filled biscuits one used to have as kids. It was fun to lick the cream off and then munch on the biscuits. Going by appearances one can also relate them to NanKhatais. But the first bite of it and one knows that Macaroons are way different from those childhood recollections. Those hard crumbly exteriors of Nankhatai have given way to the delicate texture of these baked confectioneries which are enhanced with appealing fillings.

The Passion Fruit Macaroon is the Saffron crusted one

(more…)

April 3, 2012