Airport Diaries

The next time you're flying abroad, leave out the boring, bland flight food and instead explore the numerous options at the terminal. 

I recently had the opportunity to try out 3 outlets there. 

The ones I visited - 

1. The Indian Kebab Grill
2. Olive Bistro
3. Cafe Indiana

All of these managed by Devyani Hospitality, under the nose of Chef Jitendra Kumar, who has worked with the likes of Taj, Oberoi, Radison, etc and has been a part of this industry for the past 26 years.

1. The Indian Kebab Grill - 

           As the name suggests, this is a place promoting all sorts of kebabs. A fine dining place, you can fulfill all your North Indian cravings with some sumptuous food here. Rich, authentic and delicious food without shelling out a lot from your pockets! Sounds perfect, doesn't it? 

Don't worry, all you people not planning to travel to any other country soon. They are coming up with a more casual branch on the domestic airport soon too! 

   

            One thing we really liked about this place was the inventive cutlery. They have come up with totally different plates which we feel might soon make its way into the market!

       

            The kebabs were so soft that despite the absence of knives on our tables (due to airport security reasons), we were still able to cut through everything so smoothly. Well, we guess that's what good cooking is all about. 

               We tried our hands on 4 dishes - shahi paneer rolls, broccoli badami tikka, tandoori aloo and kand kebab.

Shahi Paneer rolls

Cottage cheese, dry fruits in a mixture with the right balance of sweet and savory, made into royal rolls which are later fried and then served hot with a bowl of green chutney. Could we ask for anything more? 

Badami broccoli tikka

Broccoli tikkas? Yes, you heard that one correctly. Health + taste! 4 roasted broccoli tikkis served on a steaming sizzler plate with loads of veggies. I won't lie; we too were taken aback by the name, but the taste is something so new and will hit your taste buds! The tikkis were cooked to perfection and left us with a grin on our faces because of the ingredients. 

Tandoori aloo

This one is a better version of potato skins - with a filling of spinach and corn, toppled off with some pomegranate. Simple, yet so delicious; Firm on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside. Definitely one of our favorites. 

Kand ke kebab

Trust a good chef to turn such a boring vegetable into something so appetizing and tempting! Yet another sizzler, this one had a slightly chewy texture, but was so delicious nonetheless!

2. Olive Bistro

         

              This place makes you want to believe in love at first sight. The minute you see it from outside, you just ought to go inside. This bistro is one to make you fall in love with it just by the looks of it. Reminding you of a cute little place in Paris or Italy, this place has so much detailing that you just want to applaud the person behind it all. Not even a single thing feels out of place - the stools, chandeliers, little cages, mint doors, miniature parachutes, mint doors, centerpieces on every table - everything adds up to the homely feeling. 

               Another thing that we loved about the place was the fact that all the breads used in the kitchen were prepared in their kitchen, all the vegetables used were fresh and exotic, thus taking the quality of the food higher by another notch.

                   Here we tried the all veggies pizza, veg garden burger, risotto, fettuccine pasta, cranberry delight, masala iced tea, blueberry cheesecake, creamy caramel and walnut tart. 

Veggies pizza

 Wafer thin crust pizza, smothered with tomato sauce, loaded with exotic veggies and cheese, topped with some mascarpone cheese. Need we say more?

Veg Garden burger

Next we moved onto the Chef's specialty - the garden burger. Served with crispy potato wedges with a side of coleslaw, red cabbage and garlic mayonnaise, this burger boasts of attracting tourists here every time they're on the terminal. And just after a bite into it, we figured why. This whopping burger has all the ingredients for a perfect burger - freshly baked bun, warm crispy patty, a good amount of veggies (but not enough to undermine the patty) and a generous helping of sauces to balance it all out. This standout dish, is huge enough so as to be someone's entire meal. So guys, next time you go to the airport, make sure you build up your appetite!

Risotto

They say only a classic risotto's portion is enough for an entire person's meal. Well, we experienced it too! This rich creamy version with a dollop of sour cream, sprinkled with mascarpone cheese, had us wiping our plates clean, leaving no more room for anything else.

Cranberry Delight

 Simple and sweet, cranberry juice with a tinge of soda for a kick! 

Our favorite among the mocktails would be the masala iced tea. One sip and your mouth bursts with flavors of a 'kadak masala chai'. Perfect for the Mumbai weather - cool and refreshing!

Now lets move on to our favorite part - Desserts!

Blueberry cheeesecake

Creamy caramel

Walnut tart

              Salivating, are we? These 3 desserts, were presented so well, that we just didn't have the heart to break into them. But well, we gave in to our temptation in a few moments and wiped off all 3 plates clean. All 3 were plated in the most beautiful manner and must've taken some solid amount of time for the same. Our favorite among the 3 would be the creamy caramel. Caramel so soft it melts in your mouth and so delicious it leaves you asking for more. The ice cream chosen was vanilla so as to not overpower the caramel custard taste. The walnut tart with blueberry coulis and ice cream, was a bit hard on the outside and made it a bit tough to dig into. Nonetheless the efforts were worth it. The blueberry cheesecake was served with the yummiest whipped cream and blueberry compote. Both were so decadent, we wanted to lick it off our plates! Would've preferred the cheesecake to be more fluffy and creamy. 

3. Cafe Indiana 

                 At our last and final stop, we dropped by to finish off this delectable meal with some good old cutting chai and English delicacies. 

Steaming hot chai, freshly baked Shrewsbury biscuits, mawa cakes straight out of the oven and some khari biscuits to gulp down the tea after the heavenly meal. And last but not the least, we headed off to have some good old paan.

Overall, it was a brilliant experience. Never had we thought that the airport would have such amazing restaurants with such delectable food. The entire experience was so good that even as I reminisce, my insides whimper with ecstasy. The service was even better. The people are so warm and friendly and will leave no stones unturned to make sure you have the best time and make the most of your meal, and the chefs know their stuff. The detailing put in every place simply cannot be explained in words and will leave you speechless.

To put it in numbers, I would give this entire experience a 4.5 on 5.  I surely cannot wait back to go again!

Aye boss, ek repeat laana!

If you're one of those people who spend/ have spent most of their free time at Gokul or Sunlight, you will not be wondering what the pretext of the title is!

This post is for all those people who want to let their hair down, have a couple of drinks, goof around, and just have fun. Now imagine all this with some great food, the most suitable ambiance, no shady people hanging around while getting your money's worth! Yes, that's exactly what Quarter House is here to offer!

        Quarter House, the sophisticated version of Janta, Gokul could be your new go to place. People at Quarter House, do not believe in 30mls. For them, it all starts from 60ml and goes up to a quarter. The best part for us was the hippy Bollywood music to which we could let our bodies groove (Lets be honest here, no one can truly dance on EDM!) From the Jitendra era to the Amitabh one, the Ranbir Kapoor one to the Ranveer Singh one, the DJ knew exactly what to play to life up everyone's spirits.

 

Disco 82 & the classic mojito

        Ms. Aditi, the person behind all this knows better than keeping authentic oriental, Mughlai or European food; she also knows what its like to eat outside more than 3-4 times a week. So, their menu includes food like dal chawal among the likes of fried rice, curd rice, aloo paratha, chole puri, misal pav, paneer papad tacos, aloo tuk tuk, pesto paneer, etc. Kudos for pulling off such a thing! 

The food, overall was a winner. It is innovative and Ms. Aditi's risk bearing nature is clearly reflected in the food served to the customers. She has taken simple dishes, combined a few of their elements and has invented some brilliant food for your soul. For example - the motichoor bomb - Who would've thought the desi motichoor ladu enveloped in a layer of alcohol soaked flourless chocolate cake would be such a winner! Another dish we highly recommend would be the paneer papad tacos. Instead of a tortilla, roast and fold a papad and you won't even notice the difference! Infact, it gives a better, slightly spicy taste with a better texture.


A few pictures of some of the dishes we devoured that night-

Sago pops

Galouti kebab

Pesto paneer

Dabeli

Misal pav

Paneer fried rice

Cheese cherry pineapple

Kulfi

Motichoor bomb - The highlight of our evening

It's not only the food that is innovative; there's a flight of stairs leading to a secret dungeon. No, you can't make secret potions here. Remove the chairs and tables, bring out the funky little stools, ask the DJ for your own music, pull out the games and there you have your own little private party!

Another detail I really liked about the place was the dart board and the pack of cards kept in the lawn to provide entertainment even when you're waiting for a place inside! Speaking of details, the washroom is another detailed place here - posters, memes hanging all over! (In case you forgot to bring your phone along. :p) 

Over all, I'm a huge fan of the place and loved all the detail behind this one gem of a place! My suggestion would be to hit it before it becomes a favorite amongst the youth and makes it impossible to find place.

I'd give it 4.5 out of 5. 

Would I go back? I've made my reservation already!

Gobble On.

Choc Le!

When the package is so pretty, who cares about what's inside?

                   Imagine coming home to such a pretty little surprise waiting for you at your doorstep. I couldn't bear my excitement having received this and hurriedly tore it down, to find even prettier boxes containing some sumptuous desserts and chocolates from Choc Le.

            The desserts included a lemon cheesecake, coffee mousse cake, a jar of mixed berries compote, and a box of assorted chocolates.

      The cheesecake shaped in the form of a delicate soap had a slight hint of lemon for the perfect tangy and sweet flavor, creating the perfect balance. This was definitely, our personal favorite, the texture being wobbly, slimy and the cheesecake super moist and delectable. A must try for all the cheesecake lovers out there!

          Next I dug into the coffee mousse. Every bite of it was pure bliss! Not a huge fan of coffee, I loved this cake as it had just a bit of coffee. The surface was extremely soft and the base slightly firm. The chocolate and the coffee flavor worked really well for me!

          Next we stumbled upon this jar of mixed berry compote. At first look, I thought this was just another bottle of jam. But it wasn't. The taste is fantastic and you can identify all the different berries blended to form that.

                        The next and the final item was the chocolates! 8 flavor packed varieties of chocolates. That's correct. Did someone say chocolate heaven?! The flavors being Pista, Coffee crunch, orange, chilli, hazelnut almond, sea salt caramel, cookie dough, and masala chai. 

                 All the chocolates and the flavors are pretty self explanatory and are exactly what the name suggests. Our personal favorites were the masala chai and the chilli one. Being a sucker for innovative stuff, I loved what different flavors can do to enhance the taste of chocolate even more. 

          You can follow Choc Le on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Zomato for their mouth watering delicacies apart from their official website.

 I would like to thank Mrs. Pooja Trehan Dhamecha, the owner of Nuvo Foodies, without whom this review would not be possible. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @NuvoFoodies. 

                 Personally I would give Choc Le a 4.3 out of 5. Would I go back? Definitely!

Literally "Out of The Box"

With the constant innovation and revelations in the food industry in today's day and age, one is constantly on the lookout for newer and better things. Having said, here's another one that will definitely blow your mind!

OUT OF THE BOX (Wholesome gourmet kits delivered to your doorstep) -

The idea behind this being, a lot of people want to opt for homemade food but don't have the time to go and shop for all the ingredients, or don't know the proportions of the ingredients involved or just want to ease their cooking. According to me, these meal kits will revolutionize modern cooking to another level and make life easier for the modern homemakers.

Out of the Box is an answer to all the cooking dilemmas and makes the job of cooking, easier, hassle-free and quicker. Started by duo Kapil and Reshma Sanghi (owners of the picturesque Food for Thought cafe, it was started with a passion for wholesome and tasty food.

The process is pretty simple; all you have to do is log onto the website and pick a dish from the menu. OOTB will prepare a meal kit with pre-measured ingredients, absolutely free of preservatives, and deliver them to your doorstep with easy to follow recipe cards that have step-by-step instructions and images. All that's left to do is unearth the chef inside of you and enjoy a gourmet meal within the comfort of your own home.    

We tried 3 things - Paneer steak with red pepper sauce and corn succotash, cajun spiced mixed pepper pasta and mocha- butterscotch silk pudding.

Cardboard boxes with pre measured quantities of all the needed ingredients and easy to follow recipes stuck on the other side. If only cooking was that easy!

The part that I liked most was the fact that they sent everything down to the exact proportion and that all the ingredients were absolutely fresh. The boxes aren't heavy on the pockets and cost about 300, which is very reasonable as every dish serves two. 

Our favorite would be the mocha - butterscotch silk pudding as it one of the simplest, and most delicious desserts you can whip up at home in absolutely no time! The name does full justice as the texture of the pudding is like silk in your mouth; it melts off instantly.

Would I call for more gourmet kits? Definitely!

 Gobble On.

Sunday Brunching with Vinod Cookware

                 5th June -  just a normal Friday evening, anticipating how the weekend is gonna be. Suddenly someone hits me up on my email account and surprise surprise! It's an FBAI invite for a Sunday Brunch at Out of the Blue, Bandra with Vinod Cookware. Any food blogger would be really excited with the mention of FBAI, and so was I!

         

Source

Besides being an FBAI meet, this was one by Vinod Cookware. 

Vinod Cookware, having started in 1962, has long flourished since then. Almost every household has these single bottom, user friendly utensils. As they reduce the cooking time by 20%, they're the most preferred household items by modern housewives for faster and simpler cooking. 

Promoting the concept of "It's about how you cook and not about how you eat," Vinod Cookware has definitely been a favorite among the women and has been ruling the marketplace because of the thought and effort put into each product for better, smarter and healthier cooking. 

One product that we've been using and would be recommended by us (Rather, my mom) would be their pressure cookers. Perfect for a long term use! 

This is their Pearl Range, which were given to all the bloggers. (Pretty thoughtful, na?)

We are already in love with these 3 because of their unique features like - 

The isstick resistant feature naturally repels the stickiest food letting you cook without any hassle. The non – porous base which enables it to resist sticking without letting the food to get burnt or over cooked.  No matter what you prepare the even heat distribution allows you to cook till perfection without leaving the food uncooked. The isstick resistant feature and the non- porous base increases the durability of the product lending it a longer life span which is acceptable in 

Indian home. Keeping the traditional cooking and cleaning in mind the tough body of black pearl is resistant to abrasive pads and doesn’t corrode or rust with tamarind or acidic food. 

An amazing experience, some decent food, really friendly people and a lot of knowledge taken back from this hell of a time!

Gobble on.

IT ALL STARTED WITH THE BIG BANGGG!

               

No, I'm not planning to bore you with the evolution of the earth. The Big Bang Theory - the signature dish prepared by the Chef right in front of you, which costs Rs. 1750, was one of the major reasons for Umame being on my wishlist. Having been to Joss before and experiencing one of the worst dining experiences, I was really hoping Umame would make me change my mind about them. 

Ambience - 

Umame, a fine dine restaurant, is one where you can come for a family get together, or a Sunday brunch, or when you're in the celebratory splurging mood. Good lighting, spacious seating, soft furnishing and a really niche crowd can be the recipe for a good conservation over your meal.  

Source

Service - 

The service was remarkable. One thing I really liked was that they weren't rushing into anything, they let us take our time and let us enjoy our food peacefully without any distractions or any waiter hovering over our table. 

Food - 

We called for the Vegetarian Edamame rolls and the Big Bang theory. Thankfully, we didn't call for anything else as the dessert was massive and must be ordered in the presence of 3-4 people with a good appetite and a taste for sweet stuff. The vegetarian edamame sushi was layered with spicy mayo and served with a handful of wasabi, thus proving the myth that sushi is always bland, false.

• Edamame Sushi rolls - 

People often laugh off the idea of vegetarian sushi rolls as they feel it loses its essence, sushi means meat, etc etc. These edamame sushi rolls with a serving of wasabi were just beyond brilliant. The serving consisting of 8 rolls was wiped clean within minutes of arriving. The consistency, texture and flavors of these rolls were just perfect and left us craving for more. 

• The Big Bang Theory  - 

The Big Bang theory was a story, an experience in itself. The signature dessert is prepared live in front of you by the Chef and narrated with a back story. The Big Bang Theory, as the name suggests, is how the description of how the entire galaxy came into being. 

The above pictures show the various stages of the dessert. Each one having a different flavor and representing a different part of the galaxy. For eg, cocoa powder was the stardust, berries were the stars, the orbits were made of chocolate, caramel and blueberry sauces. The huge centerpiece which was the sun, was made up of soya powder, cheesecake, ice cream and blueberry compote. It was a task to complete this dessert and we were thanking our lucky stars for ordering for more food before this. 

This dessert is a visual treat and must be had by the people who love food that speaks to them. For 1750, the presentation is beautiful, the quantity is humongous, and the experience is enriching, unforgettable, innovative and really quirky. 

However, we were tad bit disappointed with the taste. We're not saying that it was all show and no taste. The taste was decent and the different flavors were really fascinating and added a surprise element every time you snuck your spoon into the glorious mess. Albeit, we would've preferred a lot more of the cheesecake and the ice cream bit as the entire cover of the sun, which was made of soya powder was hardened and therefore, the texture was not distributed well. 

Nonetheless, it was a great experience. You can watch the video of how the entire dessert was made below - 

Keep Gobbling! 

Hoppi Times are Good Times!

Are they, really?

           Thursday night, mustering some courage, I managed to walk through the Todi Mill Compounds & headed towards the doors of Hoppipola for the third time since its opening. Finally, we were allowed in!

Location - Lower Parel! Need we say more? Proving to be one of the most happening places in the city, it has become the go-to place after office hours and on weekends! Todi Mills is home to a lot of great restaurants serving varied cuisines.

Ambiance - As it is known to be a drinking place/a place to get rid of your weekend woes, most of the visitors were below 30. The music played at 7 was a wee dull and failed to liven our moods; the crowd wasn't that interested either. Post 8:30, it was all uphill! People started flooding in, funky music brightening up everyone's mood & a new wave of energy in the air! One of the most unique and best parts of this place is the number of games & books they provide! Want to enjoy a good meal alone? Grab a book and you're good to go!

Seating - They have 2 seating arrangements, indoor and outdoor. The outdoors are far more beautiful and appealing, but with this scorching heat, who can dare to sit outdoors? They can accommodate at least 50 people at once.  

Service - The service was a bit too slow, they definitely need more staff. For a moderately huge place like this, they had really few people to tend to the tables and take orders. 

What our order comprised of - Hoppi Bomb Shots, French Fries with Buffalo Sauce, the Hotato Burger, Cheesie Pizznezz, The Immigrant's Favorite - Classic Mac and Cheese & Peach Iced Tea. 

What you must try - 

• Hoppi Bomb - 

A beer based alcoholic drink, with a hint of coffee in it. As a person who doesn't like alcohol much, I must say that the beer did not overpower the taste of the drink & leave a foul, unpleasant aftertaste unlike other alcoholic beverages. 

• Fries with bufallo sauce - 

 The fries - crisp and salty; just the way we like them. The buffalo sauce however is what makes the dish a winner. The sauce, a balance of tangy and spicy, went really well with these well cooked frites.

• Cheesie Pizznezz - 

Cheesie Pizznezz - The 4 cheese pizza. Because a pizza with a single type of cheese isn't enough.
The pizza, as you can see, is divided into 2 - both with different toppings. Needless to say, we loved the pieces with the chunks of buffalo cheese & strands of oregano and basil on them. The other side tasted like a regular pizza that needed a generous helping of a strong flavor.

• The Immigrant's Favorite - 

Definitely our favorite too! 

The Immigrant's favorite - The Classic Mac and Cheese. We've had some really mixed experiences with mac and cheese at a number of places in Mumbai. And it was proven to me that people can screw up the classics also! Well, this place definitely knows how to cook up some mean mac n cheese. Baked to the right temperature, giving it a perfect consistency and bringing out the perfect bouncy texture of the cheese, we give it our thumbs up! Just a minor complaint - it needs a bit of seasoning!

What you must NOT try - 

• The Hotato Burger -

The only Vegetarian burger served here, is an absolute no no for a lot of reasons. The burger consists of 2 patties & a few veggies tossed together. That's it. There is no trace of any mayonnaise or any sauce to hold the burger together. The coleslaw salad and the fries were pretty decent, but not good enough to compensate for the dry "burger."

• Peach Iced Tea - 

The Peach Iced Tea consisted of 50% ice and 50% what the name suggested. A regular glass of peach iced tea, (good flavor and everything), nothing extraordinary or unique.

In all, I would say the place is a 4 on 5. Good music, quirky interiors and great ambiance make up for a few shortcomings in a few food items! 

Would I go back? Definitely! 

Gobble On!