I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.

There's a new ice cream parlour in town (well, literally) and it's nothing like your conventional ones. 

 
   PapaCream, is a parlour where the main component is liquid nitrogen, a trend not unknown lately. Their biggest USP is the fact that they have turned the wackiest combinations into some beautifully prepared ice creams. Some of the flavors are so beat you wouldn't even have dreamed about them. Who would've thought of classic old pani puri being turned into ice cream would've actually tasted so good? They have savoury, signature, premium and classic, all of which are so different from everything the other places have to offer. 

   Our favorite out of this crazy mess has to be the Mexicano. Four types of nacho chips - plain, cheese, spinach and beetroot, served with ice cream that tastes exactly like cheddar cheese and jalapeno. It's like eating frozen cheese. One minute you thing you're hogging down some nachos and the other minute, you get a brain freeze! We know it sounds horrible, but you won't regret ordering this one.

Mexicano

Other dishes we would recommend would be the pani puri, ferrero crunch, horlicks ice cream with nutella pancakes and red velvet ice cream. They also whip up some mean sorbets which should definitely be on your list. Our favorite was the spicy guava one. It gives you exactly what you expect from a sorbet; no surprises here! The sweetness of the guava is what you first take in and then the spices really hit you in the end, leaving a pleasant aftertaste. 

Spicy Guava Sorbet

   Another quirky thing they’ve come up with is thai sushi ice cream. Fulfill your sushi cravings for only Rs. 260. A chocolate crepe roll infused with coconut lemon grass ice cream and a kiwi and passion fruit jelly in the centre. 

   Another signature creation is the doughwich. A humongous dish, it is a homemade donut layered with belgian chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, oreos, fudge sauce, caramel sauceand dipping chocolate. 

   

   However, both of these seemed to be major disappointments. The sushi was highly overpowered by the lemongrass and ruined the taste of the entire thing. The doughwich was too huge to be bitten off of or to be humanly completed by someone who doesn’t like excessive sugar in his food. The chocolate did no blend well with the ice cream and the bananas aren’t necessary.

Thai Sushi Ice cream

Doughwich

   The owners of PapaCream do not believe in delivering the same old product that is available all over the market to their customers. That's why even their classics have a few twists. For eg, vanilla is with bananas in it, and Belgian chocolate has crackling orange chocolate in it. If you're not willing to try any of these flavours, you can pick up a flavour of your choice and spice it up with a few toppings.

   The place is a 100% pure vegetarian and has some really good stuff to offer at moderate prices. However, it is not your normal go-to ice cream parlor. It is not something you would visit when you have a craving for classic ice cream. The location might just be in its favour as it is the hub of 3 premier colleges. Whether this place works or not, is something that only time will tell us. 

   A few of the other ice creams we sampled - 

Pani puri sorbet

Horlicks ice cream with nutella pancakes

Peach and nut

Chocolate ginger creme brulee 

Ferrero crunch

Red velvet cupcake

Salted caramel

Keep gobbling!

   

The 'Grand' Thali

Tip Top Plaza, known for its Indian sweets and has 10 branches across the city of Thane, started the Grand Thali in 2003 in their hotel. Alongside is also a all you can eat buffet including only live counters serving items from pav bhaji to pasta, from piping hot pizzas to hygienic street food. 

A couple of bloggers were invited for the thali one Friday afternoon. As soon as I walked in the restaurant, one word came into mind - grandeur. The hotel, has a royal look to it. No wonder this place has witnessed so many weddings! 

According to the owners, there are a lot of places serving the regular Rajasthani/Gujarati thali. They wanted to come up with something unique and hence, he came up with the fusion thali, which benefits kids as well as breaks the monotony. They include a few Chinese and Italian dishes in this scrumptious thali consisting of 30 different items.

The picture does not include a few items - jaljeera, 4 types of rice and a Chinese dish.

The thali can be divided into 8 types, ie, starters, Indian breads, sides (vegetables), fusion mantra, rice, dal, extras, and last but not least the sweets.

We started our meal with some soft drinks and jaljeera doing the rounds.

Starters - 

Starters comprised of corn pattice, malai dhokla with mirchi ka thecha and dahi bhalla. Our favorite among these would be the dahi bhalla. Two types of wadas, covered with rich, perfectly sweetened dahi, topped off with some chutneys for the added zing. The thecha too was commendable and loved by everyone. 

Indian breads - 

They served us three types of breads to accompany our sides - a chapati, palak puri and cheese garlic naan. The naan was the hero of these three as the garlic was neither overpowering nor undermining the side elements. 

Sides - 

Our favorite here would definitely be the valoor muthia. A Gujarati dish, this one was a really winner. It was cooked perfectly and went well with all the three breads. Another one which tingled our taste buds would be the paneer mastani kofta. Absolutely delish!

Fusion mantra -

3 fusion items were served to us, namely veg stir fried rice with cottage cheese gravy, paneer in schezwan sauce and alfredo pasta. It was a nice break from all the items and added that surprise element. The pasta and the paneer in schezwan rice were your typical dishes, nothing extraordinary there. The rice, however, was disappointing. The gravy was very bland and needed a tangy element.

Rice & dal -

There were 4 types of rice for every kind of palette - darbari pulav, steam rice, mogar khichdi and masala khichdi which were accompanied by dal fry, and gujarati dal & kadhi. The gujarati dal and kadhi were a bit too sweet for my taste, and the mogar khichdi was something to be served to patients. The dal fry, on the other hand was delicious; well blended dal with a good spicy quotient. The masala khichdi was one dish that absolutely stood out. It wasn't just some rice stir fried with vegetables. The spices were mixed into the batter and resulted into the delicate outcome.

Sweets -

The sweets were my favorite part of the thali, they being the best too. We devoured 5 types of these sinful plats du jour - rabdi, dry jamun, akhrot halwa, cream roll and angoor basundi. Oh my, I'm salivating just thinking of these delights. The dry jamun, akhrot halwa, cream roll and angoor basundi were spot on and were gobbled down within moments. Every bite left us wanting for more of these flawless delicacies. The only glitch here would be the undercooked rabdi. Well, everyone's allowed one mistake!

We also had buttermilk to wipe off all the food we gorged upon.

The service was brilliant. They literally believed in the phrase, 'Atithi Devo Bhava,' and were given utmost importance and special care was taken of all our needs. The place was jam packed with a few patrons waiting outside for a table on a Friday afternoon. Well, I guess that speaks a lot about the reputation, hospitality and the food of the place. 

We would like to thank Arvind and Nisha of Guiltless Foodies for organizing this wonderful meet. You can follow them here -  Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Zomato | 

The damage for one thali is Rs. 475. It's a bit expensive, but well, its worth it.

Would I go back? If I'm ever in the vicinity, then definitely!

Healthy munchies?!

Yes, you read it correctly. Now say goodbye to the deep fried midnight snacks and binge eating on loaded cakes/ice creams, Snackible is here!

Snackible solves all our snacking problems with their wide range of healthy munchies. It offers all-natural and healthy snack options from dehydrated fruits and roasted chickpeas to easy to grab whole-wheat waffles.The snacks are prepared using innovative methods such as dehydrating and baking (instead of frying) some of your all-time favourite snacks. To ensure you have easy access to the right kind of snacks, the team of ‘snackologists’ at Snackible put together a box of healthy and tasty snacks using the best quality ingredients.

This is what a weekly box looks like. Consisting of pizza sticks with dip, granola crunchies, jalapeno peanuts, oat, honey and raisin cookies and a whole wheat chocolate waffle, this will suffice me through the entire weak without leaving me guilty or with added inches on my waistline. One thing we really liked was how they served everything in separate air tight pouches.

'A moment on the lips, forever on the hips.' Well, none of us want that, but now with Snackible, we can munch our way to happiness!

They deliver all across India and offer various plans and payment options too. Our favorite would definitely be the jalapeno peanuts. Spicy, full of flavor and healthy - that's the dream!

Restaurant review - Moksha

Moksha - a part of Jewel of Chembur Hotel, Mumbai, is one of the most preferred restaurants by people there. We went and found out the reason for ourselves. 

Moksha, recently has come up with a new menu. It caters to all kinds of people - Chinese, Indian, Mughlai, oriental. Want to go on a date? Want to go for a family dinner? Want to go for a business meeting? Moksha is the place. Divided into various sections with different themes, its a place for everyone. 

We recently went to try out their new menu with a range of Indian and Oriental additions -

Hare chane ka shorba

Cream of chickpeas soup. With the base of roux thickened milk, this creamy soup had a rich taste and was a great start to the meal.

Ragda Pattice

Innovation at its best! A modern take on the traditional chaat, ragda pattice was served in small glasses, comprising of 4 layers - ragda, a melange of chutneys, a freshly roasted potato pattice and a garnish of finely chopped onions, tomatoes, sev and coriander leaves. One of our favorites on the menu!

Alu vadi with mirchi ka thecha

This traditional Maharastrian dish, prepared from Colocasia leaves, served with mirchi ka thecha and salad, was a bit bland and lacked moisture, making it seem like it was prepared a couple of days before.

Flora Kebab

A Punjabi starter, consisting of broccoli and cauliflower grilled and seasoned with some hot Indian spices. Loved it!

Phak bua krob

This was one of the dishes we wouldn't mind going back for! Crispy lotus stem and scallions tossed in tamarind sauce seasoned with spices for the perfect balance in its tangy and spicy flavor. In all, a gorgeous dish.

Kai prik krappaw thwy

Thai corn cakes served with cucumber salsa. The thai corn cakes were riding solo on the corn, which sadly was not the hero of the dish; the sweet salsa was a good diversion from the overpowering corn.

Gucchi bharwan kumbh

Button mushrooms stuffed with assorted vegetables and cheese, delicately cooked in a traditional tandoor, were light and delicious, but had a pungent aftertaste.

Chinese Bhel

This pretty dish was a classic chinese bhel, bursting with flavors. Spicy with a hint of tangy sauces, this was cooked to perfection and was devoured within moments. An absolute must try!

Glass noodle salad

This fresh salad was a much needed neutralizer after all the flavors hitting our taste buds. Consisting of a lot of freshly diced vegetables, herbs and dressing, this works as a great nullifier.

Phad phak no mai head

Ginger rice served with stir fried bamboo shoots, mushroom and broccoli in oyster sauce. The food lives up to the mark set by the beautiful presentation. Ginger infused rice with a well cooked curry with plenty of well cooked vegetables. What more can we ask for?!

Cottage cheese kofta with korma sauce

This is one dish that is definitely not something that you'd want to share with anyone. A pre-plated dish, it consists of pieces of fresh naan, 2 cottage cheese koftas, korma sauce and some good old pulao. The hot naan includes small pieces of fig, giving it a totally different flavor and texture. The scrumptious koftas made with cottage cheese and dry fruits, blend with the creamy korma sauce in such a manner that it leaves you baffled.

Shahi Tukda

 Shahi tukda is basically deep fried bed served with some cold rabdi. The deep fried bread was a bit too oily for us and couldn't be consumed after 2 bites. The rabdi, on the other hand was wiped clean within moments.

Fried Ice cream

 As soon as we noticed fried ice cream in the menu, we just knew we had to have it. Vanilla ice cream deep fried in a batter with coconut served on a bed of rice flakes. The outer covering was soft and as soon as you bit into it, you'd be hit by a tinge of cold ice cream. The rice flakes added a good texture to the entire dessert. Kudos for trying something so innovative!

Phirnee

The phirnee, served in the traditional clay matki, could've been better in terms of flavor and sweetness.

Tub tim grob

Tub tim grob, one of the most famous Thai desserts, is a coconut milk based dessert. The small reddish/pinkish jewels are water chestnut covered with tapioca flour, served with sweetened coconut milk and shaved ice with additional bits of jellied coconut flesh too. Great texture and just the correct amount of sweetness!

To sum up, I'd like to say that Moksha has some pretty good food and service. A few of the dishes could've been better. 

I'd like to give it a 3.9 on 5.

Would I go back? If I'm in the area!

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.