November 2016

Bella Cucina, Le Meridian Gurgaon

November 25, 2016

We Indians are still warming up to the Italian palette. While we’ve had pizzas and pastas all our lives, this European region has much more than just the P’s to offer when it comes to Italian cuisine. Add a spin of gourmet touches to the palette, and we have Bella Cucina, the newest addition to Le Meridian Gurgaon, offering finest of the Italian blends in a luxurious fine-dining setup (of course). Call it the amalgamation of Starwood – Marriott hospitality or the need to have Gourmet Italian Addition to the ever exploding lineage of dining in Gurgaon (or Guru Gram), Bella Cucina is abiding by the Italian culture in its purest complexity and bringing it to our palettes; on a daily basis. Thanks to the excellent efforts by Chef Suprabhath Roy Chowdhury and Sous Chef Amit Kumar, Bella Cucina is churning out some of the finest ricetta on our piatto! BELLA CUCINA, in Italian, means ‘Beautiful Kitchen’ which stands true to the word because of the restaurant’s imported Molteni design, customised based on the Chef’s requirements. And to celebrate the opening of Bella Cucina over Italian dining and wine, we had an array of ricetta crafted by Executive Chef Suprabhath Roy Chowdhury and animatedly presented by Sous Chef Amit Kumar. For antipasti and soup we were served ‘Cappuccino of Mushroom’ served with a mushy portion of Porcini Brioche. If you adore the flavour of mushroom then you will definitely fall in love with this soup. Unlike other thick mushroom soups, this one is medium in its consistence which brings out the flavours more and doesn’t leave you feeling fuller already. I loved the smokiness that has been blended with the mushroom concoction which goes perfectly well with the buttery Porcini Brioche. The next thing on the menu was ‘Caprese Salad’ …

Staycations

Presidential Suite Life of Novotel Kolkata

November 18, 2016

Frequenting hotel rooms for travellers in no biggie. While most of the travellers take hotel accomodation as just their place to dump their bags at and to call it a night, others (like me) are more keen on living up the extravagant life and give attention to details. Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences by Accor Hotels Group, is one such hospitality establishment in the Salt Lake area of Kolkata that has anted up the accommodation standards of Kolkata hospitality life. This stands true to the fact that celebrities like Abhishek Bachchan and many Tollywood actors book Novotel Kolkata’s Presidential Suite during their visit in Bengal everytime. The Presidential Suite has been built up combining space of 7 Novotel Superior Rooms. The suite opens up to a beautifully done living room with hand-picked artefacts to enhance the luxurious setup of the suite. Gold Luxe colour theme, metallic pottery, chandeliers and Indo-western furniture design reflects the Indian contemporary decor of accomodation. The living room also has a personalised bar, wherein the residents can indulge in hard-drink conversations with friends and family. The bar gives way to the dining space with a private dining table alongside a fully-functional kitchen on the side. Each Presidential Suite experience comes in with a complimentary butler service. The master bedroom is designed with rara avis decor elements, a personal couch-tv experience, a study desk and a view of Kolkata that definitely is breathtaking! What actually store my heart away is the Presidential Suite’s bathroom, which has been designed to reflect ‘lavishness’ in its best possible manner. A walk-in closet section, to store all your ensembles, followed by a well-spaced powder room for he & she. But it is the bath-tub & shower space overlooking the skyline of Kolkata that puts this Presidential Suite as one of the ‘Best …

Uncategorized

India Meets India – Online Shopping For A Cause

November 16, 2016

How many times do we come across overly-hyped handloom products in the market and complain about the fact that the sellers scrape out a big chunk of the production unit’s earnings, leaving the workers struggling to meet the ends? It’s not like we don’t try to look out for first hand purchases, but it often becomes difficult to meet the craftsmen, given their geographic locations. Keeping up with the national trend of the decade ‘Make In India’ and encouraging the consumers to do something for the needful not with charity, but with empowerment, INDIA MEETS INDIA is a collaborative that brings consumers and craftsmen together on one platform. Not only does this online portal tap into local regions across the nation to bring forward regional craftsmanship, but also engages with many NGOs to provide a livelihood to the families. For people who now vouch by Organic Food intake can find joy in purchasing locally produced organic foods which are readily available on India Meets India. Right from the basic pulses and masalas to pickles and jams, it is being sourced from communities like Kilmora (A brand promoted by Kumaun Grameen Udyog), NGO Products (affiliated by the Coconut Development Board of India) and Holy Cow Foundation; to name a few. Speaking about promoting the ‘Handlooms’ of India, India Meets India has collaborated with communities like Adults with Autism, Rural Migrant People, Geriatric Groups, etc to give them a platform to sell their traditional weaving cultures. Check out some of the ‘Must Have’ fashionable items one should definitely own from their catalogue : They also have a great variety of handbags, that match the versatility of Indian clothing. We featured one of their sling bags in our Chandi Chowk OOTD a while back. Overall, this is a one honest website that connects the artisans of …