Eating healthy has become more of a culture rather than being a simple trend to adapt healthier ways of eating. Restaurants, parlours and cafeterias are adapting the culture, evolving their menus to be more low-carb than being smitten with a layer of grease to make it look yummier and taste absolutely impeccable. TGIFridays has been a name in the the restaurant industry for decades. A franchise adaption of the American food giant, TGIFridays has always been associated with beer & bites kind of an invention that dates back to the year of 1965. Carrying forward the journey of decades, TGIFridays have times and now introduced food items on the menu depending on the liking of their loyal customers and also keeping the current food trends in the frame to deliver what the world is eating currently. Connecting these two dots, TGIFridays have just launched their healthy menu that caters to the cravings of food lovers, with balanced intake of carbs and details about the dietician approved ingredients used in the making of these unique dishes. The menu is called ‘Super Food Menu’ and is currently on its limited timeline, inviting food lovers to try out from their array of meat cut platters, salad and a lip-smacking yet healthy dessert option. “Instead of regular boring salad to stay healthy, our Super Food menu is packed with delicious items like Wasabi Miso Glazed Chicken, Salmon with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce, Cranberry and Blueberry Couscous and kale. The concept of Super Foods is that each ingredient is packed with an abnormal amount of vitamins, nutrients and minerals which put you in best shape of your life!” says Rohan Jetley, CEO and Owner, TGI Fridays India. I visited TGIFridays Noida to try out the ‘Healthy Foods’ menu along with their signature JD dressed meats and …
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The country has been under the chaos of Demonetization – with limited access to cash and never-ending ATM lines. While at the moment every Indian hates the very idea of visiting an ATM and standing in line for the clock, KFC did something really fun recently – they introduced an ATM that dispensed ‘currency that you’d love to stand in line for’. Bringing the Nashville flavours of fried chicken to India, KFC has recently introduced their newest food trend from America – The KFC Nashville Chicken! It is smoky, extra crispy, intensely flavoured and topped with a generous portion of tangy American pickles. KFC Nashville Chicken is another level of being crispy (and finger lickin’) and can be had on a bun, with rice bowlz, as strips or even in 5-in-1 Meal boxes. And to introduce this American Food Trend to the foodies in India, KFC had installed an ATM machine (for a day) at the popular Cyber Hub in Gurgaon that dispensed Nashville Dollars – giving chicken lovers a chance to redeem these for the crunchiest KFC Nashville Chicken. Talking about this unique initiative, Lluis Ruiz Ribot, CMO, KFC India said: “In the past few months, everyone has seen that good things are worth the wait – whether at ATMs, or in life. We just decided to make the waiting a little more fun and rewarding! The Nashville chicken has a cult-like following across the USA and KFC is the first QSR, to bring this USA original recipe to India. We wanted to make the launch as legendary as the product and therefore chose a format that is topical, strategically connects with consumers and induces trials.” Now who says luck only strikes once? KFC India has collaborated with me to giveaway 2 of my lucky readers a chance to …
Continue readingWe 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’ …
Continue readingFor Delhiites, the ultimate Saturday evening destination is usually the the crowded streets of Hauz Khas Village. Amidst the hustle bustle of music and food lovers, their stand an array of restaurants/lounges/cafes and bars offering discounts and unique themes to attract the crowd. All like minded people look out for places that offer affordable food, complimentary or heavily discounted drinks for the ladies and offer leisure seating arrangements for a comfortable round of F&B over a course of 2-3 hours.
Continue readingYou will find plenty of restaurants in Delhi that are swearing by the futuristic ‘Gastronomy’ skills for their menu, or those who are trying to be either severely retro or absolutely quirky to catch attention. We foodies are loving all the attention and surely don’t mind opting for a Butter Chicken Pizza over the traditional Butter Chicken-Naan combo. But if you are a true delight and would like to re-live your childhood days, then Janpath Grill House Delhi is the place to be at! Gather along all your Delhi folks and visit this nostalgic hub of everything to do with Delhi food. Be it the street chats of the narrow Old Delhi Lanes, or Rajinder Da Dhaba style grilled chicken tikkas, Janpath Grill House is serving it all in its most authentic flavours; under one roof. Situated in the heart of Delhi, and right across the buzzing shops of Janpath Thrift Market, this newly opened restaurant offers the traditional flavours of Delhi cuisine with a twist of molecular presentation. THE FOOD Following a buffet system for all 7 days of the week, the restaurant offers both lunch and dinner. One gets to dine in with a variety of grill tikkas which are placed on a live BBQ station right in the middle of the table. This comes complimentary with a few mocktails that have all been designed keeping in mind the chatpata taste buds of Delhiites. The meal deal begins with a nitrogen-smoked cup of chilled Frayms as Amuse-Bouche, that instantly reminded me of my school days when snacking over these was a better deal than spending Rs.10 on a pack of Lays. This ritual is taken forward with the server lining up the grilled seekhs of your choice. We tried on a combination of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian grills like …
Continue readingNow for those who have been following my blog, will definitely be aware about my experience dining at Niche Bar & Lounge for its ‘Pre-Launch’ Blogger’s table. If you haven’t, then go ahead and check it out! Having been reviewed some of their best preparations, we were more keen on exploring what their regular menu has to offer too. And before going for the review, we definitely scrolled through the zomato reviews and what people highly recommended to try on. To my surprise, it wasn’t non-vegetarian nor was it a gourmet amalgamation. Known as the ‘Pulled Katahal Tacos’ on the menu, this Mexican mix with a vegetable not generally loved (and experimented with) much in the country was nothing less of a surprise. For a slider to go with their array of alcoholic concoctions, Pulled Katahal Tacos definitely faired well on the taste and nibbling metre. So for vegetarians who always end up ordering regular veggie kebabs and paneer tikkas to go with their drinks, this one can be called a gourmet substitute for your vegan requirements. The Tacos are filled with Katahal well cooked which is drenched in a juicy tangy sauce with a zing of sweetness and a sour curd dip and salsa to go on the side. Of course, we did order a portion of chicken and a prawns starter from their seafood menu. In chicken, we ordered the Lal Mirch Ka Chicken Tikka, which although sounds spicy; wasn’t spicy at all. In fact, the flavours of the marination combined with the smokiness of the grill and tenderness of the chicken pieces turned out to be one of the finest Chicken Tikka preparations I’ve had in a long while. The tikka was presented with some freshly grounded mint cloud and nitro cooked onion yoghurt chutney on the side. Being a …
Continue readingNiche Lounge And Bistro, located in the heart of Delhi – Connaught Place, is unlike your regular lounge scenario. With a spacious sitting under a brightly lit glass roof, to getting comfortable in a vintage style sofa setting; Niche is all about class and having an exclusive dining experience. With its de-constructed menu, you can expect to tantalise your taste buds with an amalgamation of Gastropub experience wedded to the flavours of sophistication. 5 Reasons to visit Niche Lounge & Bistro? Check em’ out! #1 The Ambience SMOKED SALMON Nicoise salad with gazpacho The first thing that’s going to come across strongly is the ambience of this lounge. Unlike other dimly lit lounge interiors, this one is well lit with a very spacious seating arrangement. For those who are looking for a drink, they have a live bar available, for those who prefer engaging in some live music in between meals, they have a nice dining space right in front of their entertainment zone; and for those who prefer having some privacy to catch up on some offline conversations they have the vintage lounge zone and a balcony seating area to blow out cigars and hookahs. #2 Caters To All The lounge is spacious enough to host an entire family gathering, a group of workaholics or even youngsters who just want to chug some beers! POLENTA Trio of polenta with seasonal mushrooms, asparagus, baby carrots, mushroom soil and parmesan; served with Fratelli Sauvignon Blanc The menu too is priced to compliment each pocket, with a variety of delicacies that can cater to the desi as well as continental taste buds. #3 The De-Constructed Menu BEETS & GOAT CHEESE Texture of beets and goat cheese with micro herbs & rocket Delhi is definitely taking the whole eatery scene on a new …
Continue readingGetafix is not like your regular cafeteria wherein all you get are calories! It is an abode where taste meets health and makes each spoonful of yumminess gluttony-free. Probably my biggest weakness is my love for food. And I am not talking about the regular dal-roti customs that we follow. If I have my way, i’d try the yummiest cuisines of the world on a day to day basis (sigh, I wish!). With my style of working (blogger life) the food trials come-in more as a work-ritual rather than feeding self of nutrients. With the hustle-bustle of hopping around being a blogger, I tend to lose my grip on eating healthy. With numerous parties and blogger meets that I give into attending on a weekly basis, none of my weeks go without savouring some outside-cooked food. Now as per the norm, eating outside food is unhealthy. Sure, their certainly is a lot of truth to this belief given the amount of preservatives and added flavours that go into making our palettes worth each penny (that we pay per serving) tasty. But what most of these restaurants lack is keeping up with the health factors and often exploit the basic rules of providing junk in the name of savouries to us foodies. GETAFIX, like I said earlier, is not just another cafeteria that offers an array of dishes to try out, but don’t meet the health factors that one requires; in any way. Just a couple of days back I was telling my foodie friend about my experience at Getafix and she was just not ready to believe that such a restaurant exists that offers healthy food. She kept asking me questions, trying to pick on the faults, but couldn’t find any. Right from their healthy drinks-menu to offering whole-wheat burgers …
Continue readingThis article reviews Delhi’s current Home-Delivery gourmet brand ‘Leaping Caravan’ review. Gone are the days when festive meals were all about endless hours of preparing dishes and setting the menu extensively right. Of course, our mothers still try to fit in an economical menu to makeup for the festive season, but who on earth has the time to marinate tikkas and Dum-Pukht Biryanis, eh? Sure, going out is an ideal option. Not to forget all the buffet offers that surface a week before the festive day, specializing in the traditional preparations for the celebrations. But it’s not feasible to gather all your family together and celebrate the festive season with a little privacy outside. Home Delivery has become a rage now that Indians are well-versed with the workings of the internet. Right from buying the groceries in the comfort of your homes to scrolling through endless recipes on the browser to construct a menu; everything is now available on the tips of your fingers. Well, this easy life too comes with some glitches. Even in today’s time food orders are made for current consumption only. I have hardly come across any portals that offer pre-booking of the menu and simply taking a chill-pill while the food gets delivered on your doorstep on the day as scheduled. Leaping Caravan is one such gourmet-style home food delivery service, that offers an array of authentic Indian meals and comes with all the flexibilities of ‘online-ordering’ that makes the entire procedure way easier. Leaping Caravan takes you on a delectable tour of the Grand Trunk Road. Bringing specialties from the popular regions along the route to your plate. About Leaping Caravan Whether it is the spicy Pashtuni Chapli Kebabs [rs 280] from Kabul, Lahore’s Bhati Gate Ka Mutton Seekh [rs 280] or Aloo Timater Jhol [rs200] …
Continue readingFood is the identity of each region that landmarks this globe. Be it a small mud-abode accumulation of villagers or a full blown metro city; their are certain flavours of that particular land that differentiates from the other imported delicacies that are prepared. Derived from the local produce of particular regions, these delicacies are a kind of trophy that the residents proudly boost about. India too is defined by such cuisines, that are locals of a particular region. Be it the ingredients used, the preparation technique or even the moisture in the air; achieving the exact flavours is a delicate affair, when prepared in a foreign land. In this modern world where import-export has become a daily wager, it is no biggie to find cuisines of far of lands being prepared and served with utmost excellence, almost anywhere and everywhere. But like I said earlier, it is very hard to brush up the exact flavours that are authentic of that particular dish or cuisine. And given the immense amount of spices that we are now able to purchase effortlessly, the actual taste of a dish can be altered with and prepared in the easiest way we like. One such celebrated cuisines of India comes from the land of the Nawabs – Awadh (Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh). Not to be mistaken as a ‘Mughal cuisine’, Awadhi food is largely influenced by the Kashmir, Punjab, Hyderabad and Central Asian cooking techniques. Quoted as the food for the royals, Awadhi food is rich in spices and specializes in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. From Kebabs, Biryanis, Sheermal or the Indian breads like Roomali rotis and Warqi Parathas; Awadhi food is a paradise for non-vegetarian (lamb & chicken meat) lovers. Also, Awadhi Bawarchis (chef) and Rakabdars (Gourmet Cooks) were the ones who introduced ‘dum style of cooking’ …
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