Expressions!!

Chocolate Cupcakes!!

2011-09-28T21:29:00.001+05:30

Cupcake recipes are wonderful inventions!
Cupcakes are versatile little cakes that suit any occasion.
You can get as creative as possible and are only limited by your imagination.

Here I've made these chocolate cup cakes & they just turned out deliciously delectable!
Here's how it looked...

If you are tempted to try this easy recipe, follow the black magic cake recipe from my previous post and reduce baking time to 20 Minutes.

The reduction of cooking time was one of the reasons for the discovery of cute Lil cup cakes.
It's that the cake batter was cooked in teacups and other small containers since it took such a long time to cook cakes in hearth ovens. The small teacups cut the cooking time of cakes dramatically.

Chocolate magic cake!

2011-09-27T22:34:00.002+05:30

Black Magic cake with Simple butter creame icing!!

After 6-7 long months, I found an interesting recipe and an equally enthusiastic friend to explore the joy of baking!

Was joyous over it's success :)

This is a simple and the best recipe! The cake is moist, fragrant, rich and dark... there is no reason to search for a better chocolate cake.

Ingredients

3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

1 cup white Sugar

1/4 cup and 2 tbsp of unsweetened Cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 cup strongly brewed coffee

1/2 cup butter milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Grease and flour one nine inch cake pan.

2. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center.

3. Add the egg, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla extract. mix well with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes in medium speed. Batter will be thin, pour this into the prepared pan. (Most of the cake batters are never this thin, the first time we make it, we are doubtful of the best result, but don't worry... this will be good, though the batter is comparatively thinner)

4. Bake at 350 deg F for 30-40 minutes. Insert a toothpick at the center of the cake and it should come out clean. Remove from pan and place on a cooling rack.

The frosting can be totally your choice... Here in the picture posted, i've made the simplest form of frosting.

I have used Butter, icing sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Beat these together, put them in an icing bag, fix appropriate nozzles and get all creative :)

Happy Baking!!

A sense of purpose...

2011-09-01T01:26:00.003+05:30

A lot of us confuse "wishes" and "fantasies" to passion. Do we really know what we want?

There are so many of them who have chosen a path and then come to a conclusion, it is not for them and choose a different one... A wish or a strong desire, both cases people will talk passionately about it. Sometimes in case of a highly articulate person, it seems like a greater confusion.

The experience gained is valuable, but how do we know the difference?

Identifying your strengths and deploying them in activities you choose out of interest will get you to a deeper satisfaction. Add purpose to what you are doing and you've got meaning.
Purpose is what drives you. It's the source of inspiration and the compass that guides your way and makes the difference, and at the same time, to the deepest level of happiness.
And that's the real deal!

PS: My purpose of writing this blog?
I should be able to meet my readers on a personal level, foster trust which is an essential part of any blog
Have a wonderful weekend ahead!!

Donuts - Happy Allround :)

2011-07-29T16:40:00.001+05:30

A weekend and we had some friends visit us... They placed a packet on our dining table and insisted i opened it and tasted it because it is at it's best when eaten hot.
I didn't think twice and I quickly obeyed them. Since we were new to the US, Krispy Kreame was something u heard of. The packet read Krispy Kreame, it had 12 good looking glazed donuts. I am not a person with a sweet tooth and wasn't keen on tasting.

I took two plates and offered them to my Husband and mother, since our guests were in full praise for the donuts, served them too. All of them after a bite were all oooh and aahhs and i was curious to try them.

I sunk my teeth into one of them and it melted! It was oh, so damn tasty!!
I quickly finished one and was about to grab another, for those who knew my tastes, it was a surprise. I don't just "not like sweets" i avoid them, more like a sweet intolerant. These sweet rounds are just so delicious that it is so easy to become a sweet addict... eh, well for now a donut addict!

Soon i got hooked on to Donuts. There is a store close to home and I am their regular customer. They are nice to have 6 Donuts for $6.99 and super nice to have 12 donuts for $7.99.
An extra $ and you get half a dozen more... Cool isn't it!

One of their outlets has 3/4th of their space dedicated to their workstation. It is covered with glass and the making of these yummy sugary sweet" happy-all-round" donuts can be seen. From the dough to frying and then getting under the sugar glazed fountain, it's such an orderly defined process! the rest of the store offers some seating and a coffee-billing counter.

The best ones are the original glazed donuts. The others I have tasted are glazed devil's food cake, chocolate iced creame filled, Chocolate iced custard filled and chocolate glazed donuts. There are a lot more varieties like the blueberry, strawberry, cinnamon, apple and lots more. They also have colorful sparkler donuts for the kids. The ever ready staff give you time to choose over the many varieties of donuts. The place also offers some nice coffee and cool flavoured-crushed drinks.

Krispy Kreame donuts will definitely be my sweet crush for a long time, am sure ;-)

Pics courtesy: Google images

India's WorldCup Win... A Personal Profound Moment!

2011-06-22T12:20:00.001+05:30

It was one of those fun weekend get togethers at a dear friend's house, the weather, snacks and our conversations were interesting. The world cup was going to begin and one of the topics we discussed was Cricket.

I suddenly made a statement, a strong one stating "It will definitely be the INDIAN Team to lift the world cup 2011"

For which everyone said why they agree and not agree, there was one of them who asked me, Why i so strongly feel that way... and here's what I said...

"My husband (who is an passionate cricket player) was born in the year 1983 and that was the year India won the world cup. What a fantastic moment that was! This year my son will be born and so i strongly feel we would win the world cup!"

A few laughed and smiled, a few liked it, one of them loved it and one called me an astrologer!
We were all Indians away from home in the states and the fact that we were away from home made us more fanatic towards anthything that had to do with our motherland :)

Our conversations continued...

The world cup season began and you all know what happened, Match after match, we won them all and reached the final.
It was the day of the Finals...

My son was due the next month and it was quite an effort to get up and watch the match at 2 in the midnight, however my enthusiastic spirit and sleeplessness were high and it helped.

After an absolutely thrilling match, India won!

My Husband's Facebook Wall Message read...
"1983 - India won the worlcup, I was born!
2011 - India wins the world cup again, My son will be born!! Yahoooooo.... "

What a profound moment it was... It was one of the happiest days of my life
What a Proud INDIAN I was :)

Pics Courtesy: Google Images

"C" A special Delivery!

2011-06-14T21:22:00.012+05:30

It was the big day 19-May-2011, Since i was a week over my due date, I was scheduled for a pain induction, however I started having my contractions at 1:10 am that very day. All set and ready we started to the hospital, I was always sure I am going to have a vaginal birth and would never find myself under the bright lights of a surgical table, I was young, healthy and was ready to get the baby out in an old fashioned way!

So imagine my surprise, after 19 hours of labour including induced labour, I found myself being wheeled down the corridor and headed for the operating room because my cervix wouldn't budge past 7 centimeters dilated. I was scared, sad...
Now after the surgery, I feel i should have been better prepared.

The important thing is to hold a healthy baby in your arms, however you deliver the little bundle. A surgical birth can be as joyful and meaningful as a vaginal birth.
It's important to case your big day if it doesn't go exactly as planned, arm yourself with the info and they'll help you sail through the surgery and beyond!

As far as surgery go, C-sections are considered safe, but as any operation there are small but real risks. They include bleeding, blood clots, infection (around the incisions, but the IV antibiotics can help fend off the bacteria)

The moment that last stich is sewn, the healing begins, here are a few tips for a faster recovery.
Get moving - women feel extremely delicate during those first few days ( even laughing can make you wince) not only will you feel better once you're upright, but revving circulation from head to toe can prevent the formation of blood clots.
Have a bite - One needs energy to tackle healing and the new motherhood. Think about it: if you had just run a marathon, wouldn't you stop and refuel?

Stay on top of the pain - Take your painkillers, pamper your scar.

Delegate the Heavy lifting - No picking up anything that weighs more than your baby!
Make sleep a top Priority - Try and snooze at every oppurtunity so your body can repair itself.

More information on C-section The history is interesting!
Pics courtesy: Google images

After A year...

2011-06-07T07:06:00.014+05:30

Wohoooo... So soon it has been a year

When i started my blog, I thought I would write a post atleast once a month if not a meaningful one ;) and i have failed to keep that up... After a year, Here I am...

Quite a lot happened while i was absent here! These are definitely not excuses i am giving for not writing.

1. Too much work at office, a promotion, additional roles more responsibility

2. A huge Crush and an insane addiction to Farmville

3. Expected a baby! Became insanely Happy, Sluggish and of course the morning sickness :(

4. A wonderful family get away to Ooty and amidst the euphoria, the BIG news - Vinay's travel to the Unites states for a good long time, The farewell parties, the excitement, the miss you moments before moving to this land of dreams

5. Quit my job

6. Landed in states, Celebrated and welcomed the new year, explored the place around, met so many people, made new friends, Found out it's a BOY Baby, became the wife of the most happiest man in the World!!

7. Missed home :( Skyped almost everyday! (Seriously what a saviour skype is)

8. The world cup! what an awesome moment it was to see Team India become the world cup champions 2011

9. Hurray!! Mom was here! Great fun showing her the place around... God could not be everywhere and so he definitely created Mothers :) Loved every moment with her!

10. Some amazing food, super pampering, the 9 month restlessness and anxiety, The DDay - the pain!

11. Became a parent, the feeling to see and hold your baby for the first time is just magnificent. Aarav Vinay, My son was born, I am proud mother who just melts at his every touch... :)

With all these memories life is just as beautiful as ever!

Thank God for all that he has given to me and this blessed life :)

The Rogue Elephant

2010-06-10T16:17:00.009+05:30

Dedicated to the Fantastic Fig Salad!

A friend of mine and I in a mood for some salads, thought Rogue Elephant would be a good option and now we swear by it…

A passage with a lovely garden with some exotic potted plants and gardening ornaments welcomes us to the restaurant. The tall trees, cool weather and the yum food made the lunch absolutely pleasant!This place is located opposite the famous Krishna Rao Park, close to the GunaSheela Nursing home. The place has a small board with the name and a picture of a cute flying elephant, close resemblance to the cartoon character DUMBO!

It’s a humble place with tables placed inside the garden, quiet and the likes of one of those perfect conversation places! If you have to go there with a friend on lots to catch up, it’s an option where you can have an undisturbed chat! Soon after we settled, we were handed the menu, the Fig salad that both of us relished is not in the menu but was highly recommended by the host. I love figs and this was my first taste of fresh figs, completely delicious! It was teamed with fresh lettuce, balsamic vinegar, panna cotta cheese-loads of it and walnuts! A bite of fluffy bread and a spoon of the salad, OH! What a heavenly combination! The panna cotta cheese was divine, absolutely!!

The dessert gave the wonderful lunch meet a perfect finish, we went for the banana walnut cake, my oh my! This was fresh and served with butter! We thoroughly enjoyed every bite.

The Tomato avocado sandwich and the Thai chicken salad were good, but no where close to the exotic fig salad and the pampering walnut dessert. They have iced tea, filter coffee, nimbu pani on their menu for drinks, a lot of pastas, sandwiches and delicious desserts. It is advised you have cash as they don’t accept plastic money. A good place for salads, I am definitely going there when I have cravings for fresh figs!
This review is also available on Burrp
Address:
93, Kanakapura Road, Basavanagudi, Bangalore
Numbers: 9845664681
Land Marks: Krishna Rao Park, GunaSheela Nursing home
Pics courtesy: Google images

March soon!!

2010-02-26T13:13:00.004+05:30

I am always excited and await this month, why? Quite apparent! It is the month I was born.

We’ll yea, In school and college it was the month everyone dreads, the month of Exams! But somehow, I still await and welcome March :)

Also as I grew, it only got more exciting with my then boyfriend, not so long ago my fiancé and now my-everything, friend and husband’s birthday is also the same month.

It doesn’t really end there because we also got MARRIED in March!

3 cheers and 3 reasons to Magnificent March!!

It’s quite soon that March is going to be here! The third month of the year and the memories of celebrating the new year is still so fresh.

Time passes faster when you are happy and yes, thank god, I am the blessed one!

Well, well ofcourse, there are always those wants and desires and I could the happiest one.

March is all pampering and I am putting forth all that I desire for – A wish list!!

Silk kurta and a silk saree from Fab-India

Diamonds!

Hide design Bag

Perfumes

Books

Candles

A white dress or saree

A retriever pup, two would be double the joy

A moment with tiger cubs (wouldn’t mind for many moments)

A tour – A World tour!

Mercedes Benz!!

A Beach house

A laptop

An i-pod

All seasons of Grey’s Anatomy and F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Wow, penning this list is driving me insanely felicitous!

PS: Also this time, each cricket fan would wait for March, yes!! IPL starts on my birthday, March 12^th :)

I love...

2010-02-23T12:05:00.008+05:30

I had a 2 day training on “Creating customer impact” and it sure was a helpful session.

You’ll never have a bad day with a positive attitude, This line is something I would never forget!

Feeling very positive today! Here’s almost everything I love!

I love good sense of humor

I love smiles

I love energy

I love the smell of soil when it just has started raining

I love reading

I love to laugh

I love making others happy

I love commitment

I love involvement and focus

I like sleeping

I love staring at the moon

I love watching the sunsets
I love to take long walks

I love driving

I like teaching

I love giving and receiving compliments

I love cheerful faces

I love shouting out and cheering India on the cricket field

I love family functions and get-togethers

I love the excitement in meeting friends, esp after a long long while

I like big & clean houses

I love speed

I love animated movies

I love hand written love-letters

I love being pampered

I love silk sarees

I love heights

I love the amusement parks

I love the combi of hot chocolate and vanilla ice cream

I love the smell of coffee

I love babies

I love Vinay

I love watching Vinay play with children

I love my mom and dad

I love my sister

I love the goodies my sister makes.

I love my dog, Schatz

I love my home

I love my friends
I love the feel of wet lawn on my feet

I love the dew on flowers

I love the snow

I love the view of mountains

I love tigers

I love puppies

I love watching meaningful movies

I love my work

I like my company

I love motivating people

I love learning languages (so far at 6)

I love my country

I love Bangalore

I love my school

I love eating

I love chocolate mousse

I love Indian chocolates (esp. Crackle and fruit and nut)

I like writing

I love talking

I love dancing

I love singing

I love listening to music

I love watching advertisements

I like libraries

I love observing people

I love watching horses running free

I love writing lyrics of songs

I love photography

I love walking on the beach

I love swimming

I love water (A true Piscean)

I love drawing

I like painting

I love big trees

I love to cook

I like baking

I love traveling

I like organizing and discipline

I like poeple who are in the Army, navy and Air-force

Needless to say, I love shopping!

Wow, I feel thrilled after thinking and writing on things I love.

Life is B - E - A - Uuuuu-tiful!

I suggest you make a list too and then do what’s on and I am sure you’ll thoroughly enjoy yourself!

Have a super positive day!

Pic Courtesy - Google Images

Sea Spice - Spice and Nice!

2010-02-22T17:31:00.003+05:30

After a day of obviously happy intent after reckless shopping, my family stepped into Shetty-Gardenia for lunch.
The place is welcoming with spacious interiors and nice wood work. The gigantic LCD stuck on the wall with the cricket on sure caught my husband’s attention. The stairway close to this leads you to the first floor where we have the Sea Spice restaurant. The glass door opens up to a mid-sized hall which fits about 15 tables. It mostly had family crowd.
We took one of those circular perfect dining tables close to the entrance. There was a bar counter close to our table with a few glasses. The place has some nice maroon drapes against cream walls. The glass work has designs of cute fishes defining the specialty they serve.
Soon after we took our seats, the menu was given and water was served. The menu offered quite an assortment.
We chose to have the Rawa and Masala fish fry. The waiter suggested we take ‘anjal’. The Rawa fry was crispy and yum, the Masala fish was luscious but way too spicy, with lemon, it did taste better. 2 portions for the 5 of us wasn’t really sufficient. The other starter included Baby corn satey which was better than the fish. The thick gravy that the corn came with was rich and absolutely delicious!
My sister and I are buffs of Neer dosa and didn’t think twice to order. The Neer Dosa with chicken muchi ghassi was our next order.

They came pretty quick but the taste was unsatisfactory. The neer dosa was so stuck and cold, the Chicken curry surprisingly bitter!
We shared our feedback with the attendant, he promptly took it in, heated the curry and probably salted and diluted it. We weren’t happy then either. The second neer dosa order was hot and better.We chose to have rice and ordered Biryani, the quantity was generous. The rice was tasty and the curd raitha they teamed it with made a good combination.

One of the thoughtful waiters came back to us to specifically find out why we weren’t happy with the chicken muchi ghasi, on telling him, he got another curry. This was a coconut based one and tasted a lot better.
The service though not polished is considerate.
The cutlery is very comfortable and classy.
It was my treat and so when I checked on the bill, it surprisingly did not have the amount for the chicken curry!
The waiter also restated the point that they did not add on because we were not ok with the taste and they agreed too.

On reading the experience of other reviews on Burrp, it definitely looks like the guys at the restaurant proactively correct their awry moves!
Well, as long as they tastefully keep their customers satisfied they would never be forgotten!

Address:
#1890, 9th main Kaveri Nagar, II stage, Banashankari, Bangalore
Phone: 26715060, 26919790, 9980569029

Too-Good 'Thindies' at South Thindies! !

2010-02-01T18:30:00.003+05:30

This was in the month of October and TGIF - Thank god it’s a Friday!! There was the holiday atmosphere at office on a Friday afternoon before the long Deepavali weekend!

With these impulses, a team of us decided to pamper our afternoon at ‘South Thindies’. Then a newly opened restaurant which got some rare reviews.

We started and soon we were on the main road and the large metallic painted hoarding with the name ‘South Indies’ camouflaged within.

It was really crowded and we added on to the numbers. We made our choices from the menu and stood at the self servicing counter to relish the orders. We were a big and hungry group and we almost got a bite of everything they served on that day!

The famous and much-talked about Masala Dosa and half cup coffee was tried and my colleagues liked it. The medu dosa and the pudina rice were also of a good taste. The akki rotti, ragi rotti and the chutney’s that came along were excellent! The bread dosa was different but greasy and extremely heavy.

There are some sumptuous sweets available. The Halu-bhai is a sweet made from wheat, ghee and sugar. This was absolutely delicious. The group of us had this delectable dish and conveniently ate the second helping too. It was a heavy and satisfying lunch at this new place.

If this was my review about the place 4 months ago, I was there at this place 2 days ago for breakfast and it hasn’t changed a bit. The masala dosa tasted familiar and delicious. The bisi bele bath was even better, talk on consistency in their quality and taste!

The place has an open kitchen and one can see it’s tidy. Even with the crowd, they manage to serve customers without much wait. The prices are reasonable with thindi’s for two coming up to Rs.80-100.

It is also located facing a busy road close to the famous Krishna Rao park.

Morning or evening walks in this beautiful park and a quick relish at south thindies and that’s a beautiful day for you!

Address:

South Cross road

Near Krishna Rao park

Basavanagudi, Bangalore

Snow Shack - Delicious Desserts!

2010-02-01T14:09:00.005+05:30

This has opened six months ago and is a small place that serves some relishing ice-creams.It was one of those usual cool nights at Bangalore. True to its identity of a snow shack. It was even cooler inside.

There is the famous GK vale store that has been shared by half to start the ice-cream and fast food parlor.
It is a small place with 4 tables and a few tables with 2 seats placed outside.
We chose to seat outside. The menu has quite a range of ice-creams. There are those common ones like hot chocolate fudge, cake fudge, brownie fudge, Gud bud, Rocco baracco, Banana split and fruit salad. The simple cone ice cream with scoops and swirls available here is also an attraction with the children.

Something that was novel was the ice-cream sodas and the different relishes they offered.We chose a hot chocolate fudge and cake fudge, They were generous in their quantity. The ice cream tasted fresh and creamy.The sauce was in perfect quantity and the combination of the pure white vanilla and dark brown chocolate syrup was indeed heavenly!

The peanuts roasted right, choco chips made the dessert even more desirable. The cake fudge was also delicious with the cake so soft and fluffy!There was one courteous person catering to 4 tables and he did a quick and fine job!They not only serve ice creams but also sell some home made chocolates and make some yum sandwiches.A decent place serving some good desserts! The rates are moderate or even close to cheap with ice-creams for two costing you about Rs.100-150.

Address:
Snow Shack
#290, 100 Ft ring road, Banashankari, Bangalore
Near Resturant 1947
Phone: 42056659

Go Go Goa!

2009-09-29T18:11:00.005+05:30

Goa is everything that you can think of beautiful, romantic, fun, colorful, lovey dovey, cool, magical, hot and truly amazing!

Our last week’s tour to Goa was my first time in Goa and it was one of the most exhilarating trips of my life!

We chose to travel by Jet airways, tickets were booked and everything was planned in May, almost 4 months before, but regrettably on the day of our travel, we had the Jet go on a strike. Hopefully, we went to the airport expecting a miracle to happen and it did! A very courteous person, working for Jet offered us seats with Air India flight to Dubai that would stop at Goa, it was a 50 minute trim journey, we reached safe and before schedule!

The details read it was 32 degrees. For someone from a land known for its cool and pleasant weather, Bangalore, it was way too hot. However our excitement of being in Goa was hotter! The Dublin airport is quite a distance to our resort which was 200 meters from the Anjuna beach on the northern part of Goa.

The first glimpse of the resort was exciting! We were at The country club de Goa, the welcoming reception hall and people did make our greeting special!

We chose to have lunch at the country club restaurant. The food here was delicious! There were some good restaurants referred and recommended by a few Goa devotees and still, in our 5 days at the resort we did not hesitate to relish the restaurants delicacies at least for one meal a day!

The food, people and places around craft your visit to Goa totally fantastic! My husband and I chose to navigate through a two wheeler, they make an easy and convenient option. They can be hired on a daily basis and cost you an inexpensive amount of 150-200 a day.

The well-promote sign boards and the Goan fun loving, helpful attitudes indeed helped us explore the place around!
Here are a few places we visited, read on to get more details….

1. Fort Chapora

The trek up to this fort was tiring, but the spectacular view of the sea that was gifted after the tiring trek was truly worth it!

This fort is near Vagator beach. It’s a breath taking view with the sea covered on 2 sides and river on the other side.
Surprisingly there want anyone else in this famous place, It was a beautiful moment for the duo and we were immersed in appreciating what was around!

2. Fort Aguada and Jail

The drive to this fort was pleasant with the sky a little cloudy and the thick trees on either sides of the road way. This is more a crowded and a commercial place with an awesome view of the sea. It was at this seen that I remembered the verse, “water water everywhere, not a single drop to drink!” from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

A few kms down the hill one is the Aguada Jail. At the entrance of the jail, is a beautiful scene to the left where the fierce sea in its full glory gushing towards the rock boulders. There is no doubt why so many movies have been shot with this spectacular scene as the back drop!

3. Temples
The Shantha Durga and Mangeshi temples gave our tour a devotional touch. Both these temples are on Panaji-Ponda road.The lotus garlands adorning Goddess Durga was stunning.

4. Churches
* St Cathederal Church – This magnificent 16th century monument is one of the most ancient and celebrated religious buildings of Goa. This is on the main road of Old Goa and did us wonder on its high walls and brilliant architecture.
* Basilica of Bom Jesus - Considered a world heritage monument also in Old Goa. The church is popular because the sacred relics of St.Francis Xavier are kept in this church.

5. Dona Paula - At the place where two of Goa's famous rivers meet the Arabian Sea is the secluded bay of Dona Paula with a fantastic view! The legend attached to this place is of two lovers separated and distressed because of differences in their cultures and nationalities, they ended their life from this cliff.

At this mythical and spectacular place they offer some exciting water sports too. Dona Paulo is 7 kms from Panjim, the capital of Goa.

6. River Cruise rides – These delightful rides during the sunset make a wonderful journey on river Mandovi. The vista through out was marvelous. It gets better with some live entertainment, songs and traditional Goan folk dances! The other attractions were the disco and the open top of the cruise. It was magnificent to see the azure heavens meet the orange hues and touch the moon n star lit sky!

7. Beaches! – we were completely blown out by the beauty of the beaches, it is so beautiful to watch the clear blue water spin to white waves rushing to embrace the bright golden sand on the beach. The first touch of these cool waters on the feet and the heart goes “woah!!”

Anjuna - Anjuna beach is in the northern part of Goa and is one of the most popular beaches. With the shallow sands to a distance, it was safe to play or swim in the waters. There is a flee market with handicrafts and clothes from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Kashmir.
Vagathor – another beautiful beach with rocks and a dramatic cliff in the northern part of Goa, presenting a beautiful view of the beach. This was crowded with crowded mostly with Indians. It was hard and sore to see one of the main drainages let to the sea.Calangute Baga Beach – Baga beach is an extension of Calangute and these two are the most popular and obviously crowded beaches of Goa. Around these beaches are some attractive shops and good restaurants.

Candolim – It’s perfect to retire to Candolim when you are tired of the crowd and want to just relax on a
quite beach.Sinquerim – With all these beautiful beaches, Sinquerim which is in the northern part of Goa had to be our favorite beach with hardly anyone, some costal forts, white sand, blue waters and palm and coconut trees stretch!

Miramar – This was a crowded and commercial beach in the south of Goa and very closely located to Panji. On the roads of Miramar beach one shouldn’t miss the yum Bombay chats more precisely their Bhel puri!

The food at Goa was great. Other than the restaurants at Country club, Subway and Dominoes, these are places that need a mention!

Brittos – A popular place with some great food and a splendid view of the sea! Located on the Baga beach, this place was completely crowded. Luckily we got a table close to the sea and the experience was fabulous! We had the most yum and Fish fry and chocolate mousse here!

Infantaria – Mostly known for its bakery, Infantaria can be easily located as it is facing the main road from Baga to Calangute. We tried the famous Bebinca – the traditional Goan dessert and loved it. It is more delectable when served with some vanilla ice cream. The Tandoor Gobi and Vegetable Dum biryani were also delicious at this place.

Aishwarya’s Café – A hot afternoon at Panji. It was a new place and we had no clue where to dine, a lady alighted out of a luxury car and I approached her to suggest a place for some good fish, She mentioned Aishwarya Café. This is on the road just next to the Panji Bus stop. Surprisingly it was a humble place crazily crowded. We managed to get a table and quickly placed order. If there is a superlative to delicious, I wouldn’t think twice if using it only for this place. The food here was absolutely great and the prices ever so reasonable! On our last day at Goa, we again visited this place on our way to the Dublin Airport.

Delicious Dahi-Sandwiches!!

2009-09-29T18:05:00.003+05:30

What did my headline just say? Dahi and Sandwich, huh!
This was my foremost reaction, when I had a friend indicating me about this place!
My friend and I cannot refuse the fact that our food n tastes are alike, but the Dahi and bread came in as a little less than an absurd combination!
However, I was ready to take a bite!
It is close to my workplace and so we chose to walk. It is on one of the silent side roads in Jayanagar 2nd block.
The place did gather quite a crowd! We quickly placed the order and we soon we had silver paper plates with sandwich and curd with boondi and grated carrot. The bread was cut in 6 pieces, one of those in my mouth and I completely loved it! Loved it even more because I have always been curd crazy!
There are 3-4 people catering to a crowd very quickly and courteously, some stone benches and nice shady trees make this a quick but pleasant stop for food.
The bread is nicely buttered and toasted on a hot tawa with some fresh tomatoes onions and cucumber sandwiched. Once it turns toasty golden brown, they add some fresh curd, a couple of chutneys, tangy sweet spice and everything nice. On them roll some crunchy boondhi and grated carrots.
The Dahi toast is the most wanted and delectable dish available in this place. The other delicious choices with sandwiches are cheese chilli toast, chilli butter toast, plain toast and the like. For those with a sweet tooth, the gulkan toast and jam toast are choices. My friends and I have enjoyed all these varieties and go back for more!

This humble place does not have a board with the name on it, It is on the menu that we have the name "Sakkat Sandwiches and Chindhi chaats". The words sakkat and chindhi are a local kannada slang words meaning super or something more than good. The name and the tastes are definitely in tune.

The chats are one of a kind here and utterly tasty! One of a kind, because you get chats like Dhai bhoondhi, dahi chiwda, peanut masala, bread chat, Moong-dhal masala and more.
All these chatpata chats are indeed mouth watering. The price are extremely reasonable. A stomach full of sandwich and other goodies for two would approximately cost 50 bucks!! An irresistible place will you keep you craving until your next visit!

This review is also available on Burrp

Address:
Sakkat Sandwiches and Chindhi Chats.
14/15, 10th Cross, 2nd block Jayanagar, Bangalore
Phone: 9844417049, 9980050995

Ganesh Darshan Dosas - Scrummy!!

2009-08-26T11:24:00.005+05:30

As evening showers leave a pleasant cool in Bangalore's air who wouldnt want to indulge in a hot and quick appetizing snack? It was one of these romantic evenings shopping at Jayanagar and we had to catch up for a movie that night. We had 30 minutes to finish of with your dinner and our stomachs were passing very brawny signals to do so! At the signal there were mesmeric pictures of Dosas and quite obviously welcoming for two hungry souls...
We quickly walked to find this aromatic self service counter.
A look at the menu and you'll know the variety they provide, as usual like the other eat-outs, they have the Dosa of the day which has very distinctive combinations such as panner, palak, pineapple dosa and the likes. All this very simply makes mouths water.

There was a very courteous man at the counter and he quickly took our order and gave is the coupons.
We had no time to waste and quickly chose to have an Akki rotti, Masala Dasa and Sabbakki Dosa, This was coincidentally special dosa for that day. I have always relished dishes with Sabakki, be it Payasam, sandige or more.
This place is known for its coffee but my husband and I are never coffee people and so we didn't sip. But most coffee lovers will sure feel energized!
The Akki Rotti is delicious with the right ingredients mixed in it's soft dough and roasted perfectly. This came with a chutney powder that was absolutely yum! I didn't mind going for a second helping. The Sabbakki dosa rocked, I relished every bite and I am sure I would go back to have more. The masala dosa there all perfect with the ever yum potato curry, butter, ghee, masala and the perfect roasted reddish brown surface.
The holige also called obbattu is delicious too. Sweet lovers will melt over this irresistible dish.

The provide some neat high tables where you can conveniently place you plates and relish bite by bite. The prices are reasonable.
This place is crowded, however they have enough staff to keep the wait short. A place worth a many visits!
This review is also available on Burrp
Address:
No 244, 27th Cross, 9th main, 3rd block Jayanager
Bangalore
Phone: 41005554

when a loved one is gone...

2009-08-11T14:50:00.006+05:30

My best friend lost her father recently. Last week, I lost a near and dear aunt. It is an extremely painful experience and hits you like a rapid hurricane. However prepared one is for the death to come in, it is still a very traumatic experience! With the sudden experience it comes as an upsetting shock. It becomes absolutely unbelievable and denial for quite some time.
We hear from the closest ones that they prefer to die than to live with the loss that is irreplaceable. However it comes as a realization that life has to go on. These are a few things that could help you while you are on your most unpleasant experience.
1. Cry: it is OK to Cry and sometimes healthy too. Please take time out to grieve. This is important because if the person does not take time to grieve, there are chances that the pain is carried throughout life causing physical illness and depression. Whether you want to cry on someone’s shoulder or be by yourself, do take time for this. one needs to understand that this would take time and popularly said, it is indeed the best healer.
2. Be available: Offer your support inconspicuously. While also making it very clear you’re there to help in whatever ways you’re most needed. Physical and emotional touch can bring great comfort. Whenever it seems appropriate, give a hug or extend a handclasp. Throughout the year, remember birthdays, anniversaries, days that have important meaning for the bereaved and offer your renewed support during those times. Be understanding.
3. Help: Help them with their daily household tasks, cooking meals, keeping the house clean, any other mundane activities. Practical help will go along way in helping with coping death.

Take care!

Pics courtesy: Google

MMMMMousse!!

2009-07-17T16:36:00.009+05:30

My sister made a sumptuous chocolate mousse, on my birthday and I just loved it, it was special Birthday!

I wanted to make one for my friend, for her birthday and set out on my chocolate expedition. Yes, I must say, it was a success.

It is a simple process and here’s how you too can make one.

The base for the mousse is the chocolate cake, the recipe to make the chocolate cake is here.

The chocolate cake is a 3 inch in height and an approximate diameter of 10 inches.

Horizontally, slice the cake, carefully into two. Keep aside the two slices.

Now for the mousse the ingredients are:

Egg yolks – 4

Sugar powdered – 1 cup

Chocolate – 400 gms

Double Wipped cream

Take egg yolks

Gelatin

Take a container, preferably a thick one add half full water and heat. Place another vessel, inside the first one with water.

Add the Egg yolks and powdered sugar, ensure this vessel is not touching the water in the container, the idea is to cook with steam. Beat until the mixture becomes white.

In another bowl take melted chocolate and add Whipped cream. This mixture is light brown and fluffy in texture. The chocolate and cream need to be mixed well and should not have any lumps. Mix the egg, sugar mixture to the cream. Next, add @ tea spoons of gelatin.

Now it’s time for some craft, Take a OHP/Transparency sheet and cut it into two, lengthwise.

Take the chocolate cake and border the OHP sheet around, you could plaster to stick the sheets.

Add the mousse mixture, on the cake, The sheet forms a container to hold the mousse. Place this in the refrigerator for at least 150 minutes.

Once the mousse is refrigerated and set, carefully undo the sheets. The syrup is made by heating Water, sugar and cocoa powder, pour this syrup after it cools

Pour some chocolate syrup and there is a delicious, rich, frothy, creamy dessert!

Dal Tadka - A satisfactory dining receive...

2009-07-16T13:57:00.006+05:30

It was one of these cool and pleasant evenings, after watching Kambaqt ishq, my husband and I decided to dine at a fine place. We chose Dhal Tadka, since it was close, and also since we hadn’t tried it earlier.

When I read on the other reviews, I learnt that the place was more than good for their Rajasthan food.

The place is on the first floor of a huge complex in the corner, there is the gigantic big bazaar, diagonally opposite to this complex.

The restaurant is on the first floor and it was crowded, all the walls are adorned with puppets, some jewellery and other colorful decoratives.

The tables, chairs and the décor is too colorful and loud, it does not portray ‘high taste” everything is simply hung and pasted without mindful décor taste.

It looked like the hosts made the extended hall of the restaurant their house. Their rooms and @ home possessions was visible to the hall of the restaurant.

The restaurant was full except for 5-6 which were ready to be occupied. One of the waiters showed us our table and suggested we take a look at the Rajasthani buffet they have on weekdays.

Since it was not an impressive take, the menu was give to us, a clumsy and well fed menu!

We chose to try the Rajasthani Aloo Tikkis and Baby corn Manchurian for starters. They came in without much wait.

A little alert boy began to serve in steel plates.

A bite of the aloo tikki and we loved it! It had some nicely fried potatoes with boiled and seasoned gram fillings, this tasted awesome with some chilly and sweet chutney. Next came the Manchurian which had color and hit brilliant red, and this overpowered the vegetable and the taste of it. This was however not very delicious.

The lassi was a much needed one and refreshing, I loved the flavor cumin powder that it was topped with. I did not hesitate to have another.

We chose to have Rotis with some Kadai Paneer, the rotis were soft and well made, the curry was nothing extraordinary, the quantity is more than generous and so we decided to pack the more than half that lie in the kadai. The Jeera rice was delicious, it has the right amount of spice and loads of ghee, the gravy it came with was extremely complimenting. With all this heavy food, it was not quite possible to have a dessert. However, I was keen on tasting their Moong Dhal Halwa. Also we missed on their famous and synonymous dal dishes!

It was a just satisfying experience at this vegetarian restaurant. The crowd is usually families. Service if friendly and prompt.

A meal for two would cost around Rs. 500-600. This review is also available on Burrp.

Address: No 1, Above HDFC bank, Opp Food World, Banashankari 3rd Stage, Kathriguppe Main Road, Banagalore.

Phone: 26691763, 9448235118

Cornucopia - Howzzat? "A super Six"

2009-06-26T17:31:00.011+05:30

That's the instant reaction after visiting this restaurant with a cricketed ambiance! It was on a Monday afternoon, we visited cornucopia, the occasion was special as we were celebrating an event when my dear friend got a year older!

In our efforts to make my Monday blues and hers pleasantly colorful, I planned for a surprise and went to her workplace with a chocolate mousse! The one, I exclusively made for her, Oh! oh yea, I made it! Will tell you how in my next post on how.... Ufff, it was quite a process, but yes, my lovely friend deserved all of it and more! ;)

We were on Richmond road and Cornucopia is a 5 minute walk from the main road, it is on one of the by lanes, more specifically, the one right next to TNT. A very homely environment palisades the restaurant. An open gate welcomes you into a garden. Amongst the lawns and is a humble coffee shop serving to 3-4 tables. Towards the left the garden extends with a statue of Lord Ganesh, there is a stairway which takes you to a store which sells sports stuff, most exclusively cricket stuff, This place, I heard is started by cricket celebrities, Sreesanth and Robin Uthappa. They have a huge gallery with a lot of monuments and pictures related to cricket? from Don Bradman to the new guy on the field! Amongst all these halls is a hall named Cornucopia, the restaurant.

Cornucopia is cute and peaceful. Painted white with some reddish brown furniture, just enough fans to keep the place cool, it gives a neat expression. There was no one in the restaurant! My friend and host hyperbolically claimed she booked the entire hotel for us!! It was surprisingly true, no one came in until we left the place! Soon after we settle down in one of the tables and given the menu. The table cloth, mat, serviette and cutlery was flawless white. The menu has a lot of unfamiliar terms and sound rhythmically Français. However the sub-textual explanation comes as a savior to help elucidate. The waiters were largely courteous though not very comprehendible. We chose to have the Cajun fries as starters, Potatoes are coated in a spicy mixture of corn flour and Cajun seasoning then deep fried until crispy. This tasted very simple and really crunchy.
The sauces it accompanied with were tartar and another tomato based. For the main course it was the vegetable lasagna and steamed crepes orientelle

The lasagna was my favorite, rich and spicy, with the bread and butter, oh! it made a heavenly combination. It had broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, mushroom packed with cheese and spice and everything nice! It was apt and consciously spiced to be relished by Indian taste-buds. This artfully blended and predominantly continental food impressed us. This was quite filling left us very little space to admit the crepes. The crepes had full filling of shredded cabbage, onion and coriander sauce, with sauce over it tasted delicious and more than spicy.

The presentation of the food and service which was graceful and experienced definitely needs a mention. Work was calling and we had no time for desserts. At the end of the meal with the refreshments comes a nice shot of coffee and chocolate! my friend who had been there earlier said it would taste good, and I am sure all coffee lover would agree, but for me it was an ok-ok shot. A meal for 3 costs Rs. 650 - 750. My take - a wonderful place to leisurely spend and appreciate some continental cuisine.
This review is also available on Burrp. This review made it to the weekly "just missed the crown" list! :)
Address:
Bat & Ball Inn,
3, Laurel Lane, Richmond town
Banagalore
Phone: 080-41149495

Budding HR Professionals!!

2009-06-23T13:42:00.005+05:30

When we meet kids and like to connect to them, there are a few common things we ask them like their name, which school they go to and the most routine one, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" or "who do you want to become when you grow up." Well from answers like doctor and engineer, we have moved on to receive answers like, pilot, Sports person, fashion designer, journalist, an artist, chef, space scientist, film maker and some interesting children give you answers that you never knew existed...
I was in great merriment when i saw this short video.

Woa! They indeed are the flourishing future of HR :)

Jayanagar to San Francisco - Review on Bangalore Mirror!

2009-06-19T16:14:00.004+05:30

My Husband and I were invited as guests by the Creative head of Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Bangalore, Amit Akali. He writes for ‘live 2 eat’ column (every Friday) in Bangalore Mirror. One of his reviews featuring us as guests is in today’s Newspaper! What a pleasant surprise this morning!

For the detailed review click

Have a good day and a happy weekend ahead!

Taja Masala Soda - Prathas, Pastries, Perfection!

2009-06-11T11:39:00.005+05:30

Taja masala is a small and humble place on the main road behind the BMS boys hostel.It has a narrow entrance and this gets even narrower, because of the fans this place has!To the left of this place, you can find a chilled glass closet with some deliciously decorated pastries, for those who like it without the egg, you have your choice to make as well.

The next counter is a frankie making one with one person busy making the fillings and tucking them into a neatly roasted thin roti with just enough oil. These frankies are available with a variety of stuffing, to name a few, mushroom, aloo, palak, onion, baby corn and sweet corn.
A bite of this frankie and you are tempted to have one more, two of the appealing factors of the frankie is the freshness it comes with and the price, costing just 15 bucks, they sure make you want more.
Next in line is the paratha kitchen, with 5-6 saree clad pleasant ladies. They have not more than 4 stoves, but manage to cater to the needs of all their customers without much wait. Let’s say that the division of labor has been very effective! The base filling for all the Parathas is Aloo, the variety in terms of mixed vegetable, baby corn, mushroom, beetroot, greens etc that one wants would be fried or sautéed on tawa and mixed with the potato filling! This is yummy and spicy filling is carefully placed in the dough and rolled over, it is put over a tawa with just enough oil and there the hot delicious Parathas for you, this is served with a bowl of curd, with some chat powder on it, a slice of cool cucumber, onion and a pickle. The first bite of these hot, fresh delectable Parathas and they’ll just keep you glued to this place!

This paratha place is also nick named as Paratha Point, with my work place just 2 roads away. I went to this place first with a big group of co-workers and from then this would be our most wanted place!
Even though we are shifted to another building, which makes this place a little less than 2 kms away, this still remains most popular.
It is a little heaving to eat at there during the peak time (1-2 pm) but any time before and after, the Parathas are more generous in their stuffing and tastier…
The fact that these mouth watering delicacies are just Rs.10/- each, make you gorge more! The price is one of the striking points to popularity.
The next best thing about this place is their fizzy drinks! For those who love masala soda’s. There are quite a variety and colorful sodas available in this place.

In the evening you also get some yummy bread rolls which just make you drool.
These are undoubtedly my favorite, one, two, three… and you just have to try really hard to stop!
For the monthly birthday bashes at office, this is the most desired snack.
Taja Masala Soda pseudonym Paratha point is all in all a Simple, Simply Super place!

This review is also available on Burrp

Address: 28/2 Mount Joy Road, Ashok Nagar, Basavanagudi, Bangalore, Phone: 9900252146

Chocolate Cake!!

2009-05-26T17:25:00.008+05:30

I like cooking and love eating! I am sure that is quite understandable for those who read my posts…. I have tried quite many recipes and have been successful in getting them right and tasty! I can proudly say I have been successful, one because my people totally relish anything I make, ok… most of the things I make. Another is because my lil adorable sister, who is a chef in the making approves of them!! She is a pro and makes some of the best cakes, pastries and cookies I have ever savored! For a few years now, it has been a tradition that she bakes cakes for any family occasions like b’days and anniversaries. Her cakes make these special occasions even more special! We celebrated my mother’s birthday this month for which chef wasn’t in town, we concluded that they’d be no cake from the her, until it occurred to me that I could try my hands in baking!
I was a good student in taking notes through Gtalk and over phone and following every single detail my chef told me to do. I exactly did everything she said n..... Voila! There was a beautiful, delicious cake. Quite a fast learner, I am!!
I found process of making a chocolate cake quite simple, All you have to remember is to follow the process.
Here’s how I made it.

Ingredients
Cake:
Eggs - 4 Whole Eggs
Sugar - 1 cup
Oil - 1/4th cup
Baking Soda – a pinch
Maida (All purpose flour) - 2 cups
Vanilla Essence – 2 Tbsp.
Baking Powder – 1Tbsp
Cocoa Powder - ½ cup
Icing
Sugar – 1 cup
Cocoa Powder – half a cup
Water – 1 cup
Gems, cherries – 5-10 Grams

Break the eggs (whole) into a bowl, beat them till it become 4times its volume. Powder sugar and when the egg mix looks fluffy add sugar, pour oil into the egg n sugar mixture, pour the oil little by little and finally add the vanilla essence. Take a separate bowl, add maida, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda mix them together and add them into the egg batter. Now fold these ingredients together. Fold it horizontally and vertically. With this the batter is done! Pre heat the oven at 180 Degree Celsius for 10 minutes. Grease the cake tin and pour the batter in. Bake this in the oven for 35min at 180 Degree Celsius and your cake is done!

For those who are curious (just like me) Do not open the oven for at least 20 minutes, there are chances, it might sink. Extra sugar also would result in a sunken cake.

There are innumerable ways to decorate your cake, here is the most simple and yummy way to do one. Add 1 cup of water into a bowl, heat this and pour granulated sugar once the sugar water mixture gets thicker, add half cup cocoa powder and mix it well. Pour it on the center n rotate the cake.

Add frozen cherries or gems to make your cake attractive.

With this I can certainly say that I have my latest crush on baking and would share more on things I bake-make!!

Delectably Delicious Dosas!! Sri Sagar (Formerly CTR)

2009-05-19T16:34:00.009+05:30

The Dosa, is indisputable the pride of south Indian cuisine. Every bite and it temptingly and quite very simply slips the mouth, mind and mood into a sumptuous fantasy!
It is easily one of the favorite, popular and likable breakfast in south India, I have always relished these golden-brown crispies in all their variety and forms, quite obviously, the Masala Dosa is my favorite.

Two weeks ago, it was in Malleshwaram that I got to eat the perfect Masala Dosa.
We started our kingsize breakfast at Veena stores and with that sumptuous treat, 5 crosses down is a corner green building madly crowded!
That's CTR for you, It is hard to miss, because of the bright green oil paint it has on the exteriors and the amount people movement.
We were lucky to get some parking on one of the side roads and squeezed ourselves inside the famous CTR. Thanks to the timely exit of a family and we got seats almost immediately. Something that I saw was that people who are waiting did not wait for longer to occupy seats. There was some good synchronization and speed.
We ordered for the Benne Masala dosa. The one who took the order asked us if we wanted extra butter, we said, “No”.
Thankfully because the one without the extra butter had more than XX-extra butter, however very tasty! They serve very quickly and consciously, they have got to keep up with the pace. The insides of this place had the necessary table and chairs and just enough place for one person to walk.
The just-cant-wait-to-eat dosas are brought in a plate with banana leaf below. The hot glossy, pleasing, golden brown dosa rolled on the green leaf gives you a contrasting and pleasing presentation.
I couldn't wait to savor it! The feel of this and u'll have your fingers all shiny with the generous amount of ghee and butter over it. The potatoes curry accompanying this was awesome. Bite by bite, it was getting better, I prefer to eat slowly to savor each bite completely. You can choose the hot delicious sambar over the chilli-n-coconut chutney, I have always been a sambar lover.
At the end of it, it was a super satisfying breakfast! We shared the table with another family and they didn’t seem to have any difficulty in having more than one.
Cheers to these deliciously delectable dosas… I am sure to go back there many times.
This review is also available on Burrp. This review made it to the weekly "just missed the crown" list! :)
Sorry about not having a picture of these delectable dosas... what can i say, i was just too unconscious and involved!!
Address:
Sri Sagar (Formerly and famously Central Tiffin Room)
No.154, Ground Floor, Margosa Road, 7th Cross, Malleshwaram, Bangalore.

Vowwwwie Vadas at Veena Stores!

2009-05-07T10:58:00.006+05:30

This review is also available on Burrp
Reviews on Burrp and a foodie friend of mine suggested the same exciting plan of going to Veena stores and next to CTR for their famous dosas. I simply succumbed to the temptations of their experiences at these places and wanted to visit them as early as possible.
Finally made it on last sunday. I woke up way too early for a Sunday and decided to walk in beautiful Lal Bhagh, After a rigorous session of running, jogging and walking the calorie conscious duo didn't think it was a sin to pamper ourselves with some high-cal food, for this i wanted my husband to take me all the way to Malleshwaram!

Since it was early on a Sunday, It didn't take too long for us to get to Margosa road. Veena Stores is a humble little shop on the 15th cross. it is beside Lakshmi maternity hospital. There is no parking on the main road, so we parked our vehicle at one of the side roads and walked up to the store to find a long queue, patiently stood and soon when it was our turn, we quickly placed an order for idly, vada and Kara bath.
Without much wait, we got hot plates of idly n vadas.
The idly was flawless white and extremely soft. The chutney and idly made a heavenly combination. The idly at Veena stores was so close to the best idly i had eaten. It was at a vacation to Mysore during Dasara festival it is available only during the festive season and is called 'Mallige Idly' (Mallige - Jasmine in kannada).
The vada is the best here, it is honestly the best i have ever eaten! I am usually not a Vada person, but totally loved the bite and taste of the crispy, brown, fried chunk with the green chilli and coconut chutney. Without much wait we decided to bite on more. They were generous enough to take the second order off the queue :-)
The hot Karabath is extremely rich with ghee, ghee and more ghee. The mixture of rava, ghee, vegetables and species just melt in your mouth.

The fact that you are standing is totally forgotten amidst the yummies in your hand and mouth! They are very quick in their service. We were Full and completely loved the place. A place I would emphatically recommend for idly and vada lovers! Wait up for my next review on 'the best' and sumptuous Dosas at Sri Sagar (Formerly called as CTR - Central Tiffin Rooms)
Address:
15th Cross, Margosa Road, Malleshwaram, Bangalore.

Cable Car - CARving Cravings...

2009-04-25T17:46:00.006+05:30

After restaurants with themes like forests, trains, metros etc, it is time we welcome cable cars too.
Cable car, a restaurant serving Indian and Italian food, opened less than a week ago. The theme of this restaurant has been to replicate the famous and reliable means of transport which is the San Francisco cable car system.
The building facing the main road indeed grabs some attention with its tall and gracefully done architecture. There are two doors, the one on the left leads you to the restaurant and the other makes way to a beautiful white spacious reception hall. On the white wall to your left, you’ll see the monuments and a brief story of San Francisco. The reception desk also depicts the famous golden gate bridge. I had a look at the rooms and they were of some good taste, very tidy and fragrant.
They are priced in the range of Rs. 3500, 4500 to 6000/- On the corridors they have hand paintings and depictions of San Francisco and some beautiful photo frames collages. A picture with the night view of San Francisco was beautiful!

The staff is more than glad to offer valet parking and welcome you into their newly built cable car. In to the door on the left and you are in the restaurant- Cable car. I must say that my journey in the cable car was a very pleasing experience!
The interiors are nicely done with light wood, the floor, the ceiling everything is out a wood. The hall is small and accommodates not more than 10 midsized tables.
The place is doing well and was over crowded on a few days. They had to send a few guests because of unmanageable numbers. Nevertheless they are prepared and are more accommodating with a bigger floor on the first level. I did take a look at it and it is indeed quite spacy. They also have a corner dedicated for the children’s play area. Both the halls are designed in such a way that you have look-alike cable car at the end of the hall. There are two mid-sized tables placed inside this replicate.

The staff dressed in denim and T-Shirts with a stamp reading San Francisco Municipal railways, the menu which is a 4 folded sheet with offerings of the Indian cuisine on the facing and Italian on the back do have the taste of rustic cable car theme on. The menu has sketches of the cable-car, people travelling and compliments the theme well. The Italian menu is categorized into beverages, Antipasto (Appetizers), primo (main course) and Dolce (Desserts). I didn’t really taste anything Italian, my preference was mostly weighted towards Indian cuisine.
I quickly turned over the menu and decided on starters. The Hara Bara Kabab and the Tandoor Dingri were my picks. Before this arrived some complimentary roasted crispy papads with some green mint chutney, was hungry when I reached there and they were over within no time! The Hara Bara kabab good but something that was more appealing was the button mushrooms equally sized chosen carefully to soak in the perfect Tandoor masala were mind blowing!! Button after button, they just melted in my mouth!!
I totally relished and loved this with the chutney and salad it accompanied with. These tandoori items never fail to steal my heart away! For the main course it was some kulchas with paneer lababdar!! No clue why I chose this, but I so made the right choice, this was spicy and had an amazing flavor, every bite was so sumptuous and we just kept appreciating that with some unending Mmmmm….mmmms.

One of the partners spoke to guests and checked on their opinions. He recommended we have desserts and exclaimed they were equally good.
Without much thought I chose Tiramisu but unfortunately it was out of stock and so chose the American Mud pie, this was frozen and didn’t really have cake in abundant that it is originally suppose to have. However the chocolate, walnuts and vanilla are always welcome and did sooth me on the hot afternoon!
The prices are reasonable and meal for two would cost you approximately Rs. 600/- A lovely place with some delicious food and a distinguishing ambiance.
I am sure to go there again and again!!

This review is also available on Burrp

Address
483/27, 46th Cross, 5th block, Jayanagar, Bangalore-41
Phone: 42977777

Sea Rock - Awesome Neer Dosas....

2009-04-22T16:55:00.003+05:30

You do something nice to others and it sure does pay back… One of the nice deeds did pay back and got even better when it was returned with a treat at sea rock!

A hot sunny afternoon and we walked to Sea Rock, which was very close to our workplace. It faces the main road next to The Bangalore Hospital and is easy to locate.

They have restaurants in the first and the second floor, we chose to seat at the second floor, a huge aquarium with an elegant Arowana and a red flower horn fish, sure catch attention. It was a treat to watch them move in the well defined aquarium and this is definitely something that is more exciting than the fish on plate! ;)

The dim hall had closely placed tables with white and pink cloth and white cutlery. There is a bar in the corner of the hall, the music was on had some old Hindi numbers. There was no need for a menu since we had decided on tasting the much talked about Neer Dosa. This was tried and tasted by quite a few colleagues and they insisted we try the place. Majorities were vegetarians and so we quickly placed an order for 2 plates of Neer-dosas and Mangalore vegetarian curry. In a plate, they give you 5 neer dosas, which are extremely sumptuous, I just loved each bite! The stew with the dosas made an awesome combination. We also ordered another plate to quench the drooling lust for dosas! Then came the rotis and kadai Veg. The kadai veg also made a good combi with the dosas.

Neer Dosa is a Mangalorean Delicacy and is made of a batter with coconut milk and flour, they are extremely thin and are spread on the pre-heated tawa with a cloth, not very rich in calories, they just bowl me over on every bite I take.

The butter milk was cool and refreshing.

The other customers were mostly from my workplace, Our conversations were interesting and involved subjects about men at work, cute and handsome men, men in our lives. It was a memorable afternoon with some amazing Mangalorean cuisine!!

We waited for the bill and something that made us smile was the 10% discount we get because we are sonatians… Cheers!

I took a couple of other friends recently so it was 2 visits in 4 days! The prices are reasonable with a meal for two costing you around 300/-. With great food and warm staff, Sea rock certainly a place you would want to try, continue to try and appreciate!

Address:

22/A&B, Lakshmi Towers, RV Road, Near South End Circle, Basavanagudi, Bangalore

Phone: 9243404274, 41314376

24th Main - Very Veggie!

2009-04-16T16:14:00.003+05:30

It took us some time to locate 24th main after a long day. Though it is on the main road at JP nagar, the road that leads you has been dug and there is a round about way to reach this place. A board with Cross roads Inn and a shady tree with pleasant lights rolled around its bark is what will catch your attention.
We chose to dine here after some praise from common friends. A lady greets and welcomes you at the door. Tables for two weren’t available and so we were asked to wait outside the restaurant and I couldn’t see any chairs. There was a place to accommodate an upcoming water body and the lady expected us and also gestured us to sit on the wall that formed the boundary of the fountain!! I insisted on getting some chairs, on demand got them. The others who had to wait had no choice but to stand, however the wait was not long.

After entering the place, I felt good. It gives you a pleasing feel with some deep dark wooden furniture, illuminated ornamental lights, spacious floor, fine paintings and pleasant walls. We ensconced in a table that was in the middle of the floor. We had some smartly dressed men with the menu. They offer quite a variety belonging to multi- cuisine.
Service is pretty quick and the portions are generous, unfortunately both the starters that were ordered were on the blander side. It was no fault of the chef, but a wrong order for pungent chilli lovers like my husband and I. However the malai kababs with the sauce did make quite an impression.
The next to come was some Rotis and curry, this is was delectable.
It would make an decent hangout for those vegetarians in south of Bangalore. The prices are reasonable, they take your feedback and send you a thanking mail. I also noticed a lady checking the comfort of a few customers.
Vegetarians, this is worth a try!
This review is available on Burrp
Address:
Cross Roads Inn, 24th Main, 12th Corss, 2nd Phase, JP Nagar, Bangalore, Phone 26588620

Macros!!

2009-04-07T16:14:00.007+05:30

It was appraisal time, I was proudly a part of the Team HR and more specifically an HR partner for one of the largest delivery groups.
It was time to communicate the KRA (key result areas) and CSFs( Critical sucess factors) to each and everyone employee and after a round of who's eligible, who's not, why? etc. we had a quite an enormous number, close to 1800!
We were not still geared up for an ERP and so doing this manually was quite a task.
We spoke to one of the teams here, who helped us with an intranet application. This application was shortlived with it's life begining from the HR admins uploading a KRA onto the system against the respective employee and the employee downloading the same. The problem came when we had to do this to employees who were onsite (other locations where intranet applications do not work)
After looking at the number of people who were working OF and Onsite, we had to think of a way to do this automatically, We first thought of mail merging, but with attachments it would not be possible.
we figured out that, it is possible to send mails with attachments with the help of Macros.
With the help of Google and a colleague, we got this in place and when this worked, I was overjoyed!!
we had found a way to send attachments to approx 500 people within minutes.
To help those in need, a detailed list of action items to code Macros to send attachments.

Step 1: Open an excel sheet and define the basic colums such as the name, Email ID and the exact path to the attachment and save this.
Eg:

Emp ID	Names	Email ID	Path
1111	ABC	ABC@PQR.com	C:\Documents and Settings\Desktop\ABC_1111.xls
2222	XYZ	XYZ@PQR.com	C:\Documents and Settings\Desktop\XYZ_2222.xls

Step 2:
Go to Tools>Macros>Record New Macro
This options opens a window where one has to name a macro, give a relevant, unique name

Step 3:
Once you have names the Macro, again go to Tools, and hit on Macro (The option above Record new macro)
A click on the relevant would lead you to a small window with option such as Run, cancel, Step into, Edit, Delete, Options and more. Hit on Step into

Step 4:
Quite a variety of these codes are available on the net. a few of them work and a few throw an error. However after some editing this seems to successfully work. I am pasting the exact code here below

Macro Code to email Customized Attachments
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub Macroname()
Dim intRecCount As Integer
Dim intCounter As Integer
Dim strEmailID As String
Dim strPath As String
Dim OutApp As Object
Dim OutMail As Object

For intCounter = 2 To 1000
If Len(ThisWorkbook.Sheets(1).Range("A" & intCounter).Value) > 0 Then
strEmailID = ThisWorkbook.Sheets(1).Range("C" & intCounter).Value
strPath = ThisWorkbook.Sheets(1).Range("D" & intCounter).Value

Set OutApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
OutApp.Session.Logon
Set OutMail = OutApp.CreateItem(0)

On Error Resume Next
With OutMail
.To = strEmailID
.Subject = "Mention your subject here"
.Body = "The body of your mail"
.Attachments.Add (strPath)
.Send 'or use .Display
End With
On Error GoTo 0

Set OutMail = Nothing Set
OutApp = Nothing
Else
Exit For
End If

Next intCounter
End Sub
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 4: This code should be saved and closed. Get back to the excel sheet and save it with this formula.
Follow step 3 and choose run.

Step 5: Ensure your Outlook is open. Once you click on run. There is an alert message click yes to continue.
Soon after the mail is sent to all mentioned in your reference sheet. The process ends.

When i was in search of a solution to this, i found a relatively large amount of queries on sending attachments as a mail merge. I am not sure if there is a better way to do this. However i firmly think i found one step better if not the best!

Barbeque Nation - A Barbequlicious nation!!

2009-04-03T17:59:00.006+05:30

This review is also available on Burrp
A week before last week, my husband and I took a break from work and made it to this place for a weekday lunch. Barbeque Nation sure has an attractive aura around it. This place is in a big complex that faces to a road really narrow. There is hardly any place parking. We were lucky enough to find a shady place for our coupe on the scorching afternoon.

We took the lift to reach Barbeque nation on the third floor. Since it was a weekday afternoon, we didn’t reserve a table. The place was half full. We, and I am sure every customer is received with at most courteousness. It is a cool place, with mostly beige and white interiors. It is not too crowded with too many ornaments. Very simple and attractive warli art structures are neatly arranged on enclosures inside the walls. The seats and tables are of woos and light in color to match the beige walls and flooring. Very well lit with the natural lighting, all in all it gives you a very pleasing feeling. We had some nice comfortable leather cushioning on the low placed sofas.

The dining experience at Barbeque Nation was extremely pleasant. They strikingly distinguish themselves from the other restaurants.Firstly it excites you with the cook and dine experience. The non-vegetarian barbeques are even more attractive. We chose the vegetarian option and The waiter gets a miniature steel barbeque and skewers pierced with the most colorful vegetables. They are brought to you after 90% cooked in the kitchen and the 10% is all your choice, Incase you overdo it then it’s purely your fault! They compliment this with the green mint chutney which is just too delicious. They have cute wooden holders and have 6 little bowls of essence (sauces/oils) 3 on each side with the likes of chilli sauce, mayonnaise, mango sauce, lemon, onion etc.

Secondly, it is the unlimited starters. Yea… unlimited in its true sense. A flag placed on the table with the pole straightened means you are ready for more. Once your tempting affair is quenched you can tilt the flag downwards. They have a variety of 5 Sumptuous starters. For the day, it was thai fry potatoes, something out of unripe banana, Spinach and corn tikkis, baby potato patties and more. They change their variety on the fabulous five everyday. I, being more of a starters person, totally buy the idea of having different variety of unlimited starters! If it is a lunch on a weekday, one gets are a complimentary drink. This could be a beer or an attractive mocktail. Ginger lady, strawberry splash and the aqua blue are delicious and energizing!

Thirdly, it is the degree of consciousness that they portray. This is evidentially higher when contrasted with the other restaurants of the same star. Very warm people genuinely concerned about you and go all-out to make the dining experience the best one. When they place the barbeque on your table, they definitely generate some heat, however the hosts have been thoughtful enough to make sure the air around is cooler, so that it creates the ideal atmosphere to enjoy a meal.

They have a buffet spread with some really good food. You have many salads, a Chinese corner with either fried rice, schezwan or hakka noodles with gravies, the breads are brought to you on the table, to go with the breads they offer 4 varieties of curries, Dal, rice, Curd rice, raita, they also offer to serve you some vegetable biryani to the table. and last but never the least the desserts. The desserts are Gulab jamoon, Vanilla Ice-cream with some vibrant sauces, chocolate fantasy, almond maple pie, Phirnee, cut fruits and a cheese pastry. I relished the combination of the hot jamoon amid chilled ice-cream!

Once you enjoy the starters and the barbeque, it is hard to accommodate the main course.
The charge you 275/- per person on a afternoon on weekdays, for dinner and on weekends it cost around 500/- per person.
All in all, it made a wonderful experience that afternoon. What’s more? We went there again 4 days ago and thoroughly enjoyed the feast!!
This place is a Super Super hit and I am sure that’ll continue to shine!!

Address:
67, 15th cross, 6th B main, JP Nagar, Bangalore
Phone 40919191

Silver Metro - Complete VFM and Delicious buffet!

2009-04-01T10:48:00.005+05:30

It was from a colleague who complimented Silver Metro for their variety buffet and a distinguishing ambiance that made it my choice to celebrate a special day with my family.

Silver metro is in the Total mall on the third floor. At the entrance, they have two engines of a train each on either sides. There is a table with refreshments and a bowl to drop your business cards, do take a minute to do this, you could be the lucky one to win the daily draw!
You enter the restaurant to find a long unending row of delicacies lined to your right. There are the tables with chairs arranged to the left of the hallway and to the extreme left is a train with tables for four making the rest of the restaurant, a platform! This whole set up, definitely amuses the kids!
Once we seated, we found a cockroach on the serviette! We politely called the manager and showed the gross pest. He apologized and replaced the serviette and plate. What was shocking is that, the man standing beside the manager, very conveniently told us we got the disgusting pest with us!
The manager kept gesturing and signaling to the man that he was wrong, but this man evidentially unclear and obviously wrong just argued, but miserably failed to make his point. His name too is fresh in my mind. Did I just call this a ‘platform’ in my earlier lines?

After some serious ‘checking out’ of the place, we got on to the menu. It is quite exhaustive. The place was crowded with mostly large groups.
I do not remember the non-veg delights for the day, but i will sure pen down the vegetarian menu.
I started with the Salads, they had the pasta and corn in Béchamel sauce. I simply loved this. They had loads of other grams boiled with colorful, cut vegetables.
A lil bit of all of them and I was already feeling full! There we quite many starters, Hara-Bara Kebabs were my favorite. The Chinese varieties with the noodles, fried rice and sauce were a sure hit with my mother! The Jeera pulav with the Dhal Makhani made a wonderful combo. My family surely did enjoy the Dum Biryani and chicken starters. For the desserts they had two types of pastries, nothing very extraordinary with their taste. They had the kesar, Bengali sweet, this tasted fine.
The hit on the sweet list was the Mawa Halwa, Very rich and simply delectable! There were three flavors of ice creams, some vibrant sauces including strawberry, chocolate and crushed peanuts that could sprinkled on to the ice-cream.
If I were to comment on the personnel and service of Silver Metro, It would be nowhere close to a positive one. Man, they definitely need some serious service orientation!
A heavy and delicious buffet which costs you 280 inclusive of tax, Silver Metro is a place with distinguishing ambience and good food with no complaints but deserving compliments. However, a strong suggestion definitely on cleanliness needs to be sent out!
Address:
Ohri's, Level 3
The Total Mall,
Madivala,
Koramangala,
Bangalore
Phone: 40003333
This review is also available on Burrp

The Richmond hotel - Good Dinner Buffet

2009-03-19T18:43:00.006+05:30

Birthday celebrations and a dinner buffet for our family landed at us The Richmond Hotel.
Richmond Road is a one-way road and the Hotel is on the left hand side. It was a wonderfully cool evening with a bit of drizzling! We made it through to Richmond road quite fast, surprisingly without much traffic. There is a gate that leads you into the stairway up to the Bell desk. They offer you valet parking. Two huge doors take you to the well lit veranda with some nice cushions and fresh flowers. The dining area is a few steps away. The doors open to a long, rectangular buffet hall. They have tables for 6 and 4. The interiors give you a warm feel. There cloth and cushions used are of bottle green and the wood is of deep Maroon. With the dim lights, it gives this dark and private ambience. The staff is extremely warm and conscious of their customers. Since I made reservations earlier, there wasn’t much trouble in getting places for our big gang!
We took our seats and there came a chocolate mousse as a surprise from my sister, after a bite of that and all the Mmmmm and all the applaud she received and truly deserved!

We got on to the buffet. There were some non-veg chicken starters. Not too sure on their names but, one was more like kabab and was bland, the other had chicken legs in thick gravy. The vegetarians had no choice starters with just Carrot fries as a starter. These were not tasty and extremely oily. I am not sure if I even got the faintest flavor of carrot, it was just batter deeply fried! Too bad this was the only starter. There were salads. Cucumber, tomatoes, Onions nicely spiced up was tasty. They had the boiled eggs, dipped in honey as one of the other salads. That did taste different, but was not too much of my liking. The breads of your choice are brought to your table. I am not too sure on what the non vegetarians savored but the vegetarians had a choice of 4 sumptuous gravies. One of them was my favorite daal. The others were Palak, Vegetable jaipuri and panner gravies, all very distinct and delectable. There was the mutton sum Biryani, vegetable pulav and Pudina pulav. I relished each bite of the Pudina Pulav. Pudina has an amazing flavour and the pulav from pudina with the right amount of masala and tasted great with the vegetable raita! There was a bowl of thick curd and curd rice with some lemon pickle. Before that, we all enjoyed the taste of steamed rice with lady’s finger sambar and rasam. Moving right on to the desserts, there was the vanilla icecream, Fruits, Gulab Jamoon and Mango cheese mousse. A few spoons of all and none seemed to impress me.

It was in no comparison with the the mousse that my lil chef made for me!! It Definitely was a special celebration!!

This review is also available on Burrp.

Address: 88/2, RIchmond road, Richmond town, Bangalore

Geleto Pazzo - Yummy S'cream....

2009-03-10T17:32:00.004+05:30

Gelato Pazzo is a humble place where you get appetizing ice-cream! The parlor faces the main road and has an eye catching board with a unique name.
The white background and some painting on them form the interiors. There is a menu displaying the variety of ice creams and shakes they make here. I am a frequent-goer to this place as it’s close to my house.... There are times our family has gone to this place at 11 in the night!
The tables with black granite and the wooden seat chairs match those in corner house.
The ice cream tastes and names are similar to the ones available at corner house. I guess the head of this place worked at corner house for some time.
I personally feel that Gelato Pazzo is more generous with their quantity, cheaper in prize and high on quality.

My favorites here are the brownie fudge and cake fudge! This would also include the Boss - DBC (Death by chocolate) but it’s just too much to bite on. For fruit lovers there are quite many funky fruity flavors
My sister relishes one completely and she claims and boasts she could eat more!!
Let me key out a few details on the cake fudge. The bowl with this dessert contains a whole cake building a thick and fluffy boundary. Then comes the white beauty, Vanilla with two large scoops, hot and sexy chocolate sauce melting beauty and nuts and more nuts. A bite of this for ice-cream/chocolate lovers and you’ll just be gratified.
Not too crowded making it quite and pleasing. The service is quick and polite. A place worth a visit (and many to follow)

Address:
10th Main, BTM Layout - II Stage,
Bangalore
Phone: 65676444

Aila! Awesome Aloooo Tikki,

2009-03-04T09:25:00.003+05:30

Needless to say, Arya Bhavan is one of the most famous sweet meat stalls in Bangalore.
A promise to mom, to come home for dinner but hungry and tempted to grab a quick chat landed me and my sister at Arya bhavan on MG road!
This place is a little inside and diagonally faces the popular MG road. A small door, a few steps and you'd find yourself surrounded with the aromatic smell of ghee and rich sweets.
This small place has the sweets arranged on the right hand side and to the left you have the tables and chairs. At the back is a small kitchen. The walls are adorned with paintings of men from Arya Bhavan at work. The paintings are quite detailed there by giving a kind of process flow of the sweet making! :)
The Menu is more of a white sheet laminated with all the variety of chat, lassi and sweets available. The masala, sev, dahi, Alu and tikki puri are made really well and it is a treat to taste. The Alu Tikki just dominates them all and stands out for the exotic flavour and sense of taste!! I just love the sauce it is accompanied with. The hot and sweet sauce with a pinch of sourish taste, just bowls me over. The crispy tikki is also made just perfectly well. I have been to this place just to relish their tikki more than a dozen number of times.... The butter milk, rich badam milk are also relishable drinks.
Some of the famous sweets which more in demand are the Rasmalai, Kaju burfi, Gulab Jamoon, Raj bhog and more. There are a whole range of sweets for people with sweet teeth :) The service is fast and neat.
If you want to cut out the monotony of shopping on MG road, break for a quick snack and again shop till its time your stomachs growl. Arya Bhavan is the place, The Aloo tikkis is something you'll simply love every time you bite on. A nice place for chats and sweets.
This review is also available on Burrp

Address:
No 115, Kapoor Buildings
MG Road
Bangalore
Phone: 25597251, 65344904

See & Smile :)

2009-03-02T14:25:00.007+05:30

My husband was on his way to his work place, and he sees something that made him smile.
I am putting it up here to spread smiles! :)

Have a great day!

Deliciously Pleasing times @ Punjabi Times!!

2009-02-23T15:47:00.004+05:30

This review is also available on Burrp, This is on my visit to Punjabi times on 31 Dec '08.
Party and Partying was in the air and of course it would be, it was New Years eve!!
With no prior plans we had no party happening. 2008 was a wonderful year and we strongly wanted to make the last day a memorable one. We looked at a few restaurants around home and zeroed down to Punjabi times. Since it was NY Eve, I called them to make a reservation.
The time we reached the restaurant was delayed by an hour but still we were shown to our tables with absolutely no wait. There was a long queue waiting in the narrow corridor and that tapered towards the stairway.

This was my second visit to this place and I could definitely visit more often.
Though the entrance is not so appealing with the automobile showroom interfering, the insides of the place definitely is. The foyer is welcoming with a fat wooden door lined with lamps and a warm host.
You feel like you are transformed to a different place…
It truly has the color and enthusiasm of Punjab! From the water wheel, to the idol of the dancing pair with colorful attire, the huge paintings abounding in colors, the lanterns, the drapes, the cushions, the music and almost everything around, sink and soak you in the rich tunes of Punjab!! The special occasion added more color and embellishments to the ambiance. Like true Punjab and Punjabi's, it was full of life!!
The place simply excited me and my family! I feel it even when I am writing now….

For the evening there was a special menu. One of the waiters quickly gave us one of those.
There was a price difference from the other days to the one in the special menu. There was quite a choice of delicacies. We opted for the masala lassi, salted lime soda and few soft drinks. The lassi was just too creamy and so mmmmm…I made a crazy new year resolution to give up non vegetarian food and so that evening was the last bite of non veg I would eat! At least for next 365 days! So willingly most of my picks were on chicken and meat. For the ‘Shuruwat’, we had a gobi starter, this with it’s tangy chutney, was just too good. It was super spice and nice. It was named ‘Railway Gobi’.The Sheek kabab also made a good starter, it would taste better if cooked for a little longer, The chicken starter was sumptuous.

For the main course it was a variety of breads including Tandoor Roti, Butter naan and Kulchas with some finger-licking gravies!!The quantity of each curry is less when compared to what’s given on the other days. Chicken something was served from a very small plate.It was vegetable Pulav with some nice Raita to conclude our dinner. With all that I tried and tasted from the past two visits, I feel their breads and gravies are tastier than the rice items. I also strongly feel they make the vegetarian food better.

It was a busy day for the team there but with all the pressure they worked courteously. The service was quick. All in all, the timing, the food, warmth and décor of the place made it a Chak de Phatte experience!

Address:
#15/1, Bannergatta Road,
Opp. Shoppers Stop,
Bannergatta Main road,
Bangalore
Phone: 41103222, 4110344

Schatz and Us!

2009-02-23T13:06:00.015+05:30

Schatz is our 2 year old Labrador. It was from my childhood days that my sister and I desperately wanted to have a dog. Dad was against this as he thought it needed lots of responsibility and we weren't old enough to display the same. Anytime this matter cropped up, we would end with an unhappy note. But, talking of preparedness, I had decided on the name our first pet 12 yrs ago!

Unbelievably, one fine day he suddenly decided we would get one home! We were hunting hard from that very moment, the classifieds were in demand and ripped apart, dug a few old contacts. It was on the 5th of March in 07 that we got the World's cutest pup home!! After a one hour wait which seemed like a day, A big car halted in front of our gate. A tall man and two kinds jumped out of the car, we saw a basket in their hand. They were welcomed into our house. He slowly unlocked the basket and out of it came our pup. We all sat on the floor, almost completing the circle around it, he walked straight to me! I picked him up. I felt out of this world, i was Overjoyed!! It was such a memorable moment.

We named him Schatz - A German word, which means Treasure, Wealth, Darling, Sweetheart. It is a pleasure to have Schatz around, he bring so much joy to the family and makes home an even special place. He is selectively obedient and a drop dead handsome guy! When he is asleep the cuteness quotient drastically increases! Bathing, brushing, feeding, petting, fighting, running, and walking him is such a joy! Driving with Schatz makes you feel like a celebrity, All eyes on you! It is thrilling to see him put his face out and enjoy avidly.When we go on vacation, he is left at the dog's hostel and we so miss him. Right now, he is not around and I can't wait to get my hands on him. There are a lot of lessons we learn while raising pets, We get to be more responsible and patient. We always have a friend, a companion who accepts us for who we are. Teaches us how to express love, Unconditional Love. To bury ego, forget and forgive quickly! Most importantly, we learn to enjoy and love every moment each day!
It was in the weekend, I watched Marley & me. It is a wonderful movie, it illustrates the journey of a couple and their dog. It is a simple movie that takes us through their everyday life and ends as a tragedy. In the movie, They say, "A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his."
What scared me was the fact that nothing in life is permanent. How do we handle and accept the loss of a pet, a loved one? An extremely tough task! However for now, something that I learn from Schatz... Enjoy every moment of life!
Schatz, for the one who brings abundance delight to our life, We love you forever!!

The Mehendi Day!

2009-02-19T13:53:00.008+05:30

It was one of the most memorable days of my life... Yes, I was getting ready for my marriage! Out of the so many functions we have before the marriage, the marriage itself and the post marriage. The Mehendi function was one of the most enjoyable one! I had invited a few of my close friends. Relatives, cousins and other well wishers were invited for the event.

My sister, mother, aunts, were just so busy making sure all the arrangements were ready. My sister was running around and was preparing for this 2 days prior. The aroma of the delicacies from the kitchen just add to the the festive aura.
Slowly everyone arrived, they were all so prepared to rock the floor. The foot tapping music just filled the hall with enthusiasm. Except me and a few very shy ones, everyone was on the floor. what a sight, Absolutely colorful, lively and contagious!! I was just waiting for the Mehendi guy to finish of as fast as possible, I pleaded and requested him! Irresistibly i was immovably doing my bit of jhatkas and matkas.The photos and videos of these moments definitely bring a smile on my face.

It was not so long ago, we had a training program at Sonata Software on soft skill training. There was an activity to draw your entire life on a 4 paged book, The front sheet would be the title and a picture depicting your life, the second was on your childhood, the third was your family and the last was what you'd like to do in your old age.
It is extremely prosperous to have wonderful parents, siblings, friends, colleagues and an understanding life partner. With wonderful people surrounding me I named the book of my life as ' A blessed life'.

The mehendi function happended a year ago and I did not think of writing on this. It was a dear friend and colleague of mine who told me that she had a very happy time there on this particular day and would write on it. Today, when i read on her impressions I was in all smiles. Here is what she writes on A blessed life.

Eggxplicitly Eggcellent!!

2009-02-18T15:48:00.007+05:30

My spouse and I have given up non-veg for this year and our next delicious desire was egg. Reading on the other reviews and impressions, Egg factory was something we definitely wanted to visit.
After several plans and cancellations, we finally made to this place for lunch.
It was a jammed path to get to St Mark's road. Off St Mark's road to your right you'd find a building named 'The white house', The egg factory is on the ground floor of the same building, it is a pain to park on this crammed road!

We entered and I was in all smiles, I just loved the theme and logo of the place. The floor, ceiling, wooden seats and tables, walls, people, their attire everything around gives you a look and feel of a Factory. The most wanted raw material here is 'The Egg', Almost every preparation here has egg in it. We started with Pink lady and lime juice, this was soothing and very refreshing after the tiring ride. Something that is very interesting is the menu, it resembles one of those user manual that accompany the electronic gadgets we buy.They also have them translated in different languages! Also the sections in their menu have names similar to my subject line, A few to mention would be, Eggxtraordinary, Eggcellent, eggstacy. These lil creative details have been handled so well to give the whole place a super special concept!

After our drink we couldn't wait to bite into the much spoken egg delicacies. Yogesh was kind enough to place the order and needless to say, we let him do so as he was an expert! We had the 'Desi Penne pasta' which was spiced up to suit the Indian taste, It was so presentable with pasta and strips of eggs in orange sauce. A spoonful and i just loved it! the next was the the Garden Frittata which accompanied a fluff garlic bread, The Frittata was just fat and filling, Garlic bread is my favorite and here it was at it's best! Next came the parathas and methi egg curry, The Parathas were accompanied with vegetable salad and a cuppa curd. I liked the masala curd and that made a wonderful combo with Paratha and boiled egg. The curry had boiled eggs in spicy gravy of finely chopped onion, tomatoes and methi leaves.
It was nice to see Yogesh, the co-founder of 'The egg Factory' greet and get opinions from all his customers. My friend and I were just so filled and decided to come back again. The meal didn't real end here! To give it a grand finale came the caramel custard and bread custard. The caramel custard was indeed one of the best i have eaten so far! I liked the bread custard more than the former, it had custard with the right amount of flavor and sugar, the cherries and bread on the custard made it just the most delicious custard dessert i have had so far!!

The service was quick, empathetic and very neat, With all this warmth and sumptuous meal made a wonderful afternoon. It was definitely a task to get back to work after all this!!
For people who love eggs you must visit this place! I have made plans to bring my family and friends next, there are just so many varieties of eggs that i am keen on tasting!!
All the best and many thanks to Yogesh!!
This review is also available on Burrp

Address:
Ground floor, White house,
St Mark's Road
Bangalore
Phone: 42110041

Charming Coorg!!

2009-02-17T13:27:00.008+05:30

A busy day, a call from an unknown number, it was from a pleasant talking lady from Club Mahindra! She quickly got to the matter and said we won a free stay in any of their resorts! I reconfirmed and she reassured, quickly we set up a time and date for a presentation, it was a marketing session to buy their membership.
After a 45 minute session, we weren't quite ready for a damage of over 2 lakhs, we gracefully turned their option. They were kind enough to give us the free stay in spite of the disappointment. This gift voucher was alive only for 6 months, which meant we need to use this up before June '09.

One leisure weekend afternoon, we decided we should go to Coorg for the valentine's day! We quickly booked recived confirmations and waited for the day to come. After much debate and unconditional concern from both our parents, we were allowed to go by our car! I was damn keen on going with Hope. Well, all the vehicle have been named! and Hope is our santro. It was 14Th and a special day to all those in love! It was an extremely fun filled drive to Coorg!

The Bangalore-Mysore highway makes driving a pleasure, it was little over 2 hours by the time we reached Srirangapatanam. we took the Hunsur road leading towards Bailukoppe.

The Golden Temple, Bailukoppe
Bailukoppe has a lot of Tibetians, A left on the main road would take you to the interiors of the town. It was nice to see people clean up the bushes and also tarring the road. Once you take a sense of ownership on the tasks you perform, the result is always finer.From young to old everyone was at work on the field.
It was noticeable that every task they were performing had that extra effort. Indeed a crowded place but neatly maintained. Around 5 kms on the same road is the wonderful Buddha temple. it was 11 in the morning and the massive hall as filled with monks reciting prayers. Once you step into the hall you are embraced with a sense of peace, it was definitely a wonderful moment. They have lush greenery around and a hall lit with more than a thousand lamps! We spent some time talking to the localities we headed back to the highway, The next place of interest was Kaveri Nisargadhama.

Kaveri Nisargadhama.
I had been to this place in my last year at school which was 11 years ago, oh yes it has transformed much beyond recognition. This wasn't the case with my husband who had visited this place 2 years ago. He very well recongnised everybit of the place and was more like my guide. A super suspension brige connects you to the park. The deer, elephants, rabbits, monkeys (lotsa them) are a few you'd be excited to see. They have facilities like boat rides and elephant rides. The water level is less since the dry season has set in. The park has bamboos almost everywhere except the pathway. These bamboos sway with the tunes of the wind and are bound to catch fire as the barks rub one another in the process, to avoid this they are kept wet through a sprinkler. A friendly encounter with a 10 yr old elephant, feeding the spotted dear, peddling boat, a quite walk and a wonderful atomsphere made our visit to nisargadhama a special one!

Dubare Elephant Camp.
This is a 12km from the highway. A neatly laid road but a narrow one. Coffee plantations keep you company along the way to the camp, There is the jungle lodges and a cople of other places that offer a stay at this place. Soon after we parked the car, there was a man who spoke to us on something called Still water rafting !!
I remember Rafting the first time, This was in Dhandeli, river Kali was in all glory, it was a unforgettable moment, this is one of the most adventerous activity i have attempted so far, and knowing on how fierce rafting is, i was shocked on the phrase 'still water rafting!!' when asked to explain what he meant, he said they would take you on 1.5 km ride on a raft on the still waters! and guess what they charge Rs.100 per person. Didn't like the idea and chose to go by boat. we reached the otherside and were facinated to see the elephant taming sessions, it's a huge task! This is mainly devoted to elephant-capturing and training of the Forest Department at the edge of Dubare forest. It was lucky to find 5 newly captured elephants being trained.
During their mating season, the elephants are left out in the wild, they are chained on one of their limbs. Before dusk the mahouts follow the path get the elephants back. They are fed well and kept neat. In fact people who visit the elephant camp have activities such as elephant bathing, feeding and rides.

The highway until you reach Kushalnager is simply a beauty! Past Kushalnagar, the road is nothing comparable to the latter. They have some repair/broadening of roads and hence another 3-6 months, this would soon be a pleasure.
A safe and consistent driving speed, comfortable amount of time in all the three places, breakfast and leaving Bangalore by 6:30 am allowed us to reach Madikeri at 3.30 pm.

Club Mahindra Resorts.
In all sense a wonderful place, spread across 33 acres, it's truly a magnificent.
It is 7 kms from Madekeri town, The gates opened to a thick green aura and a stoned pathway. We drove down to the reception, you are greeted by a lady with a lamp and chandan (Sandalwood paste). we took our seats at the reception and within no time all the formalities were done. A refreshing welcome drink and a towel made the welcome a very warm one. we were shown our way to the rooms. A beautiful room with a balcony. I was really happy to receive all this and that too for free!! They have 3 restaurants Coffee Blossoms, Green Cardamom and Marcara. out of these Marcara is our favorite restaurant. In the 3 days that we stayed at the club, 2 dinners and a lunch was at this place. The food they make here is sumptuous! On one of the days, The janitor surprised us with pumpkin Alva and delicious ladoos (basin and Coconut). I didn't see that happening with the other tables. It was just for us!! The pizza at coffee blossoms was bad! The pizza was no where close to one.

Talking about the facilities, they have a pool, neat and small. It was last October since i swam and so the long gap made the swimming experience relaxing. It was a much deserving exercise! They have a badminton court, Table tennis, many indoor games including snooker, video games, chess, carrom. They also give you an option to borrow books and DVD's there is a projector and you could have a private theatre. On weekend nights they have a program called Magical moments, where they organise games and several dance programmes. All this was a treat!

Abbey Falls
Abbey in kodava (the language of kodavas) means falls, it is also called as Jessy falls. It is around 8 kms from Coorg.
A drive down the ghats and you'll hear the water falling in all force, This closes by 6:30 in the evening and because we started late, we hurriedly reached Abbey just in time! From the parking you'll have to take a walk to see this falls! 10 yrs ago, there were no steps, just a muddy pathway you'll have to mind every step, no bridge to view the falls better. A lot of effort has gone into beautification and maintenance of the place. Feb is not the peak season, but the white water falling ahead of the black cut rocks kept us staring!

Raja's Seat
After the falls we got back to Coorg. There is this famous park, called the Raja's seat. it is named that way because the ruler of the place came there to enjoy the view point at the place. The view is indeed breath taking, it is an epitome of nature's beauty during sunsets and sunrises. They have introduced a musical fountain. This definately had our foots tapping. They played most popular Hindi and Kannada numbers, you would find people dancing and whistling. It ended with a patriotic number. Talking of patriotism. The place is filled with warriors, they gave Major Cariyappa to the world!

Omkareshwara Temple
Dedicated to lord Shiva, this temple is a km from the Raja's seat. we decided to walk and the weather made it all the more enjoyable! There is a kalyana containing the holy water at the entrance of the temple. There were paintings of many Gods around. It ends with Goddess Kaveri's picture. The people of pray and have a supreme place for the goddess of water. I broke into a smile when i saw a huge jug of water right below the picture of Godess Kaveri! Sure I had a tumbler full.

After a visit to almost six magnificent places, we sure were a tired and hungry couple. The next day started early with an hour of swimming and good breakfast at one of the bhramin hotels in the town. we started out to Bhagamandala and Talakaveri.

Bhagamandala
This is also called 'Dakshina Kaashi' Three rivers meet here thereby forming a Triveni Sangam. There was very less water and so it did not look any special, On the other side of the lane we have the Bagandeswara temple. This is dedicated to Sage Bagandeshware. we have a lot of small temples inside this one. they look like small cottages with a sloping roofs. 8 kms from here is the very famous Talakaveri.

Tala Kaveri
As the name indicates this is the place Kaveri is born. even to this day on the specific date and time, we can see how the water rises from the ground, wonder how they calculate this but it is right on the dot! The place has a beautiful viewpoint! higher up you have steps taking you to Bhramhagiri, this gives you a higher view point and measure to about 3600 mts in altitude. The altitude made the afternoon completely pleasant. Though it was 10 yrs back i came to the exact place, memories of the clouds passing you by are still fresh. The beauty around just overwhelms you!
we headed back to coorg. On our way back we lost our way and an old man guided us and we reached our destination. That evening at Club Mahindra was just very relaxing.

The next morning, We had breakfast at the famous Krishna cafe, The idly vada was delicious, We tried the masala vada and that was just perfect. They have 'avalakki ' flattened/beaten rice in some masala, sugar and curd, this was something i had never tasted, was just too good! We checked out quite a few stores, shopped for spices and headed to Bangalore. On our way, we wondered on how time just flew so fast. Coorg was simply charming with very warm and friendly people! I definitely have to thank my colleague and friend for helping me chalk out the itinerary. Also thank Club Mahindra for picking us to relish all this royal treatment absolutely free!

Have a great evening!

" Simply Super and Southern....

2009-02-13T12:43:00.006+05:30

Heard quite a lot about this place and being a resident of BTM we made several plans to visit Maiya’s… but the visit that we finally made was absolutely unplanned :-)
A long day after shopping and before we realized we should have dinner it was 10'oclock, it could be more too!
Would it be closed? Would it be crowded? Clueless of these we parked and went in. Surprisingly open and not crowded our tired faces hit a smile!

The entrance welcomes you with some exquisite and tempting sweets. The food and service hall is at the 1st and 2nd floors. We were led to the second floor.
The lighting and the interiors are pleasant. There were 6-7 tables occupied even at that hour…
We took our seats at one of the corners and without a choice and within minutes we had clear glasses of water, rectangular plates and a silver glass with grape juice!
Talk about people who had to wait in queue for 20 minutes, do a prior booking, and wait in endless serpentine queues!! Our’s was good timing and on a weekend it was great timing!

Not a big fan of the grape juice I didn’t want to taste it, but after much praise from my father I had a sip.
There was hot soup that came in next and it tasted just fine. Next in line was hot and golden yellow greasy puris… with potato curry was simply delicious. Thick vegetable curry popularly known as ‘sagu’ and cabbage curry added to the taste. Then came the capsicum rice which was so delectable it was a blend of just the right amount spices, cashews and of-course the yummy capsicum. The person who served us was full of life and the energy he had even at that late hour needed to be mentioned. He was ever smiling and these are a few things I gathered from him. It has been started 3 months ago, it has been under the entrepreneurial wing of MTR. Not sure if they are the popular Maiya’s who do the outdoor catering (BTW they make awesome food too).

The rice and Sambar, needless to say is the best you could get. The sambar with pumpkin has always been a favorite combination with south Indians and this one was so delicious! The rasam, papad and a cup of curd made an ideal and heavy meal.
On the weekdays they have a meal for Rs. 50 and Rs. 100. On the weekends there is no choice. Heard from friends that the dosas you get are good too, would definitely want to taste them next. So, once you are stuffed with this opulent meal, you’ll find it hard to get off your seat to clean your hands. What’s more, you get back and you will be surprised to find the grand finale, The ice cream or should I say milkshake, because the quantity between the two doesn’t really make a difference! The ice-cream was huge. It is a combination of fruit salad with some tasty sauce more like custard and a scoop of ice-cream. Even after trying hard, none of us could finish it.

It was last Sunday that we made a visit to this place for breakfast, the place was crowded. They serve breakfast from 7am to 11:00 am. We went there by 10:40. We waited for about 10-15 minutes and we had our table. Quickly placed the order including Rava idlies, Dosas and Kesari bath. The kesari bath had all of us Mmmmm…

The dosa was just too good. Every bite was rich and had sinful amount of ghee…. Coffee, tea and the cold badam milk had the five some totally pampered and just too full.

The interiors are simple and neat. Two huge paintings of Karnataka’s ancient monuments are endowed on one of the walls adding the color and glee of South India.
It makes me happy that there’s a restaurant which is close in taste and quality to the famous MTR. And is close to home! It is definitely worth more and more visits.

Address:
737/C, 7th main, 12th Cross,
BTM Layout
Bangalore - 560076
Ph: 26684680, 26684693

" Break-your-fast Buffet!

2009-02-13T12:08:00.004+05:30

A lazy Sunday morning and no one was in a mood to cook. My dad offered to treat us!! We looked for places that offer some good and my sister’s strong recommendation came for Kkrishi. She had been there earlier and liked the food. The buffet closes by 10:30 and we didn’t have much time to waste.
We headed straight to the Jayanager 4th Block. This is on second floor of the eminent BDA complex. Narrow corridors and a stairway take you to Kkrishi, once you get into the restaurant you’ll see the theme color, Green. The waiters wear green shirts.
Well for a weekend, it wasn’t crowded. Soon after we entered, there wasn’t anyone to show us place, make a count of how many have come. We took the forks and knives from the table that was close to the table, the food was served on. I could see no one until I went for my second serving! But soon after they came in, they were very responsive and nice.

They had some Super South Indian breakfast. It stared with Idly, Vada, Set dosa, Kara bath, Kesari bath, Rice bath, Sambar and two types of chutney.
Some nice watermelon juice is given to you as a complimentary drink. The vadas looked presentable and very so crispy, Hot and spicy Sambar and these crunchy vadas made a delicious combination!! The kara bath and Kesari bath gave the perfect Chow Chow effect! (hot and sweet combination). The Sweet was greasy with loads of ghee, with small pineapples chunks, this was just irresistible . The idly was just fine, nothing very special like the others. The rice bath wasn’t good at all, it had fat rice and tasted bland. The set dosa and the vegetable sago made a nice combination. The Chilli-Coconut and Orange chutney made a delectable choice with the rest. I heard form the others that the famous Bisi BeLebath the Masala dosa are available on a few lucky days!

For all this, it is just 49 per head! It was a good break-fast experience. They also have a open hall for parties, a small one which accommodates 15-20 people inside their restaurant. If one likes the south Indian cuisine, then this place worth is worth tryin.

This review is also available on Burrp.
Address:
Floor-2, Jayanagar Shopping Complex
Jayanagar 4th Block
Bangalore
Phone: 26657053, 26657054

" Official Buffet!!

2009-02-09T13:07:00.006+05:30

Last week, our team lunch was organized, we planned it at Isys, This was chosen because of two convenient reasons, there was a lunch buffet and it was close to the place of my work, Sonata Software .
One of my colleagues tried more than hard to execute this plan! Thanks to her, it finally worked and was deliciously-fun!

This was my first time at Isys. This is in the ground floor of The President hotel. They have a glass door opening to a hall that has food served on one side and the tables arranged all over. We started early and reached the place by 12:30, there were hardly anyone at that point and the room looked pleasingly peaceful!

They have some nice interiors with this cool blue and white. Once our big group settled down in one of the finest corners of the restaurant, we had their staff helping us with serviette and water. Before we started with soups, a colleague and I checked out the offerings for the day. They had quite a variety. The buffet on hand comprised of quite many salads, There was the spinach salad, Aloo chat Pineapple and Paneer, mixed vegetable, peas and sweet corn, pasta and chicken… The pineapple and the cottage cheese salad was really sumptuous.
The Veg soup was ordinary but the non vegetarian one got some good ratings from all. There were two starters for veggies, both of tasted just fine. It was paneer nuggets and crispy vegetable. They had the Shanghai fish, and a two chicken dishes for starters. The bread basket is brought to your table, the gravies on the vegetarian side just did not impress me. They had something in mutter, Palak with babycorn and veg Kholapuri. I soon went on to taste the rice items, there was some Vegetarian Biryani with pomegranates. This was a turnoff because I don’t really like pomegranate (atleast with biryani) but I went on to give this a try and did like this! The chicken lovers just loved the Dum Biryani. A friend of mine commented the Dum Biryani was 100% VFM! The Rice, Rasam and Sambar were delectable. The Sambar was authentically South-Indian with coconut and okra.
The desserts placed were, fruit truffle pudding, some soft cakes, chocolate sauce, Raj Bogh, Semiya payasam (Kheer) and Jain up fingers; for curiosity, i had a bite of this and this had loads of sugar and is something you can avoid.
The pudding was oh!! Just too good…. This had loads of fruits, custard, and layers of cake in between making every bite to irresistible! They serve ice-cream on the table, this is inclusive of the buffet. Some of the ice-cream lovers simply went Mmmmmm….
There were quite a lot of teams from various other companies.
A buffet costs 225 + taxes and they offer the 16th plate absolutely free! All in all a fine place for corporate buffet.
This review is also available on burrp
Address:
Isys - The Preseident Hotel
#79/8, Diagonal road
3rd Block, Jayanagar
Bangalore
Phone: 41808777

" Grrrrr Gufha.....Deliciously Wild!!

2009-02-06T09:15:00.003+05:30

At office, we play ‘Secret Santa’ in December and I, a lucky angel got a generous Santa who presented some nice gifts and also offered lunch. I had been to Gufha a couple of times and we chose this as it was also close to office. It was surprisingly drizzling on this winter afternoon. Soon after you are out of the car the hosts help you with an umbrella and also offer to park your car. You have Isys on the first floor and a front desk office. This leaves space for a narrow corridor towards the lift. Gufha is in the 5th floor.

Soon after the door opens at the fifth floor, there starts the chilling cave atmosphere. When you are just engrossed in looking at the very different indoors, you’d notice two men standing to check your reservations. Like said in the previous reviews, these men are dressed like forest rangers and juvenile Shikari Shambu definitely would be reminded of. At the door a man dressed in tribal attire opens the doors to the inner caves. We walked through the halls… Oops caves! They looked really good with huge idols and water flowing on them, the bats, owls, nests hanging from the cave tops. It has dim lighting and just enough beams to eat and read the menu was available. If you like watching cartoons and know Flintstones, The chairs look like the ones in that cartoon, the cushions have tiger prints, They serve water in copper bowls. The plates too have a strip of tiger stripes on them! A lot of work has gone into designing this whole setup…. It does look groovy and close to genuine.

We got helped to take our seats and offered the menu. You have some complimentary crispy crackers placed on the table. We placed orders for the starters. We insisted they give the meal early as we had to head back to work and oh boy, they were real quick! The soups were good, the Acharwala babycorn was simply yum, on the menu, against the name it had a tiny picture of a Chilly, implying it would be spicy, but this just wasn’t. A container with shallots, mint chutney, some orange chutney (not sure of its ingredients) and pickle was placed on the table. My colleagues, who relished the Hariyali Murg, said that it was very tasty. The quantity given was quite a lot. After he placed these two starters and we were almost done with them, the waiter got the Masala Papads, this just wants correct timing! We were done with the soups too….

Our main course for the day’s lunch was Rotis, Vegetable Kolapuri and Vegetable Dum biryani. The Roti and curry tasted fine and there wasn’t anything extra ordinary. The Biryani was good, it had the right amount of spice and hardly any vegetables, I thought it was a little overcooked and with the way the waiter served it on my plate, it was almost mashed. With the thick curd salad, it made a good blend. None of us preferred desserts and next, came the bill with the feedback form. Deservingly, I put an excellent and good to most of their options. For the food I chose an average because nothing was very appealing and must improve on the music. It had some hoots and roars which did create the forest atmosphere but in between there was some unpleasant, screechy music.

Disgracefully, the man who received this came back to me on why I gave the food an average rating. This is definitely not courteous and I strongly feel, should be avoided.

Something that needs a mention is the ambiance and presentation of food. The non vegetarians have more of a choice. A place kids will be excited in and is worth a try or two. This review is also available on Burrp

Address:
Gufha, The President Hotel
# 79/8, Diagonal Road,
3rd Block Jayanagar
Bangalore
Phone - 41808777

Fluency and Humor

2009-02-03T10:59:00.004+05:30

Sometime back, i happened to run through an article on linguistics It said that there are three stages to learning a new language: the first is the basic grammatical structures and vocabulary, this is also what some people refer to as "survival" understanding of a language. The Second is you achieve the ability to communicate your thoughts, comprehend and articulate accurately or almost accurately. this might be call "proficiency;" Finally, you begin to identify the nuisances and refinement or the subtleties of a language that involves cultural understanding of concepts like humor, and this can be called fluency."

It's the point about humor that is of particular interest to me. What I have realized is that the index for what can be considered humorous is lowered considerably when you don't speak the language fluently. But the lines to follow definitely forces me to re-think on this. Hilarious in it's true sense and a revolutionary change it brought in with it!!

It is little known that one Okhil Chandra Sen wrote this letter to the Sahibganj Divisional Railway Office in 1909. This is on display at the Railway Museum in New Delhi. This was also reproduced under the caption 'Travelers' Tales' in the Far Eastern Economic Review.

Okhli Babu's letter to the Railway Department :

"I am arrive by passenger train Ahmedpur station and my belly is too much swelling with jackfruit. I am therefore went to privy. Just I doing the nuisance that guard making whistle blow for train to go off and I am running with 'lotah' in one hand and 'dhoti' in the next when I am fall over and expose all my shockings to man and female women on plateform. It is too much shame shame for me. Then I am got leaved at Ahmedpur station. This too much bad, if passenger go to make dung that stupid dam guard not wait train five minutes for him. I am therefore pray your honour to make big fine on that guard for public sake. Otherwise I am making big report to papers."
Now coming to the revolution this created, Any guesses why this letter was of historic value?

It apparently led to the introduction of Toilets on Trains :)
I hope this made you smile. Have a great day!

Won the Crown on Burrp!!

2009-02-02T15:29:00.007+05:30

I was on vacation at Hyderabad and i got an SMS from a very close friend saying " You won on Burrp" I was delighted!!

In fact it was with this friend who treated me here!! After writing over 20 reviews, I finally won. Needless to say, winning the crown was something that i always wanted!
Read on to find out more....

Wah Wah Chung Wah!!

At noon on a weekday a friend wanted me to join her shopping! All excited we started off. Unfortunately the store was closed and we headed back.
She suddenly insisted we eat out, On the road back was Chung wah and this was a treat to remember!

We took the stairs to get to the open terrace restaurant. My clock showed 12:10 and obviously there wasn’t any one in the restaurant.
Soon we took the best place and waited for the menu.
The ambiance is appealing! Contrasting Maroons and Creams adorn the place. The floor mostly has round tables serving for four and along the walls are some nice comfortable cushions serving 8 -10. They have a few nice black wooden benches paired with glass tables placed close to a finely arranged water body.
The Maroon ceiling with some trenchant illuminates, cover most of the restaurant. The high ceilings have glass panes giving you the view of the sky. The ceiling ends to bring a natural canopy of trees and sky. The cool and pleasant breeze from the tall treasured trees around is indeed aplomb!
The tables have a nice cream cover that caps them with some nice raw silk running cross. The cutlery they have chosen is white with most creative shapes. Some of the lil bowls with sauce were just very cute. There is a waiting area at the entrance with thin designed wooden partitions giving it a look of Bamboo.
The menu has details on main ingredients of each dish. Not too hungry we decided to make it light. We opted for a ‘Soya something’ starter. This was just not as fancy as its name. It was just fried soya chunks sautéd like Manchurian. A few of the chunks were hard. The garlic sauce that came with this was tasty.
The main course was vegetable in spinach-n-soya sauce and veg fried rice. This was a wonderful combination and was delicious! The sauce was authentic in its true sense. It was the first time I tasted anything Chinese with Spinach. If one likes greens, this ones a, must try.
The Service is courteous and quick. This place has a magnificent ambiance, Dinners and late evening visits to Chung Wah Opus is mesmerizing!
One of the most ideal places for lovers & Chinese cuisine lovers! :)

hApPy - N - YUmMy 2o09 : -)

Well what you waiting for? It's time you try this place out!!
Address:
Chung wah Opus
63/2, 8th Main, 18th Cross,
3rd Block, Jayanagar,
Bangalore
Phone 32488588, 32488688
This review is also available on Burrp

Being'1947'worked in 08 n continues to work in '09

2009-01-30T12:24:00.006+05:30

Anniversary celebrations and my parents insisted I suggest a place for a delicacy treat. It was a weekday and a majority being vegetarians. I opportunely picked 1947 which is a hop skip and jump from home.

It was 8:30 and all of them were dot on time. After exchanging pleasantries, we took a table in the most special corner of the restaurant.

When Vinay, and I went to dinner, we always thought we should get the whole family to dine here. I exclusively booked it this time
The long glass table with cushion sofa on one side and jute on the other separated from the rest of the place with ropes starting from the ceiling to the floor was indeed unique. This definitely made a pleasant inkling on all of us. On one of the walls close to our table was a huge picture which portrayed Indian independence nostalgia!
From the great leaders, newspapers articles, tramps to our very own St. Josephs…. It had everything collaged really well! We had a lot of them to take a closer look at it…

1947 allows you to get cakes in case you would like to celebrate an occasion. They arranged ours on a nice silver plate and placed it with the knife.
The menus were quickly distributed. I was almost like the acting waiter for that evening! Soon we placed the order for ‘Palak ka shorba’, This was bland and tasted well with salt and pepper. The Masala papad was crispy and munched within no time, the 1947 platter is a sumptuous dish, it had sizzling hot Tandoor vegetables with magical masala. The platter had quite a variety included baby corns, gobi, mix vegetable sheek, panner and mushroom. The other starters, Vegetable Kurkure and Tandoori baby corn undoubtedly need a mention. They were just too delicious. The kurkure was minced patties of vegetable and masala fried in oil. The tandoori baby corn had the soft baby corn wrapped up with the most delicious spice ever. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of these.
It was turn for the Rotis and Kulchas, we had these with Shimla wala bhutta and Sabzi Lajawab. These made a very ful n filling main course. But didn’t come anywhere close to tangling the taste buds like how the starters did. Shimla wala Bhutta was a appealing orange colored gravy with sweet corn and capsicum. This gave a sweet taste and just didn’t excite the ones who loved spice. The Sabzi Lajawab was indeed Lajawab with it’s mix of all vegetables and the indispensible Paneer. The Boondi Raita simply turned the delicacy meter higher. The grand finale was Sabji Dum Biryani. My review of 1947 last year had a mention that, Biryani was not great, but this one was different in everyway except for it’s name! Every one craved for more and complemented the lip smacking rice. We started the diner with a pastry and so there was absolutely no place for desserts.

To help serve better and accommodate more, they have their little heaven extended to the top floor. A Terrace dining area with the similar furniture but closely placed. They also have a banquet hall in the building beside the restaurant on the second floor. Appropriate for occasions like engagements, birthdays and their like.

The staff is well dressed with desi attire and friendly. The whole family was elated with the ambiance and food at 1947. No wonder the place is a hive always!! Simply an irresistible place!!

This review is also available at Burrp

Just missed the crown!!

2009-01-28T15:17:00.004+05:30

Burrp has his system of announcing the best review of the week at an all Indian level and 5-4 reviews which are chosen to make it to the 'Just missed the crown'

My review on restaurant 1947 just missed the crown! I was just so happy to find my name and review on that list. It was my third review and it was just so encouraging for me to write a review to win the best review!

Being 1947 in 2008 still works!

It was late evening the weather was pleasant, my husband said we should take a walk.
I agreed, and we started walking, we reached the main road and towards our right was a place brightly lit and welcoming.
It had a board with “1947” both of us fell for it and wanted to spend the day’s dinner there.
We walked in saw the lift and the stair way, we chose to take the latter as it this looked more ornamental.
We saw uncommon pictures of Pre-Independence India. They were square frames of flags that were proposed to be our National flags before the one we have now.
Quite many. A piece of trivia to most of us.

We walked in, there was a man cheerful and welcoming in his gestures, with a kameez that was faded orange and a white bottom.
The wooden door, I must say was giving an old and antic look.
We entered inside and really liked the interiors….they have got the Indian theme in, Desi material - Jute was seen almost everywhere. It was of a good taste.
We saw very few people and so had a better choice of the table, we sat in a table for two and to my left was a huge glass with a nice night view.
The menu was again something different, it had a wooden covering and the contents were marked with a nice font on hand made paper.
We ordered a masala papad, Tandoor babycorn for starters, they were given without much waiting and did taste authentic.
Had kulcha, veg kadai and veg dum biryani for the main course, the kulchas were hot, soft and the curry tasted just perfect.
The biryani was not so great, it could have been better, we thought.
The chaach (butter milk) was at it's best… it has just the right amount of Spices, it was thick and quantity was fulfilling, I would never miss having this the next time I visit 1947.

The silent place we came had now turned into a noisy one, with people everywhere, a few waiting too.
One can book in advance for all days except on Sundays.The service is very mannered and courteous. The prices are reasonable.

We explicitly thought we should bring the family along. It’s a place veggies must try!

Ultimate Darshini

2009-01-27T11:48:00.002+05:30

Breakfast you want to quickly catch up on any possible day, be it a working day or a weekend…
A place all crowded all through out the year….
A place that would give you the taste of absolute ‘South Indian tindigalu’
A place you would want to visit again and
don’t mind going regularly…..
yeah it would undoubtedly be Upahara Darshini,

Be it the idly with fingerlicking sambar, the crispy vadas, the sweet and sour Curd vada, the long and tangy Savige bath, the smooth and slimy Kharabath, the damn good dosas….
Way back in ’98 my tution classes were close to UD ( Upahara Darshini fondly called this way!) I had two classes with a break of half an hour and me with my friends loved going there for breakfast. We were one more than contended bunch after class one and sleepy for class two!!
The Masala dosas are not available for the morning breakfast, you would get to eat these only after 4 pm.
A dosa and Curd vada to follow are like ‘the’ ideal combination. It is not too often that I go to this part of town now… but when I do I make it a point to eat there and oh yeah… feels the same, there has not been any change in the richness and ‘yum’ factor in the food they make! This could be one of the reasons to compel me to write a review on this so late. But as long as the place is alive and kicking… it’s not too late, what say?
And yeah not to forget the prices are so reasonable. The place congested not too spaciously designed and also because there are so many UD lovers! ;-)
It is clean, hygienic and really worth recurring visits!! If you want to woo and showoff to someone or anyone on the authenticity and richness of South Indian Thindi then UD is a must visit!

Cheers to UD!

This post is also available on burrp

My first Review on Burrp!!

2009-01-27T11:32:00.002+05:30

It was through a very good friend that i got introduced to Burrp, a forum to get information, share experiences, praise, criticize and much more about restaurants and food.
The below post is about my first review on this website. Till date, i have 25 reviews against my profile.
I really enjoy doing this!

'' Kati Zone..... No good!
I wanted to visit kaati zone as it had some juicy rolls advertised, they did look very tempting!!
Finally my husband and I went there on a Saturday evening….
The steps that take you up to the restaurant are really adventurous. They are narrow, slippery and have an abnormally large gap between each step!
Now coming to the ambiance… they are nice little tables and they are placed with a decent amount of gap.
The pictures are jumbled at one corner of the restaurant. There is a counter where we place the order and a menu with deliciously deceiving pictures.

Both of us being ardent chicken lovers, we ordered for 2 chicken roles, a malai chicken role and chicken tikka rolls, a box of fries, a masala lemon soda and Pepsi.
I must say that the rolls were not good, the cook simply took a chapathi, soft enough, put onions half fried with ginger and garlic paste, added these pieces of chicken some vegetables rolled and put it in a paper wrap.

The masala was too raw and strong. The chicken was good, but didn’t go with this combination. The fries are expensive and weren’t up to the mark. One in the pack was crispy! The masala lemon drink that I had was so sweet that the masala completely lost it’s identity!
And there we were eating all this, unhappy and the damage for this was Rs.220 or more for this!

I feel this place is worth half a star but the min you can give is one…. Kaati Zone…. No good!

The start!

2009-01-23T16:44:00.003+05:30

All it takes is to just start, make a beginning, take that very first step.
I remember the first time i wrote something, my very own words and sentences were published in the newspaper. This was for a classified with Deccan herald. The feeling is just elating.
I still remember taking a cut of my writing and showing it almost everyone i know. I must definitely thank my father for all the pushing and encouragement!
With the encouragement and applaud I received on that, I was a regular writer to that section.

I remember the day, a late afternoon, it was the last class for the day and I was looking at my watch to figure out why all this didn't end soon. A teacher came in and announced on science seminar that would happen the following week and that those interested could give their names the next day. That moment i thought that was certainly not for me. I could never imagine a group of people looking at me while i was standing on the stage addressing them. Oh never! The very thought of it scared me.
Reached home after a cycle race with a friend. That night when i discussed the days happenings. There was huge pressure that I should give this seminar a try. After much revolt and argument I was forced to agree. I gave in because and only because the prelims would happen in front of my very own class. Only to realize later, that saying something before your won class is quite a task!

We had to choose a topic and so I reluctantly went into the library. Nothing really seemed to appeal, I went straight to the librarian and asked her to help me. She gave me a list and it was difficult for me pick one amongst them. I don't know if they were all too bad or good. Finally i decided my topic would be 'Nocturnal Animals'. Uninterested and without needed preparation, I just blurted something.

In spite of all my goof ups, i was called for the final round. There was a teacher assigned to guide me. Needless to say there was my favorite and the best teacher at home to constantly follow-up, put sense into my speech, give me loads of gyan on my body language. The days passed and it was D-day, I was prepared with all my OHP sheets, A file to give the judges, my lil notes to peep in case i got stuck somewhere.
My hands were cold. It was my turn, all focused, i started, It ended. My name was called and i received a consolation prize. It was not the first or the second prize that consolation prize was indeed not consoling but was so encouraging and became the path to a whole new journey!

Talent, luck, flair and interest make a difference but all it takes is the courage to take that step, to start!
Once you make a start, you know it is not that big a deal anymore. Get going!!