when a loved one is gone...

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!!

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...

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"

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!!

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!

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!

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