My Culinary Misfortunes....

Taj Club House

2011-07-15T16:14:00.000+05:30

At my last office, I had worked on quite some creatives of Taj Club House. But as luck would have it, I stepped into the hotel to have my celebration dinner (or being-miserable-and-making-the-best-friend-take-me-out- dinner) the day I quit the office. I had passed by the hotel many times before that and wondered how such a cubby hole can be a star hotel, that too Taj's and none less. :O

Anyhow, back to the point. So one fine day, I was there moping being miserable in general and texting my close friend that I needed some company. The said friend texted back late in the evening as "Get dressed for a drink". What??! What do you confer from that? Dress like a drink? Or drink and dress? or.... Okay in my then miserable state I was all for getting wasted and shouting obscenity at random people. Sigh!!

I dressed up in a short skirt and blouse and off we went to Taj Club House. The plan was to have a quick dinner at the Cafe (or was it Club House?) and move to Opium or Pasha for some mindless dancing and booze. It is a 24 * 7 buffet with a good spread. By good, I mean good, not great or awesome or anything extraordinary.

The salads had Corn, different vegetables, spinach, broccoli and peanut chat. I am of course quoting from memory but I am sure there wasn't anything much to speak. The non-vegetarian section had a good array of cold cuts. Salami, ham, tuna, chorizo, two types of sausages and so on. Bread spread was good only too hard for my taste. There was one soft bread but it was sourdough :| Choice of cheese was nice though. You had nice cuts of smoked, emmentaler, cheddar and goat cheese.

Then the starters. I had ordered a plate of barbecued prawns. Only they arrived deep fried in oil with no seasoning on them. I didn't quite like the taste either. Mind you, I love my prawns cooked delicately and just right. This was overcooked and rubbery :( My friend got a plate of stewed vegetables in Chilly-Barbecue-sauce-concoction and it was brilliant. So was this plate of Prawns, succulent and right... Booohooo :(

With that, I ditched having any other starters and went for the mains. And guess what, the soups were placed near the mains. *facepalm* I expected in after the salads and before the starters. Or may be I am wrong. Anyway, only 2 soups were on the offer (tomato and some chicken cream soup) so I gave it a pass.

Main course had two cuisines, Chinese and Indian. The miserable state I was in, I definitely craved for soul comforting Indian food. None of the Noodles, Fried rice would do the charm as much as a spiced rice and dal would do for me. Anyhow, I sprinted over to Indian section and loaded my plate with Beef something, Mutton Rogan ghosh, Chicken Chettinad, Yellow dal and Biriyani. Everything was splendid. The curd rice and dal rice which followed was the exact comfort food I was looking for. A bowl of that curd rice and I will be in heaven :D

Then came the Desserts. There were seasonal fruits like Mango (oooooooooooh), musk melon, water melon, papaya, apples and so on. Loaded my plate with MANGOES! :-D Then I took some profiteroles (Bad choice, they still need to perfect how to make this choux pastry), blackberry panacotta (again bad choice, it was too sour for my palate), chocolate mousse cake and Malpua!! now this is a dessert that topped every other flaw the buffet had. YAY!

Given it was a buffet, can't say much about service. But when I sat down with my dessert plate, a waitress came over asking if I would like some Ice cream. THAT I Like!!! :-D

When we talk about drinks, I had ordered for Vodka and orange juice. For a refill I asked just for Orange juice. The waiter asked me at least 4 times if I needed Vodka again in-spite of me declining alcohol. What the?? hahahahaha. :-D

An evening well spent. We did go pup-hopping post that..It was pretty late by then and none of them were open. But it is a story for another day...

Where: Taj Club House is on the Club House Road (Just off Mount Road). Phone no: 044-6631313.

How much: Rs 1,500/- per person.

Daawat - a Quaint little Restaurant...

2009-08-12T15:56:00.000+05:30

Last time i was in Chennai, Malar took me to this little restaurant near Odyssey.. we were really tired after multiple shopping at Odyssey, Naiha and near by shops and Malar was in real mood to tuck into some Chicken... Dawaat is relatively new to me, as it was not there a couple of years back.. then there was a Mr.G restaurant serving Pastas and Breads...it was a welcome sight to see a Kebab Shop on its place..

First time i ordered Cheese Naan and Butter Chicken Masala... BCM is a standard dish i order when i vist any new restaurant... if one restro can give me authentic BCM then i am convinced enuf to experiment anything on the menu... The owner somehow sensed that i was new to their place and recommended their "excellent" Tandoori Chicken... on his insistence we just ordered it as a starter... true to his word Tandoori was excellent and juicy... at the same time it didnt crowd on my stomach much... next the Naan and BCM arrived... Man, was i floored... the BCM was oozing with butter and the gravy had that tangy spicy taste unique to BCM... Cheese Naan was cheese, cheese and cheese.. :-) nothing more to be said.... i had decided then and there i will be visiting it again and again...

One thing that i really liked was the attitude of owner and server boys... as we were tucking into Tandoori Chicken at our own pace, the Naan was getting cold... without any prompting, the boy serving us took inside the platter to get another plate of hot Cheese Naans.... :-)

Last Sunday, i dragged Malar again to Dawaat... this time i ordered a plate of
Chicken Biriyani and Kebab Roll. yumm... i had almost forgot that they serve you Biriyani with an embedded boiled egg here...Mughal Biriyani's i imbibed at an alarming rate in Indore never had those... :-P the Biriyani was just right with exact flavor, spices and condiments... slurp slurp... and they even served it with Baigan Bartha, the exact way i loved... he he he.. needless to say, i polished of the plate in no time... i felt i wont to justify the Roll, so asked them to serve it in two halves.. one for me, one for Malar...

ugh..i shud say , i did a mistake there... it was so yummy....my mouth is watering right now, just thinking about it... :-P

Leave the food, there are only 1 tables with 4 chairs each but the place is so clean and fresh.. and being in the basement there are no windows or ventilation but these wisely managed by proper air conditionting. the lighting is subtle,not to loud and makes you concentrate on the food in front of you...

This little haunt is moderate in it's pricing... just Rs.300 for two, its very mild on the pocket... the kebabs and curries are priced anywhere between rs.75 - rs. 100...

If u are a declared meat eater, this is the right place for you....

My rating : 4.5 /5... (- 0.5 'coz of lack of dessert)

Evening snacks...

2009-03-12T17:34:00.000+05:30

was really out of mood to cook anything day before yday.. all i cud find was some fresh peas,carrots and dosa batter.. and whatever i tried, the dosa won't stick to the tava ultimately resulting in a rather frustrated Rat... found a loaf of bread... whoa...

Ingredients:
Shelled peas - Handful
Half Carrot - Diced into squares
Oil - to fry the veggies
Salt , Coriander powder, Chilly powder - to taste
Water - 600 ml

Procedure :
1. Fry the carrots and peas in oil... add salt, coriander powder, chilly powder and water and let it boil till the peas are cooked...

2. Saute the cooked veggies slightly in simmer.... Tada its ready

3. Enjoy with Bread or better some rotis or Dosas

Veg Pulav...

2009-02-18T14:28:00.001+05:30

Boil the rice along with peas.. /*well i did this to save time,vessel,gas and effort..*/

Dice the carrots to horizontal pcs.. /*well Potatoes mutinied and wudnt cut into horizontal pcs*/

Fry the vegetables in enuf oil... /* well only these 2 as other vegs went absconding mysteriously overnite*/.. add a teaspoon of Turmeric powder, Coriander Powder, Chilly powder and salt to taste...

Add boiled rice/peas and stir fry well... this is d end product...

a definite misfortune...

2009-02-10T15:45:00.002+05:30

My foodie days are stalled.. some may know abt the Operation i had to undergo... my diet is so strenuous that don't even ask!!! anyways hope this long break doesn't go unnoticed....

my obsession with Maggi continues...

2008-12-04T15:15:00.001+05:30

How ever i like Maggi, i can't eat the whole pack at one go.. so imagine my delight wen i found Chotu Maggi, day before yday as i went grocery shopping.... boy oh boy.... was i happy...

so i set about making Dry maggi yday evening... the recipe is simple...

Boil water.. add the noodles to it and let it soak.. cut onions into dice and saute them in light oil... add the masala... add boiled peas and fry them till they shrivel up... add the now tender noodles and toss them with the masala.... u get stumptous evening meal.. YUMM...

in recent times....

2008-12-03T10:31:00.000+05:30

... i have come to know that Russian Stroganoff sauce and Truffle doesn't agree well with me..

actually discovered this in two seperate incidents...
my rendezvous with the RSS happened a bit time back with me visiting Pizza hut... i shud have backed out when the waiter came over mid-meal and asked "Are u enjoying the Pasta, Missie?" .... it disagreed with me so bad that i was puking all day long, the very next day....

yday went to Celebrations @ Shri Maya, South Tukoganj with Y... had been there before but that was due to my love for brownies there.... Ordered Sambar Vada, Chole Tikiya and Hot Truffle with Vanilla Ice Cream...

Sambar Vada was awesome and the sambar was so authentic that the South Indian in me reached for it again and again... was bowled over Chole Tikiya... there wr atleast four tikiyas, each studded with peas masala... the chole wr rightly cooked and the sweet/sour sauce was tingling....

everything was fine wen i had the truffle pastry... the choco sauce and ice cream wr melt in mouth.. but back home it started troubling me so much that i fell into deep slumber only to be awakened by a rumbling stomach.. none of my assuaging remedies helped me..but i eventually slept off... now i am lot better, save for a throw up early in the morning...

So much for trying Truffle...

the Sin....

When at leisure....

2008-11-28T10:49:00.000+05:30

After the terror filled nite on 26th, i woke very late on 27th morning... ok ok it was well into afternoon when i woke up finally... actually i woke up thinking Nisha struck at Indore too as the rumbling noises equaled Thunderstorms... Well it was my poor poor stomach... he he he..

i planned on something simple, as i was in no mood to eat out ( actually was still filled with Pain and terror of previous nite)... zeroed on Onion Rava Dosa and Egg Thokku... Boiled the eggs and went off to bath...

Ingredients:

Oil - to saute the vegs
Tomato - 1
Onion - 1
Egg - 1
Salt to taste
Coriander Powder - 1 Tea spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1 Tea spoon
Home Made Masala (secret) - 1 Table Spoon

Now over to the Shutter Rat...

1. Dice the onions...

2. Dice the Tomato into squares...

3. Saute the Onions in oil and add Tomatoes to it...

4. Mash up both that they resemble tomato puree...

5. Add Coriander powder, Turmeric Powder and Home -made masala (secret) and Salt to taste..

6. wonder wr the boiled eggs have disappeared and find the two legged Cat, L has gobbled them down...

7. Simmer the Egg less- Egg Thokku and serve it out...

8. Enjoy the Thokku with awesome Onion Rava Dosai...

Adios Amigos....

well.. a good substitute i believe...

2008-11-26T11:33:00.000+05:30

but can't beat the original, Maggi, by any means..... I am talking about the Reliance Select Instant Noodles...

Masala(meal maker) added...

Serving it out..

Ready to be gobbled down... .

i loved it without the ketchup...

Munching on...

2008-11-23T14:36:00.000+05:30

OK i accept that Vegetable Manchurian balls are sort of my fav... but this is just too much...

when ever me and P hit CP, we order VM invariable of our mood... so it was VM on both Monday and Tuesday along with Brownies, Fries, Sandwiches and other stuff... on Wednesday VM was d only edible appetizer @ ARti di shaadi.. the other Hors De Vours being Chilly Paneer, Kadai Paneer and Hara Bara Kebab.. the kebab fall flat with green color potato posing as kebabs, blech.. i hate paneer so lets not even go there... thursday back with P, and the dahling wanted to try out manchurian rolls... grande... Friday @ R bhaiyya's party VM again... Belch.......

Please no no no... no more veg manchurian.. enuf is enuf.. i am going on a -VM diet...

a new eat out....

2008-11-16T15:32:00.000+05:30

The Paneer Delight...

Mushroom Delight...

Tortilla..

Y was raving about this pizza shop for quite some time.. so me, P and Y decided to check it out... the name is Pizza World and is quite a quaint little shop... four tables and four chairs to go with it... may be the pics look very similar.. but i shud say the pizzas were awesome (mouthsome??) Tortilla was my personal fav with potatoes and onions... and shud say the Garlic bread with cheese was a heaven on earth.....

In love with..

2008-11-06T15:39:00.000+05:30

..this stupidly sweet Lemon-honey concoction...

Pour some honey(abt 3 spoons), squeeze in a whole lemon, add one spoon of sugar(to cut down the awful smell of sickeningly sweet smell of honey) add Piping hot water... mix briskly.. wait till it cools down a bit(so that u don't scald ur tongue) and enjoy the drink...

a cup each day before zipping off to that heavily draining dance class... This Rat recommends it strongly... :-P

AT,KT and me...

2008-10-27T08:42:00.000+05:30

AT, a dear colleague had the guts to have me over for Dinner on Saturday..Really u had to give it to this guy for taking such a giant leap...

KT served u Macaroni fry and Fruit juice to start with and while we wr half way thru, gleefully announced that she was in no mood to cook and had made nothing,all this said with a naughty smile.. AT let out a huge sigh and we started voting for the Restro to be attacked...

So, Shri Maya it was... the review...

Lemon Coriander Soup : Rite on the cue... dunno why love this soup esp. @ SM.. yet lots of cabbage marred the lemon twist...

Butter Naan : not so good.. fell flat actually...

Tawa Paneer: Tender juicy and spicy... mmmmmm

Vegetable Florentino: Was yummy.. the cheese was crunchy on the outer and mushy on the inside.. peas and veges had acquired the right taste... but i dont know why i gagged on spinach.... Ouch...

Egg Curry : My fav.. no other dish ever to beat this one.. Spicy and i love it...

That was all.. i just cudnt impose my gluttony on poor T's and bade a good bye too soon... :-P will gorge on Tiramisu puddings some other day...

K & L's Complaint...

2008-09-21T10:29:00.000+05:30

Remember?? i had invited Vikky, Rusty and Zuhhu over lunch on 30th August... When L & K came back from TN they got the whiff thru my official gossip monger, my dearest Maid.... K was like so so so irritated that i never prepare lunch for her... i had to whip up something to assuage her... so the menu...

Vegetable Fried Rice
Carrot Rice
Potato Podimass (Mashed)
Shredded Soya Curry

The Vegetables and Soya before going into their respective dishes...

Vegetable Rice:

Same as here... the only difference is that it looked like this time...

and yeah... i topped it with my favourite crunchy fried onions this time around....

Carrot Rice:

Loved Making this one....

Saute Garlic-ginger paste in little oil... add shredded carrots to this and cook till the awesome sweet aroma arises... add salt, biriyani masala, little haldi (to cut off the green smell of carrot) and stir well... now add boiled rice to this and mix well.... This tasted and looked awesome...

Mashed Boiled Potatoes:

Boil 4 potatoes till tender.... let them cool aside... peel off the skin and mash them with bare hands.. ~~eat dallops of them when done.. wonder if this is enuf for making the dish... stop stop stop....~~ (note to self # dont mention wat u really do in blog)
Warm oil in low flame... add the potatoes... stir and let it stand for 5 min.. add salt, Haldi, Chilly powder, Coriander Powder and a dash of Channa masala.... mix well... motuh watering Potato ready...

Of them all, Veg rice got 5/5..

Pull a quick one...

2008-09-21T09:45:00.000+05:30

when you dont have anything else than onion in the kitchen... when your dear roomie has made a sweet dish and u are desperate for a spicy dish to make it up... wen u are in no mood to order manchurian balls from the Fast food centre at your street end.....

All you can do is dice the onions, saute them in oil with salt and Channa masala, mix it up with rice and get Kudos and three cheers for the instant "Onion Rice"

Ta DA....

Weekend Masti...

2008-08-31T12:56:00.000+05:30

The Guinea Pigs # Vikky, Rusty and Zuhhu
Occasion: Weekend… he he he
Venue: My Place
Menu: Vegetable rice, Egg Curry, Potato- Cauliflower curry, Fruit Salad, Cucumber- Carrot Raitha…

Vegetable Rice:
Ingredients:
Boiled Rice
Shredded Carrot
Diced French Beans
Cauliflower Florets
Salt
Ginger-Garlic Paste
Shahi Biriyani Masala
Oil

Method:
Boil water and dunk the cauliflower into it for obvious reasons... Saute ginger garlic paste in deep frying pan.. pour oil... fry beans in this.. add the carrots after 2 mins and follow it with cauliflower florets... cook till tender... add salt, Biriyani masala and mix well....
Let it cook for 2 mins... Now add d rice in smaller quantities and keep on mixing... It will resemble something like this...

Egg Curry:
Ingredients:
Boiled Eggs cut into half
Diced Onions
Diced Tomatoes
Salt
Ginger Garlic Paste
Turmeric Powder
Red Chilli Powder
Coriander Powder
Oil

Method:
Saute Ginger Garlic Paste in oil and add the onions... saute till tender... let it stand for 2 mins annd add the tomatoes it... cook till u get a mashed pulp... add salt, Turmeric Powder,Red Chilli Powder and Coriander Powder to it.... Mix well till u get the aroma.. by now the green smell of tomatoes must have gone... add the eggs.. mix well without separating the yolk from albumen.. mix till the masala mixes well with the eggs... This will resemble something like this...

Potato - Cauliflower Curry:

Ingredients:

Boiled Potatoes- Cut into long pieces

Cauliflower florets

Salt

Channa Masala

Oil

Method:
Heat Oil... add the potatoes and fry till they turn golden brown... Add the cleaned florets... cook till tender... add salt and channa masala and mix well... cook tilll the vegetables and masala blend well.. let it shimmer for three minutes.... It should look better but this is wat i got... anyways it tasted better than it looks...

Fruit Salad:

Ingredients:

Diced Apple

Lemon

Method:

Nothing Much... Squeeze the lemon over the diced apple and sprinkle some vanilla essence over it... this is the result...

Cucumber - Carrot Raitha:

Ingredients:

Shredded Cucumber

Shredded Carrots

Diced Onions

Diced Tomatoes

Curd

Salt

Method:

Just dunk all the vegetables into the curd and add salt to taste... U will get this awesome cooler...

Had a great Lunch.....

2 minutes.. never... 5 mins??? erm may be....

2008-08-22T10:50:00.000+05:30

K's Method :
Boil water.. Dunk the slabs into water for a couple of minutes... drain water , keep aside..
Dice the onions... Fry them over low flame in as much little oil as possible.. Add the masala accompanying the slabs... dunk the hydrated slabs... saute them till when u feel like turning your attention from L to the stove...

Enjoy the result with copious amount of Tomato Ketchup to hide the burnt taste...

L's Method :
Boil water... Dunk the slabs into water still on stuff.. forget them till D Rat runs over to turn off the stove.. Leave the slabs in water, till realising the act...
Dice the onions... Fry them over high flame with as much oil as possible... Add the masala accompanying the slabs... dunk the hydrated slabs... saute them, all the while trying to make up with K, and muttering under breath i am cooking for you only SH

Enjoy the.. erm, slosh if u got guts....

Dear Mamma's Method :
Boil water... Add diced carrot, radish, beans, beet root, cabbage, or in that case any vegetable available in the house hold... add d masala and d slabs and saute them till it looks edible, all d while assuring this way it gets healthy as well enjoyable...

Enjoy as a evening snack.

Darling Dad's Method :
Boil water... add ALL the edible vegetables available in kitchen(near d stove) ofcourse well diced... dunk d slab, masala and in case semolina if available... Saute till it smells ho.. cough cough... hot and awesome....

Enjoy along with a tall glass of (Lord save) Bitter gourd juice or mixed veg juice..

Yeah yeah... u guessed rite all.. these are the time tested methods for preparing 2 minutes noodle, MAGGI... only snag being, in 2 min it still is uncooked.... I have been subjected to all this torture over a long period.... first my dear darling parents, now K and her B.f. L, who behave very much like my parents (only difference being this pair tries to make out in front of you at the drop of hat, or read when u turn around to get that book)

Neways... d ubiquitous Rat's Method of preparing Maggi :

Boil water.. dunk d masala and d noodles into the water... saute till it looks cooked... Enjoy along with a pack of Frito-lays potato chip.....

Ah heaven... In btw... curry and tomato flavor of Maggi sucks.. dont even try them...

4 mistakes of my life...

2008-08-17T09:18:00.000+05:30

Checked out the New Udipi Hotel at Saket Square yday nite....just for the sake checked out the basics... Made 4 terrible mistakes of my life...

Mistake 1 # Ordering Idly.. Almost fluid like, in Hottest Sambar... Stone Cold chutney... Top of it, there was nothing more than Ajwain and Mustard seeds in both Sambar and chutney..
Mistake 2 # Ordering Fried idly... More ajwain... now also in idly apart from sambar and chutney...
Mistake 3 # Ordering Sambar Rice... more n more Ajwain....

and d major mistake no 4 # ENTERING that stupid stupid place...

man i am suffering from Food poisoning now.... Thank goodness i escaped inspite the waiter assuring their Dosa was d best... i just expected more ajwain... Me thinks they got ajwain at some cheap rate and just add it to all dishes... me also thinks they prepare Sambar as a stock solution and use it invariable for everything...

Bad bad bad desicion... Rating - 0.5 / 5

just 5 mins...

2008-08-14T12:16:00.000+05:30

yup yup yup.. made something in 5 mins yday... no no.. not maggi noodles....
Potato fry.... u gotta believe it babby....

Had planned to go out with colleagues yday evening.. we were to meet up at 7 30 @ Mangal City Mall... so i thought i had enuf time to make some aloo tikki's... but voila D called up and said she is one the way and will pick me up in 10 mins... 10 mins, like Hell...

Set my watch and diced potatoes.... sauted them in oil, added masala, salt and it was made in record time... 5 mins.... Kewl....

Only miss was i cudnt sit back and eat it with bread.. D was at d door by then... grabbed a chips packet and ran off, texting Dear Roomie K to enjoy the Fry...

The Dandi Yatra....

2008-08-12T11:32:00.000+05:30

Take three Slices of Bread and cut them into identical squares.. do d same torture to a carrot but maintain the shape as rectangles... Pour 3 Tablespoons of oil and fry the carrot till tender... add the bread and repeat the process till d bread turns crisp and slightly brownish... Add Channa Masala to taste...

Sit Down to eat with your roomate... Exclaim "Something's Wrong"... Hit the Forehead and shout " Oh shucks.. forgot to add salt"....

Enjoy the saltless Bread Fry...

Express Breakfast...

2008-08-10T10:00:00.001+05:30

For Filling

Boil Potatoes till tender

Cut carrots into long slender pieces

Peel and mash the boiled potatoes

Fry d mashed potatoes and carrots in little oil in a kadai

Sprinkle Channa Masala and add salt to taste

Garnish with Rashly chopped Coriander and mint leaves

Now...

Take Bread slices dipped in little water

put in some of the above prepared filling

Make the whole stuff into a ball

Bring the Oil to boil in a bigger Kadai

Put in the balls

Wat u ll get is a ugly blob instead of Ball shaped Bread Rolls.... Call K to d rescue...

K Continue's

Dip d already prepared Balls into readymade dosa mix flour...

Deep fry them in oil...

Hot & Awesome Bread Rolls ready to eat.. top with some mint chutney and Sauce...

Ratzzz.. that was my try to make some new breakfast dish yday morning...

Square, Rectangle, Circle and shapes Unknown...

2008-08-05T14:05:00.000+05:30

I was on a call with SA when SB called up with d Party invitation.. Hotel Sayaji @ 7 30 pm...

Crap.. i already had a tea party to attend at 7.. no ways that it will end before 8 pm.... But we know, that punctuality : Indians : : Peace : OBL... So d Rat guessed, even by 8 the host will be "just on his way to the venue"...

well it turned out the same... I landed up with a huge Red Gerbra Bouquet to find ppl waiting for the ~~Ghost~~ Host..

The venue was "Square "... we were 15 in all and had a reservation before hand...

d artwork with stones, pipes and metal fillings...

Now to the Real Thing:

Menu:

the buffet had both Veggie and Non-Veggie option... Me who eats everything that walks, flies and swims excluding Homo Sapiens, Air Planes and Ships opted for the latter obviously...

Chicken Manchow Soup - Not too hot not too cold.. Rite Temperature so that i cud enjoy the tanginess and Mushrooms... now wait a second there was supposed to be chicken in there rite??? It went for a swim i think..

Cheese Pasta - The Cheese Shreds blended well with the Mayannoise and rightly cooked Bucatini and Fettuccine...

Salad - The salad Bar had Chicken Salad, Scrambled Egg Salad, Russian Salad, Citrus Salad, Potato Peanut Salad and the Normal Veg Salad... They also had Papaya Salad, for god knows why..

Onion Pulao - Rite choice for neone who want to skip d regular plain rice... The onions were sweet and just as i like (neither crispy nor soiled)...

Mutton Biriyani - He He He... now i am not being partial but just that i looooooveee Hyderabadi Biriyani so so so much...

Murgh Makan Palak - Seriously this is a must try... chicken very cut into not so big pieces and easily manaegable for the fork and knife types... the taste lingered in my memoies long after thae party...

Grilled Fish in Olive Sauce - I gave a 9 on 10 for this dish... i never knew fish could taste this good... my only fav in fish being Crisp fries...

And now to the much awaited and hyped Dessert section of Sayaji....

all pastries were eggless which is a big hit with d neurotic clan visiting Sayaji pretending to eat...

Eggless Chocolate Triangular - Chocolate Tiramisu with Lavish Chocolate Sauce on type and milk choco chips....

Guava Cheese Cake - I hated myself for taking this... there was not even a streak of guava.. not even a essence or fragrance... i wasted the whole serving... :-(

Zebra Gateaux - Alternate vanilla and chocolate pasteries with thick dark chocolate decorations... i ate the solid decorations more than d pastry...

Mango Caramel Custard - It was a pleasant surprise not to find the conventional vanilla caramel custard... and even more pleasant when this variation struck d rite cord...

ZupZup - Jelly Bean sans d hard candy shell... a sugary layer replaced that.... nice variation

Hilton Baked Cheese Cake - There was a chocolate fountain and vanilla cakes to be dipped in it, but i liked my cheese cakes dipped in chocolate better...

Chococup with Blue Berry Mousse - My 10 on 10 dessert... Solid Choco cup filled with Blueberry whipped cream... this was d highlight of d eveniing...

Ambience :

In house Muscian rendering english and bollywood hits in his offbeat voice really a pain if your concentration strays off your plate or d neighbouring table's gorgeous gu.. erm cough cough... they had beautifully themed the walls with geomatric patterns using stone, pipings, gravel, metal fitting etc... even d glass paintings had geometry linking to the restaurant name - "Square" ... The buffet placement itself makes u drool (or was it dat hunk in place of d main course server.. erm cough again)... the lighting was easy on the eyes and d high ceiling made a place seem airy and spacious inspite of lack of space....

but if u want a laid back dinner with ur family, better give it a skip and opt for the adjoining "Kebabsville" .. Too much crowd and too much sound...

Art Above the Buffet Arrangement...

Effect on Pocket: It is Rs 350/- per head + 20% Taxes, which i find worth given excellent food and variety provided... On comparision it is far better than its counterparts in Indore vis-a-vis Shri Maya, Crown Palace etc..

i cud visit again just for the Chococup with Blue Berry Mousse, Grilled Fish in Olive Sauce and Onion Pulao ... Top 3 on my list...

:-)

Great Dinner...

2008-07-22T12:48:00.001+05:30

Met Dharsan Uncle yesterday eve...

In btw.. Dharshan uncle is an erstwhile Billionaire, who has turned into a Fakir now... he has a family business which is monitored by his 2 sons now... He has dedicated himself to Maatha and Mahakal now.. he is the most jovial person i have met so far, one with a large funny bone...

Me, SA and RJ visited a temple that was built/decorated by SA... I was seated outside after the dharshan, and Dharsan Uncle came to meet us... Some snippets from him..

Inviting us to dinner: "You know i have a room there (pointing at his house), where i have a burner.. over that i cook sabji and roti.. it will cry if u abandon it tonight..."

Chivalry:As all chairs were occupied i was standing in the hall, Offering his chair "You know it is written Ladies in this.. i didnt notice it" ;-)

Etiqutte: Forgetting my name & hiding that, "Miss India, Pass that bowl Plz.."

Teaching me to propose: "Ask him, Will you like to grow old with me"

Hinting me to visit him again: "So when are you gonna redial me..."

In Btw... The dinner was stumptous.. Roti, Palak Sabji, Aaloo Sabji, Daal Baati, Daal, Dhaliya, Rice, Veg Salad, Churan, Sev, and Aachar... His daughter-in-law was as sweet as the Kaju kathli that was served as the dessert...

Top Chef

2008-05-29T16:40:00.001+05:30

He He He..... neither i have won the Top chef award nor i have been chosen to host the show instead of Padmalakshmi..... this is a different story....

Thanks the continuous Food poisoning cause of my Canteen-wala's horrible menu, i decided to carry both breakfast and lunch to office..... as we get no special time to Break fast i pack a couple of sandwiches daily for morning... Ya, i play with the fillings but i stop there...

But the real thing - the Lunch... with the shortest possible time i have to dish up something that is edible, tasty, smells good, and is different, not repetitive and above all easy to dish out.... You ask why??? leave others me,myself wont touch it if any of the above is missing....

Gawd.... the most difficult part is to think of something to satisfy my pabulum... So far so good....
the reviews are great.... and my sandwiches are a hit... he he he..

ME - Top Chef....

The Gourmet in me...

2008-04-27T14:08:00.001+05:30

Friday nite..... I had quite some number of party invites... my head was throbbing and i gave a miss to all and went straight to bed as early as 7 pm....

7 . 38 pm.... ting tingdi ting ... ting tingdi ting.....
One my colleagues is on the phone....
Hello BS... its my daughter's birthday and i am giving a little treat at Hotel Nafees.. Please Join us....
and i hear a distinct sound in the background, "Didi... wr is my gift... i want pink bangles"... Oksss i got the point.....

I dressed up and went scouting for pink bangles in vain... i didn't even know the kids wrist size... i compensated getting a really big pale yellow teddy and a bouquet of pink roses.... By the time i reached all had ordered soup and were waiting for me.... the Kid was showered with all the gifts and she stood to cut the cake... okss usual formalities no bling there....
But the seating arrangement was the highlight of the day.... all were seated either with their closest friends or "just Friends" and me being the only single ( Yet!!!) i was seated beside a really old friend whose main aim seemed to be eating every pabulum he could reach for.... Not bad.... i would be saved from the embarrassment of infinite time i take to decide on what to eat..

After having the so soft melt in mouth apple Pastry, i ordered for chicken clear soup, as i just cant digest any-other stew in the name of soup.... Ultra Flop- It should have been named turbid soup as it was far from being clear and i just couldn't bite into the chicken stocks... :( i tried the chicken consomme of my dear friend, which was much better....

Then we ordered a plethora of starters... Vegetable Manchurian and the Hara kebab was a real treat to the taste buds... fish fingers tasted like it was a week old.... chilli chicken was OK types.... my dear friend ordered Tangri Kebab for me..... No wonder the eat out specialized in mughalai cooking.... the rite stuffing of chicken mince meat into the rightly crisp Chicken thigh... mmmmmhh.... i stopped myself from licking the fingers.... i relished the white sauce, rather than the fish fry, that came along with it.... Chicken lollipop won the title of best Appetizer

For the main course we ordered Romali roti and Lamb bone stew(Goat’s Trotters Curry / Paya)..... i was feeling the seating arrangement was to my benefit, and it was confirmed now...... The combination was awesome.... hotness was right both in temperature and spices....

The Chicken biriyani stood up to the hype created by my friends... the onions were just crunchy as i like, rite spice, ritely boiled rice and juicy chicken... i was drooling over at even the boiled egg that came along...

Had a lemon soda.... wrong choice..these ppl just don't even have slightest hint what a sweet lemon soda mean...

Then rounded it all with the double scoop of Litchi Ice-cream and a double scoop of Choco-Almond Fudge...

Humpty - dumpty... sat on the table..
Humpty - dumpty... had a great meal..
All the King's Chef and all the King's Cook...
Couldn't put Humpty together again...... BURPppppp...

Kitchen Klutter...

2008-04-27T13:12:00.001+05:30

ya ya.. i accept i was supposed to leave a blog on my munching away on gobi manchurian on other stuffs i prepared on the 22nd.... but that lazy bone, just underneath my funny bone didnt allow me to access my blog till today... So here i am after several eat outs since the 22nd, the April....

when i reached home, i was all ready with the necessary ingredients.. at the last moment i found a pack of baby corns on the kitchen table.... :) don't i just love baby corns.... i set out deep frying the cauliflower and corns dipped in flour mix... i let the gravy boil in a pan aside and kept adding the florets and corns as and when they turned goldenbrown....

I had the rice prepared already.... so i just let the manchurian simmer till it gave that mmmm... aroma... i gave the burgers and the egg cutlets a miss 'coz by the time i finished preparing the manchurian i didnt even have the energy to eat it let alone prepare another dish....

I hit the bed within 15 min of finishing the dinner.... Blame the sun....

My Experiments with.. errr the kitchen..

2008-04-22T15:57:00.001+05:30

Not that i haven't visited this place before or i am bad cook.... Infact, i dish out edible easy to make dishes and in those moments of "once in a blue moon" even venture out to make ppl happy, and cook their favourite dishes.....

But the last three days made "The Kitchen" a real Playground....

Actually my maid is on leave... Any other month would have find me walking to a near eat out and binge on my favourite dishes... But it being April and the temperature on the coldest nights being 32' C, i fear to venture out....

So i paid a visit to my kitchen sans kitchen....
First day was a real mishap.... i planned to make chawal and dal fry.... blame it on my sleepyness or tired head, i realized a good ten minutes later i had lighted the stove that i had actually boiling the rice and lentils together...... SMACK..... didnt feel like throwing it out.... added salt, sambar masala, Turmeric powder, Coriander powder to dish out Bisibelabath.... This actually resembeled more of the stuff you dish out for your 10 month old baby sister... oksssss... its all in the game....

Second Day was more fun.... i was fully awake and a visit to the nearby green grocer, i had everything i needed...... it was real good to eat the Jeera-Aaloo & Tomato-onion gravy i made with rice and bread......

Third day..... I felt like trying out the Breads section.... this was more (or shud i say most) easy.. and it tasted good to.... i had made vegetable club sandwiches and this recipe of mine was an instant hit.... No, i am not gonna reveal that to you.... i treated some colleagues to this new recipe of mine today morning... i am damn sure i'll be invited to the next sleep over.. he he he.....

Today i am planning to make Gobi Manchurian, Egg Plant Rice ,Burgers and egg cutlets.... Lets C....

I 'll leave an one liner tommorow on today's experience.

Dark the con of my tongue...

2008-04-10T10:47:00.001+05:30

When my colleague went on a official trip out of India, i pestered him to get me a great box of my favourite....

oh boy oh boy .. after a week, me returns home from office and to my joy finds atleast 6-7... man, my colleague is a real chum...

late that nite after dinner i sat down to savor my gift.... one bite and my face wud have bet an ginger eaten monkey in the worst facial expressions contest, to get the first prize.... wat i forget to mention was d percentage purity.... my dear Quality Assuarance colleague went for pure 99%

So much for my love of dark chocolates....

Black Forest........

2008-03-28T15:15:00.001+05:30

Mmmmmmmmmm...... the creamy, awesome, mouth watering dessert ever made in earth..... my love for them started as a side effect of my love for dark chocolates... they taste their best at FANTASY, a bakery near my apartment...

could never resist them no matter how high on migraine i am....

Holi Party sans gulaal.....

2008-03-27T14:54:00.001+05:30

The circular came when i had taken my day off... d next day my HR manager calls me and the conversation went somethin like this...
SR: Hi bhagi... how r u??
BS: Fine sir.. How r u? (me thinks: y all this care suddenly)
SR: Are u a vegetarian or non-vegetarian
BS: Pure NV,Sir (Me thinks: wow they are gonna provide non-veg at canteen)
SR: Ok. Noted.... acha sun tumhare apartment ke baaki ladkiyon ko bhi leke anna...
BS: SIR.. (me thinks: Kya? Kahan? Kab? Kyun?)
SR: Arey tumne abhi tak mail pada ki nahi....
BS: Kaunsi mail.. kisne bheja.. kab bheja??? (me thinks: Mera bheja Fry)
SR: Pahle mail check kar.. ill call u in 5 min....

(he never called)
So bhagi goes checks d mail to find invitation to Office Party. Special occassion : Rang Panchami.
RP party OK... but if they are to play holi.. sorry i am not a sport.. Already spoiled my hair and a dress on holi din.... dont want to become the scape goat again...
After several assuarances from various colors that they wont play holi at office party (read with exaggaration and that "unbelieving" expression. (naalaiks, who ever said they wont play with gulaal promptly brought colors along)

Ok... now gettin ready to a party is a real feat, with two other girls in your flat who check out wat u are wearing and then deciding their deck... atlast one decided to wear saree after arguing between a jean/ tee, half saree (tamil ethnic wear) and a salwar suit... bingo... she doesnt has a party wear saree.. there goes your favourite saree u wanted to wear... ok no probs.. but she doent know to wear that.. umber cool... me helps her wear that...

Half hour left before my friend comes to pick me... good i havent decided wat to wear and roamin around in a towel... closed my eyes and randomly picked up a saree... decked up in simple antique wear in 15 min and my mobile rang...

MJ: Kahan pe..
BS: Flat of course
MJ: Ok come down.. i am waiting..
BS: ok.. meet u downstairs...

We promptly reached the site to see the place filled with aunties (read Mrs. of respective Colleagues)
Then comes the ubiquotous round of Tambola... Me gets bribed, threatened to get a ticket..
Loose in the game promptly and give a victory smile..

Then d next shock was to be picked up to play first in Dumb charades in d lucky dip... and yes yes yes i won... got a cute Vinayaka/Ganpati statue..

then came dance and food.. priority depends on you.... me chose food... nothing to write home about...

starterz: Paneer Pakoda
Hara Kebab
well d second one is my fav. so binged on it...

Unluckily no soup for me today: was served jaljeera instead.. took a sip and d rest was left to the.... err grass

Main Course: Green salad
Mutton something
Chicken biriyani (supposed to be)
Rumali roti
Two other types of roti
On the vegetarian menu there was Kadai vegetable, Paneer Butter masala and jeera rice...

Chicken biriyani was more of rice than chicken... Rumali roti and mutton saved me.. even i cudnt guess wat d dish was it tasted good...

ya ya i forgot to add raitha, pickles and papad in the list...

Dessert: Ya d usual vanilla icecream and Gulab Jamun.. But d plus point was the guy at the dessert stand recognized me and gave an extra scoop.. he he he.. Hutch puppy smile works...

then one by one d crowd started trickling back to home... arey yaar... khel liya.. danceliya.. kaaliya.. aur kya karoge.....

Once the ground was free of 30+, there was space to breath in.. hell lot space as only 10 of as new joinees were left... it was our time.. threatned the DJ to play the new realeases and danced till 11 30.. then we were driven out by our HR manager.. came back in d company bus and masti didnt end there... all were singing at the top of voice all those beaten tracks...

went to bed by 1... result... now body pain... need of sleep.. typing this blog in office hour to avoid sleepin in this Artificial air filled glass cabin....

chaltha hai.. hotha hai yaar.... aaj mera time kal tera time... he he he