Next Stop Kolkata Street Food Festival @ The Monkey Bar

Fish Roll


It is always a great feeling if one catches a glimpse of their rich cultural heritage on display in a faraway land.

This time of the year is where all the festivities begin & we as Bengalis mostly talk about the festival of festivals: Durga Pujo.

This post is dedicated to the ongoing Next Stop Kolkata food festival across all Monkey Bar outlets in the country where certain handpicked street food specialties of Kolkata are being served.

Bengali culture has a variety of aspects and it is very well known that food is extremely important to us. Moreover, the street food in Kolkata has an influence of multiple cultures unlike any other Indian city.

We were a part of the preview & we were impressed at the amount of research conducted before putting up the final menu. The festival lasts till the 21st of October & aims to hit the emotions of Bengalis living away from Kolkata. For those who have never indulged in these, it’s time!  

Now coming down to what we tried:


Beadon Street Fish Roll, Girish Park Shoitan Deem, Chitpur road Chicken Rezala, Esplanade Mughlai Porota, Vardaan Market Moong Daal Pakodi Chaat & the Vivekananda Park Ghooghni.

We also tried a couple of cocktails which are a part of the menu.

The full menu consists of 4 other items which can be seen in the menu which we’ve put up.

The fish rolls in Kolkata typically consists of thin slices of Kolkata Bhetki, stuffed with a mixture of curried fish/prawns & vegetables. It is always served with Kasundi mustard. Here, in all cases there were some adaptations based on multiple factors, mainly because this is going to be in a bar menu. The actual fish rolls are generally bigger in size but they’ve replicated the taste remarkably & made them bite sized.

The Shoitan Deem is a hybrid of scotch eggs & Egg devils available in the streets of Kolkata. A well done Dimer Chop (Egg chop) will blow your mind! This was impressive with the runny yolk (6 min eggs) & the shammi kebab filling but it isn’t quite there. Moreover, egg devils are generally light on the stomach. This is not. Highly recommended for meat lovers.

Shoitaan Deem

The entire spread
Moong Daal Pakodi Chaat

The Rezala was our favourite! The delicate flavor & the traditional triangle parathas took us back a thousand kilometers. The white curry was aromatic & not so rich. Making the gravy richer would have enhanced the taste but it would’ve lost the “street food” touch. Very well executed & highly recommended. The meat was well done as expected.

We had mixed feelings about the Mughlai Porota. Although typically, Esplanade Mughlai Porotas are famous for being made with duck eggs, in this case considering different palates they were made with normal eggs. In the iconic shops, they are deep fried & very oily but here they are sautéed on a tawa & not much excess oil. The crunch was missing though. The taste of the potatoes were spot on.

Lastly, the Ghooghni & the Daal Pakodi chaat are ingredient based. These guys did their homework well & it tasted as good as the real thing. The ghooghni won the race because the Chutney in the Chaat needed to be more Khatta as the sweetness was perfect.

Ghooghni with  Phuchka Pani Capriojka

Chicken Rezala with triangle Paratha
Mughlai Porota with Thanda Cha 

About the drinks: we tried the Thaanda Cha which is quality Darjeeling tea with a tickling kick of Vodka.

The 2nd drink we tried was the Phuchka Pani Capriojka which was truly brilliant. It had a great balance between the Vodka, the Gondhoraj lebu & the Phuchka jol. The mixing was done perfectly & it goes very well with the items on the menu.

That’s all we tried, but we’re surely going to visit to try the Pork & Prawn Dumplings!
This festival is running across Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai & Bangalore & we would definitely recommend a visit.

We have our roots in Kolkata & felt the deviations but criticism aside, they’ve done an amazing job.

Do let us know about your experience if you visit!

We’ll be back soon with more news on grub.

Till then—believe in good food & bon apetit!

Chili's American Grill & Bar Launch | RMZ Ecoworld | Bangalore

Ultimate Bacon Burger @ Chili's American Grill & Bar Launch | RMZ Ecoworld | Bangalore
Ultimate Bacon Burger (Top View)

Expansion is a necessity when there is popularity.

The above sentence is true for those establishments which provide its patrons with what they like & on the same page, in this post we’ll be talking about a similar chain which is very popular.

We were recently invited to the preview of the 4th outlet of Chili’s American Grill & Bar in RMZ Ecoworld, Sarjapur. For all the craft burger lovers around, this is breaking news!

This was an exclusive preview and it was a total meaty affair.

Chili’s is famous for their burgers and tender pork ribs and they were some of the items we tried.

So, coming down to the items we tried: Ultimate Bacon Burger, Baby Back Ribs (classic BBQ sauce), Bacon Ranch Chicken Quesadillas, Southern Smokehouse Burger, Herb Basa and Ancho Salmon.

For dessert: Molten Chocolate Cake & Cheesecake.


Chili's American Grill & Bar Launch | RMZ Ecoworld | Bangalore
A mint & melon based cooler

Bacon Ranch Chicken Quesadillas @ Chili's American Grill & Bar Launch | RMZ Ecoworld | Bangalore
Bacon Ranch Chicken Quesadillas

Ultimate Bacon Burger

The burgers were extraordinary and deserve the name “craft burgers”. The patty, the combination of sauces & the bacon on top, everything summed up to a delightful experience. The ultimate bacon burger has a thick buffalo meat patty topped off with crispy bacon & loads of cheddar cheese. Try it to experience happiness!

The other burger had spiced panko onion rings as the toppings on the patty along with crispy bacon. The onion rings did blend well, but we would choose the above any day!

The Baby Back Ribs were succulent & juicy & the original BBQ sauce is legendary. Almost 0 content of fat & tender meat is all it’s about! This is served with fries & corn on the cob.
The quesadillas were equally brilliant. They were baked perfectly and one can feel the cheese in each bite. The meat is tender as expected.

Both the main course preps were served with rice & steamed veggies. The salmon was really something. It was perfectly done, was mildly sweet & the quantity was just. The Basa on the other hand could have been better. The slice of fish was thinner than expected.


Chili's American Grill & Bar Launch | RMZ Ecoworld | Bangalore
Baby Back Ribs

Molten Chocolate Cake @ Chili's American Grill & Bar Launch | RMZ Ecoworld | Bangalore
Molten Chocolate Cake

Cheesecake

Herb Basa @ Chili's American Grill & Bar Launch | RMZ Ecoworld | Bangalore
Herb Basa

Ancho Salmon @ Chili's American Grill & Bar Launch | RMZ Ecoworld | Bangalore
Ancho Salmon

The desserts are irresistible! The cheesecake was ok: spongy but taste wise at par, nothing special.

The other was different & very good! A spoonful of the spongy stuff & vanilla ice cream & it’ll make you close your eyes. This dessert is big in size as well so, it is better to share.
That’s our experience in a nutshell & it surely deserves a thumbs up!

It was great being a part of the preview & interacting with known faces.

Do give them a visit if you crave for any of the above ;)

We’ll be back with a bang soon.

Till then: Fantasize & bon apetit!

The Vijayanagara Feast @ Cubbon Pavilion | ITC Gardenia | Bangalore

Meen Huli @ Cuisine of Vijayanagara @ Cubbon Pavilion | ITC Gardenia | Bangalore
Meen Huli (Fish cooked with tamarind & tomatoes)

Well, it is not every day that we get to indulge in royalty right?

India was a land of many kingdoms at one point and one of the most powerful and flourishing of them was Vijayanagara, the cuisine of which we’ll be talking about in this post.

This post is all about the Cuisines of Vijayanagara food festival at the Cubbon Pavilion, ITC Gardenia which is on till the 4th of June.

This comes under the Royal Repasts aegis of Kitchens of India by ITC.

The food was exquisite, rich & spicy but was like comfort food at the same time. This region was known to use a lot of spice, especially chilli in their food & care was also taken so that it does not overpower the natural flavours and that is what we experienced.

This cuisine is also considered as Hampi cuisine which is also long gone, but the master chefs from ITC took it to task to recreate this in as authentic a way as possible keeping modern dining in mind.



Now, moving on to what this festival has to offer:

More or less equal options for vegetarians & non vegetarians. We won’t be stressing too much on the details and we’ll mention the must tries. There was nothing disappointing about the food we were served, but some were exceptional whereas some were decent.

From the starters: All the 3 are highly recommended! From the raw banana dumplings to the spicy dry chicken preparation and the lamb & coriander dumplings, simplistic brilliance we would like to call it.

The raw banana was shallow fried and it had a homely touch to it. The chicken was very spicy, well-cooked and not overpowering. The lamb balls were amazing. They are pretty small in size but big on impact! The freshness of the coriander & the flavour of lamb are an impeccable combination.

From the mains: The Ivy Gourd preparation, The Lamb Chops, Prawns with Black Pepper are a must! The accompaniments were equally amazing.

Balakkai Vada @ Cuisine of Vijayanagara @ Cubbon Pavilion | ITC Gardenia | Bangalore
Balakkai Vada (Raw Banana)

Kaima Unde Bartad @ Cuisine of Vijayanagara @ Cubbon Pavilion | ITC Gardenia | Bangalore
Kaima Unde Bartad (Lamb & Coriander dumplings)

Koli Menasakai @ Cuisine of Vijayanagara @ Cubbon Pavilion | ITC Gardenia | Bangalore
Koli Menasakai (Spicy Chicken)
Urida Mamsa (Lamb chops)

The Ivy Gourd had a rich coconut flavour and was cut into very thin slices which gave a delicate crunch to each bite. The Lamb chops were heavenly. The best part about them was that the flavour of lamb was present because they were not smoked. The masala used really boosted the taste & that’s the drawing line for a non-vegetarian!

The Prawn preparation was very simple. The prawns were fresh & sweet and the black pepper gave the contrast in flavour.

The other preparations include: Chicken in Coriander & Coconut gravy, a lentil preparation, a Brinjal preparation & a Sear fish preparation cooked in tomatoes & tamarind.

All of them were palatable. The fish had a unique tangy taste. The Brinjal preparation had a few shortcomings in terms of balance. The chicken had the characteristic flavours.

Ennai Badakanai @ Cuisine of Vijayanagara @ Cubbon Pavilion | ITC Gardenia | Bangalore
Ennai Badakanai (Brinjal)

Cuisine of Vijayanagara @ Cubbon Pavilion | ITC Gardenia | Bangalore

Centre: Raw Mango rice. From left: Ivy Gourd, Brinjal, Chicken, Lentils, Fish, Koli Pulao

Akki Payasa @ Cuisine of Vijayanagara @ Cubbon Pavilion | ITC Gardenia | Bangalore
Akki Payasa

The accompaniments like Raw Mango Rice, The Koli Pulao (Chicken cooked with rice & spices) & the Akki Roti deserve a special mention. The first had an amazing aroma & was lip smacking. The Koli Pulao was mouth-watering! It was very light on the stomach, lightly spiced & the meat retained the flavours.

For dessert, we tried the Akki Payasa which was very comforting. It was dilute but gave a sweet finish as always. We felt it was a tad bit over sweet.

That’s all from our side!

The festival is on till for another week so quite some time left to gear up.

Such opportunities are hard to come by and we definitely recommend a visit.

Do try out what we mentioned and other things as well and let us know about your experience if you visit. This is available only for dinner (07:30 PM - 11:30 PM) and priced at 1950 ++.

This festival might not have much for dessert, but the other things are sure to satisfy you.
 We’ll be back soon with a bang ;)

Till then—stay tuned & bon apetit!

Valentines Day Special @ Vivanta by Taj - Yeshwantpur | Bangalore

Valentines Day Special @ Vivanta by Taj - Yeshwantpur | Bangalore

It has been a while that we posted something related to luxury dining and we missed bringing them over to you apart from missing the food as in almost all cases the food makes us go crazy.

We have visited many Taj properties in the past and we were pretty sure that we have been to all of them (In Bangalore). Unfortunately, we were wrong and this time our visit to the Vivanta by Taj- Yeshwantpur for a preview of their special Valentine’s Day arrangements.

So, for those who want to make it special on the upcoming 14th of Feb, here’s what you can expect if you decide to celebrate this special day of love at this luxurious property:

A fabulous selection of food which look & taste delightful & a lot of hearts!

They have a special A.I package (INR 5999) for couples on the big day and they have appropriate plans to make the couples fall in love all over again: heart shaped chocolates, balloons, strawberries dipped in chocolate and much more.

So from the food point of view, here are our views:

The New Menu @ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore

Taka Tak Paneer Tikka @ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore
Taka Tak Paneer Tikka

So, before we begin we wish you a very Happy New Year and hope you have a rocking year ahead! (better late than never!)

The New Year brings about a lot of “new” things, be it resolutions, schedules etc. but it is normally not expected that with a new year a new menu comes into the picture.

One of Bangalore’s favourite north Indian (actually they serve North West Frontier Cuisine) Restaurants: Kopper Kadai launched its new menu this week and they start off 2017 with a new menu and resolve.

This was not our first visit and the last time as well, the food was exquisite. They have kept a fifth of the old menu and replaced the rest with new and innovative items to maintain their position as one of the best.

The best part was that we had a live interaction with celebrity Chef Akshay Nayyar who gave us a walkthrough of the new menu.

So, starting off the New Year with some spicy, rich and crafted food:

There were a large number of items served and we did not try all of them but we would definitely stress on the ones we recommend this time.

Limca Bhel @ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore
Limca Bhel

Kashmiri Kiss

Chiller Chai@ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore
Chiller Chai

Tandoori Broccoli preparation

Jwalamukhi

For starters we had the Ande Ka Funda, Nadru Ki Chaat, Pesto Soya Champey, Jwalamukhi, Taka Tak Paneer Tikka, Murgh Korma Kebab, Hariyali Machhi Tikka and a few more.

If you are an egg lover, do not forget to try the Ande ka Funda as it has a stuffing of spinach & cheese. You’ll not be disappointed for sure!

Anda Ka Funda@ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore
Anda Ka Funda

The Nadru ki Chaat was a crispy lotus steam preparation and was mildly sweet. Worth a try but won’t be any harm if you don’t.

The Pesto Soya Champey was excellent. The characteristic flavours went through and the rich and creamy feel was delightful. The best part was the consistency of the soya: smooth as silk!

The Jwalamukhi or Volcano was a spinach and cheese preparation and the heart of it was molten cheese. Taste wise not so special if you ignore the cheese.

The Taka Tak Paneer Tikka was spicy with a tangy after taste with huge chunks of Paneer. The paneer was well done and deserves a bite.

The Hariyali Machhi Tikka was standard. It will not disappoint you and at the same time, won’t excite you either. The fish was perfectly done, the flavours went through and the juiciness intact.

The Murgh Korma Kebab deserves the mouth-watering label. One can feel the richness in each bite. Cooked with loads of milk, it gives a mild sweet sensation along with the fusion of herbs and spices. Amazing!

The drinks we tried: Chiller Chai, Jugal Bandi and the Kashmiri Kiss.

The Chiller Chai was unique. There was a mixture of citrusy flavours and the good old notes of tea which ended up as a great appetizer.

The Kashmiri Kiss looked great but was dominated with the flavour of honey. Healthy no doubt, but definitely needs some tinkering. It is served with a burning piece of cinnamon which gives off an inviting aroma.

Now finally for the main course:

We heard that the Gobi Chicken was worth a try but since we didn’t we won’t comment further.

Hariyali Machhi Tikka @ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore
Hariyali Machhi Tikka

Pesto Soya Champey@ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore
Pesto Soya Champey

Pashmeena Nalli Gosht

Murgh Korma Kebab @ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore
Murgh Korma Kebab

Chowdhary Chooza@ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore
Chowdhary Chooza 

Kopper Kadai Biriyani @ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore
Kopper Kadai Biriyani

The Chowdhary Chooza was a chicken preparation with yet again, great presentation. The gravy was semi thick and not worth wasting. The boneless chicken was accompanied with chicken keema in the gravy. It was spicy and lip smacking. Tasted excellent with the breads!

The Kopper Kadai Biriyani was a chicken meatball biriyani and the rice was aromatic, fine and delicious. The meatballs were perfectly done. After this we want to talk about two mutton preparations: The Pashmeena Nalli Gosht and the Laal Maas.

Both are a must try, depending on whether you like meat on or off the bone. The former had the all-powerful flavours of Garam Masala and it always comes through. Insanely tasty!

We expected the latter to be fiery and fierce but it was not quite so. It was balanced for normal human consumption and in fact was mildly sweet. This was not desirable but the meat was well done and preparation was spicy and magnificent.

For dessert, we recommend the Nutella Dodha Lava from the old menu. It is a milk based sweet with stuffed Nutella so don’t stop yourselves!

From the new menu, do try out the special Gajar Ka Halwa called Gajrela! We won’t talk about it as after trying you will ;).

That’s all from our side on the new menu @ Kopper Kadai.

It is one of our favourite restaurants, so instead of a biased opinion we would recommend you to try them out.

Do let us know in case you do.

We will be back soon.

Till then—keep rocking, stay tuned and bon apetit!


*We intentionally left out some items as we do not comment/write about items we don’t try!*

The Goan Food Festival @ JW Kitchen | The JW Marriott Hotel | Bangalore

Sardine Rechado @ JW Kitchen | The JW Marriott Hotel | Bangalore
Sardine Rechado
Goa!

Now that’s a word that is guaranteed to grab the attention of any individual in our country, irrespective of age. Goa is known not only as a great vacation spot with family and for hanging out with friends but also for Goan cuisine which includes unique and different food preparations. (And also for their beaches and cheap alcohol!)

There are other noteworthy facts about Goa but since we will concentrate on Goan food specifically, let’s keep it to that. We have recently been to the Goan Food Festival Preview at the JW Marriott Hotel, Bangalore and we got a taste of what Goan home cooking tastes like.

As it was a preview, not all the dishes were served and the actual buffet would contain many more preparations. The JW Marriott is trying to give a twist to the way things are normally done by allowing a renowned home chef from Goa, Chef Sinnatra to take over the reputed JW Kitchen and give all their customers a true taste of Goan food.


So, coming down to what we tried:

The Mangalorean Food Festival | Jamavar- The Leela Palace | Bangalore


Luxury dining is something which we would like to call an acquired taste. In the recent past, we have had our share of luxury and fine dining and at first it did not seem so special. However, with repeated encounters one can realize the true beauty of the experience. Although luxury comes at a price, it is something to indulge in because we do need to pamper ourselves after the hard work we do!

On the same page, we recently visited The Leela Palace, Bangalore situated in Old Airport road for their Mangalore Food Festival and the property is majestic. It is not surprising if someone is awestruck by the grandeur of the interiors and especially in and around their Indian specialty restaurant, Jamavar. This festival is running at Jamavar from the 12th of September to the 21st.

They have miniature rocky waterfalls with greenery everywhere. Jamavar has indoor as well as outdoor seating. The indoors give you a regal feeling whereas the outdoors are breezy with picturesque surroundings.




Now coming down to the food:

The Middle Eastern Food Festival @ Mynt | The Taj West End | Bangalore

Mahalabia
We have visited many Taj properties in the past, both in Bangalore and in our home town Kolkata. Each hotel has its own unique significance and a story behind their existence. Each hotel has a different charm, beauty and set of specialized chefs.

Very recently we have been to the oldest Taj property, not only in Bangalore but also in the entire country—The Taj West End. It is located at the heart of the city in Race Course Road and its grandeur is simply astounding! The lobby was exceptional with medium sized trees and dim lighting. The property was earlier meant to be used by British soldiers when India was not independent. Afterwards, it was taken over by many a group and currently it lies in the hands of the Tata group which cares about this property and beautified it beyond brilliance.

Now moving on to our objective: We were privileged to be a part of an exclusive dinner preview of the upcoming Middle Eastern food festival at Mynt which kicks off from the 17th of August and runs till the 27th.




The adept chefs at Mynt with their executive chef Sandeep Narang crafted this special menu which aims to bring certain Middle Eastern delicacies to the table of all customers of Mynt. 

The menu we tried was elaborate but during the festival the entire menu will not be served to the customers but it will be on a rotational basis.

Now, coming down to the food:

Rudra On Zomato

view my food journey on zomato!

The FLB on Instagram

Priyanjana On Zomato

view my food journey on zomato!