Archive for 2014

Home Archive for 2014

If you are looking for a place to spend time with family/friends and want to avoid hopping places , bluO is the solution to your conundrum. We recently went to check out bluO and it turned out to be a nice experience.
The 17-lane bowling centre with its predominant blue lighting and good music set up the mood for a fun-filled afternoon with the Food-adda team. They also plan to introduce pool very soon.

BluO offers you wide varieties of food items; from finger food to full fledged main course in Indian, Mexican, Chinese and a range of other cuisines. We were quite amused to see mains on the menu. After all, who orders Dal Makhani and Naan while bowling. On enquiring further about this, the management explained to us that they host a lot of corporate parties, kitty parties, birthdays and anniversaries and after a game of bowling , patrons like to sit down for a full course meal. Point taken.

We munched on our appetizers at the bowling centre. The bluO special Nachos were crisp and loaded with cheese,while the Chaat masala fries were tangy and spicy. Both these dishes were quite good. The other appetizers (spring rolls, garlic bread platter and hummus bowl) we tried were just decent.

After a game which had more gutters than strikes, we went to the Karaoke lounge. The Karaoke lounge provides a more intimate atmosphere and has a good collection of Hindi and English music. Here, we had our mains, Paneer Tikka pizza, Veg Khowsuey and Paneer Lababdar with Naan. The Paneer Tikka pizza had way too many large chunks of paneer to our liking, tastewise its okay. The veg khowsuey is one of the better ones available in the city and is one of the noteworthy dishes on the menu. Paneer lababadar was creamy and delicious.

The food at bluO might not be the most authentic but it has been tailored in accordance with the Indian palate and is pretty decent.

Verdict
State of the art bowling alley, karaoke lounges,video games, well stocked bar and an array of global cuisine to choose from, bluO has got something for every age group. A nice place to have fun and relish it with some appetizing cuisine.
Damages : 2000 for two people (bowling included)

Zambar, the fine dining coastal cuisine restaurant is hosting a Hyderabadi food festival. The cuisine in the festival showcases the Nizami style food of Hyderabad. The festival is on till the end of March after which the menu will be updated to add a separate section of Hyderabad cuisine. We went to check out the special menu with the Food-Adda team. Here's our review :

The evening started with a shot of Rasam with some Papadam. For starters, we were served Aloo ke Garlay which are basically Batata vadas and was pretty standard stuff. However, The non- vegetarian foodies with us couldn't stop raving about the Shikampuri kebabs (pan fried minced mutton kebabs). They also tried the Chicken Tikka and found it to be quite good.

The main course was Mirch ka Salan (flash fried chillies in a mildly spiced peanut-sesame-coconut paste curry) served with Malabar Parathas. The Salan was delicious but the with the parathas, it gets a bit dry.The non-veg offerings on the menu are Achari murg, Nawabi curry and Machli ka Salan.
No Hyderabadi menu is complete without the Biryani and this was no different. The veg biryani we tried was better than what most places serve but somehow 'veg' and 'biryani' don't go well together. The Chicken and Mutton Biryani served at Zambar vary in their cooking styles. While the former is cooked Moplah style, the latter is prepared the Awadhi way and was preferred by the carnivores in our group.

The standout dishes for us were the desserts, Qubani ka Meetha and Double ka Meetha. The Qubani ka Meetha (stewed apricot dessert) at Zambar, although quite runny, is flavorful and has a lasting impression on the taste buds. The Double Ka meetha also known as Shahi Tukda is crisp with dollops of Malai and topped with almonds and pistachios.

Verdict

Vegetarians should skip the festival menu and order from the regular menu instead. Non-vegetarians should go and check out the festival for some good authentic Hyderabadi cuisine.

We were invited for a meet and greet at Malaka Spice by the Tastykhana team. Tastykhana.in is one of India's first online food ordering portals and currently their services are available in Pune, Mumbai , Bangalore, Delhi ,Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad. They have tied up with around 5000 restaurants which is quite impressive considering the fact that Indian Restaurant owners are very hesitant about experimenting with anything even remotely related to the Internet.

Tastykhana founders Shachin Bhardwaj and Sheldon Dsouza decided to venture into India’s vast food industry in 2007 when Bhardwaj noticed the need for more web-available information in Pune’s restaurant sector and since then they have never looked back.

Other than ordering from website the service is also available through mobile apps for Android and iOS. We have ordered through tastykhana a lot and our experience has been good most of the times.

What we Like

Discovering lesser known restaurants - From Punjabi to Italian and from Burgers to traditional Indian thalis,they have an array of restaurants to satisfy everyone's taste buds. We got to know about quite a few small eateries in our locality that serve lip smacking food at nominal prices that we wouldn't have tried otherwise.
Advance Order - Getting a particular cake for a special occasion or ordering lunch at office , advance order has made life easier and the best part is, its delivered at your doorstep.

What needs to be improved

If one of the restaurants is closed for the day or it doesn't have staff to deliver the food, the customer is informed 20-25 minutes after ordering. This process should to be automated and customer should be informed earlier about it.

The Tastykhana team appreciated our feedback and were open-minded to our suggestions. They are currently trying to automate the whole process and make the whole food ordering experience better for the users. The team spoke about further additions to their service and the website which are in the pipeline.
They plan to come out with calorie counter on particular dishes and make pictures available for items which are on the menu.
Now this is one service we all can drool over. It’s food, and we are crazy for anything to do with food!

The food-adda team was invited to Tertullia for a tasting of their new menu. I have been to Terttulia many times and this place never fails to brighten up my day and this visit was no different.

Ambiance

The three spaces within Terttulia provide a unique ambiance and have a flow from one to the other. They have a beautiful outdoor patio with unfinished white Mediterranean style walls adorned with various artifacts. Inside, the Tapas bar has stark monotone interiors, high tables and bird cage lights while the more formal dining section has modern upholstered seating with soothing colours and a home-style feel. Separating these two sections is a wine cabinet showcasing their specially curated wine collection.

Food

The lunch started off with a wild mushroom cappuccino which was rich and heady and set us up for the next course.

Then came the watermelon and feta salad, mini quiche and chili lime and butter broccoli. The saltiness of the cheese perfectly compliments the cool sweetness of the watermelon in the salad and the balsamic really brings out the flavor of the watermelon. A great salad for a warm afternoon.

The mini quiche comes with a filling of corn and spinach with melted cheddar cheese on top. It has a nice nutty crust but after the first bite, it just melts in your mouth.

The Chilli lime and butter Broccoli was nothing spectacular.

For main course, we were served the three mushroom risotto and Cajun styled Tofu steak. The combination of the mushrooms, red wine and aged Parmesan cheese gives this hearty risotto a deep flavor. The Cajun styled tofu steak was served with a warm couscous salad and the tenderness of tofu went really well with the grainy texture of the couscous but it was slightly too sweet for my palate.

For desserts, we had the Gooey chocolate cake, it is sinfully decadent and true to its name. The warm croissant pudding didn't quite match up to the expectations it had set with its wonderful presentation and still has room for improvement.

Would I visit again? A big fat YES!! Excellent food in general, superb service and a very funky ambiance.

P.S. - Kudos to Nishant, assistant manager at Terttulia, for being a great host. He is well-versed with the items on the menu and also with the variations that the food can probably go well with.

When I first started drinking about 4 years back, Beer used to be my least preferred drink. And then one fine day, I was introduced to craft beer by my friends and since that day, I have been a beer aficionado. Whenever there is new microbrewery in town or a new beer is being tapped , I can't resist going.
So, last weekend, I went to check out the newly opened Independence Brewing Co. with the Food-Adda team.

Ambiance :
Its a very spacious place with high ceilings, minimalist decor and mellow lighting, and creates the perfect atmosphere for enjoying a drink or two. We sat outside as the weather was quite pleasant plus nothing beats drinking outdoors on wooden benches.

Beers

Although they have not started tapping their beers yet, they are currently serving three beers on tap from Mumbai-based craft beer manufacturer Gateway Brewing Co .

White Zen

The inspiration behind this beer is Hefeweizen, a classic German wheat beer.Its easy on the palate and has a smooth creamy texture with undertones of spices like cloves.

Like that only

A beer inspired by the city of Mumbai, it also aims to be friendly session ale for the city. Its the ideal beer for those who are switching from commercial lagers to craft beers. The beer has a very earthy character and a mild grass aroma.

Indian Pale Ale
Another love child of the British Raj ,the IPA is a popular choice for beer and is a must have for any microbrewery’s repertoire.This IPA has a fresh and somewhat light body with a hoppy taste along with strong notes of tropical fruits. It is a very nicely balanced beer leaving you with a bitter-sweet finish.

Kudos to Independence Brewing Co and Gateway Brewing Co for bringing these wonderful beers to Pune. We eagerly wait for the Independence Brewing beers to be tapped.

Food
The menu includes a good number of options between appetizers and main courses and has a lot of variety. From typical bar food to Indian and Oriental cuisine, they have something for every palate.
For starters, we ordered Panko crumbed stuffed mushrooms , Ethiopian Samboosa and Loaded nachos. The mushrooms and samboosa were prepared really well and were absolutely delicious.The Nachos were standard. The non-vegetarian foodies with us couldn't stop raving about the Chicken Roulade and the sliders.

Our main course consisted of Black pepper tofu and Mushroom and Veg stew gratin. This course failed to pack a punch. On asking the chef, he said that they are still working on the veg main course menu. Hopefully, we'll have a main course as good as the appetizers on our next visit.

The desserts absolutely blew our mind. The Chocolate souffle is fluffy and delectable and its portions are enough for two people. Fellow foodies loved the red wine poached fruits with custard, I didn't try it as I didn't want the wonderful taste of chocolate souffle to leave my palate.

Service

The servers are well-informed and courteous. When serving the beer samplers, they tell you how to proceed with the beers so as to get the optimum flavor.

A special mention to Shailendra Bist , the co-founder of Independence Brew, for the personal attention he gave, not only to the Food-adda team but to the other visitors as well.

Location : Next to Mundhwa Passport Office

Damages : 2000 for two people , 240 for a pint