Can There Be a Ever a Delight That is Guilt Free?

Can there ever be a guilt free dessert, so that I can relish it as much as I want without spending hours muling over it, repenting....I asked.

I looked around and searched where can you find these? The sad part only at very few places which had ultra limited menu.

Going for some I realized you could always feel the difference. The sugar free dessert would never taste as rich as a sugary one. I just was sure that was the case with every place. So when Le Meridien Delhi told me they had a huge collection of sugar free desserts for the conscious soul, I was sure it wouldn't be as great as the sugar ones that Longitude so lovingly serves. With a set mind I went to taste them.

We were warmly welcomed to the space where water falls against the glass creating patterns that soothes the soul, called longitude. The time being perfect for coffee what we saw was an icing on the cake, yes 'coffee art" where they tried to create India on coffee. Beginning with Delhi's pride, The India Gate, followed by Taj Mahal, on my demand and the best one was The face of "Buddha" which looked so lovely that we just took photographs. We didn't wish to spoil or even move the cup to disturb what was so lovingly and artistically created.

India Gate: Delhi on your cuppa...

With Love...A warm natural cuppa...

An attempt to create the Taj Mahal, the pride of the nation....Yes on your coffee...

Lord Buddha......The cup you adore.

                                                        And finally my cuppa....

Now was the turn to taste the delights and hoping to be guilt free. We were served Blueberry Cheese Cake, Fresh fruit flan, guilt free chocolates and cookies.

All the items were of soft and fresh. They just melted in the mouth but best part of all, if you weren't told they were sugar free you just couldn't guess that. The chef had not only made a good sugar free dessert but had taken care of the fact that satiety wasn't compromised. His hours toiling in the kitchen trying to optimise the right concentration of ingredients so that you do not have sleepless nights worry about your waistline later, were 100% success. Not just me but nobody could say without knowing what we had here was indeed sugar free. We were awed , amazed and happy for finally after searching for a lot of options around Delhi, here was something truly guilt free! Its not a lot of times that one is happy when one is proved wrong, but there I was.

                                                       Sugar Free Delights :) :) :)

We enjoyed the delights double and chatted with each other till late and left guilt free, only to be friends for a long time. I was personally touched by the hospitality of Le Meredian Delhi, This is one more reason I prefer to go there when given a choice. I wish the entire team all the best with their new experiments and I am sure you would explore them soon to have a guilt free time.

                           Healthy sugar free cookies to go with your tea& coffee


The following are the items now available on their menu at all times.

                  Cake         

·         Blue berry Cheese cake                                              kg        1700

·         Mocha and milk chocolate cake                                 kg        1800

·         Fresh fruit flan                                                               kg        1650   

·         Orange Raspberry delight                                          kg        1650

·         Black forest roulade                                                   kg        1750

     Pastries

·         Green tea Mille feuille                                               pce      250     

·         Orange & Quinoa Bavarois                                  pce      250

·          Pecan Raspberry ganache tart                                  pce      250     

·         Key lime ten grain pie                                          pce      250

                Praline

·         Amaranth & almond rock                                        pce      55


Do share your experiences if you have tried these...

I thank Mounisha Chakraborty from LinOpinion for the

 warm invite & hospitality.

Demystifying The North Eastern Cuisine

Sneha Lata Sakia armed with pots and pans is all set this Sunday onward with her pop up on Northeastern (NE) cuisine, to live her dream of getting more people acquainted with the food from the region she belongs to. Being someone who loves food since childhood, she has tasted all kinds of cuisine including rarest type of meat like wood worms and fried wasps which hardly any mainstream Indians have heard of. 

Romance with food turned into a serious affair when the food lover decided to go a step ahead, into cooking what she loved to eat. She loved experimenting, trying a different batter for conventional dishes, but her attempts were laughed at, at home. However it was at work when her lunch boxes were often stolen and snatched, she found her first encouragement. Motivated she started reading cookery books and trying the recipes. She says “My cooking improved over time and here I am today, yet I do not like to call myself as an expert. All I can say is I love cooking and the and am still learning.”

Most of the of the North Eastern dishes have zero oil. There also is less spice but lots of herbs in their diet. In a festival called "Bihu", 101 varieties of Green herbs are consumed, so for a health conscious generation Northeastern food is undoubtedly the right choice. It not only cuts calories but also provides internal cleansing like a spa therapy does externally because you consume natural herbs. If you don’t trust me just try it once.

Sneha Lata Sakia with her friend Karen Yepthomi from Nagaland who runs a popular restaurant serving the cuisine of the land; Dzokou – The Tribal Kitchen, have come together to solve the myths and mysteries around their cuisine and give us healthier diet options. When asked about her motivation behind the popup Sneha Lata Sakia states “Ever since my childhood days, people used to ask me whether we eat snakes and dog meat. As a child it used to irritate me as I never saw mom cooking snakes and dog meat at home. Still when I meet people, few ask me about my daily diet. One of my friend once told me that she doesnt like Northeastern food as it stinks and she can’t eat bamboo shoots. My popup event is to break this barrier of mindset that our food is way more than bamboo and eating snakes etc” 

    The Venue: Dzokou - The Tribal Kitchen - Hauz Khas

The USP of this Popup however is the fact that there is no discrimination against vegetarians (like me) as they will also be served a full meal lovingly cooked by the ladies who wish to delight the taste buds of their vegetarians friends as well. NE cuisine does include many interesting vegetarian dishes like curries made with Banana Flower, Colocassia leaves and stem, Banana stem , Yam , Rongpuri Potoato ( red colour baby potatoes), Ashgourd , Bottle gourd and Pumpkins. I am really looking forward to it.

Talking about future plans Sneha says “My journey of showcasing my cuisine to the mainstream has just began. I used to invite my friends who are keen to know about my cuisine, at my home ( in small batches). This pop up among large group is encouraging me do more such events in future. I will keep promoting unexplored Northeastern cuisine till my last breath."

So food lovers in Delhi give your soul a shower of food cooked Northeastern style with herbs this Sunday at the Popup event at Dzokou, Hauz Khas Main Market. More details about the venue is here: https://www.zomato.com/ncr/dzukou-tribal-kitchen-hauz-khas-delhi

Further details about the popup can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1409422409350724/?sid_reminder=5541647709045260288

Dunkin Donuts CP Relaunched

Connought Place or CP as we lovingly call it is the heart of Delhi. Centrally located, full of places to eat, chill, hangout and shop is the most favorite stroll, shopping and meeting places in Delhi. Janpath being one of mine especially with food. Being a fan of fast food donuts and burgers top my list. The choice therefore always was Dunkin. FYI- if you never had a Dunkin Donut do visit them and yes their burgers are a must have. If I have to rate the best chain that serves burgers, my favorite will be Dunkin always.

                                                                    Here it is! DD at CP

I was a little upset when their CP outlet which all my friends and relatives visiting Delhi have been treated at, post a Dehi darshan trip closed down. However the good news was before 2014 ended they restarted all new, with an all new menu, well that is a double treat.

Being a regular at Dunkin with Brute Tough Guy burger with a Dunkachino being my favorite meal. you will mostly find me at their Select City Walk outlet on weekends, before my movie shows. Therefore this post is solely about the latest additions to their menu which are a must try:

The Vegetarian Wraps:  I am not a fan of wraps as most chain when it comes to vegetarian wraps do not do justice to it. They either are very low on spice or have less mayonnaise/cheese. They donot give you a creamy fulfilling effect. When I tried the Dunkin wrap I was amazed. It was rich in spice, not very hot but a blended in spice, perfect for my Indian taste buds. Also its filling was creamy and fulfilling. I had to reconfirm if it was vegetarian, was that good.

                               Vegetarian Wrap: Try it once and love me for suggesting it ;)

The Naughty Lucy Burger:   After having found the right bun to cheese to condiment ratio in all its earlier burger, I believe I had found 'My Precious" however Dunkin evolved a step further with The Naughty Lucy burgers. It has a thick patty centrally filled with cheese, layered with flavored mayonnaise and packed with some veggies at the base. The cheesy flavor of a bite sets in your mouth, mingling with the crunchy juicy veggies creating a blend that can be called just "heavenly".

                              The Naughty Lucy Burger...I am hungry everytime I see it :P

 Ugly Strawberry, Bluberry and It's A Mistake Donut: Indians are sweet tooth so after you visited heaven with a Naughty Lucy burger with your favorite flavor of Dunkachino I would suggest trying these two flavors if you are not a conventional chocolate lover or like me you tried all the other ones. The Strawberry donut has a mix of strawberry cream with chunk of Oreos, a combination that can never go wrong. Its a mistake donut, on the other hand not just has an interesting name but also a different combination. A caramel layer, sprinkled with chilli flakes topped by a guava jelly. It's a mistake worth making. The blueberry is my most favorite donut, I cannot not suggest. It has a spread of blueberry cream with a rich center topped with blueberry jelly. Once you have it, you wouldn't want to have anything but this.

                                              The rich donut platter at Dunkin Donuts

So if you have a difficulty deciding your donut at Dunkin, bookmark this page or connect with me. It's my favorite burger place. Do get the shopping stress out by relishing these at the CP outlet. Happy getting naughty with the Lucy ;) :P.

I thank Vani Ganesh from Perfect Relations for keeping me up to date with the Dunkin menu.

10 Reasons You Should Visit Burger King

Being the first burger makers and tasters of the Burger King Burger, a day before it opened for people we the bloggers definitely had a fun time. So here is why we think you should go and try it out.

1. The only place in the world where vegetarians like me are served a whopper.
   
2. The whopper truly is a huge burger and you have to hold it via two hands, one hand cannot hold it. 
   
   
   
3. If you love a lot of cheese, the Chilli Cheese is the right one for you.
   
4. The burgers are spicy matching the taste buds of Indians.
   
5. There Onion rings are the best, with good infusion of spice and onion that melts in your mouth. Goes well with tomato ketchup.
   
6. Their smoothies are rich creamy and have the right content of flavor (not too sugary).
   
7. For deserts what better than an Oreo shake, right Oreo lovers?                                                                                                                                                                    8. If you love cheeze and need a little filling, try the cheezos. 

9. Their burgers are made in very hygienic settings (for details check : http://matrixlifemagazine.blogspot.in/2014/11/lets-make-hygienic-burger.html)

10. It serves till 12:00 PM, they wont let you go hungry to bed. 

So are you ready to feel like a King at Burger King?

Pictures Courtesy: Burger King and Perfect Relations.

Dominos Mexican Taco - Veg

Domino's mexican taco comes in a pack of two reasonably sized Taco's in a serving. I tried the veg taco's being one of the greatest Domino's lovers, read my experience here.

As the picture suggests the Taco is basically made out of a thick crust layered with a generous helping of mayonnaise. The filling is a potato patty. Its rich in oregano. The flavour that gives it a zing is its oregano and mayonnaise combination. I would have loved it more if they had more of cheese and a hint of garlic. The overall quality of the product is good. It makes up for a filling snack or a change it taste if tried with Pizza's. As with everything in India its surely indianized to suit our taste buds, so its more of the India-Mexican taco. Try it!

They  have great combo offers running, so if you want to try it, now is a good time. Log on to https://pizzaonline.dominos.co.in/ to order online.

An Iconic Affairn with Indian Wine

India, the land of most exquisite variety of food. Your taste buds in this nation will explore flavours like never before, and if you are from a foreign nation, some taste buds will be born when you savour the delicacies of our land. Nothing more seems to be left to be invented but how about discovery? A liitle mix and match or a tango to add to elevate the pleasures? Sounds good, isn't it?

To explore this very nature of human attempt to pair wine, which though savoured by Indians occasionally is not particularly a favourite combination with meals. Indians dine without wine. Grover Zampa Wineyards , along with 27 Icons decided to pair wine with Indian food. When Kartikya from Thnkmkt invited me for the same, I was game. The evening had the best food bloggers/ tasters/reviewers of Delhi to give their opinion of the pairing. 

The event began with a warm welcome from Avninder Sir who explained the history of 27 Icons along with the area where it is located "The Main Market Lodhi Road".  The evening then began with the delicacies being served and an account of why that particular pairing was formulated. After each round of food we had interesting questions which kept us at our best to win "Grover Zampa Wines" ofcourse.

Starters:

1. Sauvignon Blanc paired with Hazarvi Murg Malai Tikka & Tandoori Paneer Masala Tikka.

Paneer Masala tikka which is spicy as it touches your taste buds and gradually becomes subtle as the paneer takes over was a great combination with this particular white wine variety which was mild in the beginning with its flavour groing gradually.

2. Spicy Galouti kebab & Saleena kebab blended with Cabernet Shiraz.

Cabernet Shiraz is one wine that makes you experience its strong flavour right as you sip, it went really well with soft and delicious Saleena kebab.

If you ever visit 27 icons this combination is a must have. My most favourite amongst everything I tased that evening.

3. Viognier paired with spicy Methi Murg & Subz Miloni.

Viognier is again a white wine variety which is more subtle and has a constant mild flavour throughout went amazingly well with the spice of these starters.

As far as wine is concerned Viognier was my most favourite of all the three. Do try it!

Main Course:

Finally there was the powerful La Reserve with the Indian Punjabi main course including  Paneer, Dal Makhni, Plain Rice and Rotis.

The wine kept us talking and the quizzes added to the fun. The best part however was the dessert: Gulab Jamun with Vanilla Ice-cream.

This had a hint of winE the in the Gulab Jamun Dough mix as the taste set in profoundly only as you savoured the Gulab Jamun. And yes for figuring out this I got a Grover Zampa Wine, the foodie in me was proud and happy. I thank my taste buds for the same ;). I shall now experiment with this bottle by pairing it with Indian foods I believe will go with it. 

So needless to say Grover Zampa wines go very well with Indian foods. Give it a try!

All of us all smiles post the relaxing wine and dine session.

Host: Kartikya Arora, Founder Thnkmkt, Malay Rout, Business Head (North & East) of Grover Zampa Vineyards. and most of all our favourite Avininder Singh,Founder, The Foodie Surdie Company.

Mc Paneer Royale

Ah! I am afterall a burger and nutrition enthusiast. Anything that has good vegies and a little western tango to it is always on my to try list. So despite of being dissapointed by McDonalds recently I still went ahead with trying their McPaneer Royale. 

Now this as you can see from the picture has a generous helping of paneer (cottage cheese) and veggies with creamy cheese and onion sauce,. I wasnt expecting much from it but yes! this time it was yum. My tastebuds loved the filling of so many veggies  (assorted crispy lettuce salad, tomato roundels and jalapeno slivers). It was truly rich experience and the fresh corn meal dusted buns really tasted rich. 

Do try this if you havent yet. Highly recommended for veg enthusiasts. 

I can now truly sing "I'm lovin it" 

McDonalds Spicy Double Decker Veg - cant hold its decks!

A little heads up about me! I am a huge burger lover and so far eat only eggs, not animals and plants, so veg burgers. Sorry chicken people I am Aam people.

So as soon I saw this red hot bannet of Spice festival by MaDonalds I rushed to the nearest as it was a dream come true. We in India grew up with McDonalds burgers and craved for a double decker, which we saw only in screens on American TV and ofcourse the non veg Chicken Mc Maharaja. It was as if God heard me.

I ordered it without a second thought. Now as the picture suggests the filling is of two types, the first one is your potato stuffed burger tikki and the second one, the shape of a square is Panner dipped in besan and fried. thease two layears are supported by veggies and a very gentle amount of mayonnaise. But Alas! why cant they be perfect the middle layer of bread is too thin and getts soggy with Mayonnaise so the moment you hold it the double decker collapsed.

Needles to say I had a difficult time finishing mine as decently as possible. Hope nobody apart from my friends sitting right next to me and laughing noticed. 

Mac Donalds latest Crispy Pops - A Waste

I am sure many of you saw the adds on television and great hoardings of Mc Donalds latest CRISPY POPS.  Well I was really excited too and had ensured the next time I visit Mc D I am surely going to try them and so I did...

It comes in two varieties veg and non veg. I was really eager to try these as they look Yum don’t they? I tried the vegetarian ones a couple of days ago and alas! what a waste it was. The size of these are slightly greater than the traditional marble and the taste is not great too. All in all its a waste of money. Try them only if you are an enthusiast and learn by committing every mistake even after reading such posts, :P