Tandoori Chicken - Hans Raj Chicken Corner, Meerut

[Rated : 4/5]

Meerut city is full of surprises. Every time I visit here I am able to stumble upon decade old shops serving their specialty cuisines. And most of them have maintained high standards in taste over time.

Desirous to have Tandoori snacks, I was referred to a family run joint in the name of “Hans Raj Chicken Corner”. The place had a live barbeque grill in front of the shop. Smoky aroma of fresh meet and spices filled the air. I could see chicken, mutton and fish available in all variety ranging from seekh, tikka,

Cocoberry range of Desserts, Gurgaon

As summer races in, and we prepare for ‘those lazy hazy crazy days of summer’, it is time to bring out the Hawaii chappals and look for lickable icy treats. A great addition to the options available to us Gurgaonites is Cocoberry’s range of frozen yoghurts.

Before you say ‘Dahi in ice cream? Are you crazy?’ it is time for some clarifications. You see, Frozen Yoghurts have nothing to do with the familiar, home made Curds. A Frozen Yoghurt is a frozen dessert containing yoghurt culture and other dairy products. It is slightly more tart than ice cream, as well as lower in fat, due to the use of milk instead of cream.

Seasonal Tastes, Westin Hotel, Gurgaon

[Rated: 2.5/5]

Buffets always appeal to the best and the worst in human nature – should one be a picky gourmand or an absolute glutton? Normally one starts with the first and then all goes haywire. Adding to the Gourmand Gluttony of the Gurgaon-scape is the newly opened Westin at the IFFCO chowk at its coffee shop “Seasonal Tastes” which boasts of a daily 100+ course menu at Rs 1200 plus taxes.

This bountiful buffet starts with a generous array of salads, antipasti and mezze dishes.

Shri Maharashtra Food - Mahagun Metro Mall, Vaishali

[Rated: 4/5]
Akin to fellow countrymen, I feel blessed to be born in India. While inheritance of rich culture, traditions and customs makes me proud, diversity and vivid variety of dance, music, architecture, landscapes and above all existence of multiple cuisine and food diversity leaves me astounded.

As a foodie, I love to try out all sorts of cuisine and dishes. Last weekend I happened to visit Mahagun Metro Mall with my family and observed a new outlet in Food Court by the name

Cooking tips for Indian Homes

Some time ago we organised a contest on our facebook page for members to share their household tips. The response was very encouraging. We were left with a treasure of ideas not easily available but only passed from one generation to another, and hence are sharing the same with all of you to use and appreciate. The name of members contributing the tips is mentioned before the tips.

Read, use and save. Cheers!

Charu Varmani Madan

1.             If bread is too dry to make good sandwiches, just hold it over steam of a pan of boiling water for a few seconds.

KFC's spicy Zinger Burger Vs Mcdonald's McSpicy Chicken Burger

KFC Spicy Zinger Chicken Burger

 

Life can become so complicated on simple things, especially if one has to compare two legends. McDonalds and KFC have both launched their spicy variant of burgers and we checked them out to give our verdict as to which one is better.

Since it was a difficult decision, we compared both the outlets on few metrics with equal weightage for each metric.

The first point goes to KFC. We have never been welcomed

The Chicken quality and filling of crisp lettuce in McDonald burger was much better, hence McDonald scores here. 

I have never been served a burger at McDonald which was prepared over 15min. As far as I know, burgers prepared over 15 minutes ago are discarded and not served to the customer. But the burger that was served to us at KFC, Sec-63, Noida outlet was stale. McDonald is now coming up with MFY (Made For You) stores where the burgers would be delivered fresh and the new technology will ensure its advantage of a QSR (Quick Service Restaurant). At KFC, the outer layer of the chicken was dry and had become chewy. Same happened to the inner chicken patty which wasn’t moist and tender as it is supposed to be. We discussed this with the floor manager, Arvind, who tried to evade our observation but still agreed to change the burger. The next burger came after 5 minutes, and the minute I had a bite, my earlier views were confirmed. Hence McDonald scores here again.

Brix, DLF Cyber Park, Gurgaon

[Rated: 3.5/5]
Life at the minipolis of DLF Cyber Park can be daunting. It is good to note that eateries like Brix at Building 10B do add some flavor to it. This resto-bar, which essentially serves the eager beavers of the offices in the vicinity, can dish out good food.

The ambiance is inexplicably dark for Lunch time, but the cheeriness of the wait staff does compensate

Mojo, MG Road, Gurgaon

[Rated: 3/5]
You are likely to find LA Woman and lot more music from the eighties playing here. Mojo, the relaunched and revamped resto-pub at DLF City Centre is open again. This time, to cater to the older, less boisterous clientele with a higher propensity to spend.

The décor has gone through some changes, but retains the dance floor and the unintentional retro feel. The food is more varied and definitely better. There is an exhaustive range of Chinese, Thai, Mediterranean,

Tau's Cafe and Lassi Bar, Ansals Plaza, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon

[Rated: 3.5/5]

This café sounds straight out of a ‘Jat Yamla’ movie set, conjuring up images of large people with large moustaches gulping lassi from large peetal glasses. Tau’s Café at Ansal Plaza, Palam Vihar may not have the rustic setting, but it certainly has the food to make Dharam Bhaaji, and all the other Deols drool.

Pind Balluchi, Great India Place (GIP), Noida

[Rated : 3.5/5]

Pind Balluchi is a known restaurant in Delhi NCR for their food at prices catering to the middle class. We had a nice Saturday evening with our cousins at a bowling alley in Noida after which we decided to visit Pind Balluchi in GIP mall. The restaurant located on the 3rd floor near the elevators allows quick access to the hungry souls.

Hops N Brew, Sector-29, Gurgaon

[Rated: 4/5]

Gurgaon took the lead and became the first city to have a micro-brewery in India, once the policy was introduced. Hops N Brew, spread over two floors, is one of the few such brewery-pub in the city.

Offering four variants in beer – Lager, Strong, Wheat and Dark, and varieties of cuisines to choose from, the restaurant seems to have hit a right chord with the beer lovers. My two thumb rules for a good quality beer are simple - One, it should be drinkable at room temperature and secondly it should not have a bitter after-taste.

Love and Mustard, Galleria Market, Gurgaon

Kosha Mangsho

[Rated: 3.5/5]

Tucked away in a cozy first floor nook of the Galleria market, the modest sized Love and Mustard promises and delivers fine Calcutta cuisine.

The menu here is extensive and varied – doing justice to the sheer variety available in the City of Joy. Vintage photographs of Kolkata and the melodious Bangla music provide excellent backdrop to the culinary adventure.

Sher-A-Punjab, Devon Ave, Chicago, USA

[Rated: 4/5]

Chicken Tikka, Chicken 65, Paneer Makhani, Mango Lassi, and Kheer among others. Chicago has many Indian restaurants dedicated to all of these. But so far, no one has come closer to home like the ones found in Punjab and Delhi. All that changes once you step inside Sher-A-Punjab; an ordinary looking restaurant with extra-ordinary service.

I strongly believe that a food becomes tastier if served with a smile. And no, my wife did not tell me to write this!! We were greeted with a broad smile the moment we stepped-in. The food aroma was reminiscent of a Punjabi dhaba by nehar (नहर) side on a warm Indian summer evening,

MingSingh, Peppermint Hotel, Sector-29, Gurgaon

[Rated: 3.5/5]

In India, when the specialty restaurants were not a common sight, most of us would have tasted the early days of Chinese cuisine which was much influenced by Indian palate. We enjoyed the adopted flavors of Chinese food and now have moved to authentic Chinese fare at the leading restaurants.  MingSingh has an innovative concept where they bring together the fusion of Oriental and Indian food. Thought of Chandoori Chicken (Tandoori chicken with oriental sauces) sounded interesting, and Aman and I decided to check out MingSingh.

Set amidst interesting roof-top ambience of hotel Peppermint and giving spectacular view of Kingdom of Dreams, Metro line and other buildings of Gurgaon, we had a feeling we were in for a good time at this modest 30-seater restaurant. The show kitchen allows guests to interact with the chefs and participate with them to prepare innovative dishes if they are in a mood to please their loved ones. Else, for lazy bums like me, you can leave the chefs to bring out their best.

Pind Balluchi, Indirapuram (Shipra Mall), Ghaziabad

[Rated: 3.5/5]

In past few years, restaurants with multiple outlets have seen a reasonable increase. Pind Balluchi is one of these multiple outlet brands.  

While the latter part of Pind Balluchi seems to have been derived from Baluchistan; an arid, mountainous region in Southwest Asia including parts of southeastern Iran, western Pakistan, and south western Afghanistan and goes with the Pind Balluchi’s proclaim to serve North West frontier cuisine, menu does not affirm the same.

McDonald McSpicy Burger range in India

No prize for guessing one name that doesn’t require any introduction in India or globally, and Kids and grown-up love it alike? It’s McDonalds.

None other global food chain has caught the pulse of the nation as well as McDonalds, who offers its innovative hygienic products and menu suiting to Indian palette in a clean air-conditioned environment at a street food price. My kids love them (more for the toy in Kids meal), and though the offerings may not be a gourmand delight, I like them for a quick budget meal.

We tried the recently launched McSpicy range of burgers and wraps at McDonalds. The normal available range at McDonalds is kind of neutral on heat factor to suit the mass audience it caters to. I wouldn’t expect McDonalds to use Bhoot Jalokia (Raja Mircha) in its mass market product, but McSpicy advertisement made us assume the heat to be much more in this range. But alas and woe, it wasn’t.

Sin Bar, Nirvana Patio Club, Gurgaon

[Rated: 3.5/5]

As a foodie I keep trying different eating joints throughout the city and at times miss the most obvious of places. I am a member of Nirvana Patio club where we (me and my family) are regular at the swimming pool. Since we were not impressed with our initial visit two years ago to their restaurant called – Platter, we didn’t try their bar.

Few months ago the club launched their bar, interestingly called – ‘Sin’. Yesterday we tried it along with my regular drink partner, Amit Sangwan and the official sponsor – Dushyant Sharma who is getting married soon; no surprise he was our Bali ka Bakra.

Dhaba - A Punjabi Theme Restaurant, Rajouri Garden, Delhi

[Rated : 2/5]
Punjabis love their chicken and we were in the mood to treat ourselves with sumptuous chicken preparations. Searching for a restaurant, we noticed ‘Dhaba’ in Rajouri Garden, which had ‘A Punjabi Theme’ written under it’s name. The name struck a chord and we entered the restaurant.

The ambience was striking with its high ceiling. Wooden furniture made with rope, pickle jars on a wall, life size replica of a Dhaba kitchen with a truck parked in front of it, waiters dressed in ethnic Punjabi dress and bronze cutlery added to the feel of a village Dhaba.