Review: Paranda Restaurant at Vivanta by Taj Surajkund

Dhabas have been an integral part of any North Indian foodie's life, couple it with someone whose friends are bitten by the travelling bug. Apart from childhood memories of travelling with family to Punjab, Rajasthan and the hills, the distinct memories of eating at dhabas are shared with Puneet and Vivek on various road trips.

Getting an invite from Paranda at Taj Vivanta, Surajkund positioned as speciality Indian Restaurant had me wondering why would I want to eat Dhaba food at a 5 star. Went along with the flow to see what they had to offer.

The decor set the mood just right. Vibrant colours in matkas leading up the staircase. A lifesize truck with colourful sayings, very characteristic of the highways. The lift doors cleverly built in with bright green wooden doors like those of a village home. Paranda is a hair accesory in Punjab, a kind of tasselled tag for braiding hair. How could I resist being my crazy self with my friends Mukta(also kindly agreed to share her pictures for this post), Rekha and her lovely daughter Agreya.

 

The theme of highways and villages is carried forward in every bit of the decor superbly built-in to blend yet stand out. Charpoys, lanterns, martaban, brass utensils(all sizes of pots and pans), parandas, dupattas, bangles, old radio sets, traditional jewellery. The place is a photographers delight.

Photo Credit: Rekha Kakkar

We were welcomed by the staff, Chef Ganesh Joshi and the GM Mr. Rajeev Khanna. Chef Joshi introduced us to the concept of the restaurant. The menu features an abundance of robust, earthy dishes that have evolved from the province of Punj (five) Ab (water) – The Land Of Five Rivers. From the ingenuity of the ingredient to the flawlessness of the execution, every aspect of Paranda will lead to an emotive, intense, liberating way of eating with fingers unlike any other says Chef Joshi.

An interesting amuse of golgappa stuffed with potato, chickpea and sweet tamarind chutney led me to believe that this food journey would surely be rewarding. Yes, I got seconds. Am never the one to pass up good golgappas. The Magan Murg Shorba however was a disappointment as it was too salty. Not something expected at such a place. Some murmurs had the soup instantly replaced.

The starters were a Platter of Methi Achari Tikka, Murgh Sunheri Shahi Tikka and Bhutta Malai Jhinga with baby Khasta Roti. The chicken was soft and succulent, fish was flaky and the prawns were flavoured well and my favourite out of the lot. We were served a unique combination of onions marinated with spiced yogurt. Something I haven't seen at at any Dhaba. It made the onions loose their punch. What we all missed on the table was sliced onions or better still 'Mukki wala Pyaz' where the truckers just smash the onion with their fist. Once pointed out, it was served instantly on the table. This lack of punch was an overall view on the table, best described as 'Food-For-Foreigners'.

The main course started with Sood de Dhabey di Dal, Palak Kofta Makhni Wala, served with Pudina Parantha and Namak Mirchi ka Parantha. The dal gets it's name from an eatery in Ferozpur called Sood Da Dhaba. Sec 7 ka Mutton Tariwala, was a take on a local dhaba in sec 7 in ambala. The mutton was cooked very well in a tomato based curry and spices were just right. The Mushroom Mattar was passable. Zeera Pyaz Pulao has a lot of us going hmmmmm, the fried onions and flavours of spices brought out by dollops of Ghee.

For desserts there were Malai Chamcham, Anjeer ki Kulfi and Gulab Jamun. Despite being stuffed by now, the entire gulab jamun went in. The Malai Chamcham and Anjeer ki Kulfi were nice however Falooda wasn't up my street. The dried paan was an excellent mouth freshener.

The Dal, Mutton tari wala and Namak Mirchi ka Parantha was true to it's Dhaba style and something I'll surely go back for. The view of the Aravallis from a huge glass window near our table gave us a sense of eating with nature. The company made it an even more enjoyable experience. Was fun meeting Anjali(Product and Food Stylist) and Maneesh (of Mystic Foodie Mantra)

A huge thank you to Saumya and Nafisa for having us over. Heartfelt thank you to Chef Ganesh Joshi for reaching out to our hearts via our stomachs  and wishing his team all the best.

Blogger's Table at Guppy by Ai ~ Delhi's Newest Tryst With Japanese Cuisine

Guppy by Ai is Chef Vikram Khatri's baby, another restaurant by AD Singh. The promise of contemporary Japanese food in Delhi, heartfelt invite, and the opportunity to meet friends over dinner prompted me to accept the invite for the Blogger's table by Chef at Large.  Japanese is just about Sushi and raw food is the belief Guppy is out to bust.

The interiors done by Anshu Arora give the place a wonderful vibe with a stunning play of colours, props, art work and lighting. We visited the restaurant for dinner, hence the slightly dim pictures, am sure by the day it would look soothing and playful. The ceramic rose knobs, use of Origami and metal to make lights(done by Jenny Pinto) Japanese kokeshi dolls, vintage cameras, old tiffin boxes and more such Japanese memorabilia  add a chic value to the place. No 2 corners look alike, yet the theme is flowing along like a rivulet. What I found odd was a plastic sheets used to curtain off their lounge. it's not something I would have expected in a place like this.

Who is behind the stove cooking is an important question along with the food being prepared. Who better than some who is dedicated to the cuisine and a warm person, always willing to go the extra mile to make his guests smile. Chef Vaibhav and I have had our share of cuisine clicks. Then and Now.....


The menu reflects the spirit embodied in Guppy... The colourful, spirited yet clean design.


Chef Khatri and Chef Vaibhav both welcome us with an amuse of Tomato and jasmine tea served with a prawn cracker with pickled vegetables dressed in goma dressing and seasoned with furikake(Japanese seasoning) for the non vegetarians and Tomato and jasmine tea with Seasame cracker with pickled vegetables dressed in goma dressing and seasoned with aao nori and shichimi for the vegetarians. The amuse did it's job well by setting the tone for what was coming ahead.

Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese, "seven flavor chili pepper"), also known as nana-iro togarashi,  and simply shichimi, is a common Japanese spice mixture containing seven ingredients.
A typical blend may contain coarsely ground red chili pepper (the main ingredient), ground sansho, roasted orange peel, black sesame seed, white sesame seed, hemp seed, ground ginger, nori or aonori. Source

Small plates 
Edamame Sea Salt/Chilli Garlic(Steamed soybean pods with an option of sea salt or chilli garlic dressing) were a thumbs up. Sushmita and Aishwarya were happy to see the bowl thru at an addictive pace. The salty and garlicyyyyyy flavour were a hit with me. It won a repeat order when we visited again. The pace at which these beans vanish while chatting with friends is astounding.

Guppy House Salad (Seasonal crunchy vegetables, palm heart and bamboo shoot, dressed in karashi mustard) was fresh and it mustard dressing won my heart. Yes, I'm biased, mustard is a flavor i really like.

Chirashi Seafood salad (Assortment of pickled prawn, tuna, salmon, crab and baby greens in goma-ae dressing) the seafood was fresh. With some encouragement Aishwarya tried the seafood and was soon convinced that she would order again. Her delightful look at the Roe popping in her mouth amused us all. Going back again with a friend, I was very happy to order it again and was served the same consistent taste.

Prawn Gyoza (Black tiger prawn pot stickers, pan fried, served with chilli ponzu soy sauce) and Exotic Mushroom Gyoza (Gluten-free, crisp bottom steamed pot stickers, served with chilli soy dipping sauce) were wonderfully done. The flavours went well with the dipping sauces, especially the ponzu sauce. These pot sticking delights are a definite winner for me.

Crisp Vegetable Harumaki (Exotic vegetable filo rolls, crisp baked in oven and served with chilli garlic) and Rice Paper Vegetables Roll (Shredded vegetables and lettuce, wrapped in rice paper with yuzu kosho sesame sauce) were disappointing for me. The vegetable rolls were to oily for the description given.

Chilli Lime Dressed Agedashi Tofu (Crisp fried silken tofu, dressed in sweet and spicy chilli lime dressing) was interesting but couldn't hold my fancy as it was a bit oily. That said, it's dressing was absolutely wonderful.

Sushi Rolls - Spicy Salmon Special Roll (Spicy mayo, tobiko and tanuki) and Asparagus Tempura Roll (Spicy mayo and leeks) were neat, precise and just like they should be. Would have loved to the the Guppy twist on them

Guppy Signature Pork Belly (Slow braised Belgium pork belly, glazed with soy honey and served with mustard miso sauce) is cooked for over 72 hours told us Chef Khatri. There are pictures of this I caught simmering away quietly in the kitchen. The glaze was balance of  flavours which went well with the meat.

Mains
Guppy Signature Black Cod (Baked miso marinated black cod served on a hot stone) The star of this show was the baked Black Cod which arrived, sizzling on a large smooth pebble, locking in the flavors. outside was a nice char while the inside were soft and flaky.

The classic way we eat in is when the food put on the table is the star. It's photographed, discussed, visually eaten before being devoured.

Desserts were Warm Carrot Cake (Carrot cake served with mascarpone frosting) which tasted very nice with the frosting but would have preferred for it to be lighter and Yuzu Lemon Cheesecake (with Kafir lime glaze) left me a bit wanting. We were also spoilt with Nutty Clusters, Pyramids of chocolates filled with chocolate ganache and balls of Red Velvet cake paired with desiccated coconut.

A peek into their kitchen, small yet clean, neat and well organised. people who are happy cooking and have smiles on their faces after a long and hard day at work will surely produce fantastic food where the smile passes onto the diner's face..... That's what I call a D-E-L-I-G-H-T-F-U-L meal....

Thank you for hosting us Guppy and a huge shout out to Chef Vaibhav for being a wonderful host and Chef Khatri for convincing me that vegetarian Japanese can be equally flavorful. This team with it's hard work should certainly go places.

Will I return to this place?
Certainly yes.... and I did. Went for a quiet dinner with a friend, where the table which wasn't booked in my name. The food and service was equally consistent as our blogger's table. Suggested the place to cousins, who also came back praises for the place.

Wishing the team at Guppy all the best.

Savour Mumbai By Chef Vikas Khanna ~ Book Launch

Greatest indian food hasn't traveled cause it's in the indian homes
~ Chef Vikas Khanna

Michelin star Chef Vikas Khanna launched  his book 'Savour Mumbai’ at Imperial hotel yesterday. An event organised by the Imperial’s Culinary Club and Westland. He's a man of precision over and above his unpretentious nature which makes him a darling with all ages in the audience. The first thing he did was meticulously check the mise en place at the venue. That done, he chatted with me for a bit among the audience. Upon striking an instant connection, mentioned my Le Cordon Bleu experience in London and his in Paris. His honesty was reflected in mentioning that other than Leela (his first job) at that time, there weren't other options. Thank God for that I say, see where that and hard work has landed him.
Food, he said is about Human Connection. The thought still lingers. Any country, any cuisine, any dish is incomplete without the human connection. Any meal can be evaluated by it's human connection. The afternoon was spent in this spirit.

We talked about Indian spices.... Spice is a memory of childhood, his grandmother's jeere wali poori served to all relatives who traveled from Amritsar to Vaishno Devi is a lingering memory for them, says he. Most average  people outside India don't even know so many spices exist. I saw a live example of that in my Technical class in school. We had people from very diverse nationalities in class. In a pop quiz, it was the Indian students who knew most of the spices while the rest, thought them to be exotic spices. For us, these are everyday cooking spices. Chef Khanna said he can recognize 64 different sorts of cinnamon with the smell and taste of it and tell the cinnamon's age{eyes rolling in wonder}. Further he adds that all spices at Junoon, his michelin star restaurant in New York are ground in-house except haldi n mirchi. The book has a thoughtful section explaining the Indian spices used in the recipes showcased in the book.

His anecdotes find true resonance with most Indian households in simple yet intrinsic truths. Elaichi(cardamom) is used only when damadji(son-in-law) visits, Kaju(cashews) must only be used whole and never broken or paste form as the expensive nuts should be visible to the guests.

His take that complicated dishes are easy to make but simple dishes are very difficult to make is echoed by many accomplished chefs. His humility is also reflected in 'More u travel in India, more uneducated you feel.' as well as the willingness to accept feedback from his audience and engage with them at an almost personal level.

Chicken Cafereal
Ingredients
1/2 kg Boneless Chicken chunks
4 cups Fresh Coriander, roughly chopped
5 Roughly chopped, Green Chillies
1 tbsp Roughly chopped Ginger
5 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Poppy seeds (khus khus), roasted and soaked in warm water
5 Black Peppercorns
1-inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp Cumin seeds
½  tsp Tamarind pulp
¼ tsp Turmuric powder
3 Cloves
Salt to taste
5 tbsp Oil

Method
1. In a grinder, combine the coriander, chillies, ginger, garlic, poppy seeds, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, tamarind pulp, turmeric and cloves.
2. Add ¼ cup water and salt, and grind to a smooth paste
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken with the ground paste. Mix well and leave to marinate overnight or for at least 6 hours
4. Heat oil in a frying pan; add chicken along with marinade and shallow-fry till chicken is tender and crispy around the edges. Serve hot with pao (bread)

Kaju Kothimbir Vadi
Ingredients
1 cup gram flour (besan)
30 cashew nuts
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
2 tablespoons finely chopped
fresh coriander
Salt to taste
4 tablespoons oil, plus for shallow-frying

Method
1. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except oil. Add 1 1/2 cups water and mix well to make a very thick batter.
2. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a frying pan over low heat. Add the prepared batter and cook, stirring continuously, for 15 to 18 minutes till the mixture comes together to make a thick doughy batter. Remove from heat.
3. Grease a small tray and spread the mixture evenly 1-inch thick. Set aside to cool and set. Cut into 2-inch squares.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan and shallow-fry the squares till golden and crisp.
5. Remove and drain on absorbent paper.
6. Serve hot with coriander and mint chutney or ketchup.

Kacche-Kele ki Asharfi Recipe
Ingredients:
2 tbsp Oil
2 Large Onions finely sliced
6 Unripe green Bananas boiled in their skins
4 Potatoes, boiled
1 ½ tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp Fresh Coriander, finely chopped
2tsp Red Chilli powder
2 tbsp Gram flour (besan)
½ tsp Green Cardamom powder
Salt to taste
2 Medium Capsicums, tops cut off and cleared of seeds and white pith
1 ½ cups Clarified Butter (ghee)

Method:
1. Heat oil in a fry pan over medium heat
2. Add onions and fry golden. Remove and drain on absorbent paper. Finely chop the browned onions
3. Peel the bananas and potatoes and mash well
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas and potatoes with chopped browned onions, ginger-garlic paste, chopped coriander, chilli powder, gram flour, cardamom powder and salt, and mix thoroughly
5. Fill this mixture into the cleaned hollow capsicums and stuff well. Using a sharp knife cut the stuffed capsicum horizontally into 2-inch thick slices
6. Heat the clarified butter in a frying pan and shallow-fry the stuffed capsicum slices till the capsicum softens slightly and the filling is golden and crisp. Remove, drain on absorbent paper and serve hot with Coriander and Mint Chutney or Dahi ki Chutney.

Khubani ka Shahi Tukda
Ingredients:
Rabdi
3 cups Whole Milk
½ cup Sugar
¼ tsp Green Cardamom powder

Shahi Tukda
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 cup Whole Milk
¼ tsp Saffron strands
Clarified Butter (ghee) for deep frying
4 slices White Bread
100 gms Dried apricots, soaked overnight and drained
2 tbsp Pistachios, finely chopped
2 sheets Edible silver leaf

Method:
1. For the rabdi, heat milk in a kadhai (wok) over medium heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook, stirring continuously, till it thickens to a consistency of a custard sauce.
2. Remove from heat, add sugar and cardamom powder and stir till sugar dissolves. The mixture will thicken on cooling.
3. For the shahi tukda, combine the sugar with 2 cups water in  a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring till sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens to one-string consistency.
4. In another saucepan, combine the milk with saffron and prepared sugar syrup and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.
5. Heat the clarified butter in a kadhai over medium heat, and deep fry the bread slices till golden and crisp.
Remove and drain on absorbent paper.
6. Soak the fried bread slices in the warm milk for 2 minutes.
7. Sandwich the cooked apricots between the softened bread. Add the drained apricots to the syrup and cook till tender. Remove apricots from syrup and set aside.
8. To serve, arrange the sweet apricot sandwiches on a plate and spoon rabdi over. Sprinkle over with pistachios and garnish with silver leaf. Serve warm

The book is a keeper for me as it has recipes of the signature dishes from some of the best known restaurants in Mumbai. My favorites are Bade Miya Seekh Kabas, Dakshin Culture Curry, Mahesh Lunch Home, Oh! Calcutta, Trishna and Vrindavan among others. The street food section is an absolute favorite with me as I love Indian street food and craved it in London, while I was away.
The title 'A culinary journey through India's melting Pot' is an apt one for the book as the restaurants selected cover diverse dished from across the nation. The dishes we had at the event were selected keeping this in mind. Chicken Cafreal from Goa, Kaju Kothambir Vada from Maharashtra, Kacche kele ki Ashraf from Hyderabad, Guava and Cottage Cheese Salad from Allahabad and Khubani Ka Shahi Tukda from Lucknow. Add to that list Konkani, Gujrati, Parsi and so on.
The restaurants are listed in alphabetical order making the list easy to comprehend, each restaurant has a photograph of the entrance which makes an instant connect, a short description and the writer's connect with it, followed by recipes. The recipes are well written and easy to understand. The only 1 thing which stood out for me was that the Indian names of ingredients are in brackets... almost as if the book wasn't targeted at Indians. The pictures lend color and are pleasing to the eye.

Go ahead buy it, it's a pleasure to read. Takes you down memory lane if you've been to Mumbai and if you haven't, it make you want to be there and experience this phenomenon first hand .

Fun, Food, Friends at Food Bloggers Meet for 'Olive Oil in Mediterranean and Indian Cuisine'

August has been an eventful month with 'Celebrations' on my blog and 1st September was quite an eventful day being Daksayani's birthday and Delhi food bloggers and critics meeting for "Olive Oil in Mediterranean and Indian Cuisine", an event hosted by Borges Olive Oil at 19, Oriental Avenue, Shangri-La's Eros Hotel, New Delhi.

The event was attended by Sid of Chef at Large, Deeba of Passionate about Baking, Pamela of Eat and Dust, Anoothi of Indian Food and Travel Guide, Apeksha of Veggigewiz, Rahul Verma of Delhi Street Food and me. The other guest were food critics Marryam Reshii(of TOI n Upper Crust fame), Ritika Samaddar(Nutritionist), Darren Conole(Executive Chef of Shangri-la), and Rajneesh Bhasin(Borges MD ).

I missed the beginning of the session as I was at work and had to miss the serving of Bagna Cauda {also known as hot oil fondue} stirred together by Chef Darren Conole.

The Aioli put together by Darren and Sid was delicious.... have been trying to be a good girl and avoiding cheese but this was just yummy... couldn't stop at one..... The delectable garlicy flavour made it addictive.

Chef Darren showed us how to poach some Chilean sea bass fillets in a flavored olive oil [Warning: doing this in a home kitchen isn't the most cost-effective ;)] However it was the most delectable and flavorful when we had it for lunch served with Catalan vegetable stew..... who knew pumpkins can taste so good and I'd be gobbling down vegetables with equal delight as the fish. His easy flowing banter at the table has us in peals of laughter. He belongs to Melbourne and has spent time working in most South Asian Countries and knew their cuisines His little poppet just won't eat the veggies and lives on yogurt.... Would recommend Little-Food-Junction to everyone whose kids don't eat their veggies.... She's a delight.

The afternoon was spent in the open kitchen with Deeba, Anoothi and Sid rustling up yummies with Olive Oil.

Lunch began with a Panazella, a day old brown bread salad, followed by the Chilean Sea Bass. It's flavors were exquisite and what made it even more yummy was the lovely company. Dessert was scrumptious Olive Oil brownies served with icecream. Recipes are available here.

My experience with Olive Oil was limited to Pastas and Salads as of now[not for long though :) ]. Had made a fresh garden salad with Mangoes, Cucumber, Cheery Tomatoes, Olives and Lettuce. Dressed it with Olive Oil, Honey, Sea Salt, Parsley, Garlic and Pepper.

Since I missed the discussion session, I looked up stuff on the net and thought I'd share a few basics with my readers to clarify some of the jargon around Olive Oil.
Retail grades in IOOC member nations [Source:Wikipedia]
In countries that adhere to the standards of the IOOC the labels in stores show an oil's grade.

• Extra-virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. Extra Virgin olive oil accounts for less than 10% of oil in many producing countries. It is used on salads, added at the table to soups and stews and for dipping.
• Virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, has an acidity less than 2%, and is judged to have a good taste.
• Pure olive oil. Oils labeled as Pure olive oil or Olive oil are usually a blend of refined and virgin production oil.
• Olive oil is a blend of virgin and refined production oil, of no more than 1.5% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.
• Olive pomace oil is refined pomace olive oil often blended with some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but may not be described simply as olive oil. It has a more neutral flavor than pure or virgin olive oil, making it unfashionable among connoisseurs; however, it has the same fat composition as regular olive oil, rendering it the same health benefits. It also has a high smoke point, and thus is widely used in restauraunts as well as home cooking in some countries.
• Lampante oil is olive oil not suitable as food; lampante comes from olive oil's long-standing use in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.
• Refined olive oil is the olive oil obtained from virgin olive oils by refining methods that do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceridic structure. It has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.3 grams per 100 grams (0.3%) and its other characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard. This is obtained by refining virgin olive oils with a high acidity level and/or organoleptic defects that are eliminated after refining. Over 50% of the oil produced in the Mediterranean area is of such poor quality that it must be refined to produce an edible product. Note that no solvents have been used to extract the oil, but it has been refined with the use of charcoal and other chemical and physical filters. An obsolete equivalent is "pure olive oil".

Label wordings

The following may be found in olive oil labels:

• "100% Pure Olive Oil" is often the lowest quality available in a retail store: better grades would have "virgin" on the label.
• "Made from refined olive oils" means that the taste and acidity were chemically controlled.
• "From hand-picked olives" implies that the oil is of better quality, since producers harvesting olives by mechanical methods are inclined to leave olives to over-ripen to increase yield.
• Cold pressed means "that the oil was not heated over a certain temperature (usually 80 degrees Fahrenheit) during processing, thus retaining more nutrients and undergoing less degradation."
• First cold pressed means "that the fruit of the olive was crushed exactly one time-i.e., the first press. The cold refers to the temperature range of the fruit at the time it is crushed." In Calabria (Italy) the olives are collected in October. In regions like Tuscany or Liguria, the olives collected in November and ground often at night are too cold to be processed efficiently without heating. The paste is regularly heated above the environmental temperatures, which may be as low as 10-15 °C, to extract the oil efficiently with only physical means. Olives pressed in warm regions like Southern Italy or Northern Africa may be pressed at significantly higher temperatures although not heated. While it is important that the pressing temperatures be as low as possible (generally below 35 °C) there is no international reliable definition of "cold pressed".
  Furthermore, there is no "second" press of virgin oil, so the term "first press" means only that the oil was produced in a press vs. other possible methods.
• The label may indicate that the oil was bottled or packed in a stated country. This does not necessarily mean that the oil was produced there. The origin of the oil may sometimes be marked elsewhere on the label; it may be a mixture of oils from more than one country

What was particularly nice about the event was the frank conversation and knowledge sharing about olive Oil and other culinary delights. Looking forward to such events where learning and fun go hand in hand. Where else do you get a Chef who shares his recipes with joy and reads the quantities from a sheet to be absolutely precise :)

Didn't get to know when the afternoon went by chatting with Chef Darren and all the other guests. It was indeed lovely time spent with friends new and old.

Day full of Foodies, Chefs and FOOD - Upper Crust Show Mumbai, Dec 09

Shaheen ~ Purple Foodie, sent me the link to the Upper Crust Show Mumbai, Dec 09.... What luck, was in Mumbai on those dates.

After much trepidation, deliberation and instructions from my sister and Shaheen, I set of for the Andheri Station to take a Local Train to Church Gate...... I was very nervous about this travel..... after all the horro stories I had heard about the trains being overcrowded to the T..... am glad it went of smoothly....
Reached the venue and met Shaheen, Arjun and Anu. Had taken along some hazelnut chocolate for Shaheen as she loves it and it's all over her blog... glad she liked it.

Caught Chef Bill Marchetti in action. He almost looked like Santa Claus to me. [Bill in Oz Land, Bill in India, Decoding the great Indian transformation with Bill Marchetti, The Italian specialist, Oven fresh ] He was making mushroom risotto in tomato sauce. He proceeded to make crumb fried chicken n orange sauce and strawberry crepes and had the audience spell bound.


Met up with Simran ~ Bombay Foodie, She's such a sweet person...
We spent time checking out the food stalls as we had gotten hungry by then...... We were munching on 'Ginger and Honey Roasted Almonds' which shaheen [had made and posted the day before] generously got along for us... They were just addictive.....

Then we went up to the exhibition area... found a very cute cake stall who had the yummiest brownies.... [but mine are better.. ;-) I have honest kids vouching for it....lol.. what unabashed self promotion.... ;-)] But the stuff they had on their display window was really good looking.... Pooh and his friends stole my heart. The rum chocolates were very nice.

The stall for Anaarkali Butter chicken were serving their new 'Dal Pasta'... fusion food I've heard of n enjoy aswell... but who on Earth wants to eat 'Dal Pasta'!!!!!! Simran and I both turned up our noses..... Tasted horrible...
However what pleased me was the free sample of the butter chicken... which was promptly saved for dinner ;-). This indeed was yummy... However I cannot fathom paying Rs.6500/- for a serving......
Loved the colours at the sauf n supari stalls.... not to miss... achar being served from balti's.....
The was quite a bustle at the exhibition with most stalls serving samples of their wares. The most visited area would surely be the wine stalls.... :-) Simran and Shaheen are both pasta fans.... got glued to the pasta stall... n what do we see here.... a Chinese chef cajoling us to try his Italian pasta..... ain't that fusion.... it was made well... Shaheen very sweetly presented me with some pasta, which I shall make soon.... and try n post sooner... ;-)
We came down to the lawns again to catch the cooking contest 'Cook Off' between 5 Famous Chefs of Mumbai... This sort of thing was a first for me... Was full of excitement... Am sure the Mumbai girls found the Delhi girl to an excitable kid like Alice in Wonderland.... Clicking pictures like there's no tomorrow.

The audience was full up... we did the smart move by sitting right up front on the grass... who wants chairs when we can be right next to the action.....
The Judges were Mr Godrej, Chef Hemant Oberoi from Taj and Farzana, the editor of the Upper Crust magazine.
All the chefs were given a secret basket, revealed on the spot and to be whipped up in 1 hour 30 minutes... They had to use a minimum of 3 ingredients from the basket... The more the merrier ....
The ingredients in their individual baskets were Chicken, Peaches, Honey, Tabasco sauce, Almonds, Cream, Green Olives, Chocolate, Corn Starch and Leeks.
The common ingredients available to all Chefs were Salt, Pepper, Oranges, Prunes, Carrots, Potatoes, Eggs, Bread Crumbs, Breads, Wines and Balsamic vinegar.
(I may have missed some out... for that I'll have to wait for the next edition of the magazine, where hopefully these would be published with the recipes)
The Chefs were to be judged on their creativity, presentation, taste and their composure.


The Chef line Up had
Chef Moshe Shek [of Moshe’s fame, His story ],
Chef Matthew Cropp, Executive Chef, The Oberoi, Mumbai [The culinary pilot],
Chef Nikhil Chib, owner and executive chef, Busaba [Face Off with Chef Nikhil Chib, Nikhil Chib, he has a show on NDTV with his wife Natasha]
Chef Massimiliano Orlati (aka Chef Max) The new Head Chef and Chef de Cuisine at Olive, Mumbai [Head Manager, Purple Rain, Interview with Kalyan, honorary editor of Feastguru.com]
Chef Farrokh Khambatta runs JOSS, a fine dining restaurant. [Formed The Sake Club of India, Eat, drink and be merry]

That's Chef Max at work with his Chicken upper crust. he was really quick with his chicken n finished making his dish, the first....

That's Chef Farrokh. His son was very sweet n entertained the audience. The awesome clicks with the flambe this Chef did..... he has the audience raring for more....

Chef Nikhil.... with his 'Chib's Chicken'.... isn't he cute... [*Shy Grin*]

Chef Mathew with his 'Chicken Ala Fuzay'.... Such a quite, unassuming n charming person...

Saved the best for last... *Blush* *Blush* Chef Moshe with 'Zesty Chicken' and 'Grilled Peaches, Stuffed with Prunes and Chocolate Sauce'....

All the dishes prepared by the competing chefs.....


Grilled Veggies.... Grilled Peaches...... Chocolate... Prunes.......... He just had to win..... :-)

No guesses..... that's me with all of them... Chef Mathew left very soon... couldn't get a picture with him......

This just took my heart away.... :-)

The coupons we used to return back.... learnt a new punching system on the local trains... the ticket to get to the show..... what a long line.... But definably worth the wait for having such a lovely day...... :-)

Thank you Shaheen, Arjun, Anu and Simran :-)