Travel The World Through Food At World Streat Food | Food Review

Traveling the world. Now there is a dream all of us nurture all our lives, yet only a lucky few ever achieve it. Well, as a consolation prize, we are fortunate enough to live in modern times where we have access to food from all over the world. World Streat Food brings dishes from all over the world, not only the usual Chinese, Thai and Italian dishes but even places like Mongolia, Austria, Argentina find a place of pride in the vast menu that deserves at least 5 visits to try it all.

From those with a traditional palate (they can choose Biryani and Thai Green Curry) to those with more a more experimentative bent, this is a place to go in large groups, with friends or families to try as much as possible and also indulge in some cool conversations in colorful ambiance. Some tables are set together very close but otherwise there is no space crunch here which is a marvel in Mumbai. Staff is very quick and most importantly, they will always suggest dishes to go with your palate. I have not travelled the world, so I will not comment on the 'authenticity' of any dish, but that has never been a major factor for me. It tastes good, I am happy. And oh boy, was I happy after a huge tasting session here.

 

My sister ordered for a Strawberry Mojito (refreshing) & I had a Sweet Lime Soda,they do have a vast beverage menu but we were more focused on the food section :D We did try England's Broccoli & Cheddar Soup which was appropriately wholesome.

Once the appetizers started coming, we had a hard time choosing our favorites.

Chinese Sichuan Style Baked Corn in Wonton Cups looked beautiful, crunchy wonton cups cradling a mix of corn and other veggies in mildly spicy sauce, decent enough to taste,

Mongolian Vegetable Sui Mai Dumpling and Lotus Root & Water Chestnut Dumplings were really good, as vouched for by my sister who is crazy about dumplings, former being best for someone like me with chopped veggies in a blander version while latter was spicy and very crunchy, perfect for my sister,

Tokyo's Rock Corn Tempura is a must have (think of it as corn bhajiyas, everyone would love it!) and so is Mexican Devil Fries (Fries with mayo stripes, salsa sauce, veggies, yumm!),

The Asian section here is particularly delish, we especially loved Satay Kentang and Satay Tahu -former being potatoes on skewer and latter Tofu, both soft, perfectly marinated, coated in lemongrass based sauce and garnished with crushed peanuts, could have gone for a second round easily :)

Also, you might find more non veggie options on the menu but you can get many of these dishes in veg version too, just ask the staff, we got Argentina's Fugazza in a veg version, nice focaccia with cheese, caramelized onions in pesto sauce base, very refreshing,

Among the main course, we started with South African Bunny Chow, a famous dish with hollowed out bread filled with mildly spicy curry with veggies, it is huge and has that feel of having pav bhaji, Indian goodness in a global form :D

For noodle lovers, Bangkok's Phad Thai Noodles is a pretty good option, sweet and spicy gravy based, it is the peanuts used in there that elevated the dish -yes, I looooove peanuts and when used judiciously, the dish would easily be my favorite as this was!

For those in love with fried rice, you can go for Indonesian Nasi Goreng but beware, this is a dry fried rice dish, so you might want a gravy alongside, on its own it is quite flavorful but we are used to gravy based dishes, don't worry the staff would help you in ordering :)

Finally we had Italian Homemade Tagliatelle with assorted Mushroom Ragout, frankly by this time we were more than full (even though we just had tasting portions of everything), but the dense mushroom flavor and fresh pasta stripes made us lick the plate clean, one of the best pasta dishes we ever had. Sooooo good!

For desserts, we chanced upon 2 of the best on their menu- Turkish Cardamom & Coffee Spiked Chocolate Kopuk which is basically a soft,luscious chocolate mousse with hints of coffee & cardamom (how can you go wrong with that :D) and American Bread & Butter Pudding with Creme Anglaise - nobody in my family likes bread pudding, it always comes across as too eggy and weirdly soggy in texture, but here it comes across as a white chocolate mousse. If they had not told us it was bread pudding, we wouldn't know it! A must-try, even if you hate bread pudding :D

It is not easy to do justice to so many varied items from so many different places but these guys do pretty well, they are not just serving every dish in same 2-3 sets of gravies, there are discernible flavors in everything, combined with good quantity and affordable price points, all of which make it a must visit. Traveling the world through cuisine, isn't that a neat idea. And World Streat Food does it so sooo well! Bon Appetite :)

The Boston Butt | First Thanksgiving Feast | Food Review | Restaurant Review

Thanksgiving, an occasion we all have seen being celebrated umpteen times on TV in American sitcoms and such, but I never thought I would get to attend one in person, that is until the invite to attend the Thanksgiving Feast at The Boston Butt landed in my inbox :) Then of course I thought, what are they going to serve us vegetarians? Thanksgiving is all about Turkey after all! Add to that the fact that Boston Butt is famous for its various cuts of meats. I was all ready to surrender my lunch to maybe a bowl of cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie :D

Shouldn't have fret. Unlike popular perception, The Boston Butt has included quite a few options for vegetarians in their regular menu as well as their thanksgiving special feast. They are a smokerie and chracuterie which means they infuse smokey flavors in everything, meats as well as veggies, using slow and long cooking technique. The ambiance screams of pre-prohibition era southern America. Laidback leather seating, vintage framed paintings, classic lamps, staff bustling around with bow ties & suspenders and even the soothing jazz music serenading us, this joint is all about south American homely goodness. 

We started with Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad in Red Wine Vinegar Dressing , expected it to be cruciferous and chewy like most other salads (how much creative can you get while still retaining a health quotient?!) but with lovely crunchy bits of Chestnut, Pine Nut, soft and succulent Sweet Potato it was a complete winner and the sweet tinge provided by Dried Cranberry made it lovelier :) 

Even though I have never been a huge sweet potato fan, the Smoked Leek & Sweet Potato Soup was dense and wholesome, surprising me with its flavors and the Mini Grilled Cheese alongside made it a little meal in itself,

Never had Jambalaya before but glad to have had it here, it is a simple dish made of veggies (much like our Indian curries) served in fluffy strong Cronut pastry with very mild yet flavorful Sauce Paprikash, even though it was served as an appetizer, it actually would be filling enough on its own for a light eater. This was one dish we wished we had more of, till the main course arrived :D

Risotto is what my family calls Italian Khichdi, they just use cheese to make it heavier, so did not expect much from Smoked Pumpkin Risotto with Roasted Zucchini, it was decent, not very heavy actually, I did not get much of pumpkin flavor but the roasted zucchini on top was very crunchy and broke the monotony of risotto very well,

It was the Smoked Collard Green, Chestnut and Pumpkin Seed Ravioli with Orange Butter Sage Sauce that was a complete winner for everyone with pumpkin seeds's crunch and the slight bitterness of velvety orange butter sage sauce coming across as a match made in heaven. I would go back for this dish!

Among desserts, we thought Berry Waffle Upside Down Cake would be the perfect ending to our meal but these waffles were dry and tooooo eggy, the only let down, but they were served with Maple Cheddar Ice Cream which is not to be missed, an absolute stunner!

The surprising star dessert was the luscious Butter Bundt Cake soaked in and served with slightly bitter Rum and Raisin Sauce, making it heaven in every bite. Looked beautiful, tasted even better, made me wanna tuck in a couple in my bag for later :D

This was a tasting feast so cannot comment on actual portions and prices of the same, but whatever we had was very good with just a few misses. The fact that they have gone out of their way to make vegetarians feel comfortable is cause enough to say thanks. And the ambiance. And the extremely efficient staff. And that ravioli and butter bundt cake. And...you get the idea :D 

Not Just Parathas At Only Parathas Mumbai | Delicious Family Feast | Food Review

Half of our life in Mumbai is spent in traveling, and the worst part of traveling to far off places for food reviews is when the place turns out to be an utter disappointment. Thanks be to the Lords of Food that braving the traffic for 2 hours one way to reach Oshiwara from my office for dinner was completely worth it and I would gladly make the trip again, this time with family. 

Lip-smacking food, absolute value for money looking at the quality and quantity, excellent service, spacious elegant ambiance, Only Parathas provides all this and more. The place is huge and can accommodate an entire wedding reception, staff doesn't slacken for even a minute and it is situated right behind Heera Panna Mall at Oshiwara. The menu is replete with about 400 dishes (I swear,not an exaggeration!) from Parathas (obviously) to Dosas, Noodles, Nachos, Chaats, Pav Bhaji, Manchurian and soooo much more. You can conduct an opera here and not a single viewer would go home with an unhappy tummy, there is something for everyone here. I would stick to the North Indian food and Chaats though, they satisfy my soul. Enough said :)

We started with a round of drinks that included refreshing Water Melon Mojito and Sweet Lime Soda, my sister called for Sweet Lassi served just the way they do in Punjab, so thick that it has to be eaten and if you have a small appetite like my sister then this would be a mini meal in itself :P We also tried Green Apple Fizz and Kiwi Litchi Bubble mocktails but they were both too syrupy sweet, kids would love them though (candy overload, remember? :D)

Do try the Burnt Garlic Soup, warm, luscious and soothing, the garlic punch evident in each spoonful, easy to lose heart to this!

Now a special mention for the chaats section, the must-haves when you are here, go for anything be it Samosa Chaat, Kachori Chaat, Tikki Chaat, Tokri Chaat, there would be crunch and an explosion of flavors with the help of spices, chutneys, dahi, boondi and all the regular chaat trappings. Personalize it as per your palate, I like things sweeter but if you love it spicy, ask them to make it so and they shall happily oblige. But before you hog all that, go for the brilliant Pani Puri that comes in flavors such as Heeng, Pineapple, Orange and Kala Khatta! Remember the 90s when we grew up eating Poppins? These Pani Puris will remind you of just that! Cheapest Time Travelling Machine EVER :D

In Mumbai, Chole Bhature usually means huge Puris in the name of Bhature and Kala Chana instead of Chole, very few places get it right, Only Parathas sure is one of those :) Really nice Chole Bhature, again enough to stuff up one Hulk Level appetite, so binge on!

Yes, by the time we had finished so much, we were almost 75% full but our tongues were still watering, so we had to go ahead and try their Mix Tandoori Platter (We Are Foodies, And This Is Sparta :P) Absolute melt-in-mouth, perfectly marinated Hara Paneer Tikka, Jalandari Paneer Tikka, Tandoori Aloo and Gobi (I am not an Aloo person so Tandoori Aloo was not my favorite, it was perfect in taste though, so Aloo fans note it) We were encouraged to try Tandoori Stuffed Mushrooms too which were every bit as oozing with cheesy deliciousness as we expected.

By this time we were wishing we had 3 stomachs extra to try at least 10 more dishes from the menu but not wanting to get hospitalized due to overeating, we just settled on Lazeez Paratha, an enviable mix of Cheese, Garlic, Paneer & Spring Onion. I was not expecting much from this- I know Only Parathas is known for Parathas but I never have parathas anywhere nowadays, it almost always comes across as an inconsistently filled, over-fried piece that I abhor. I take it all back, this Lazeez Paratha was perfectly filled and fried and every bite was heaven. Truly Lazeez and I swear, I just wanted to sleep there for 10 hours, wake up and start trying out 100s of their other paratha varieties. Coming back soon for that :D

How can Richa have desserts after all this? Well, Richa is Hulk, deal with it :D While Kesar Falooda was good by not being overly syrupy sweet, it could have been a bit colder and milkier to be excellent. It was the piping hot Gulab Jamuns and fresh, crunchy Jalebis that put the final stamp of perfection on our already great meal. 

One. Of. The. Best. Meals. Ever. Hulk Happy :D

Bedroom Design Styles | Interior Decor Files Part 3 | Lifestyle Diaries

Having tackled my bathroom renovation ideas in my Interior Decor Files Part 1 and Part 2, now it is time for me to turn my attention to my favorite room, my personal heaven and oasis of calmness, my bedroom. So welcome to my Lifestyle Diaries with some amazing decor and design tips for bedroom coming your way in this installment :) 

Bedrooms are where we spend our time relaxing and reinvigorating ourselves. They are our personal capsules to recharge our batteries. For this reason, designing a bedroom deserves more care and planning than just picking out the right bed or nightstand. It is imperative to give it a unique personality which is a reflection of our personal taste.

Comfortable Cottage, Farmhouse and Rustic

Casual comfort with elements connecting us to nature is what describes the cottage, farmhouse and rustic bedroom design styles. Floral prints, nautical themes, large beds, use of dark-wood flooring, lush natural colours or simple white walls, simple yet sophisticated dressers, distressed furniture, bamboo ceiling fans are just some ways in which these styles are expressed. The emphasis is on feeling comforted and calm, not overwhelmed at any point. There is a sense of familiarity while the space feels light and airy.

Cosy furniture, airy and comfortable vibe with delicate furnishings, use of cushions and lots of white

Floral patterns paired with love for animals and nature in this cottage style

Traditional Elegance, Vintage and Old World

For those who are interested in antique luxury, traditional, vintage and old world styles are perfect bedroom design styles. With 18^th or 19^th century English & French furniture, dark colour tones, intricate patterns, lush fabrics, textured walls, these styles are easy to spot. Four poster beds, oak furniture, vintage clocks or lamps, wrought-iron chandeliers and oriental rugs give the bedroom a timeless royal look.

Wrought-iron furniture, intricate chandelier, wooden ceiling beams create old world elegance

Old world antique furniture with deep dark colours and artisan furnishings

Modern, Contemporary and Minimal

For those who live ‘in’ the times, geometric patterns, simple furniture and furnishings, muted colours coexisting with bold accessories, neutral colour palette and chic accessories define the modern, contemporary and minimal bedroom design styles. Asian influence in the form of Buddha statues/ sculptures and Japanese shoji screens are also included here as the focus in on the adage of ‘less is more’. Usually such bedrooms have one focal point and lead to a serene calm to soothe nerves. Since there is no clutter or clashing elements, the mind is able to relax effortlessly and reach a Zen state of mind.

Clean uncluttered lines with statement bed linen for a modern look

Muted colours with chic chandelier and modern furnishings make it contemporary perfection

Artistic, Sophisticated and Romantic

For those who are artists at heart or appreciate the finer things in life, an artistic, sophisticated or romantic style would make their slumber zone perfect. Soft hues, delicate furnishings, carefully construed storage spaces, bold (yet non-intimidating) or monochromatic colour choices, accessories such as potted plants and other decorative elements create a pleasant dream-zone.

Dark polished wood, cashmere panelled walls and understated colour palette gives a sophisticated look

Pastel colours with delicate hues, floral patterns and elegant furniture create romantic look

Eclectic, Bohemian and Freestyle

For those who do not want to get trapped in fixed definitions, an eclectic, bohemian or freestyle design is the best bet for their bedrooms. It is all about mix and match with aplomb. Vintage dressers paired with contemporary art and floral curtains or antique furniture matching with nautical themed wallpaper and velvet curtains to create a stunningly diverse yet cohesive look is what these styles are all about.

Stunning chandelier, velvet accents, green walls with pink mirror create perfect eclectic look

Vintage chandelier, neutral colour palette, modern accessories for classic bohemian style

We know we are home the moment we enter a bedroom. With this guide to bedroom design styles, it is easy for anyone to create a stunning bedroom which retains its individuality, now all I need to do is find the one design that fits my life!

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