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Friday, 27 January 2017

Maharashtrian Food Festival At The Earth Plate, Sahara Star | Food Festival Review

Batatyacha Rasaa, Methi Che Alan, Chinchecha Saar, Chitroni, Gavar Chi Bhaji...

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

If you think I have just started speaking some alien language, you have got to land up here for the Maharashtrian Food Festival and get acquainted with a glimpse of rich Indian traditions and food history :) Walk in to Sahara Star, land down to 00 level, walk into a colorful spacious decor studded with staff decked up in delightfully traditional attire. There are smiles all around, impeccable service bringing a very positive vibe in the air and a vast spread of food that has everything to please even the most hard to please foodies. For this particular festival, the spread mostly has authentic Maharashtrian delights but global cuisine lovers can also indulge in pizzas, pastas, salads and ofcourse the impossibly large desserts sections!

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

One of my best friends is Marathi and she always told me about the generous use of coconuts, ground-nuts, red chillies, onions, garlic and many other spices in their village food and I was fortunate enough to try out some dishes at her home too. I remembered all those days while trying out the dishes here. Very rustic, down to earth food with solid flavors is what you will get here. Start with crispy Batata and wholesome Moong Dal bhajiya, simple veg cutlet, Pudyachi Vada, crunchy kanda bhajiyas, move on to variety of cheese, pickles and papads! Then there is the main course galore with Batatyacha Rasaa (beautiful potato gravy dish) that goes amazingly well with puris, very tangy-sour Methi Che Alan, fresh-mildly spicy Veg Kolhapuri, very soft and lovely Khade Masale ke Paneer, tangy-sweet and light Chinchecha Saar (tamarind soup), Veg Rice Chitroni (rice with groundnuts, shredded coconut, simple yet flavorful), Varan bhaat, tangy Kolhapuri Amti that goes best with puran poli, very healthy and homely Gavar Chi Bhaji, and all this with Bhakri, Chapati and such traditional breads. 

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India
 
If this much is not enough to whet your appetite, go for an assortment of salads such as Tandoori Guava and Kachumber, Spicy Corn, Refreshing Beans with Waterchestnut, Sticky Noodles and Mushrooms in Thai Chilly, Pasta and Broccoli with Parsely Oil, Marinated Asparagus and Tomato, Roasted Tofu and Cherry Tomato with Sweet Chilly..and much much more! Use Kokum and Sol Kadhi to help digest all this feast :D 

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India
 
Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India


We also tried White Sauce Penne Pasta which is frankly one of the best we ever had, simple but oh so cheesy, I am salivating just thinking about it :D 

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India

Hotel Sahara Star The Earth Plate Vegetarian Buffet Lunch Dinner Photography Food Blogger Review Festival India
  
All this is followed by a HUGE dessert spread with ice cream, waffles, brownies, pastries and and addition of loads of delicious fusion as well as traditional sweets such as shrikhand, til che laddoo, chikkisandeshbasundi, gulab jamun, rasmalaiseviyaan, dudhi ka halwa, panacotta with gulab jamun, motichur ladookharwasboondi cheesecake, in fact this dessert spread can be marketed as a buffet of its own (but then who is complaining :D)

While this food festival is pretty perfect in all aspects, it has also made me curious to try out the regular buffet at The Earth Plate, I am sure it will be fantastic too :) Bravo I say.
 

Monday, 23 January 2017

Excellent Trilogy Of Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha At TRE | Food Review | Restaurant Review

TRE is a bad influence on me.

Why?

Because I don't drink alcohol but here the drinks were just so superb that I kept drinking them :D

Yup, Tre can convince teetotalers to start drinking :P
 
TRE Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha Lounge Food Blogger Photography Review Masterchef India Lifestyle

TRE Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha Lounge Food Blogger Photography Review Masterchef India Lifestyle
 
2 floors of Tre, one elegant indoor section and a rooftop sheesha section (that gets packed by 9 PM!) beckon foodies, drinkers and sheesha lovers to converge and relax. These guys have kept things simple because simplicity works best. Seating is comfortable, staff is very efficient and quick, menu is sparse and functional but everything has been chosen with care so that everybody gets something to relish. There is no gastronomy or drinks wizardry, even the names aren't fancy, it is all geared to make us feel welcome and focused on rich flavors and textures. Prices a tad high but looking at the location and excellent food, we can't complain. We love everything here! Honored to be here for a review session.
 
TRE Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha Lounge Food Blogger Photography Review Masterchef India Lifestyle

TRE Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha Lounge Food Blogger Photography Review Masterchef India Lifestyle

TRE Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha Lounge Food Blogger Photography Review Masterchef India Lifestyle

As I said, I don't drink but one look at the bar menu and names like 'Chocolate Shot' popped up to pique my curiosity. Their drinks have down to earth ingredients like Mango Pulp, Mango sorbet, Chocolate liquer, Paan, Cinnamon, Coriander leaves and so on, infused with gin/vodka/whiskey etc., result being a smashing refreshing drink that has a lingering taste. 
We had Chocolate Shot (Rum & Chocolate)
Masala Paan Shot (Vodka infused mukhwas dessert shot), 
Fresh Mandarin Mojito (Freshly muddled mandarin with lime, mint & fizz, the only non-alcoholic drink of the night), 
Cinova (Fresh pineapple muddled with coriander, ginger, smirnoff and sour mix), 
Mango Saffron (Dark rum mixed with mango pulp and a touch of saffron syrup), 
Paan Angoori (Pan infused gin shaken with sour mix), AND we could taste them on our palate for next hour or so! Keeping things simple, rustic, delicious.
 
TRE Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha Lounge Food Blogger Photography Review Masterchef India Lifestyle
 
Coming to food, there are pizzas, pastas, a variety of starters, rice dishes to choose from. Limited but gourmet selection. We started off with Aglio Olio Corn, spicy corn kernels, that set our palates on fire in the best way possible :D 
 
TRE Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha Lounge Food Blogger Photography Review Masterchef India Lifestyle
 
Burnt Paneer Chilli Dry, easily my second favorite dish, spicy soft paneer pieces with some veggies, typical dish one wants to have with drinks, 
 
TRE Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha Lounge Food Blogger Photography Review Masterchef India Lifestyle
 
Next up were a twist on our very own frankies i.e. Laffas, with a refreshing crunchy mix of salad veggies inside soft tortilla like wraps,

Absolute favorite among starters was Tre Tandoor Tikka with melt in mouth Paneer, deliciously marinated Mushrooms and Potatoes, mildly spicy, a dish we would love to reorder all night long :D
 
TRE Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha Lounge Food Blogger Photography Review Masterchef India Lifestyle
 
In main course we decided to go with Nawabi & Fantasy Pizzas half & half, which turned out to be a great choice as the pizza was thin crust, crunchy (but not like biscuit! the good thin crust), had distict smokey flavor , had just the right proportion of sauce and cheese along with generous toppings of veggies for nawabi and paneer for fantasy, a fantastic duo, we shall be going back for these :)
 
TRE Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha Lounge Food Blogger Photography Review Masterchef India Lifestyle
 
My sister also chose Pasta Primavera (Creamy white sauce) Penne, which was appropriately creamy, simple yet soul satisfying, another must have! It really becomes difficult to come up with new words to describe different dishes when all of them are excellent. So just leaving this with -excellent food :D
 
TRE Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha Lounge Food Blogger Photography Review Masterchef India Lifestyle
 
But the main star of the evening is still to come. Apart from using fresh ingredients in their drinks and food, they also make their desserts inhouse. Chocolate lovers can go for Flourless Cake which is actually more like a chocolate tart with oozy dense sinful chocolate liquid in the centre :D Who is complaining when there is so much chocolate to overdose on :D

TRE Vegetarian Food Drinks Sheesha Lounge Food Blogger Photography Review Masterchef India Lifestyle

The absolute magnificent New York Cheese Cake was the right way to sign off on this excellent experience. You haven't tasted the best cheese cake in Mumbai till you have tasted this. Think melt in mouth, think lighter than cloud, think sweet but not overly so, think of velvet on tongue, now put this all together and enjoy the new york cheese cake here. This alone warrants a 100 stars here :)

One of those places that gets everything right, Tre is a must-visit place in my books :)

Thursday, 19 January 2017

Vegetarian #FBAISoiree At 1Above Mumbai | Food Review | Restaurant Lounge Review

There is a new party place in town with awesome ambiance, pulsating music, superb service and decent food, enough to merit a visit with friends. We were here on the launch night for #FBAISoiree and it was pretty cool. There were obvious kinks like drinks and food mixing up, too much rush making a little lag in service, all these are present in every launch party so no complaints there. The staff was too efficient, doing their best to work perfectly even under pressure. I had a sore throat, our server remembered this and got me hot water to sip twice, even without asking, well done :)
 
1Above Lounge Restaurant Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Photography Masterchef Review India Lifestyle Blog

1Above Lounge Restaurant Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Photography Masterchef Review India Lifestyle Blog
 
It is a pure veg place, which is a rarity when it comes to any club/lounge place, but yay on behalf of us vegetarians :D The rooftop space is utilized very well with nice separate lounge areas as well as high chairs seating, availability of full bar as well as Sheesha, wide screen TV, lighting is good too (I like to see clearly what I am eating/drinking, which becomes an impossibility in most bars/clubs/lounges with pitch dark ambiance!) Based on just food taste, there were a few misses which can be easily rectified but quite a few hits too that would definitely call me back. 
 
1Above Lounge Restaurant Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Photography Masterchef Review India Lifestyle Blog

1Above Lounge Restaurant Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Photography Masterchef Review India Lifestyle Blog
 
Very wholesome mildly spiced Kheema Pav (Veg version of Bunny Chow) which I would definitely order whenever I go here, 
 
1Above Lounge Restaurant Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Photography Masterchef Review India Lifestyle Blog
 
Crunchy Nachos with 4 kinds of dips, 2 of which were lovely, one cheesy and one with tomatoes, 
 
1Above Lounge Restaurant Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Photography Masterchef Review India Lifestyle Blog
 
Absolutely recommended are the refreshing Bruschetta with Olives, Tomatoes & Mushrooms, such distinct flavors, we kept calling for these again & again,
 
1Above Lounge Restaurant Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Photography Masterchef Review India Lifestyle Blog

Veg Gnocchi was again good, little pops of soft deliciousness, can order again :)
 
1Above Lounge Restaurant Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Photography Masterchef Review India Lifestyle Blog

1Above Lounge Restaurant Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Photography Masterchef Review India Lifestyle Blog
 
Veg Sushi was really dry and could do with an overhaul and the White Sauce Flatbread seemed off, too dense and cheesy as there was hardly anything to cut through the cheesy sauce, it would do with some toppings,

I wish there was something in desserts section we could have tried but I am keeping that for the next time I am here :) Will be back for more indepth and leisurely eating-drinking session :)
 

Friday, 13 January 2017

Heart Warming Vegetarian Desi Food At Desiklub | Food Review | Restaurant Review

Been wanting to land up here for a long time but somehow the stars never aligned, but destiny brought me here to try out their new menu and it was a fantastic experience :)

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

From the moment one steps in, the whole Bombay theme comes alive, with colorful decor, quirky photos and knick knacks such as soda bottle incorporated in the ambiance, chairs with names of Mumbai streets at the back and so on. Smiling, polite staff add to the positives. The menu is quite extensive with many lovely dishes, all of them presented with a little twist in novel manner (something comes in a boat, something atop a handcart!) and all of them taste good too, although most items are on the spicy side (I have a sweet jaw,so am extra sensitive to spice levels anyway :D)

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

We tried and liked a whole lot of drinks & dishes -
Paan Pasand Soda, Masala Jeera and Litchi Rose soda were nice to start off the evening's proceedings, all of them refreshing and Masala Jeera being the true standout,

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog
Papad Bhel-Khichiya Papad Bhel served Chowpatty style, quite spicy, a little sweet, very crunchy, our love for chaats coming to fore,  

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

Indian Sliders- veg cutlets served slider style, bite sized delights to be popped in quickly while gossiping with friends, 

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

Paneer Satay-Cottage Cheese marinated in traditional Indian tikka spices served with peanut sauce, paneer could have been softer but overall decent, the peanut sauce as actually reminiscent of snickers paste,licked it clean :D, 
Two Cheese Chilli Toast- we love our toasts with green & red chutneys here and these guys have added a wholesome layer of melted cheese to that, how can it not be good :D, 

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

3Pppppppps-Platter of Pakodas spiked with Peri Peri, pakodas in themselves are our favorites, these were crunchy, flavorful and my mom loved them the most, enough said!

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

Chennai se China Tak-Idli tossed with capsicum and green chillies in a chilli sauce, not much of a fan of spicy stuff but these were standouts for me since the Idlis tasted just like paneer, they were that soft and melt in mouth! Lovely fusion!

Sev Puri - these were just about good, I think the chutney they had on puri was tangier than I usually like, 

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

Sabudana Cheese Vada- Again, a winner, our favorite sago croquettes made even better with Peri Peri and Cheese, and I had second helpings even though I am not a spicy food fan :D

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

Main course started with Hum Saath Saath Hain-Tawa Noodles with Paneer Chilli, a must-have dish with good balance of gravy, noodles, crunchy veggies, felt like a 10 year old having hakka noodles with paneer chilly at mama's home in Delhi :D,

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

Delhi Belly- My favorite Tawa Pulao with Vegetable Patty in Cheese Sauce, this one alone must have 1000 calories but it is soooo good, especially for cheese lovers, an indulgence to share among 3 very hungry friends!

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

Mexican Rice with Rajma Masala, I thought this would be on the tangy side but it was well flavored with spicy and sour tinges coming through, decent enough,

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

Spiced Rice with Indian Thai Curry, a little twist on Thai curry by making it more Indian which made it a good option for rice lovers,

Chole Te Bhature with typical Delhi super spicy Chole and mini Bhature, have this if you are missing Punjabi tadka to your food, this one is a firestarter in mouth :P

Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

After all this spicy food (delicious nonetheless my palate was on fire!) I needed heavy duty desserts and I got it in the form of Mukhwas and Kala Jamun Rabdi Tart. A tart pastry with kala jamuns and cream cheese, a very dense and heavy dessert that would appeal to Indian dessert lovers who are open to contemporary twists while I say blindly go for Mukhwas -a delectable combination of Paan Cheese Cake, Thandai Shots and Paan Jelly, I am not even a paan lover but this won me over. On my list of most amazing Desserts in Mumbai :)


Desiklub Mumbai Vegetarian Vegan Cheese Food Blogger Review Photography Masterchef India Lifestyle Blog

Prices on the higher side, which is explained via the location as well as quality of ingredients & the whole novelty factor. Definitely a place to try out at least once with family :)