New Year Event Experience Nostalgia | Or What A New Year Party Should Never Be Like | Mumbai NYE 2019

"Happy New Year"

Three words that inspire immense happiness and hope and a zeal for celebration. Food, Fun, Friends, Frolic. After witnessing amazing New Year Parties in countless Bollywood movies, it is but natural for a Mumbai resident (like moi) to want to indulge in some out-of-this-world party. This is what happened 10 years ago...

My college friends (who were avid nightclub goers) decided on a long drive at first but at last minute the plan had to be cancelled because the farmhouse they had rented was rented out to someone else by mistake and there was a lot of confusion. This happened just 2 days before the New Year Eve! And remember, since this was 10 years ago, we did not have active social media scene like now- twitter, facebook were in nascent stage, instgram had not captured our attention and we did not have any centralized website to find out options for celebrating New Year. We had to go by connections, word-of-mouth, all that jazz!

So finally we decided that we would gate-crash whichever NYE Mumbai party we could score last-minute tickets for. Turns out that one of my friend's mother had a friend who got us 8 tickets for a New Year party at a resort at Madh Island. Yoohoo, we were so excited now. Madh Island sounded rad (that was the cool party term back then :P) So 6 of us friends and the kind lady who scored us the tickets plus 1 of her friends, we all landed at this huge resort at Madh Island on 31 December by 9 PM, dressed in our finest part attire and ready to boogie the night away.

(What we expected)

At first glance, it seemed okay. Guests were still streaming in. Of course, real party won't start before 11 PM, we all thought. Till then, we were ready to maybe play some fun games, indulge in light dancing, nosh on some nibbles, down some cocktails...but guess what, there was nothing in sight! Sure the place was all decked up, balloons and streamers and some stray disco balls too, but no food or drinks in sight at all. The invite had made it sound like there would be some entertainment program too but all we witnessed was a sad DJ belting some retro tunes sporadically.

(What we got)

We waited and waited some more. More guests streamed in and finally we saw some servers with trays roaming around. After frantically flailing our arms for 5 minutes, we managed to capture attention of one of them. Chicken drumsticks, that's what arrived. Now half of our party was vegetarians, so our non-vegetarian compatriots polished the plate clean and sent a special request for some vegetarian delicacies. Half an hour later, we got a plate of Paneer tikkas after 4 rounds of about half a dozen non-vegetarian dishes had paraded through the area. Come on, this is India, it is not difficult to come up with 3-4 good vegetarian appetizers at a New Year Eve Party. 

Meanwhile, 2 singers had started a sort-of entertainment program on the vast stage. They were good, but this was not supposed to be a singing event. Where was entertainment? Dancers? Maybe a magician? Maybe an emcee with some jokes, some fun games? Something to make it an interactive event? No idea. 

(What we wanted)

Finally around 11.30 PM, we were famished and started searching for proper food. There had to be main course and dessert, right? Especially for us vegetarians who by now were fed up of Paneer Tikka :P We found a small shack with literally 3 items- Fried Rice, Manchurian, some Mutton gravy. That's it. And unlimited Vanilla/ Strawberry scoops of ice cream. Yay!

(What we got was worse than this)

After dancing for 15 more minutes and watching a half-hearted cracker bursting at the stroke of midnight, we left the venue, trying very hard to convince ourselves that we had not been to just a kid's birthday party and this really was a New Year Eve Party. We reached home by 3 AM and the ride in car on the way back was more entertaining than the entire 3 hours we spent at this so-called New Year Party celebration.

But fret not, 10 years later, I know now that no situation like this can happen with my group of friends on NYE 2019. Just came across HighApe that seems to be the ultimate one-stop platform for discovering India's best nightlife options. And guess what, they have a handpicked list of New Year Events & Parties in Mumbai. No more landing at strange places with false promises of a rocking time, HighApe is where we get to pick and choose our poison aka New Year 2019 Event ourselves. 

How does a 'Masquerade Experience' sound? Intriguing enough? Or maybe NYE 2019 Event at an amusement park is more your thing..well how does 'New Year Bash at Imagica' sounds then? Fun, Food, Friends, Music, Dancing, Live Acts and more..it is all there ready for us to choose from and make our New Year 2019 very special. I am logging on to make NYE 2019 awesome for me and my friends, and hope you do so too :)

Source : 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Flavors Of Malvan Food Festival | Pondicherry Cafe Sofitel BKC Mumbai | Maharashtrian Konkan Malvani Food Review | Food Photography

My fourth visit to Pondicherry Cafe within 6 months and these guys are absolutely fantastic. This time, it is to review their Flavors of Malvan Food Festival. A special kudos to them for coming up with such exotic food festivals helping us acquaint with unique Indian regional cuisines. Moreover, I love that this festival is being curated by home-chefs Mrs. Prathishta and Mrs. Praja under the guidance of Chef de Cuisine Vividh Patil. This means authentic Malvani dishes, replete with home-made spices and family secret recipes, are being presented to discerning diners for lunch and dinner everyday till 28th Jan 2018 :)

Walk in on the ground floor of the luxurious Sofitel at BKC, enter the plush Pondicherry Cafe and take a moment to soak in the ambiance. Bright rich colors, beautiful view from the french windows, an array of food counters, and for the special occasion of Malvan Food Festival, very ethnic set-up to welcome us all. Think coastal Maharashrian region- coconut trees, fishing trawlers, fishing nets, traditional pots and pans, colorful saris, aroma of spices in the air. The home chefs have left no stone un-turned in ensuring that the best of Malvani cuisine is on display. Everything looks and feels down to earth, simple yet enchanting.

One would expect that the food would be mostly non-vegetarian but they also have many great vegetarian options. There is plenty of fresh fish, prawns, chicken and mutton to make every carnivore happy. The dishes are named in traditional way too. Even though I am a vegetarian, I did glance at the non-veg section and it looks properly inviting, so dig in :D

I loved all that I had in my veg section, mainly because I feel that the spices and gravies here actually enhanced the natural flavors of all the ingredients. So for e.g. if I had potatoes in spicy gravy, I did not just taste hot spices, I tasted potato made better with the use of shredded coconut and spices! Each dish is delightful and they are changing the menu a little bit everyday to include as diverse roster of Malvani dishes as possible.

For starters,we loved ARBI CHE VADE- Minced Colocasia (also known as Kacchu in Hindi) patties marinated in spices and baked, lip-smacking with accompanying pudina as well as peanut chutneys. Jars of homemade chutneys and pickles are delicious way to start this feast and every table also has TILKUT-a special dry sesame chutney, a Malvan specialty.

MASALA BHAAT was my personal favorite- such a simple dish, humble like a pulao but packs a flavorful punch thanks to some secret masala combination, honestly one of the best version I have tried ever. Made me want to loudly proclaim, 'they have their Biryani, we have our Masala Bhaat, Game ON!' :D

VALCHE BIRDE - Beans! This is simple beans! I never though beans could taste like this. Simple with just the perfect addition of spices to make it a standout. You would never look at beans the same way again, I know I won't :)

LAL MATH CHI BHAJI -When was the last time you had Amaranth leaves? Have it here! Looks like pinkish cousin of spinach and when mixed with onions, chillies and special spices, it is THE bomb to have with steamed rice/masala bhaat or plain Bhakri!

BHARLI VANGI - I am the last person to even go near an eggplant willingly. I would rather be friends with Voldemort. However, I must concede that the version they have here-brinjals stuffed with a spicy-coconuty gravy-is worth having and goes amazingly with fresh soft Bhakri. Why can't brinjal dishes everywhere taste like this :P

KALYA VATANCHI USAL - Maharashtra's answer to the famous Punjabi daal. Dense and delicious, steamed rice is perfect accompaniment to this one.

A great thing about this festival - none of the dishes mentioned here are too calorific! It tastes just like a home-cooked meal and I felt 0% guilty while indulging in these.

For those who want to stick to tried & tested/conventional fare, in Indian, Italian, Chinese, Thai sections, this buffet has plenty of options for them too. Pondicherry Cafe buffets are among the best in Mumbai because they literally have something for everyone. From among the vast choices, I would recommend-

PANEER LABABDAR (spicy accompaniment to normal naan/kulcha/tandoori roti),

Smokey PANEER TIKKA,

Creamy VEG THAI GREEN CURRY,

Nutty Crunchy STIR FRIED VEGETABLES,

Soft, Sweet-Sour-Spicy TOFU in Soya Ginger Sauce,

Mildly spicy INDONESIAN NOODLES,

Delicious VEG DIMSUM (especially Edamame),

Fresh CHERRY TOMATO SALAD,

Refreshing FRUIT SHOOTER

AND the whole dessert section deserves repeat visits, hands down one of the best dessert spreads in the city, alone making the price of buffet totally worth it, especially recommended are -

Basundi

Chena Toast

Caramel Delight

Berry Jelly Pastry

Apple Crumble Slice

Old Fashioned Cake (Gooey and Chocolatey)

Not to forget LONDON DAIRY ICE-CREAMS! Especially love Double Chocolate and Mango Sorbet.

Very value for money looking at the quality of the buffet, the excellent service from beginning to end, very polite and helpful staff and our delicious experience here. Malvani Food Festival is a must-visit whether you are craving for some tried-and-tested Malvani delights or just starting to dip into this delicious regional cuisine for the first time :)

Parsi Food Festival | Pondicherry Cafe Sofitel BKC Mumbai | Khavanu Pivanu Majja Ni Life | Food Review

My second visit to Pondicherry Cafe within a month and these guys are still fantastic. This time, it is to review their Parsi Food Festival 'Khavanu, Pivanu, Majja Ni Life' and my sister, who usually does not like Parsi food much, loved it here so much that she is planning to go back before the festival gets over, that alone speaks volumes :)

 

 

Walk in on the ground floor of the luxurious Sofitel at BKC, enter the plush Pondicherry Cafe and take a moment to soak in the ambiance. Bright rich colors, beautiful view from the french windows, an array of food counters, and for the special occasion of Parsi New Year celebrations, a full-on old Irani cafe style decor replete with server uniforms, cheerful tablecloth, vintage knick-knacks from old Parsi homes, bullet bike and car exhibition et al. Puts you right in the mood to have some good ol' Parsi fare.

And the fare is good indeed. Usually Parsi food means non-veg dishes, but there are more than enough vegetarian options here to make us smile. So binge on the Salli Boti, Patra Ni Machchi and so on but don't forget to also try the Veg Dhansak, Vegetable Stew, Veg Chana Dal and my favorite- Patra Ni Paneer! Had 3 rounds of these. Steamed, Sweet-Spicy, luscious, unforgettable.

 

 

Among other favorites are their Soya Kebabs and Channa Pattice. Parsi food has a unique mix of spices and that 'home-made' feeling which has been perfectly replicated in these dishes here. I have a couple of Parsi friends from college and have tried veg Dhansak + Patra Ni Paneer earlier too, and the versions here had the same taste. So yes, the food is very authentic, lipsmacking :)

 

 

Apart from these, also try their Bun Maska, Laga nu Custard, and do not forget to sample the famous flavors of soda, the colorful bottles will catch your fancy at the entrance itself. Raspberry, Ice cream, Ginger, Orange- take your pick, my favorite is Raspberry :)

 

 

The buffet includes many other dishes too for those who want to stick to tried & tested/conventional fare, these are the ones I really liked-

Sweet Potato Mash,

Grilled Vegetables,

Stir Fried Vegetables in nutty sauce,

Veg Corn Pulao,

Veg Singapore Style Noodles,

Veg Paneer Tikka,

Veg Dimsum platter,

AND the whole dessert section is fantastic- specially recommended are their ChamCham, Ravo (Parsi Kheer), Dark Chocolate Tart, Chocolate Barfi and Pre-plated Financier :)

 

Very value for money looking at the quality of the buffet, the excellent service from beginning to end, very polite and helpful staff and our delicious experience here. Will surely be back.