Hummus By Yummus!

Some pronounce it 'Hommos', others a more guttural 'khamas', be that it may, the opinion is unanimous when it comes to the deliciousness of this middle-eastern delight. Origin stories are aplenty, but it is safe to say that the origin is Middle-Eastern, given that Hummus means 'Chickpeas' in Arabic. Basic Hummus recipe calls for just chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic and olive oil. The rest as you know is History. This is a review of the Hummus variations that are made by Yummus.

In the Indian Market, there are not many ready-made Hummus options, and even fewer focus on the health aspect. The best part about the hummus made by Yummus is that they are free of preservatives and baking soda(and thus, a low shelf life).




Here are the 4 variations I tried. All 4 variants were smooth, creamy and had none of that excess olive-oil dripping through which I liked,

1. Spinach Hummus: Spinach is generally not everyone's favorite veggie, and to add it in Hummus might not seem the best idea. However, the beautiful richness of blended chickpeas is the perfect foil to the rich,earthy taste of spinach. It was seasoned with mixed herbs and this is a very unique and healthy twist to the traditional hummus.

2. Carrot Hummus: A beautiful orange hummus variation, this hummus brings out the sweetness of the carrots beautifully, without ruining the whole hummus experience. I can see this being devoured as a breakfast spread

3. Beetroot Hummus: The colour of this hummus needs to be seen to be believed. A lovely lavender colour with a zing of lemon and the earthiness of the beetroot mellowed out, this is among my fav. variants of the the four.

4. Roasted Bell-Pepper Hummus: Hands down,my favorite of the lot. Who would have thought that the humble 'capsicum' will result in such a delightful hummus variant. Tangy, Smoky and Luxuriant, I could have this with any meal of the day.

Verdict: A lot of ready-made Hummus I have tried tend to over-complicate recipes or add so much of artificial flavouring/preservatives that the hummus loses its originality. Hummus from Yummus is as close as it gets to an all-natural and home-made hummus. Highly recommended!

P.S.:You can order Hummus from Yummus by logging onto their website https://yummus.in/ or DM them on their Instagram handle, Yummus.In. They require at least 18 Hours of advance notice since all batches are freshly made. All variants are priced at INR 225 for 200 grams.

Continue Reading..

Baby, Nevermind, nevermind, nevermind, nevermind

Nevermind, the first thing that comes to my mind or wondering what that title is all about? Check this iconic BMW Series 3 TVC, with Dennis Lloyd’s ‘Nevermind’ score playing in the background.(Heres the link if you haven’t watched this yet) And why do I mention this? Nevermind, the place has a very similar vibe. Futuristic and elegant interiors and Rohit Barker spinning some excellent tracks at the DJ Console, this is one of my favorite places in Indira Nagar, and I haven’t even come to the food yet! Nevermind completed a year of running a few days back and they have a new revamped menu, which still has some of the crowd favs from the old menu. Here are some glimpses from the fabulous new menu:

Cocktails:

These aren’t the sugary, syrup-loaded cocktails that you would find in most places. The cocktail menu here is driven by ingredients, and good ones at that! Their signature ones are divided into 3 carefully-crafted categories, here are my picks from each of these sections

Farm to Glass(Core ingredient is a fruit or a vegetable)

Fine Revelry: This gin cocktail had cucumber, tonic, a rose-sour made in-house. The freshness of cucumber, the rather unusual combination of a sour-rose syrup which gave this beautiful, floral edge and a tonic to balance it out. Simple, elegant and refreshing!

Mamacita: This cocktail is an attention grabber for sure. A lovely almost transparent green colour, another gin-based cocktail, this has seasonal bell peppers, coriander, lime juice, sparkling water and a thin layer of whipped cream. A very modern cocktail, the bell peppers add an interesting dimension to an already interesting cocktail. Loved it!

Botanical Garden(Edible Flowers or Leaves)

Lady Rose: A vodka-based cocktail with rose syrup, rose tea infused vodka(yeah, no kidding!), lime juice and egg whites. The end result? Something even the Russians have not done with their Vodka, a stunning floral cocktail topped with a egg-white foam to give it more body. Excellent!

Spices & Herbs

Empress Kiss: If ever there was a cocktail to simulate a kiss, this would be it, honestly! Rosemary-infused gin, lime, triple sec and orange juice and egg white. Beautifully balanced, with the sourness of orange and lime balanced by the piney rosemary, this could even be an aperitif! I could have this all day long, it is that good! 

Food:

Here are my recommendations from their menu:

Brie Tempura: Nutty and earthy brie coated in a tempura batter and fried to perfection, this is a delightful way to start the meal here, also a good accompaniment to their cocktails!

Beef & Jalapeno Dumpling: Pan-Asian food has always been Nevermind’s strong suit, and this dumpling just goes to show how good their food this. Translucent covering and a beautifully cooked filling of minced beef and spicy jalapenos made sure that we went back for more.

The B&B Burger: Yes, the bun is actually a donut bun, and it was a delightful addition to this fabulous double bacon burger. So this was Candied bacon, beef patty, glazed doughnut bun, crunchy peanut butter, Chili lime mayo. Excellent stuff!

Pan Seared Red Snapper: Fish and Chimichurri sauce always go great together, and in this case, the flavours were heightened with the addition of a orange and fennel salad, and a beautifully flashed-fried snapper with an ultra-crispy skin. Needless to say, the chimichurri was on point and delicious!

Coastal Prawn Curry : Ah, with all the fancy stuff coming in, a steaming bowl of this beautiful prawn curry with steamed rice was a welcome change. Comfort food at its finest!

Desserts

Tall, Dark & Crunchy: Beautiful textures of milk and dark chocolate with the reassuring crunch of roasted cashews and a sprinkling of cashew praline dust for good measure.

Lemon Tart: Lemon Tart, Torched Meringues and a buttery, short crust arch to seal the deal. This was as delicious as it looked, or even more!

Verdict: Be it a romantic outing, an evening of partying with friends or just an afternoon of sipping some brilliant cocktails while enjoying some lip-smacking food, I cannot recommend this place enough!

Continue Reading..

Maziga - Mesmerizing Modern Indian Food

Modern Indian Food has been arriving on the international scene for quite a while now, but it kind of exploded with Gaggan Anand’s unconventional takes on Indian Classics, and that is probably the gold standard of Modern Indian Cuisine for me. At Maziga, Chef Javed Ahamad puts a spin on Indian Classics as well, and we were there to sample their elaborate 15-Course Menu. Here is the lowdown.

This set menu is called ’15-Course Journey Through India’ and it needs to be ordered a day in advance in case you decide to have this and costs INR 2200 + Taxes. I will not list all 15 courses but some of the more memorable dishes from it. I paired this with a Cotes De Provence from Domaine de Saint Ser of a 2012 vintage, which is a rich bodied, complex rose, and to be honest, it went superbly with most of the food. Highly recommended pairing!

The Journey starts off with a spherification, a technique that is gaining popularity given the literal ‘burst’ of flavours that you get. In this instance, it was a chat masala yoghurt variation. I would have loved if the base was not curd-based, but it was a good attempt.

Goat Brain Pav: This was a pav, layered with an orangish gel on top, with a minced, goa-brain filling. The gel was sweetish with a slight tang of orange, and it actually went well with the spiced, mince mixture inside.

Quinoa Upma Cod Fish in Kaffir Lime Sauce : So this was  a beautifully cooked smoked Cod topped with a deliciously tangy kaffir lime sauce and tempered mustard seeds, and was served on a bed of Quinoa Upma.

Soup: A lovely sweet and salty broth of green peas and edamame, I enjoyed the soup. The only thing I could do without were the masala bondi that didn’t really gel well in this dish.

Malvani Prawn: This one was absolutely delicious. A superbly cooked prawn coated with an aromatic, rich, malvani ‘bharta’ sitting atop a charcoal lentils pan cake, I could have had half-a-dozen of these. I would have preferred a bit more chili in the spice to add that extra oomph to this dish!

Duck: This was duck smoked in a tandoor and cooked in a rogan josh curry. Divine would probably the word to describe this fusion. A mellowed down rogan josh recipe, this one too could do with a bit more chilli, but maybe it is just me

Risotto Khichdi: Definitely, the highlight of the meal for me was this one. A very simple combination of flavours , this was a palak khichdi using hand-pounded basundi rice, cheese and ghee. Now this is the kind of fusion I am down for, comfort food at its best!

Khasta Rahra Ghosht Biryani with Burani Raita : Of course, a journey across India is incomplete without some form of biriyani on the menu. This one had a quirky presentation, being served in a cup with a flaky pastry covering it, presumably as it was cooked on ‘dum’ under it along with the raita in a shot glass. The Lamb was beautifully cooked in ‘rahra’ style spices, from the Sindh region on India. The biryani was mellow and beautifully flavored with saffron and a few other spices.

The meal ended with a Turmeric Kulfi and Mango Panna-cotta.

Verdict: It is hard to hold your attention throughout any multi-course meal, let alone one that spans 15 courses, but Maziga does an admirable job at surprising you with each item’s entry at your table. While the journey is not without its ups and downs, it is a pleasant one that has dishes which span the length and breadth of the country. In the mood to be surprised at how Indian Food can too be fine dine or if you just want to have the meal on a whimsy, this meal is one that will stay etched in your memory!

Continue Reading..

Bangalore Street Club - Majja Maadi!

So Lido Mall has a new place where you can head to to catch a quick bite before a movie or enjoy a leisurely meal after your show has ended. Sounds intriguing now? Lets dive in.

Ambience and Concept

Located in place of the rather tepid TGIF on the first floor, this place has been completely revamped and looks really pretty and spacious. The inside seating is well-spaced out, brightly lit and comfortable. The outdoor seating is more subdued and is perfect for a dinner date or a quick drink with friends while soaking in the lovely Bangalore weather.

So this place aims to be a kind of a cross between casual restaurant and a food court. It has a variety of food options ranging from the regular kebabs, biryanis, dosas and idlis to more region specific food a with a few surprises thrown in as well for the more adventurous diners. There are several counters under different banners, a bar counter(no alcohol right now, but it is in the works) and even a retail therapy section. Whether the concept flies or not with diners, remains to be seen, but I was certainly intrigued. The core philosophy of this place being, anyone can casually walk in at pretty much any time of the day and enjoy a decent meal, translating loosely to Majja Maadi!

Food

We ordered from across the counters to get a fair idea of the food all around. Here is a quick lowdown:

1.  Irani Salli Keema Pav: This was so surprisingly good.Crunchy butter toasted pav buns with a thick, meaty, slightly spicy meaty mutton keema which was cooked to perfection. Tender, but with a slight bite. Loved every bit of it and wiped the bowl of keema clean.

2. Telicherry Chicken Tikka: So this was almost like a malai kebab with a hint of spice. While cuisine for this region is famed for the use of black pepper,I didn't find any signs of that here. But leaving aside this fact, it was a pretty delicious dish.Soft, creamy and succulent.

3. Rava Fried Prawns: Another staple from the southern part of India,the trick in a rava-fried dish is to have a then, even and crisp layer of rava with the insides cooked perfectly. In this case, the prawns were beautifully cooked and the layer remained crisp. This one was superb!

4. Haleem Ke Kebab: Made out of melt in the mouth mutton mince, these kebabs transported me back to the shammi kebabs of the street of Lucknow. Very similar to a shammi,but even softer with the heady flavour of black cardommon standing out, I loved this dish.

5. Russell Street Mutton Biryani: This was supposed to be Kolkata Style Dum Biryani with the mandatory aloo and boiled egg. However, I didn't get either and it wasn't a dum biryani as well. It could probably pass-off as a Hyderabadi Biryani, but not a Kolkata Biryani for sure.Keeping the semantics aside, the mutton was well cooked and the spices were in check and not overpowering.

Verdict:
I went to this place, not expecting much in terms of beautiful, region-specific flavours, but just a slightly better version of your local mall food.It wasn't the case here. Most of the food was pretty close to authentic,or at least good flavours and they didn't cost a bomb. Good Pricing and Decent food make sure that this will be my pit-stop either before or after catching a movie at the Inox  above this. 

Continue Reading..

Oki Poki - By Mamagato

It’s been a rough day and all you want to do is curl up in bed, switch on the AC, turn on Netflix and escape into a familiar world of fantasy, with chopsticks in hand as you dig into your favorite Dimsums, baos and Maki rolls. Oki-Poki to the rescue! Oki-Poki is Mamagato’s delivery-only offering and is a hassle free way to enjoy some authentic Asian favorites in the comfort of your home. Here is a quick review of some of the items that Mamagato was kind-enough to send me to experience their delivery-only menu.

Som Tam Salad with Peanuts: Would you ever try a vegetarian, pan-Asian salad? If you do want to, this is what you should get and you will be presently surprised. A chiffonade of raw-papaya topped with cherry tomato, sweet, sour, salty and sweet, this was so good. It was served with toasted peanuts that you might want to top the salad with.

Prawn and Chive Dimsums: A Classic combination of beautifully cooked large chunks of juicy prawns and a mild-chive flavor. They were served with a couple of sauces, a Chinese vinegar sauce and a red-chili sauce. The Dimsums were excellently made, were large without being clumsy and tasted brilliant!

Portion: 6 Pieces

Pulled Pork Bao: A bao is easy to get wrong and might end up getting thick and chewy. None of those problems here. Perfectly-made baos with nicely-cooked pork shreds, and topped with a tangy, spicy flavorful Burmese curry.The sweetness of coconut milk, the beautiful fragnance of lemongrass and the punch of chili in the end, this curry/sauce took the dish to another level. If ever a bao had a companion, this would be it!
Portion: 2 Pieces

Maki: If you are a sushi-fanatic like me, or if you want to have your first taste of sushi, I suggest you start here. The sushi arrived in perfect condition (no-small feat, since these are so delicate and need special skill that they don’t disintegrate over a period, till they are delivered to you). This was served with chopsticks, traditional-japanese soya sauce and wasabi paste

Smoked Salmon Maki: Beautifully smoked Salmon pieces with the umami of tobanjan(chili-bean sauce) and topped with toasted sesame seeds, this was an unusual combination that came together beautifully.

Portion: 8 Pieces

Monster Roll: This was more of a fusion roll, with salmon, prawn and tuna, topped with Japanese mayo and caviar-like pearls. A well-executed maki roll.

Portion: 8 Pieces

Verdict: An excellently curated menu, authentic preparations, beautiful craftsmanship and packaged expertly, this is a delivery-menu that will remain right at the top of my list for my pan-Asian needs. Be it for a romantic candlelight dinner at home or a hassle-free meal for your personal pleasure or just to hangout with your friends while lounging around at home, try it now and Thank me later! Highly recommended!

P.S.: I wish they had some dessert options, and this menu would be perfection!

Continue Reading..

Savvy Home Parties with Social's #KiloDeal Menu

 




When it comes to getting food for parties, we are always left to compromise on either the quality of food or the taste. Social is one of those legendary places that needs no introduction and they want to bridge the gap  when it comes to quality food in bulk, home delivered without compromising on the taste or quality of food.This is a review of their newly launched 'KiloDeal Menu' which promises to do just that.

Whats the 'Kilo Deal' Menu?
This is a menu of some of our favourite Social dishes, and a few new ones which can be ordered 'By The Kilo'. The portion sizes include Aadha(1/2 Kilo), Pauna(3/4 Kilo) and Pura(1 Kilo). They can be ordered online or even picked up from your nearest Social.


What's the Big Deal?
The menu features a wide-range of our favorite Social Dishes like Jalapeno-Cheese Nads, Ghee-Roast Chicken, Luru Prawns, Death Wings, Butter-Chicken Biryani and so on, and super reasonable prices and excellent packaging, The food goes equally well if you want to have a fun-filled dinner party with only the main course, or just appetizers to go along with your drinks,

My Picks from the Menu:
Keema Pao: This versatile dish goes so well in a varity of situations and I love having a lovely-buttered pao with steaming hot keema.

Butter-Chicken Biryani: For people who don't want to get their hands dirty, this boneless version of butter chicken in a biryani format is absolutely mouthwatering. Definitely my favourite in the mains.

Chicken Kebab Magic: These are just so brilliant and a kilo of these babies were gone in a jiffy, and they went beautifully with our beers and cocktails. A must-order appetizer for non-vegetarians.

Jalapeno Cheese Nads: A hot favorite at the dine-in at Socials, this is one dish that I order for sure when my vegetarian friends are around(and sometimes, even when they are not). Cheesy, crunchy and a hit of spice, another excellent dish.

Hot Tennessee Chicken Wings:Not a big fan of Chicken wings, but this dish blew that notion right out of the park. Tender, juicy wings in a delicious smoky sauce, this was another dish that I quite enjoyed.

Continue Reading..

Haute: Wine and Tapas Review

While there are a lot of good places in Bangalore that serve Wine, there are few which tailor the food so that it pairs well with wine, without compromising on the taste. Haute is one of those places which seeks to please the casual wine-drinker as well as wine-connoisseurs with an excellent selection of New World and Old-World Wines and some domestic favorites as well. Does the food stand-up to the gorgeous wines they have curated? Let’s find out.

We learnt from Chef Adithya Kidambi,(the Executive Chef here) that the concept they are going for, in terms of food is two-fold. For the lunch menu, the food will be a combination of short eats and one-bowl meals, suited to the more casual diner. Dinner however would be an elaborate affair with a multi-course meal, with wine-pairings for each course. For the preview, we had a five-course meal paired with a Fratelli Chardonnay and a Fratelli Gran Cuvee Brut. More on that later.

Course 1: Teriyaki

Mixed Greens, Cherry Tomatoes, chicken slices (marinated overnight in a traditional soy-sauce based marinade), cucumber and the best part, the crunch of a homemade chikki made of sunflower & flax seeds in jaggery. The salad was delicately balanced with sourness from the cherry tomatoes, the crunch and sweetness from the crumbled home-made chikki, some freshness and additional depth-of-flavor from the mixed greens. A brilliant start to the meal. 

Course 2: Beetroot

My initial thought was, this was one dish that the chefs might have gone overboard. Was I wrong! Gazpacho is all the rage on the Indian food scene these days, and while it might be colloquially called, a ‘cold soup’, it is so much more. The one here at Haute was pretty well done. A slow-roasted beetroot gazpacho, served with a dollop cultured cream on the side. The Gazpacho was a brilliant red color, which can only be described as beetroot red and the earthy flavors of beetroot had been mellowed down considerably. The addition of dried orange segments added a much-needed crunchiness to this soup while imparting its own lovely flavor. The cultured cream when mixed with the soup, completely balanced out of the flavors, and to be honest, this is definitely the best Gazpacho I have had so far.

Course 3: Dumplings

We ordered the Prawn bisque and the Paprika Chicken dumplings. Both of them were very well-made with a beautiful, almost-translucent skin. The filling was ample and while the paprika chicken lacked the strong-punch of paprika, this version would appeal to most palates. However, both of these were served with a brilliant, grainy pepper sauce, which I absolutely loved.  

Course 4: Mains

I ordered the Cream of Chicken & Peas hand-cut Linguine while my spouse ordered their popular Bibimbap. Linguine is a pasta which falls somewhere between a spaghetti and fettuccine in terms of width. The linguine here was hand-cut and served with a creamy, buttery sauce and topped with shaved parmesan cheese, and thinly slices of chicken. I have to say, I loved this preparation immensely.

The bibimbap was served in a smoking hot cast iron bowl and was Korean Style Rice with 2 types of kimchi, assorted veggies, a poached egg and was served with a bowl of lamb slices that could be mixed with the bibimbap or had on its own. This is probably the most colorful Bibimbap I have seen in Bangalore, and was pretty good as well!

Course 5: Chocolate 

A beautiful tart with layers of single-origin dark chocolate. True chocolate connoisseurs will appreciate the beauty of the nuttiness of the dark chocolate and when had with the superbly creamy Dulce de Leche that it was served with, it was just heavenly. Not overly sweet nor too bitter, this was another masterpiece. A beautiful finale to a delightful symphony of flavors and textures.

Verdict: Haute is one of those rare places where the execution of a beautiful concept has been done flawlessly. Excellent Wine-Selection, Brilliant food and an Ultra-Chic ambience are the reasons you should visit this place as soon as possible!

Continue Reading..

Monkey Bar - 'Next Stop Kolkata' Street Food Festival

Street Food is an excellent way to gauge local flavors and preferences, primarily because the abundance of some and paucity of other ingredients leads vendors to experiment and come up with dishes that most locals will like. Kolkata is a place where food has had significant influences from Mughal and British cuisines, having been at the center of many a revolution. A street food festival celebrating Kolkata Street Food at an upscale pub in Bangalore seemed an unlikely place to get a taste of such a rich cultural diversity, and I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful rendition of some classics at the ‘Next Stop Kolkata’ street food festival at Monkey Bar.

Located in the hotbed of the Namma ‘Ooru dining and pub scene, Monkey Bar at Indira Nagar is not hard to find. The entrance is flanked by a Yellow Ambassador Taxi Cutout, a throwback to a time when Uber and Ola were not even in existence, and travelling in these ‘Peela’ Calcutta Taxis was almost considered a luxury for the masses. As we settle down at our seat on the first floor of this neat space, early on a Saturday afternoon, tiny touches such as labelling of sections of the pub to various food stops of Kolkata, as the smell of freshly fried hing-er kochuri and ghooghni comes wafting from a nearby table, a wee bit of nostalgia does creep in.

Cocktails:

They have a few cocktails crafted specially for this festival and here are the ones we really liked.

Puchka Paani Capriojka: Vodka, ‘Gondhoraj lebu’(a particularly flavourful lemon variant found in abundance in West Bengal), mint leaves and a delicious, tangy, slightly spicy & sweet, puchka paani make up this super-refreshing cocktail. Superbly balanced and fairly potent, this is my favorite from the lot.

Thaanda Cha: Revolutions, political or otherwise have been known to have been incepted over a cup of lal cha(red tea or tea without milk) in a Calcutta. This cocktail is a tribute to local tea shops in Kolkata. Darjeeling Tea, vodka and a few spices like cinnamon & star anise make up this lovely cocktail. People who have had cha in Kolkata will especially appreciate this cocktail.

Food:

This menu has been crafted very well, and while not all Kolkata street food is fit pub fare, they have adapted it brilliantly. Here are my picks from the menu: 

Vardaan Market Moong Dal Pakodi Chaat: This dish is reminiscent of the chaat that is served on the streets of Kolkata as ‘North Indian’ chaat. Crisp, deep-fried Moong Dal wadis, topped with a sweet-spicy mint and tamarind chutney, yogurt and fried curry leaves. This dish will be loved equally by vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike! I am told that they so designed this dish that it stays crispy for a longer duration, so that you can have it as a bar-snack, and I believe them!

Elgin Road Pork Momos: Momos as a street food in Kolkata have been around way before ‘dimsums’ became a fad, and piping hot steamed momos can be found at most street corners here. The version here is served in a tangy, spicy smoked tomato chutney. The well-stuffed dumplings were particularly well made and dipping them in that tangy chutney made them extra succulent!

Beadon Street Fish Roll: You know that it is truly Bengali food, when the bhetki(Sea Bass) is used in a fish roll. No, this is not a roti/parantha encased roll, but these are crumb-fried ones, a smoked bhetki fillet stuffed with a curried-prawn mix. Crispy on the outside, juicy and oozing with flavors on the inside, this is probably the best bar snack to have with any cocktail or even chilled beer. I also liked the lovely kasundi spiked salad that was served on the side of this dish.

Girish Park-er Shoitan Deem: Devilled Egg, Kolkata style. Boiled eggs are cut in half, encased in a shammi kebab mince mixture and deep fried. This is as good as a scotch egg can ever be!

For my vegetarian friends, the Hing-er Kachuri and Vivekananda Park Ghoogni are highly recommended as well. Their Lake Market Kabiraji is also excellent, and I have not had that crispy a kabiraji ever, and believe it or not, it wasn’t too oily!

We ended our meal with this beautiful Old Monk & Nutella Cake, which is a part of their regular menu.

Verdict: Monkey Bar has always been on my list of pubs which serve really good food, the ‘Next Stop Kolkata’ festival is a must visit for people who want to experience the goodness of Kolkata’s street food. While most of the dishes are adapted versions of classics, I love the fact that they have managed to retain the innate beauty of flavours of the originals. Highly Recommended!

P.S. : The ‘Next Stop Kolkata’ Street Food Festival is on till the 21^st Of October in all branches of the Monkey Bar across India.

Continue Reading..