Chew Away!

Are you asian-food crazy like me? Good... head to Chew then. 

First things first: The first thing I noticed when i entered this "cafe" were the swing chairs. Different. Funky. The yellow, black and white decor gives this places a happy character. Graphic walls, a display kitchen, and delicious looking deserts on display. 

Course 1: We loved the Sushi. It took time to come but was made fresh and tasted so. they have a pretty exhaustive menu, but after much deliberation, we settles doe a half and half of California rolls and Prawn Tempura rolls. Thumbs up!

Tip: if you dont want to eat 6 of the same rolls, you can ask them to give you two kinds and charge for the higher priced rolls. Its not an option on the menu, but they obliged. 

Course 2: I ordered the Khao Suey, but wasn't too impressed. Pj's order was more sensible (both, terms of the taste and portion size). He got prawns with spicy mayo to go with pan fried Udon noodles. Fresh, succulent, spicy, flavorful. Ask them to go slow on the chilli (in the noodles).

Course 3: Bursting! Tried to skip it....I promise we tried! 
A piece of advice: Leave space for desert. The desert menu is one of the most exhaustive I've seen. We were full with food and had no space for any desert. Trust me, I have a different compartment for deserts, but I really was full. Filled with regret, I asked to the check and the server for us a complimentary chocolate tart instead. PJ and I finished it in 5 minutes. A nice buttery, crumbly tart, filled with the most silky, gooey checolate. I think we were close to eating the cardboard base too *hiding face in palms*
One word: Divine!
Well, I'm definitely going back to try the spicy black prawn meal-in-a-bowl and the Penang curry....ummmm and to try the tepenyaki menu, and the hazelnut and brownie shake, and the stir fried tofu with onions, and the pork belly in teriyaki sauce.....OMG! stop stop stop!.
Oooh.... I think I wanna go back now!

Must try: Prawns in spicy mayo, prawn tempura sushi, chocolate tart
A word of caution: It's not cheap by any means. They brand themselves as a cafe, but the prices are not very cafe like. We paod 3300 for a meal for two, without alcohol. 

Revelations and food

There are times when you think you have seen it all when you have toured a place a zillion times, and then there is the epiphany!
6 years and over a dozen trips, and I didnt know about Premium Outlets. How could I let that pass? I thought the only place where they had these outlets was Michigan City. This trip was a series of revelations (literally).

So the US has something called the Premium Outlets. You get everything at like 65% slashed prices. I'm not kidding! You don’t have to wait for Presidents Day sales or 4th of July weekends....Any time, any day.... you can shop all you want. I could not get myself to believe that I had been buying all these brands at the retail value when I could have bought them 65% cheaper!

Well, no point crying over spilt milk, right? So after I figured this out, I actually gave up on my trip to Universal Studios so I don’t miss out on the opportunity of shopping at these low prices. And so I did....shopped (not to my heart’s content), but I did shop.....A LOT!

Any way, what I was going to write about (or signed in to write about) are two restaurants: Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe (Chicago) and Nuela (New York).

Wildberry is heaven for pancake lovers. Address: 130 E. Randolph Street. Besides the fact that you can eat breakfast at any time of the day, Wildberry has a mouthwatering selection of pancakes and crepes. Another revelation: Wildberry is actually in the same building that my Chicago office is in....and I never knew! Thank you Priyum Jyoti for introducing me to the most awesome place.

After a 20 minute wait, here is what we ordered (we decided to eat Family style):
1. we started with a Skillet, loaded with piping hot potatoes...topped with cheese....two eggs (we ordered for scrambled)....and two toasts.
2. Berry Bliss crepes. If that didn’t tingle your taste buds, listen to what all it had: Crepes Filled with Wildberry Mascarpone, Fresh Blackberries, Strawberries, and Blueberries....AND topped with Vanilla Cream Anglaise & Blackberry Coulis.....Phew! It was divine.
3. Now we needed something to wash it down, so we I had the wildberry orange juice. Fresh, pulpy, cold.... just the way i like it. And I seriously cant remember what Priyum ordered.

A 9.5/10

PS: I went back for lunch the next day.

And now, Nuela. Address: 43 W. 24th St, New York. Nuela is a South American restaurant. Bright, colorful decor, yet not jarring. The food had, what I would call, a "different" flavor.

It had one of the best made Margaritas. Two 'ritas on the rocks and you're set! Don't forget to take Google along coz there are things on the menu that you will need to Google, or you'll end up like me....ordering raw fish :) But I tell you, it was NOT bad. I ordered the Chifa Cebiche (raw fish, peanuts, scalions, thai chilli, and sesame oil). Yeah, I know....me and all that jazz.

Dinner was nice. Really nice. I had a half chicken with French fries. I would have loved to have the suckling pig, but they would serve that only for a party of 10. The other thing that looked good was the Verde (paella with roasted vegetables).

An 8/10

until next time....

Celebrating 4 happy years at Indian Accent

OK, Welcome me back :) I know I haven't got to updating this blog in a really long time, so I thought I would take 5 minutes to write about this absolutely awesome place PJ and I to last night. Last week I read an article about a restaurant called Indian Accent. Awarded the Best Indian Restaurant by mail Today, Vir Sanghvi, Times Food awards, etc etc, I just knew I HAD to go there. Its located ahead of the Friends Colony (West) club. Very pretty place!

The restaurant is small ( I saw 8 or so tables) and they were all full when we reached. Dimly lit, white table covers, waiters who speak fluent english and know what goes into what dish, candles.....a perfect way to celebrate 4 years of dating this wonderful man....now called Mr. Husband.
We had a 10 minute wait, so PJ and I sat at the bar and ordered our drinks (a small Cardhu on-the-rocks and a Mojito). The first thing I did was to check the prices, but trust me, for a restaurant like that, the price for alcohol is very decent. The food on the other hand is priced a little steep, but for all that creativity and research thats gone behind developing a fantastic menu, you wouldn't mind paying.

The Mojito was one of the most beautifully made Mojito's I have ever had!

We moved to our cute little table and were handed the menu. "Ummmm, is that it?" Pj and I looked and each other and thought. The menu is very limited, but very creative and well researched.

After much thinking, PJ called out to our waiter to help us decide what we should order. And here is what we settled for:

• foie gras stuffed galawat kebab with a strawberry green chilli chutney (the foie gras got lost somewhere and all I could taste was melt-in-the-mouth galawati
  
• tempered ricotta vada, pao bhaji with pao
  
• stuffed zucchini blossom (to die for!), punjabi kadhi with ghee rice
• roast pumpkin and cheddar kulcha (sounds weird, but it was just too delicious)
  
• old monk rum ball, chocolate sauce, flambe'ed with Talisker (now...this one is a killer...finger-licking good)
  

Now, fancy PJ and me ordeing vegetarian food. It had to be too-good-to-be-true for us to give up on the non-vegetarian selection. And trust me, it was.

What I would have also like to try was the panko crusted bharwan mirch with goat cheese mousse and the meetha achaar canadian spare ribs. (If you happen to go, try it and tell me how it was. Looked interesting)

Mind you, anything you order is a protion size. Perfect for one person, and you have to order the sides separately. We paid a "decent" bill but it was totally worth it.

So, if I were a food critic, I would rate this 5/5. Awesome place.... a perfect evening.

PS: leave work worries at home and enjoy the creative fabrication of food.

bon appétit

Pictures from Sri Lanka

Ram, Sita, and Hanumaan in Sri Lanka

So Sita (me) and Hanumaan (Daminee) decided that they would join PJ (Ram)in Sri Lanka, where he was going for his off site. My vacation can be best described in just one word-- Exhausting! And I don't mean this in a pun-intended way :) It was exhausting because there is just so much to do there. I spent three and a half days in Lanka and I can tell you that it is not enough for this beautiful little gem in the Indian Ocean.

Daminee and I reached Lanka in the middle of the night. I had asked for the hotel cab to come fetch us. We were very lucky to have got cheap return tickets on Sri lankan Airlines (which is a direct flight- 3 hrs 30 mins). The only drawback with this airline is that there are no TVs on board so if you are not the sleeping beauty category, you will need to have a good book, or some nice music, or a good co-passenger to keep you entertained. The Lanka airport looked like a new bride...all decked up for the World Cup. We reached our BnB around 1 am. It looked beautiful. The 'Lake Lodge' in Colombo 3 is a central and very comfy place to stay. It is a small BnB with 10 rooms. The rooms are well decorated and spacious, the food is really good, and the overall cost is low. It can be difficult to get a room in Sri Lanka for less then Rs 5000. This BnB looked liked a decent option and the reviews were good. Note: It was not a disappointment!

Daminee and I woke up to some lovely FREE breakfast: a fruit platter, juice, bead basket, yoghurt, and lots of sun. The people at this place are extremely hospitable. They all know English so communicating what you want is not a problem. Chef Joe is a sweet man and he will cook you lovely meals. He will come up and personally take your order. Day one in Lanka was sent shopping as we waited for my dear husband to reach Colombo from Kandy. By the time he checked in, Daminee and I had finished all of our allowance for the day (actually, we over spent)...and this was just 3 hours of shopping. We went back to the hotel, ate lunch and we were out again. Only this time with the "baap" of all shoppers...PJ. I just knew right then that I would have to keep a $100 bill in my emergency money pocket in my wallet. Keep in mind that auto rickshaws or tuk tuks are expensive. Bargain before you begin your ride. Anything that costs 300 Lankan rupees can be availed for about 170 - 200. Now that we are talking shopping, here is where to go. And trust me, don't waste your time going anywhere else, because we did and then we felt bad about it.

1. House of Fashion: This one tops my list. You can get some really cool bargains here. From Gucci to Armani, CK to FCUK...just about everything. And its all genuine stuff. Things to buy: table mats, T-shirts, Shirts, ties, dresses, and some really cool afro hair wigs.


2. Barefoot: you can shop here for some funky kurtis, sarongs, diaries, key chains, and silver jewellery. They specialize in things made out of organic cotton. Must do: take time out for brunch at the Barefoot cafe.


3. Noritake: You cannot go back with out picking up some beautiful China from here. I picked up hand painted wall plates. It is a Japanese brand but manufactured in Lanka so it's the cheapest here.


4. Magestic city mall: we were stupid not to go here (we we running out of time)


5. Hannah: I would say it's Ok... not too great but it's good for clothes for men.

A lot of websites will tell you to go to Pettah and Odel. DON'T! They are crappy and an absolute waste of time.

At night, we put on our party clothes and went to Clancy's. Its a nice Irish pub and the food is good. The alcohol is slightly expensive, but it's a nice place to chill out in the evening. The overkill neon lighting could give you a slight headache, though.

On day 2 I woke up to chocolate and baileys Holi (we had to play some form of holi because it was my "first" holi after the wedding and its supposed to be auspicious) followed by some good breakfast. We tried to be a little less cheap and ordered eggs and sausages from the menu. Tummy full, we sat in our car for the day and were were off. The plan was to do some water sports at Bentota, followed by a trip to the turtle hatcheries, a short halt at Galle Fort and then Mount Lavinia hotel for dinner. Bentota is gorgeous. We tried water skiing, banana rides, and donuts. Awesome fun! Hikkaduwa is where you should go if you wanna do some snorkeling. If you've been to Maldives, you wouldn't care much for the marine life you'll get to see here, but if you haven't, you should stop by.

The trip to the hatcheries was really nice. We saw baby turtles, big turtles and very big turtles. I still can't get oer the one day old baby turtle. On our way from Hikkaduwa (hatcheries) to Gall Fort, we stopped for some refreshing nariyal pani. We slept most of the way because the water sports had got us tired. The fort is beautiful and magnificent. If you love photography, you'll want to be here. The Fort is set against the stunning backdrop of blue-green water, clear skies, and lush green grass. It is picture perfect. You can also get some neat shots of the sunset. Local boys will be happy to do some stunts for you. They take 500 Sri Lankan rupees and jump from the cliff into the water so you can capture that with the setting sun as the backdrop.

On our way back we stopped at Mount Lavinia hotel and ate to our hearts content. The restaurant is sea facing and you can see all of Colombo from here. Must eat: the dessert buffet. It's totally worth it! We spent the last day gallivanting the streets and finding places to shop. I just wish there was no sun because I looked like roast chicken by the end of it. We didn't get time to go to Gallery Cafe, but whatever I heard of it, it seemed very nice. The next morning was spent basking in the sun and packing. Now that our bags were packed and we were ready to go, we said bye bye to Sri Lanka with a promise to return so I can go to Sigiriya (an ancient rock fortress) and Nuwara Eliya. I haven't really seen Sri Lanka until i tick these off my list :) PJ---are you listening?

London calling

London dreams! Yeah, I still get those.
I have been having an affair with London since April 2009. And I have no hassles accepting that :) I could dedicate one entire blog to this wonderful city. I landed at Heathrow in September for the first time and I fell in love with London even without stepping out of the airport. Sounds weird? I know. If someone told me that, my reaction would be the same. I might have to write a couple of posts to cover all that you can do here.

Remember:
1. 60 pounds is NOT enough for shopping! Yeah, the first time around,I carried 60 pounds thinking i had so much money :)
2. You will have to wear multiple (and I really mean multiple) layers to save your self from the cold
3. You will need to carry an umbrella and a bottle of water at all times. Buying water off the street is expensive.
4. You only need a good pair of walking shoes. You will HAVE to walk a lot!

Now, that I have given you some basic idea, I'll dive right in.
London is known as "the world in one city". All of that aside, it is quintessentially British. Everything about it is British.
To travel:
The black cabs look cute, but they're expensive. Opt for the tube, or get yourself a Bus pass. Definitely get yourself an Oyester Card or you will end up paying more without it.

To stay:
If you're looking for cheap places to stay, try the dorms. You will be able to get these for anything between £30 - £80 depending on the area. Always always book in advance. If you are willing to spend a little more, try the B n B's. When i was looking at options, i got something for as low as £120 a night. They're a good option since you'll be spending most of your time out on the streets. If you're planning about two - three months in advance, I suggest you visit http://www.gumtree.com/ and check out rooms for rent.

To do:
There is just so much you can do in and around London. Daminee and I have had the best time of our lives just walking down Oxford street, spending a whole day at Westfield, watching Musicals, lazing in a park, taking a coffee break at Starbucks, strolling in Covent Garden (its a shopping street, not a garden!) or just spending the evenings at Asda :) Watch a couple of Musicals. We saw Dirty Dancing and Lion King. Each was an evening to remember.

Stores to Visit
You cannot miss out any store. Just walk into each and every one of them. This city is "The" place to shop. It can be a little too much for your pocket. So spend wisely and keep a look out for sales. Who doesn't love a good sale, eh!

Places to eat
1. Ping Pong. My most favorite restaurant. Look up the various locations. They market themselves as being the best for Dim Sums "the little parcels of deliciousness" and I'll tell you this -- They are not bluffing. They Pinacoladas are the best. Try the Mojitos as well. Very very nice. For food, you cannot miss out the prawn balls and the sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf.
2. Masala Zone in Covent Garden tops my list for Indian restaurants. It's indian food served the Indian way. It's actually better then the food I've eaten in delhi. You can eat here after a full day of shopping at Covent Garden. Try the Rogan Josh. Yummmmmmm....
3. Cafe Concerto at Regent Street is another favorite. It's an Italian bristo and has the most "good looking" deserts.
4. Bangalore Express at Waterloo road. Head here for some authentic mutton biryani and delicious, creamy, just-right Dal Makhani. The interiors make you feel like you're sitting on the upper berth of a coach. They have a full br license as well. Very "express"ive.
5. The Marks n Spencers food department. If you're on-the-go, just pick up one of the packed meals. You cannot miss out on the strawberry eclairs. My sister can eat a whole box(has 6) and still not feel guilty.
6. Butter cupcake shop. Oh My God! Your visit to London is not complete without eating these delicious cupcakes. We knew of one at Westfield. Try the one with vanilla and strawberry curls or the moccha. Or try one of each. They are sinful.
7. Pontis at Covent Garden Market. They have the best Tiramisu. Trust me. It is to die for!!
[Im sure you're wondering why many of my favorite places to eat are at Covent Garden. Thats because we spent a lot of time there. There is nothing that you don't get here.]
8. The Waffle Place at Oxford street. Freshly cooked, absolutely delicious waffles with a whole range of toppings to choose from. My favorites are the Belgian chocolate and the fresh strawberry.
9. Wagamama. Look up the different locations. I have been to the one at Canary Wharf. Order a bottle of the Asahi beer, to begin with. For the main course, try the Yaki Udon or the Chicken Tama Rice.

Ok. So that is it for today... Thats a lot about food and a lot about London. London truly is my favorite city in the world. All in all, you just have to visit London once (or many times, if your bank balance allows for some splurging). You'll see for yourself what i mean. This does no justice to what all you can do here and how much fun this city is!

Samui

Four days later, we found ourselves in Ibiza, errr... Koh Samui. This place is no less then Ibiza, or thats what we were told, and that's what we saw. As usual, I had booked ourselves into a hotel 40 minutes away from the airport. And if you have been to Samui or will ever go, you should know that you could drive around the entire coast line of this little island in just about an hour, so by those standards...it was far. There is one main road on Samui. Yes, just one. Then there are these little by-lanes, that are pretty insignificant and they lead you to dead ends.

There is one thing to note, If its bright and beautiful and sunny in Krabi, you're sure to get rain in Samui. Samui lies in the west coast of the Gulf oh Thailand. It's pretty, but honestly, it was not as pretty as Krabi.

I had looked up several hotels. The ones that gave me the best deals were Zazen, Passage, Amari, and Anantara. Our hotel was called The Passage. We reached the hotel, and as luck would have it, it started to pour. So we decided to stay in. Our villa was gorgeous. A huge bedrom that opened into our private swimming pool and a small garden overlooking the sea, a living room, and a nice big loo. We got a great deal on this hotel (Rs 8000 a night), so if you want to live in a villa style hotel, you can pick this one. The restarant is average, but the hotel is nice.

In the evening we hired a car (TBH 1500 a day, plus fuel). We drove around one half of Samui to Chaweng beach. If you are a shopahaolic, this place is for you. The one and only street is lned with small shops selling just about everything. Fake bags, shoes, clothes, belts, and whatever else can be 'faked'. In Thailand, they make a lot of stuff out of coconuts. So if you can get a fair deal on the lamps, get those. They are really cute.

Lonely planet advised us to go to Soi, Green mango, which is supposedly the most happening club in Samui. Unfortunately for us, we reached there only to see a cat eating food at a table near the entrance. That really put us off. So we walked back the entire stretch of the beach and ate at Baan Samui restaurant. The food was'finger licking good' :) They also have a live band playing rock everyday. You can barely understand what they're singing coz the English seems like French thanks to their awesome accent.

While driving back, I looked at the sky and I saw a zillion stars smiling back and me. I was super excited because the next day would probably be nice, bright, and sunny. My predicton was wrong. Too bad! The next morning I woke up to a hell lot of rain.

So I looked up my maps (yes, maps - local map, google maps, tourist map, etc), and decided to go to the Aquarium, Zoo, and Bird and Tiger show. The aquarium entrance fee is THB 750 per person, including tickets to the bird show, tiger show, and sea lion show. The aquarium is just about OK. The zoo is horrible (there were just 10 animals, if I couted corectly), but the sea lion show is awesome. If you're lucky, they will pick you up as a volunteer on the show and then you can smile and look pretty and get pictures clicked with the sea lion.
The god part about this place is the Pancake stalls on the outside. We had the banana nutella pancakes. To good!

We then drove to The Cliff. It promises the most stunning views of Koh Samui, and its true. Sitting high on a cliff right opposite the Samui yatch club is this lovely restaurant for Mediterranean and Spanish Tapas. The food was very very good and we had shots too (I just cannot remember what the concoction, but I know it was damn neat). Average price for lunch is about TBH 1000 for two people.

The chinese village night market (near Bhoput) is another thing you must do. Locals put up these little food stalls and you can even shop for clothes and accessories. Pranav tried the stir fried grasshoppers (which he insists on calling cockroaches). Ummmm...no comments. We had potato crispies with pepper and something which looked liked boiled eggs but was actually made of coconut batter and you sprinkle a little sugar on it and eat it. Quite nice actually. I kept calling it 'nakli andas' coz I couldn't understand what they were calling it.

We went to Chaweng everyday. We ate food at the Baan Samui restaurant twice and we also ate at Bellini Restaurant & Bar. That was pretty nice and it was probably our cheapest meal because they give you a thin crust pizza, brushetta, and a coke for THB 299 for two people. I ordered a soup and two glasses of wine, and still the bill was THB 600. Nice deal, I say!

We spent the next day in Koh Phangan island. Cute little island. We missed the full moon party by a couple of days, but we could have stayed back for the half moon party. You have to try the "Bucket". When you buy a bucket, the shop keeper cracks open 4 bottles (halves) of alcohol plus one red bull into this plastic bucket (like the ones that the villagers take along when they're going to do potty in the fields), and you are expected to finish that...neat...individually!

Overall, Samui is a great place provided the sun is in the sky :)

Things to do:
1. Samui aquarium and zoo (must wait to see the sea lion show. If the show doesnt take place because of the rain, they allow you to come back te next day to watch it).
2. Samui butterfly garden (this is at Centara beach resort and you get a buy one get one free coupon that you can redeem at the hotel's beach side bar).
3. Chaweng beach (for shopping and night life).
4. Rent a car and drive around Samui island.
5. Koh Phangan Island (this is where ou have the famous Full Moon parties. They happen once a month on full moon night.)
6. Koh Tao (offers one of the best snorkelling and diving spots in the Andaman sea)
7. Five islands tour
8. Fisherman's village and Bophut