Passion Isn't Everything

It definitely isn't. Passion is just a part of it. I almost did believe that passion is everything, and in the process I almost let my passion handicap me.

It is about passion, yes. But it is more about consistency.
You may have that one thing you are passionate about. Music, books, movies, art, writing, painting, photography, dance, programming, creating websites, training animals - I don't know what you like most. But whatever the case may be, just passion doesn't cut it.

The secret to success in any field, creative or otherwise, is consistency. You just gotta show up.
And you gotta show up every single day.

Add something to your treasure trove every single day. Even if it's just a small dust particle of shimmer. It's still shimmer. And all those little particles of shimmer will add together one day into a huge dazzling stone, and that stone will just keep getting bigger and better and shinier.

It is then, when your shine gets bigger and better than most, is when people start noticing. Hey that's one shiny rock!, they'll say. Wonder how they got that!

But you don't get gems like these. You make them.

You make them with showing up everyday and adding a bit of glimmer everyday.

Passion helps you discover the glimmer. It makes you want to find the shine. But consistency is the one that makes you find it. Consistency is what pushes you to get that damn glitter particle every single day.

If passion is what keeps you up at night dreaming, consistency is what will not let you sleep till that dream has become tangible.

There are no overnight successes, but consistency ensures that there will definitely be success some day, irrespective of how long it takes.

And time taken is okay, because there is belief and faith. Because when you show up every day, there is no chance of not winning.

You are winning. A little every day.

And major wins, whatever those wins are to you, will also be a part of it. They'll come before you know it, and make you even more excited for the next milestone.

And that's why passion isn't everything. Passion is what ignites everything that comes after. What comes after is what determines your success.

Photo Credit: pinterest

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Write Often

I absolutely love writing. I've been doing it for a long time and I honestly cannot imagine a life without me reading and writing almost every single day.

I wouldn't even be able to start explaining how I felt when I just wasn't able to write for a while. Then I decided to take action. And things worked out way better than expected.

When I got into my #project50 on Instagram, I made up my mind to post everyday. The agenda was to get better at photography and just generally create work I myself would like to see. Over the course of those 50 days, I realized I was paying equal, if not more, attention to writing the captions. That should not have come as a surprise because writing is my addiction.

This blog is my passion project and it was making me feel really weird that I wasn't able to write even one blog post a week - rather, barely one a week. It was an absolute shame because the blog was started for me to write about what I wanted to write about, but along the way, when collaborations started coming my way, I kinda got off the track of the topics I wanted to write about, and started writing more about the fun and interesting new things that came up for me to collaborate with.

Now, I'm at the stage where I am still taking up collaborations, but I've learnt to compartmentalize. Atleast, I am still learning. I have not entirely 'learnt' anything yet, because you never really stop learning anything.

That's where writing comes up again. After my #project50 I started being able to write again. I am so grateful about that because I was in such a rut.

It was the daily writing, albeit just on Instagram, that made me able to write again. And I have finally been able to get back on track. From not being able to write on this blog for months at a stretch, I am (not too ambitiously) trying to post every week. And you know what? It's working. I have been able to.

It's because I started with baby steps. I didn't even know if I would be able to get out of that rut but just posting a small paragraph everyday on social media made me feel I could do a weekly blog post. And I can.

I will continue to do so.

Nothing is impossible.

Photo Credit - npr.org

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Create Good Habits

It is often easier to continue doing the same things you've been doing for a while. But is that really the best thing to do for yourself? Doing the same things everyday puts you in a sort of comfort zone, a sort of rut that it is just easy to stay in, because it is what you know. It is a habit, a series of habits, in fact.

I'll give you a task to do that'll make things so much clearer for you. The first step might take a few days, or a maximum of a week since it would be good for you to do it on weekends also.
You can thank me later.

Firstly, you must observe.

When you start to observe things around you, you realise how many things you do, what those things are, how much time you spend on each, and whether they contribute to your growth or not.
This requires noting down what you do. Every time you start a new task, make a note of what time you started it. When it ends, make a note of what you did in that time span, and how much time it took you to do so.

Regular readers of this blog know that I have not been able to write here regularly. I intend to post once a week, and I haven't even able to do that.

Writing one blog post in seven days is really not a big ask, and I'm the first person to accept it.
It's only after I tried this myself, am I able to write. I have now set aside scheduled time to write blogposts, and I actually have next week's post scheduled too. It gives me an immense amount of satisfaction that I am now starting to create quality work every single week. This is just the start but I know that I am doing it and that is the difference it makes when you start observing what you do with your time.

So now you have the observation bit down. You've​ made your notes. Now is the time for you to understand what to do with it. Now is the time that you make a plan of what you want to accomplish.

One by one, start making time for your goals.

The first thing on my list is writing a weekly blogpost that adds value to my readers and provides valuable information. The tabs on top are the topics I cover in this blog and I want to add something valuable to each tab. My goal is to make this blog a repository of valuable information across all those topics.
Working towards that necessiates writing regularly. Once writing a blogpost becomes a habit, once I automatically start creating, I will go on to the next habit on my list.

The beauty of this is that it counts on natural human nature to form habits, and one habit at a time is not a big change from your schedule.
But, and this is the magic, those habits slowly add up, and those multiple new habits that you have created just change up your day and suddenly you are more creative and productive that you ever knew.

It's a slow process, and sometimes it'll be hard, but nothing that was worth it ever came easy.
Easy come, easy go. We don't want that.

Photo Credit: pinterest

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My Top Six Uses of Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is something the west discovered fairly recently, but we in India have been swearing by it for ages, millennia actually.
Coconut oil is deep rooted in Indian traditions and for very good reason.
Indian heritage uses many natural herbs and oils that are very useful in order to heal the body and provide nourishment and good health. I use organic cold pressed coconut oil, and that is the kind I would recommend.
Coconut oil is one such magical oil that provides so much! Read on to know my top six uses:

1. Moisturiser and lip balm - You can use this as a lip balm and as a body moisturizer. I have personally tried this and I am absolutely satisfied with the results! Your skin will very well moisturized without any of the harmful chemicals.
In a tropical climate like ours (India), it is almost always liquid, so in summers, you can use it at home before bed. When it's colder outside, it turns solid so you can carry it around in a little tub and use it during the day as well.

2. During and post shower - In the shower, use coconut oil as a shaving cream substitute. After your shower, apply coconut oil liberally all over your body. Coconut oil will hydrate dry skin, and helps to soothe skin after shaving. Coconut oil also has a natural SPF and is a great and easy way to protect your skin from harmful rays and sun damage.

3. Hair leave in conditioner - After you wash your hair, let it air dry or use a cotton t-shirt to absorb the water. After hair is fairly damp, or semi dry, apply coconut oil to the ends and part of the length of your hair. There is no need to apply to the roots. The ends need most nourishment so be most liberal here. Instead of using chemical laden conditioners, it is best to use a natural product like coconut oil. Your hair will thank you. This works best for thick/coarse hair. If you have fine or limp hair, don't use this as it will weight down your hair.

4. Vegan substitute in baking - It is a great substitute for butter, milk, eggs, shortening and so many more. Check out this link for comprehensive information. That website on the whole is a wonderful resource for learning more about your journey towards veganism.

5. Anti acne - Although people do believe that acne and pimples are caused due to oil and sebum in skin, and that oil would make it worse, they're wrong. Coconut oil has anti bacterial properties, and it will work to combat the harmful bacteria, which is the root cause of these skin issues. If you feel it is more severe, you can also mix it with a little bit of tea tree oil, as it has strong purifying and antibacterial properties. Just dab on a little, leave it overnight, and you will see a change in the morning!

6. Boost Nutrients in Smoothies – Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to any fruit smoothie for a boost of cholesterol fighting compounds. Side benefit? It improves the texture and taste of smoothies, while adding healthy fats to your diet. Over time, if you enjoy the taste, you can add it to vegetable smoothies as well. It'll help make it more palatable as people do take some time to get used to the taste of vegetable smoothies!

These are just a few of the awesome results that you can get from coconut oil. It is truly a versatile ingredient with uses from skincare to food to healing to being a part of your vegan/vegetarian journey! Would you like to see more articles about healthy, DIY and organic skincare? Let me know in the comments below!


Photo Credit: Well-beingsecrets

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Start Before You're Ready

 
I am guilty of this. Of waiting for things to be perfect. So many times that I have not published blog posts because I felt they weren't perfect. I needed it to be perfect before I hit that 'Publish' button. That drove me to my misery for a long time.

But then I realised that I was giving in to something that a lot of us fall prey to. And then I went back and thought about it.

Let's rewind a little.

I have been writing since I was a kid. I never really cared about how good or bad it was, I just wrote. That is how I got better; at the stage where today I am proud of myself in terms of how much I have grown as a poet. I can write a multiple page poem, haiku, quartets, and slam poetry too. I have done well, even though not many people have witnessed the growth. That did not come about with ceaseless editing and harsh self criticism. It came about because I gave myself the freedom to write all sorts of rhymes. And then those rhymes got better.

However, I did not give myself the same freedom when it came to blogposts.
Why?
After much introspection, I have realised that it is in large part due to my poetry being for my eyes only. This blog, as Google tells me, is read by people all over the world. On an average, over 10,000 unique visitors read this blog on a monthly basis. That froze me up. I started thinking I was accountable to those people. But why? Those people came because of what I wrote to begin with. If they didn't like it, they wouldn't have come, they wouldn't have read this, they wouldn't have stayed and come back for more.
But they did. They did for a reason. I was adding value in some way that appealed to them. SO I have no reason to be afraid. I know I can only get better with time. I can only get better with practice. Constant practice.
And if I procrastinate and if I hold myself back from putting up a new blog post, how will I achieve
that constant practice?

So this post is as much for me as it is for you, if you ever feel like you are not good enough, just put yourself out there.
For me, it is this blog, which I adore, and people seem to like. For you, it could be a new venture, a job search, a new relationship, an ambitious project - anything that you know will make your life better, but you keep putting it off because you're afraid that you're not ready. Because you think you should wait till the situation is perfect.

Nothing ever is perfect. So just try.
You are already better than the millions who didn't even try.
You are strong, you are talented, you are passionate.
All we need is to believe that we can do it.
All we need is to have faith in ourselves.
All we need is to stop hesitating before we push that 'Publish' button in our lives.
Start before you're ready.
That's the only way to be ready.

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Your Priority Should Be You

Prioritize yourself.

Often, we are too caught up in completing all the tasks on our list that we forget to make time for ourselves. But we must do things for ourselves before we try to do things for other people. There are two reasons why this is so important.

Firstly, the fact that you need to make yourself happy because you deserve to be prioritized.
You deserve everything and more. 
You deserve the big successes and the little joys. 
You deserve the struggle required to get there, because if success comes too easy, it doesn't last very long. 
You deserve experiences, good and bad, because that's what shapes you as a person. 
You deserve everything and more. 
Because you're worth it.


The fact is, trial by fire is a real thing, and it allows you to rise stronger. and it is only by giving yourself time that you can be stronger. Time to reflect, time to learn, time to experience, time to learn and imbibe from those experiences.
Time to love yourself.

Secondly, and equally importantly, the fact that you do want to take on those responsibilities and help out the people in your life. You need to sort out yourself before you can sort other people out.

When you can make yourself happy, you will have more joy to spread.
When you love yourself, you will have more love to give.
When you can go out of your way for yourself, you will be able to make an effort for your loved ones too.

It is not about other people, however important they are to you. It is about prioritizing yourself and loving yourself. It is when you treat yourself positively, will it become natural for you to get positive vibes from the universe as well.

The change must be a conscious decision. You need to love yourself first.

In conclusion, I'd like to leave you with this. Maybe print it out and put it on your wall. 

Remind yourself everyday how awesome you are.

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Life Update + Things to Do

Hi darlings!


I've had such a crazy time these past few months.

Yes, I have not updated my blog. I apologize wholeheartedly to each and every one of you. You guys have been so sweet, sending me mails, DMs on Instagram and Facebook - thank you all.

For those of you who have been with me on Instagram (FB and Twitter too), you'd know about my #project50. Just like how I hadn't been posting on my blog, I had also been ignoring my social media. I felt like giving myself a little challenge about posting regularly. So my #project50 was essentially about posting 50 pictures in 50 days. Maybe it was just that I had gotten lazy, or maybe it was something deeper. After a few months of inactivity, I felt it was high time I tried to figure it out.

Hence, my project commenced. Mind you, I was only thinking of Instagram that time. I wasn't even thinking of posting on my blog, even though I had a list of topics to write on. Baby steps. Plus, I wanted to get to the root cause of my reluctance to post anywhere.

Making myself post everyday was pretty difficult at first, for two reasons. First, I was not used to posting so often, and secondly, I didn't know what to post about. Providence decided to format my phone a week into the experiment. So all my fallback options disappeared. I HAD to go find nice things to take pictures of. Which I did try to do, and some of you liked it.

After a point, I got a few requests to write longer captions as people enjoyed reading those snippets. So I did. I wrote, and very soon veered off into inspirational/productivity/positivity based writings. Which, surprisingly, really struck a chord! So I decided to do more of those, and soon my Insta feed started to look different.

By the end of 50 days, I learnt:
1. People love reading about positivity.
2. People appreciate genuine encouragement.
3. People are super supportive of new ideas.

Apart from this, I realised it wasn't just laziness holding me back. I was unsure of what to post, but I realised that as long as you are true to yourself and honest about what you write, there is nothing wrong. You can do no wrong, in fact. All you have to do is stay true to yourself and write.

I found out that posting, be it a blog post, or just a picture + caption on social media, is not a big deal. It's just that social media was never something I enjoyed - I am a total homebody and introvert. That's why I took up this #project50 challenge in the first place. My blog is my baby and if my reluctance to deal with social media was hurting my baby, well I was gonna do social media for sure! And once my 50 days were over, I didn't stop! Yes, I am not posting every single day, but I am definitely more relaxed and having more fun with it. Which was more than I hoped for while doing this project.

That is what compelled me to pen down this post. I need to break the inactivity curse, and what better way to do it than to accept, and, in the process of accepting, banish the negative?

Also, I learnt I should add productivity/mindfulness/positivity as a section to my blog. People seem to really appreciate reading it and I love that I can make a difference to someone by what I write.

Well, this has become quite a long post. For those of you who read till here, thanks for staying! Drop me a comment below, if you'd like :)

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Review - 63 By Lane, Kandivali

Food: 4.5/5
VFM: 5/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Service: 5/5
Veg friendly: 5/5

First off, I'd like to mention that they have an open kitchen and all dishes are freshly made right in front of you. Also, they don't use preservatives in any of their sauces, they are all disposed of if not consumed within a certain time period. Also, when they say Nutella, they use real Nutella.

They also have an assortment of oils and condiments so that you can flavor your food as per your liking.

Chilli Oil, Garlic Oil, and EVOO:

Also, fresh sauces:

Okay, now on to what we had:

We first ordered a watermelon and feta salad. There was basil, arugula, roasted walnuts, honey, all topped off with a balsamic reduction. What a great medley of flavors! I love watermelon and feta, but it isn't often combined with greens, so it was a risk on their part which pretty much paid off.

All their food is served in cute, well designed containers!

Next, a variety of pizzas. The sizes you'll see are small, they also have an option of large pizzas. Also, here there are two varieties in one pizza so that we could taste more of the options. These are only tasting portions, anything you order there will be twice this size.

On the left: 99 - Tomato sauce, mozz, caramelized onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, black olives; but without green chillies and mushrooms in my order, as I don't prefer those. It was really good. I love zucchini and caramelized onions, and of course, lots of cheese!

On the right: 91 - BBQ paneer, mozz, capsicum, onion, BBQ sauce! I don't usually like paneer on my pizza, but here I actually liked it. I think it was the addition of BBQ that actually made it better. Would definitely try this again.

On the left: 89 - tomato sauce, mozz, and basil. Classic Italian thin crust pizza. Loved it.

On the right: 04 - Four Cheese! Mozz, cheddar, gouda, and Monterey Jack cheese! I adore cheese and of course I loved this pizza, and the Alfredo sauce was a good choice.

We also had these amazing things to drink:

I preferred the lemon tea, because I'm a fan of teas and love experimenting with different kinds, except, strangely, masala tea. This one was real nice, and I loved the cute bottles.

Lime water was nice and refreshing, with chia seeds floating on top. I love chia seeds in anything so this was also a definite yes. Must try!

Next up, something I love - ravioli. This again is a half portion, so you will get twice as much when you order. Red sauce, with stuffed ravioli. The stuffing was cheese and spinach, and it was wonderful. Not many places get ravioli right, maybe the ratios are off or the casing is undercooked, but here it was perfect!

Next up, pesto risotto. This was quite heavy and filling, and the consistency was just right. Really nice, and a definite order if you are a rice-lover. I am not and still I really liked it. This place gets each and every order right. I was really amazed!

We finished the meal with some amazing Nutella Pizza! They usually add caramelized banana but I requested it to be made without. Maybe next time I will try it with the banana.

It was absolutely divine, with a generous amount of Nutella, topped with dark+white chocolate chips! A great end to a great meal. Would wholeheartedly recommend this place to everyone!


VFM: Really good quality ingredients used, fresh and without preservatives. In accordance with the focus on health and organic ingredients, I think the prices are definitely worth it.


Ambience: When I went, they were still working on an AC installation, so there was no AC at the seating area and hence it gets a tad uncomfortable. However, they are fixing it up soon, so that will not be an issue. They are also very prompt in home delivery and takeaway, so either way, no worries!


Service: Really good, and really attentive servers. They were also very knowledgeable about all the ingredients and processes.

Veg friendly: Absolutely! This is a pure veg place so of course full points for that.

*This review was on invite, and the meal on the house. However, all views are unbiased.

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Review - Mantraa Restaurant, Thane

Food: 4.5/5
VFM: 5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Veg friendly: 4/5

Mantraa is a newly revamped restaurant from the owners of Family Tree, which is now one of my favorites. So I was excited about visiting Mantraa because I already had really high expectations because of Family Tree's awesomeness.

We started off with some broccoli soup.

It had the perfect temperature and flavor, and it tastes amazing! I'm a broccoli fan, so it wasn't very difficult for me to love it, but even someone who doesn't love broccoli would definitely take to this soup, I'm sure.

Next, Pita Pocket Falafel.

Pita bread pockets filled with hummus and falafel, topped with julienned veggies and microgreens. This was exceptional, and felt very healthy, specially the microgreens added quite a crunch to the dish and I was sorry when it got over. Wish this place wasn't so far off in Thane, but yeah, people living in Thane, you MUST visit as soon as possible! This dish alone would be worth it.

Now, Spinach Squares.

A very creative dish. I wondered if it would taste good, but it allayed all my fears quite easily. It was ostensibly a square, so one would assume it would continue with the same texture throughout. But it was filled with spinach mousse inside, topped with fried garlic and chilli flakes. For the Indian palate, it would have been bland without those toppings. So that was much needed for the audience they are catering to. Good decision there, for sure.

Spinach and Kale fingers, which fast became a favorite at the table.

Spinach and kale, wrapped around cheese, which in turn is all wrapped in a phyllo roll of sorts. Super cheesy, you can also tell yourself that you are eating healthy because it has spinach and kale. And it is served with a delectable herb mayo, which makes for a great dip.

 And it looks so pretty too! Yummy. Craving it again now!

Paneer Achari now.

I've always thought it would be very spicy, after all the name is Achari, and I would probably have a small bite or so I could write about how it tastes for this review. But that is so not what happened! I actually really liked it, and it was not as scarily spicy as I thought it would be. I suppose it was because they got the Achari flavor perfectly balanced and of course, it was paneer, so it worked out great for me and my tastebuds!

Now it was time to move onto the mains, and I was already sorta full by then. By the way, that is exactly what happened at Family Tree too. We ordered pesto fusilli.

Really yummy and the pesto was just perfect! Pesto is very simple, with a minimal ingredient list, and I am surprised at how many places tend to mess it up. So I was quite happy when there were no extra unnecessary ingredients added, and they pulled it off really well. Also, I love bread in general, and the bread here was soft and yet crusty. Perfect accompaniment, really. 

On to dessert now, because although we were quite full, we also couldn't pass up dessert!

Apple Tart a la mode!

Perfectly made, warm, green apple tarts, topped with creamy vanilla ice cream and mint, with a generous drizzle of caramel. God, this was decadent. I loved it absolutely! One of my favorite desserts till date, and probably the only one without a hint of chocolate. And yet, I was crazy about it! So you can imagine how delectable this was. Temperatures, textures, flavors, all combined to create a spectacular dish.

Last but so definitely not the least, chocolate fondue.

Looks like white chocolate at first glance, and then when you start dipping, you see the vast amount of dark chocolate underneath, For dipping, there's marshmallows and strawberries. My God, if the apple tart was great, this was equally awesome. And of course, me having a huge weakness for chocolate, I felt this was even better. Also, I'm a strawberry fan, so that worked out great for me too. Sigh, I can almost taste it again.

VFM: This place gets major VFM points. What you see in the pictures are mostly all half portions. Yes, if you order the same things, you'll get double the quantity (For most, not all. Some were full size). Definitely value for money.

Ambience: Nice and welcoming, I would have liked a more well lit place, but I did choose a table near the huge windows, with an amazing amount of natural light. So it worked out great for me.

Service: Pretty good, with the manager personally attending and answering all my queries about the dishes! Our server was pretty knowledgeable too. As always, discreet yet attentive is my favorite kind of service, and Mantraa manages that, as well as Family Tree had done.

Veg friendly: Yes! So much! Recommended for vegetarians, even with the multitude of non veg options on their menu.

*This review was on invite, and the meal on the house. However, all views are unbiased.

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Fabelle Chocolates Launch at ITC Maratha, Mumbai

ITC has come up with a new range of Premium Chocolates called Fabelle. Fabelle Chocolates have been in the making for a decade now, with extensive research and innumerable trials in the company's pursuit to craft the finest luxury chocolates in India. They knew what they wanted, and God, they have succeeded! A ten year research and sourcing chocolates from the very corners of the world, just to ensure the best premium ingredients. 

Fabelle was created by international chefs working in conjunction with ITC master chocolatiers to craft the finest quality chocolates. The taste just proves that their efforts paid off. Each offering was unique and exquisite.

We were first given a presentation by Mr. GK Suresh – Vice President, New Category Development, ITC Foods. We learnt a lot of interesting things, for example, that their ganache is conched for 12 hours to give the perfect melt-in-your-mouth feeling.

Let's start with the Fabelle Elements. They're intricately crafted pralines inspired by the elements of nature - Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Wood.

From L-R: Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Wood

Chef Prashant Sabne suggested I eat them in this order - Earth, Fire, Air, Water and Earth. Get a box of this, go ahead, treat yourself! Amazing stuff. I couldn't get enough of these. My favorites were Wood and Fire. Wood combines coffee chocolate and cinnamon. Classically favorite flavors for me, so this one was obvious. But Fire was a surprise. Made with Ancho chili and candied mango, this was an exquisite experience to say the least. You definitely will need the Air and Water after this one!

Next up, Fabelle Ganache - velvety soft cubes of exotic cocoas delicately churned with butter and fresh cream. There were three variants - Creamy Milk, Rich Dark, and Dark with Apple and Cinnamon.  

I am a huge fan of Dark Chocolate, and I loved that ganache. But when I met the Apple and Cinnamon, it was love at first bite. I never thought I would like it so much, because I am generally wary about flavors barging into my dark chocolate, but this one did a great job! I had so many of those. I regret nothing.

Fabelle As You Like It – personalized chocolate cup creations offering myriad possibilities of fillings and toppings, with endless combinations that you can experiment with.

I had so much fun creating my chocolate cup. We all named our cups after ourselves, so mine is called 'As Myra Likes It'! Do you guys wana know what was in my personalized chocolate cup?
It’s a dark chocolate cup, the first layer of filling inside it was a berry preserve, topped with a generous layer of dark mint creme, topped off with a powdery layer of arabica coffee. Everything I loved, and it was so awesome! I wasn't sure if berry would go well with dark mint creme, but then I remembered what surprises the ganache gave me, and then I felt better about making this chocolate cup!

Fabelle Single Origin Cacoas – single origin bars, crafted using cocoa from different countries (Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Ecuador, Sao Tome and Ghana), each asserting its own distinct flavour and hence adding a unique flavor to each bar.

 
Fabelle Gianduja - This is a recreation of a tradiitonal Italian delicacy from the Napoleon era fashioned with an infusion of hazelnuts into rich, creamy milk chocolate. Not usually a fan of nuts in my cocoa love, I was quite impressed with these delectable bits. I tried it very hesitantly, but I shouldn't have been worried, it was really good. Even someone like me loved it, so of course people who like nuts in their chocolate would go absolutely mad about it.

After all this, there was still dessert! God, I was already on a sugar high by now, and then I see dessert. Space creates itself in one's tummy when faced with chocolatey goodness.

White chocolate cheese cake jars -

The goodness of Philadelphia cream cheese and white chocolate caught in a delicious house cheese cake recipe, embellished with berry coulis. The rich creamy cheesecake with the tart fruits - what a play of textures! Foodgasm right there. Also, it's eggless. That was probably the most amazing part. To get that smooth creamy texture without using eggs; wow.

 84% signature dark chocolate petit cake with fleur de sel -

Signature dark chocolate (84%!) with fruity and intense undertones explored three ways - a pure ganache, a citrusy chocolate cream and a rich chocolate mousse, on a textured sea salt-nut sablé, enrobed in cocoa glaze. Now, I love anything that uses fleur de sel. It just adds so much texture. So I knew this was going to be a treat, but even then I was underestimating it. It was just that perfect. Look at it. Even the glaze is perfect.
Vanilla cremeux bar with St. Domingue chocolate mousse -
  

Single origin 70% Saint-Domingue chocolate with strong cocoa notes, paired with a light cream of Madagascar vanilla and fortified with an almond hazelnut crunch, this was bliss. I thought nothing would ever match up to the petit cake and I was wrong. This was so so so good and rich, I was just done. This was a very very fitting last bite for such a scrumptious, chocolate-filled day.

Mind you, the three desserts shown here are all tasting portions. The actual menu items are larger in size but equally rich. You can just imagine what that would do to your dopamine levels. 

Heartily recommended!