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 - 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!

Bloggers Lunch at Peshwa Pavilion, ITC Maratha

I was so happy to be a part of the Bloggers Table at Peshwa Pavilion. The invite was for the launch of their new menu, The Luxury Collection. ITC has a huge focus on Responsible Luxury and has revamped their menu to reflect this. They are also big believers in local, organic, and sustainable produce, at the same time ensuring that still maintain the luxury, perfection and attention to detail that ITC is known for.



I was super excited about this meet because I couldn't wait to see what they had come up with. Imagine how my expectations were raised when this was in front of me:

I couldn't wait to try all these! Being vegetarian, I was glad there were an equal number of options for veg and non veg. Not too many places do us the courtesy of an equivalent number of options.

We met Chef Sourabh Rai, who is the junior sous chef at ITC Maratha and also oversees the operations at Peshwa Pavilion, has been with ITC since 2014. He explained to us each of the terms below.

Sattva - Food marked with this tag is made in a quarantined area away from contact with all non vegetarian items

Swasthya Cuisine - Sustainable + Healthy! For example, salmon contained a rich quantity of omega-3, which is a good fat and hence good for your body as it does not negatively affect your cholesterol levels. 

This ties in perfectly with their 'Choose Wisely' initiative. This was created in collaboration with WWF and Central Marine Fisheries Institute. Did you know ITC is the first company in India to adopt the Choose Wisely program with WWF? To illustrate this, Chef Sourabh Rai told us that the per capita consumption of fish in India has increased from 9.9 to 19.2 - from the 60s to now. More people need to be aware of this issue.

Also, there is an emphasis on local produce, and hence regional specialties like kokum are extensively used in their new revamped menu. Another example would be the use of local nuts like cashews instead of hazelnuts in a recipe.

The very first thing on the list were the Swasthya Beverages.

The first one was Carrot and Mono Floral Honey. This was just the right amount of sweet and high in vitamins and antioxidants. In case you didn't know, Mono floral honey is that which is made by bees which collect it from solely one plant.

The next was the Jamun and Mint Muddle. I liked this one a lot, and I don't even usually like Jamun! Sharp, tangy but still quite sweet. It had a slight astringent taste, which for some reason I liked. The mint leaves were extremely fresh, and added in no small measure to the flavor palette of the drink.

Last, but in my opinion best, the Date and Tender Coconut Blitz. The taste of both comes across strongly. An amazing combo, which was elevated in no less measure by the addition of black salt.

Chef Sourabh suggested Crusty Bread for the table, for something to munch on between courses. 

This crunchy bread was made of pearl millet(ragi), rye, rajgira (amaranth) and sundried tomatoes. Served with classic basil pesto. The bread was quite nice, and of course, super healthy. But I believe the pesto could've been a tad thicker. Otherwise, it was pretty good.

Next up, Molten Brie with Pretzel Crusts.

This was an entire wheel of cheese, breaded with pretzel crust. I mean, do you really need me to tell you that this is amazing? It was served with roast beet and spiced apple chutney. The spiced apple was a tad too tangy for my taste when I tied it solo, but no doubt it went really well with the apple chutney. I also paired it with the crusty bread, and the contrasting textures made it so gooood! It was also served with dill, mint and parsley mayo. What a great play of flavors! I just couldn't stop eating this. 

What was next? A Seasonal Squash and Carrot Puree.

This was served with melon seed. green onion, sambal, and flat rice noodles. I am a fan of flat noodles anyway, and I was not let down at all! It was amazing! I wanted more. Yummy, thick, and hearty. All the ingredients complemented each other so well. A dish I would definitely come back for.

The Green Burger BOP (BOP = Best of Pavilion)

Then buns are 'Good for You' rye and sunflower seed buns, served with a side of greens and fries. What's green?

Look at the patty! So Green! Zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, green peas, with some ricotta and oats. This was super yummy! Oats and crumb on top to complete what is possibly the healthiest burger I've ever had.

Next, Vada Pav. Now, I do love street food, no two ways about it. However, I don't much like Vada Pav, but I was willing to give it a shot here.

Served with teekha chutney, meetha chutney and the dry powder that they usually sprinkle on the bun before putting the vada inside.The chutneys were served in a pipette, which was something that all of us found super cute.

Last of the mains, Pumpkin Ricotta Gnocchi.

Embellished with amber butter, dates, and charoli nuts, this was absolutely fabulous! The medley of flavors were to die for. And the amber butter, oh God. Such delightful flavor combinations. I had never even thought pumpkin and ricotta would work so well with each other before I had this dish.

On to my favorite part of every single meal - Dessert!

First, Pavilion Chocolate Fudge, served with jaggery caramel sauce.

Served with berries, nuts, mascarpone and ice cream. Absolutely delectable. I was not sure how jaggery and caramel would fit, but it fit beautifully. And the fudge was just the right amount of sweet. Even with the ice cream and mascarpone, it didn't get cloyingly sweet. The berries added a much required tartness, too.

Next and last dish of the day, White Chocolate Cheesecake, served with spiced forest berry compote.

Being a major chocolate lover, and a dark chocolate fan at that; I was so surprised when I loved this more than the Chocolate Fudge! With white chocolate shavings on top, and the citrus freshness, there was already a flavorful bite right there. But the addition of the spiced berries took it to ecstasy levels.

One of the best meals I've had at a bloggers' table, I heartily recommend this place to everyone! Their food is not just tasty and healthy, but truly does follow their concept of Responsible Luxury.

Review - California Pizza Kitchen, Lower Parel

Food: 4.5/5
VFM: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Veg friendly: 3.5/5

Absolutely adore this place. I've been there multiple times and never got around to writing a review. Must do now!

Veg Platter: 4/5

The usual veg platter has a different combination of starters, but the CPK Dessert Festival is going on, and their platter seems delightful. So I ordered. And it was! 

Hummus with flavoured pita, spinach and corn cakes, bruschetta, quesadilla, cheese sticks and paneer taquitos, with a yummy dip. I loved the cheese sticks (obviously) with the sharp melty cheese. The table had a divided opinion on the paneer taquitos but I liked it. Hummus was good, and so was the quesadilla. 

Capri Pizza: 5/5

Utterly delightful! Exotic veggies, pomodoro sauce (that's tomato, basically), and a rolling of arugula and basil leaves, with lemon herb dressing and thin slices of parm to finish it off. Undoubtedly one of the best pizzas I've had in Bombay. 

 
Lately I have been more open to experimenting with mushrooms and I'm pleased to say that this pizza opened the door a bit more for mushroom to gain entry to my life.
Chocolate Trinity: 4.5/5

The bottom layer is a chocolate devil sponge cake. Then comes baked dark chocolate, cream and chocolate mousse, and a dusting of cocoa powder. With chocolate crumbs sprinkled around and some on top as well. They could have done a way better job of presentation, like see the chocolate? It looks like someone has alread eaten through it. Not great. Yet it tasted good enough to make up for it. But minus 0.5 for presentation definitely.


So I took a picture from another angle.

VFM: It's a tad expensive, but pizza in India is. And if you can spend that much on a pizza chain, it's definitely more worth your money here. Desserts are all worth it. The sundae is amazing too.
 
Ambience: The place is open and airy, yet with booths that afford a sense of privacy.
 
Service: My favourite kind of service here - attentive and unobtrusive. But when there's a rush, they're a tad distracted.
 
Veg friendly: Enough to keep a vegetarian happy, though there are more non-veg options overall.

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Review - 145 Kala Ghoda, Fort

Food: 3.5/5
VFM: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Veg friendly: 3/5

This place has a pretty nice ambience, effortlessly switching from a restaurant by day to a happening hotspot by night. We had a pretty weird melange of dishes, but it was decent overall.

According to them, their ambience is evocative of Bombay nostalgia. I didn't feel that, but I guess it's a matter of perspective. My favorite part was Tom and Jerry playing on the projector.

I do love Tom and Jerry (who doesn't?) and that instantly made me feel like, yeah, maybe this place would be nice. 

Kickstarter - eggs, hash browns, a solitary sausage, bacon strips, bread and a banana smoothie. From my hardcore non veg friend, the smoothie was the best part. She was pretty disappointed with the food, and the bacon was not tender at all. The sausage was not great either. 

Nutella pancake - Beautiful. Just amazingly beautiful. Chocolate chip pancakes slathered with Nutella. Served with maple syrup and melted butter. 

I cannot stop thinking about it. If you have just one thing on the menu, make it this. You will not regret it. Look at it, just look!

S'mores tower - marshmallow, Nutella, cake, repeat. Six layers of deliciousness. 

And it turned from a marshmallow into a beautifully burnt marshmallow, with a blowtorch right at the table. I do like that blue flame. This was sooooo sweet. The pancake was comparatively balanced in terms of sweetness. This was a little on the sweeter side. Maybe it would be fine without the Nutella; it might temper the sweetness. Just a thought. I'm the first one to proclaim my love for Nutella, but sometimes it's alright to not add it to things. 

VFM : I feel like the place is slightly over priced for the quantity as well as quality. They could do well to make it affordable, but considering its a maxed out nightspot I guess it's to be expected. 

Ambience : Decent, but doesn't give me that nostalgic feeling. However it's pretty clean and hygienic, plus brownie points for the Tom and Jerry love. 

Service : Attentive and unobtrusive, this kind of service is my favorite. It always hits the sweet spot and for me, service should be exactly like this. 

Veg friendly : Enough options for vegetarians, but could be better. Plus there are quite a few options that include egg so that isn't great for people who don't eat egg. 

It's nice, but competition is high in the area here. I still might go back for the Nutella pancake. 

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