Do You Think You're Beautiful?

Do you think you are beautiful? If you do, is it because you've been told you are? If you don't, is it because you haven't? 

I have read multiple articles across various platforms, written by women who are so affected by other people's opinions of their body and their life. Don't be. Society doesn't deserve that kind of attention from you. What is society, anyway? A vague, faceless, teeming mass of people who don't have anything to do with you - they just want to judge you and give you unwarranted advice. You didn't ask for their inputs. So why do you listen?

You think it makes sense for you to adjust to what society wants to see? They tell you you're too dark, too fair, too skinny, too fat, you have weird hair, you wear weird clothes.. who cares? As long as you are happy with yourself, nothing else matters.

I see women write articles about how they were told by an aunt to start using fairness creams or else nobody would marry them. These women let it affect them. It affected their life and their self esteem. They valued themselves based on how 'society' told them they deserved to be valued. To all you women, I have just one question. Do you really think that this is the right way to react?

Do you think you need to base your opinion of yourself on what everyone thinks? I'm not going to be one of the multitude that tries to force my opinion on you. I think you are the person who knows what is best for you. You know what you need to do to keep yourself happy.

But if you really want to know what I think, I will tell you. I think society follows a herd mentality that has pervaded every aspect of their lives. If you let them, they will do the same to you. They will pull you down into a cookie cutter mold till all your individuality is lost and you aren't you anymore. You become one of the teeming mass of people that makes up society. And then you are acceptable. Because you are not an individual anymore.

If you want to know what I think, it is only this - stop caring. Your opinion should be the one that matters most to you. I don't care if you are skin and bones, or if you wear XXXL clothes, or have purple hair, or a million piercings. I think you are beautiful as you are. And nobody can take that away from you, as long as you let them. 

Do you know what else is beautiful? Confidence and positivity. If you are confident in yourself, and have a healthy dose of self esteem, I bet you nobody will be able to refrain from liking you too. Because you like yourself. Because you have worked hard to get where you are in life, you work on yourself - mind and body - to better yourself everyday. And does anything really matter more than that?

I think not. 

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Photowalk at Bandra!

Last Saturday, that's the 16th of Jan, there was a photowalk at bandra organized by MumbaiIGers - it was my first photowalk and I was really excited!

 I knew only a couple of people there before I went - and trust me, there were a LOT of people. I wasn't sure how the day would turn out, but I needn't have worried. Everyone was so warm and welcoming. 

Photographer : satanssj

Everyone was following a particular theme for the walk - Mumbaiwala.

But I am not an accomplished photographer like most people that day were. I just wanted to capture the photographers themselves. We always see the breathtaking shots they take. We do not see how much trouble they go to in order to do that. I've tried to show you guys a bit of that effort. 

Oh, and before you see the pictures - let me know who you are in the comments below and I will link back to your handle/blog. 

Do let me know who you are so I can link back, and whether you like the picture. Do comment below and tell me what you think. I hope you all like it!

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Culinary Challenge at The Lalit, Mumbai

First off, I would like to apologize to all of you sweethearts for not posting anything this past month. It's been a really hectic time for me. I know I should have posted more often, but I hope you guys can forgive me! I have been posting reviews on Zomato on and off this past month though. Check out my profile there (100+ Zomato followers now yay!)

And now, for the very delayed post about an amazing event that happened at the Lalit Hotels -  the Grand Finale of The Culinary Challenge.

The culinary challenge is a platform where the Chefs from The Lalit, Mumbai are encouraged to come out of the cocoon and fly with their imagination to create something new, or something traditional.

The participants are free to create dishes which are Traditional, Contemporary, Fusion, or Classic. I was really excited to see what they would come up with. And I was pleasantly surprised with each course! The plating, the textures, and the taste (of whatever I could taste, being a vegetarian) - it was all so good.

First, the chefs.

And now, for the food.

The first course was called 'Seafood Delight', created by Chef Farooq Shaik. 
 It was a cold seafood platter with so many different dorms, tastes, textures, and taste. And it was an absolute delight to look at.

Yes, that's a baby octopus! There's also lady fish, salmon ceviche, and prawn mousse. A closer look -

Those translucent balls, as well as the translucent sheet everything is placed on, is a tomato consommé sheet. Consommé is a very tricky thing to get right - and he did. The brown rocks that you see are actually dainty balls of bocconcini cheese coated with olive dust. It was superbly created. 
The presentation of this dish was really the most interesting of all.


Next up, we have the 'Mehfil-e-Murgh' consisting of four types of chicken variants; created by Chef Parmeshwaran.

Clockwise from top - Dhaniya-Pudina Murgh, Papad Murgh, Deconstructed Parda Murgh Biryani, and Murgh teh-pe-teh.

The Dhaniya-Pudina Murgh is essentially a herb crusted chicken roll. The chicken breast had a perfect texture and was very well cooked. It was served on a gravy with a tomato onion base that went well with the green chicken roll.

The Papad Murgh was created by dipping the chicken tikka balls into a papad mixture. I was quite surprised, having never encountered anything like this before. But the texture contrast of the murgh malai tikka and the papad was just beautiful.

Next up, the Deconstructed Parda Murgh Biryani. 

That's a basket made of chicken juliennes held together by chicken mousse. I personally liked this one the best out of the four because it was so imaginative and superbly done. The basket is covered with a dainty golden roti.

And you take the roti off, and voila!

There's chicken flavored rice inside. Deconstruction, indeed!

The last of the four is the Murgh teh-pe-teh. This was a layered dish, with chicken mousse layers interspersed with one layer of khoa mixture and another of a potato-paneer mixture. Once it was all layered, it was coated in a cashew-cheese-cream mixture before being oven-baked. This was also a favorite and it was quite difficult to decide between this and the Deconstructed biryani.

Are you guys salivating yet? I thought so. There's more to come.

Our third course by Chef Rajendra was titled 'Sunahri Nalli with Akhbari Pulao & Mahi Bhatakali'.

This dish combines pomfret and mutton with a rich pulao. This is a treat for people who love seafood as much as they like their meats. With a creation like this, they won't have to choose. The fish had a lovely texture, and the gravy was well flavored and well seasoned. 

Next up, the 'Lobster Thermidor with a molecular twist', created by Chef Rajan.

  The lobster was cooked in a white sauce and deglazed with white wine. Gruyère and parmesan cheeses were added to the mix. 
The roses are actually made of deep fried potatoes that have been manually shaped.
The lobster was accompanied by a porcini mushroom risotto, deconstructed feta cheese spheres, and mango caviar.

You can see those more clearly in the next picture.
 

To top off this already spectacular creation, it was flambéed right at the table!

 Spectacular, isn't it?

This is how it looked at the end, just as it was settling down.

This dish was enjoyed by everyone at the table. It was flavorful and made an impact.
 
The last course, and most definitely not the least, dessert! Named 'Circle of Life' and created by Chef Heena Shah.

It was a veritable wonderland. She chose to stick to two dominant flavors throughout. And it was amazing how much she experimented in that. 

Hence, we were treated to orange and rose mousse, orange panacotta, orange caviar (with a chili reduction!), orange parfait, macarons, and orange ice cream.

The presentation was impeccable. Like the candied rose petals in such straight lines. It truly was a work of art. But then again, I am partial to desserts, so of course I am going to wax eloquent about it.


That wraps up the dishes! The winners, you ask? 


It was difficult, let me tell you. All the dishes were so good that it was a trying task to choose. After much deliberation, here's who we picked!


First place went to the 'Mehfil-e-Murgh' consisting of four types of chicken variants; created by Chef Parmeshwaran.

Second place went to the dessert 'Circle of Life' created by Chef Heena Shah.

Here are the participants, with Executive Chef Aungshuman Chakraborty - just ouside Baluchi, at the Lalit Hotels, Mumbai. It is a fine dining restaurant which is known for Mughlai and North Indian cuisine.   

I had an amazing time at the Lalit that day. You can read my review of the 24/7 restaurant here, and to do justice to the awesome desserts, a separate dessert review.

Writing about all this awesome stuff has made me quite hungry. I'm off now, but do let me know which dishes you liked best in the comments below! Also, comment below or tweet at me if you want recipes of these dishes.

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I took a break.

Hi everyone!

You've all probably noticed I've been missing for the past month. It's been a crazy month. I haven't posted anything for the whole of December. It's been a month of deep reflection for me. Thinking things through and figuring them out.

It's only fitting that the new year made a few things better and brought a few new challenges. I've learnt more, and unlearnt some. And it helped me take the decision to make needed changes, including right here on the blog. I am going to restructure this blog now - you'll see the changes rolling out over the next few weeks.

I'm overwhelmed with how supportive you guys have been. The amount of correspondence I've gotten has been overwhelming - emails, tweets, Instagram DMs; all of it everywhere. I'm so thankful to each and every one of you for being there.

I will be continuing what I am writing, but I will also be adding some more stuff. I'm not disclosing anything about it right now! I'm keeping it as a little surprise for you. I hope you guys like it!

Do let me know what you like. You know where to contact me! All information below.  

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Restaurant Review Part II - 24/7 Restaurant - The Lalit, Mumbai

This is actually Part II of the review. This one is solely about the desserts and how beautiful they are. You can read about the rest here. Come back here once you're done. Better to save dessert for last, yes?

 

Top Row - Coffee Cream Caramel, Papaya Tart
Bottom Row - Sugar free Apple Strudel, Hazelnut Terrine

Sugar free Apple Strudel

Hazelnut Terrine

Soft, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. Each bite giving such an amazing delicate flavor. The texture of the base was just so perfect. This one hit all the right notes. Just writing about this terrine makes me want it all over again. Two, or three, or four more!

Mascarpone Passion Fruit Mousse

This had a perfect mix of flavors and the textures and tastes complemented each other perfectly.

Top - Chocolate Rum Cake - It was absolutely divine. The ganache on top was literally and figuratively the icing on the cake! Top it all off with a seedless candied cherry. Also, you could actually taste the rum.

Bottom - Strawberry and Mango Mousse - soft, light, so delectable!

Turkish Delight

Banana Tiramisu

Mix Nut Tart

Just looking at these pictures makes me want it all over again! Which of these would you like to try? Leave a comment below and tell me about your favorite :)

Oh, and follow me on Instagram for yummy pictures!

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Restaurant Review - 24/7 Restaurant - The Lalit, Mumbai

I always love going out and finding new places to eat. It's one of my favorite things to do. So you can imagine how awesome I felt when I was invited for a tasting session at The Lalit, Mumbai as part of a Culinary Challenge. But before the session, we popped over to the 24/7 restaurant and proceeded to partake of the buffet there.

Warning: Lots of yummy pictures. Will make viewer hungry. Proceed with caution.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let me start by saying - wow. The sheer number of options is in itself mind-boggling. I did not manage to taste everything that day. Nobody could've. And my appetite is not so small either. Take it from me - your only regret that day would be that you weren't able to eat more. I know I felt that way!

Let's begin with salad, shall we?

Some of the offerings above are Roasted Chicken with Pimento Salad, Basa and French Bean Salad topped with Horseradish Sauce, Ham served with Melon Ball and Melon Cigar. Let's have a closer look at a couple of those.

And here's some vegetarian options, for people such as yours truly.

Some of the above offerings are Cauliflower and Sprouts with Carrot, Beetroot & Orange Salad, Couscous Salad, and Sliced Potato Chaat. It was impossible to pick and choose!

Now would you fancy some appetizers?

Top Row - Ham Tartare with Grape Jelly
Middle Row - Seafood with Muhmara Lavash
Bottom Row - Pistachio Crusted Chicken Terrine with Salsa Verde

There's more!

Top Row - Confit Tuna, Beetroot & Cherry Tomato Dill served with Grain Mustard
Middle Row - Lamb & Beans Sprout Salad in Sweet Chilli Dressing
Bottom Row - Oven Roasted Chicken & Fruit with Cheese Dressing

A closer look at the last row?

There was an Arabic counter too, if you'd so prefer.

A salsa bar, breads, lavash, hummus, pita bread.. and what's that on the little shelf?

Broccoli tossed with Nut & Alfalfa Sprout! Yum! I'm hungry all over again just writing all this. All of these were utterly delectable, and the presentations were some of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

That brings us to the greens counter.

There were sprouts, fresh healthy vibrant greens, with dressing options like Caesar dressing. #fitfam, this one's for you!

Also, cheese. Or rather, cheeses. I'm an absolute cheese fan, so imagine my joy when I see this:

There was Blue Cheese, Emmental, Brie, Edam, Bocconcini, and Cheddar. There was Brie! And Bocconcini! The thing about Bocconcini is that it is a very delicate cheese, and as such has to be kept in a tub of whey or water. 

The cheeses were served with crackers, fruit, and dried fruit. Or, you know, you could just eat it..just like that?

And I'm going to show you more pictures of all the cheeses. Because I love cheese.

 Oh perfect Brie!

Just look at the texture on this Blue Cheese. And those trademark holes in the Emmental. So perfect.

And who do we have here? Bocconcini, one of the loves of my life.

The main course was just heavenly, so many varieties of vegetable preparations, with and without gravy, with multiple options for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. At this point, I stopped taking pictures because I just had to dig in. I am pretty happy that I could hold out this long before loading everything up on my plate.

I did however, take a picture of their pickle selection - for most, no meal is complete without these!

There's Mango Chutney, Chilli Pickle, Cauliflower Pickle, Mango Pickle, and lots more. Oh and that there on the side is curd rice. Good comfort food too!

And since I lovingly took (way too many) pictures of dessert, you can find that in a separate post here.

Also, follow me on Instagram for more yummy pictures, or any of my other pages. Links here:

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