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 - Boston Butt, Fort

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

This is a fairly new place in Fort, which means it already has a lot to live up to considering the amazing places nearby. Yet it lives upto the challenge and how! Boston Butt is actually the American name for the cut of pork that comes from the upper part of the shoulder from the front leg. It is the most common cut for pulled pork, a barbecue staple. It originated in Boston and hence was known countrywide as the 'Boston Butt'.
 
And now we know it in India too! 
 
On to the food and drinks now..
 
My friend ordered a cocktail, Blasé Blasé. I don't recall the ingredients, however she said it was strong and yet smooth, which is a good thing. 

 

Siddharth Kashyap, the owner, suggested we try the kaffir which was carbonated using SCOBY. Scoby stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. It adds a sharp fizziness to the drink. I am not a fan of fizzy drinks per se but this was great! 

We also had the apple cinnamon and ginger, which was similarly carbonated and delicious. The ginger worked great as a palate cleanser, whereas the apple cinnamon tastes like Cinnabon! It was like I was drinking Cinnabon. I couldn't get enough of it.
 

My friend, being a non-vegetarian, got the Buffalo style chicken lollipop with a Gorgonzola and blue cheese dip. It was spicy, super spicy. She had tears streaming down her face and she was saying 'oh my God this is delicious!' Hilarious but she loved it. It had been slow barbecued and she said there was a smoky flavor in each bite. Surprisingly, she managed to finish it. Siddharth said most people are unable to without copious amounts of dip.
 

I, on the other hand, got the smoked bbq potato skin. Loaded with yellow cheddar and mascarpone (which looked like dainty whipped cream), caramelised onion, all topped off with a jalapeño slice and scallion. It was superbly done and had that smoky flavor as well. 

So they bake even the veg dishes in the charcuterie, which I loved, because why should us veggies miss out of these amazing flavors?

Next up, bloom bread. That is a round bread with criss-cross cuts, all stuffed with cheddar, Gouda and burnt garlic. It was yummy and melty and each bite was a delight. However, the bread was gone a little too soft due to the cheeses getting soaked through. Maybe if they used a firmer bread like sourdough it might hold its texture better? Just a thought.

After that, we had the four cheese Mac and cheese. White cheese, yellow cheddar, Gouda, parmesan, and sundried tomato. Served with a crispy slice of bread. I am a cheese fan and I absolutely loved the medley of flavors in each bite.
 

Up next, smoked bean mini sloppy. Served with cider slaw. By the time I reached this dish I was pretty much stuffed already. But it was really cute, tiny and yummy. But considering this place is known as a charcuterie, you would be better off trying their bbq specialties.
 

My friend had the chicken chilli, which she liked, but she preferred the chicken lollipop mentioned about because of the perfect spices and the smoky flavor.
 

To top it all off, Siddharth suggested we get their skillet cookie. That's basically a HUGE cookie baked right in the skillet. Served with three types of house-made ice cream - chocolate, vanilla and salted caramel. It was DIVINE. I thought I was full before but clearly I was wrong. It was so good that I would go back just for that. I should go back soon, in fact. Specially the salted caramel, God, that takes it to another level altogether.

Also, the singer for the night was Ramya Pothuri, an amazingly talented vocalist and guitarist. She is absolutely amazing, and she's been performing since the age of 5. Check out her Facebook page. They have live performances pretty often and jazz is a favourite, from what I heard. 
 

VFM: For the variety and complexity of flavors on offer, the price seems to be worth it. The service and the ambience is also fabulous. If you consider that, which you should, then the price is most definitely worth it.
 

Ambience: Amazing! The place is beautifully done up, reminiscent of pre-Prohibition era charcuteries. Loved the vibe. 

 

Service: Very attentive, I didn't even have to ask for a water refill. The servers were just that good.
 

Veg friendly: For a place that specialises in meats, cold cuts, bbq, and the works, I didn't expect much in the way of veg. I was pleasantly surprised about the number of options there. Enough for even a picky vegetarian - I should know, I am one! 

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

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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 - Family Tree, Thane

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

When I first heard of this place, I was quite intrigued by the concept, and I heard a lot about the cute chairs. But Thane is too far! So it was providence that got me an invite from Family Tree, and how could I refuse then?

Once again, as I've been mentioning in my reviews lately, read with a full tummy.

The menu is created in a family photo album style, and this is is the first page:

So heartwarming! Right then, I knew that it was going to be a good place, and that was even before I heard of their 40 year old legacy of much-loved restaurants in Thane. Chef Kabir told me about their other two restaurants, and how this is completely his endeavor under their umbrella. When I heard about it, I knew that this would be a good place, because staying in the restaurant business for 40 years is a commendable job. 

Right off the bat, before we could think of what to order, Chef Kabir sent over the Raspberry Cheesecake dessert shake. How cool that I started my meal with a dessert!

It was sweet, but not overly sweet. It tasted like an actual cheesecake and very few places can manage to do that! It was thick and delightful, and the thickness of the straw should be enough to let you know how deliciously creamy this shake was. 

It was garnished with whipped cream, raspberry syrup, and that's cheese, not white chocolate slivers! What can I say, the combination totally worked. 

We were quite intrigued by the juices, and ordered a mosambi-ginger juice. 

I loved the taste, and I asked how they made it.  Apparently the ginger is pulsed before blending it with the mosambi. It had such a wonderful taste, with just the right amount of sharpness. Many of you home cooks will like this, I'm sure.

Next up, the Jamun shikanji lemonade. 

Shikanji means spiced lemonade. Jamun shikanji, hence, is jamun added to spiced lemonade. It tasted like it was pretty healthy. Like some foods are just good for you, and you can feel it. The rim was dipped in lemon juice and then dipped in rock salt and Kashmiri chilli powder. It adds a whole different kick to the drink.

Lastly, I had the smoked strawberry chiller. I was so intrigued by their drinks menu. I am usually quite happy with plain water, but I couldn't stop myself from trying out the drinks here. And boy, am I glad I did!

It just looks so pretty! Like a cross between a gola and a slushie, I was alternately drinking it, and eating it with a spoon. The best drink here! I again asked how they made it, and I was told that they smoked the strawberry with a blowtorch and then pulsed it.

On to the soup now. First, the burnt garlic soup.

Perfect for those rainy days. This will surely clear your head, stuffy with cold or otherwise. You can taste the garlic in every spoonful. Quite a treat!

We also got the lemon chili tofu soup.

It was quite understated, and delicately delicious. I had way more of this than I intended to. A must-try, and they're generous with the tofu! I like soups that manage to be understated, yet bursting with flavor. This takes it all.

I had read a lot of recommendations of the Naanza, and Chef Kabir also suggested we try it, so we did! And I'm glad we did. 

Tortilla, cottage cheese, baked beans, veggies. Topped with sour cream and basil, served with salsa dip and sour cream.

How can I go out and not order nachos? I think I'm addicted to nachos. The Mexican baked nachos were great, served with salsa and topped with lots of yummy yummy cheese. There was more than enough jalapeno there and I liked it even though I'm not usually a fan of those! You can see the Naanza in the background!

By now we were pretty full (I have a tendency to stuff myself with appetizers), yet I still did want to try one of the mains, so we ordered Spaghetti Aglio Olio. Now this is a very simple dish, and yet, or probably because of that, it's difficult to pull off.

Chef Kabir has added an Indian twist to this dish, and it was a bold attempt. I totally loved the addition of burnt garlic to the spaghetti, but I feel like this could be a polarizing dish. If you love it, you'll totally love it though! Top points from me. Also, who can resist cherry tomatoes?

It was served with fresh, warm garlic bread. If you like garlic, or if it's raining, or if you just want an avant-garde version of Aglio Olio, try it out. You won't regret it.

Lastly, to top of the meal, there was Paan ice cream. Isn't that cute? It was stuffed with ice cream and topped with a cherry. It was so cold! What a combination of textures! A novel dish that you should try atleast once.

VFM: This place gets major VFM points. What you see in the pictures are half portions. Yes, if you order the same things, you'll get double the quantity. Definitely value for money. 

Ambience: It has a nice, homely atmosphere, and I so wanted to take a pictures of the chairs to show you guys, but people kept coming in, and there wasn't a single unoccupied table. Which just goes to show how popular this place already is! Also, I didn't want to be that creep who takes pictures of chairs when people are sitting in it. The menu is family album styled and the wall is also decorated the same way, with mirros and knick knacks.

Service: Pretty good, and I could see that Chef Kabir was really making an effort to train the servers in the details of every dish and it came across. Our server was pretty knowledgeable too. As always, discreet yet attentive is my favorite kind of service, and Family Tree manages that, for the most part.

Veg friendly: Yes! So much! They can make a good number of their dishes Jain friendly too.

The ones I would be back for: Smoked Strawberry Chiller, Lemon Chili Tofu soup, Spaghetti Aglio Olio

The ones I want to try next: Nutella Shake, Pesto Lasagna

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

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