The Taste of the Mountains : McLeod Ganj Diaries

Place : Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh

It is said that vacation calories don't count a bit! And I completely agree with that. Exploring new places is one of my favourite things to do and exploring variety of delicacies to such new places is just like icing on the cake!

Last month, I've been to McLeod Ganj in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Well, gazing at beautiful green hills with sparkling water gushing through it is one if it's kind experience. This place is also known as the "Little Lhasa" due to the presence of Tibetans. 

You can actually feel the calmness and purity of nature in McLeod Ganj as well as in Dharamshala which is just 5 km down the hill. Talking about the eateries there, you will find a lot of happening cafes and authentic Tibetan restaurants who serves a lot of delicious food items from sticky rice and chicken to mutton dumplings and Thukpa. 

Apart from the Tibetan eateries, you will come across some really good Italian restaurants too. One of them is the Nick's Italian Kitchen. They serve a lot of variety of Italian cuisine such as pizzas, pastas, risotto, spaghetti and for the sweet tooth like me, a lot of options in cakes, pastries and pies are there. 

I ordered my personal favourite Cheesy Margarita pizza and vegetable noodles with some fruity and slushy quenchers. Flavours were absolutely 10/10 and the ambiance was just perfect for a lively breakfast, lunch or dinner. Then, there was a small bakery where I had the best pancakes and waffles of my life. It was the banana pancake with maple syrup and crispy waffles with a drizzle of hot chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream along with it. 

It was so tempting that I couldn't just stop eating it until I finished it in no time. Moreover, value for money was also 8/10. I enjoyed eating my favourite food items in these two food joints and would love to recommend these places whenever you visit McLeod Ganj.

Trust me, sharing food experience is much easier and exciting than sharing food with someone; specially when it comes to waffles!!! and that too with CHOCOLATE SAUCE!

Enjoy the beauty of the Little Lhasa and don't forget to share your experience of yummy food with us. 

Love you all! 

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Being the Nawab of Lucknow : The Lucknow Cuisine

Place : Dastarkhwan, Lucknow

The Awadhi Cuisine is a cuisine native to the city of Lucknow and the Awadh region has been greatly influenced by Mughal cooking techniques. From a wide range of lip-smoking kebabs to drool-worthy sweets like kulfi and phirni, Lucknow is heaven for gluttons! 

As I'm born and brought up in Lucknow, my heart belongs here wherever I go! And with the Lucknavi cuisine I just can't get over it. One of my favourite restaurants here is the very famous 'Dastarkhwan' (from the epiglottis!) If you want to taste the authentic nawabi cuisine in Lucknow, then this place is on top of my list. Whenever I come home, it's a ritual for me to step in to Dastarkhwan to have my favourite delicacies. I visited this place few days back and ordered Afghani Chicken, Galawati kebab, Mutton Biryani, Chicken Korma and Tandoori Rotis. Out of all these, Galawati kebabs are my favourite!

Galawati means melt in your mouth, and the dish does exactly that. Well, let me tell you Lucknow is proud of its kebabs and so am I. It's like a variant made without any binding agents and comprising just the minced meat and the spices in it. 

The meat tends to melt in the mouth instantly and is best complimented with Mughlai Paranthas. The richness of Awadh cuisine lies not only in the variety of cuisine but also in the ingredients used like saffron and cardamom. You can actually smell the aroma of ingredients used in Lucknow and nowhere else. 

For a foodie like me, eating mouthwatering kebabs should be in everyone's bucket list because "Lucknow aaye aur Gulawati Kebab nahi khaye toh kya khaye!"

Do visit this place and share your experiences with us in the comment section.
Love you all!

Food

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The Touch of Rajasthani Delight

Place : Rajasthan, India

The royal heritage of Rajasthan and the gastronomic enthusiasm among the locals have led to a wide variety of delicious and exquisite Rajasthani dishes starting from main courses to sweet dishes.

Rajasthani cuisine offers certain exotic and scrumptious combo meals and creative dishes that would surely give a blast of flavours on the taste buds of foodies. One of them is the Dal-Baati-Churma! It is the Rajasthani signature dish that has earned a popularity across the globe. The 'ghee dipped Baati', 'Spicy dal' and slightly sweetish 'Churma' is nothing less than a beautiful feast to your palate.

I visited Jaipur few weeks ago and experienced some really unforgettable flavours of Rajasthan. There is a sweet shop cum restaurant named 'Laxmi Misthan Bhandar' in Jhohri Bazar which serves a variety of sweets and snacks along with special 'Rajasthani thali' and hundreds of mouthwatering delicacies to choose from. They serve the Rajasthani thali in their traditional style by crumbling the bati and pouring the spicy daal over it which you just can't resist eating!

Apart from the shahi Thali, flavorsome  'Gatte ki Sabzi' with crisp roti is a must try. My favorite part in the meal was 'mango chutney' which gave a beautiful kick of flavours on my palate.

For the desserts I had Golden brown 'Ghevar' or you can try the Malai Ghevar as well!

So, whenever you visit Jaipur, do visit the mentioned place and enjoy the exquisite flavours of Rajasthan.

Do not forget to share your experience with us.
Love you all!

Food

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THE IRANI DELIGHT

Place : The Soda Bottle Opener Wala, DLF Mall, Noida Sector-18

'Parsis' or 'parsees' are descendants of Zoroastrians who fled Iran during the Arab invasion in the 17th century. Their cuisine is a beautiful mix of sweet and hot, spice and nice. Parsi cuisine has two most distinctive features, first its subtle taste, and secondly the creative use of common spices blended in their delicacies. The cuisine has a heavy Middle Eastern influence due to its location, and it’s especially influenced by Turkish cuisine.

Although Parsi cuisine is gradually declining but restaurants like 'SodaBottleOpenerWala' are making huge efforts to introduce it in cities in India by exploring new dishes and introducing Parsi cuisine in cities like Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. I visited this restaurant in Noida as well as in Gurugram and they serve some really authentic Parsi food and beverages.

I tried Bohri Keema Pav and Chicken Farcha which had an uncomplicated and pleasing flavours to the Indian palate. Bohri Keema Pav is a popular Parsi street dish of spicy minced lamb curry and normally enjoyed as a snack in the evening along with buttered pav or bread and Chicken Farcha is another mouth-watering, light appetizer of chicken breast  battered in bread crumbs and deep fried.

I even tried ice cream soda (which is nowadays very common in other restaurants) and  Irani Falooda which took my heart away! Irani Falooda was mildly sweetened , smooth with 'falooda' mixed with it and rose syrup on top. Once you taste it, you can not forget the taste.

Exquisite place it is indeed! And if I talk about the ambiance of this place, then this place is a modern version of old Parsi restaurants with many Parsi artifacts adorning the walls. Although I’m not much happy with the service but this place is worth a try!



Do visit this place and try these super delicious delicacies. Share your experiences in the comments section.

Love you all!

Food

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BACK TO SCHOOL !!

Place : Odeon Social, Cannought Place, New Delhi

One of the most amazing place serving a variety of grub and beverages from Continental as well as American Cuisines is the 'Odeon Social'. If you've been to Cannought Place, then you've probably heard of the place already!

Top-notch aura, humongous sitting space and flavoursome food is what defines this place. I tried their Oreo Mud Shake which they serve in a pot shaped jar and it tasted just WOW!!, probably the best Oreo Shake I have ever had. 

I also had Butter Chicken Biryani which again is one of its kind and Naga Chilli cheese toast was a blast of flavors in my mouth. All the dishes which I've tried is not only mouthwatering but also worth every penny!

Though I personally love the Hauz Khas Outlet, but the one at Cannought Place isn't any less. The school theme brings a nostalgic feeling and enhances the overall experience. The menu looks like a newspaper in which there was were unique names for every dish, some of which were quite amusing. They serve a lot of dishes in small cute tiffin box or in aluminium plate and they give the cheque in a small aluminium looking box which is again add to its unique and cool idea.

Visit the place this weekend and share your experience and views about this place. Stay tuned to know about more such places. Love you all!

Food

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Platter in the Woods : The Wood Box Cafe

Place : Woodbox Cafe, Hudson Lane, GTB Nagar, New Delhi.

When we talk about Delhi, the first thing which comes in our mind is food. There are a lots and lots of places in Delhi where you can find thousands of varieties of mouthwatering delicacies from soya chap to chicken momos or rabri kulfi to ice cream rolls!

One such place where I'm fond of going with my friends is the 'Woodbox Cafe' in Hudson Lane, GTB Nagar. I visit this place frequently and I love the list of delicious food it offers. The ambiance of this place is just perfect for any occasion be it a hangout with your cool buddies or a romantic date with your partner.

Talking about my personal favorite is the 'Carnivore Platter' being a hardcore non-vegetarian. You get all the amazing stuff all in one plate just like a bumper offer. The dish is so fulfilling and delicious that it would become one of your best experience though the quantity is too much for a single person. Talking about drinks and shakes, the the raspberry lemonade and the chocolate shake steals the show.

So, if you are planning to hangout this weekend, then this place is going to turn your day on.
Do visit and share your reviews in the comment section. To know more about such places and to make your tongue do all your hardwork, stay tuned to our blog.

Love you all !

Food

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The Love for the Belgian

Place : The Big Chill Cafe, Connaught Place, New Delhi.

In 2012, I've been to this place in new Delhi and I asked the service person to suggest the best from their menu. Within a second he suggested two most loved items from the menu which the customers always relish. It was the "Chicken melt" and the "Belgian chocolate shake" !

Well, me being a hardcore non-vegetarian and a chocolate lover without taking another minute to decide have ordered the same. It has been 7 years from now that I'm visiting this place just to relish these two super delicious items from their menu again again. Although, smoked chicken pizza is also mouthwatering and gets a lots of thumbs up from the customers, these two dishes are one of my personal favourite. 

Also if you have a sweet tooth like me then do try The Big Chill Bakery's chocolate hazelnut cake and chocolate banoffee cake. It will surely give you a reason to come back to this place again.

Talking about the ambiance, this place is so lively and colorful with posters of old Hollywood movies that one can't take off of their eyes from the walls. You'll find customers of all age group and I can bet you wouldn't feel like going from there too soon. For me this place is definitely in my foodie's bucket list and I can bet it would be in yours too.

I hope you will love the place. Please do share your reviews in the comment section below for the same. To know more about such delicious tastes, stay tuned to our blog. Love you all !

Food

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