Wednesday, August 30, 2017

'Mandarin Calling' Festival at OKO-The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru!




OKO-The Lalit Ashok is having an interesting festival this week– Mandarin Calling. After coming to Bengaluru, I realized, Chinese food is not the same what I used to think it would be. We are so spoiled with Chindian food which is nowhere close to Chinese food. Very few restaurants in town serve authentic or close to authentic Chinese food. This was my second time at OKO and my first visit was very informal lunch. This time, my experience was remarkable one as Chef Luo Jinhong (The Lalit Ashot, Delhi) who has got 20 years of experience in culinary world curated this authentic menu for Mandarin Calling fest.


Located on Level 6 at The Lalit Ashok, OKO has a very warm and soothing ambiance. Surrounded by luxuriantly growing trees, the view from the hotel is beautiful. The hotel staffs were very attentive and professional. This is the perfect place to spend time with your loved ones.

Soup


We started off with a light soup made of Asparagus and corn and we just polished off this tasty soup in seconds. We paired this soup with accompaniments like wontons and pickled lotus stem and peanuts.




Salad



Spicy means ‘the real spicy’ when I tasted the ‘Spicy and sour cucumber salad’. I just love the flavor of spicy dressing tossed in crunchy cucumber slices.


Dim Sum




Corn and chestnut dumpling and Crystal Prawn dumpling (Har Gow) were literally like the artistic creations on the dim sum steamer. The thin layer of dim sums with preferred filling makes all the difference. No one can eat just one :P

Starters

The starters were great. I have never tasted a crispy Tofu preparation before and it was perfectly cooked. The other two starters are so addictive stuffs.

Crispy fried lamb Beijing style

Chong Qing chicken with onion and dry chilli

Tofu chilli black bean in Hunan style


Main Course


Who knows better when it comes to Chinese cuisine? We left this completely to Chef and he cooked up a storm for us, food lovers. No matter whether you’re vegetarian or non-vegetarian, their menu is good enough to suit every palate.

Pomfret in Szechwan pickled chilli sauce

Slice Chicken Shui Zhu sauce

Sizzling Eggplant in Barbeque sauce

Tofu with leek Hunan

King Prawns in Xiang La sauce

Olive vegetable fried rice

My plate <3

Drinks

To enhance our dining experience, we tried three different mocktails along with lunch.

Watermelon & Coriander Cooler
Iced Tea Sangria
Apple & Cinnamon drink


Dessert



The dessert options are very limited in most of the Chinese restaurants in town. I guess Chinese people don’t have sweet tooth like Indians. For desserts, we had ‘Steamed chocolate bun with honey butter sauce and chocolate-nuts filling’. The melt-in-mouth soft bun was foodgasmic.


After a spectacular lunch, it was time to go for a walk in the lawn. The main intention was to say Hi to Burney – the rescued St. Bernard. This dog is so cool and he happily pose for pics. Trust me; no rejuvenation session can assure you the pleasure of time spend with pets. The lunch and the overall experience at The Lalit Ashok was so great that I would love to go back to this hotel again.

Cheers!

They have both ‘A la Carte’ and 4-course Chef’s choice menu which comprises of Soup, starter, main course & dessert and it’s is priced at 1350 ++ taxes. The ‘Mandarin Calling’ Festival is until Sep 3rd and it’s available for lunch and dinner :) #Yougottatryit
Address:
OKO at The Lalit Ashok
Kumara Krupa High Grounds
Bengaluru
For table booking, contact - +91 9980158286
For more updates and information, check out their FB page - The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru


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Monday, August 28, 2017

Innovative Foods Ltd launches Sumeru Classiques Parathas in interesting flavors!



When a brand that you follow, invites for the brand launch of their new products, as a foodie it’s a pleasure to be present at this event. I am referring to the new range of Parathas launched by Innovative Foods Ltd (IFL) under the brand name Sumeru, held at The Oberoi, Bangalore.


Innovative Foods Ltd (IFL) is a major player in the Indian food processing industry since 1989. Their packaged products include vegetarian and non-vegetarian (seafood, poultry, and pork) food. I have used Sumeru products before and never had any issues when it comes to quality or quantity of packaged frozen food.

The new range of Sumeru Classiques Parathas includes –
Beetroot & Jeera Paratha
Turmeric & Ajwain Paratha
Methi & Spinach Paratha
Multigrain Paratha


The event started with Innovative Foods Ltd addressing the media followed by a delightful demo cooking session by Celebrity Chef Ajay Chopra. Speaking on the occasion, Saurabh Kumar, VP, Sales & Marketing, IFL said “The growing acceptance of frozen food in India has pushed us out of our seats to think of new product solutions. Providing convenience and versatility to consumers has been one of the core pillars on which our product portfolio stands and our aim has been to enable consumers to create a restaurant like meals at home. Our new range of Parathas are a delightful triangulated combination of taste, health & excitement.

Suraj Sharma, GM, Marketing IFL, commented, “A lot of research has gone into making these new products. Whether it’s the multigrain variant or beetroot with jeera or turmeric with ajwain or methi with spinach – all these combinations have been developed keeping in mind the health factor along with the taste which today’s discerning consumer demands.”


The Celebrity Chef Ajay Chopra who is also the Brand Ambassador for Sumeru spoke about the role of quality frozen food in our busy lifestyle. At the launch, he said. “My association with Sumeru has given me a platform to make people believe that you don’t need to be a chef to experience a restaurant style meal at home. Parathas are a favorite across India and with a little innovative thinking; they can easily be adapted to a variety of dishes”.


Chef Ajay Chopra created three innovative dishes using Sumeru products, – Paratha Quesadilla with Pindi Chole stuffing, Shami Kebab Sandwich using Paratha and Veg Lasagna made of Paratha, loaded with veggies and cheese. The first two dishes I could almost imagine the taste but was a bit doubtful about the taste and texture of lasagna. But to my surprise when we tasted this dish for lunch, I was dumbstruck. 

Food Bloggers with Chef Ajay Chopra



These Parathas are easily available in nearby supermarkets and a pack of 5 Parathas will cost around
80-100. Doesn’t matter if you love or doesn’t like cooking, you can create a variety of dishes using Sumeru products and next time become a star at your house parties.


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Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Check out the ongoing Sizzlers & Beer 2.0 at Equinox Bar & Asia Alive - DoubleTree Suites by Hilton, Bengaluru!




DoubleTree Suites by Hilton, Bangalore is having Sizzlers & Beer Festival for the second time. This time the fest is happening at Equinox Bar and Asia Alive restaurant. The fest was altogether a new experience for me with various combinations of Sizzlers to choose from the menu. You can select Meat, Chicken, Mixed Grill, Seafood or Vegetarian Sizzlers with the choice of any two sides (like herbed rice, butter garlic mash, or grilled veggies etc), and amazingly tasty sauces like Orange Beurre Blanc, Mango and Habanero Mojo, BBQ, Green Peppercorn, Teriyaki, Red Wine Jus, Herb Lemon Butter and Chimichurri etc. You can also go for some extras like Butter Garlic toast, Crispy bacon, Sausages, and fried eggs (charges apply).




At DoubleTree Suites by Hilton, they welcome guests by giving a warm cookie. This is followed in all Hilton Hotels across the world. This cookie is good enough to make you forget everything around you for some time with its ‘soft outside and gooey inside’ goodness. A couple of us were invited to try the ongoing sizzlers fest menu on a rainy evening. Rain and smoking hot food go hand in hand.


For me, Sizzlers had always been either Chicken or Beef. I never experimented with flavors or combos. This time I made my mind and after checking the elaborate menu, ordered a ‘Grilled Shrimp Skewers Sizzlers’ with Green Peppercorn sauce, hand cut chips, Butter Garlic mash and Mango Habanero Mojo as extra sauce. The oozing flavors of Green Peppercorn sauce from Grilled Shrimps was an exquisite choice for me. I think Chef read my mind seeking for a spicy sauce and Mango Habanero Mojo was a right choice. The portion sizes were good and filling.


My drink for that evening went well with theme – Beer. A glass of chilled Bira (White) with a tongue-burning sizzler is what you need for Bangalore weather.



We were a small group and everyone had different meat/poultry/seafood preferences. So we almost got to taste many sizzlers from the menu. Other than ‘Grilled Shrimp Skewers’ Sizzlers I loved a small portion of Tenderloin Sizzler with mashed potato, sautĂ©ed veggies, and potato wedges.


I couldn’t try the Double Jack (Chicken Sizzler with Jack Daniel flambĂ© and red wine sauce) and Tandoori Pomfret Sizzler which came as a visual treat.



A portion of ‘New Zealand Lamb Chops’ and ‘Norwegian Salmon Sizzlers’ was simply superb.
I have seen many times that often vegetarians get disappointed with mostly one option left in restaurants i.e., Cottage Cheese (Paneer). At Hilton, chances are less as they have multiple options like Exotic Vegetable patty sizzler, Tofu, Shiitake Mushroom, Broccoli and Baby corn Sizzler, Grilled Cottage Cheese steaks for Vegetarian foodies.

There is always room for dessert ;)

Dining at Equinox is a classy affair. Loved their Bar counter and well decked long table. The staffs at Equinox were very polite and attentive. Overall, I had a great time at the Sizzlers & Beer 2.0 and no matter which ever region you come from, the piping hot steaks and sizzlers are always the best bet.

This festival is on till 31st Aug 2017 and available only for dinner, so don’t miss it!
Price – Non vegetarian Sizzlers - ₹749 + taxes
            Vegetarian Sizzlers - ₹649 + taxes

Address:
Equinox & Asia Alive at DoubleTree Suites by Hilton
Iblur gate, ORR Sarjapur Junction
Bangalore
For reservations, contact - +91 8861306613 / 8861301378
To know more check out, DoubleTree Suites by Hilton, Bengaluru
 
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