A day at the Leela Residencies.

Recently, I was invited to spend the day at Bharatiya city and take a look at the upcoming properties of Leela Residencies. A couple of us bloggers went here together and it was a beautiful start to our weekend.

So Bhartiya group is into fashion brands and does exports. But off lately, as we all know there's less of living space around us, no greenery, too much pollution leads us to complain about Bangalore city. 
This is what gave them an idea to live better in Bangalore. The place is located a little away from the city, in Hebbal. The moment you enter Bhartiya City, you will be awestruck by the entire environment and the vibes you get. It's lush green with hundreds of trees, natural air and breathtaking architecture around. 
From a small bench, to a lake, to the roads, the parks they are all beautifully structured and designed. 
A whopping 126 acres of land away from the noisy city, letting you breathe in fresh air and live in bliss!

The project

The place itself is a city and it will have schools, hospital, retail outlets, IT Parks, Cafes, Restaurants, Entertainment Centers and what not? Leela Residencies is located at the the center of Bhartiya City and the properties are beautiful. 
We visited the Nikoo homes which are classy apartments with minimalist design and the Phase 1 has already been sold out! The rooms are spacious and overlooks the lush greenery and the beautiful surroundings.
The Nikoo homes are priced between 1cr to 7cr. 
The homes built and all the upcoming projects are desgined by famous designers and architects, with great attention to detail and it will definitely leave you awestruck once you visit the place.

A few of the Leela residencies projects are still being done and each of them will be inspired by the Leela Palace Hotels, giving the residents a feel of luxury at home as well. 

After strolling around the area, visiting the park and capturing a few beautiful shots, we bloggers enjoyed a good spread of lunch and a foot reflexology spa. 

Foot Spa

A beautiful day spent altogether and I'd recommend all you people looking out for homes, do visit the Bhartiya City website and check out the Leela Residencies. 

Skylit evening with Citrus Hotels!

An upscale classic chain of hotels, Citrus has gained popularity and fame because of their impeccable luxury, wonderful service and the array of delicious food they serve. Located in 10+ cities, Citrus has emerged to be one of the best choices for patrons over the years.
As a foodie, very often I look out for places where I can eat to my hearts content and also enjoy an amazing view. And when I was invited to Skylit for a blogger's table meet, I was stunned to see the place and I had found the just the right place for a perfect date that also includes indulgence over delicious food! 

Skylit is located on the 6th floor of Citrus Hotel, on Cunningham Road. The ambiance is breathtaking, with a open terrace and the entire place is lit up with beautiful blue lights and is so classy! There's laid back comfortable seating, spacious and a view that's gorgeous with subtle music playing in the background. The bar counter is superb and the cold breeze just makes your evening even better. A bunch of us bloggers were invited here for trying out their buffet menu and enjoy some drinks on w Saturday evening. 

We were seated and started off with a few cocktails, mocktails and sangria! Loved how each drink was presented to us and the appetizers started coming to our table one by one. Their buffet includes around 8-9 varieties of appetizers which are served on the table and are unlimited. The main course is spread across a hall like a classic buffet along with a brilliant spread of desserts too. We started off with a few bread-sticks with some herbed butter and hummus and then the food started to arrive. 
Among the veg appetizers we tried the corn cheese nuggets, tandoori mushrooms and broccoli, paneer tikka, veg kebabs were my favorites. The tandoori mushroom were cooked in a rich masala and char grilled and paneer tikka was soft and delicious. I loved it! 

Tandoori Mushrooms and Malai Broccoli

Cheese veg nuggets

Bread Basket and Tequila Sunrise

In the non veg selection my favorite was the Baga crabs which was crab stuffed with masala and baked with cheese. So good! The chilly prawns were juicy and nice to munch on along with my Sangria. 
The best was the Bharwan chicken which was filled with minced chicken inside a chicken breast which was crumb fried. A chef's special which pleased most of us non vegetarians. There was fish, frittata and lot more and the appetizers just kept flowing in! We were served a mouth cleanser as well which basically cleanses your taste buds so that the next course can be savoured. Awesome concept! 

Bharwan Chicken Tikka

Baga Crabs

We were served colorful ice golas, which is again a quite different idea. Loved it! 
With very little space left in my tummy I moved over the main course area. They had a spread consisting of dal, sabji and of course biriyani! I tried the chicken biriyani, prepared in the Hyderabadi style with succulent pieces of chicken. Just how I like it! Could only manage to eat this as I was so full after the appetizers. 
But hey! We all have a special corner left empty in our tummies for desserts. The dessert spread made me so happy, there was pastries, fresh fruits,custard, mousse, ice cream, halwa, peda, rasgulla, tarts and so much more! I relished the caramel custard and the rasgullas. They are classics and tasted divine! Also liked the Shahi Tukda with the Rabri on top, crunchy bread and just the right authentic taste. For the health conscious there's an array of fresh cut fruits to enjoy and also a great salad spread to choose from. 

Indian Mithai

Cheesecake and Pastries 

The service was wonderful, we bloggers were made so comfortable, every staff served us with a smile and told us so much about every dish. The Chef has done a great job in curating all the dishes which will please the patrons. A special thanks to the Regional Manager who hosted us that night and made it interactive and fun. 
The pricing is somewhere around 795++ if I'm not wrong, which is justified for the spread of food and of course the beautiful set up of Skylit. 
A date, a get-together or a celebration, I'm suggesting everyone to go ahead and try Skylit and be amazed by the experience you have there. I can't wait to get back soon! Cheers :)

Fun with Jackfruit365!

Jackfruit 365 is a unique venture by Mr James Joseph the founder of Jackfruit 365, wishes to educate and spread the word about the various health benefits A Jackfruit has, which most of us are unaware of. Jackfruit happens to be one of my favourite fruits, I love eating ripe jackfruits and the smell is just so intoxicating to me. At home we prepare a few dishes using raw jackfruit however none of us knew about the many benefits of consuming Jackfruit.
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an event conducted by Jackfruit 365 in Grand Mercure, where we all bloggers were invited and we gathered together to actually know about the fruit and how it can be infused beautifully in our regular staple dishes as well in its dry, frozen as well as the ripe form.
Jackfruit happens to be rich in fiber and very healthy for the body and skin and also is rich source of energy and protein for the human body.

Jackfruit 365

Jackfruit 365 is a company that sells raw frozen jackfruit that can be powdered and mixed into recipes to add health benefits to them. Interesting concept, isn't it?
I too was surprised because this is something I never knew.
As we arrived at the venue, I immediately fell in love with the beautiful ambience of Grand Mercure, 12th main. 
A wonderful set up and tiny stream all around the place, open air and perfect for a pleasant morning breakfast experience. We were welcomed with jackfruit smoothie! First time I tried a jackfruit smoothie and it was different yet delectable. Thick smoothie with rich flavour and essence of jackfruit, prepared and topped with pomegranate was just perfect to start my day.There was wide spread of breakfast dishes infused with the goodness jackfruit. So a few of the dishes I remember having were
Jackfruit Upma - Soft Upma with a hint of jackfruit, the scent of the fruit made it even better. Loved it!
Jackfruit Bonda - The usual aloo Bonda with raw jackfruit in it, prepared beautifully giving it a very different taste altogether. Loved munching on these!
Jackfruit Galauti kebab - The veg version of a galauti kebab with jackfruit infused in it. We were almost fooled to think it was made out of lamb meat and were shocked
to know it was vegetarian but yet tasty with health benefits. Amazing creation, the best one out of everything I tried.
Jackfruit seed curry - I didn't get to try this though but it seemed to be a hit among everyone there.
Jackfruit paniyaram - Soft round fluffy paniyarams with hidden goodness of jackfruit. Too good!

Jackfruit Galauti Kebabs

Jackfruit Paniyaram

Jackfruit Bondas

I also tried the appam and egg curry, first time I had an appam, so soft in the inside and crispy in the corners. I loved the egg curry with strips of crunchy onions in it tossed with spices! Loved the preparation.
There was a live pancake counter, fluffy hot pancakes with maple syrup over them, just what I was craving for. And also waffles, indulgence can get healthy here because both the items had jackfruit infused in them. And believe me it tastes yummmmm!

The beautiful ambiance

Also tried the freshly prepared masala dosa, crispy with hot aloo filling inside, the classic types.
The breakfast spread also included delicacies like cinnamon rolls, Danish pastries, muffins and fresh mango juice. 
I couldn't help but try a cinnamon roll and blueberry Danish and they tasted absolutely gorgeous. Glazed with sugar and baked to perfection, they were a bliss to munch on.
The highlight of the entire event was knowing about the many uses and benefits of eating jackfruit and including it in our diet. The head chef of Grand Mercure told us about how each dish was curated by infusing the goodness of jackfruit in it. We were presented with goodie hampers including packets of frozen dried jackfruits along with recipe books to refer and cook from. Mr James has started this venture close to 1 year back and wants to spread the word about the unknown benefits of consuming jackfruit and also in a way help those farmers who grow these jackfruits! It's a noble, one of its kind and a wonderful venture by his entire team.

Hampers for the bloggers :) 

Founder Mr James Joseph with Head Chef

You can order their products from Amazon or snap deal or visit their website jackfruit365.com to know more about their products and also some interesting recipes. 
Here's wishing the entire team good luck for taking this venture to greater heights!
Eating jackfruit 365 days a year? Hell yeah!  Cheers :)

Floating Buffet @ Nimisserie!

One of the most renowned chefs has started a new venture, introducing a concept of aspect cuisine dining and and redefined dining experience for everyone. Chef Nimish Bhatia who has worked with the biggest and the most reputed hotels has curated this masterpiece called Nimisserie and I was lucky to have been a part of the blogger's meet held here, to try their Floating Lunch buffet. 
Nimisserie is located in castle street, bang opposite the show off outlet and during the evenings you're definitely sure to stare at this gorgeous beauty while passing by. Nimisserie is elegantly spread over two floors and once you step inside you'll probably be awestruck at the gorgeous ambiance. It truly is one of its kind and I have never been to a restaurant which is so beautiful before this. The feel inside is enchanting and royal, each corner is decorated and the whole set up is just dreamy! The main colors used inside are white and red, the chairs are white in colour while there are curtains made out of beads which are red in colour. Absolutely beautiful! There's a wine wall decoration as soon as you enter on the ground floor, don't miss that. 

We sat on the first floor which also had a separate private dining area decorated with curtains made of out red beads. Just perfect for your dates. :) 
I was in awe of the cutlery on the table, there was a marble plate kept with the 'N' ensemble on it, carved beautifully and the water was served in a red coloured glass which had a twisted shape. 
We explored the buffet spread and understood about the Naanerie, Tawakerie and Kebaberie which are the different techniques used to cook. The chef explained us how it's done and a few more details. 

There was a gorgeous spread of salads that included Raw mango with nuts which was my favourite! There was cucumber with grilled prawns, dahi Bhalla, cut vegetables, idli sautéed in South Indian spices and all presented so beautifully. There was detailing in every dish which made it even better. 

So the food started flowing in soon and we were served soup on the table. The soup was mild, flavourful and the spices used gave it a Thai kinda flavour. 
Further came kebabs from the Kebaberie and tawakerie. We tried the chicken tangdi marinated and cooked in a makhani sauce and chicken on skewers from the tawakerie section. The meat was soft and the flavours were so good! For veg we tried the tandoori gobi, it was quite good as claimed by my veggie foodie friends. 
We moved to the main course and I tried the Bengali style aloo dum, chicken curry, chicken biriyani, aam paneer and some hot fresh naans from the Naanerie section. The mix veg curry was a hit among the vegetarians. The aloo dum was one of the best I've had and true to its description. Total Bengali style, light and lip smacking! The aam paneer looks a normal paneer makhani until you actually take a bite and the hint of mango in it just is just delightful! The chicken biriyani was cooked to perfection with tender pieces of meat cooked with methi. Loved it! 

The best was the onion kulchas which came in a small cart, from the Naanerie section. They were thick and stuffed with spicy onion mixture and perfection to go with the food. 
There was a live counter that serves pancakes and crepes. I tried the fresh mango crepe with whipped cream, the base was crisp and the cold whipped cream with the mangoes is a combination no one can go wrong with. 
For desserts I tried the lemon cake topped with mangoes, which had sour lemon filling inside. I didn't quite like this, the cake seemed a little dry. There was carrot cake, puddings and lemon tarts as well. Tiny and cute portions of each item. I would've preferred a different spread of desserts that has ice creams or cheesecake, Indian sweets etc. 

The most unique part of the buffet was a large papad section with over 10+ chutneys and sauces to pick from. Every papad was different and the variety of sauces ranges from mustard to Mayo to mango and so on. 

The floating buffet has a recently launched to cater to people who are working and want to grab a quick lunch, also a great place to have team lunches and dinners and kitty parties etc. Amazing choice and range of dishes, with detailing in presentation. The pricing is 650 plus taxes and honestly, I've got nothing to complain about, it's a beautiful place with delectable food indeed. Hats off to the entire team at Nimmiserie and I recommend all you food lovers to give this place a try, you won't be disappointed. They also serve 5 course and 7 course meals and the place is 10 times prettier during the evenings. 
Cheers!

Feasting at The Pindi!

Often I've heard people in Bangalore complain about not finding the authentic North Indian/Punjabi food and the right taste in restaurants. The kebabs, the masala, the dal, the rotis etc are never upto the mark. But after my recent experience at a restaurant I can vouch that Bangalore does have fine punjabi restaurants that will definitely satisfy the punjabi food cravings. 
The Pindi is a legendary restaurant that's famous among the people of north India and they've recently launched a new outlet in Bangalore in HSR. As a part of a meet up organised by the Food Bloggers association of Bangalore we had our #27thFBABMeetUp here and I did have a chance to taste and immerse into the punjabi goodness offered by The Pindi. 
Firstly I'll talk about their ambiance because I was indeed impressed by it. 
The Pindi is spread across two floors one of which has is a rooftop open air ambiance, decorated with pretty hangings on the walls, tiny bulbs and trees around. Absolutely adorable and different, it gives a nice view from top of the hsr area, which looks lovely during the evenings. 

Decorations in the Rooftop area

And the other is that of a causal dining set up with bright coloured furniture, flower pots and quirky designs on their wall. The rooftop opens only during the evenings because it's really hot during the daytime.

Casual dining area 

So we all sat in the closed casual dining area and were served welcome drinks which was kiwi virgin Mojito. Very refreshing and it was mixed with mint and lemon so just about right to cool us off in the heat! After a while the food started arriving and we all got busy clicking pictures. So let me just list down the appetisers first. For vegetarian we had- 
Tandoori mushroom : Grilled mushroom stuffed with spicy filling of paneer Bhurji, mixed with masala. This dish was my favourite among the veg fare, the mushrooms were juicy and the filling inside was prepared well. A great appetiser and the portions were good too. 
Veg Sheekh kebab - I'm not a fan of veg Sheekh, so I won't comment much. This was rich in texture and decent in taste. 
Paneer Kurkure - This happens to be one of their specials. So this is paneer cubes marinated with mint sauce and deep fried with pieces of crispy papad on top. It's coated with the crispy papad pieces making it so unique, crunchy and an excellent appetiser. A must try. 
Paneer tikka - The usual classic paneer tikka but little spicier than usual. Too spicy for my liking but soft paneer, so nothing to complain. 
Bhojpuri aloo - Another beautiful appetiser at Pindi. Sesame crusted potato rings stuffed with paneer bhurji, a few bits of dry fruits, mixed with spices and topped with coriander. Not often do you get such good appetisers made out of potato, this one's a hit! 
Soya chaap - Honestly, I didn't try this dish and I don't really know how it tasted. But of what I heard, this was a good one. 

Veg sheekh kebab and Tandoori chicken

Moving on, non veg appetiser spread was slightly limited though but I relished every dish! 
Tandoori chicken - The classic appetiser which is probably the first choice of a foodie. The tandoori chicken was bliss, soft succulent chicken marinated and grilled to perfection, with a spicy masala paired with onions and it was yummy! Loved it! 
Bhatti ka murg - Boneless chicken, chargrilled in a spicy mix. A good one, the quantity is satisfying as well. 
Mutton Sheekh - Smooooooth and classic! I'm not a fan of mutton but all I can say it, this was upto the mark. 
Mutton galauti- This was served on tiny pieces of paratha, the galauti kebabs were a treat to the taste buds. Every meat eater raved about it! Good one. 

Bhatti ka murgh

Moving on to the mains, we were pretty stuffed after the appetisers though. 
We had dal makhani, sarson da saag, chicken butter masala and Lal Maas. I don't have a single complaint about any of the dishes. 
The dal makhani was creamy, rich in texture and just the right taste. 
The butter chicken was my favourite, succulent pieces of chicken cooked in a thick creamy gravy with an excellent blend of spices. It wasn't the usual sweet creamy gravy and instead it was rich, spicy and had a wonderful flavour. I'm already craving for it I swear! 
Lal Maas was loved by everyone, soft mutton pieces in a spicy gravy just perfect with your butter naans. 
The highlight was the authentic makki di roti and sarson da saag. It's definitely a combo made in heaven and I bet every Punjabi swears by this. The rotis were thick and smothered with butter and the saag was delicious with a dash of cream over it. Amazing preparations I must say. 
We also had the Veg fried rice, done decent nothing very exceptional about it. 

Dal Makhani

Bread Assortments - Plain roti, Butter naan, Laccha paratha and Makki di roti

We were stuffed and barely left with any place for dessert though! Tried their signature fruit cream and tiny Gulab jamuns. 
The fruit cream was light, different in taste. A light cream mixed with fresh fruits, kinda tastes like custard I felt. Not the best choice maybe but could be given a try If you like cream based desserts. 
The Gulab jamuns were tiny, juicy and good. No complaints. 

Gulab Jamuns

All the appetisers were plated beautifully, accompanied with spicy onion salad and even the rotis were soft and buttery. 
A few areas to improve would be making the ambiance livelier with good music, the mocktails need a slight improvement in taste and mainly presentation wise as well. I'd love if they include some more variety of desserts and biryani in their menu and also at least a two line description about every dish in their menu, would be helpful to the customers for making a choice. 
The staff was quick, receptive and they had an idea about every dish that was being served. They also did bear with us while we clicked photos of the dishes. Much appreciated :) 
So overall, The Pindi is an excellent choice for enjoying a hearty North Indian meal with friends or family. 

I would recommend all you punjabi food lovers to go here and you shall not be disappointed. 
I've heard they also have a great lunch buffet spread which is not heavy on the pocket. 
Well. I am going back here very soon because I'm honestly a sucker for kebabs and butter chicken! Keep up the good work Pindi. :) 
Cheers.

Menchies - Frozen Yogurt galore!

The concept of Frozen yogurt is quite popular in the Western countries and slowly even India has adapted to it. Personally, I like Frozen yogurt because they are healthy and can be a great substitute for ice cream if one is diet conscious. With the increase in temperature, frozen yogurt can also cool you off for quite some time. In Bangalore, I haven't found good options and the few existing ones are extremely disappointing. When I heard Menchie's is opening an outlet I was delighted because I heard a lot of praises about them from my fellow foodie friends.
Menchie's is an international brand spreading happiness and yumminess to almost 15 countries. They launched in Bengaluru just recently and I was invited for a trial session, Yayyyyy! Honestly, with the unnatural hot temperature of Bengaluru I was more than happy to calm myself with the goodness of frozen yogurt!

Their outlet is located in Indiranagar, 100ft road right opposite Toit. So if you are coming from Koramangala you will have to cross the KFC signal in Indiranagar and keep looking to your left and you shall not miss it, because the outlet is bright and colorful. I went here on a Sunday afternoon with another foodie friend of mine and we were welcomed by the staff politely as soon as we entered. 
The outlet is cute, decorated with balloons and colorful hangings on their walls, pictures and tiny seating arrangements. I was awestruck by their machines, all of them installed against the wall and labelled according to - Flavour, low-fat, non-fat, gluten-free and sugar free. This is what captured my attention because very often frozen yogurt is a substitute for a healthy person's ice cream craving or a snack and labeling according to these criteria is a very good idea. Well done Menchie's :)

Further I noticed the toppings that were kept in boxes and labelled properly as well, there were so many toppings to choose from! Their toppings range from choco chips, cherries, strawberries, nuts, litchis, choco sticks, brownies and what not! They have separate sauces kept in another section which has chocolate, caramel and strawberry syrups and the showstopper - Crunchy Nutella! This is basically nutella mixed with pieces of Munch chocolate. Believe me, it tastes wonderful!\

       


They have a wide range of flavors, you are bound to be confused what to pick because every option sounds tasty. Also, they keep changing their flavors every week :)
I was confused about which flavor to opt for so I tried a few in their tiny testing tubes! I tried Cake batter, Cookies and cream, Blueberry, Green Apple, Peach and Strawberry flavors.
The cake batter and cookies and cream were delicious and could give you a sugar rush and I didn't prefer those because I found them too sweet! I loved the blueberry yogurt it tasted lovely and the Green apple was nice and tangy. However, I settled to have a mixture of Peach and Strawberry. Both the flavors worked for my taste bud and were refreshing :)

I added kitkat, cherries, strawberries, brownie crumbs, choco stick and a little bit of strawberry syrup as toppings to my yogurt. I also paired it with a strawberry waffle cone which was bright pink, light n crispy to taste! I loved how pretty my yogurt looked overall :)
 My friend had a chocolate flavored yogurt topped with crunchy nutella, choco chips and all other chocolatey things :P Haha! I absolutely loved how refreshing, fruity and good the yogurt tasted. I did not find any trace of synthetic flavor in the yogurts that I tried. I love the concept for mixing my own yogurt according to my taste and choosing toppings! I felt like a kid all over again! 

My yogurt creation

                        




             




I also tried their watermelon sorbet which was wonderful! I added lots of cherries to it and little bit of blueberry topping.I found the blueberry compote very artificial in taste and didn't enjoy it a bit, it almost spoiled the taste of my sorbet. A few cherries also seemed a little unusual in taste. 
I informed this to the manager and I'm hoping it will be taken care of.
Overall, both the yogurt and sorbet were wholesome and delicious too!

The pricing is done according to the weight of each cup, each gram is priced at 1 rupee plus taxes therefore no complaints you pay for what you are eating exactly! Their spoons are also adorable with tiny shapes at the end of it! They have stickers and puzzle games for the kids which is great.

The areas where they have to improve are to make sure the fruit toppings are as fresh as possible, a chart explaining how to operate the machine with illustrations and step by step mixing procedure, a few sample suggestions on yogurt-topping combinations and some good music to make the ambiance lively!

The Insane Foodie is recommending everyone to give Menchie's a try soon and all you health freaks out there, you can satiate your dessert cravings to a great extent. 
Going back here to try more varieties and I hope they continue to delight people with their products!

Cheers :)