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 :)

United by Taste - FBAB ^_^

Almost a year back, I started my food journey with writing reviews, exploring new places, clicking pictures before eating and slowly went on to take up this as a hobby! A few months after, I was lucky enough to be a part of an amazing passionate and fun filled foodie group - Food Blogger's Association Of Bangalore. I was invited by one of the admins and I attended my first ever meet up in a restaurant and met all these beautiful souls who were united by the common love for food!

From then on, it was a smooth beautiful and yummy ride of exploring restaurants, connecting with fellow food buddies, gorging onto delicious food, laughing, clicking, writing and most importantly enjoying writing about food. 

FBAB as we like to call it, is managed by three admins on facebook - Naveen Suresh, Nameesh N Rajamane and Bibhuti Bhusan Panigrahy who are passionate food lovers and work hard to keep all their members involved, happy and discover their love for food step by step.

When I initially joined this group, I had no idea I would become an integral part of it and take up writing about food as a serious hobby! I have met so many new people and learnt so much from them, made so many new friends and I am sure every member will agree with me on this. 

FBAb as I would like to put it is a group of enthusiastic, supportive, smart, hardworking group of people and the admins always make sure that there are not just food meet ups, but various workshops are conducted and also classes with chefs at times so that the members are in a continuous learning process. This is what makes FBAB unique.

The admins of the group are the most humble, talented and friendly gentlemen I have known, we members can talk to them freely, discuss opinions, get clarifications and every process is done without any hurdles. We truly are a happy bunch of Foodies! 

It is a group which I truly believe comprises of members who are of different backgrounds, cultures, religions, sex, choices, habits, likes or dislikes but what unites us all is our love for FOOD.

I have attended various meet ups organised by FBAB, have had wonderful experiences always, it has helped me reach new heights in terms of knowing about food and blogging as well. Every time we members meet or talk or connect the bond between us only gets stronger. We all wish to take this association to greater heights and have beautiful experiences together. 

A big shout out to FBAB and especially the admins who are setting a great and ideal example of how Food Blogging can bring significant changes and also teaching all their members to discover their love for food day by day :)

CHEERS :)

Discovering Inner Chef!

With the increasing pace of life, most of us are seen to be skipping various meals and at times even forgetting to eat! All this is due to lack of time and energy to cook, this also sometimes forbids us from indulging into all gorgeous types of food, which is why we see nowadays some online food delivery start-ups helping people cope up with their hunger pangs!

As a foodie, I believe one must live to eat no matter what! The past few years have seen a tremendous growth in the number of online food delivery platforms and one of the renowned name is that of Inner-Chef. This company was founded in 2015 and it swears by the motto to deliver delicious wholesome food of different cuisines to your doorstep. So, all those busy corporate fellows, worry no more because Inner Chef can get your meals in a hour's time! 

So I had the opportunity to try a few items from their elaborate menu and every dish I tried was significantly different from the other. So let me put down what all I tried and how they tasted as well.

-Chicken Kri Kri with Goat Cheese Salad and Grilled Chicken Panini accompanied with barbeque and mustard dips : The salad was fresh and loved the flavour of soft goat cheese. The salad had oranges, pomegranate, bits of almonds and a sour dressing! Healthy and good too. Absolutely loved the grillen chicken in Panini bread, it was soft and the chicken stuffed inside has a delicious taste!

- Spaghetti Arrabiata with Grilled Chicken : The classic tangy red sauce topped with olives and blended well with the spaghetti is always a delight! This was too but I would have preferred it without the chicken it did not seem fresh and had a stench to it. I avoided the chicken pieces but the pasta was lovely.

- River sole with white sauce and veggies : I don't eat fish but from what I heard from my foodie friends this dish was done pretty well! Don't go by the looks :)

-Awadh Mutton Kofta with Roomali Rotis : Rich preparation of gravy and soft mutton koftas simmered in it and accompanied with roomali rotis, curd and salad is a kickass combination in itself! I know I know, you're hungry already! Haha :)

This was prepared well with the right amount of spice and we foodies loved it! If the roomali was softer, it would've been better but I am not really complaining. Great dish!

- Chettinad Chicken with Malabar Paranthas : This was my favourite out of the lot! I can never imagine myself liking a dish with curry leaves so much. The chicken was spicy and tender and the malabar paranthas prepared just the right way, this dish is a MUST have from Inner Chef. It was accompanied with curd and onions as usual. I absolutely loved the preparation and craved for more the entire evening. 

- Sunrise Lemon Cake : Gorgeous lemon sponge cake, no wonder they claim its the customer's favourite! The right balance of sweet n sour flavor all imbibed together in a soft sponge cake and a decent size. What more can you ask for? :)

- Mint Lemon Ice tea and Watermelon Juice : Both of these were a major let down. As much as I loved the packing I did not like the flavors at all. The ice tea tasted more like sugar water without any lemon or mint-yness to it! Watermelon juice again had too much of added sugar and tasted artificial. I would've preferred a virgin mojito, cold coffee, oreo shake, slush or anything of that sort! This needs improvement.

Inner Chef has a section called Indulge wherein they serve desserts prepared by amazing home bakers! Well I love the concept and the selection available as well!

We tried a Blueberry Cheesecake Jar and a Chocolate Choux Jar. 

The former was creamy with a nice crush and delish blueberry compote while the latter was thick layers of dark chocolate and sponge cake. But the sponge cake was all gooey and soggy , so if I had to pick - Blueberry cheesecake was the winner!

Jar filled with goodness of Chocolate!

Blueberry Cheesecake Jar!

                                    

The packaging of every dish was perfect, I did not see anything spill out and it was intact. Every box was accompanied with a set of cutlery and a small packed containing two heart shaped cookies which put a smile across my face! Tiny little things that can make customers happy, Kudos for this idea to the Inner-Chef :)

The pricing is justified according the quantity that is served to you, except you might feel that the desserts are over priced but hey! The jars are full of happiness, trust me :)

Personally, I am ordering from Inner Chef soon and I would recommend it to everyone who are lazy to cook and also who want to try unique food!

So all you foodies, this is the right choice to indulge in if you want comfort food at home. You can choose from a wide variety of cuisines and of course, the desserts will make sure you don't regret ordering! 

Cheers :)

Wahrabia Experience :)

For decades, Barbeque Nation has evolved and become the number one choice whenever someone thinks about live grill and fantastic service! I personally have blindly believed in their good food and find it a perfect place to satiate all my cravings!
Arabian cuisine is one of the most famous ones known for its richness in taste and the exotic spices and flavors used to prepare the dishes. Just recently, Barbeque Nation came up with the Wahrabia Food Festival which had speciality Arabian dishes along with their usual menu, with no extra cost. What could be better? I was delighted when I got an invitation to try out the food spread at this food festival and I must say, it was a Wahrabic experience indeed. Barbeque nation never disappoints me in terms of service and quality of food. 

This time I happened to visit the outlet in JP Nagar, which is in the same building at Golds Gym and Calvins'. The outlet is spread over two floors and was decorated giving it the Royal Arabic feel! Colourful drapes and semi open ambience, cool windy evening just made it perfect. And what's best is that the arrangements are spacious and one doesn't feel all crammed up while eating. 
We foodies ordered a couple of mocktails and the waiters started the grill immediately. I had a strawberry and basil, it was refreshing but the strawberry syrup overpowered the basil taste! 
I liked the Italian Smooch and the Liquid chutney mocktails, different in taste, I would recommend people to order these two drinks in case they wanna try something hatke :) They were presented well too.
I was famished, so I was waiting for the food. We were served a delicious mezze platter of pita breads and dips! The dips were hummus and sweet n spicy pomegranate mixture, both were too good. The fried pita bread crisps with these two dips were the perfect combination. 

The usual grill was served where veg included - mushrooms in spicy marinate. I would've preferred if the mushrooms were bigger and juicier. 
Pineapple - loved the masala they put around it, too good! 
Paneer tikka - Soft paneer cubes with onions and capsicums, favourites for the vegetarians! 
For starters there was Cajun spiced potatoes which is crisp fried potato discs with mayo sauce n onions. I'm sure everyone loves it! Crispy corn - which is batter fried sweet corn sprinkled with salt pepper, Masala and onions. Another favourite of mine.
In the Arabic specials they served us a veg Tikki which was soft potato Tikki with cheese n veggies, tasted yummy! 
In non veg, I loved the tangdi kebab which was juicy and spicy! The prawns could've been better, it had a smell I didn't quite like. There was basa fish, which was good. And the chicken on the grill was soft and tasty. 
They had special live counters set up which served special Arabian dishes. We helped ourselves to chicken shawarmas, miniature chicken rolls made with pita breads and a Lebanese mix inside. I felt it was slightly dry although the chicken was cooked well! We also tried the chicken shish taowuk and it was brilliant, soft chicken pieces on skewers with sauce. A must have from the live counters! The double cooked mutton was loved by all foodies too! 
We moved on to the main course, I was too full therefore I tried a few things. Curried chickpeas - Very different, creamy gravy and cooked well, thumbs up to this. 
Chicken biryani - I gorged on this, flavourful rice with fried onions and succulent chicken. Oh so good! 
Kadhai paneer - Lacked spices a little, but appreciate that the paneer was soft n nice. 
In the dessert section there was a variety of Arabian specialities.
Baklava - flaky pastry layered with dry fruit mix, it was brilliant. I loved every bite of, so crispy and so good! 
Muhallabieh - A Phirnee kinda dish but I can't put it in words how good it was. It was creamy, smooth and had a lovely texture. This stole the show. Yummmm!
Gulab Jamuns - I love how they make tiny soft Gulab jamuns and you can't just stop at one. 
Date pastry - Tasty, but I felt it was slightly dry. 
Choco brownie - Disappointing, it was a hard block of chocolate with no brownie like texture. Needs improvement or replacement!
And last but not the least, Kulfi. We had Paan Kulfi and malai kulfi from their live kulfi counter. Both were just perfect, it's their speciality and it can never go wrong. Loved it! While we were about to leave, we also were made to try a unique dessert Kataif Mishi which is a tiny thin pancake which has coconut sauce drizzled over it, dry fruits inside as filling. It was so good, I've never had it before and the taste was very different. It was a perfect end to our meal. 

The service as usual is prompt and quick. Every staff is hardworking, receptive and patient. 
My verdict will be to go and gorge on their delicious spread of food as soon as possible. Loved it as always and coming back sooner than ever. Experience the flavours of Wahrabia before its over!

Highway to Parathas!

Very often, while on a long drive we feel like taking a break and munching on some good food over the highway. One of the ideal choices while travelling through Devanahalli on the highway is Indian Paratha Company. 
With ample parking space, comfortable laid back seating arrangements this place is perfect for a meal at any time of the day! The founders of Indian Paratha Companyy believe in serving fresh food and changing the way people consume their meals while travelling. It's also a lovely place to chill, with family and friends after a random long drive. 

We had our #24thFBABMeetUp here last Sunday and all of us had a jolly time. It took us about a one and half hours today, smooth long drive and we reached here about 5:30 just before sunset. IPC is in the form of a big bungalow, looks beautiful but kinda smaller than I expected. I mean, it looks way bigger in photos. A great seating arrangement was done especially for us on the outside overlooking a few pretty trees and the highway. I personally loved it! We had the opportunity to be welcomed by the founders of IPC themselves and they made us feel extremely comfortable and gave us a lot of special attention. We were told about the concept, the idea, menu crafting etc and we had a good interactive discussion with their team. 
Immediately, we were served with kesar lassis and it was a joy sipping it in the hot sunny weather. The lassi was smooth creamy, with a hint of kesar and dry fruits in it. Absolute hit! 

Gradually the food starting coming in and all of us got clicking! We were served a pakoda platter which had onion and paneer pakodas. I would've preferred a little more options in the platter though. The pakodas were done really well sprinkled with chat masala, the paneer was slightly hard though. 

Then came in two types of parathas :
- Achari Masti
-Parathazza  








I liked the plating of the Achari masti paratha, neat and nice. It was cut into tiangular shapes making it easier to eat, accompanied with curd, pickle and onion salad. The achari stuffing was spicy, tangy and really good! I liked it and there was enough stuffing inside. Good one. 






Parathazza is a unique concept, it's a pizza using the paratha as a base. So we were served the one topped with paneer cubes and cheese. A good combination, however it lacked spice and flavour. It could've tasted better and it was little too oily for my liking, though I love the concept. There was generous amount of mozarella cheese and the plating was done right!

And then we were served delish kufli. Rich, creamy super yummy kulfie sprinkled with almonds on top. 
There was Irish coffee which was pretty strong and presented well, the texture as really beautiful you could see three layers from the outside of the glass. I'm not a coffee fan though.

As far as I've seen their menu, they have a lot of varieties and types but I didn't have any opportunity to try much,maybe next time! Even their parathazzas have many different toppings, I didn't get to try any combos, hot beverages or other cold blends either. Definitely trying them when I go back here.
About the Pricing, the parathas prices are pocket friendly and justified. I felt the parathazzas are a tad bit overpriced and so are the cold blends! 
About the service, it was upto the mark, the staff was friendly and made us felt at ease and were prompt all the time. We felt hospitable and were given all the attention needed. Appreciated :)

However, we foodies had a nice Sunday evening and a lovely drive, left with tummies happy and goodie bags!
My verdict : A brilliant choice for taking a break for a meal, over NH7 or if you are coming back from Nandi Hills. Do try out their interesting varieties of parathas and also you're bound to love the ambience. Hoping to go back soon and try more options for sure.

Biriyani-ed!

Paradise - A name whenever a foodie hears, the only thought that will come to their head is BIRYANIIIIIIII! Very often, we hear debates about the types or kinds of biryani originating from several parts of India, it could be Lucknowi, Ambur, Kolkata style, Hyderabadi, Donne, so on and so forth. Paradise, has its roots in Hyderabad and have managed to make almost the entire country love them for the biryani they serve. A legendary, 62 year old restaurant serving classic Hyderabadi Biryani and is world famous for their taste and quality.
Their wall of fame includes being praised by legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sania Mirza, Rahul Gandhi who are fans of the food they serve. Over the decades, Paradise has established themselves as a strong brand and made many tummies happier!

And to make mine happier, they have launched a couple of outlets in Bengaluru recently.
So, this weekend Food Bloggers Association  Bangalore held their #23rdFBAB meet up in the 5th new outlet of Paradise in JP Nagar. It is located somewhere diagonally opposite to the RV Dental College.
The restaurant was decorated with lights and it is spread majestically over 2 floors, the takeaway counter was bustling with crowd. We made ourselves comfortable and order a few lime sodas and soft drinks while we waited for the food. Their menu is wide and is not just restricted to biryani and tandoor items, they also have interesting appetizers prepared in chinese style and a separate Kebab menu as well! The biryani variety also gives you an option to choose in sizes for big groups.
The ambiance is that of a fine dining place, good for family gatherings and big group of friends, there was soothing music which added to the overall feel of the place. A few soups arrived in the beginning, since I am not a fan of soup I didnt happen to try them. I heard the hot and sour soup was tasty! Moving on, a veg platter arrived which had assortments of paneer tikka and veg sheekh kebabs.
The paneer tikka was cooked in two different marinations, both tasted good but the paneer lacked softness. The veg sheekh kebab was wonderfully made stuffed with roasted cashews and melt in the mouth! In veg appetizers we also ordered potato salt n pepper which was french fries tossed in salt-spicy mix, good to munch on and Paneer 65 which is tiny cubes of paneer with curry leaves prepared dry. Both of which were average in taste.

Vegetarian Platter

For non veg appetizers we had a Kebab Platter consisting of Tangdi kebab, chicken tikka, chicken seekh, mutton seekh kebabs. The sheekhs were brilliant, cooked to perfection, loved it.
Tangdi kebab was good, I would like it spicier and kebabs could be softer.
We also devoured into some delicious juicy chilly prawns, crispy on the outside tossed in chilli sauce and fleshy prawns, too good! Chicken 65 was a dry chicken starter, again tossed with curry leaves tasting average.

Non veg Platter and
Chilly Prawns














Coming to the best part now, the star of the evening - BIRYANI!

We ordered 3 types of Biryani :
Veg Biryani - White basmati rice cooked along with a veg curry, absolutely flavourful. For vegetarians, this is a delight! Although the spice level could be increased a bit, but overall great veg biryani!

Veg Biryani

Chicken Biryani - My absolute favourite, got transported to Biryani Paradise altogether. Basmati rice cooked with spices and soft pieces of chicken. Just the right amount of flavours and masala blended together making it the right hyderabadi chicken biryani. A total hit and we all loved it!

Chicken Biryani

Special Biryani - A mix of chicken and mutton biryani. No complaints about the taste, it was great but somehow the combination was not loved by all! Could be given a try.
Coming to the desserts, we had -
Falooda : Rose milk with sabja seeds and falooda with ice cream. The falooda was not upto the mark, there was too much sweetness and artifical flavouring. There wasnt any cherries or jelly in the falooda, tasted more or less like strawberry milkshake. Needs improvement.
Qubani ka Meetha - A famous hyderabadi sweet dish, made out of apricots and served with ice cream. Will give you a sugar high for sure! Too sweet for my liking but good concept.
Gajar ka Halwa - The classic you cannot go wrong with. It was creamy, rich in taste and prepared really well.
Gulab Jamun - Another classic sweet dish. It should have been more soft!

Falooda









Desserts --->

Qubani ka Meetha

The service here is extremely satisfactory, each and every staff is polite, soft spoken and hardworking. I observed the staff at other tables too, each guest was being addressed with care and made comfortable. I appreciate this.
Pricing wise, it is absolutely reasonable for the quantity and quality of Biryani served. Not heavy on the pocket!
We food bloggers had a wonderful Sunday dinner and left with our stomach happier than ever! I guess you can see it in our faces :)

To conclude, I would suggest all biryani lovers to definitely head here at the earliest and indulge in some gorgeous biryani, It is indeed Paradise.
Cheers!