Family Dinner At Baan Toa

It was an evening out with my large family at Baan Toa in Hyatt, Pune. There was a kind of festive mood but I couldn’t decide on which cousin to favor and choose my seat. Finally, the decision was made to separate the veg family from non-veg one, and I quietly squeezed in-between non-veg cousins to spend a lovely evening with interesting conversation and delicious Pan Asian food.

But what really impressed me was the décor. The water cascading against the tiled walls into the pool filled with cluster of red and green Dragon fruits, the sound of the dripping water and the dim lights gave a very romantic aura, and I was not surprised when I saw a young couple slicing a chocolate cake to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

We occupied the large dining room

The tables are already set with a plate of micro greens and three accompanying dipping sauces: hot garlic, shezwan and a cucumber relish. There were two more sauces on the side, one with coriander leaves and other with lemon grass.

While we waited for the order, we rolled the greens with sour n chilly sauce and played the game of guessing the ingredients.

The starter, an IceBerg salad was perfect; crunchy Ice Berg coated with Japanese peanut dressing, melt in the mouth, it was simply delightful.

We ordered just three different types of Dim Sums, mixed vegetables, chicken and prawns. The prawns were the best, succulent and sweet. I am told that this is the place that serves a special set brunch where there are variety of dim sums, some 15-16 different types of vegetarian and non-vegetarian, with salads and desserts.

I didn’t like the wanton soup at all, it was bland and even though I added sauces and chili vinegar, it was not satisfying. That’s when I heard some loud voices from the kitchen. The kitchen was too close to the dinning area where we were sitting and any commotion in the kitchen could be heard. Was it chef or were there some other cooks? but emotions in the kitchen was affecting the quality of the food. The Vietnamese rolls tasted raw, rice noodles too sticky, soup very bland.

The chefs have to be calm or the food may not taste good. Service was excellent with waiters apologetic about the loud noises from kitchen. The devil in me wanted to walk to the kitchen to see the commotion.

Maybe, had I gone in, the calm would have returned and I would have some really tasty cuisine that the restaurant is normally known for.

Pre-Valentine Celebration at Le Mangii at Parel

The invitation was to spend a pre-valentine evening at ‘Le Mangii’. An evening of entertainment and fine dining was promised. 

Who could refuse? I am glad I went. 

Tucked away in the ‘C’ block of Kamala Mills compound at Parel, the restaurant has an imposing front. It is the fourth of its’ kind, having already made its presence in the neighborhood of Bandra, Juhu and Andheri.

I was guided to the upper level into a large dinning room with impressive ambience. There is high ceiling with variable lighting fixtures at different sections of the restaurant. A big open island bar cuts through the center of the room dividing the room with cozy seating arrangement on the left and wooden formal setting on the right. There are high-table-chair arrangements for more casual diners. Far back of the room is the open fireplace where one can see the signature handcrafted Napolitana wood-fired oven pizzas being churned out every minute.

Exotic paper-thin crusted pizzas are amazing.

The starters arrived as soon as I was seated. In the most innovative presentation, the finger foods were presented that included the delicious plateful of assorted bruschetta’s, spoonful of baked mushrooms soaked in sauces, basket of deep fried squids, cupful of grilled chicken and many more.  

The meat was succulent and perfectly cooked; the sauces that complimented the snacks were delicious although I had to add tobacco and red chili flakes to suit my taste. I would strongly advise that in-house  prepared chili sauce be included, because Indian palate is used to spicy cuisine and many of my friends found the food bland.

I need to make a special mention to this deep fried chicken on sticks that had me asking for more.

There was a loud music in the room that made conversation impossible. In my opinion, loud music is acceptable if there is a dance floor, but if one has to enjoy a meal, soft music in the background will be more suitable.

Le Mangii draws its inspiration from the popular Italian diner, “Café Mangii.” I had a glance at menu card and it boasted of reasonably priced selection of exotic pastas and risottos, aromatic soups, delectable grills and sinful desserts.

For main course, I ordered Chicken Roulade with salad and rice. I drooled the minute it appeared and the taste did the justice to its presentation. The grilled chicken was tender and perfectly cooked.  

A business meeting during daytime, or an entertaining night out, if you like Italian cuisine, ‘Le Mangii’ is the place to be.

Phone : 02266375050

Cookies For Snack

Ever thought of giving your loved ones cookies ring? Unibic gave me one to make a bond with me

When we talk of biscuits and cookies in India, the brands that come to our mind are old timers like Britannia and Parle G. in foreign brands more common are Oreo, but recently I chanced upon cookies that were crunchy, crispy and tasty, I turned the packet around to see the brand, I found an Australian brand ‘Unibic.’

I was attending the launch of this product in Mumbai. There was a small game played with the audience. Each person was blind folded and given a cookie to taste. The person had to bite and guess the ingredients from its taste. Not many were successful. Although the taste is delicious, the taste of any particular ingredient is not over powering.

The best that I liked was ‘Scotch Finger shortbread’. It reminded me of the taste of ‘Shrew Berry’, the type that I normally pick up from the famous Kayani Bakery during my visits to Poona.

I brought the cookies home for my family to taste. My 3years old nephew and his 62years old granddad sat down, side-by-side, to relish these crunchy bites of Unibic cookies. It seems like this will soon make its entry into their home.

And why not?

There is an apt description on the packet itself that says

“Born in Scotland and loved world over, shortbread is a type of cookie that crumbles delightfully with every single bite. The butter melts magically; leaving an aftertaste you wouldn’t give up for anything. Except, for any set of these delicious shortbreads.”

What more can I say after this description?

Unibic was incorporated in India in August 2004, the company started operations in March 2005 importing two cookie brands Anzac oatmeal and chocolate chips from Unibic, Australia. By late 2005, its manufacturing unit India was producing cookies at costs that were as much as 40% lower than procuring them from Australia.

I almost drooled when they mentioned the fragrance that follows the trail leading to Haskur road in Bangalore, where these cookies are baked. They are a bit costlier as compared to cookies made by other Indian brands but cheaper than foreign brands.

Apart from its current portfolio of ginger nuts, cashew butter, choco chips, Anzac oatmeal cookies, Unibic India is now getting into healthy products like sugar free and digestive oatmeal cookies as well.

Cookies are a bonding snacks, can be enjoyed at any hour of the day and even to kill boredom.

A great snack to go with a cup of coffee or it can be mixed in layers with custard, fruits and nut to incorporate it into delicious dessert.

Sweetened Tea Trail At Café Zoe

Mumbai is the city where rich and poor live in harmony just few steps away from each other. 

One can eat a nice cheese toast at a street corner for just Rs20 or go across the road, enter a fancy restaurant and order a cheese toast of Rs200. The toast may taste the same, but the difference is in the use of cutlery, the plating, the ambience and the service. Moreover, you don’t see the dishes being rinsed in front of you, nor the spray of dust settling on your plate from a passing vehicle, like you witness it at a street corner.

It maybe hygienic or non-hygienic, you survive and come back with a happy smile.

This week, dodging the traffic, trying to keep my balance, I walked along the narrow dirt path inside the Mathurdas mill compound at lower Parel. The small houses on the either side of the street had pauperized and blemished facade, but a glance through some glass windows told a different successful story behind those closed doors. There are many offices and corporate houses inside the compound and there are many restaurants that cater to these elite crowds.

Café Zoe is one such venue. I would never have guessed the interior from its humble exterior of painted colorful metal chairs and ordinary narrow passage with plants begging for attention.

But once you walk in through a huge glass door, you are transported into a different world. It is a place where one can spend hours munching on food and drinks. There are wooden community tables that can be arranged to accommodate large groups for an evening supper or one can sit at leisure, alone, sipping coffee/fresh juice, stretched on comfortable sofas. The ceiling is quite high with rustic look on walls, black and white photographs relate the story of its construction. Part of the room is divided into two levels, with a small library at the upper level. The baking station and fresh juice/drinks station occupy the lower level with a small shelf covering one wall that stocks exotic sauces/pastas/books for sale.

Why would I go there in the middle of the day to a fancy restaurant in an unknown street? 

Good question! 

I was invited, courtesy Splenda, who is introducing no-calorie sweetener Splenda in Indian market. Personally speaking, I do trust Splenda and have been using it for several years, but purchasing in Mumbai is difficult sometimes. The alternate choice, bought in desperation, has not been satisfying because of the horrible bitter after-taste of different brands. Therefore I was only too happy to accept the invitation and listen to what they had to offer.

The Splenda event was coupled with ‘tea ceremony’ conducted by Radhika Batra, who took us on a tea journey from tea gardens to teacups, while Naina Setalvad, the health consultant, explained the benefits of using right brand of sweetener.

A spoonful of salad containing feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, black n green olives, lettuce n salad leaves and a dash of vinegar n olive oil was paired with Longjing tea.

As the session progressed, five exotic teas and tisane were brewed and complimented with food.

I was avoiding non-veg that day, therefore I did not taste all the dishes, but I was tempted to try the shrimp cutlets that looked crispy and appetizing. Friend informed me that it contained minced shrimps, eggs, herbs and was coated with bread crumbs.

The food was tasty and visually appetizing. Restaurant is good for pastas and cakes. Maybe some other day I might visit Café Zoe to try its shrimp cutlets and those exotic pastries.

My special thanks to Shruti Amin and Romil Zaveri for the warm afternoon.