Farmhouse

Junk food is out as more people start on healthy eating. Youngsters nowadays prefer fresh food to canned food and they have become more inclined towards organic food. Be it India or around the world, people are getting more aware of healthy eating. I have come to spend few days on the other side of the world. Here I am visiting my sister in Chicago.

When my nephew told me that he owns a restaurant, I was excited and wanted to visit immediately. He drove us to his restaurant at 228W Chicago Ave and proudly introduced us to most impressive farm themed hangout called Farmhouse.

It was late afternoon and the weather was quite pleasant. Many people sat in the patio to enjoy the meal.

But we walked indoors to enjoy the meal. The ambience is beautiful. A small room called pickle room had different pickle bottles in the room.

Another smaller room had a cozy setup with seating for fifteen people to enjoy a private dinner

A long bar with high chairs occupied the large part of the room where people could enjoy food with hard drinks.

The rest of the restaurants in the large room had seating arrangement in such a way that each table had their own privacy.

We ordered crispy cheese balls, salads and pizza. The USP of this restaurant is the freshness of the food. The restaurant has the finest ingredients from the surrounding Chicago area and nearby states. It encourages the fresh farm products, thus supporting the local farms for cheese, wines, greens, breads and meat.

No canned food is used at all; even the tomato sauce and the dips are freshly cooked. The food had the most unique taste.

Dessert is to die for. The strawberry and cream burger was melt in mouth, delicious dish. I just loved it and couldn’t resists eating even though I am always watching my diet

One floor up, and there was a large room, big enough for a private party or some social meetings. If I were to stay in Chicago, I would love to host open mike poetry performance in this room like we do back home in India.

So very proud of my nephew for owning such a beautiful restaurant where health come first and dining is a great experience….

Restaurant Review - Shanghai Club

During the time, when I first started teaching Special Children, I used to travel from Bandra to Byculla by 4ltd bus everyday, I passed through the mill areas of Parel that had mainly small community homes and chawls, there were some traditional small food joints that served delicious authentic food to the cotton mill workers. It used to be buzzing center of activity and prior to that, during my grand parents times, it used to be a posh colonial residential settlement where governor of Bombay-Sir William Hornby lived.

A lot has changed in Parel over the years and it has a different skyline now, the beautiful ITC Grand Central Hotel with its majestic Indian touch adds an ethnic charm of this place.

This week I had an opportunity to visit Shanghai Club that is located inside this hotel in the celebration zone, the wing separated from the peace zone by a long corridor, lined with designer stores and an open lounge with water fountain in the center..

I was invited for Sagria and Seafood dinner by FBAI. There were four types of Sangria, fruity and sweet, (my favorite being the Berry flavor although the other three, the cherry and plum, watermelon were equally good) they were very refreshing after a long walk from peace zone to celebration zone.

In between my sips, I took in the beautiful ambience of this place, the charming parasol lanterns against the polished Burma teak rafters, the porcelain pots and other art work all around the room.

There was a set of 5course meal prepared specially for us. We had fan-shaped menu card,, which in a way was a good idea, that we could ration our serving to be able to enjoy all that restaurant had to offer.

The appetizers arrived as soon we were settled. Master chef Yuanzhing Jia had crafted a new Seafood Menu and was eager for us to start the party. We took a little time to click pictures before we began to eat (food bloggers are weird that way, before the aroma touches the senses, the cameras captures its visual impact) the lighting was low, hence I was not able to get very good shots, I decided to concentrate on food instead.

Main course was to die for. The Singapore chili crabs in egg white were perfectly cooked, tender meat under shells so brittle and juicy that there was no need for nutcrackers. I got my hands dirty, just relishing its flavors of marinated meat infused with sauces. I was happy when they gave me wet towel to wipe off my hands before I went on to continue with my next dish. But this is one dish I enjoyed thoroughly and will be the good reason for me to return once again.

This was followed by Wok fried Lobster with chili black bean sauce cooked from freshly made lobster stock. This tasted delicious when mixed in the bowl of brown garlic fried rice dish.

The attractive dessert plate of jasmine flavored Tiramisu, star anise torte and vanilla ice cream and mixed fruit bowl marked the end of the meal. It was very satisfying meal.

The service was very good and the staff was quick to refilled glasses with sangria as soon as possible, they made sure that food was satisfying, and even offered to custom cook for us to suit our palate.

I would highly recommend Crabs and lobsters in this restaurant. They are truly amazing, waiting for my next guest to visit me, this is on my to-do-list for sure……

American Chop Suey

I had learnt the technique of Chinese cooking many years ago, when there used to be column on ‘Chinese cooking’ in ‘MID DAY’ , the afternoon paper. There used to be a small chat and there would be two recipes per week, every Wednesday. Since I was interested in cooking, I tried two recipes every week dutifully and shared the food with my family. They loved it and encouraged me. The column went on for one year, and I had learnt all the basics of Chinese cooking.

Over the years, I have improved my skill and have even shared the tips with whom-so-ever-who-is-willing-to-learn.

Friendship means cooking specials meals for your favorite ones. This week I invited some of my friends for lunch. My friends also bring dishes whenever we meet over lunch at home  so that there is less pressure on hostess. I had made Thai curry and rice. But then I decided to make a snack that was simple, easy to make and cooked in just 5 minutes. I had fried noodles saved in the fridge, plus some exotic vegetables like red and green vegetables, Bakchoi and mushrooms so all I needed to do was stir fry veggies and pour sauce on it. ...

The romance started as soon as my friends saw the sweet n sour sauce simmering on the stove. I poured that sauce over the bed of fried noodles n crunchy veggies and as soon as the dish touched the dinning table, it disappeared, all I heard was the lip smacking sighs in the room full of food loving friends... such happiness in churning out a perfect meal

My friend liked it so much that she sent back her feedback the next day. She says: “It was a delicious meal. The crunchy veggies & crispy noodles with a delectable sauce with a subtle flavour of kaffir Leaves and the right amount of sweet & sour flavour, the " bang on " consistency of the sauce was simply a gastronomical delight! ! ! ! Thank you. YEH DIL, DIMAAG AUR TONGUE MAANGE MORE.”

I am not sure if I will be able to reproduce the same taste, but my friends want it again…..

Method

Arrange the deep-fried noodles in the plate * Stir fry exotic vegetables like broccoli  red and yellow capsicum, mushrooms, carrots, bakchoi, etc * cover the noodles with stir fried noodles

For sauce

Take 2cups water, add 1tbsp vinegar, 1tbsp tomato sauce, 1tbsp tomato ketchup, soya sauce, kafir leaves, basil leaves, vegetarian cube and 1tbsp corn flour. Mix and heat till it becomes thick

Pour over vegetables.