Trip to Philippines - Part 2 [Manila]

In the previous post it was all an overall information of Philippines but now comes the intricate details of the trip.

Let me start with Manila from which I had great expectations but it did not click, below you will find the details.
1. Well Manila is like Mumbai and I wanted to get out of Mumbai and after entering Manila it felt that I have entered Mumbai [I hope you are understanding all the stuff]. All in all if you want to get out of Mumbai do not enter Manila because it feels the same.
2. Traffic is crazy
3. Too many people, too many cars, too many malls.

After my frustrating evening trip to the hostel from the Airport, I thought of relaxing a lil bit the next morning and doing a chill pill. Well got bored soon and wanted to check out places and asked Ron from MNL hostel about the old Manila which has got some great things written about it. If you are a history fan this is the place to go but there are more interesting things.

As I was on a budget trip, I took the budget way of traveling over to Intramuros by Jeepney and Manila metro rail to Central Terminal and walk into Intramuros. But on the way I was swayed by the food and the love of Soft quail eggs which are fried famously called Kwek - Kwek which is dipped in Soya and vinegar sauce and cost for 5 small Kwek - Kwek is just 10 pesos. Also during the hot summer day you can try Boku [coconut water] for just 25 pesos for a big glass or Black Ice Tea for 10 pesos from any road side food.

Jeepney is like Tata Ace in small villages in India where they ply a specific road and charges are nominal. Comfortably 20 people can be seated in and max cost would be around 20 pesos it is quick but never sit near the exit as you will be taking in the most of the black smoke coming from the exhaust.

Intramuros means within the wall is the old part of Manila and for other things read up wikipedia. As for travelers there is a museum, spanish home, few more things, and 2 beautiful churches St. Augustine and Manila church. I suggest you can avoid everything other than the Church. Entry into St. Augustine church is 100 pesos and the place is so serene and quite. Sit there enjoy the great decore

Then the great Manila church where entry is free and again it is a huge church which has being build and rebuilt over and over again because it was destroyed due to earthquake and war.

Well after checking out the places in the Old Manila, time to travel to other part of the country like Boracay and El Nido.

Kellogs Honey Curd Kiwi - Confusing Mix [Recipe]

Well my mom is who loves to cook and I love to eat whatever she puts in the plate except Karela.

This is one super simple stomach filling (i think healthy) breakfast or whatever time you feel like eating Confusing Mix

Ingredients:

1. Kellogs Corn Flakes
2. Olive Oil
3. Dry Fruits
4. Honey
5. Kiwi 
6. Banana
7. Curd

How To Make:

1. Cook Kellogs in 1 table spoon Olive Oil for 4 minutes in low flame
2. Add in 2 table spoons of Honey and keep on stirring for 2 -3 minutes in low flame
3. Put in dry fruits to the mix and keep on cooking for another 2 minutes. You will find a sweet and crunchy feel to the Corn Flakes
4. Take curd and beat it.
5. Cut the Kiwi and Banana in small pieces
6. Take a bowl put Corn Flakes mix in the bottom, put curd over it, add fruits over the curd, then curd over the fruits and top it with corn flakes again
7. Then what eat it...

San Churro - Chocolate Fantasy..maybe

Image via WikipediaLocated bang opposite Red Box this place is known to be very very chocolaty and after enjoying last day of Kala Ghoda we pushed towards San Churro just for Chocolate as we were not hungry.

As you enter there it feels like a small place with big chocolate counter and few seats which was already taken but later we came to know that a stair leads up to a big space where seats are placed far enough from each other.

We had ordered for famous Churro mini where we get hot Churros with one sauce of our choice (White, milk or dark), 7 layered Chocolate Pastry and Paneer sandwich as my friend suddenly got hungry. You can place the order at the counter or go up have a seat and give the order to the waiter.

The churros came in and the pastry too, as it was our first experience of what churro is, it was pretty good except I wanted the chocolate to be hot too. So we finished off the Churros and the cake with 7 layer was quite heavy for one person and luckily we were four still it was too much. Sandwich was pretty OK.

Total cost was Rs. 400 which was OK for a one time visit, we still have to enjoy the hot chocolate and also few other things. The menu was not that extensive, that is what my friends felt.

The Laughing Cavalier - The stomach is happy but the wallet is not

Finally met up with this friend where we had decided to go Malwan Kalwan but as soon as we got on the rickshaw it stuck me as she is a foodie why not try the place which I had always wanted to go to since the time it was open called The Laughing Cavalier.

It is located inside a industrial complex and the road to the place is also not that inspiring but once you are inside you do not feel that you just had passed through the small road. Luckily for us or unluckily for us they were celebrating Italian week where the menu had only Italian Cuisine and nothing else they said that they wanted us to feel the authentic Italian food.

The menu card is a bit confusing as there are single pages which you can take out and then decide what to eat. We took almost 20 mins on what to eat and finally decided to order 3 dishes
1. Parma Ham with Melon
2. Rissoto with Chicken Sausages
3. Grilled chicken with Spaghetti

The Ham was fist to arrive it was delicious and soft and surely worth the cost. 4 pieces cooked very lightly and melon.

Rissoto was nice and creamy and veggies were cooked properly and I think sausages were imported coz it was way too pink.

The 3rd dish was pasable though nothing much to write about.

Total hit on the wallet for 3 dishes was Rs. 1500, they also have Thai, Chinese, Indian and Mexican which we might go again and try it out but till that time we were satisfied.

Address:

• Fobez Tower, Kanchpada, 
• Ramchandra Lane, Malad (W), 
• Mumbai
• Landmark: Near Prime Mall
• Phone: 28803411, 28803412, 28803413

Amla Curry - Healthy Curry

This is also another of those fruit which I could not think where a curry would be made but here is the ingredient of the Amla Curry, very simple very easy.

Ingredients:

1. 6 Pieces of Amla
2. Oil
3. Salt, Red Chilli Powder, Turmuric, Jeera, Hing, Sauf, Sugar all things according to taste

How to Make:

1. First we will need to steam the amla this is an important process.
2. Take a pressure cooker and then pour water in the base. Take a plate with holes in it and put it over the water. Note that water should not touch the plate.  Do not cut the Amla just drop them over the plate
3. Close the pressure cooker lid and steam the Amla till 2 whistles.
4. Open the lid you will see that Amla is all soft and broken up. Clean up the seeds of Amla.
5. Keep it to cool in room temperature. 
6. Add Oil in another Kadai and then add 1 tea spoon of jeera, sauf and hing. 
7. Cook till you hear pop sound of Jeera.
8. Then add Amla in the Kadai
9. Cook for sometime and then add Red Chilli Powder, Turmeric and Salt according to taste.
10. Cook again for sometime and then add Sugar according to the taste just to give a sweet flavor to the Amla
11. Cook for a min and remove the kadai from the heat. Put the lid over the kadai just to that the flavors mix together. 
12. You can eat with Roti or Rice. 

You will have the typical Amla Taste with a bit of sugary flavor.

Bandra Wine Tasting Festival - A newbie post

In this post I will not be telling you what I drank, which one I liked better but what we did mostly.

I am not a wine drinker but I am not biased on what I drink. Wine is said to be the drink for the classes. And when I saw Wine Tasting festival organized by Pune Gourmet Club aka PGC in Bandra Gymkhana, I had set my heart out and the deal given by PGC was awesome taste 20 glasses wines for Rs. 500 only which by a marwadi calculation is a super deal (I know I am being cheap here but month end you need to check your wallet, right?)

We 3 eager people reached the location around 1:45 pm all excited and with a promise to ourselves that we will finish off the coupons, yes all 20 of them. We entered and found ourselves a shady place to sit away from the sun and relax. Opened our bags which was given by PGC which contained Wine Glass by Pause, Booklet by PGC where all about wine and wine making was written, Pen, coupons and menu card of the food stall.

10 minutes after soaking in the whole atmosphere we all naive wine drinkers headed off to the first stall Four Seasons and upon greeting they asked what would we like to have. As naive as we are about not knowing the names, how to pronounce them we just said in simple English "What do you suggest?" Then the lady behind the counter courteous enough told us, "I suggest you white wine" we nod, she added "do you like it sweet or dry?" We had no clue what dry meant we went for sweet. Ohh! yes we did sniff, we did swirl, we did roll the wine in our tongue but did not get exactly what they meant by fruity flavor.

So first few drinks were all white or at times Rose we did sip in slowly, talked, watched, read the booklet. As it was afternoon time we were suggested to have white chilled wine and as a good listener we obeyed them and drank them slowly.

Around 5 pm we had around total of 11 glasses of white wine, rose and red wine. But mostly it was white wine with the sweet tasting one. Well the dry white wine makes your tongue go dry when you swirl the Wine around a bit in your mouth and gulp it down.

The festival also had some interesting food counters Cafe Arabia for Lebanese food which was great. PGC Sea Food barbeque which had fishes and pastas, we tried Chicken Pasta which was just OK. And Chicken Curry South Indian style again average.

We novice people wanted to try cheese as well and after having some horrific cheese forgot the name (do not want to remember about it at all) we decided we are happy with our Amul Cheese.

There was a live food counter made by a famous Chef of a famous hotel, he made Ravioli and Risotto, If I had ordered them, I would have promptly sent them away. One of the worst I have ever tasted and an Italian female duly agreed with me.

Around 7:30 PM when I had another appointment to keep had to rush off after around 16 glasses and we did not finish our promise.



Heard it on a TV Channel "Wine Making and drinking is a serious business and beer making is a fun business" which I understood when I was at the tasting festival, guys behind the counter in smart white, very serious looking, jazz playing and everyone sitting in their own table talking in a low voice.

Papad Curry - Simplest and Quickest

Papad is one thing which we eat just with dinner which is roasted or fried but today I shall write about the most simplest curry known as Papad Curry.

Ingredients:

1. Papad - 4 Pieces
2. Red Chilly Powder
3. Turmeric
4. Jeera
5. Oil
6. Water
7. Salt

How to make:

1. Put in 2 teaspoon of Oil in a pan and heat it up with Jeera.
2. Cut papad in small pieces almost 1/5th of actual size of each papad.
3. Put them in the Pan and cook it with the oil for a minute medium heat
4. Add Red Chilly powder and turmeric.
5. Add salt but not too much as papad already has too much salt in it.
6. Add water and then cook again for 2 mins. Stir slowly.
7. That is it...step 7 is eat

The full flavor of the curry is based on what Papad you use as there are many flavors. We make it with the marwadi style papad which is generally roasted.

Aloo Kachori - Agra

It was a pretty decent Sunday October morning in Agra temperature hovering around 25 degrees celcius and right opposite our hotel was a place known as Pappu Kachori at Baluganj road opposite Lavania Villas.

Kachoris In the process

We were walking randomly in Agra and we asked where can we find an awesome breakfast he pointed us the place from where we started.

The Team

The place is just 8 x 8 place where inside 1 person is filling up the dough, 2nd person rolling up the dough in small circles and putting them in hot oil and 3rd person taking order from hungry junta. This is the first time I have seen a complete process of Kachori making it just looks like you are making Puri. But here they have to be cooked for a longer time. People are getting stressed, hungry, more people join in. And outside I see the 4th person making Jalebis and almost everywhere in India people do not say no to Jalebi in the morning. But for the first time I have seen them it having with Aloo Bhaji yes Jalebi mixed with Aloo Bhaji.

People waiting for the Kachori

Finally after 20+ min wait we get hot hot kachoris in our hands with Aloo bhaji curry in a small bowl. You have to crack open the Kachori let the heat out and dip it in the curry and enjoy it. Note: the curry is a spicy mix of red chilly powder, pieces of green chillies and other masalas. The 75+ odd kachoris got over in 10 mins.
We had 4 Aloo kachori, 1 dal kachori and 2 bowls of Jalebi total bill Rs. 36 and satisfaction priceless

The final product photograph were not taken as we were very very hungry and ate it. 

Angels in My Kitchen - Some were missing that day

After a good dinner in Sagar Ratna, we ended up going to Angels in my Kitchen with reference of Deepak Sharma. The bakery is on ground floor and a food joint is upstairs. We went there only for desserts and we had that...the place had lot of bread stuff, french hearts, mousse, cakes and pastries.


We ordered Going Nut, Chocolate Envision, Blueberry Cheese Cake and Tiramisu.

1. Going Nut: It is a chocolate pastry with lots of nuts inside and outside of it, if you go by the name but there were few of them and it had not so sweet taste. The icing inside was nice.
2. Chocolate Envision: The cake looked like a dutch truffle from outside and had some white chocolate bits over it. Overall it was not the best but decent enough.
3. Blueberry Cheese Cake: Came in a plastic cup, saw something like this for the first time and the blueberry was not sweet but sour. Destroyed the whole amazing feel to it.
4. Tiramisu: No one can ever go wrong with a Tiramisu but for the first time i tasted a bitter and yellow coloured Tiramisu...if you have an option you can avoid it.

I must have gone on a wrong day where nothing was that great...maybe next time somewhere else.

Sagar Ratna - Something missing.

I have being coming to Gurgaon and staying on and off for atleast 2 weeks at a time but never went beyond CP, Chandni Chowk and Khan Market to have a grub whenever I visit Delhi, well you will ask why? here it is, I have no freaking idea how to travel and find other places and luckily for me Deepak Sharma @intellectassests on twitter invited me for dinner in Delhi which I could not say no to.
So this is how my journey began, took a metro from HUDA Center in Gurgaon to Qutub and then walked up to Lado Sarai met up with him, chatted for a while and then decided to go for dinner and he said few names for me which were heard for the first time, as it was Monday and some Somwar was happening we decided on going to Defense Colony aka "Def Col" called by Delhites.
Walking into the food heaven court we walked down to Sagar Ratna which is a big hit amongst Delhi people and fully excited we enter in. Looked at the menu which had the regular fare of south indian dishes and my eyes came upon a fixed thali which had Poori, Pickle, Rasam, 3 Veggies, Raita, Curd, Rice and Sambhar for Rs. 140 which I must say was decent. And my friend ordered a Mysore Masala Dosa which was basically just Masala Dosa with red chutney in it.
Ok let me talk about my food, the order came within 5 mins and I was all ready to eat it up. The 4 pooris just got over as soon as it started so did the veggies with it. Rasam was delicious. Then came the rice and sambhar which was just OK. What the problem was it left me wanting for more but we had to have some desserts so I avoided to order more.
But I must say all the people who came there were enjoying it very much but again for me it was pretty OK.
Ohh! and a special mention to the green chutney which they give it is spoon licking good

Vapour - Microbrewery

Vapourise yourself

With 20% discount coupon in our hand we end up going to Vapour a Microbrewery in Gurgaon MGF Mall. As we reach the door we are said by the receptionist that the place is full and clearly I can see 10 tables empty....when asked they said people are expected and you should have a reservation. As only 2 were there we were allowed to go to the rooftop
.
For me that was the only bad experience and after that it went uphill.....the brewery has 4 kinds of Beer Premium, Dark, Wheat and Light.
Premium was Good, Wheat tasted like a todi (drink made from coconut) and Dark which was really Good. Well light was not available. The beer cost was Rs. 185 for 500 ml without taxes.
If you like Hindi and Punjabi music do go in party room and if you like good ol rock music go to the rooftop.
They also have hookahs and bbq's which are basically ok and service is quite good.
After good 4 hours of music, beer and hookah I was pretty impressed and yes the girls are really hot.
Contact:
Vapour, 2nd floor, MGF Mega City mall, Gurgaon
Mobile number: 9810690973,9582555614.
Tel number: 0124-4222313

Mainland China (Andheri) - Lunch Buffet

After ages decided to go for a Buffet on Sunday which friends said is quite good but as it turned out one friend had some work on Sunday and we decided to go on Saturday for which she could not come. Finally 2 of us decided lets go and reached Mainland China in Andheri Link Road behind Hyundai Showroom at around 2 pm. We were told to wait for few minutes just so that we can get a seat and soon we entered seeing the buffet for Saturday I was pleasantly surprised and rubbed my hands in anticipation.

Buffet Details:
Cost: Rs. 699 (inclusive of taxes)
Soup: One Veg and One Non Veg
Starters: 5 Veg and 5 Non Veg
Main Course: 5 Veg and 5 Non Veg (excluding Rice and Noodle)
Desserts: 14 Varieties
Also as complimentary you do get a Kingfisher Beer/Iced Tea/Fresh Lime Soda

The good thing is the waiters serve you the soup and the starters so that you can relax on your table, talk and eat no need to get up again and again. As we were pure non-veggies decided to go for Chicken Dumplings, Chicken Satay, Prawns Satay and one black chicken which looked like manchurian but Chicken was too hard. For veg there was Veg Dumplings, Spinach Wanton and Veg Chrispy which we tried. Sometimes the food used to come out cold and later we saw to keep them warm they kept it under a bulb (yes! brilliant idea! not)
We got ourselves a Sea Food Delight Soup which had, I think, around 5 varieties of fish in it tasted average but no complains.
After chatting a bit as we both were stuffed with the starters, walked out to get the main course which was super considering it had Fish, Shrimps, Crabs, Lobsters and Lamb with dash of Rice and Noodles everything tasted quite good and was worth it.
Dessert section was amazing which now I regret of not having it before the main course it had different kind of fruits, lots of pastries and one Chinese specialty (starts with a D) name which I currently don't remember.
So if you want to have value for money meal this place is good enough, bit noisy as the place was full but nice place.

Thai Ban - It should be called Thai Banned!!

I would say one of the most suckiest food eating moment was at Thai Ban in Bandra next to Papa Pancho in Pali Naka. I would say one of the places you can definitely avoid in Mumbai. Well there are few reasons to it,
Service: Sucks, even if they see empty Ice Tea glasses on the table they leave it there.
Food: mmmm only other than Phad Rice and Thai Yellow Curry which looked like Kadhi nothing is worth mentioning. I had the most worst Cheese cake ever in my life it felt like i was having a Blackberry Yogurt.
Cost: I would say only saving factor, fine by what quantity they serve.

This would be one place you should go at your own risk.

Goan Food - The name says it all

Hidden away on the right hand side in the lane which has Uncle's Kitchen and Prems in Orlem, Malad West, name of the place is Goan Food...yes yes Goan Food.

It has place for only 6 people to sit and that too sit in one line and eat, seriously but who cares about the ambiance when the food is good, straight from the goan kitchen. We reached around 10 pm where it was empty but we noticed that it does have lots of home delivery orders.

The menu is not that big, it has burgers, Frankie and other stuff but the main things are chicken cafreal, chicken xacuti, Pork Sausages, pork sorpotel and so forth and so on. We ordered 3 gravies which were Cafreal, Pork Sorpotel and Chicken Xacuti where quantity was decent enough for Rs. 80 each.

It was suggested that their Chicken Steak burger and Beef Steak Burger is awesome, well it was not awesome but the sauce left a very good after taste behind.

The food is not oily neither too spicy it is just right. You can also order by the kilo. Sorry guys don't have the phone number but if you stay near Malad and love non-veg try this place out or else just come over and take home delivery.

TASTE EXPO

Featuring wines from 8 countries showcasing 4 brands each, introductory certification courses from world renowned institutes WSET & CAFA in addition to single malt workshops – the TASTE features are set to invigorate the senses. 

Image via Wikipedia

When: January 28 & 29, 2010

Where: Conference Rooms 1 & 2, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai

Day & Time                 AgendaBrands/ Topics                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

DAY 1                                                   

10.30 ONWARDS         VISITOR REGISTRATION OPENS

11.00 – 11.15              INAUGURATION 

12.00 - 13.00               WSET INTRODUCTORY TASTING CLASS – I 

                                    'Taste like a professional'                                                             

                                    Conducted by David Wrigley, MW, WSET                                             

Swirling, slurping and spitting – the art of tasting wine in a professional arena is very different to simply enjoying a glass with friends.   The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) has been developing and delivering qualifications for the trade professional for over 40 years.

Build your confidence in tasting wine, complete an activity to attune your senses, followed by a wine tasting using the WSET’s Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting.  By taking the time to assess the colour, describe the aroma and consider the palate you can start making decisions about the quality of a wine – vital skills for those who love wine.                        

Attendees receive certificates from WSET at the end of the session.         

12.00 - 13.00               CAFA SCHOOL OF WINE & SPIRITS 

                                    'Wine-making methods used in Europe'

                                    Conducted by Mathieu Huguet, Wine-maker                                                     

14.00 - 14.30               WINES OF FRANCE

The French group will be delighted to take you through the regions of Champagne, Bordeaux, Sud De France. Wines available to taste are Champagne Chaudron, Champagne Malard, Buzet, Aimery Sieur D’arques and Domaine de Puech Haut from the Languedoc region, Cognac and Pineaux Lheraud and Chateau Montaud from Provence.               

14.00 - 14.30               WINES OF ITALY

A group of charming wines including regional specialities such as Chianti, Brunello, Montepulicano and Barolo will be presented by the interesting mix of Italians.  

14.30 - 15.00               WINES OF AUSTRIA

The Austrian Wine Marketing board representing the best wines available from the country will be presenting some classic and young interesting vintages.               

14.30 - 15.00               WINES OF GERMANY

A strong interesting group of wines made available to you at TASTE include Kerner Gewürztraminer Spätlese, Riesling Niersteiner Ölberg  Spätlese, Trollinger Lemberger QbA and specialist wines from the Morhena  association of wineries.   

15.00 – 16.00              WINE AND SPIRIT PANEL DISCUSSION

‘Overcoming the challenges facing the Indian Wine Market Tackling taxation and its impact on the market’

• Highlighting the struggle in introducing new labels

• Following market trends

• Embracing change within the wine market

v  Sanjay Menon, Importer, Sonarys                                                   

v  Vishal Kadakia, CEO, Wine Park                                                     

v  Subhash Arora, President, Delhi Wine Club & Indian Wine Academy                                              

15.00 - 16.00               TULLEEHO BEER APPRECIATION WORKSHOP

Conducted by the Tulleeho Bartending Academy, the Tulleeho Workshops will not only add the dash of flavour to your next drink but will also leave you with interesting facts that will serve to open up a whole new meaning to taste. Attend and appreciate.              

16.00 - 17.00               WINE AND SPIRIT PANEL DISCUSSION                                                          

v  David Wrigley, MW, WSET                                                      

v  Dharti Desai, CEO, FineWinesnMore      

16.00 - 16.30               WINES OF PORTUGAL

Portugal is the new star at the wine fair and will be presenting a range of wines including the finest of Porto Wines. Featuring Vista Alrgre Port LBV 2003, Costa Do Pombal (Doc Douro) and Vallegre Special Reserve 2005.    

16.30 - 17.00               WINES OF INDIA

                             A host of the finest wines from the finest and talented wine makers in India will give you a live taste of the amazing progress achieved by the country’s pioneering wine makers.

DAY 2       

                                                                            

10.30 ONWARDS         VISITOR REGISTRATION OPENS

12.00 - 13.00               WSET INTRODUCTORY TASTING CLASS - II

‘Does wine tell its own story?’                                                       

Conducted by David Wrigley, MW, WSET             

Tasting wine professionally isn’t a clever party trick designed to impress your friends when you manage to guess the grape variety, country and vintage correctly, it’s a chance for us to consider a wine in detail and to make educated conclusions.

In this session, WSET will look at what we can learn about a wine by tasting it blind.  Using the WSET’s Level 3 Systematic Approach to Tasting, we will evaluate the wine before asking ourselves what our tasting notes, together with our global wine knowledge, tell us about what we have in the glass… what does the wine tell us about itself?  Is it a classic wine of its style? What is its value category? 

Attendees receive certificates from WSET at the end of the session.

12.00 - 13.00               CAFA SCHOOL OF WINE & SPIRITS

‘All about Cognac’

Conducted by Amit Keval, Consultant    

This workshop will focus on the intricate details of how cognac is manufactured and how to taste it best.     

14.00 - 14.30               WINES OF SOUTH AFRICA

                                     

Wines of South Africa will be presenting award winning wines with a special focus on wines from the distinctive terroir of Saronsberg. The ranges available include the Provenance range known for their fruit driven elegance, the Provenance Shiraz range renowned for their elegant and accessible tannins, the Saronsber range with their full range of bold fruity wines and the Saronsber Seismic range.     

14.00 - 14.30               WINES OF SPAIN

The group of wineries from Spain are here to present to you 'new to India' wines including brandy from Jerez, wines from the region of Toro and a range of wines presented by Grapeland.           

15.00 - 16.00               FOOD PANEL DISCUSSION 

Highlighting the weaknesses & optimising the strengths of the Food & Beverage Sector in India                          

v  Vijayan Gangadharan, Director - F&B, Grand Hyatt                                                                     

v  Rajiv Kapoor, Assistant Director - F&B, Le Royal Meridien                                               

v  Ranju Singh, Director - F&B, Taj Lands End           

15.00 - 16.00               TULLEEHO SCOTCH & SINGLE MALT APPRECIATION WORKSHOP 

                                    Mesmerized by Single Malt?                                                                  

Take the Scotch Whisky Trail and get acquainted with the regions of Scotland and their varied whiskies. Learn from the Whiskey Guru and get fascinated by the taste and smells that will undoubtedly overwhelm your senses. Brands for tasting will be announced shortly. Attendees receive certificates from the Tulleeho Bartending Academy at the end of this session.                   

16.00 - 17.00               THE ULTIMATE WINE & FOOD PAIRING SESSION

Conducted by Cru Classe's Lara Cowan

An oenophile and “wine geek” at core, Lara believes in staying abreast of the newest developments in the world of wine, yet trusts and respects the traditions that have nurtured wines through the ages. To complement the world of Wines, Lara also has a background in Food Technology. As a trained Pastry Chef and an accomplished Chef she believes in "balance". Balance of flavours, textures and all the delicate intricacies of ingredients are important to her...and without compromise. Food and Wine Pairing, undoubtedly comes naturally to her!        

16.00 - 17.00               TAJ TEA WORKSHOP

This tea tasting and appreciation workshop reveals the mystery behind this exotic drink and   takes you on a journey that will transform you from a tea lover to a tea connoisseur. Along the way, we will master the art of making a perfect cup of tea and also figure out what to do with an orange peel. Featuring Taj Tea Brands, by Hindustan Unilever Limited.                                 

                                    *TASTE Show Features agenda and timings are subject to change

To enroll for the TASTE features, please contact me on +91 98207 04500. Registrations on a first come first serve basis only.

Mello Jello's

Was always curious on how Jello shots were made and how they would taste, so finally went into the kitchen to make one at my home and seriously it is very very easy to make

Ingredients:
Vodka (Depends on how much strong you want to make it)
Water
Eagle Jelly (see photo)

Preparation:
Very simple make Jelly the way it is described at the back of the Jelly pack. Cool down the water and then add Vodka to your liking. Pour the cold mixture in shot glasses or the plastic glasses and keep them in the fridge and let it become firm...and done....

See photos of how it is made :)

So guys this can become your awesome party drink

Mad Dog Shot – Poland & Vodka!!!

When you think vodka, you automatically think Poland. Żubrówka, Goldwasser, Starka, Wyborowa and Sobieski are the most notable Polish vodka brands. And there are so many more!!!

Polish vodkas are 40 per cent alcohol by volume. Rye, buckwheat and oats thrive in Poland's chilly soil and hence production of respective base vodka. Flavored vodka is easily available in Poland courtesy its effortless access to exotic herbs, roots and spices.

Mad Dog Shot (aka Wściekły Pies in Polish) is an extremely popular vodka, syrup and sauce concoction, available at all the bars, seen and consumed at parties and gatherings. Here is the formula.

Mad Dog Shot
Ingredients:
30 ml chilled vodka
15 ml concentrated raspberry syrup
4 - 5 drops Tobasco sauce

Paraphernalia:
A shot glass
A spoon or a knife

Method:
Pour the raspberry syrup into the shot glass.
Pour vodka slowly and softly avoiding liquids getting mixed up. You could use a spoon or a knife to do so. Two different layers of syrup and vodka should be visible.
Throw in Tabasco sauce drops.
Your Wściekły Pies is ready. Na Zdrowie!!!


WARNING: NOT TO BE CONSUMED BY MINORS.

Doolally Premium Micro Brew - For the love of Beer!!

This is the first time I did something different just for alcohol, which was go out to Pune from Mumbai for a night of drinking (though meeting people was also involved) and it was at "The Corinthians" for some Premium Beer by company called Doolally.

Reached Pune by 8:30 pm and headed to NIBM Annexe where the brewery is located. So after meeting friends and new people headed inside the "Pune's 1st Microbrewery!".

The place is new and looks awesome with description of beer and other things on the wall. And music reminded me of Hawaiin Shack in Mumbai (Retro Rock and Classics).

So there 4 types of Beers when we went there
- Premium Lager (my fav)
- Apple Cider
- Dunkel (Black Beer)
-Wheat Beer

The cost of Pint (which is actually a Glass) is Rs. 140 cost less than international beers in pint and Pitcher was Rs. 400 - Rs. 450 holds 4 glasses.

I am posting something directly from the website as it is true..

Handcrafted in small batches the traditional way, our beers are made from the best stuff selected from around the world… Beers that actually have taste, aroma, body etc.!

 

So you will ask where can you get this thing:

Pune’s 1st Microbrewery!
@ The Corinthians Boutique Hotel,
Nyati County, NIBM Annexe,
South Pune, Pune 411060
For reservations call
020 26952226

Also there is Sunday Brunch which cost Rs. 650 including unlimited food and some awesome beer.

My Prediction:

Other Indian made beer are piss in front of this new born awesome beer.