The Insatiable Gourmand

 When it comes to food we all have our own perceptions and ideologies. Some like it plain and simple and some like it to be extravagant. But despite of our thinking, we all can agree on one fact that food attracts everyone. And the most attractive part about food is the restaurant and hotel industry. This industry has been around for many years and it always seems to capture the attention of the outsiders. People always want to get into restaurant industry because they think it’s #glamorous. But all that glitters isn’t gold. Restaurants and hotels have always been one of the main parameters to evaluate the growth potential of a region. If a region has good restaurants, then it means that the people there are prospering. But why does this industry seem to lucrative? (For simplicity, I will be referring to restaurants predominantly as they are more famous than hotels in my opinion) Let’s find out: 1. Restaurants are Glamorous- As I had previously mentioned, people find restaurants ve...

In today's time, big is considered better. But what those big cafes don't know, is being exploited by smaller cafes like Ama Cafe . This place is hard to locate, but if it's found once it's tough to forget too. We (me, my sister and my cousins) went there upon my sister's recommendation and we thoroughly enjoyed our time at this wonderful place. As I said earlier, it was quite tough to locate, but when we entered it was a really pleasant surprise. The place is crude yet elegant, it is small yet huge and it might look like a normal run-of-the-mill cafe, but what separates it from the rest is the coffee they offer. We tried many of their coffees, but my favorite was Affogato. It's a blend of really dense and rich black coffee with cold and creamy vanilla ice-cream. When these two are mixed, the result is simply amazing. You get a really rich flavor of coffee, which is not overpowering and not too sweet. It just hits the spot. After a long hard day, this can ...

As we all are getting aware of our health, we are learning more and more about how to reach our optimal weight. Some people just quit everything, in order to lose weight. But this approach is not only barbaric, but it's also hazardous. The harm this does is way more than the good it does for our bodies. I have recently started working on achieving my goal weight and it's absolutely not the way which we are all familiar with. I will be sharing my experience with dieting and losing weight. So sit back and enjoy the easiest way to lose weight. 1. Don't stop eating altogether- This is the biggest misconception about dieting. Whenever we hear the word diet, we resonate it with no eating and couldn't be more wrong. Dieting is about eating healthy, eating fresh fruits and vegetables and eating all these in moderate proportions. Eating healthy is very important as it helps in preventing many problems like High Blood Pressure, Obesity etc. 2. Avoid sweets or sugary produc...

I recently visited Udaipur, the city of lakes, and I completely enjoyed my trip. There is something about that city which attracts thousands of people every year. According to me, it's their food which is the most attracting thing about the place. Of course, the architecture is simply amazing. But what good is this amazing architecture when the food inside is not up to the mark? The city is filled with good street food, and by good, I mean sanitary and healthy street food. Not something which we are habitual to here in Delhi. My first experience was the worst as I went with the choice of cab drivers and auto drivers. They all recommended Jhoomar Restaurant , which sounds quite good. But as I arrived at that place, I was appalled by what I saw. It was a big place with some artificial grass on the floor and patio furniture. We sat down and ordered the food, which took half an hour to come. So this raised our expectations. We thought maybe the food is good, so we ignored the ambian...

I sometimes wonder how weirdly shaped dough can be made so delicious by just adding sauce to it and some vegetables. Well, that's how simplest things go to a whole new level of deliciousness. The Italians did a great job by inventing pasta and we Indians did an even better job by making it our own. I tried some of the kinds of pasta available in the region of Delhi NCR, and they sure were amazing. This one I tried at RAILWAY YARD, THE MIDNIGHT CAFE in Gujranwala Town, Delhi. They serve a really delicious pasta, which is available until 4 AM in the morning. This is the Indianised version of the classic Arrabiatta. It had a very spicy red tomato sauce, tossed with capsicum, parsley, and garlic. It had a very expressive flavor profile and the dish looked amazing too. This one is called PERI-PERI PASTA in SAGE, METROPOLITAN MALL, GURGAON. It's another twist to the traditional Arrabiatta and this one tasted even better than the above one. It had a much complex flavor pro...

Coffee is the one constant love of this generation's millennials. It helps them focus on their work and keeps them on the edge to deliver the best results. Traditionally, coffee was just black but now we have so many varieties and concoctions, that we can't even count. Trying different types of coffees is always interesting and amusing. I would like to share some of the best coffees I've had with you all and trust me, they are something. This bad boy is called PEANUT BUTTER FREEZE and it surely freezes the brain. It's made of ice and is really really cold. The peanut butter flavor is a very refreshing twist on a coffee and doesn't overpower the flavor of the coffee in it. You can slurp on it for a long time and beat the heat in summers and it's available in all outlets of Cafe Coffee Day. Next up are TOFFEE COLD COFFEE & CITRUS COLD BREW COFFEE. These are also available at Cafe Coffee Day and they taste even better than the Peanut Butter Freeze. Bot...

We Indians, like overwhelming food. It doesn't matter if it's overwhelmed by just one huge dish or many small dishes, whether it's cheese or chocolate. We like to experiment with our food, that's true. But what else we like is a good and hearty platter. Recently, I tried a few platters from different places and they sure were delicious in their own way. This is a VEG PLATTER at MOB, CP and it had all the flavors of India. It had Dahi Ke Kebabs, Soya Chaap, and many other things. They were full of herbs and spices. Each dish had a unique taste, and that's what I was aiming at. It was a complete meal for a single person. But as far as the concept of a platter goes, it was far from enough for 2 people. Maybe that's what they need to work on. Otherwise, it was a great platter. Next, I tried International Veggie Platter at  Ambrosia Bliss, CP . It had all the subtleties of an international dish but still had some Indian touch to it. The way they wer...

India catches on to the latest trends pretty quickly. One of the latest delicacies it finally caught upon was Waffles.  A waffle is a simple dish which looks exquisite and can be both sweet and savoury. We all love waffles and I have tried some of the craziest waffles in the past few days. Some of them look really heavy but they were extremely delicious.  This beast of a waffle is available at Waffle Master in Rajouri Garden. It might look a little messy, but the flavours it had were really accurate. The gems on top, the hot chocolate sauce, the brownie all make it simply irresistable. It's called NUTELLA BOMB WAFFLE . And it sure was a bomb... This waffle is called NUTELLA BROWNIE WAFFLE . Nutella sure looks great on top of a soft, fluffy waffle. And this is no exception.The two scoops of ice-cream make it taste even better. The best part about this waffle was that they let us decide which flavour of ice-cream we prefer. So head to La Waffle in Rajouri...

Long gone are the days when we just wanted a scoop of vanilla or chocolate or for those who lived on an edge, 2 scoops of vanilla or chocolate. In today's world, there are so many flavors of a simple ice-cream than you can even imagine. There is Pistachio, Butternut Squash, Avocado and so many more. And if this isn't enough, we have ice-cream sundaes too. These "Sundaes" are pretty much like a normal Sunday. Not in flavor, of course, but as to how they both make us feel and that is relaxed. I recently tried a few unique ice-creams and sundaes. Check them out: - These days there is this trend of "Organic Ice-cream" and this is a step towards that. Naturals give organic ice-cream which looks different than the traditional ice-cream but tastes exactly like that. Apparently, it doesn't have that much sugar content and is on the light side. But to be honest, I don't get the concept of Organic Ice-cream because it sounds weird and doesn't sou...

There is a saying, "There are two types of people in the world: those who love chocolate and communists." If you don't love a nice piece of rich, smooth chocolate, you know where you belong. People believe that there is always a place for dessert. Well, it's always true. No matter how full you are, you will always want to have a good, delicious dessert after a good meal. I would like to share a few of my personal favorite desserts I have tasted so far, and some of them were quite exquisite. This is an OREO CHEESECAKE  pastry. It was simply outstanding and had the best texture. The base of the pastry was crunchy and crispy. It was made of dense chocolate. The middle part was gooey cheesecake with chocolate and oreo flavor. The pastry was topped with an oreo biscuit, which made it look more beautiful. This beast is available at Bakerz Lodge in Punjabi Bagh. Do give it a shot. This bad boy is a native of Amari Hua Hin, Thailand and it's a DARK CHOCOLA...

Whenever we think of comfort food, one dish doesn't skip our minds. Yes, you guessed it right, it's pizza. Pizza is the only comfort food, which we can have in every mood, whether we are sad or happy or even angry. It calms the soul and lets you relax, and more the cheese, more we enjoy it. A traditional pizza has evolved so much that if our ancestors had seen it now they would have also drooled over it. Look how delicious this pizza looks. It doesn't have a lot of toppings, but just color, the crispness of the picture makes it simply delicious. Such is the charm of a pizza. Everyone has their own version of making a pizza. Some put pineapple (I don't know why people commit this sin), and some add artichokes (Now this is what I am talking about) and some add avocados (No comment on this...). Adding different ingredients is a different thing, but making 2 different pizzas simultaneously is like taking this extraordinary dish to a whole new level. In this, th...

"Eat clean to stay fit; have a burger to stay sane". This saying goes for all the millennials today. We all love a tasty, delicious burger. That smooth patty which just melts on your tongue, as soon as it enters your mouth sure gives an ultimate experience. Those soft buns which make a crunchy noise as you press them and make sure the whole burger fits in your mouth, that is what a great burger is about. This was one of the burgers i tried recently at Smoke House Deli , DLF Promenade, Vasantkunj and it was one to remember. It's name was SHD Double Cottage Cheese Burger and it was a huge burger and the patty was the highlight. It was soft, juicy and full of flavors, which just oozed out as soon as i pressed the burger. The veggies were fresh, the onion ring on top was really crispy and delicious and the fries along with them were equal in size and seasoned to perfection. It's a must have for all the vegetarians. Other amazing burger joints are Johnny Rockets...

Chinese food has been very popular in India, mainly because of its spicy flavor and soft texture. Whenever we talk about Chinese food, Honey Chili Potato comes to our mind. Traditionally, Chinese food does not consist of so many spices. But in India, we are used to having spicy food, so we Indianised Chinese food and made it into something which everyone loves. No family dinner is complete without this, the Hot n Sour Soup. It's a delicious pre-starter which we all relish during a Chinese dinner. It has all the ingredients which we like to devour. The noodles in the soup give it the oomph factor. The spices it has are really refreshing and they give the soup a sweet and sour kick. It's a satisfying soup which we like to have even when we have Indian food. Let's talk about Honey Chili Potato for a while. This potato delicacy has won millions of hearts in India. It's sweet, it's spicy, it's tangy and it's very filling. It goes with every...

Festivals and food go hand-in-hand. Whenever we celebrate a festival, we always try to have really good food along with it. And for us North-Indians, festivals have never been the reason why we want to have good food. For us, each day is worth having good, delicious, authentic North-Indian food. Diwali is no exception. With house parties going on in almost every home, we end up eating those delicious tikkas, sumptuous biryani and many other delicacies. Food always binds us all, and when its North-Indian food, we do more than just mere binding. We share food as well as memories. As a popular saying goes "There is no love sincerer than the love for food", we tend to connect with people who share similar tastes. Here steps in the outstanding C hhole Bhature . They are a perfect breakfast meal for festivals. Surprisingly, they are a great conversation starter. A heavy breakfast brings on laziness. But we North-Indians never feel lazy, specially after having such an amazin...

Food has evolved into something which if our ancestors could see, they would have not believed. In the past couple of years, we have seen food grow at such an exponential rate and it's mind-boggling. New restaurants and cafes are coming up with new ideas for food and its diversity, almost every single day. They serve some really good dishes, which people are admiring and are starting to develop tastes for them. Cafes are fusing Indian food with Japanese food and making a whole new cuisine. This type of fusion can go two ways, but more often than not, it generally comes out to be pretty good. Good food doesn't always mean good looking food. It can also be food which doesn't look so appealing but the taste is a bomb. This is where street food comes in. Even street food these days is getting fused. Street vendors are fusing Lebanese food with Indian food and making really delicious rolls like Kadhai Paneer Roll, Soya Chaap Roll and so on. This trend which is catch...

Gastronomy  is the study of the relationship between  food  and culture, art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, a style of cooking of particular region, and the science of good eating. In India, gastronomy is perceived to be something completely different from the above definition. Here it means, smoke and some gimmicks to attract customers to have food which has no relation to gastronomy. Molecular gastronomy is much more than just some smoke. It's about mixing of chemicals with food items to make things which we generally can't obtain from the market. It is the art of solidifying liquids and converting solids into powder form. Understanding gastronomy is like understanding mathematics for some people, it's not that easy. The recent developments in India have been quite riveting. People have started accepting gastronomy and what it has to offer. Young India loves food which have gastronomical twist to them. It's delicious and it's ex...