An Evening with African Flavours

The Food, the Ambience n of course good company is always a promise for good times…....!!!

Eating out is a passion for me & trying out new places in the city adds to that passion. UZURI Deck & Dining, offering a perfect fusion of African - European experience is a newest addition to my list. Dinning @ Uzuri at the start of the festive season with my very favourite friends, Gauri & Kartick was truly an amazing experience.

'Uzuri' coming from Swahili, literally meaning 'goodness' is justified by what UZURI Deck & Dining had to offer.

Spread on the first & the second floor of the bustling GK 2 M Block Market, the first impressions of this restaurant & especially the Deck were quite nice & kept me busy clicking pictures of the place. Perfect for a private party or a lazy sunday lunch in winters, the ambience at the deck is warm & pleasant. The interiors with a wonderful play of props & colors of the African wilds, the jungles & the animal prints is interesting. The african music in the background adds to the feel of the place.  Not to miss the warmth the humble staff offers, further makes the whole experience of dining here very alluring. 

We began our journey into a mesmerizing evening with a delightful palate teasers and a mix of insanely delicious mocktails. Sea Bass & Kaffir Mojito were my kind of drinks. Their liquor license was still awaited and was expected soon!!

Not only the menu of the restaurant was appealing to the eyes but triggered the taste buds too. To start with, we were served with freshly baked warm breads along with a selection of specialty butters - Garlic, Paprika & Pesto. Though Pesto butter was interesting but Garlic butter is my preferred choice always. Since we had left the menu choice to the Chef, we were served the best dishes on offer. Amongst the other appetizers, Cape Malay Fish Cake with Saffron Mayo & Nutty Capers deserves a special mention. Mustard Lamb Shoulder with Wild Spinach & Hazelnut Salsa Verde was certainly cooked to perfection in 48 hours. Spicy Chicken & Roast Carrots, Pickled Onions with Chilli Creme Dressings as its name suggests was a little too spicy for my palate but will do justice for all those who love an extra dash of spices :)

The salad selection was indeed different. Trio of Beetroot & Goat Cheese Mousse, & Toasted Pumpkin Seeds served with Warm Bread and Beetroot & Cream Dressing, where the 'trio' came from Beetroot cooked in 3 ways - salted, pickled, & braised was according to me like a miniature portion & a little too expensive for the price. Cocoon prawns & Feta Cheese with Parma Ham & Melon Vodka Dressing was refreshing.

Our Main course was a mix of Pressed Pork Belly, Apples Cider Mash & Warm Fennel & Star Anise Jus; African Spiced Leg of Lamb, Braised Radishes, Mint Crusted Potatoes & Caramalised Onion with Confit Garlic & Caper Jus; and Coffee Paprika Crusted Tenderloin, Truffle Compound Butter, Marrow Roast Potatoes & Seasonal Vegetables. The selection was tempered with African spices, giving all the dishes the perfect texture & crunch they required. The medium-rare done Tenderloin proved that the Chefs @ Uzuri take their meats seriously!! Pork Belly was delicious & one of my favourites from the evening. The Main Course portions were satisfactorily big and full.

For the Desserts, we had Vanilla Panacotta with Raspberry Coulis and Chocolate Soil, Semi Frozen Truffles with Caramelised Nuts. I thought the desserts were a little low in making me go drool-drool-drool!! Would love to have more options in chocolate & fruity African creatives in the dessert section. 

Kudos to the masterminds here & special Thanks to Chef Rishim & Chef Guy for conceptualising a unique & innovative blend of speciality cuisine!! 

Thank you for hosting us & for such a wonderful evening.

Wishing the team at Uzuri all the best!!

Cheers!!

Friends, Gupshup & Food :)

When Nachi, Radhika & Shuchi are together, a riot of laughter, unlimited rounds of GuPsHup along with Mojito's n LIIT's and sumptuous grub are a perfect combination!!

Though a regular at Cafe Delhi Heights @ Cross Point Mall in Gurgaon, it was our plan to make our London-wali food blogger friend, Nachi to visit the place with us this time.
The first impression of this place is simple, casual yet cozy. It greets with a very chic ambience. The scintillating music in the background & aromas of the world cuisine add a lil' magic to the atmosphere here. Radhika n I are kind of addicted to come here....be it for a meal or coffee or just desserts, it is our home every second day!! & after going ga-ga over the food, & the place infront of Nachi for days together, we were here for dinner with her, FINALLY!!!

The foodie that Nachi is, it is very difficult to make her like something so easily. And when she DOES NOT like what she orders, boy-oh-boy, its 'Alles Gute' to the restaurant!! ;)
The same thing happened here as well. The Chicken Chettinad & the accompanying Bread was not up to our guest of honour's expectations. On our serious recommendation, we ordered the high-demand item on their menu - their  signature dish, a jumbo sized Juicy Lucy Burger, made out of lamb mince meat & generously loaded with sauces and veggies. Yeah, this lucy is indeed juicy :) The oozing cheese from the lamb patty is absolutely delish.......Served with a generous helping of golden brown potato wedges, this lamb loader with molten cheese needs a serious appetite to tackle it!!!

As we opened our jaws as wide as we could to bite into this heavenly meaty perfection, we were, like always, the happy girls with our dimples going 'ting'.

Not to miss the selection of desserts which added a zing to friends smiles!!

The very friendly staff & excellent service always adds to the experience :)

Apart from the longish wait to get the seat (even on weekdays!), there is nothing to complaint for.

That's an old count...Count up till last week had reached 18300 :)

Next visit due with another foodie couple, Gauri & Kartick....make it soon to Gurgaon, guys!!

Cheers,

Happy 4th April!!

"When a loved one becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure."

                                                                                                   -Unknown

Come April & our house used to be beaming with the long list of Birthdays & Anniversaries for the month. It started with the very special 4th April, our dearest Kuku Chachu's Birthday......a person who was forever smiling.....infact, a person with the most infectious smile, a pillar of strength & courage, a person who was most passionate about life & all things good, and a dear friend to everybody he knew. He achieved success as he lived well, laughed often, & loved much. Out of so many valuable things that he taught me, I live by his mantra that 'Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.' 

4th April is surely different today. Chachu, we miss you!! We miss you in so many ways; we miss you in the things you used to say and when we recall the old times, we miss you most of all!!

Today, we celebrate his life, with thoughts of remembrance & memories of happiness!! 

Happy birthday, Chachu!! I hope they have the best birthday celebrations in Heaven :)

Forever remembered, forever missed!!

Musical Vibrations!!

Nehru Park, quintessentially located in the heart of the city, offers us - the Delhi wala's a sense of what Delhi is all about - it's grandeur, openness, & ultra green stretch is symbolic. Its picturesque beauty and serene surroundings are just perfect and add that extra glitz to this iconic Delhi landmark!!

For me, memories of this diplomatic park dates back to atleast 20 years, if not more!!.....not when I used to come here for school picnics or for morning walks with dad, but for times when I used to accompany my parents for classical music concerts. Being a kiddo, I could hardly relate to classical music then but was always a good listener. I am sure, it is only from that time onwards that I have developed this fascination for music & live concerts.

Over the years, it has almost been like a ritual for us to attend the 'Music in the park' concerts. We have been very lucky to catch the glimpses of the Crème de la crème of music fraternity. The Morning Ragas & Evening Ragas by the maestros and legends of Indian classical music have always enthralled us. Our list includes: Pt. Ravi Shankar, the legendary sitarist & India's most esteemed musical Ambassador, the very renowned Anushka Shankar; Santoor maestro Shivkumar Sharma and tabla maestro Zakir Husain; Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, whose name is synonymous to the 'Sarod'; Ayaan Ali khan & Amaan Ali Khan - the magical twosome who need no introduction; Shubha Mudgal - well known singer of Hindustani Classical music; Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Indian vocalist in the Hindustani Classical tradition; Dr. L. Subramaniam, acclaimed Violinst; Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, the internationally renowned exponent of the 'bansuri'; Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, the creator of the Mohan Veena; Ustad Bismillah Khan, the most outstanding and world-famous shehnai player, to name a few!!

The musical notes & ragas by these eminent personalities is as though still actively tingling in my mind. My only regret is that I have not been actively capturing the memories with my camera.....Better late than never!!

Music in the Park: awe-inspiring Shubha Mudgal; a superb performance by Dr L Subramanium; forever captivating Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

We also attended the very emotional but mesmerising memorial for Pt Ravi Shankar. 

A Tribute to Pt. Ravi Shankar

My very enthusiastic self from East to West....

This year's Jazz Festival, organized by ICCR was truly a treat to the ears for music lovers. I attended the concluding day for the event that saw outstanding performances by India's Toshanbar, South Africa's The New South Africa jazz Collective and a spectacular show by my personal favourite - Louiz Banks. Banks, who is often referred as the 'Godfather of Indian Jazz', very aptly remarked his band's 'fusion' performance as 'Contemporary Indian Classical Music' form.....Yes absolutely ready to go global!! 

Jazzed up Delhi Evenings @ Nehru Park - Jazz Festival 2013

A Lively Performance by Toshanbar 

Magical 'Momentum' by Louiz Banks: Mohini, youngest base player; Phoenix Ramdas on Voilin; the very versatile vocalist - Sharmishta Chatterjee; Gino Banks on Drums

South Africa's The New South Africa jazz Collective 

It was indeed a a jazzy evening with these amazing artists!!

Look forward to many more :)

42 Hours of Classic Fun in London

What better way to end a 3-day hectic official trip with a weekend stay at a dear friend's place in London!! WoW!! Nachiketa Chandra (famously known as Nachi...The Dessert Queen, of CrazyOverDesserts fame), who is in London since a few months now was gracious enough to postpone her Europe trip for my short visit to her new abode. The preparations for my visit were high on Nachi's To-Do list for a long time. She wanted to pack all the fun in the 42 hours that I had in London before my return back home. Though this was my nth visit to London, but it surely was D.I.F.F.E.R.E.N.T and will be a memorable one for times to come :)

From hogging on delish desserts at Yauatcha, to authentic Italian dinner, to watching Shrek-The Musical & The Woman in Black - A Thriller, exploring Borough Market, hanging out in Covent Garden, visit to Le Cordon Bleu, a stopover at Laduree for Macroons, Hot Chocolate shopping at Whittard, & shopping for Chocolates at award-winning Paul A Young - we did all this & much more!! 

Needless to say, chatting & gossiping was unlimited.

The high point of it all was Alice in Wonderland themed Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea @ Hotel Sanderson. I had heard a lot about the British high-teas at fancy five-star hotels and the experience at Sanderson was unique. This Alice in Wonderland tea party was like entering a world full of fantasy with a style and class of its own. Set up in the beautiful courtyard garden of the hotel, the sounds of water in the background gave a peaceful n soothing touch to the ambience. With menus hidden inside vintage books, napkins wrapped with riddles, teapots adorned with kings and queens, hand painted crockery, a very musical sugar box...the inquisitiveness in me kept on increasing.  

What followed was an array of sweet & savoury treats in a a fascinating 3-tiered vintage cake-stand. The sweet & savoury scones with herb butter, jams & cream, sandwiches made with home-made bread, veg quiches, green tea and white chocolate mousse served in a chocolate tea cup, the melting mango cheese cake & the colourful real fruit jellies were all to die for!! 

Not to forget the passionfruit & coconut concoction - 'Drink-Me' in mini medicine bottles. 

Last but not the least, a selection of teas from unusual blends - Apple Pie, Chocolate Mint, Apple Cinnamon was superb.

This high tea party was truly a delight - an unusual culinary experience that keeps on getting curiouser. The magical atmosphere & set up not only adds that extra edge to the whole experience but wants you go back and explore more - with a feeling that perhaps there might be some more fun & fantasy that was missed!!

It would surely be once again on my list the next time I visit London - If my pocket allows!!

Cheers,

A Beginning...Finally!!

Pastel Potpurri.....Ahh!! Simply because I love this naturally fragrant dry flower assortment - the Potpurri n being a printer by profession, I thrive on the shades of CMYK......Pastel shades being my favourite. The primrose yellow-baby pink-soft greens-baby blue-lavender-turquoise combinations remind me of spring & the blooming flowers, the freshness & renewal!!

I am an avid traveller, a foodie, have interest in photography, love to chit-chat with friends, enjoy designing stationery for kids (though that is a professional commitment too), I listen to music-Indian Classical & Indian Instrumental, bollywood & few of my fav Western Numbers, interiors & design fascinate me. Ohh! I forgot to mention that I run away from the kitchen & cooking but eating out is a passion......my friends and family can vouch for my mantra, 'A Princess does not cook'. :) 

Blogging is a new experience. Pastel Potpurri, thus is my personal space of myriad hues......of memories & dreams; of confessions & secrets; of unfolding thoughts; a diary of events; a collection of my feelings, perspectives & interests.

I hope you enjoy reading my posts.