Chef's Table at Pizza Hut

Last week, I was invited to a special Chef's Table Menu at Pizza Hut. The event mainly invited food bloggers and other individuals associated with the F & B industry. The Chef's Table event was in its third season in India, and was led by Pizza Hut's Head Chef, Arjyo Bannerjee in collaboration with Luca Ciano, Executive Chef from Barilla (the international pasta giant), Italy.

The event started out with icy cool beverages being handed about. For a moment, I got excited thinking they were cocktails, but I quickly realized where I was. Nevertheless, the drinks were great, particularly the Ginger and Lime one that I tried. The main focus of the event was to showcase Pizza Hut's soon to be launched pasta menu and educate people about pasta and the innovative recipes you could use to maximize the burst of flavours.

Chef Arjyo and Chef Luca ready to get the cookout session started!

The session began full swing with a very cool live cookout workshop where the chefs were dishing out Pasta 101 to us. While we were getting this Pasta gyaan, the appetizers were laid out for us. The Assorted Veg Platter consisted of Crispy Veg Patty, Parmesan &Garlic Potato Wedges and Onion Rings served with Sweet Chilli ad Jalapeno Cheese sauces. The potato wedges and the veg patty were perfectly crispy and had surprisingly good flavours (I have little faith in fried vegetarian starters when it comes to European food in India).

Veg Platter - Potato wedges, Veg Patty and Onion Rings

The Non Veg Platter consisted of Chicken topped Crispies, Jerk Chicken Skewer and Kibbeh with Tomato Salsa and Yoghurt dip. The only redeeming dish on this platter was the Chicken Topped Crispies, which were something like an Indianized version of Nachos with good squirts of cheese. The Jerk Chicken was pretty bland on flavour and the Kibbeh was too dry for my taste.

Non-veg Platter - Chicken Crispies, Jerk Chicken and Kibbeh

Chef Arjyo started the cookout session by whipping up the Red O White pasta (to be launched next month by Pizza Hut). This was simply fusili tossed in a tangy tomato and herb sauce and tempered with cream, topped generously with basil and Parmesan. With use of limited but fresh ingredients, this pasta came together wonderfully in terms of flavour and spice.

Red O White - tomato and herb sauce with cream.

Next, it was Chef Luca's turn to wow us. He prepared a Warm Spaghetti Salad with Lemon & Oregano marinated Prawns. Since it was a salad, none of the ingredients were cooked, except the pasta. This got some people jittery, since raw prawns wasn't something they were interested in trying. Chef Luca assured us it was ok, that the heat of the spaghetti will warm up the prawns fine, and the prawns were of top-notch quality so they wouldn't create an issue at all (plus, don't we eat Sushi with raw seafood anyway?). The salad was warm and refreshing, and the lemon and oregano worked their magic on the prawns fantastically.

Warm spaghetti that was al dente - firm to the bite.

Spaghetti Salad with Lemon & Oregano Prawns

While the chefs were busy prepping for more pasta,  we were served some pizzas to calm our growling stomachs (why not pizza at Pizza Hut, right?). The Grilled Chicken pizza was okay, nothing exceptional. The Roasted Bell Pepper, Arugula and Parmesan pizza was simply delicious. The freshness of the arugula and the sharp, nutty flavour of the Parmesan shavings came together brilliantly (I downed 5 slices of this). Again, the vegetarian dish tasted far better than the meat one.

Grilled Chicken Pizza - Lacked punch and flavour.

Veg Pizza - Roasted Bell Pepper with fresh Arugula and Parmesan shavings. Fresh and delicious!

Our next pasta dish was Lasagna Bolognese, except that instead of beef, the chefs used chicken instead. Chef Arjyo made 2 layers of lasagna along with the chicken version of Bologna. I personally found the dish very heavy and fared average on taste - the rest of my table also returned their plates of half-eaten lasagna which echoed what I thought of the dish as well (all the other pizzas and pastas were wiped clean). The lasagna in particular was too rich, and I couldn't get past the first few bites.

Lasagna Bolognese

The final pasta dish was Penne with Sicilian Vegetable Caponata, Salted Ricotta and Pine Nuts, prepared by Chef Luca. More than the flavours in this pasta, I loved the different textures in this dish! The creaminess of the Ricotta, crunchiness of the pine nuts blended beautifully with the caponata. The pasta was topped with very fine fried juliennes of aubergine that we LOVED. I didn't think I would be able to get a cut that fine at home, so I asked Chef Luca to demonstrate it; and he did such a wonderful job that he made me feel like I had some serious dexterity issues.

Chef Luca wowing the crowd with his knife skills.

Penne with Vegetable Caponata, Ricotta and Pine nuts.

We finished off our meal with the Warm Chocolate Trio for dessert, which was simply warm, molten chocolate cake topped with chocolate sauce, ice-cream and white chocolate chips. It tasted good, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Warm Chocolate Trio

Chef Arjyo's and Luca's 3 top tips for making a pasta dish:
1. Use firm pastas like Penne and Farfalle for chunky sauces with veggies and chicken.
2. Use flat pastas like Fettucine for heavier, creamier sauces.
3. Use thin pastas like Spaghetti for lighter sauces.

Overall, I had a great time at the Chef's Table event and Chef Arjyo and Chef Luca kept us very entertained and dished out some yummy food with funnier quips. A fun evening overall.

P.S. I didn't have to pay for my meal as it was an event for bloggers, but this is an unbiased review of the event.

The Tuck Shop

I love checking out new places to eat in the city, and have recently been on a hunt around town for good burgers. So when a new cafe called The Tuck Shop that specialized in burgers and all day breakfasts popped up in the city, it definitely piqued my interest and I decided to check it out. Located in Koramangala, the place is run by two alumnus of Christ University, Mayank Agarwal and Ahmed Sharif. They graduated in Hotel Management only this year and already had their business plan ready about the Tuck Shop when they gave their final exams.

Barely 3 months old, The Tuck Shop has nice, warm feel to it and is frequented by loyal customers who come from all around the city. They're famous for their hearty breakfast, delicious burgers and simple and lovely desserts. A friend and I decided to check this place out for brunch on a weekday, as I was really craving for some good burgers.

I loved the idea of spoon as the oscillating pendulum for this cute clock!

It was already past 1pm when we got there and somehow, neither of us was in the mood for an English breakfast. My friend decided to order a chicken steak and I wanted to try a spicy beef burger. Which is when Mayank came over and told me about the Chilli Lava burger they were planning to introduce soon, but wasn't on the menu yet. I decided to try that instead. I chose a coleslaw salad and a side of onion rings.

The Chilli Lava burger was bloody brilliant! The beef patty was juicy, moist, and had the perfect spice rub. The heat from the chilli was perfect as well. I devoured it in minutes. The coleslaw was decent and I found the onion rings a little too greasy for my taste, but my friend loved it for precisely that reason. :)

Chilli Lava Burger - the highlight of our meal.

The steak, called The Chicken that had a Threesome, was a pan seared chicken breast topped with a mushroom, garlic and black pepper sauce. The sides we chose for this were mashed potatoes and salad of the day (which was red cabbage in a honey vinaigrette). My first thought when I saw the chicken steak was that the fillets looked very small and were very thinly cut. By which I mean there was nothing to really 'cut' the steak. The mashed potatoes were a little grainy and the salad was okay. I preferred the coleslaw.

The Chicken that had a Threesome!

Not entirely full with the steak and the burger, we decided to order another burger as I really enjoyed the beef one I had earlier. I ordered the Baby's Day Out, which was a lamb patty blended with a special spice rub topped with BBQ sauce, along with a side of potato wedges. I was expecting a burst of flavours with the spice and the BBQ, but on my first bite, I was met with a very strong hit of cheese. It was a very massive slice of cheese that overpowered the entire taste of the lamb burger, and I didn't quite enjoy it. I finally peeled off the cheese from the patty and ate the burger, but didn't get too much of a spice rub. The wedges were outstanding though.

Baby's Day Out burger. Super cheesy.

We thought we'll finish by ordering a plate of plain ol' waffles, and chose Nutella and maple syrup as our toppings. The waffle was perfect in terms of taste and texture and I don't see how anything can go wrong with a dish when you add Nutella to it. :) They have more toppings that include caramelized banana and a honey sauce, but I wished they also had whipped cream/vanilla ice-cream. It's a brilliant topping on waffles, especially with Nutella.

Warm waffles dusted with castor sugar.

Topping the waffles with maple syrup. Yum!

I spoke to the owner, Mayank Agarwal and gave my feedback about the dishes. He took it very well and
also discussed how consistency was being an issue for them because of the vendor problems they're facing since they're very new in the business.

Overall, I had a good time at The Tuck Shop, playing board games, listening to some good music and gorging on yummy food. They need to tweak some of their dishes and ensure that the consistency is delivered across all dishes. Did it actually help you relive school memories? I'm not quite sure, because my school's tuck shop never served burgers and waffles, but this was a good experience nonetheless.

Oh, I also forgot to mention that they make a whole lot of things in house, including bread and ketchup. Pretty cool, huh?

My rating:
Food - 7/10
Service - 9/10
Ambience - 8/10 (they definitely need an AC during lunchtime though)
Final Verdict - Beef burgers FTW! :)

The Tuck Shop is located at  98/A, 17th B Main, 5th Block, Koramangala.

Food Hopping in New York!

Yes, I know it has been forever and a 3-month hiatus is unforgivable. I've been busy with work, shifting houses, a friend's wedding and lots of travelling. I managed to visit the U.S. last month and I had an amazing time. So I thought I'll share a few pictures of the food I gorged in New York (I'm sorry I couldn't have too many pics here, I've been struggling to find my old memory card in this house and mostly, I finished eating before clicking a pic).

                                  Salmon and Avocado Sushi with Yuzu Aioli at Ruby Foo's.

            Roast Peking Duck with a sweet and subtly spicy Hoisin sauce. Absolutely delicious!

Watermelon, Ricotta and Ricola Salad with sunflower seeds - I liked the different textures.

                   Oysters with red wine vinaigrette, lemon and horseradish. If you like Sushi, 

you'll be able to deal with oysters.

                              The New York Sicilian - Mozzarella and tomato sauce on a square pizza

 base with a thick crust at Julian's Brick Oven.

                The Manhattan - Mozzarella, tomato sauce, basil and garlic. Simple and nice.

                      Capicola, salami, meslun and mayo wrap served with the best sweet
                                                     potato fries I've ever had!

                       Chicken salad with fresh veggies and a cold Garbanzo soup at a local deli.

                                               Hot chicken wings at an Irish pub.

                       American style Mac n Cheese - a little too cheesy for my taste.

                     Pastrami sandwich at a local diner - too much meat, too little seasoning.

                                  The 'small' portion of the Greek salad that I ordered.

Unagi Eel Sushi - the eel was well-cooked with a sweet and spicy sauce, so I wasn't too squeamish about trying eel for the first time.

               Mandoo Gui - deep fried beef dumplings. Very greasy, and hence, very yummy.

   Pork Belly being BBQ'd. No final shot because we ate it in minutes the moment it was done.

Assorted Korean-style accompaniments for the

various meats.

                   Deep fried spicy chicken that I loved. Reminded me of home actually.

        Garden Fresh Omelette - Cheese, mushrooms, green peppers and tomatoes at IHOP.

      Spinach and Mushroom Omelette topped with Hollandaise sauce - very rich and filling.

The fluffiest, most delicious pancakes I've had in my life - topped perfectly with a blob of butter   and served with assorted syrups.

First things first, I got a new watermark. Yay! I'm trying the whole "I-click-photos-of-food-so-I-shall-use-an-artistic-watermark" thing, so I thought this would give my photos a cleaner look - what do you guys think?

Also, a few observations after having eaten at the U.S.:

1. Portion sizes are HUGE. They literally are the size of your head. So forget ordering an appetizer AND a main course. Pick one.
2. Fatty/unhealthy/greasy foods are dirt cheap. McDonald's serves quarter pounder burgers for a pittance, and that really contributes to a growing unhealthy population there.
3. Healthy, well-cooked food and cooking at home is expensive. A dozen eggs cost more than buying a small jar of mayo. It's thus easier to just buy readymade stuff instead.
4. Food is actually cheap in New York. I found Sushi rolls (6 pieces) for $3. I get 2 pieces of Sushi priced INR 300 and upwards in Bangalore.
5. The food streets are really interesting and you'll find cuisines from world over in New York. There are also food tours that are organized that help you explore new areas to find all kinds of food.

So, yeah, I had a ball of a time, but I was bummed that I didn't eat at more places because I didn't have much time. 

Before I sign off, here's a pic of me with the New York skyline. I'm feeling very narcissistic.

Flamme Bois Bistro

My food adventures at Manali were yummay, it was a pity that I couldn’t explore more though. On our way back from Manali, we stayed overnight at Chandigarh. As we caught up with a few friends, we decided to go out for a quick dinner.

First off, Chandigarh is a beautiful city! It’s quiet, not exploding with people and very clean, We stayed near the Panchkula side and had a wide variety of restaurants to choose from at 10:30 pm (I thought of Bangalore when waiters would nudge me at 10:30 asking for our last order :/)

Anyway, we decided to go to Flamme Bois Bistro, which was a very popular hangout for the people of Chandigarh (or so I’ve been told). The restaurant looked very nice, like your typical café given a classy makeover. It was well-lit, there was good music being played and the aromas from the kitchen filled the air.

Despite being a late Saturday night, the place was only half-full. We didn’t mind though. We managed to get a table and looked through the menus. When we were ready to place our order, we were frantically waving to every server around, but everybody ignored us. By ignore, I don’t mean that they didn’t see/missed us. but they saw us and never came upto us. Finally, one of the servers lazily came up to us and took our order. (I’m very glad that we placed our entire order at one go, I can’t imagine multiple scenarios like this)

First up, came my Chicken Hawaiian Salad. The chicken was tender, tossed in mayo with other veggies and chunks of pineapple and served in a pineapple boat. This was one of the best salads that I’ve ever tried. The salad was very refreshing and delicious, and it was also a decently large option. It earned brownie points for the unique presentation as well.

Next, my friend, a regular here, ordered the Chicken Wings, which were supposed to be a specialty here. The wings were de-lish-ious. Really. The meat was soft and warm and coated in this wonderful honey soy sauce with a slight hint of chilli that made these wings delectable. My only grouse was all that honey made our hands very sticky and made for a not-so-pretty sight.

My sister then ordered the Pan Seared Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce for the mains and I ordered a veggie pizza. The fish was lightly browned on the outside and cooked to perfection on the inside. It was seasoned just right and the lemon butter sauce wasn’t too overly lemon-y either (I’ve tasted horribly sour lemon butter sauces at some fine restaurants). The accompanying mash and veggies paired well with the fish. 

The pizza I ordered was a simple Tomato and Mushroom pizza. The pizza tasted great and the thin crust was nice and yum. I generally prefer pizzas with fewer toppings so that I can enjoy their taste more rather than overfilling them with every possible topping, and this pizza was perfect in every sense. And extremely filling as well.

My friend finally finished with ordering the Blueberry Pie, another signature dish. I wasn't the biggest fan of the pie's texture as it was VERY crumbly and dissolved the moment my spoon touched it. The blueberry preserve was sickeningly sweet and neither of us could finish it (despite having ordered only one portion for four people). My friend concluded that it was one of their worst desserts so far, and ruined an otherwise great meal. We concurred.

During the course of us  devouring dishes, we were trying desperately to reach out to the waiters for water, seasonings, sauces, etc. Every request was simply ignored and while the water finally came 15 minutes later, I had taken the cutlery, seasonings and sauces from an empty table next to mine. Let me add that the waiter standing by the side saw me do this and didn’t come forward to help.

Also, the place was only half-full, and many of the waiters were just standing by doing nothing and ignoring a lot of customer requests. I failed to understand this complete nonchalance, and thought it was outright rude and insulting. When the bill came, I noticed that there was a 10% service charge (in addition to the VAT and service tax). I told the waiter that I didn’t want to pay the service charge as I didn’t like it and asked him if he could cancel it. He said that it was compulsory and that I had to pay. I told him that it was compulsory for him to have given me good service.

A minute later, the owner came over to my table and said in his most indifferent tone “Service charge is compulsory, but if you didn’t like the service, don’t pay it”. So I didn’t. I was also surprised with the fact that the owner didn’t bother finding out what went wrong or had even the slightest hint of apology while telling me that I didn’t need to pay it. Anyway, what’s done is done. I would request all of you to carefully check the service charge, NOT the tax while dining out. Speak to the management if you didn’t receive good service. I think customers should be allowed to pay what they deem fit depending upon the service they received. This kind of ‘forced tipping’ is not something I enjoy.

Food – 8/10

Ambience – 9/10

Service – 0/10

Overall verdict – Go for the food, and maybe a takeaway might be a good option :)

Have you had a similar experience at a restaurant? I would love to hear about it! Do leave a comment!

Manali Food-love!

So, I spent the whole of last week touring northern parts of India - Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla, Kasauli and Manali to be precise. While the weather and hilly roads messed up my system, I loved gorging on all of the street food available. It wasn't something that you see typically down south - Paani Puris, Bhel Puri, Idlis, etc. and spanned across a lot more dishes. So here's just a photo blog from some of the food sightings up north. Enjoy! :)

P.S. Do excuse the image quality. All the pictures were taken on my phone with shivering hands.

Delicious Aloo Tikkis at Kasauli - Perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

 Gulab Jamuns at Narinder Sweet House in Kasauli that are world famous! The jamuns were soft, warm and delicious!

Himachal is a great place for Indianized sandwiches. They put anything between bread and serve it. This was a Samosa burger. Which was soft, crispy, spicy and yummy! :)

Bread Pakoras are something to fall in love with. Sandwiches stuffed with  spicy masala potatoes and veggies and a big slab of paneer in between are coated in Besan and deep fried. Yum!

You get different versions of Pav Bhaji all across India. This one was a lot spicier and had lesser onions and more potatoes.

Apparently, my love for Aloo Tikkis can never end. I spotted some more, and I ate some more.

We'd like one spicy chicken, please. Grilled, not hung.

You'll discover plenty of Gulab Jamun guys every 200 metres on Mall Road in Manali, and I insist that you try these wonderful jamuns!

And finally, I managed to find Tuna Kimbap in Manali, for only Rs.150 as well. De-lish!

So, that's some of the pictures I managed to shoot and try during my trip up north. Is there any delicacy that I may have missed? Do respond in your comments below! :)