Marriott turns One.

Ok, we all have been warned by our Grandmas to do good deeds, eat whatever is made at home without cribbing, not to waste food, share our chocolates with siblings to secure a good seat in Heaven. And after all this whale of an effort from an innocent childhood, with such sense of betrayal I learn about the sin of gluttony which washes down all my goody two shoes life down the drain. Really? After all the reluctant sharing of my caramilk and toys, after all the bittergourd sabjis I religiously ate, you are telling me that I am a sinner and you are sending me to Hell?

Now that I have come to terms with my future life in Hell, where I hope and pray to see a live barbecue running, I did a bit of research to go prepared. After all I shouldn't flunk the test there and end up in quarantine. Here's a list for my fellow sinners.

• Praepropere – eating too soon
• Laute – eating too expensively
• Nimis – eating too much
• Ardenter – eating too eagerly
• Studiose – eating too daintily
• Forente – eating wildly

And when I got a call from Sneha to invite me to the first anniversary celebrations of the renowned brand in the Food industry, Marriott, I jumped with joy and said yes. In any case I'm going to Hell and I might as well commit the sin with some class and style. Marriott needs no introduction. Fairfield Marriott, the first Fairfield in Asia, turns one this October and they threw a rooftop poolside party to celebrate. Thanks to Bangalore weather acting like a lady with mood swings, the party was moved to their new art studio in the eleventh hour. But I did have a glimpse of the pool side
and it looked wow. I can totally imagine a barbecue party running by the pool side and it cannot get better.

I'm so high on food, I will let the pictures do the talking.

Marriott ties up with Areli Gallery to raise funds for the less fortunate blind children to sponsor their treatment. 

The latest addition of a rooftop Pool. Looks so much spell binding than this low light iphone pic!

Live Pasta counter - my white sauce pasta in the making. Sinfully rich. I can't thank cheese enough for adding colors to this world. 

I might be a proud Indian, but my tummy is a cosmopolitan. "Lokame tharavadu". Good old friend from Italy, in all its glory.

Salad counter, I usually skip the salad counter and try a namesake one, but this one had me!

Hello healthy life. Pleased to meet you after eons.

Je t'aime, Cheese. To bits and pieces. 

Spinach canneloni, this is one of those delicacies that makes your sinner life so worth it. 

Roasted potato wedges. Garlic and rosemary to compliment it. No meal is complete without potatoes. I don't really approve of the kingdom of Paneer in a vegan's world. I think Potato is the bacon of vegans and it should get the respect it deserves. 

Cajun spiced grilled chicken with roasted onions and artichoke.

Karare Paneer, one showstopper in Marriott. Sorry for the blurred pic. Be sure to try this when you head to Marriott.

Chicken satays, fish, prawns - you name it, they make it fresh. 

Neti neti. Scholars, when asked to describe the glory of the God, would say neti neti which means no language or no words in any language can do justice to the highness of God. I hope you get the point. 

Ok, I have got laughed at countless times when I ask for a virgin drink. Really? Like really? You mean, you do not need alcohol? But you are from Kerala, Just a little bit? Why don't you just try once? And hence, I like anyone who fixes me a virgin drink no questions asked. Plus one to this guy! Raspberry mint cooler, by the way. 

Those who know me, know very well that Biriyani is the second oxygen in my life. I can't think of anything that disappoints me as much as a mediocre biriyani. Ok, maybe a tiltled cupcake in the takeaway box, with the frosting stuck on the cover. Marriott brought that biriyani smile to my face in my first visit itself. Mutton biriyani, because they say there is no biriyani like mutton biriyani. Second smile today. 

Rogan josh. Not that biriyani needs a company. No harm to have some friends on the way to tummy. 

Paneer curry. 

Kava daal - much talked about daal in Kava. I usually skip daal but zomato brags about this daal and with a spoon of this, I knew why. 

The problem with this generation is that no matter who they are with, their focus is mostly on the phone. We often forget to spend "quality time" with people despite sitting next to them, thanks to this smart phone who gets all the attention. And after a bit of walking around with my phone clicking away pics of everything my cam could lay its eyes on, my tummy started complaining. And I had to give in, and spent some quality time gorging on the inviting spread on display.

Let's not debate, Science has proven that consumption of desserts lead to temporary hyper activity. That could explain my newly found confidence that I can fly. Really, who needs Uber when I can float and fly home. Who's the villian...scroll down..

Dessert porn. Maybe I should frame this pic in my room :D do you see that tiny bakes cheesecake tucked in between the mango mousse and baked yoghurt? Him! He is a darling! 

Caramel pudding and banoffee pie - need I say more?

I'm a tea person and the only way coffee gets into my system is Tiramisu. 

Baked yoghurt - sweet and simple. 

Skipped skipped skipped.

Chocolate tart - an absolute treat for the dark chocolate lover.

Opera Cake

With Head Chef Mahesh, coincidentally with the dish that he is a master at. :) 

Happy birthday again, Marriott! Hope you soar high because good food deserves nothing less. :) 

Church Street Social

Quirky, kooky and twisted. No, no, I'm not talking about myself. This is about the most trending hangout place now in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. And in Bangalore, you can find them right there in Church street. Once upon a time, Church street used to be the reigning Queen for foodies and now they are striving to get their lost Kingdom back with Social attracting more young and fun crowd.

This place is brimming with people. Getting a seat here would be as difficult as getting into Oxford with average math skills like mine (I have Siri to do my math). But I somehow used my charm on the girl at the counter "Honey, I'm super hungry and you send me back everyday".And with that sympathy note, we managed to get a seat in less than ten minutes.

Now that we have got in, let's keep the accessories away!

The ambiance reminded me of one of those country side pubs you barge into. Old and rustic feel. Wooden tables, brick wall, yellow bulbs, iron furniture. And I liked the way they have used hash tags and Hindi script everywhere.  Loved it. Had a quick look around the place and settled down into our hours long non-sensical conversation. The menu was rolled up and kept on the table with cutlery. And tissues paper that looked like toilet rolls! Menu resembled a newspaper and we had vast choices to pick from. I skipped the breakfast section. Still don't get why I should step out of the comfort of home to have granola/oats or fruits!

The Newspaper Menu. So many pages, so many options.

Food - love it love it love it love it. More than the food, I liked the way they were presented. That's

where the quirkiness comes in. My Strawberry Iced tea arrived in what looked like a bath tub. So much sophistication for an iced tea and I kept wondering how to drink it to do justice to the majestic look. Gunpowder Calamari came in a brown paper bag. If you have that curious habit of peeping to the next table, you'd see her having food in what looks like a prison plate. The portions are not so much but perfect for two people.

Scroll down to see what I loved.

Shawarma, Yo Mama. The DIY Shawarma that made me feel like a mini Chef. I got a sense of pride making these shawarmas. Roasted chicken, hommus, garlic mayo, frech fries with pita bread. 

Them Potato Skins, my trusted companion everywhere. Sour cream and grilled cheddar makes you realise how beautiful life is.

Poutine Fries - Classic Cheese. Definitely the cheese overload my tummy loves. I could almost hear my tummy scream to my mouth 'send more, send more'.

Gunpowder Calamari that came in the brown paper bag. Portion is less. I was generous enough to let my friend eat, while I was busy relishing Poutine, This came with garlic chutney and podi.

Death Wings. I was told that free lemonde will be given to those who finish this spicy dish. That wasn't required. Though we had very good spice tolerance, we gave it a pass as the taste wasn't too great.

Crispy Sesame Honey Chilly Fries. Need an explanation?

Service was good. Servers were prompt, amiable and ofcourse I'll give bonus points for the sympathy score I got.

I'm told the drinks are amazing. And easy on pocket. Especially the LIIT. Perhaps the longest around. Since I'm a teetotaler (yes. SHUT UP. Thank you), I stick to mocktails and they are different and amazing. Welcome change from the usual pina coldas and mojitos. Not many options unfortunately.

My Strawberry Iced Tea relaxing in a tub. Loved it. Not too sweet. Just about right.

Spiced Guava. I liked the bitter punch of guava and the occasional spice attack on your taste buds. You would keep wondering if it's bitter, sweet or spicy. Not that it matters. 

Khus and Chilli. Khus, green chillies, sprite and soda. Honestly, I don't know if I like it or not. It was his drink. You could actually see him impatiently waiting for me to finish clicking. worth a try.

Thanks for the caption. I would have mistaken it to be Hydrogen peroxide otherwise.

We stuck to finger food pretty much. They do have biriyanis, rice bowls and the likes on the menu. And a few good dessert options too. I'm going to try Sticky Toffee Pudding next time.

Ramesh & Suresh - deep fried Five star chocolate with icecream. Sort of a mini disaster. Bad choice. 

Here's my rating :

Food 4/5
Ambiance 4/5
Menu 4/5
Service 4/5 (+1 for sympathy vote)

Address : Churchstreet, right at the corner :D
Cost for two : 800 for two (teetotaler), 1400 for two otherwise.
Mood of the place : Quirky

The Fort Kochi Connection - Onam and Otherwise.

Back in Kerala, when it rains on a sunny day it's supposedly the wedding day of a fox and crow. It was on one such wedding day the most celebrated festival of Kerala, Onam, fell. Onam is that one day where the age old King of Kerala, Mahabali, comes to visit his Kingdom once a year. There's an interesting story behind Onam - please do google or wiki. To sum it up here, this King Mahabali was such a cool dude, everybody loved him, the Gods up there got super jealous and plotted plans to push him down to Paathalam (somewhere under Earth - a no wifi zone!). And he gets to come to Kerala once a year to see his countrymen. And they welcome him with ten days long celebration involving a delicious feast named Onam Sadya, games, floral carpet adorning their garden (Pookalam), Puli Kali (a game where a leopord - puli and the hunter dance together), swing etc etc.

Onam is celebrated by all Keralites alike, no matter what class or religion they belong to. In fact, there is an old adage that translates to "You must eat the Onam feast by all means, even if it is by selling your land".
So being broke is no excuse to miss the Onam Sadya, which is a delicious feast of 26 dishes on a banana leaf..Sluuurrrrp! And it is for this delicious feast that we headed out to The Fort Kochi Connection.

The massive Pookalam

This was my third visit to the place. They have branches in Koramangla (JNC road) and One MG Mall. Onam  Sadya was priced at 500rs per head on Thiruvonam (main Onam of the 10 days) and 400rs on Uthradam . Because of the space limitation in the One MG mall, they had rented out the Food hall on the 4th floor and as soon as we were on the escalator we could hear the sound of Chenda melam. Chenda melam is that instrumental extravagaza with drums that would send any Malayali to the highest threshold of their adrenaline levels (google Thrissur Pooram).

Fort Kochi tried to bring in different elements of Onam by organising a Chenda Melam, Gaanamela (musical extravaganza) and a massive Pookalam (floral carpet to welcome the King). And to see hundreds of fellow Keralites gathered to have the Onam feast together is a priceless feeling when you live outside Kerala. But there was no Mahabali (aka Maveli) to be seen, I guess his visits are strictly limited to the borders of Kerala, it's high time he extended his travel to Bangalore and Gulf!

Chenda melam - a treat to the senses

Onam Sadya with two payasam

Sadya, not so much to my disappointment, was average. I was too preoccupied in my Onam mood to actually realise that the Sadya was not upto the mark. The gluttons with me noticed and were thoroughly disappointed. Of all the dishes, what stood out were the Pineapple pachadi, Avial and the Parippu. Avial quantity was very very less and I hadn't brought my lens along to see which is what! We had to keep calling the servers for another serving. But the servers were amiable, I smiled at the papadam guy and got three of them! This was the first time they had organised a Sadya and it didn't go too well. After all the bad reviews and feedback, Management has apologised in multiple forums, taken the responsibility and said they deserve a second chance. They have organised an additional week of Sadya with 26 dishes and 4 non veg dishes to add on. Thanks to my previous good food experience, I do think they deserve a second chance.

I vividly remember the first ever time I had been to Fort Kochi Connection, I was swept over by the first view itself of a wall adorned with framed pictures of Kathakali and Mohiniattam  (dance forms of Kerala) and right in the middle was a TV that played Avial, a reputed band from Kerala. Though I don't believe so much in first impressions, I must say I gave a plus one there itself! They keep having food festivals on and off and the board of specials would be displayed right outside. They serve authentic Kerala food from different parts of Kerala ranging from Syrian Christian style to mouthwatering Malabari style. In memory of the

First impression, the best impression

colonial times, there's a special dedication to the Bristish and Dutch connection as well in the menu. Their drink menu is very catchy with funky mocktail names like Kalippu Machane, Scene Contra etc. which are the typical slangs used by Kochiites.  I settled for a very humble and simple Nalini, a mix of tender coconut and lychee. Nalini was quite pleasing after the travel in scorching heat.

In two different visits, we tried the Kappa, Erachi Barattiyathu, Chicken Malabari, Appam, Roasted tomato curry, Rice and Mahi Chicken Isque.
Kappa was slightly vaatta kappa, slightly tasteless but could manage. Kappa and fish curry are a jodi made in heaven but we made an unfathomable sin of ordering Chicken Malabari with it, thiking it would go with the appams too. Perhaps all the kappa and fish curry couples in the world showered their curse upon us, the Malabari Chicken curry turned out to be average. They could do a lot better with the favours. Appams were crispy on the outer layer and soft in the middle - just how we would like it. Tomato roast veg curry was pretty good, considering they did justice to a veg curry.

Erachi Barattiyatu - must try!

Kappa (Tapioka) without its soulmate meen curry

Mahi Isque was another disappointment - by now I am sure they are pretty racists and sees chicken a notch below the other meat here. I could think of no other reason why chicken would be ignored so much here. And all that racism has done mighty good justice to erachi. Erachi barattiyathu is your single portkey to heaven. Until you finish the last cube of masala fried meat, you are going to dwell in heaven. I could have licked the plate as well if it was permitted.

Malabari Chicken, Kappa, Tomaro roast curry & Appam

Coming to the desserts, what bowled me over was a delicacy named Vatelappam, a custard made of coconut milk and jaggery. This looked pretty much like a caramel custard garnished with grated coconut. I fell in love with it with the first spoonful itself. The mix of jaggery and tender coconut makes love with your tastebuds. As has been evident and obvious, I endorse coconut and it's cousins wherever possible. This was another such dessert that made the two of us get into mortal combat mode to see whose spoon is going to

His Highness Vattelappam

get the maximum scoops. We, later, realised ordering one more plate would be a good idea to preserve our friendship and did just that. Please keep that tip in mind if and when you are going.

I'm definitely going back here for the erachi and vattelappam and to see if they plan to do any justice to chicken anytime soon. Ofcourse, I would like to try their seafood as well next time.

Kochi style drinks menu

Right there on JNC road

Miss Nalini, so cool.

My rating for the place

Food 3.5/5
Ambiance 4/5
Menu 4/5
Service 4/5


Cost for two 600 for two people, 1000 for gluttons who like extra desserts too.

Address : 77/A, Cygnus Chambers, Jyoti Nivas College Road, Bangalore
Mood of the place - Kerala :)

    

Dyu Art Cafe - Poor man's trip to Kerala

When all you need is to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city to spend some dust free quality time with Mother nature, Kerala may come to your mind.  Don't worry, don't make a hole in your pocket with a trip to Kerala. Instead, come to Dyu Art Cafe. This is a quaint little cafe in Koramangla - an ideal place to unwind. I like to call it my "mini kerala".

This place instantly gave me a feel of an old naalukettu tharavaadu (ancient house with a central courtyard) in Kerala and if you are a nostalgic Malayali, you can almost picturise a grandma sitting their telling tales to grand kids. It's a breath of fresh air, plush greenery and artistic excellence packed in a small cafe. Some tables are like sewing machines. Of course, there is a naalu kettu and tables around the place where you can sit back and relax. An added advantage is if it rains. The wind before the rains sweeping the leaves down, the first drops of rain and the water pouring in the courtyard - trust me, you could end up a poet here!



They have a few books to read, none that impressive. Paintings are hung on the wall. With two colleges close by, rest assured the crowd is going to be good. The menu is limited and food is nothing to brag about. But you can make do with the limited menu to enjoy the ambiance. I went to this place twice and this is soon going to be my proxy Kerala trip! 

I wasn't too impressed with the Coffee, Pressed Coffee or the Iced teas. These days I stick to Lime juice. They serve Sandwiches, Omelettes and Cakes - that's pretty much it. Sometimes the day's specials to go with it. I like the Pineapple Cheese Sandwich. The sweetness of Pineapple goes very well with the Cheddar and it's indeed a treat to the taste buds. The omelettes are pretty decent and has good quantity of fillings. But the star of the menu is their signature Chocolate Cake that will easily overpower any will power that you have left to diet. And for those who love the coconut flavour, you MUST order the Tender coconut pudding. It is, no doubt, a slice of heaven. You can actually bite on to the small tender coconut cuts as you relish the pudding. 

Omelettes with generous filling, served with toasted bread and butter

Pineapple cheese sandwich

The service is ok, place is not so pricey. That is if you don't get scandalised seeing a Chicken Omlette for 180rs, considering one egg comes for four rupees! There's always good crowd. They do not accept cards, be sure to carry cash.  If food is all you have in mind, I wouldn't recommend this place. But if you are in for a quick getaway, this is the place to be! Don't forget to thank me after you have had the Tender coconut pudding.

My rating for the place :

Food 3.5/5
Menu 3/5
Ambiance 4.5/5
Price 4/5

Address : 23, MIG-KHB Colony, Near Mangala Kalyana Mantapa, Koramangla.

Cost for two : 600 for two people, 1200 for two gluttons!

Open between 10am to 9pm. Best to go in day light to enjoy the full beauty of the place. 
Mood of the place - relaxed.

Satan's recipe to break your diet.

Tender coconut pudding - thank me later!