Bakery review: Neha’s Biscotte

Overall Rating: 3.75/5

Neha’s Biscotte is a home bakery based in Sarita Vihar, specialising in customised cakes, cupcakes, chocolates and cookies. I recently tried some baked goods from this place, and was quite happy with them:

Eggless Chocolate Fudge with Mocha Buttercream: It was unbelievable that this cake was eggless as it was so soft and fluffy. The buttercream was well blended, creamy and airy, and the mocha flavour came through very well.

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese: This was quite a nice red velvet cake, and was not too sweet, which was great. The cream cheese frosting was sharp and tasty, but there could have been a bit more frosting in between the layers. However, it looked really pretty with the fondant rose on top.

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie: The brownie was fudgy and dense, and had a dark chocolate flavour. The topping of peanut butter was well balance to impart the required flavour, and yet not be overpowering.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese: The carrot cake had a nice flavour, was light and spongy and the cream cheese icing went perfectly with it.

All the products were well-made and the flavours were quite good. This bakery can definitely be tried for your next special occasion.

To find out more about Neha’s Biscotte, check out their Facebook page here.

Café Review: Getafix

Overall Rating: 4.5/5
While I do try to eat healthy whenever possible, I will perhaps NEVER go out just to have a salad. Calories do matter to me, but not at the cost of taste. In order to fill the gap between great tasting, indulgent food, and really healthy food like salads, etc., is a new café in the GK1, M-block market- Getafix. The name is inspired by a character in Asterix comics, who cooks up medicinal magic potions, and the food here definitely creates magic. What they have tried to do is to make healthier versions of regular food like pizzas and burgers, catering to their motto of providing ‘guilt-free indulgence’.

Set up by a brother-sister team of young entrepreneurs, with a vision to bring something different to the market, Getafix is truly a labour of love. From the refreshingly different interiors- all in the colours of their logo- bright blue, green and yellow, to the Asterix comics kept on the tables, each little item has a personal touch. They really believe in the concept of making everything fresh, in-house, from their whole-wheat pastas, pizza bases, to the sauces. Though currently they get their breads made on order (and these are also multi-grain breads with chia and flax seeds), they eventually plan to start making those in-house as well.

Coming to the food, I tried the following items from their menu:

Air-fried Fish and Chips: The fish and chips were both crispy, without being greasy and if this is what air-fried food tastes like, I’m totally ok with giving up deep fried food. The sole fish filet was flaky, moist and perfectly cooked, and was coated in panko crumbs which gave it a lovely crunchy crust. The dish was served with a light and zingy yogurt-based dip.

Turkey and Chicken Sandwich: This sandwich goes to show that you don’t need dollops of mayonnaise to make a sandwich taste good. The flavours were clean and fresh, though still being really appetising. The bread used in this sandwich had a great flavour of its own, and coupled with perfectly cooked moist chicken breast and turkey, this was a hearty sandwich. It was served with a yogurt-based dip with chipotle spices which was again really light and tasty.

Chicken Tikka Pizza: Perfect thin-crust pizza, which was not greasy. The crust was crisp and baked well and the chicken tikka was so delicious, but I wish there was more chicken on the pizza.

Veg Pasta in Basil Pesto Sauce: The pasta, which was again made in-house, was cooked al-dente, and the freshness of the basil pesto sauce came through instantly. The pesto was zingy and well-balanced and the sauce just coated the pasta, which was perfect! The pasta was also loaded with sautéed veggies like zucchini, bell peppers, broccoli and mushrooms, which were all cooked perfectly so that they retained a bite.

Dessert Platter: The best part of any meal for me is usually the dessert, but since I was at a place which focuses on guilt-free food, my expectations from the desserts were not too high. But when I tasted the dessert platter, which had a range of all their desserts in small quantities (which is a great concept), I was completely blown away. It was hard to believe that desserts made without refined sugar, and by trying to substitute sinful ingredients for healthier ones, could still taste heavenly. The platter had Sugar-free Chocolate Brownies, Carrot Cake, Lime Pie, Diet Vanilla Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake. The brownies had no extra sugar, except for the amount which is there in the compound chocolate that they use. The brownies were rich, decadent and gooey. The carrot cake, which had been sweetened with dates and flavoured with cinnamon and other spices, was moist and homely and went incredibly well with the strawberry sauce served with it. A pound cake is normally made with a pound of each ingredient- flour, sugar, butter and eggs, so their twist on it was to replace the butter with cottage cheese. Despite this change, the cake was still rich and flavourful and the orange rind with it gave it an extra fresh and citrusy flavour. The lime pie at Getafix is a must-have! It has a base made of digestive biscuits mixed with chocolate chips, with a lemon curd pie filling which is zesty and fresh, and perfect for those who don’t like their desserts too sweet. Another stellar dessert was the super-moist pumpkin cake. This was (surprisingly) delicious and had a springy and light texture. It was layered with some ricotta cheese, which complemented it perfectly.

Along with the meal, I also tried a slow-pressed juice and a smoothie:

C-Nergy: This juice was a mix of all ingredients which are rich in Vitamin C (hence the name) like pineapple, orange, green apple and amla. The juice had no added sweetener and the combination of the ingredients worked really well together. An added touch was a bowl of diced fruit (the ones that have gone in the juice) served alongside.

The Odd One Out: A thick and creamy yogurt-based smoothie made with red apple, raspberries and blueberries. It was filling and tasty.

If you wish, you can also add some chia seeds, flax seeds, wheatgrass powder, etc. to your drinks, to make them even healthier.

Overall, not only does Getafix bring forth a new concept, but clearly a lot of effort and attention has gone into crafting the menu, with each dish being immensely satisfying. For food that is not laden with calories, but is still incredibly delicious, Getafix is highly recommended!

Quick Facts

Location: M-15, First Floor, Greater Kailash (GK) 1
Phone No.: 011 33107600

Recipe Kit Review: Chef In A Box

Chef In A Box has been created for all those people who like to cook, but don’t find the preparatory part of it too exciting. It is a website platform which allows customers to recreate some fabulous dishes, the recipes for which have been created by some of the finest chefs, restaurants and bakers. These chefs not only share their recipes, but also choose the ingredients, which are all chopped, peeled and prepped so that your cooking experience is as easy and effortless as it can get.

I was sent a few recipe kits to try out for feedback. All the recipe kits had been packed neatly in boxes, with each ingredient individually sealed in plastic containers. The recipe sheets had also been sealed in plastic packets. Also, all the items had been numbered in the order in which they are to be added to the dish, to avoid any confusion. The recipes were all very detailed and easy to follow.

I tried:

1. Circuit House Chicken Curry: The dish was extremely simple to make and it turned out really nice. The gravy had a lovely depth of flavour, and was really authentic. The only problem with the recipe was that the cooking time mentioned was a bit too much, and the dish didn’t require that long to be cooked.
2. Thai Vegetable Peanut Salad: It was a super tasty salad. The combination of the veggies was really nice and they were all chopped uniformly. There were two sauces which had to be added to the veggies and they were both extremely delicious.
3. Dark Chocolate Pots: Though it was really simple to make, but the result was great- a rich and decadent chocolate mousse. The dark chocolate used in this dish was of really good quality and that came across in the flavour. Also, the orange liqueur which was added to the dish, really uplifted the flavours.

Overall, all the dishes were really well constructed and tasted really nice, while being extremely easy to make. So next time you feel like cooking an awesome dish, minus all the prep work, just order the recipe kit from Chef In A Box. They currently deliver in Gurgaon, South Delhi and West Delhi.

To find out more about Chef In A Box, check out their website here.

 

Restaurant Review: Rang de Basanti Urban Dhaba

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Rang de Basanti Urban Dhaba, as the name suggests, offers a modern take on the traditional dhaba concept. The food is primarily ‘Punjabi’ and their intent is not to take this modernization to the food- the food remains 100% authentic and ‘desi’. But they have been innovative with the presentation of the food and made it rather eccentric and wacky.

The décor goes perfectly with the theme, with the restaurant done up in bright red and yellow, and glass bottles hanging all around. Instead of regular chandeliers, there are tyres with forks and spoons hanging on them. They even have a life-size tractor that you can sit and take pictures on!

When we sat down, we were served a rose-flavoured sweet milk as a welcome drink, which was really refreshing.

At most North Indian restaurants, one often finds green chutney and onion lachchas on the table. But, since they wanted to provide something new, the restaurant instead had some other interesting condiments kept on the table. There was Kalonji Pyaaz (picked onions with nigella seeds), Teekhi Chutney (made with garlic and green chillies), Meethi Chutney (sweetish tamarind chutney) and a special mix of spices that they have created in-house called the Bhayankar Masala. This masala has a mix of various things like lemon rind, sugar, zeera, chilis, etc. and can be sprinkled on any dish to add some more punch to the dish.

Next, we went for the soups: Dhuar Murgh Shorba and Teekhi Dal ka Shorba. What was really interesting to see, was that they had paired the soups with an additional component. While the chicken soup was accompanied by chicken tikka, the dal shorba was served with roasted corn on the cob, or challi. Both the soups were light and extremely flavourful. The dal shorba had subtle flavourings and was extremely homely. In the chicken shorba, the smoky flavour of the chicken came through, and the soup was slightly sour, which made it extremely appetizing. Another special feature was that along with the soup, you are served a tray which has some interesting things like peanuts, lemons, dried ginger juliennes, dried garlic flakes, dried onion and roasted zeera powder, which you may add to the soup to enhance the flavours. The dried garlic, ginger and onion flakes really do add another dimension to these already delicious soups, and this concept really works, making the soups a must-try!

For starters, we tried:

Tilli Hara Kebab: The kebab was made of spinach and cottage cheese and was extremely juicy and moist. The spices were subtle and did not overpower the flavour of the main ingredients. Also, the kebabs were served on sticks, which made them quite easy to eat.

Bharwan Kumbh aur Mirch: The dish had large green chillies and mushrooms stuffed with the same delicious mix of cottage cheese, khoya and spices. While the chillies had been seared on a pan, the mushrooms were cooked in a tandoor.

Sawa Futiya Seekh: This was a one and one-fourth foot long mutton seekh kebab. The kebab had been flavoured nicely and by virtue of being cooked as a large piece, rather than being cut into smaller pieces, it had retained a lot more moisture and was really juicy and soft.

‘Naanchos’ with Mutton Keema te Chaamp: A very interesting take on nachos and dip, this dish had triangular pieces of naan which had been fried to resemble nachos, and the dip was a juicy and toothsome mutton keema, with one piece of mutton chop in it. This was a great dish and is definitely a must-try item here!

For mains, we tried:

Bhayankar Kadhi Chawal: The flavours were true to the authentic kadhi chawal that we are used to, but the presentation was really different. The gravy of the kadhi was served in a bowl, while the rice was served as a ball, coated with a gram flour batter (to resemble pakodas) and fried. The kadhi was thin and had a lovely sour note and a very pleasant homely flavour.

Makke di Roti Saagh Vich: The saag was coarsely chopped and had a nice background note of garlic coming through. It was served with thin and soft makke ki rotis (milled corn breads) and lots of white butter and jaggery.

O Teri Paneer: They have three paneer gravies available- palak, kadhai and makhani, so we went with the kadhai paneer. It had a huge stack of marinated paneer cooked in the tandoor, covered with dollops of flavourful gravy. Since the paneer was well-marinated, it was not at all bland and the gravy, which was made with whole spices, provided an extra punch to the dish.

Chuski Nalli Meat: This was an earthy and rustic mutton shank curry. The meat was succulent and the gravy was thin, and had a beautiful gelatinous taste, acquired from slow cooking to develop those complex flavours.

Bhayankar Keema Kaleji: The keema was the same as with the naanchos dish, and was topped with well-cooked, tender kaleji or spicy liver chunks. The keema was creamy and full of flavour and the kaleji was cooked in the Kerala pepper fry style, so it was a lovely combination of flavours and textures. Also, rather than cooking the keema and the kaleji together, they cook them separately and combine later, so even if you want the dish sans the kaleji, that is easily possible.

Dal Fry: Yellow lentils, tempered with a tadka of onions, tomatoes, chillies and whole spices, served in a glass jar. If you want to have a simple but tasty home-style dal which is not very rich and heavy, this would be the right choice for you.

Meat Chawal: Rather than biryanis, they have pulaos, where the meat and the rice is cooked separately and then combined later. The mutton chunks were juicy and well-spiced and the rice also had a lot of flavour.

Even the breads deserve a mention here as they were crisp and thin.

We ended our superb meal with some desserts:

Sakore wali Kheer aur Phirnee Brulee: Gur ki kheer (jaggery kheer) and phirnee, served in rustic earthen pots called sakore, and the additional touch was the ‘brulee’. The phirnee had a nice saffron flavour and was very creamy, though just a tad too sweet. The gur ki kheer really got a beautiful flavour from the jaggery and was quite nicely done.

Bhayankar Meetha Paan: This dessert stole the show! It was a pan-flavoured ice-cream, and it was extremely delicious and refreshing. This is an absolute must-have here!

Along with our meal, we also tried Modinagar Shikanji and Masala Cola, which were both really tasty!

Overall, it was a fabulous meal where none of the dishes disappointed. At Rang de Basanti Urban Dhaba, one can enjoy flavourful, quintessential dhaba food, with unique and eye-catching presentation, in a comfortable environment with courteous service. And all this at really reasonable rates. At a time when many people are experimenting with fusion food and different cuisines, (which by the way is a great thing and should be encouraged), it is heartening to see that a chain wants to popularize the typical dhaba food by making the presentation contemporary, yet keeping the soul of the food intact. The restaurant is highly recommended for all those times you crave nothing but good old hearty, ‘desi food’!

 

Quick Facts

Location: 1-A, 1st Floor, Hauz Khas Village
Phone No.: 011 64650001

Bakery Review: Sweetmoon Bakeshop

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Sweetmoon Bakeshop is a home bakery, delivering its lovely sweet treats across Delhi. Malavika, the person behind this venture, was a graphic designer by profession before she took the leap of pursuing her childhood passion of baking and setting up Sweetmoon Bakeshop. She is mostly self-taught, and claims that what makes her products special is the immense care and attention she puts into all her creations. And all that clearly came across in the products I tried:

Millionaire Brownies: These brownies were sublime- a crisp and crumbly shortbread biscuit base, with rich, dense and fudgy dark chocolate brownie, smothered with a gooey caramel sauce, topped off with chocolate ganache and cocoa powder. Each element provided a different texture, and the flavours were perfectly balanced, making these brownies pure heaven! These are the kind of brownies you should have when you really want to indulge, and surely you would not regret the calories.

Salted Caramel and Chocolate Tart: The tart shell was crunchy and crumbly, though I would have preferred it to be baked a tiny bit longer, but the filling of the tart was spot-on! It had a layer of salted caramel, topped with a dark chocolate ganache. It was rich, decadent and immensely satisfying.

Chocolate, Salted Caramel and Toffee Profiteroles: The choux pastry for all the profiteroles was made very well- crisp and thin, and baked perfectly. The profiteroles were stuffed with extremely light and airy whipped cream and topped with different flavours- chocolate, salted caramel and toffee. While the chocolate glaze was rich and shiny, the caramel in the salted caramel glaze had been taken to a dark brown colour, to get a deep flavour and had the perfect amount of salt in it. The toffee one was sticky and gooey and really tasty. All of these were really amazing- the best profiteroles I’ve had in the city!

So for rich, indulgent, soul-satisfying desserts, which are worth each calorie they contain, Sweetmoon Bakeshop is highly recommended!

To find out more about Sweetmoon Bakeshop, check out their Facebook page here.

Bakery Review: Mad Batter

Overall Rating: 4/5

Eggless cakes CAN be moist, soft and delicious, and Mad Batter proves that!

Mad Batter is a home bakery, and they specialize is creating innovative, out-of-the-box flavours of cakes, tarts, cupcakes, chocolates and cookies, and all their products are eggless. They also create designer fondant cakes for special occasions. But their most popular items are perhaps their dessert jars, and we recently had the opportunity to taste some of their delightful flavours:

Bailey’s Blast: This cake had layers of moist, dark chocolate sponge with buttercream spiked with Bailey’s. Bailey’s and chocolate is a match made in heaven, and this cake rightly showcases that. We could actually taste the strong flavour of the liquor but it blended very well with the flavour of the cake and was absolutely delicious!

Apple and Rum Mousse: This combination was a first for us, and we were a bit apprehensive of how it would work. But the flavours just went so well with each other. The mousse was really creamy and airy, and there was a strong apple flavour with a lovely whiff of apple. A must-try for all those who want to try something different.

Spiced Rum Brownie Mousse: Another lovely creation with the rich brownie layers combined with a light mousse, flavoured with rum and some spices. We could taste the heat from the spices like cinnamon and clove in the mousse, and there was no way we could miss the alcoholic punch brought in by the rum. This dessert jar would be perfect with those who like a bit of heat in their desserts.

Oreo Cheesecake: Layers of crunchy crushed oreo biscuits, lined with a tart cream cheese, made for a delightful combination. What was also great was that we could taste a bit of saltiness in the cream cheese which really uplifted the flavours.

Strawberry Vanilla Trifle: This was perhaps the only one we didn’t enjoy too much, as in comparison to the strong and punchy flavours of the other desserts, this one fell short. It had layers of vanilla sponge and cream laced with fresh strawberries. However, we felt the strawberry flavour didn’t shine through as much, but it was a nice, simple vanilla cake.
We simply loved how none of the desserts were too sweet, and all elements were perfectly balanced. Mad Batter has delved into flavour combinations which are really new and fresh, and they all work brilliantly! These desserts are not only extremely flavourful and very creative, the jars look really beautiful and can serve as excellent gifting options! So next time you’re on the look-out for some sweet goodies to give out as party favours or even just to indulge, be sure to try out Mad Batter!

 

Quick Facts

Location: 10 North Right, DLF Farms, Chhatarpur
Phone No.: 9712922070

Restaurant Review: Farzi Café, CP

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Extremely popular across NCR for its unusual offerings which create a perfect ‘illusion’, Farzi Café needs no introduction. After being a raging success at Cyber Hub, Farzi Café recently opened its second outlet at the heart of Delhi- Connaught Place. Currently open only during the evening, the place was packed when we went there on a Wednesday, which clearly demonstrates its popularity.

The CP outlet is much larger than the one at Cyber Hub, with plush wooden interiors, excellent music and a huge bar. The concept behind Farzi, was not just to make Indian food modern, but also to provide Delhiites with a place which serves excellent and unique food along with reasonably priced and innovative cocktails. The bar is clearly the focal point of the restaurant, and has been done up in a very interesting manner, with light bulbs which convert into glasses for drinks. The bar also has a banta machine, which they use to make six different flavours of alcoholic bantas.

We tried the vodka-based Shikanji Banta, which was excellent, and is a must-try! Another interesting cocktail we tried was the bubbling jaljeera, which is created in a large flask, with edible dry ice put at the bottom, and the liquids poured on top to create a bubbling effect- a great spectacle as well as a tasty drink. We also tried a couple of mocktails- Farzi OK (a combination of California oranges and kaffir lime leaves- extremely delicious) and an apple and mint mocktail, which was really refreshing with a slightly sour taste. This drink was topped with a lovely mint foam.

Before we started our meal, we were served Salted Caramel Spheres as an amuse bouche. They were laid out on a plate which had dry-ice, on top of which hot water had been poured to create a smoke-like effect. The spheres were meant to be had like shots and the combination of cool, slightly sweetened yogurt, with a light hit of salt really tantalized the taste buds.

For starters, we had:

Delhi Belly Tikka and Roasted Russet Apples with Murrabba Glaze: This was a spectacular dish- the pork belly had been cooked perfectly, it was juicy and moist and extremely flavourful. But what created magic on this dish was the incredible murabba glaze. It was slightly sweet, sour and sticky and had bits of anardana in it and all the flavours were perfectly balanced. Even the apples were coated in the same glaze and they tasted delicious as well. A must-have dish here!

Mini Raj Kachori with Crisp Okra Salad and Chutney Foam: The raj kachori was really crisp, but it could have been slightly thinner. It was stuffed with a pumpkin and yogurt filling and was topped with a tamarind foam, so the sweet and sour flavours were balanced well. The kachori was served with some crispy fried okra, which not only provided a nice crunch to the dish, but tasted brilliant as well.

Pine Nuts and Scallion ‘Paddu-Yaki’, Roasted Tomato Kut, Parmesan Appalam: A perfect fusion of South Indian and Japanese, this dish had a paddu (South Indian fried rice balls) but made use of some Japanese flavourings. The paddu was served with a roasted tomato chutney and some parmesan dust. Though the regular paddu is often slightly bland, this version had a lot of flavour.

Mac n Cheese Pakora Bites: We all love pakodas as well as macaroni and cheese, so when these two things are combined together, how can one go wrong. These little balls and oozing cheese in it, and a crunchy exterior.

Dal Chawal Arancini, Achaar-Papad-Chutney: What a brilliant innovation- converting the humble dal and chawal to Italian-style arancini balls, and rather than being coated with breadcrumbs, these were coated with papad pieces. They were served atop a fresh tomato salsa, and were topped with mini papads and green chutney, to make for the quintessential home-style meal of dal, rice, papad and chutney.

F.F.C- Farzi Fried Chicken with Smoked BBQ Cream: The fried chicken was served on a mini-truck. It was crunchy on the outside and juicy within, and had been marinated well. It was served with a smoked bbq cream, but we would have preferred a sauce which was slightly spicier to be served with these.

After the starters, we were served with a palate-cleanser of Khandvi Sorbet Lolly-pops. As weird as it may sound, they actually did taste exactly like khandvi and even had tiny bits of curry leaves inside. These not only refreshed out palates, but were extremely delicious as well.

For mains, we had:

Chicken Tikka Masala with naan: This is the national dish of Britain, and to pay homage to that, it was served in a red mini telephone booth. The chicken was quite nice- had subtle spices and was heavy on tomatoes.

Mutton Irrachi Pepper Fry with Malabari Parantha: Melt-in-the-mouth mutton, in a typical Kerala-style pepper fry curry, served with flaky paranths. The mutton had the typical south indian flavourings, but was not overpowered by coconut oil, which was great!

Bheja Fry, Fresh coriander and Cumin Appam: Our first time trying bheja fry, and we couldn’t have asked for a better rendition of this dish. The bheja was shredded very fine, so that you don’t feel the slimy and mushy texture while eating it, as a result of it, you are not repulsed by the thought of it, and are actually able to appreciate the flavour. Also, it went really well with the soft appam.

No meal is complete without desserts, and here as well, Farzi doesn’t disappoint. We tried:

Ras Malai Tres Leches, Carrot Cream, Rose Petal Net: The ras malai was stacked, with layers of carrot cream in between, topped with a sugar net, all swimming in the saffron and rose petal flavoured milk. The ras malai pieces were really soft and spongy, but the carrot cream was clearly the star on this plate.

Milky Way, Big Bang: This dessert is created live on the table by the chef who solidifies an ice-cream using liquid nitrogen and then breaks in into shards. The plate is covered with a myriad different items like chocolate pepper fudge, caramel fudge, edible flavours, nuts, cake pieces, crumbs, sauces, etc, so that with each bite, you get to taste different flavours and textures. This dessert is an experience in itself and should not be missed!

We ended our meal with a Candy Floss pan, which had a covering of candy floss in the shape of a gujya, and was filled with dry betel leaves. An excellent end to a wonderful meal!

When one dines at Farzi Café, not only does one get to taste unusual flavour combinations, wacky presentations and exceptional service, one gets an excellent dining experience. At very few restaurants in the city, barring the five-stars, do you get to see such courteous, personalized service. The servers are very well-versed with the menu, and are not only able to give excellent suggestions, but are also able to explain the concept behind each dish, which, at a concept-driven restaurant like Farzi, is extremely crucial.

Overall, Farzi Café is a must-visit place for a really delightful and unique gastronomical experience!

 

Quick Facts

Location: E Block, Inner Circle, Connaught Place
Phone No.: +91 9599889700 ; 011 43551028