Maharaja Bhog

A couple of days back, some of us in the office ordered a lunchbox from Maharaja Bhog. At first, they were not ready to deliver. Even when they were told that 6 boxes are to be delivered, they insisted on charging the round-trip rickshaw fare.

The boxes arrived on time and all of us opened them with great expectation. We were in for a bitter disappointment. The vegetable in the box was a never-before-heard-of combination of okra, paneer and corn. I have a strong suspicion that the cook had forgotten to add any spices except for salt to it, with the result that the dish was fit for consumption by someone recuperating from a major operation. The daal was bland but okay as far as taste goes. The third gravy dish was prepared as if to compensate for the lack of spices in the other two. Though the gravy in it was tasty, it was more suitable for a meat preparation and did little justice to the boulder-size chunks of potatoes in it. :-(

The box contained 5 chapatis, drenched in ghee. But they were well-cooked and soft. There was a bowl of rice which was not undercooked (thank God!). There were 2 pieces of farsan - one, a sort of dhokala made from besan and steamed, and the other a stuffed kachori - along with a small container of pudina (mint) chutney.

2 large slivers of cucumber served as salad. A pouch contained pieces of fried papad. They must have forgotten to add pickle. A Gulab Jamun was added by way of a sweet dish. Oh, and there was a small pouch of mukhwas (mouth freshner) and a tooth pick.

We Indians are generally brought up with the teaching that one should never criticize any food preparation. But this lunch was definitely not worth Rs 145 + round-trip rickshaw fare.

Needless to say, I will never order food from or eat at this place again!

Anyone watching Sachin Tendulkar grinning from ear to ear yesterday could be forgiven for thinking that he was instrumental in securing MI win against SRH. The truth is far from that. Though this time around he managed to score in double digits, it was Kieron pollard who got the team out of the tight spot by hitting 66 off just 27 balls – including 8 sixes. Otherwise, it would have been tough for MI to chase the score of 179.

But then he is Sachin, right? Whether he does anything or not, he will be in limelight. And no one, not even the commentators, would want to comment on his dismal performance.

In that respect, the so-called God of Cricket is having easier time than God Almighty Himself.  

Thinking of disposing off your old laptop? Thinking of buying a refurbished one? If you are in Delhi, here's a site – Reglobe.in - which does just the same. Right now they deal with laptops but plan to introduce more electronic gadgets in future.

Ever wondered if it will be possible to order things directly from the places which are famous for those things? Then check out http://shopatplaces.com/. They have categories like shoes, fragrances, jewellery & apparel. Some of the stuff looked good too. But I wonder how they will solve the Size Problem when it comes to rings, shoes or apparel.  

WSD Sale at Phoenix Mills

 
The email from WSD had said that the Sale at Phoenix will be on 10th and 11th. So I was a bit surprised to find the sale going on when I went there today.

There were a lot of books and though I rummaged through them first, I didn't find any that I wanted. Then the stack of towels caught my attention.I loved the cute little doggie on this one and so I bought it. :-)

Haagen Dazs, Phoenix Mills

If you think that the place where the Heavens meet the Earth is called the Horizon, you couldn't be farther from the truth. That place is called 'Haagen Dazs' and you can find it in High Street Phoenix. :-)

In this age of complex sundaes and crepes, plain scoop of an ice-cream sounds such a passé, isn't it? Not if the scoop is of Macadamia Nut ice-cream. You kind of wonder whether you should gobble it up all at once because it is so tasty or eat it slowly to make the experience last forever. I guess you cannot go wrong when it comes to Macadamia Nuts.

We also ordered a crepe with chocolate & strawberry scoops - only to be told that they didn't have chocolate or strawberry scoops. So we asked them to use one scoop of Caramel Biscuit & Cream and another of Cappuccino Truffle instead. I sure am glad that we did that. The result was nothing short of spectacular. The crepe was soft enough to melt in the mouth. The scoops melted to give it an extra layer of softness without turning it into a soggy mess. And the slivers of strawberries added a slight sour note to the whole dish.

So, in the words of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir:

Gar firdaus, ruhe zamin ast, hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin ast.

If there is ever a heaven on earth, its here, its here, its here! :-)

Trader Vic's Maitai Lounge

I have probably dined at every eating place in High Street Phoenix - except for Rajdhani, and that's because they serve buffets and I don't have a stomach for it. So this time we decided to go to the Maitai Lounge - despite the fact that they only have an open dining area, no AC.

The menu has a few usual suspects like e.g. Thai red and green curries, sweet & sour chicken, Kung Pao Chicken plus salads and burgers. And then, there are a few dishes that you won't find in a normal eating joint in a mall e.g. Lomi Lomi bruschetta.

We ordered Kung Pao Chicken and Lomi Lomi bruschetta. The chicken was served with Jasmine Rice. The rice had a sticky texture as it should but the nutty aroma was missing big time. The chicken had far too less gravy for my taste. And whatever gravy it did have hadn't been soaked inside the chicken pieces. Frankly, I have eaten better Kung Pao Chicken than this. The bruschetta had finely chopped tomatoes and onions stacked onto it along with probably a dash of olive oil and some herbs. But just 6 pieces of bruschetta for Rs. 280 was rather an expensive affair :-(

All in all, it was good to try it once but I for sure aint going back there.

Mad Over Donuts

'Can we have panipuri?' I asked the guy who was sitting at the counter with an expression that proclaimed to the world that he would be rather someplace else than there.
'Nope, we aren't open yet. Too early' he mumbled something to that effect.

I had guessed as much because we were way too early to the mall. Everywhere around us people were getting their stalls ready for the day's business. We were late to catch McDonald's and Subway breakfast. Even the guy selling Corn wasn't ready with his stuff. Frustrated, we turned to 'Mad Over Donuts'. I hadn't got any favorable feedback about this eatery from some of my friends so I was a bit reluctant to try their fare. Though I love chocolates, I don't like them in ice-creams, cakes or donuts. So when I walked in to find isles of chocolate and cream covered donuts, it was all I could do not to turn on my heels and walk out.

Just then the Original donuts with their thin layer of sugary frosting caught my attention. Why not try these? We ordered them and when I took a bite I knew that I had chosen wisely. It was soft, with a hint of warmth from being warmed in the microwave and the frosting was just at the right level of sweetness - neither weak enough to make you wonder if you are eating a savory snack nor so sweet that you cannot eat more than a bite. Perfect down to the very last bite!

Do I have it in me to try one of the chocolate ones next? Maybe.....if I am feeling particularly adventurous. And that's unlikely in near future!