BIRTHDAY at BAY LEAF (Courtyard by Marriott)

BIRTHDAY at BAY LEAF
(Courtyard by Marriott)

Hello Folks,

Lazy Sunday and a late post. Well firstly, you guys should wish me a Happy Birthday! :D

Still in the birthday hangover and the Mouth watering food I had. People asked me what gift you want on your Birthday and my answer was “Food!!” Nothing makes me happier than having some scrumptious food at a good restaurant. Well, this was such a ‘Foodie Birthday’ for me. I had some 5 cakes and mouth watering meals past two days.

Who can imagine your mom & dad coming to you at 12 midnight with a small cake from Indore?

I think by now you guys would ask me out for a treat. Well, yes I believe in Birth week rather Birth Month! :D

I would say I am such a Lucky person that, Courtyard by Marriott had their opening of their new restaurant “Bay Leaf” on the same day. I didn't really know that my dad had arranged a surprise dinner for me at this place. :D

Luckier to be at this place on the very first day, amongst  first few customers.

So here is the review of BAY LEAF.

A whole new restaurant that Courtyard by Marriott has come up with.  The ambiance is pretty awesome. It’s a small place but they would extent it very soon. Initially, they have started up with dinner and some executive and innovative cuisines that you might not have even heard of.

Looking at the menu, I was pretty much confused how to start up, but then Chef Ajay helped me out and he was very kind enough to help us decide the whole dinner.

Here’s what I had and would recommend all the foodie people out there to come for a dinner at this place.

Bay Leaf offers Indian Cuisines and difference is that they use international techniques for this. :D

BREADS AND DIP

We were at first served with some breads and dip to start off since we were starving. The Dip was absolutely yummy. It was sweet, salty and white colored.

CHILLY CRUMPLES WITH AAMCHUR SAUCE

This was served to us as soon as we were done with our breads and dip. Chilly Crumples were one of the yummiest things you should start with. It was filled with cheese stuffing and fried which made it Ping Pong hot and crispy from outside and smooth from inside. Also, the Aamchur Sauce was brilliant.

PINEAPPLE RASAM

This was the appetizer drink that we were served. It had that typical Indian touch and was basically small shots of Pineapple which was salty and a little spicy. Tasted like a louki and tomato soup. But I loved it. 

PROGRESSIVE INDIAN (STARTERS)

So, the first starters that was recommended by chef was “Potato cheese n chilly galette”

POTATO CHEESE N CHILLY GALETTE

It was a sensational ceviche with finely chopped potatoes slices with cheese. The presentation was extremely innovative. Very Eye catchy dish and was brilliant in taste. I still cannot forget this divine thing. The potato slices were so fine with cheese filling that I could feel each and every layer of it in my mouth. They had added a dropper on the top filled with sauce which looked amazing.

KEBABS

Yes, I am a Bhopali and I love kebabs a lot. So, next came the "Kandhari palak tikki" 

KANDHARI PALAK TIKKI

It was a spinach patty with pomegranate and fresh garlic cooked on a griddle with garlic yogurt. To be frank, my mom and I could not make out what was the binding element they used. It was so yummy! The spinach was so fresh and tasted brilliant. I absolutely loved this.

MAIN COURSE

PANEER CANNELLONI WITH KADAI RATATOUILLE

The menu described it as Missi roti crisp and saffron tomato fondue. The presentation again was terrific. It was a paneer role with stuffing’s and tomato gravy. It was exquisite and palatable.

DUM KA KHUMBH

Dum ka kumbh basically is a mushroom dish with gravy. Slow oven cooked mushrooms with yogurt cashew and onion gravy. The mushrooms were very soft and superb. It’s a must try for all.

DAL MAKHANI

This was one of the best dal makhani I ever had in my life. The taste was out of this world. The coal smoke added more brilliance to it. I swear I was too much full but, I was just not in a mood to leave dal unfinished. It had such a tempting taste. A flavorsome dish. A MUST TRY!

INDIAN BREADS

One can go in for Tandoori Roti, Laccha partha. But I would suggest Try Shirmal roti at least once. You would love it.

By this time we were extremely full. First time ever I said a no to desserts. But, I had my Birthday Cake which was just the perfect thing I could have. :D

Such a King Size Dinner I had. You should visit Bay Leaf for some exotic Indian cuisines.

You might find the prices a little high but IT’S WORTH IT.

I am still not able to forget the awesome dinner I had last night at this place. Best Dinner of my life. The best birthday gift I could ever have. One thing that my dad and I said after the dinner, “Pet to bhar gaya, par dil nahi bhara!” Also, now there is no need to travel Indore or Delhi for good food, because BAY LEAF is here! :D

I will definitely visit this place again very soon.

Just make sure you book your table in advance. Call them up for reservation at: +91 755 3096236

In the end I want to thank a few people who made this dinner heavenly.

Mr. Elton Hurtis, GM, Courtyard by Marriott

Chef Ajay Chaudhary for the Brilliant food. The staff for being really cooperative and prompt service.

Thank You team Courtyard by Marriott. 
Good Luck for the new venture. I am sure it’s going to be successful. 

With Chef Ajay Chaudhary

So, this was my review on Bay Leaf. Normally I rate places out of 5 points but, for the first time I am rating a place out of 10.

Bay Leaf: 10/10. Well deserved.

I wish Zomato comes to Bhopal officially and this place stands on the top of the list. :D

So, I hope you all liked my post. Do drop in your feedback in the comment box.

Thank You in anticipation.

Happy Eating Fellas.

Connect with me on Twitter: @Mudrakeswani

My Blogs:

culinarychronical.blogspot.in
gourmetdiaryblog.wordpress.com

 

YE DELHI HAI MERE YAAR…!

Hello Folks,

So many random thoughts in my mind. So many cravings every now and then. You guys won’t believe I changed my whole post last night. Just because of sudden cravings.

So, today I am gonna take you to Delhi ki sawari!

Ye Delhi hai mere yaar….

No! No! No! I wasn’t in Delhi. But when you have good restaurants in your city itself, which serve good cuisines, why go to Delhi? :P

So, I am gonna give a review on PIND BALLUCHI and DELHI DARBAR.

I have been to these places many a times so I am gonna give a combined review.

PIND BALLUCHI

Pind balluchi restaurant at DB City Mall is one of the awesome restaurants serving north Indian cuisines. I absolutely loved there interiors. A totally different world. They have tried to give it a village look. They have a Tree inside! Imagine (Tree on the 3^rd Floor DB City Mall) :D

This is not the Actual Bhopal's Pind Balluchi

Basically it’s there to give that apt look of a village and people having food under the tree. Plates were of heavy steel and they play some Punjabi songs which are quite good.

So, I had heard a lot about the kebabs over here and I ordered DAHI KEBABS.

DAHI KE KEBAB

Dahi ke kebabs were one of the most delicious dishes I could have over here. It’s way too yummy. It’s made up of hung curd and bread. It’s the best starter you should have over here.

This is how it actually looked like

PANEER TIKKA

Next, must try starter is Paneer tikka. It’s Punjabi restaurant, how can one not have paneer over here? :D  I am not a panner tikka lover, but Pind Balluchi has one of the most finely cooked paneer tikka that you should not miss.

Main course

PANNER MAKHNI

Next, I ordered paneer makhni. It’s a lil sweet and spicy paneer. Paneer was soft and served well. I could easily smell the spices. It was really good and it becomes all the more yummier when served with Tandori butter roti.

DAL MAKHNI AND RICE

Yes, this is all time favourite dish of almost everyone. Who doesn’t love dal rice?! :D

Specially, when you are at a north Indian restaurant, this is A MUST!

Dal was freshly cooked and when it is garnished with butter on it, I swear it becomes so damn tempting! :D

GULAB JAMUN

I was full by that time. But, there’s always a room for dessert. :D So, Gulab jamun was next.

It was an instant gulab jamun which they might have purchased from some other place. The issue was they heated it slightly more than the limit. It lost all it’s worth just because of this and I ended up with having a pastry at a coffee shop!

PIND BALLUCHI: I would rate it 4/5.

Loved having lunch over here. On my next visit, I would like to try Parathas and Cholle khulche.

DELHI DARBAR

Day before yesterday only I visited this place with my buddies. It’s situated at E-4 Arera colony.

The interiors of this place are really good. But when we visited, there were hardly 2-3 people who came here for lunch. Most of the tables were empty.

We were starving like anything. So we quickly ordered the starters.

Worst issue we faced was that, we had to wait 45 mins. Forget about hunger, it made us angry! :P

We were extremely hungry and waiting for this long especially when the restaurant was empty. It was such a pain!!

CRISPY VEGETABLES

Before ordering I rechecked with the waiter that is it like Veg Kothey? He said yes and they are a lil crispy. But as soon as they were served, I was pretty shocked. No sauce?!! Tasted it, even more shocked. It tasted as if I am having bhajiyas. :/  Why would one order bhajiyas?!! It was extremely oily , we just gulped it just because we were starving. Terrible experience!

A Big NO to crispy vegetable.

PANEER LABABDAR

I have had this dish many a times, but over here it was the first try. We were just praying that the main course is fine just because our starters experience was bad.  Finally, it came. Seemed Yummy and Mind it, it was actually yummy. :D It was spicy. One could actually spot green chilly in the dish. But the taste was just unforgettable.  Absolutely brilliant it was.

Butter Naan and Tandoori Butter roti added more brilliance to it. Just loved it!

And yet again I ended up eating sweet dish at Bake ‘n’ Shake just because I had a bad experience with starters and had to wait for so long.

DELHI DARBAR: I would rate it 3/5

Suggestions: Please work upon your kitchen. It’s annoying to wait for so long. Also, the starters are not that good.

So, this was short Delhi Food visit in Bhopal itself.

Hope you enjoyed reading it.

Make sure to drop in a comment. I love reading your feedback.

Thank You in anticipation.

You can connect with me on twitter: @Mudrakeswani

http://culinarychronical.blogspot.in/
http://gourmetdiaryblog.wordpress.com/

Cowboy Resto Lounge

Hello Folks,

I know I am posting really late but, like every other human being I would like to specify some dumb reasons for being late. I have been really busy since past 3 weeks. Family Business, Mom Dad’s Wedding Anniversary, events, friends’ birthdays, office work, and month end pressure. :/

One of the main reasons for being this late was that the restaurant I visited, I asked the owner to send me the pictures of the food they serve. I mailed them and even texted them on facebook but I guess they were that darn busy to not even check mails. :/

So, I visited this new restaurant called “Cowboy Resto Lounge”

I liked this place; it’s been like my 3 visits over here. So I am going to give a combined review.

Cowboy Resto Lounge

The first time I visited this place was with my friend during our work breaks. I quiet heard a lot good things about this place. As soon as we entered, it was an absolutely different world. Wooden interiors, American flags, Cowboy statue etc. A typical Mexican look. 

I just loved the way they have come up with this restaurant. The waiters were very co-operative enough. Mind it; you can click loads and loads of pictures over here. They will give you hats, guns and even click it for you. :D

The first thing everyone does over here is a PHOTO SHOOT. (Truth)

After getting loads of clicks and starving like anything I had a quick look at the menu.

Mexican Potatoes:

Mexican Potatoes

The first thing that caught my eye was Mexican Potatoes.The Mexican potatoes were the most brilliant dish I had over here. It was absolutely yummy.The potatoes were crispy and were cooked in schezwan sauce and garnished with sesame seeds. It looked just mouth watering and was a fabulous dish.

We order two mocktails that were: The Valentine and Orange Strawberry Twister.

The Valentine:

The Valentine

The name says something in red and lovable. Expectations were too high from this mocktail. As soon as it was served, it was a tiny glass with pink colour drink. Not able to recover from the shock that why was it such a tiny thing?! We tasted it. It was good. It was a blend of Rose and Cranberry juice with vanilla ice cream. It costs Rs.225 per mocktail.

Orange Strawberry Twister:

Orange Strawberry Twister

This looked absolutely yummy. The way it was decorated and the blend of red and orange color were just awesome. But I didn't like it. It wasn't that good. The Valentine was way better than this.

The moment I saw the main course I was pretty shocked. Most of the dishes they had were Indian.

Mexican restaurant serving Indian food! :D

I asked the chef why so? He said, Bhopali’s are not that aware of the international food. Very few actually know about it and they have just started up. With time they would try and add up more Mexican food. So, then we ordered Indian.

Vegetable Kothey:

Veg. Kothey

This was the other starters that were ordered by us. The presentation was nice. The quantity was huge enough for us, but I personally didn't like it. There was only capsicum and cabbage in it. What about other vegetables? :/

Paneer Butter Masala:

Yes, I agree paneer is my favorite dish and I just can’t ignore it. In my first post I said, there are very few places that serve good paneer dishes. One more added to this number. :D

The paneer was absolutely brilliant. Soft and fresh. Finely cooked and garnished very well.

Mexican Rice:

Mexican Rice

To be very frank I never had Mexican rice. So, I asked the waiter what it is like. What he said was that it is sweet yellow rice with dry fruits. :/ What sweet?!!

I had a talk with the chef and he told me it was brown rice which is spicy. Two opposite reviews. ?? Confused Much!

Finally I ordered it. It was good in taste. It was spicy and was finely cooked. It was my first try so I liked it.

In my next visit I would like to try are Tacos, Mexican Penne and Bean Burrito. :)

So here comes an end of my review for Cowboy Resto Lounge.

Suggestions:

1.       The waiters need to be trained a lot.

2.       The staff was unaware of the dishes. The management needs to work on that.

3.       They need to check feedback from the customers and work upon that. Like I mentioned earlier I mailed them so many times. But, No response. They need proper management for that.

4.       Also, they should add more Mexican dishes.

I would rate Cowboy Resto Lounge 3.5/5

Hope you all enjoyed reading my post and feedback is appreciated. :)

Please drop in a comment about the post.

Thank You in anticipation.

You can follow me on my twitter account and let me know more about food. @MudraKeswani

http://culinarychronical.blogspot.in

http://gourmetdiaryblog.wordpress.com

INDORI SWAD

INDORI SWAD

Hello Lovely People,

First of all Thank You for making my first post a Super hit. I loved reading your feedback and who does not love the appreciation? Also my apologizes for being too late for the next post. Well I got really busy cause its summer. Remember the time when it was summer vacations and we used to be very excited to visit our grandparents. Well yes it happens that even today. People were so excited about my second post some even called me up or text-ed me “come on girl… what’s the secret of your next post...” and I was like “yaar bahar hun Indore me” :P 

I wish if this could happen with me. I am still thin! :P

It’s always fun to visit places and so I thought my next post should also cross the boundaries of my hometown. Also I could write my reviews on any lavish and superb hotels of Indore like that of Sayaji, Radisson Blu, Fortune landmark etc… But then I thought let’s do something creative and catchy so that when people read they rush to Indore.

P.S. Indore is the best place to tickle your taste buds.

So now here I am sharing with you all some Indori Swad. The typically street food of Indore which makes Indore city famous for Its Awesome Food and Taste.

So my first Food review is on Chappan (56)Dukan!

CHAPPAN (56)DUKAN

Okay so I went to MG road for a Haircut, how could I stop my eyes and ignore the food? :P

It was 3:30 in the Noon, terrible heat but I swear when you have food in front of you heat doesn't matter. :D

MASALA PURI:

So I first head out to eat the masala puri. Okay might have heard about Pani Puri, Dahi Puri….what’s masala puri? It’s basically a plain puri stuffed with onions, Sev, Coriander leaves and some masalas.

It was something different but awesome. Though it was a lil dry but it was nice to try it out.

Masala Puri

INDORI POHE:

Heard about Kanda poha but boss this is Indori Poha. A lil sweet in taste and they garnish it quiet well. It's garnished with plain onion (Kanda), Long sev and Boondi Sev. Boondi Sev is one of the specialties of the Indore food.  If you visit Indore eating a Poha is like a ritual. You eat that anyway.  :D

Also a must try drink at Chappan is Shikanji at Madhuram. 

Indori Poha

NARIYAL/KHOPRA PATTIS:

Well In Bhopal a Pattis is a baked thing stuffed with potatoes/ spinach/ paneer etc. But in Indore this kind of pattis is called a Baked Samosa. I really get confused at times. :P

So I finally had to eat the indori pattis. This is called Kopra Pattis. These Pattis are small ball type in shape and has a thick outer covering of Boiled Potatoes and inside it was stuffed with Coconut (Nariyal) or Khopra  (Dried chopped coconut). I swear it is the yummiest thing I had at 56 (Chappan).

Fabulous Taste. Also I got to know they are made of some special kind of potatoes. They are put to test after boiling. If not appropriate are rejected. Only Vijay Chat House has this great thing. A must visit at Vijay Chat House.

Nariyal/Khopra Pattis

SARAFA

Sarafa Bazar

Next I headed out to Sarafa Bazar. This place is open for food only at Night. Otherwise it is a proper Gold market of Indore.

This Place is GIANT. I repeat Giant…..I felt as if it won’t ever end. There are hawkers who start there cooking as soon as the gold shops close. I went there around 9:30 so that I get the actual feel of the sarafa. The list of food items you can get here is ENDLESS. I had a really hard time to decide what to eat and what to leave. The hardest decision was finally taken and I started to head out and look for good food. One of the funny things I found over here was the names of the hawkers. OMG that was hilarious.

Here are the items I had at Sarafa.

BHUTTE KI KIS

Okay if you ever visit Sarafa and did not try bhutte ki kis your visit will be an epic fail. :P

I tried this Bhutte ki Kis from Sawariya. (Haha Not the movie)

This thing is is just so yummy I have been eating it since I don’t even remember.

I don’t know the exact recipe but I asked my mom how it is made. The Corn is thickly grind and then it is made in Pure Ghee with Hing, Rai, Jeera, Green chilli. Garnished with Khopra (Dried coconut) and coriander leaves.

I won’t say it’s my favorite dish but then I won’t even say it’s bad. Its Yummy anyway. Soft and easy to gulp.

Bhutte Ki Kis

Sawariya

Also a must try at over here is Saboodana Khichdi which I couldn't since I wanted to go in for other food items.

CHOLE TIKKI

You might have tried yaha waha ki chole tikki  but Dude it’s Indore it has to be different and yummy the tikki (cutlet) is shallow fried in pure ghee. The chutney’s they add are absolutely superb and guess what they add Paneer in this dish. I couldn't make out when I saw this but when I tasted it was a totally new experience.

DAHI BHALLE

There is  a specific shop Joshi ji  Dahi bada house he makes absolute yummy dahi bhalle. He rolls the bhallas over  (like some circus thing) and then the bhalla’s come down straight in dhai. (Lol some entertainment stuff) But I swear the Dahi bhallas are just fabulous.

DOSA’S

Okay so the typical south Indian dosa’s are quiet mainstream. :P what if I told you have a Chinese dosa? “Noodle Dosa” “Cheese Dosa”? Haha Its different so I was really excited about Dosa’s. I had one Potato onion and Noodle Dosa. They were just fine. I won’t say Amazing but just okay okay types.

Dosa

CHINESE

Okay so Next stop was Chinese. It’s a true fact that the Chinese dishes in India are not the actual ones used in China. Indians have added all masalas and sauces to add in more taste to it. For street hawkers Chinese Food, I first ordered Manchurian. I was very sure that it’s gonna be extremely chilly. I am gonna get tears in my eyes. But to my shock this Manchurian was absolutely yummy. Exact amount of ingredients used and finely cooked.  The quantity was also enough for us to finish it up. I wanted to try out Kothey as I heard it from many that they make really good kothe, but I was too late for that as they were running out of it. Bad Luck!

Being highly impressed with Manchurian Next I ordered was Fried rice. Eagerly waiting for it and thinking how awesome it’s gonna be. :D So it was there looking Fine and finally tasting part goes out to be a mess. It was not as per the expectations. It had too much of vinegar. The vegetables were not finally chopped. I felt I am having Pulav sort of a dish. It was really hard to finish it up. L

SAMOSA

Next was the samosa. This shop is one of the oldest shops in Indore. I remember when I was a child I visited this place with my Grandfather. This shop is near to his workplace so he used to buy Samosa or Alloo Kachori for me. :D Yummiest and Fresh Samosa’s are just here.

KUCH MEETHA HOJAYE

Well I was Pretty much full but I cannot say a No to sweets!! So I am gonna tell you guys what is A MUST try!

MAWA BATTI

Mawa Batti or GulabJamun ka bhai :P You have to try it. It’s just one of the incredible sweets you can get in Indore.

JALEBA

Bhai Jalebi suna hai…..Jaleba kya hai? Jeleba is the Giant Jalebi. OMG it’s Too heavy. I wasn't in a state to consume this big thing. But I swear it was my mistake to miss it. I tasted it though. If you ever visit Sarafa make sure you have enough space for Jaleba.

HALWAS

If you still have that much space in your tummy Halwas are a must for you. Cooked in pure Ghee and Sarafa has a big variety of Halwas which is a must try.

KULFI

Its summers… Kulfi’s are just the right sweet thing to have. Matka Kulfi, Kesar pista and Chowpati Kulfi’s are my all time favorite. You can even get sugar free Kulfi if you are a health conscious person.  You have to try out Sarafa’s Kulfi. It’s just Superb.

So here I ended with my Foodie days at Indore there are many more things which are a must try for you all. I am gonna state them below. Also I found some really funny names of the shops and I could manage to click so I am gonna feature them as well.

Facebook Maggi Point

Lassi Bhi Ghamandi hoti hai!

Arey Yaar Kya Dhasu Hai Barf Gola! :P LOL

MUST TRY’S

·         Paani Puri

·         Alloo Pyass Kachori

·         Pav Bhaji

·         Cholle Bhature

·         Maal Pooa

·         Mangode

·         Gadaduu

·         Halwas

·         Jalebi’s

·         Shikangi

·         Lassi

So this was my experience at Sarafa and Chappan (56 dukaan).

FULL TOO CHATORA DESTINATION.

Hope you all enjoyed reading my blog and also hoping you just got some cravings while reading this.

Feedback and suggestions on the post are welcomed. J

Thank You in anticipation.

P.S. You guys can connect with me on twitter. Follow me @Mudrakeswani 

Let me know more about food and my blog.

Heartiest Thank You to Ibad Khan for the Picture. :)