Lifestyle - Travels for Taste

Dead Easy Desserts – 30 minutes or less – August’2014

August 1, 2014 by manjirichitnis 13 Comments

Hello Everyone! I know I have been MIA for a while but just been attacked by a terrible tummy bug amongst other things…

But am over that now and can’t wait to get back to sharing some great recipes .But before that I have some exciting news! I will be hosting Dead Easy Desserts for Sarah of Maison Cupcake for August .AND there is a theme this time around , yes a theme, ! Last month the theme was Raspberries .

To me nothing screams summer like Strawberries do right?So the theme for August 2014 is STRAWBERRY

So put on your thinking caps and get creative in the kitchen!

Errrm… just need to rattle off a few rules , don’t worry nothing scary just a few steps to bear in mind which will make life easier for all of us.

Dead Easy Desserts – 30 minutes or less – August 2014 – Theme Strawberries

How to enter your blog post into Dead Easy Desserts:

Blog any dead easy dessert, pudding BASICALLY anything sweet , all you need to do is ensure it can be whisked up in well 30 minutes!
Dead Easy Desserts runs from 1st Aug to 29th Aug with full round ups of all entrants who have mentioned the challenge in their published post.
Short cuts and cook ahead elements are actively encouraged i.e. using sauces, frozen fruit, left over bits and pieces as a component. So long as assembling/the bit where you actually cook it takes under 30 minutes that’s fine. Chilling/setting time need not be included within the 30 minutes.
Add the URL of your post to the linky below. This a blog hop so feel free to add the code to your own post so your readers can admire the entries received so far.
Please be mindful of copyright, we don’t mind if you’ve adapted something from elsewhere or you made it from scratch. But if you submit something found online or in a book, just tell us where you found it rather than tapping it all out in your post.
I don’t mind you submitting your entry elsewhere to other challenges but please be mindful of other events’ rules.
We will try to retweet any posts using #deadeasydesserts that @ mention @maisoncupcake and @manjirichitnis BOTH.

Thats all! There is a linky at the bottom of this post but if there is a gremlin in the system and you are not able to link ,please drop me an email with your entry at fruitsnveg@yahoo.com

Now that we have the nitty-gritty out of the way how about some inspiration ? Have a look at the yummy entries in last month Dead Easy Desserts on Sarah’s blog Maison Cupcake with the theme Raspberries ummmm don’t you just love the pop pink- red colour of those delicate summer berries just waiting to be eaten !

Dead Easy Desserts – 30 minutes or less – July 2014 Round Up – Theme Raspberries

Wonderful quick & easy French Summer Dessert :le vacherin glace’ by Croque Maman blog

No Bake Raspberry Cheesecake mousse by Family Friends Food Blog

Sweet Chickpea Flour Pancakes with Quickie Raspberry Chia Jam by TasteSpace blog

Triple Berry Parfait with Cashew Cream by Style Nectar blog

Lemon Bavarois with Raspberry Syrup by Style Nectar blog

And last but not the least this No Churn dairy free vegan raspberry ice cream by Sarah of Maison Cupcakes who created the #deadeasydesserts challenge.

Uni brings Nikkei Cuisine to Victoria

July 20, 2014 by manjirichitnis 11 Comments

The largest Japanese settlement outside of Japan is in Peru and the unique fusion cuisine that is Japanese Peruvian is called Nikkei. Fiona invited me to accompany this time to discover Nikkei, she is an award-winning freelance writer and marketing consultant who currently writes about travel and London lifestyle for a number of publications and runs her own London lifestyle blog called London Unattached.

So it was a bright summer Monday afternoon that I trooped to Uni (the Japanese word for the sea urchin, a Japanese delicacy) restaurant and sushi bar designed by Andrew Martin, in Belgravia minutes away from the travel hub that is Victoria station.

I was shown to a cosy table downstairs.

For starters, I got some steamed edamame with a spicy chilli and garlic sauce (£4.50) and some refreshing green tea served in a typical cast iron heavy pot which I would love to have as part of my growing food prop collection which now occupies every corner or of our tiny rental flat much to the chagrin of my hubby – I guess the last straw was trying to pass off a very heavy cast iron pot as a ‘place to keep his USB drives and hide away the many wires…. hehehee

I had happily managed to forget my phone at home and therefore Fiona tried in vain to inform me of her delayed train. Blissfully unaware of this I sipped my tea and munched my edamame all the time trying to ignore some stuffy banker-type folks on the table next to me talking shop – how boring…

So when Fiona arrived she managed to move us to a bigger table away from the ‘big boy talk’ as she aptly called it and onto a table where I could dump my bags and lay my camera lens and other paraphernalia – I do not travel light …

To make life easier we chose to have bento boxes for our mains and mine came with the udon noodle and fish cake soup while Fiona had a light Miso soup. I was feeling ravenous by the time the soup arrived and devoured it in a flash! (£24.5 per bento box – comes with soups, salad, sushi, & maki, main dish, side, rice and dessert)

Nabe Udon – Noodle and Fishcake Soup with Prawn Tempura.

Beautifully light Miso Soup

My Bento box had Kaiso Wakame – seaweed salad, prawn and carrot tempura, main of duck tataki – seared duck breast finely sliced and dressed with mirin and soy, fried rice and sashimi selection. The duck tataki was deliciously morish, I also loved the seaweed salad and the sticky fried rice with the sashimi was very filling.

Fiona’s bento box came with steamed rice and artichoke sauce, and black cod and was very appetising.

We washed down our Bento lunch boxes with some chilled sake.

The very polite manager came and urged us to experiment with some of the Nikkei range from the menu and we were served two stunning dishes.

Tiraditos of Yellowtail with kizami wasabi,Yuzu and fresh mint presented in a creative and stunning display, it was delightfully fresh, sharp in taste with a delicate balance of colour and flavour. (£15.5)

Wildly beautiful looking salmon tartare tacos with cucumber,tomato,masago and creamy miso were crunchy and melt in your mouth creamy all at one once exploding with a light flavour in every bite – delicious! (£6)

Stuffed to the gills now I had to walk around click a few pictures and allow for some space to be created in my tummy to fit in some dessert 😉

To my amusement the very attentive young lady on the staff showed us how the colourful lamp shade were made from bottle of campari that could be detached and well glugged , given it was a hot summer afternoon I think it was a great idea that Fiona ordered us some Pisco Sour shots instead ;).Never having tasted these before I downed them in one go much to my own peril, the sake already in my system the shot gave me quite the buzz!

Thankfully, my cooling Matcha Gelato worked wonders and cooled me down several degrees -phew!

Fiona managed to stay light with desserts too with a selection of fresh fruit.

The creation of former Nobu chef Rolando Ongcoy, the menu at UNI offers a good selection of grilled meats ,fish, sushi,sashimi, selection of tempura and maki. The Peruvian influence is prevalent throughout UNI’s menu, ceviche and tiraditos peruano included.

The bar area upstairs also has plenty of seating on high stools and around the bar, perfect for knocking down Peruvian fav’s like the pisco sours or coconut-based Chilli Mojito.

Victoria being a very office space kind of area is lucky to have Uni in its midst now, with bite-sized healthier meal options, seven-dish bento boxes for short lunch hours are on offer at a price of course. So the big banker boys and girls can have their financial pow-wow meets in the fancy cubicles or basement vaults if you please which can seat about 10 – 12 people, and if the huge ice buckets with bottles of chilled Moet and the power talk we overheard from the table next to us are anything to go by then Uni is already a haunt for these suited and well-heeled office folks!

Website: Uni
Opening Times: is open for lunch and dinner, Monday to Saturday inclusive

*With thanks to Uni for the invitation. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Dinner at the Tower Guoman, London – a Review

July 18, 2014 by manjirichitnis 8 Comments

On the day of the Mens Singles Final when Djokovic won the match against Roger Federer ,I had an invite to go dine with a few fellow bloggers at The Brasserie at the Tower Guoman. I must admit the match was so engaging that I was glued to the tv and only in the game that I was just to nervous to watch so I dragged myself out and kept pestering a dear friend of mine in whatsapp till she gave me updates of almost every move on the court …. I was hoping that Djokovic would win and also hoping that the match would end before I hopped onto the tube and lost network… Lets just say that all invisible divine forces were with Djokovic ( and me )that day coupled with his awesome performance, just as I was about to get into the tube… there it was..,… message I was hoping to see on whatsapp…. ‘He won’… which led to a very comical impromptu gig on the staircase by me watched by bemused passers by…heck a good win deserves a dance ..at least ! Bonus points to all those who also watched this match to oogle at Boris Becker …teehee

After that I needed a refreshing drink and just as I was settling in the beautiful area just outside the Guoman, an open air bar and siping my cocktail gazing up the Tower Bridge was perfect. Chilled Prosecco, Cocktails and Mocktails flowed while we chatted up with the manager who also had dinner with us later .Meeting my friends after Food Blogger Connect was fun and camera lens choices, food photography ,the Wimbledon final results and the stunning view dominated our conversation. Before long the rain decided to play spoil sport and we were ushered inside to our huge table at The Brasserie.

I took the seat the far end of the end but the view from any where inside is just as brilliant , it’s the first time I was so close to the Tower Bridge and you can be guaranteed you will have the best seats in town at The Brasserie with superb views of Butlers wharf thrown in.

The table was neatly laid out with our special menu for the evening there and fresh bread , warm and just out of the oven with 3 different dips arrived.

Our rustic bread selection with truffle oil and olive oil.

To go with our Rustic Bread selection we had the smoked paprika dip – the bright orange one and my fav of the 3, one with chives in the middle and a plain one which I found a tad too salty.

I choose to have the Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tart to start off my meal with – it sounded very appetising – Tomato olive salsa,balsamic reduction,pine nut,sekura cress – hummm yes please.

The thin crisp pastry base was not one bit soggy or eggy, the grilled Manchego cheese ( a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the manchega breed) tasted great in combination with summery veggies like asparagus and grilled peppers and the salsa was very good ,I loved the taste of the olives and hints of fennel, the cress made the whole dish so fresh not just to look at but to taste too.

The Head chef Kamaldeep Singh (left) and his colleague decided to take us through the process of how the new menu was created , the origin of ingredients and basically make us hungry for more!

Madeleine seated next to me choose the other option as her first course :Peppercorn Cured Beef Carpaccio – Manchego cheese , home cured tomatoes,charred artichokes,mizuna and micro cress. I was avoiding red meat that so was very happy to photograph her dish and ask how it tasted but equally satisfied with my light tart.

The carpaccio was hammered thin and artichokes placed over – it looked great. Very happy with my first course, I expected the second course to deliver and impress me a bit more. Must say my Pan-Fried Fillet of Sea Bass served with diver scallop,caper crushed potatoes, mixed bean salsa, and the sauce did not fail to do so. It looked amazing and I had to photograph it from various angles – oh you know how obsessive we food bloggers are about getting the perfect photo!

But this was simply delicious and worthy of praise for more reasons than one – made using farmed sea bass responsibly sourced scallops, a lighter than most sauces that usually accompany a fish main the scallop sat one a delicious pea puree and cream base.

The mixed bean salsa tasted great with the morish caper crushed potato, the cress balancing off the dish in a subtle way.Nayna my vegetarian food blogger friend chose to have the Spinach and Ricotta Raviolli made with heirloom tomato salsa and served with freshly made basil cream sauce.Our first wine of the evening accompanied the first course , Vidal sauvignon blanc from New Zealand , aromas of gooseberry, passionfruit and guava lead into a palate that exudes tropical and passion fruit flavours.

After that very satisfying sea food dish ,we moved onto the next course , I stayed away from red meat again and the Garden pea,mint and pecorino cheese risotto was fabulous for me , I love my rice and many a times I really need some to complete my meal and make it me feel full, maybe a psychological thing but coming from the coastal side of western India ,fish curry and rice is our most staple everyday far.One of the staff members asked me where I was from and when I said Mumbai, pat came the next question which I was sort of expecting – was the sea bass as good as the Pomfret, well no! For me pomfret is the king of all fishes on this planet – but its a matter of what taste one has grown up with and our method of cooking is also so very different. But yes Sea Bass , Salmon and Basa are my favorite buys,best eaten fresh on the day of purchase ,hate frozen fish,tastes muddy and weird in curries especially.

The pecorino cheese added a subtle tangy taste to this very morish and filling risotto, its easy to get this dish so wrong because often the seemingly easier to make dishes are the toughest to produce to perfection . I am a great fan of the risotto that my elder sister hubby makes , he is a trained chef but now a very busy and senior marketing head honcho so it’s very rarely that we meet and even more rarely that I get to eat the risotto he makes. Ah sweet nostalgic family moments, only truly good food can bring on such an attack for me.. 🙂

By now the light had really faded and my risotto photo and all that follow look terrible!

I must admit Madeleine was very kind and allowed me to have a taste of burnt celeriac which I loved with some of the calvados sauce I scooped it off her plate with from her Confit of Gloucestershire Pork Belly. She enjoyed my cheesy risotto too.

The 14 hour low heat cooked pork belly looked so very appetising, the burnt celeriac adding to the earthiness of this dish,the cinnamon compliments the pork and the savoy cabbage and compressed apple give it a tart almost tangy twist on the side. This was washed down with several glasses of a full bodied Chilean Merlot – Errazuriz , almost opulent with notes of berry and cassis fruit.

It’s at this point that I slipped into blissful food coma and saw this beautiful rainbow emerge right in front of my eyes… the photo does no justice to the what we actually saw…

That is us at the table – L- R – Bintu who blogs at Recipes from a pantry, Nicki who blogs at Baking Beardy, seated opposite her is Fiona who writes an award-winning blog – London Unattached, Nayna – who blogs at Simply Sensational Food, and the lovely Madeline who blogs at Kitchen Journeys and documents heart-healthy recipes at From the Healthy Heart.

Was too full by now and the dessert platter served with a large shot of margarita in shot glass lined by sugar , managed to cut the sweet taste that was bound to settle on the palate after cheesecake ,a panna cotta that failed to impress because I was expecting the usual wobble and a refreshing pista flavoured ice cream – my fav from the selection.

As we strolled out for an impromptu photo session and gazed happily at the beautiful Tower Bridge,I couldn’t help but wonder that though the exterior of the Tower Guoman leaves one wanting the view of two world Heritage Sites – Tower Bridge and the Tower of London certainly makes up for it!A massive refurbishment project is on the cards too.A few more plus points include a convenient location within easy reach of the financial district, Canary Wharf, the Excel Centre, London City Airport, historic Greenwich, the West End and Westfield Shopping Centre. Also the newly launched menu at The Brasserie definitely warrants a visit. The menu is bold and one where the chefs have really gone the extra mile to hope that if they try ambitiously to achieve the Zero Mile Ingredient mark and grow their own herbs fresh on the terrace garden which is to come alive very soon!

The staff was very polite, genuinely attentive and ensured we had a great evening.

*With thanks to The Tower Guoman for the invitation. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review . All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Yum Chaa – Fitzrovia – Review

July 13, 2014 by manjirichitnis 7 Comments

Absolutely bored and craving a afternoon out ,a close friend and me decided to check out Yum chaa sometime early february. As soon as we walked my eyes fell on this beautiful and welcoming armchair – its the kind of chair that you can sink into and loose yourself in!

Lucky for us it was in a quite little corner where we could pour our hearts out to each other!

The counter had a beautiful display and she decided to have the Chilli Chilli Hot Chocolate. I was having a very difficult time trying to decide which tea to have from the amazing range available of Black and Red teas.

I finally settled for a red tea and a little something to bite into….in the quite pauses between our excited chatter I gazed into my tea cup…wishing I could tell what the future has to hold simply by gazing at how the bright red tea sediments lay there… if only …

Loved their quirky note asking for ‘Valentines Day Funds’ now who can refuse a tip when coaxed like that? (espp when it will be used to buy an Adele album!)

The quirky christmas tree kept the corner with the shelves a bit festive and the white washed walls seemed to have a sublimia soothing effect. The general atmosphere of the place is the sort where you can settle into a huge armchair , armed with a tea of your choice and spend hours sipping it alone or not. Its the kind of place you would take a good book to and settle in with a warm pot of tea, allow the tea to percolate and loose yourself in the pages of your fav storyteller.

We lost track of time and almost over two hours later when Yum Chaa got really busy we decided to let someone else take over our cushy chairs…reluctantly almost, promising ourselves that we would be back soon , very soon…

The shabby chic,relaxed atmosphere , mis-matched furniture, white washed walls and their amazing range of teas on offer will stay with you long after you walk out of the place and of course their catchy crazy name Yum Chaa is something you won’t forget easily!

Disclaimer: I’ve written this review of my own accord and was this visit was paid for by me. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post.Like all my previous posts about events and reviews, ALL opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

21, The Print Room, Covent Garden, London – Review (Permanently closed)

July 8, 2014 by manjirichitnis 8 Comments

On the corner of Covent Garden Piazza, housed in a beautiful Georgian heritage site is a 3 story delightful place -21 – a rustic Italian restaurant, The Print Room – a cocktail bar with 2 balconies overlooking the piazza and all the live entertainment it has to offer and the terrace located on the Piazza – a great way to enjoy the outdoors, drink in the hustle-bustle, gaze at St.Pauls – all this under the shelter of huge umbrellas and heating for chilly evenings.

When I first heard of 21 the Print Room at Covent Garden I imagined it to be this tiny little place with a rustic feel, when we walked into 21 I felt I was walking into a huge cave with tunnels well-lit and the aroma of melted cheese wafting around. The historic cellar vaults converted into a fab Italian restaurant have a cosy warm feel. They also proudly claim to serve the best pizza and pasta in Covent Garden – We were soon about to find out….

Image Courtesy:21 Covent Garden

Hubby and I walked into the place on a very, very warm summer evening and were seated at a table perfect for a romantic date but we food bloggers need light for clicking away, so once we were moved to a new table and happily settled into a comparatively well-lit corner of our choice, we couldn’t wait to order some drinks and cool down a few degrees. Just as I thought I would melt with the heat these beauties came to our rescue – a Mango Bellini (£7.50)for me and a Verde Flower(£5) Sine Peccato, for the husband – it means a cocktail without sin.

The Mango Bellini – a Prosecco-based cocktail was crisp, fresh, fruity, summery while hubbys Verde Flower – a combo of cucumber, apple juice, and elderflower with a dash of bitter lemon was fresh and light with lots of ice – so refreshing!

Accompanied by Wild Boar Tortelloni (£7.25) – Pancetta, green beans, sage cream, and Black pepper Calamari with saffron aioli (£7.25) as starters. The batter for the calamari was a bit bulky making them a bit chewy, the tortellini was very good, could easily have eaten some more!

Image Courtesy:21 Covent Garden

I was told that the A la Carte menu is fresh, Italian-inspired, and prepared with the best quality local ingredients – well now, I love the sound of that! We ordered the Cornish Crab Linguine (£14.25) and the Figaro (£14.95) – a Milano Salami, Parma Ham & Pepperoni Pizza for the main course but honestly if you’re doing starters then this one pizza between two people is more than enough!

The Figaro is absolutely mind-blowing delicious with the 3 meat sitting there with black olives and cherry tomatoes – begging to be eaten! The goat’s cheese was nothing like I’d ever tasted before – so soft and creamy and not one bit salty. Abandon your fork and knife for this one folks, eat with your hands…lick the gooey gorgeous roasted garlic olive oil mixed with the melted mozzarella, as it drips off the sides while you devour this magnificent feast. The linguine was ignored by us for the first few minutes while we silently ate our pizza. I felt like Julia Roberts in the movie Eat,Pray, Love telling her friend to drop the guilt and just eat their cheese-laden gorgeous looking pizza when they go to Naples,err mmm only I was sharing my Pizza with my hubster 😉

The linguine was good though paling in comparison to this star pizza staring at us. The crab meat was mixed well into the pasta and it was have been fun to eat this pasta slowly after squeezing lime generously over it, sipping a fine glasses red which goes with the fresh seafood taste and the chilies in the pasta. I ordered a glass of Red- the Nero D’Avola 2011 (£5.65 a glass, £21 a bottle) with my linguine. Hubster had a glass of Prosecco Brut (£6.80) to go with the mains.

Needless to say the mere mention of dessert and we would have exploded so we skipped dessert. Eager to walk and help digest the generous dinner now sitting firmly inside our tummies we took a tour of the print room upstairs which is a print shop turned cocktail bar, with a lovely balcony overlooking the piazza. We then walked out into the piazza past the Terrace, to be greeted by fresh, crisp evening London air.

Image Courtesy:21 Covent Garden

So let’s see, 21 delivered on their promise of serving the best Pizza in Covent Garden, the wine selection and mocktails on offer are impressive and I loved my Mango Bellini. Food and Wine taken care of.Ambiance – the feeling of sitting huddled in a cozy cubby hole dating back to Georgian Times is something else, the view from the Print room is amazing, so I’d say this is a perfect place for romantic dates in the cubby hole of 21 or out on the terrace – better for warm summer evenings, a great venue for hen and stag parties and a really cool place to hang out for drinks with your friends, they seem to have got it all covered huh?

Image Courtesy:21 Covent Garden

The photo below is of the most posh cubby hole in 21 comes with a fish tank for company 😉

Image Courtesy:21 Covent Garden

It was a beautiful clear night and the piazza was just so beautiful, a spattering of tourists seated in quiet corners near St.Pauls, the bars still overflowing with beer drinkers spilling out onto the piazza and of course the theatergoers walking to their cars or trying to get a cab.

The last time we were at Covent Garden with some friends they showed us this fab walking route to Waterloo station along the Waterloo bridge, it IS a great walk along with the various many theatres, pubs and brightly lit restaurants of Covent Garden and onto the bridge with stunning views of the London Eye on one side and the beautiful St. pauls cathedral on the other. And down the subway and you are inside Waterloo station, cool or what?!

It was an exceptionally windy evening as well and all of a sudden I wish I had my jacket on me, we stopped to take a few photos and this one is my fav:

Rushing to take cover in the warm subway, we made it to the station in under 15 minutes, this walking route is now my fav way to get to Covent Garden from Waterloo station and totally avoid the claustrophobic tubes and the slow buses crawling through the omnipresent traffic on the narrow roads of Central London…..( there … now that’s a sure shot sign that I have become am a Londoner now….when one begins to crib about the crowded tubes and moan about the traffic …and look of alternate walking routes… I think the novelty of being a newbie to this city is finally wearing off… in every way… but then the magic has settled in and just like I will always, always love Mumbai no matter what, similarly London has sunk into my being in a way that can never be reversed… safe to say…am deeply in love… with all that London has to offer – even the tubes … oh yes!)

*With thanks to 21 and The Print Room for the invite. All views expressed here are my own. I was not required to write a positive review. No monetary compensation was provided for this post.

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Le Bar a Vin – French Wine Bar, Blackheath – a Review

July 1, 2014 by manjirichitnis 8 Comments

On a perfectly beautiful sunny summer evening, I made my way to Blackheath for a bloggers evening at a French Wine Bar. A first for both going to Blackheath and a French wine bar that claimed to be halfway between a pub and a restaurant.

I think I walked past the bar once before I finally understood my google map. There is something very welcoming about the simple wooden interiors and large paintings that made me want to just dump my bag and get started with a chilled glass of wine. First up we were served a Champagne Rose’ and hors d’oeuvre of regular stuff like sun-dried tomatoes – not in oil as I expected but these were nice and tangy, very dry on their own though, sweet mini peppers stuffed with cheese and served with Tapenade.

1-2014-06-17 18.39.09 (Copy) — A cute little French Wine Bar overlooking the green on Blackheath high street

Le Bar a Vin has ample seating indoors and out on street, it is tastefully done and perfect for an evening out with friends or with family to have that one glass or carafe of wine, gaze at the beautiful surroundings and drink in the ambience. Also good to grab a high stool, drink a glass of red with a date.

The sunshine and a comfy table visible outside from the beautiful big windows were too hard to resist so we moved outside to soak up some sun, there was a light breeze …just perfect to get started on wine! (Got me dreaming of the perfect Parisian evening and winding down a day of sightseeing by settling down with a refreshing glass of red at a cute French Wine Bar). Well with the 120 wines on offer with a distinctly French touch, I was all set to order my white wine, I wanted a light and slightly sweet one so on Jean-Philippe’s recommendation I got a German white called Gewürztraminer – an aromatic white which goes well with cheese and fatty gamey meat and tastes like lychees, floral and with tiny bubbles in the glass. I loved it! I could have done with some bread but thankfully didn’t have any just then as the charcuterie and cheese were yet to arrive. It was fun deciding what cheese to choose with the charcuterie.

I choose Comte – a 24-month-old mature cheese with a nutty flavour & hard but creamy texture, Secret – a cheese I’ve never had before – its made from unpasteurised cows milk with fruity and nutty notes and last one I gave in to a desire for some blue cheese with Forme d’ Ambert – a creamy and very light blue cheese – prefect to slather onto the accompanying bread. Before our beautiful cheese and charcuterie boards reached our table, little did I expect such large portions, it was more than enough and served as a very satisfying main course.

I was seated with some very friendly bloggers and conversation flowed as smoothly as the wine.

That is a picture of my delicious cheese and charcuterie served with red grapes, pickles and dried apricots – perfect with the platter.

L-R Starting Top left clockwise: Comte Saucisson a traditional tasty pork sausage with Comte’, Walnut Saucisson – pork sausage nutty and dry but very delicious and a pepper Saucisson 100% pork sausage aged in black pepper.

I finished my cheese off with some Spanish Red – Rioja – intense on spices and oak, fruity with a hint of liquorice.

Travelling into Blackheath by train and walking up the high street is like getting out-of-town into a nearby modern village. Le Bar a Vin is Blackheath’s answer to an independently owned wine bar with a good selection of wine and cheese, in contrast to the many chains that otherwise easily take over the majority of the high street. It’s the kind of place you could back to many times over and even make your favourite haunt if you are a local – easy.

Looking for inspiration for an evening out in London? Why not browse through some of my other review posts? Get the inside scoop of where to head for everything from the most authentic Indian food to cracking cocktails!

Dreaming of travelling and enjoying local wines and fab food? Let me tempt you with more posts that will make you want to grab your suitcase, book your tickets and head straight to the airport!

Enjoy mouthwatering cichetti with amazing wines just like the locals do in Venice: Best local wine bar in Venice
Get a crash course on Gouda with a fabulous wine tasting experience in Amsterdam: Cheese and wine tasting in Amsterdam with Reypenaer

For some wine related recipe inspiration, check out my easy recipes here:

*With thanks to Jean-Philippe Tessier for the invite. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. Previously known as Le Bouchon.

Chakra,Notting Hill – a review

June 14, 2014 by manjirichitnis 18 Comments

Chakra at Notting Hill- a fine dining Indian restaurant with pristine white interiors – padded white leather walls,grand seating and grand chandeliers that could mimic the dining room of a rather swank Indian palace that has had a modern makeover of sorts – was where Fiona and me were invited for lunch a few days ago.

It was a lovely bright afternoon and the light was just right for food photography, so Fiona and me with our cameras on the ready started off our gastronomic adventure with these colourful and refreshing cocktails served with complimentary mini poppadoms and delicious chutney.

The Rajma Galouti – mini red kidney bean kebabs served with a coriander and mint chutney and saffron flavoured yoghurt – could easily have passed off as a mixed meat kebab , it was really very different from starters I would normally expect and a befitting entrée to the delicious dishes that were to follow.

Chakra is co- owned by Chef Andy Varma who also owned the now closed restaurant in Chelsea called Vama. Andy Varma has had an interesting and inspiring culinary journey starting in India where amongst managing restaurants for the Oberoi chain of hotels , he starred on the TV show Good Morning India and gave Delhi – India’s capital city its first ever pizza delivery service called Sticky fingers. Andy then moved to London to work with his brother Arjun Varma . Together this chef and finance director duo have found a niche in the restaurant business in London, taking Chakra to great heights of success.

From the starters menu I knew what I wanted instantly , the Ajwaini Machli and Garlic Scallops , Fiona choose the delicately flavoured Amritsar Kali Mirch – its not like the traditional version which has a heavy peppery taste set off by a cooling mint coriander chutney but this was nicely done, succulent and creamy but I’d rather have experimented with say the Murghabi Kebab because it uses the traditional meat tenderiser papaya which I use for mutton ,would be interesting to see how it works with duck ,but what is most attractive is the promise of robust spices on the duck, also the Curry Patta Burrata would have been a fab fusion dish to try, what with Huff Post describing the Burrata as the world’s best cheese!

The Ajwaini Machli was everything I wanted to eat in a masala fish ,delicious bits of tilapia in a light batter(quite a pleasant change to the otherwise heavy batter and oily masala fish that is served in many other Indian or Pakistani restaurants- hummm) with roasted garlic and carom seeds ummmm , there is something magical about roasted garlic ,I would have loved a sweet and spicy mango relish with this ,its called choonda and tastes amazing! I am sucker for Scallops and if they well done they simply delightful to taste, these king scallops seared on the griddle with garlic chilli oil are spot on!

With stellar starters we picked some crowd pleasers – Black Cod and Venison Galouti for our mains. Normally I wouldn’t pick Venison but the delicate balance of flavours in the scallops made me experimental and brave – a decision that I did not regret.After all a recipe for kebabs from Aminabad, Lucknow can’t go wrong can it ? Fiona was a bit doubtful about her cod when it arrived but with her first bite into it she was smiling .It did look a bit dry when it arrived but it was juicy and satisfactorily charred in bits and parts in the tandoor with the yoghurt ,pepper and lime flavouring it just right – enough to get me to taste it because cod and me just don’t get along much otherwise.

Now the staff decided to impress us by sending a selection of fab sides – Jalandar Chicken,Saag Paneer,Black Dal,Chakra Channa,Masala Asparagus,Rye wale aloo and a light green peas pulav (matar pulav).This was really way ,way more than we could possibly consume so a spoonful of tasting was what we tried to manage. The Rye wale aloo or lightly spiced potato bhaji tempered with mustard seeds ,chilli and crisp curry leaves was great with the plain rice and some Saag Paneer which is Indian cottage cheese in a thick gravy of creamy spinach. The pulav with the crisp fried onions tasted great with the black dal which is a popular comfort food and something I’d make for my guests if they wanted a vegetarian side.The chargrilled masala asparagus with a white sesame sauce was crunchy and took up the juicy sesame flavour very nicely.

The Channa masala was tangy and well done and would have made a great base for a spicy chaat topped with chivda and chopped red onions,some coriander and a thick tamarind chutney! Jalandar chicken reminded me of butter chicken but with tandoor grilled chicken in a creamy tomato gravy, very filling ,moorish and a must on my list at most Indian wedding bashes 🙂 .Definitely a must on your list when you dine at Chakra!

After all these dishes a cold sorbet was just what the taste buds ordered!

The dessert selection of mango kulfi and mishti doi was an apt sweet end to our meal .Although the mishti doi was a tad disappointing because the yoghurt was probably not as sweet as it should have been but it was almost like thick shrikhand ,also the creamy mango kulfi more than made up for the doi.

After I clicked some more photos of the restaurant, all the while in conversation with the staff who informed me of how popular their restaurant is with visiting Indian dignitaries and celebrities , it was time to leave.

The interiors and the prices are befitting the swank neighbourhood that Chakra is at but the food is definitely good enough to please a true Maharaja. Perfect choice for an evening out to treat yourself or a romantic dinner for two. The well trained staff will ensure that you feel pampered and the plush interiors will leave you feeling that you that maybe you just experienced a touch of royal treatment.

When we were invited to Chakra for lunch , we were not aware that they were part of Curry for Change campaign led by the charity Find your Feet. Curry for Change campaign is an initiative that is supported by many ambassadors including Michelin starred Chef Atul Kochhar and they together help raise funds to support the poorest communities in India,Nepal ,Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Find your Feet charity was started by journalist Carol Marton in 1960 in response to the plight of Eastern European refugees.Today they work to help most vulnerable rural families, marginalised tribal groups, women and young people in Asia and Africa. Those who have been left behind. As the inequality between urban and rural areas increases, families living in remote rural areas are also finding themselves forgotten as their countries’ economies grow.

Throughout June you can visit any of participating restaurants and support Find Your Feet by enjoying a special dish in aid of Curry for Change. This way you will be part of an important initiative that is working towards ensuring that poor rural families can grow enough food so they don’t go hungry, to strengthen their voice so they can speak out against injustice and to earn enough money so they can find their feet.

I’d say that if you were salivating at all the food pictures in this post then maybe you’d also like to know the fact that Chakra, won the coveted Restaurant Award category at the recent Asian Business Awards 2014, beating off stiff competition from a number of other high profile London Indian restaurants,if this isn’t reason enough to book yourself a table , then maybe the Curry for Change campaign is added incentive to check out Chakra, go build yourself some positive ‘Food Karma’ !

In my Veg Box – May 2014 Round up – Theme – Cauliflowers

June 4, 2014 by manjirichitnis 14 Comments

Ok, it is that time to share the roundup for the May linky for ”In my Veg Box” an event run by Nayna Kanabar of Citrus Spice UK. The theme was Cauliflowers and I am happy to say that a large variety of recipes were created by you and shared. Read on and enjoy, there’s even an award-winning recipe in here by Nayna!

First up is a very easy and tasty recipe for Cauliflower and green peas curry by Nayna on her blog Citrus Spice UK. This robustly flavoured curry is a fabulous addition to any menu, just as good with a hot roti as it is with rice or pulav, a very worthy addition on the menu when hosting a vegetarian dinner party I think.

Another cool link-up from Nayna, her recipe for ‘Spicy Cauliflower Tempura’ won her the runner up prize in the National Vegetarian week- Betta Living, held during 19-25 May 2014. Nayna winning entry got her whopping prize money of £250 prize! woohoo! Well done Nayna! Proof that cauliflowers rocks and vegetarian recipes are far from boring and actually require more creativity and culinary expertise to create flavour from simple ingredients! I also think the photo below is really beautifully done, agree?

Linsy who blogs at Real Home Cooked Food has shared a tangy pickle-based recipe for Aachari Cauliflower, Chana and Corn / Cauliflower , Chickpeas, and Corn in Pickle spices. I love using pickles as a marinade for my meat dishes and cauliflower take sup the flavours so readily it is satisfying to eat this dish am sure.

After a stew and tempura, a Manchurian recipe is up next.Cauliflower(Gobhi) Manchurian in Knorr Chinese Schezuan Sauce from the blog Hobby Chef uses a store-bought powdered packet sauce. Though the Manchurian sauce is from a packet it looks really yummy and I’ve always like Knorr’s recipe mixes, a quick fix for days when you just can’t be bothered with making a sauce from scratch I guess, with my current crazy schedule and a head cold from hell! I could do with some warm soup which I hopefully won’t have to make for myself 😉

When I was in North Wales, my husband and I had fish and chips with a curry sauce at a dingy little place, the chips were blah but the curry sauce was super fab, ever since it’s stuck in some corner of my brain and every time I pass by a fish and chip shop that does a fairly decent job I wonder if they have curry sauce on their menu. This Cauliflower Curry Sauce by Linzi of Lancashire is a minefield of all things good and wholesome. Its no fat, high fibre, can be made ahead and frozen for saving the day at a later date, and is a fabulous way to hide veggies in a tasty sauce if that wasn’t enough it is a versatile sauce which will go with meat, fish or veggie curries.

Up next another fabulous sauce this time a Hidden Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Sauce by Elizabeth of Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary. I just happened to read her ‘About me’ section on her blog, in great detail, and discovered that we have both done our B.Sc in Lifesciences! I also went on to do a year of Masters in Biochemistry which I ditched and went for an MBA in Marketing when I realised I didn’t want to sit in a lab and talk to test tubes which I had named with characters from a fav sitcom 😉 Another beautiful food photo for the roundup and another great recipe for making in extra portions and saving a mid-week meal!

Shobhas Bengali style recipe for Bengali Style Cauliflower with Poppy seeds & Mustard Paste is simple curry but packed with earthy moreish flavours. I thoroughly enjoy Bengali food and a big fan of seafood which am sure you know by now if you are reading my posts regularly.

Nayna innovative recipe for Spicy Cauliflower Couscous is a clever way to use this versatile vegetable with a small number of spices and get something yummy on the plate for everyone to enjoy.

Another cool link up by Shobha who blogs at FoodMazaa, her Punjabi Pickle recipe is a lovely traditional recipe from the northern part of India. Pickles are to be stored for flavours to develop. I remember eating this with great relish at a Punjabi friends place when I stayed over during my MBA final exams, I always tried to sneak in some extra pickle on my plate 😉

Another recipe from Helen this time a Cauliflower with anchovy and garlic, very unusual combination with anchovies I must say!

Sonal who blogs at simplyvegetarian777 has shared a recipe for Crunchy Gobhi Tandoori. Great idea for a summer BBQ party don’t you think?

Lastly my everyday recipe for a Cauliflower and Peas bhaji. I like to have at least once a week with warm soft chapatis.

I hope that this round-up leaves you inspired to experiment with cauliflower and try any one of the many lovely recipes.

Thanks to Nayna for letting me host this exciting linky event.

Protected: Amani – Fine Dining, Indian Style at Chelsea Harbour – Review (Permanently closed)

June 2, 2014 by manjirichitnis 4 Comments

Review – Notting Hill Kitchen, London (Permanently closed)

May 20, 2014 by manjirichitnis 2 Comments

What: Dinner with fellow Reviewers courtesy Zomato

Where: Notting Hill Kitchen

Weather: Brilliant and Sunny

As I walked past posh residential building painted a pristine white I was sure I had lost my way inspite of Google Maps egging me to continue walking along Kensington Park. This is just minutes away from the hustle bustle and lively Notting Hill Market famous for its antiques.

It was an exceptionally warm summer evening and I was welcomed with a chilled glass of white -Quintaluna 2012, though couldn’t manage more than a glass as it was a bit tart for my taste.

First up was the Mac Silva a mini cod burger which was really delicious and I could have popped all of them into my plate had it not been for my equally hungry companions. Sea Bass Ceviche made with Peruvian aji Amarillo mild chilli, fennel corn,tomato ,coriander and lime was moorish,loved the fresh cherry tomatoes in there just wish it had a more generous squeeze of lime!

Undoubtedly the star of the evening the Spider Crab Mousse was fabulously delicious , served in a mini doughnut the secret flavoursome ingredient was dehydrated mussels,the sea food lover in me was completely satiated , I have found a new obsession Spider Crabs!These reminded me the deep fried soft shell crab starters I tasted at Tenshi, a Japanese place at Angel, deep fried in a delicious light batter these are to be eaten whole! They look a bit spidery though so don’t think of that just gobble them up whole)

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Did you know that Spider Crabs found in Japanese waters also called tall footed crabs have the largest leg span of any arthropod?!Upto 3.8 meters long – thats a massive 12 feet!

Moving on from our science class back into to Notting Hill Kitchen enter Tiborna Alentejana – a combo of Pata Negra,Bone Marrow,Cured Papada,toasted sourdough,truffled yolk – described by Martin as the bridge of meat – so apt huh? The cured papada was crunchy and the bone marrow delicious but the Pata Negra literally meaning black hoof popularly known as Jamón ibérico or carna negra – is Iberian ham, it was not something I fancied much, maybe blame by taste buds so used to Parma Ham. Pata Negra is a type of cured ham produced mostly in Spain, but also in some Portuguese regions where it is called presunto ibérico and is made from iberico or black pigs or cross bred pigs.Washed down with a glass or two of Spanish Blend – Malacapa Rioja 2012 which was definitely many notches up compared to our white.

Topping my list for comfort food on the menu was Jamon Croquetas made with caramelised onion…. mummmm, lemon beetroot and parsley viennoise, such a fab way to mask beetroot and so very delicious!

The starters were fabulous and I could have kept on going if it wasn’t for a delicious portion of Chef Yossi’s Acorn fed pork neck with red cabbage,lentils and lupin cous cous. Funnily though the lentils were very simple to the Indian dal vada though the centre of this big circular fried lentil I could taste the wet lentils .The cabbage was salty but very delicious and must say held its own even with pork as the main actor in this presentation.This went down really well with our Portuguese Red – Quinta de sao jose touriga nacional 2011 , a complex fruity and fruity with spicy undertones with a rich purple red colour ,this red was also my favourite wine of the evening.

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Served with sides of an Asparagus and Saffron Risotto and a rather out of place portion of fries with mayo and paprika, the patatas bravas left me wanting .

Much foodie banter and impromptu exchanging of places to chat up with all the foodies at the table and the time seemed to have evaporated much more swiftly than I expected. It was great catching up with Leyla,Le Binh,Reema and Shak. Interesting conversation about our mutual much hated sport cricket -yes – boooo , with Frankie and some serious conversation about food blogging with Mehreen, several plans to catch up with these like minded folks were hatched. A rather enthusiastic bar tender got us all a round of exotic cocktails and entertained us with his banter while naughtily gulping down some delicious coffee cocktail with banana ummm.My espresso cocktail gets 4 on 5 ,its what I’d like to call a proper alcoholic end to a meal – bitter coffee notes ,chilled to perfection for the hot summer evening.

Our sweet plate with vanilla ice cream, frozen sour bits of ice was served a Ginginha shot – a strong liqueur made with sour and Morello cherries.

Le Binh rang in her birthday with this cute little birthday cake – its cute isn’t it!

I have never been to a Portuguese Tapas bar so the fab dishes that were served up to on that fabulous summer evening will always be special and the menu has loads more to offer. Am especially tempted to return and try the Octopus Rice – a traditional Portuguese red rice in a red wine gravy with chorizo and the Berlengas Pink Swordfish – Hot Smoked in Azores black tea & pan fried creamed carolina rice ,fresh coriander piso,miso crumble – sounds terrific doesn’t it ?!

What can you expect: Delicious Tapas Portuguese style but the bill runs steep so an average of £70 for 2 on a night out.

*With thanks to Zomato Uk and the staff at Notting Hill Kitchen for fun foodie evening.No monetary compensation was provided for this post.All views expressed are my own.

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