Hyatt Regency Chandigarh- Breakfast Buffet

Today is a Sunday. Sunday means different things in different families. For me it has ranged from Parantha Day, Dosa Day, to lazy day, wake-up-at-4 pm day, morning walk till 11 am day, trekking day, swimming day, ninja house cleaning day, picnic day to movie day. Whatever I might be doing on a Sunday, the only constant is Breakfast. 

Hello sweet breakfast. The food you're supposed to eat like a King. What can ever be wrong about that? 

Last Sunday, my mum and I along with my kids had gone to Hyatt Regency, Chandigarh to get that scrumptious breakfast that we love. I had been here before with my friends and couldn't wait for my mum to try it out too.

Nestled behind the bakery display is the bustling, vibrant Urban Cafe that serves Hyatt's buffet meals. We were received not only by the colourful selection of foods but also the warm welcoming smiles of the staff.

Quirky, colourful decor : Urban Cafe

The Spread: 
There was a lot to choose from: 

Eggs and its friends- sausages, potatoes, bacon and grilled tomatoes. 

Assorted muffins, pastries, tea cakes, croissants and a variety of breads.

 Cheeses, nuts, flavored milk and cold cuts.

Cereals, nuts and dried fruits.

Fresh juices and cut fruits and salad vegetables.

South Indian food with authentic podis, Amritsari kulcha, pav bhaji and even namkeens.

On My Plate: 

Amritsari Kulcha close up, Chamomile tea, mushroom and cheese omelette and fruits

We Loved: The pancakes, the juices, cheeses and the South Indian was good too. The kulcha, was like Nani would make it- full of love and ghee and/but hey, aren't you here to eat?

Apart from the food, I'd recommend the place for its warm hospitality. The staff makes you feel like you've gone over to a friend's place for breakfast. They played with my kids and even offered to engage them so I could eat in peace. They go a step further than other places to make you feel welcome and looked after. Kudos to the team at Urban Cafe!

Location: Near Elante Mall, Industrial Area, Chandigarh.

Price: Approx Rs. 800 per person.

Timings: Breakfast is from 0900 hours to 1100 hours. 

Head here for that special Sunday breakfast where you just want to relax, be looked after and gorge. 

Mom's Chocolate Cake

'Honey, I'm home.' 3 best words of the English language. So when my One and Only was coming home after 4 long months, I obviously had to make the best welcome cake. The fact that he came a day earlier than anticipated, meant that I didn't get time to do some icing. But this cake has enough credit to hold its own without the icing. It is THAT good. 

It's also a no fuss cake. It is easily whipped up using basic baking ingredients available at home. And it contains eggs. This makes it the must-know recipe of a cake. 

This cake was like a family member when my parents still ate egg. It was made when mom dad were not yet mom dad, it was made on birthdays, anniversaries, welcome homes and get well soons. It was the cake whose batter we ate and then scrapped the last remains off of the cake dish. Then our humble cake went into retirement when our parents gave up eating eggs and it became a lovely memory.

My sister and I hounded mom to remember exactly how she made it. We wanted to have our houses filled with the exact same aroma that reminded us of childhood days of polishing off the whole cake in one evening.

Mom remembered the recipe easily. Her cheat code for the cake was - 1,2,3,4. I de code this in my recipe.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup : white butter (room temperature)
2 cups : powdered sugar (or 1.5 cups granulated sugar)
3 cups : flour and cocoa (2 cup flour and 1 cup cocoa)
4 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons : baking powder
1 teaspoon : vanilla essence
1/2 cup : chopped almonds or walnuts or both (optional)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 150 C. Grease a baking dish and dust with flour.
• Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl.
• Beat butter until soft (I use an electric beater). Add sugar and continue beating till well incorporated. 
• Add egg yolks to butter mix and beat till the mixture becomes white and fluffy.
• In another bowl, using clean and dry equipment, beat the egg whites till stiff peaks form. (To know whether the whites are done or not, once you stop the beater, there should be peaks that are formed and when you turn the bowl upside down, the whites shouldn't fall). 
• Fold in the egg whites to the egg yolk mix gradually, in installments, using a wooden spatula. 
• Slowly add in all of the flour mix and combine gently.
• Add chopped nuts.
• Bake for 45 minutes.

Done!

~ Much Love.

Roasted Potatoes Recipe

Roasted Potatoes

I love potatoes. They're soo versatile, they present endless possibilities of being cooked. To me they're like eggs for vegetarians. If potato was a person, I imagine it to have such a jolly personality.. I can almost see a potato shaking while giggling on some random jokes. We'd make such good friends.

For all the love I have for this lovely carb-bomb, my husband can't stand them! Almost all of the potatoes bought at my house end up in my plate, unless its this recipe.

When I had first made Roasted Potatoes, I was pleasantly surprised to see Husband take a second helping and a third and then polishing off all of it. Everyone who has had this, loves it!

I'm going to be a little boisterous here and call it one of my signature dishes. The best part about this recipe is the ease of preparation and the rustic, appetizing finished look. The fact that the house smells of it, is just an added bonus!

Recipe:

Ingredients:

250-300 gms : Potatoes (washed, diced and not peeled)

1 Tablespoon : minced garlic

1 Teaspoon : Italian pizza seasoning

1 Teaspoon : chilli flakes (if you like it hot)

2 Teaspoons : Vinegar

1 Tablespoon : fresh Basil (chopped)

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Fresh coriander, garnish.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 C.

Grease a bake proof dish with olive oil. 

Place the potatoes in the dish and sprinkle the garlic, pizza seasoning, chilli flakes and half of the basil leaves.

Place the dish in the oven and let it roast for about 15 minutes.

When the time has elapsed, take the dish out, toss the potatoes around and sprinkle the remaining basil, some salt and pepper and vinegar.

Let this bake for another 5 minutes.

Remove and garnish with some fresh coriander or serve as it is.

It is THAT simple! 

Also: You could also add some carrots, sausages, broccoli and beans for those who like some healthy options with their carbs. 

This goes really well as a side dish for continental food or even with a salad kinda dinner.

My mom loves 'em with her plain parantha the next day, but I am yet to try it. 

~Much love.

Pirates of the Grill - Gluttony Ahoy!

For the longest time I've been wanting to try the barbecue buffet at Pirates of the Grill. So today when my friend suggested it for her birthday treat, I was super happy. Bring on the gluttony, well, as much gluttony as our scurrying toddlers would allow. 

I'm biased towards buffets than a la carte. Its like going to an amusement park over going to a regular park. So many options to choose from, such a delight for the eyes. It's ideal for spending a chatty date with friends, a family occasion or even a basic pure gluttony session (have had so many of these). Coming to the point...

Pirates of the Grill 

All That Sizzles

The place is well arranged, each table has its own like air of privacy and not too cramped up. There are a lot of servers (I'm big on service) and is bustling with activity.

On My Plate: Everything!

Sauces and Dips

My Favorite Picks from the Starters

Starters: We gorged on the starters. I think that's the main attraction at any buffet. 
There's a good mix of starters at the table grill and the ones that are served. 

Favorite Picks: 
On the grill: The fish tikka.
Served: Veg: Brazilian Churrasco Pineapple (really really good).
Salsa Potato (filled up on this so much that it basically became my lunch).
Chowk ki tikki.
Corn salt and pepper (kids loved this too).

Chowk ki tikki & Salsa Potato: Must try!

Non-veg: Brazilian Churrasco Chicken. They were presented well on swords, no less and taste matched the presentation.

The Brazilians

Main Course: From the soups to the salad to the main course options, the variety was good. If one wants to be healthy while eating a buffet, even that was possible with all the salad options! 

The soups had an interesting collection of breads to go along with it. 

Breads

Favorite picks: The dal makhani and the chicken dum biryani.

Main Course

Desserts: Desserts have got the 'looking forward to' part of any meal. Like a weekend at the of a busy week. This is where I think the place could have done better. There was a collection of mousse, cakes, brownies, fruits, and Indian sweets like moong dal halwa and gulab jamun but it missed the mark a bit. 

Indian Sweets

Strawberry Mousse and Patisseries 

While as a whole, the desserts could be better, individually I was blown away by the Ass.zu-zup (jujubes). The sucker that I am for unique things, this matched up with that and the taste was bang on! 

Azzu-zup and Mango Cake

Favorite picks: Ass.zu-zup and the Chocolate nut brownie.

Location: 3rd floor, Elante Mall, Industrial Area, Chandigarh.

Price: Veg: Ranges from Rs. 625 to Rs. 840 (plus taxes)
             Non- veg: Ranges from Rs. 685 to Rs. 970 (again, plus taxes). Depending on whether its a weekday or whether the meal is lunch or dinner. 

Timings: Lunch: 12:30 pm to 04:30 pm
                    Dinner: 06:30 pm to 11:00 pm

What else Matey?  There's a complimentary drink with the buffet. We tried: The Virgin Mojito and it was delicious. We enjoyed the place and the service. The staff was attentive and courteous even if a tad bit chaotic.

Toffee Dry Cake

Golgappe Part 1 - Many Flavours in One Plate

Eskimos have 100 names for snow, that is what happens when you love something so much. Indians have various names for golgappe depending on which part of the country you are in. puchka in West Bengal, pani puri in Maharashtra and golgappe in North India is a beloved street food. 

My love for this savoury delight goes back to when my height barely reached the level of the golgappa stand. Mom would take us (my sister and me) shopping with her and we would be treated to these flavour-bombs at the market. Now, my conditioned stimulus (like Pavlov's Dog) is a craving for golgappe when I head out shopping. I've had this wonderful invention of Indian Street food all over the country- at Shillong (super spicy), Bengal (yummy but got a bad tummy), South Delhi (spicy and pungent), Amritsar (at Hall Bazaar- preferred the aloo tikki there), Pune (at a secret location, that I'll disclose later, I found the perfect pani puri with ragda filling). 

In Chandigarh or in North India one is really spoilt for options of Golgappe. I've gone around searching for the perfect plate across Chandigarh and have found a couple of really good places.

I'll start with 'Treat Point' at Sector 34C, Chandigarh.

On My Plate: 5 flavours of Golgappe- Khatta Meetha Jeera, Khatta Meetha Pudina, Khatta Dhaniya, Khatta Hing, Meetha Lemongrass (yup, lemongrass) and Dahi stuffed Golgappe to finish off.

Hygienic containers for golgappe water

Tasted the Punjabi Mango Pickle and Mango Chutney.

What Else? Other than different flavoured water that brings in variety into their golgappe, this place also serves typical Punjabi pickles that are seasonal and genuinely homemade and basic Indian and South Indian meals apart from chaat and aloo tikki. 

Recommendations: The multi flavoured golgappe (of course) and the Pickles. I loved the Khatta Meetha Jeera and the Khatta Meetha Pudina comes at a close second.

The last golgappa is the 'dahi golgappa' which also contains tamarind (imli) chutney and some bhujia/sev. Perfect end to sooth the explosion of many flavours. 

The seasonal pickles are perfect. they taste just like my Grandmom's. Not too oily, perfectly blended flavours. I can picture it sitting next to my meals at home. They're made by the owner's mum which just gives the food a personal touch and a story. Win win.

Seasonal, Punjabi pickles

Location: Sector 34 C Market, Chandigarh.

Price: Pocket Change (affordable). 

              One plate (6 pieces) cost Rs. 30.

              500 gms of Pickle costs Rs. 100. 

Timings: 11:30 am to 10:30pm. Open on all days.

Verdict: Must try! 

The pickles make for a good souvenir gift for those who are travelling, or those living away from family or those who're just lazy to make pickles (that's me) or those who don't know how to (that's also me).

Much Love.

All Good Things - Pune

I LOVE Pune. Visiting Pune gives me a feeling of 'coming home'. I've spent the best years of my school life there, made life long friends and found my husband there too. I love everything about that city- the weather (Monsoons <3), the people, the feel, the old trees that line Camp and the snacky food.

Oh the snacky food. There is something so perfect about chakli and bhakarwadi that no other tea-time snack can replace or match up to it. 
My dad had recently visited Pune and as always had fulfilled my demand list of things to bring.

Here's a pic of the goody bag: 

Contents: Sahil Chakli (left most)
                     Chitle Bakarwadi (Right of the Chakli)
                     Budhani Bros Potato Chiwda (Green packet)
                     Laxminarayan Rice Chiwda (Red packet)
                     Laxminarayan Cornflakes Chiwda (Blue packet)
                     Shrewsbury Biscuits from Kayanis Bakery

Where's the booty at? 
                  The chakli and bakarwadi are easily available at most departmental stores or local stores at Pune. Sahil Chakli is by far the BEST chakli I've had. Its the perfect taste, crunch and texture. I love it so much that now it accompanies my lunch and dinner too. Chitle Bakarwadi is a lovely spicy, crunchy pinwheel snack that goes sooo well with cold coffee or tea. Chitle is a famous store at Pune and is now available online at http://www.chitalebandhu.in/ 

Budhani Bros - they have an outlet right on M.G. Road, Camp at Pune. This is right opposite Marzorin (such blissfully convenient locations). Apart from the chiwda, one MUST try their Masala Wafers. The masala wafers are a beautiful mix of chilli and sweet. I used to get bags full of these. The store is a must visit to get swamped with a variety of namkeens to pick from. 

Laxminarayan Rice Chiwda and Cornflakes Chiwda are truly my Mum's favorite. I remember going to Center Street, Camp to pick this up from opposite the Hanuman Mandir. 

Shrewsbury Biscuits from Kayanis just reminds me of childhood. We were at Delhi and mom had bought around 2 kgs of this and I loved the way they smelled. Heavenly, bakery kinda whiff. Apart from the Shrewsbury, I like their chocolate biscuits and LOVE their Mawa Cake. 

These are all just the goodies that won't spoil soon and I'll get to savour them for quite sometime! More on Pune when I visit it next. 

La Pino'z Pizza - Chandigarh

Compromise is a part of life. Let your pizza not be a part of that stuff! You want a pizza, go get a pizza. There's never a wrong time for it. If you've overdosed on the staple Dominos and the likes and are not in the mood for gourmet, wood fired, thin crust, hand made, la-di-dah pizza, then La Pino'z is for you. 

La Pino'z is ideal for when you want a pizza but not the commitment of a whole pizza. Or when you want Pepperoni pizza and your friend wants a vegetarian pizza. That is because apart from serving a very large 'Giant Size' Pizza, they also have individual slices for individual tastes. 

 

On My Plate: Slice of each: Little Italy Slice (Non veg), 
                                                     Chicken Exotica (non veg), 
                                                     Sweet Heat (veg) and 
                                                     Veg. Hawaiian.

Apart from Pizza, they have Salads, Garlic Bread, Chicken Wings, Tacos and Quesadillas. 

The pizzas are fresh and loaded with toppings and has just the right amount of bread base, while the sauce is yummy and authentic. The service is good and they provide free home delivery.

Hot Plate: Popular Choice: La Pino'z Chicken and La Pino'z Paneer Pizza.
                      HashBrown recommendation: Pepperoni Pizza (for those who eat pork).

Price: Pocket Change. That is, it is affordable. We had 4 slices out of their 'specialty' menu and it cost us Rs. 700 and we were more than full!

Located At: Sector 34-C, Sector 9-C and Sector 38-D; Chandigarh.

Deals: One can avail great deals for La Pino'z at http://dealsnapper.in/ and http://www.trideal.in/

HashBrown Verdict: Would ditch Domino's for this.

Eggless Chocolate Cake

That is my face when I hear there's a cake in the room.

Source: Google

BUT unlike most other food, I'm pretty specific about how I like my cake:

Homemade is always best
I hate tutti frutti
I can't handle too much cream as frosting, unless its cream cheese, then I'm the weird person licking the frosting off.
I prefer egg containing cake over eggless cake. I'd rather not eat an eggless cake actually.
No nuts in cakes. Unless, its walnut in banana cake or hazelnuts or walnuts in chocolate cake. See? Picky!

I've rarely eaten an eggless cake that I've liked and had a second helping of. My parents do not eat egg or egg containing things. I really wanted them to eat their grandson's birthday cake so I combed the internet for a eggless recipe that does not substitute egg with banana (taste changes) or condensed milk or cola.

I found this sitting quietly on the back of Hershey's Cocoa powder !
I've altered the measurements to suit my baking dish.

Here goes:

Ingredients:

2 cups          Flour/Maida
2/3 cup        Cocoa (Hershey's is good, but so is cadbury's)
1 1/2 cup     Sugar (granular would do just 'fine'... geddit?)
2 teaspoons  Baking powder
1/2 cup        Canola oil (healthiest oil to bake with)
1 1/2 cup      warm water (if its Indian summer, use room temp water)
1 tsp            vanilla essence
pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 175 C, prepare a greased tin the size of about your hand stretched out from thumb to little finger.

Sieve together flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder in a large vessel.

To this, add warm water, oil and vanilla essence.

Give it a good mix with a wooden spoon but don't get too enthusiastic, stop when its mixed well :)

Pour into the tin and bake for 30 minutes. At 30 mins, the cake should've left the sides of the tin (seasoned bakers would know about this), for first timers, use a fork to poke the cake. If the fork comes out clean, the cake is done, if not bake for another 10 mins.

*if you smell burnt cake, maybe your oven is overheated or you kept it in the oven too long. Duh.

*if your cake doesn't turn out well (overdone, underdone, not soft etc) fold your baking apron, sit on a chair, sip a cool drink. Eat a samosa instead. But don't feel bad, there are more cake recipes coming here.

*I usually top this with a layer of Nutella and it takes the cake from basic to meant-for-food-therapy level.

*If you bake this cake, do post in a pic!

MUCH love.