The World is my Playground

Ahmedabad, 28th November 2018: Cake mixing ceremony, two months prior to Christmas the raisins, nuts and fruits are soaked in juices, honey and spices. This marks the beginning of the festive season full of fun and frolic...  Being a region of diversity, we as Indians get to witness this part of cultural aspect too. In Ahmedabad, apart from Santa being spotted at various hubs in the city, now since past few years Cake Mixing too has become a ritual. Many hotels follow the traditional method of soaking nuts and juices to prepare the authentic plum cake, where they call upon their guests and the ritual is a proper celebration. This season I have witnessed Cake Mixing ceremony at three places;  Lemon Tree Premier, Hyatt Regency and Fortune Landmark by ITC... all at various intervals! Traditionally the dry fruits are soaked in caramel fluid and orange juice two months prior (wine or rum are omitted as Gujarat is a dry state), and when the batter is made, another ...

Over demanding and price conscious market is known to be the land for test drives for many brands. If you can survive and grow in Gujarat, you can do that anywhere.. that’s the chain reaction. On the other hand Gujarat is not only a dry state but the foodie population here is quite demanding in terms of vegetarian kitchens and Jain* version of food (no onion no garlic). Wood Fire Pizza at Mondo Kitchen Predicting market dynamics in Gujarat is equally difficult, some work with the same formula, some don’t. Pizza hut, an international chain was urged to launch their first vegetarian outlet in Ahmedabad in 1999; whereas Dominos landed as their regular offering brand with non- vegetarian options. Past five years, Ahmedabad is witnessing more number of non-vegetarian outlets, pouring in at an alarming speed with a loyal league of customers. Almost all of which are doing well!! Parallel to this lot of pizza outlets have opened; local and Global chains both as ownership and franc...

Trends changing and so are our eating patterns.. grabbing a bite or a wholesome shakemeal is the NEW!! Moving on ahead from just ice cream shakes to healthy versions clubbed with fruits, dry fruits or muesli to make it more of tummy filler is the new version. We have moved even a step ahead from mocktails and freak shakes. Hence, if you are calorie conscious and still wanna freak out.. these Shakespeares are there, to load your mouth with notes and tales...  Our city Ahmedabad, the ice-cream capital is now witnessing the upcoming outlets of “only shakes” . Though having dairy content in it, most of  these shakes aren’t made of ice-creams. This is what the emerging chains claim, as ice-creams aren’t in the list of those who are diet conscious, which creates a niche for this league. One such is The Shake Maker where I tried Fruit Mania with nuts at 1 pm in the afternoon, which was my lunch, and till 5pm didn't feel the need of having anything else. It's LO...