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...

Day in and day out we are reading about pollution, global warming, chemical processing and revival of heritage. Volunteer Groups, NGOs, stringent Government policies have already realized the damage that has been done by the new age human civilization. The efforts at individual and group levels in getting back and being rooted are some baby steps being taken in the huge Urban clutter, where "Retail therapy" is the buzz word.  This so termed "Therapy" is just a stop gap solution, temporary and hollow, promoting "use and throw" concept amidst the new generation...but still empty and hollow, leading no where!! Some good hearts amidst the herd have rolled up their sleeves and taken conscious charge to not allow chemicals get into their food stream.  Sunday, 23rd September, in the Capital city, where 'vertical growth" spending on weekends in the malls, showing off brands and price tags is the culture which has seeped in....

The Iconic landmark on the map of any tourist or celebrity visiting Ahmedabad is Vishalla. One place which has been deep-rooted yet standing firm on the ground since 1978. Rustic, soothing, natural and humane are the core essential aspects of the age-old restaurant in town. Vishalla is not only known for its authentic food which comprises of over forty items which are first served to the deity in the temple after an ‘ aarti’ ; a daily ritual, and if you happen to reach there at 7pm then you can be a part of this truly divine experience. The food, therefore, is addressed more as ‘ prasadam’ . Moreover, the ingredients used are pure and natural with no entry of any artificial color in your platter. The authentic Gujarati food is served over disposable dry leaf plates or ‘pattal’. Wall of Fame The village-like rustic environment gets dramatic in the evening when the lanterns light up the mud houses and dining tops created with uneven logs of wood; retaining its natural shap...

With a wish to want more and grow exponentially, there are countless eateries opening across the length and breadth of the city, state, and geographies. To serve their patrons best quality food and faster delivery, restaurants pile up inventories, the most challenging place where the food in bulk is prepared is that for parties, weddings and events. To keep up the quality intact and follow food security norms, the unused food is thrown and wasted a lot, food which can feed a billion, who sleep hungry every day or millions die of malnutrition. System Research Society in continuation of National Campaign on Reducing Food Wastage: Don’t You Waste Food Campaign’s (DYWF) Ahmedabad Conclave conducted an awareness walk against food wastage on August 29, 2018. There was an active participation witnessed by school students, educators, professors, NCC Cadets, people from the Food Association Group (FEA) and youth ambassadors of DYWF campaign. The participating institutions were Shr...

Are you health conscious and still wanna Binge?? Your search ends here... Hyatt Regency recently has come up with their new menu for Italian cuisine. Chef Mauro Ferrari has been the thought leader behind the entire gastronomy. The chefs have put in all their culinary skills to serve the evolving taste buds of the current human breed who love eating out ....yet extremely health conscious. Apart from the pizzas and kinds of pasta, they have marked the menu the new especially crafted Italian delicacies have been marked with an 'H" signifying "Healthy". In continuation to let Amdavadis walk the map, experience various world cuisines that are being explored by various restaurants played around differently and created with their own signature version.  Tinello  has done the same.. the menu is quite elaborate. I opted for one of their ‘H’ signature salad. A chicken breast which is cooked at 65 degrees for four hours, th...

H omo sapiens as we are, one of the most evolved species on this planet.. the way our brains, technology and living patterns have emerged, so have the trends on food. in ancient times, after we discovered fire.. food was simply cooked so that our digestive system isn't loaded for hours of churning and extracting nutrients.. Nutrition is what needed as fuel to run ourselves and our brains.. So my day on Saturday started with a session on growing better food for nutrition which is chemical free. " Treewalks " an initiative by Lokendra Balasaria is a session conducted by like minded people on regular intervals to know more about the trees, taking care of them, growing up vegetables and contributing more to detox the planet. Next I headed on to UNLOCKED.. which too is based on Detoxing, be it from technology or our digestive system. I discovered a board game "UNSPOKEN" over a Kiwi, Cucumber and Mint detox juice with an intention to add better n...

With Ice-Cream you will never feel deserted in Ahmedabad!! Ahmedabad in my personal ranking has to be THE ICE-CREAM Capitol of India, with leading dairy brands, ice-cream not only happens to be a by product of it, but it’s the lullaby of majority of the population. Credit scores for this culture also are due to the state falling in so called “ dry” category!! The males aren’t busy consuming liquor at home or in pubs therefore one can spot groups of families and friends hanging out together sitting outside parlours or pavement on stools late at night.. chilling with their ‘gup-shup’. The late evening breeze in this tropical zone is another inviting factor for this trend to develop!! As a spectator and blogger, I have witnessed three generations or three zones of this chilling fluid!! To hit Bull's eye you need the MOO factor of cow!! The home made brands contribute to the first generation which had always been local preference, made locally, fresh with minimum proc...

Touching the new millennium 2000, the skyline of Ahmedabad had been known for very few star category hotels, and Sabarmati peripheral region used to be one key zone to build these Landmark locations.. and attract operators. Then came in Hotel Fortune Landmark in the year 1998 at Usmanpura, with a view of Sabarmati from their rooftop and close vicinity to the airport; soon followed by other revolutionary change, with Vibrant Gujarat seasons, Medical tourism and upsurge in tourism industry there came in a rising room demand which led to landing in  various other players and investors pouring in the market.  Hospitality being a highly demanding industry,  volatile markets and aggressive competition; this is one Landmark which has been standing tall, carrying the same brand tag since two decades. Chef Suresh Khanna amidst his vivid  creations On 23rd May 2018, Hotel Fortune Landmark celebrated their twenty years of operations. A journey worth a mention...