Beat the Heat with these Summer Drinks

There’s nothing quite like sitting by the shade and sipping on some refreshing cool drinks when the sun’s out blazing. A sunny day absolutely demands it! So, next time you’re in the mood for some delicious relief from the summer sun, don’t grab a bottle of some or the other aerated drink out the fridge, try out these simple recipes, sit back, relax, and sip away!

•Watermelon Mint Cooler

Keep aside about 4 cups of deseeded watermelon, cut into small chunks that can go into a blender. Then, prepare 1.5 cups of lemonade. Combine the watermelon chunks and lemonade in a blender and puree. You can then train the mixture if you so wish. Now, for that dash of refreshing flavour, add about ½ a cup of fresh mint leaves. Add as much ice as you want, and serve up! This is a great recipe I picked up from one of the popular bars in Mumbai.

•Iced Tea infused with Thyme and Plums

This one’s going to take a bit of time but it’ll sure be worth the wait! Grab a large saucepan and add about 3 cups of water. Boil, take it off the heat and add 2 black tea bags. Let the tea infuse for about 10 minutes. Then, remove the bags and allow the tea to cool down to room temperature. Once it has, combine 2tbsp. honey, 2 sliced plums and 8 bits of thyme to the tea. Now all there’s left to do is refrigerate for a couple of hours, and serve with ice once done.

•Ginger Beer

You’ll need a food processor for this one, but it’ll be worth the trouble, and goes great with some lamb burger. In you, you will have to mix about ¾ cups of chopped ginger, and ¾ cups of honey and sugar each. Then add 1.25 cups of orange juice and 1/3 cups of lemon juice to the mix. Now transfer the mix to a container and add 3 tbsp. of orange and lemon zest, along with 2 cups of hot water. Stir and allow it to return to room temperature. Close the container and refrigerate for a minimum of a day. When you’re ready, add 4 cups of chilled sparking water, some ice, slices of lemon and serve!

An escape from Delhi to a city of food, fun, and rains

Any guesses which city am I talking about? Well, if you just thought of Mumbai, then give yourself a pat on the back. Everybody deserves a break from the monotonous life and after my best friend moved to Mumbai for higher studies, I definitely needed one. My birthday was just around the corner, and even the thought of celebrating it without my bestie filled me with dread. And so my other friends and I decided to make a short trip to Mumbai, and I am still amazed at how quickly and easily things fell into place.

The moment we landed in Mumbai, it started raining cats and dogs. We quickly took a cab and travelled a long distance from the airport to her rented flat. After catching up for a few hours, all of us took a refreshing nap as we had huge party plans for every night. But we can categorise most of our activities under eating, shopping, and partying. It was a lot of fun to explore the different breakfast places in Mumbai. Every morning we had a different destination in mind and trust me! Not even a single place disappointed us. From the spicy street food to the exotic desserts, we tried and loved it all.

Nights, as I mentioned above, were reserved for parties and we usually ate the typical food we have in Delhi- pastas, pizzas, and nachos. But we made sure we dine at the best restaurants in Mumbai for lunch. And I am sure you would agree with me that there is nothing as satisfying as good food after hours of searching, trying, and buying outfits.

All in all, my trip to Mumbai was an absolute joy and my birthday could not have been celebrated at a better place or with better people. The only thing that I probably didn’t enjoy as much were the constant rains that came pouring down without any warning. But I would love to visit the city again next year as I would love to meet my best friend who has no plans of visiting Delhi this year!

The best birthday in Mumbai!

I had once been to Mumbai on an office trip. That was the only time I have ever visited Mumbai, but I fell in love with the city the very day. I loved the marine drive and if I did not have a flight booked, I would have stayed back. I tasted the famous Vada Pav and I was mesmerized with the synchronized hastiness of the city. I had the best smoked food in Mumbai in a restaurant; being a crazy fan of smoked food I could swear that I had never tasted anything close to that!

It was on my birthday that I got to visit this place again. All thanks to my husband, he flew me to Mumbai for a dinner in the same restaurant I kept talking about all the time. No wonder, it was the most delightful birthday of my entire life- to have my favorite food with my favorite person in one of the best restaurants in Mumbai! I couldn’t have asked for more!

His plan to surprise me extended till taking a long walk along the Juhu beach! It was incredibly romantic and I guess I fell in love with that place a little bit more for adding one of the best memories to my life.

My husband had booked a beautiful hotel with an amazing view of the city. The view was spectacular and it had me hooked to such an extent, that I wanted to move to Mumbai permanently! That of course did not materialize, as both of us have our workplaces in our hometown, but we keep coming to Mumbai since then and we’ve considered buying a property here!

The city is never tired and so are its people. Each time I come here it is new and since the mind-blowing birthday my husband gifted to me, the city has been etched onto my mind!

Burger and Iced Tea- My favourite meal

Yes, that’s what I love and that’s what I can have any time of the day. While this was my favourite meal, I did not have any favourite restaurant until I tried out the amazing burgers of this equally amazing food joint in Khan Market.

It was a Monday morning and my friends and I had gone to college rather unwillingly. That first lecture at 8.30 worsened our Monday blues and frankly, I do not even remember the topic we were taught in that class. All of us survived a series of torturous lectures until our brains and stomachs gave up. We skipped a class we dreaded every single day and decided to escape to our favourite food spot, Khan Market. We were musing over our food options when I spotted a restaurant we passed by every time we visited the market, but never cared to try. A little more awake after the bumpy ride our amateur driver friend put us through, we were up for an adventure. We were surprised to find that restaurant in Khan Market almost full even though it was early afternoon. The ambiance was great and the seats super comfortable- just perfect for a bunch of college students to laze around on a Monday. We quickly decided our orders and I of course ordered a chicken (smoked) burger (with extra cheese) with lemon iced tea.
While I wasn’t expecting the burger to be bad, it surpassed my expectations. It was simply fantastic. And not to forget, the burger was huge and totally worth the price. Over the next two years of college, we visit the restaurant every time we visited Khan Market. And I assure you my friends, every single burger they serve is damn tasty and fulfilling. I could easily give this place an award for the best burgers in Delhi. So when I graduated from college, I was more upset about not eating at that place as often as we did, more than I was about not seeing my friends every day (don’t judge me please). But guess who listened to me. They recently opened another branch in a mall near my place which gives me an opportunity to go have those delectable burgers every weekend. Yayy!