Light it up for the ambiance

While good food and courteous service take all the brownie points for being the most crucial factors in running of a successful restaurant. And ambiance and lighting must be the last few things you would ever consider putting on the forefront, yet the two are incredibly important if you are planning the success of your restaurant.

Talking about the famous restaurant in Vasant Kunj, the ambiance plays an indispensable role in wooing consumers. But what exactly is ambiance? Simply put, it is the atmosphere or mood in your restaurant and mall which sets the tone for the customers and lets them feel good about their surroundings.

One of the most crucial factors in ambiance is lightning. While sumptuous furnishings and opulent floorings constitute a bigger picture, it is the lighting that makes the restaurant score all the points.

Coloured lighting is definitely in vogue these days. Flamboyant and bold tones are in rage, yet a dimmer look is necessary to instantiate an intimate, cosy feel. Depending upon the theme of the restaurant, it can go for either go for loud lighting or for mild and mellow tones.

This reminds me of Smoke House Deli, which has set a hallmark in producing the best burgers in Delhi. The ambiance at SHD is one of its kind- quirky and playful. The paintings and writings on the wall are cool enough to leave people befuddled and spellbound at the same time. The food is delectable, and the service quite prompt.

As it turns out, lighting makes a place come alive with the real flavour of life. Chandeliers, LED lights and coloured lighting put together everything that is required to set up the atmosphere- all in the right proportions. Lighting is a sure-shot tool that meets the visitors’ and the restaraunteer’s choices with an elite and a delectable charm.

Advantages of Being an Egg Lover

Eggs being the Super Food are savoured by many in many interesting and unique ways. With a long history of proven facts about the goodness of being eggs benedict, there is no denying that they should certainly be an essential part of our regular diet.

Apart from the lot many tasty recipes which can be prepared using eggs, these are also known to provide nourishment to your hair and skin. Here are some more reasons to gorge on these palatable healthy egg recipes:

-Improves Satiety: A fact which is well taken states that consuming eggs from breakfast places in Mumbai aids in increasing satiety for longer hours thereby rescuing you from impromptu eating. A sense of being full prevents mid-morning snacking while compensating for and providing with all the necessary nutrients required by the body.

-Promotes Iron Intake: You might not be acquainted with the fact that individuals with high levels of irritability, fatigue and headaches have a high risk of suffering from iron deficiency. In case you are low iron levels you can benefit a lot from eating eggs. Eggs contain a rarely found heme iron which when absorbed by the body assists in getting rid of anaemia.

-Helps in Weight Loss: While vouching for high satiety index, eggs facilitate in weight loss. Therefore it is a safe diet plan in overweight people. A study says that eat eggs to stay full and lose weight. It surely is not an overnight process and does take time but it certainly works.

-For the strength and health of your bones: Abundant in Vitamin D , eggs helps in the absorption of calcium which in turn helps in marinating the health of the bones. In northern hemisphere, where the atmosphere is chilly, it is almost impossible to survive if you are not an egg benedict calories mainly because it is an essential source of Vitamin D.

-Health of nails and hair: In case you suffer from nutritional deficiency, it is the hair and nails which are affected the most. Eggs having plenty of amino acids and other nutrient keeps the hair bouncy and nails strong.

Breakfast for the Week!

If your daily breakfast is boring, puts you back in a slumber, and adds that extra curves, it’s time for some breakfast makeover. Breakfast makeover doesn’t have to mean that you torture your mornings with a glass of tasteless milk or treat yourself to a boring combo of bread and butter. You can always kick-start your mornings with a set of creative morning meals.

Here is how you can plan out some early morning fun!

Mondays

Start your day with a two-egg omelette every Monday. Dress it up with spinach to start with a healthy dose of proteins. When it comes to having breakfast, nothing beats eggs. They contain eight amino acids and are extremely nutritious. Doctors suggest that one must have eggs daily, but twice or thrice a month would do good too. Bon Appetit! Many best breakfast places in Mumbai are famous for serving the best 2 egg omelette.

Tuesdays

Treat yourself with quinoa cereals with apple, cinnamon and flaxseeds sprinkled all over. Quinoa is loaded with fibre and proteins and hence makes for a good start to Tuesdays!

Wednesdays

Make it porridge for Wednesdays. Dress it up with cinnamon and berries. Cinnamon is clinically proven to stabilise blood sugar levels and helps curb sugar cravings. It also boosts high level of proteins and fibre.

Thursdays

Try scrambled tofu with tomatoes for healthy Thursdays. Not only is tofu a source of omega 3 fatty acids but also helps fight sign of menopause.

Fridays

Go with a low GI breakfast scrambled eggs and feta for Fridays. Low GI carbs release energy into your bodies slowly and hence help keep your energy levels consistent throughout the day.

Saturdays

Kick off the weekend with a delightful concoction of avocado, basil and tomato on freshly baked bread.

Sundays

It’s Sunday, and you are free to pamper yourself to a weekend treat. Have pancakes with a dollop of natural yoghurt for a perfect weekend meal. You can visit a top restaurants in Mumbai for the same too.

Spicing up the lamb burgers in Pitas

A lamb burger recipe sounds pretty fine, not dramatically easy, but neither particularly difficult too. Something a person who has a fetish for non-vegan culinary stuff wouldn’t mind trying once in a while.

The recipe I came across on a television show was a different one though. Till now I was living under an assumption that burger is just served in a pita. But the show broke the confines of my assumptions- the burger is cooked in a pita!

Well that was something never even heard of before, let alone tried. But then, an ardent non-vegan, I had to try that version of lamb burger. I had no reason for doing so, I just had to.

So I hopped into the apron, all geared up to take the challenge. It wasn’t one of the most daunting, time-consuming recipes ever neither was the effort way too draining. The burger baby just demands attention- plenty of it too—to grill it to the right temperature and level in order to bring out the delectable flavour. It’s not difficult though—the pitas need to be just filled and sealed properly. You just need to shift and turn the pitas around in order to prevent them from getting charred. Sprinkle the lamb with coriander and cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper and cover and chill for at least one hour. 

Prepare the pitas and open one pita one at a time by cutting along the seam, halfway around the perimeter. Spoon-fill into the pitas and spread the veggies till the edges. Grill the pitas until the insides are thoroughly cooked and the bread is crisp.

And believe me, it works. Like wonders.

Cooking burgers in pitas is a delightfully wonderful stuff. The lamb is flavourful and the coriander and cinnamon adds delectability to it. The genius idea can as well be applied to tenderloin steak as well.

Breakfast to Gain Weight

In a world which is struck with obesity as an endemic and the obese lot while trying to lose weight by practicing several methods as can be seen in their calorie consciousness at several breakfast places in Delhi. There are others who are struggling to gain weight due to multiple reasons.

Several conditions which might result in an individual’s inability to gain weight include but is not limited to genetics, high metabolism and fussy eating habits. One of the easiest ways to gain weight is to eat piles of delicacies like pastries and several fried palates in a restaurant in Vasant Kunj or cooking these in your home itself. However take a note that this is not a healthy way of gaining weight. In spite of gorging on thoughtlessly it is essential to gain weight in a manner which is natural. Apart from these fried and other stuffed with calories food it is important to include natural and healthy food in your meal plan. Go for high energy and nutrient rich food for weight gain. Here are some foods which you should be incorporating in your breakfast regime:

-Oatmeal Peanut Porridge

“100 grams of oatmeal provides you with 400 calories and 28 grams of unsalted peanuts give you about 166 calories” quotes a renowned health magazine. What better than including health and taste at the same time! Begin by dry roasting the oats and then soak them in a cup of water. Now add some water in a pan and add roasted oats with water. Cook it for 3 minutes while stirring it continuously. Now remove the pan from fire and add peanuts and raisins to it followed by milk and honey. To make it more interesting, add banana slices to it. Serve it hot in any breakfast placein Delhi.

-Dry Fruit chocolate milkshake

Begin by adding banana, almonds and dates to the blender. Blend this mixture to have a smooth paste. Add Nesquik and mix it, followed by the addition of milk and blend it to have a thick and smooth milkshake. Serve it hot to enjoy it early morning. 

Organizing an Office Party

Work. Home. Work. Repeat.

This is all that is there to a working person’s life. The corporate landscape has made a cut into our daily lives, sapping it off of things essential to living a quality life.

I don’t remember the last time I even planned a “Fun Friday”, let alone enjoy it. The voracious work requirements don’t leave time for anything else, yet only if we could incorporate frequent, informal meet-ups between company professionals, things would be positively different that way.

Social gatherings are imperative to infusing work life with an easy going vibe. I, for one, have seen company professionals bonding over a drink in restaurant in Vasant Kunj, or merely gobbling down burgers in Delhi streets. Such rapport eases the competitive climate and provides employees a much needed getaway from the daily shackles of work life.

Organizing a party, an office party for that matter, needs some planning in advance though. Depending upon the nature of the corporate a restaurant is booked. If you are booking a venue for an entire office, be careful with what you go ahead. If you are a group of colleagues contemplating some fun, a regular restro would do for you.

Next stop on the platter, undeniably, should be food. Even if the organizer is a vegan, he ought to spare a thought to the other employees too. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian delights should smoothly make to the party menu. Drinks, of course, are a big YES, too!

Sending in the official invite to all the employees is a crucial step too. Merely making announcements about the event won’t do; you have to send in a formal invite via mails or via calls. Sending in a formal invites via email is a hassle-free process; it allows you to conceptualize the strength and make arrangements accordingly.

Curb the Culinary Cravings at Delhi’s Hauz Khas

Hauz Khas doesn’t sound like a place that will have one go all Ga-Ga over it. But then, what’s in a name?

Hauz Khas is a place that will make stand up, and take notice. No, it isn’t one giant cauldron of beauty that will have you drool over it; in fact it is dingy. And dark, much like the usually crowded and littered streets in Delhi. It may be a little scruffy at the edges, but there is no funkier spot in Delhi to shop, eat and generally unwind.
 

Hauz Khas is a thriving hub for some absolutely punk restaurants. Punk, because they are not the usual north Indian restaurants where all you find yourself doing is forcing your taste buds into accepting the taste of the otherwise painfully mundane Dal-Makhani and Naan. Because restaurants in Hauz Khas, and the ones in nearby markets, are notches above that.
 

With a gamut of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delights, Hauz Khas’ palate dances to the tunes of the unconventional. I, personally, have both tested and tasted its waters, and my, was I impressed! Be it any genre of food, from Italian to Portuguese, you just can’t stop reveling in its cuisine. And it’s not just one restaurant that gets away with the food-junkies’ attention, all the restaurants in Khan Market and Hauz Khas offer an equally sumptuous mouthful.
 

Thick with an air of majesty, Hauz Khas’ restaurants offer nothing but a king-like experience. When I walked into Smoke House Deli, I was almost flattered by the over-the-top kind of treatment that I was being subjected to. I am not much of a spoilt brat; quite clearly it was only but overwhelming to have all that royalty gulped down the throat.
 

But if you are one of those spoilt little brats, the ‘Mumma’s’ all-time favourite who just can’t do without some good food, you know where to hunt, right?