3 valuable tips for regular ‘outside eaters’

Eating out isn’t easy! But people who have to live alone and who cannot cook for themselves as a result of their busy schedules are compelled to eat out frequently. From the nutrition point of view, there’s no denying that the food we eat outside can never match up to what we eat at home. But it’s not necessary to indulge into unhealthiness if you’re missing out on the most loved homemade and mom-made food!

Today, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding upon an outlet or restaurant for casual dining. From Indian dishes to international delicacies, these restaurants offer a wide range of servings! The scope of unhealthiness is high in junk items like Fries and Burgers, and if they’ve become a part of daily routine, we must take time to check our calories. There’s nothing worse than finding yourself trapped in a calorie-full world, only to realize that it’s too late to back out. Here’s how you can develop healthiness out of fast food and save yourself from the bad calorie attack!

 •    Grill check: When you go for a grilled meal, say a chicken platter, ask your server to use olive oil from grilling your dish.

•    The right portion: Eat small portions of meals to keep your calorie in control. Some of the restaurants in Mumbai overfill your plate in order to impress you with their portion sizes. But eating fast food in large quantity all at once is not the best idea. Instead, taking small breaks between small meals helps.

•    Green does the good: When you rush into an outlet for a fast food meal, try and fill yourself up with the salads and appetizers. These salads contain greeneries which are good for health. These salads will sate your appetite and keep you from overeating unhealthy meals.

So the next time you’re going for a lamb burger at Smokehouse Deli, remember these tips in order to keep your calorie in control!

Tips to come up with the perfect tenderloin steak every time

Tenderloin steak is a delicious solution to all types of hunger pangs. It can be had when you wish to cook a casual meal for yourself one afternoon or at a fine dining restaurant while you’re on a date, and it will always end up in a tasty affair.

Though, cooking tenderloin steak at home can be rather tough because of the utmost care and attention you have to invest. Here are a few tips to prepare the perfect steak every time.

Trim it properly

The thick, silvery layer of tissues on the outside of tenderloin  is really hard to remove. Use a flexible knife to cut the silver skin off and if it still doesn’t look neat, trim it.

Keep the thickness intact

Uneven or too thin tenderloin would never be cooked properly. To avoid this, straighten the steak and tie a kitchen string around it to come up with a round shape.

Season it properly

Tenderloin steak lacks the meaty taste and not seasoning it properly would lead to a bland preparation. Cover the surface with kosher or sea salt along with some extra flavours, spices and herbs.

Don’t overcook

Unlike other meats, tenderloin doesn’t get juicier on cooking for a long time, but rather becomes dry and tasteless. If you want to come up with a taste like that of steaks at Smokehouse Deli a restaurant in Khan Market, cook the tenderloin rare or medium rare at a temperature of 140°F.

Wait before cutting through the steak

Cutting the tenderloin steak as soon as you’re done cooking would make all the yummy juices to flow out. Avoid that by letting the steak sit for a while to recover all the juices and redistribute them uniformly for a sumptuous taste.

Why have Salmon in Breakfast?

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. No one can discount the importance of breakfast since not only does it supplement the body with the necessary vitamins and nutrients but it can also greatly affect how one's day will go on. A good and complete breakfast can lead to better levels of concentration and a higher level of alertness in the body. One should as a general rule, never skimp out on this meal, and if nothing else then have the compulsory eggs and toast. However when one has the time, then one should certainly put some thought into what they eat first thing in the morning.

In breakfast there are certain foods that can help one to stave off their hunger pangs and also provide a slow-release energy. This way one will not be ravenous by lunch time instead by just hungry enough so eat an appropriate amount of food. There are also certain fruits like grapefruit for instance, which are known to help boost mental stimuli. One of these foods is salmon, especially for breakfast these days. Even a lot of breakfast places in Mumbai and all are incorporating this item into brunch dishes and other breakfast foods.

Salmon is perhaps the most discusses and preferred fish around and nowadays it is being recognized as an extremely good item to be had during breakfast. Being one of the richest sources for omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, it also promotes brain development and better functioning.

Not only is salmon rich in antioxidants, but it also helps in prevention of degenerative and inflammatory diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and more. Salmon also has high amounts of selenium and vitamin D which help it prevent diseases like cancer and more. Breakfast places in Bangalore Delhi and Mumbai and more are realizing its potential and having it in their menu.

A note from a Burger addict!

A burger a day keeps the monotony away! Burgers are like those rays of hopes which bring freshness and excitement into our dull and boring lives. One can literally go from being disappointed to ecstatic when presented with a Burger and I think burger has magical properties!

And I love the fact that I live in a city where I’m spoilt for choice of Burgers. From Lamb Burger to Guacamole Burger, the restaurants in Delhi have all possible kinds of Burgers you can think of!

Also, outlets for Burgers in Delhi provide all kinds of services ranging from 24/7 availability to free home delivery, which makes the idea of having Burgers even more fascinating! Although my addiction to Burgers makes me believe that Burgers are wonderful dishes to rely on, science tells me otherwise! It tells me that Burger is unhealthy for it contains fats, carbohydrates and cheese- all of which contribute to unhealthiness.

But where there is a will there is away! And if you cannot get over the addiction of Burgers, you don’t have to. Here’s how you can make you Burgers healthy.

•    Content swapping: There’s no denying that beef and turkey make the best of the burgers, but if you can swap your meat with a healthy mushroom filling, you can make your burger way too healthy.

•    Sauce swapping: We all know about the creamy and delectable mayonnaise sauce that just adds the right flavor to the Burger but since mayo sauce is high in calorie, switching it with low calorie mustard sauce would do well!

•    Portion absorption: Try to make your burger small and handy! Measure it with your palm. If it doesn’t fit inside- you’ve got to change it!

•    Go green: Adding veggies to the burgers has always proved to be beneficial. Add things like spinach and broccoli and let the vegetables keep you healthy!

So why give up on burgers when you can make them healthier!

That’s how you run a bar successfully

Many of the modern-day restaurants also serve alcohol these days. However, it takes great effort to manage the in-built bar alongside food.  Whether you own a separate bar or have an in-built bar, the following tips would help you run it successfully:

1.    Always be well-stocked
There is nothing more annoying than asking for a drink present on the menu but unavailable in the bar. Instead of stocking high amounts of all drinks at all times, store as per the demand graph you have observed. Also, make sure you make adjustments during season peak, holidays etc. I visited a few bars in Mumbai on my recent visit to the city, and was impressed to find all of them well-stocked, even when people asked for the most bizarre drinks.

2.    Use measuring equipment
The use of measuring equipment not only makes all mixed drinks consistent, but also avoids wastage. Use measured pourers and jiggers for measuring and mixing different drinks together.

3.    Signature drink
Having a signature drink always makes a bar more unique. The signature drink should be created keeping in mind factors like demography of the location, economic status of the people around, etc.

4.    Happy hours and other events
Happy hours are extremely common in bars or restaurant with bars. However, you could explore more options such as karaoke, trivia, foosball tables etc. to add more life to your establishment. It was a pleasant surprise when I visited some of the restaurants in Mumbai because almost every restaurant had something unique to offer.
5.    More options in non-alcoholic beverages as well
While alcohol is your main offering, you would do well if you be considerate of the non-drinkers and have enough options for non-alcoholic beverages such as mocktails, smoothies and shakes, etc.

And don’t forget to decorate the interiors nicely. I am so fond of the décor of Smoke House Deli in Saket that I just don’t feel like leaving the place when I visit it. It’s just too pretty. So do focus on the décor!

Smoked herb chicken recipe

Humans have been eating smoked meat since pre-historic times, but its nutritious benefits have been stressed upon only recently. Smoked foods have become a rage because of their delicious raw taste, their capability to keep all nutrients intact and their low fat content. Most of the forms of cooking take away the proteins of the food, but smoked meat remains protein rich while remaining tasty.

More and more people are opting for smoked food in Bangalore because it does not require extra fat in sauces and other preparatory ingredients. Also, smoking reduces the fat already present in the food because much of it is dripped out during preparation. Smoked food is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which in moderate quantities is really good for health. Once you develop a taste for smoked meat, it’s really hard to resist eating it frequently.

If you are a chicken lover, you can always visit a restaurant like Smokehouse Deli which serves smoked chicken in Bangalore, but the good news is you can also prepare yummy smoked herb chicken at home. For the ingredients you will need, 1 full chicken, 3 tablespoon of butter, 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, 1 tablespoon fresh basil and 1 tablespoon of fresh basil.

Preparation:

*Preheat an outdoor grill on low heat.

*Clean the chicken properly inside out and dry by patting.

*Loosen the skin around the breast areas.

*Add butter under the skin uniformly.

*Chop all the herbs finely and place some of them under the skin and the rest inside the chicken.

*Use the smoke of the outdoor grill to cook the chicken for about four hours.

*Check if it’s cooked properly by poking the chicken with a fork. If no juices flow out it means it is ready to eat.

Want to try authentic Italian and Mexican delicacies?

Food lovers can go anywhere to find delicious delicacies of their choice. I too am a hardcore food lover and enjoy exploring different places to taste new dishes of those areas. If we talk about Delhi, there is a great variety of food options that you can try and that too at affordable prices. From tasty street food to gourmet delicacies served in hotels and restaurants, here you can get a taste of all. Delhi, being the capital city of India, has a number of restaurants offering popular delicacies of various parts of the country. Whether you are looking for south Indian dosa or north Indian shahi paneer and dal makhni, Delhi gives you a chance to taste all these authentic delicacies. Besides this, for Italian and European food lovers, there are restaurants that serve range of Italian dishes that are surely to be loved by all.

If you are in Delhi for two three days and have time to explore the place, you should not miss a chance to visit some of the popular restaurants and cafes located here. There are restaurants in vasant kunj that have amazing Italian and Mexican menu, that you'll hardly find in other places. Whether you are looking for meaty Bolognaise pasta,spaghetti, spinach raviolli, grilled chicken or desserts like hot chocolate fondant, you can find all these delicacies and enjoy their authentic taste. Besides the food, the ambiance and service of these restaurants is also excellent and never disappoints their visitors. There are cafes that have spacious couching seating where you can spend hours with your friends as you enjoy tasty dishes.

Restaurants in hauz khas area are known for their excellent food, service and ambiance. They are perfect to celebrate special occasions like friends birthday party or anniversary. There are restaurants that also provide free home delivery in the nearby areas.