Espion review : LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION - AIR BAR. , Rajouri Garden, New Delhi.

Having a meal  at Lights Camera Action means , you will be distracted by its beautiful ambiance around you. If you remember my last review on Pre-launch of LCA, I was truely impressed by its Ambiance . The Restaurant is influenced by Bollywood theme and once you settle down, you will find intresting and funny quotes on wall and the cushions . Ever since I went for their pre-launch party , i wanted to check their main course and service , so me and my fellow blogger +Shalini Pereira of  @All Things Nice  planned to visit this place on last Friday .

As you enter the premises , which has two floors ( 3rd and roof top) , one huge Iron Man( cast iron statue)  will welcome you near the lift. As I have mentioned above, you will be distracted by bollywood themed slogans on wall and few attractive art pieces here and there . According to  the name "Air-Bar" , they have a huge terrace with Bar and dance floor.

Beautiful set up at outside sitting area 

Menu 

Bar at Terrace - They call it Air Bar 

A corner at Air Bar 

Interesting corner . 

Talking about Food

It took me 15 minutes to read the Funky Menu and choose the dishes . I am using word "Funky" be'cos all the names of the dishes are funny and with Bollywood theme . You will get to know as you read the details of the food . Chef Aman along with owners Varun Puri and Viveik Bhargav have introduced some fusion food with Molecular Gastronomy. It was my first experience to try something with Molecular Gastronomy or food created by using Liquid Nitrogen. Chef Aman is very talented and creative in fusion cooking. He was very excited to show us his fusion "Dhokla Chaat" and "Dhahi Puchka " with liquid Nitrogen. 

I found the spoon and fork holder very interesting 

Normal Popcorn served stylishly in a horn 

So after persuing the menu , me and Shalini decided to start our meal with Martini which came with flavoured Popcorn. Chef Aman insisted us to start our meal with a glass of "Rajnikant Chai" , initially i was little hesitant and thought why should we drink tea in this storching heat . Later got to know that it is one of the innovation of Chef in Simple Rasam. It was presented very interestingly. Hot Rasam was served in a glass as Chai and fried Curry leaves as Tea leaves where as Dried coconut powder as Milk for Chai. I thoroughly liked both the drink and the concept .
After drinking refreshing Chai or Rasam. , We agreed for Chammak Challo , Dhokla Chaat, Dahi Puchka, Chicken Chameli , and  Rara Gosht Quesadilla . 

Rajnikant Chai

Ready Rajnikant Chai 

Chammak Challo 

Chef Aman .. Very ambitious and obsessed with creating interesting fusion dishes . 

Chef demonstrated us how a flavoured curd solidifies with Liquid Nitrogen 

Making of Dhokla Chaat with Molecular Gastronomy

Dhokla Chaat with Molecular Gastronomy . 

Dahi Puchka 

Rara Gosht Quesad

Chammak Challo is a refreshing salad with Lettuce , Orange segments , Onions with a dressing of orange juice and other ingredients . It was light and soothing in Delhi heat.  Chef Aman gave us a live demonstration of making of Dhokla Chaat with Liquid Nitrogen. I was amazed to see the creation by dipping a fresh soft dhokla into Liquid Nitrogen and making it crisp till our last bite , so as the flavoured curd for the chaat. Chaat was chilled and crisp till our last bite on plate. Dahi Puchka was another funky and interesting dish. Dahi was freezed and shaped with Liquid Nitrogen and long strip of Namkeen replaced Puchka , Aman guided us to take a bite of Puchka and gulp down the dahi . Eating these dishes were quite playful and funny. Next we had Rara Gosht Quesadilla which was gost served with Tortillas . It was served with two types of sauces and presented quite well. Chicken Chameli was simple chicken tikka served with Mint Chutney. But interestingly it was served on small customised Tandoor and was giving smoky flavour till we finished the dish. 

Sweet Tooth

Dessert Section is again with some funky and funny names . We picked "Bole Toh" and " Jalebi Bai " Bole toh was a mix of Rabri and Oreo with some chocolate syrup to which i was not so impressed as i am not oreo person. Jalebi Bai completely won my heart . It was Churros made with a batter of Jalebi and served with Rabri and crushed Pista. It is a Rock star sweet dish at LCA..

Bole Toh

Jalebi Bai - Rockstar of sweet dishes 

I found it very impressive 

My overall experience was fantastic , laughed alot by reading slogans and quotes on walls and cusions . I was told that , they are working on introducing some interesting Cocktails . Looking forward to their cocktail range for my next visit to LCA.  The Kitchen Espion team wish all success to Varun Puri , Viveik Bhargav  and Chef Aman.


To reach

LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION
J2/6 , 3rd and 4th floor , B. K . Dutta Market
Rajouri Garden , New Delhi. 
Although it was an invitation call but by studying the menu , we calculated ,meal for two will be 1800/- 

Salad Festival at Westin Culinary Academy ,Westin, Gurgaon .

As an  ardent food enthusiasist , I always look for trying out new dishes and keen to learn new cuisines. When I got an invitation from Linopinion , for a Summer Salad event at Westin, Gurgaon, I immediately booked my seat as I didnt want to miss this chance to learn from Chef Arun Awasthi.
Westin, Gurgaon regularly showcases excemplary cuisines of India and  across the Globe.
The event "Summer Salad " was a one day event on 16th of May, Saturday.

Chef Arun Awasthi is Sous Chef in Westin , Gurgaon and has been with the Hotel from 2012.  So he picked up three low calorie Summer Salad Recipes  from their Restaurant Menu. .

1. Wanut and Beetroot Salad
2. New Olive and Tomato Salad
3. Quinoa Salad with Zesty Lemon Dressing. 

They say, you always learn better if you see the process in front of you rather than reading the recipe . Chef Awasthi had explained about each ingredients and its value for health so well , that it made the entire session more interesting.

Although I am a hardcore Nonvegetarian, I  loved  all the Salads . Quinoa Salad was the rockstar salad of the day.. Let me share few photographs of Salads and the recipe of Rockstar Salad - Quinoa with Zesty Lemon Dressing with you.

Chef Atul Awasthi , Westin, Gurgaon 

Ingredients for Beet Root and Walnut Salad
Beet root, boiled and diced, Orange segments, walnuts toasted, White Wine Vinegar, EVO, Salt and Black Pepper

Beet Root and Walnut Salad 

Ingredients for New Olive and Tomato Salad
Red pepper, Green Pepper, Tomato, Green olives, EVO , Red wine Vinegar, Bread croutons, Black pepper and Spring Onion

Tomato Dressing 

Pesto Dip 

Final touch to the Tomato Salad with the pesto dip on top 

New Olive and Tomato Salad 

Ingrediets of Quinoa Salad , the rockstar of the event

Quinoa Salad with Zest of Lemon 

Recipe for Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Quinoa- 50 gms
Water- 1 cup
Corn- 30 gms
Chopped Spring Onions - 20 gms
Chopped Walnuts- 20 gms
Chopped Cucumber- 50gms
Apple( Peeled and chopped)- 5 gms
Fresh Coriander (Chopped)- 5 gms
Pitted Black Olives- 20gms
Sea Salt to taste.
Method of Preparation
     Bring the water and add a pinich of slat ot a boil in a large sauce pan. Add the quinoa and bring the water back to the boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low absorbed. This usually takes 20-25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the quinoa to cool. 

Transfer the quinoa to a large mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients . Mix well. Drizzle zesty lemon dressing . Over the salad and stir in. Season to sit for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop before serving.

Zesty Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
Freshly squeezed lemon juice - 25 ml
Extra virgin olive oil- 25 ml
Lemon zest- 50gms

Method of preparation
 Mix the Lemon juice and olive oil , and stir in the lemon zest. Serve over summer quinoa salad.

And I got a certificate too . 

*  I want to thank Mounisha Chakraborty, Gunjan Kar and Sukhdeep Bahra for giving me the oppurtunity to learn these fanstastic Salads from Chef Arun Awasthi 
Their site - seasonaltastes.gurgaon@westin.com

Lights Camera Action, Rajouri Garden - Pre launch.

Lights Camera Action is a brain child of Varun Puri and Viviek Bhargav . These Hotel Industry professionals are die hard Bollywood fans., and they have chosen to show case the bollywood movies and songs through their food joint.  On 6th of May , My team from The Kitchen Affair got an invitation to  have a first look of the outlet . We were welcomed with some amazing flying lanterns with "THE LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION" imprint on it.

The outlet has two floors ,  one floor is  with beautiful ambiance with Bollywood slogans on walls and Terrace as "Air Bar". I always find Varun as a very ambitious and sincere person at his work. Very few outlets have come up with Molecular Gastronomy , Varun Puri has introduced some amazing dishes with this method.  The Chef of LCA showed us one Dhokla Chat with this method of freezing with liquid Nitrogen.
  Although we didnt try the maincourse but had some good appetizers with spirits. Very soon Me and my team are going for a Food Walk to relish their main course. Sharing some photos of the Pre-launch of the outlet "LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION". The Kitchen Espion team wishes Varun and his partners all success in his new venture. We all will enjoy his success..

demonstration of making Dhokla Chaat with Molecular Gastronomy. 

Dhokla dipped in Liquid Nitrogen

Making of Chat. 

Ready Chat .. 

Amazing Lassi Shots . 

Chicken Sattey. 

Some Poison. 

Chicken Lollipops 

A very interesting way to serve Pav -Bhaji 

Pizza slice.

Honey chilli Potatoes. 

Air Bar... Photo imported from Lights Camera Action team 

Photo courtesy : Lights Camera Action team 

Rustic look 

I had been following all Varun Puri's posts for this ceative Iron Man 

Major attraction.. Photo has been imported from the team of Lights Camera Action 

I want to thank my friend Kaajal Pradhan Lamba for all the brilliant shots , and Vikram Lamba for the Air Bar shot..


To reach
J 2/6B, 3rd and 4th Floor ,
B K Dutta Market , Rajouri Garden
Delhi.
Ping - 08800002598

Cafe Lota , National Crafts Museum.

Cafe Lota is housed within the National Crafts Museum , which is next to Pragati Maidan and Old Fort. I dnt  think if there is any other good place to eat around this area.

I had been to this place in winters as it is an open sitting Cafe, and  I was little skeptical to go at this weather . When me along with my four friends reached at this place, we found the entire cafe into a nicely covered cabin with wire mesh and two huge water coolers at  two corners , which was giving a very cool and comfortable ambiance. Talking about Ambiance, it has simple benches and chairs to sit , with few terracotta statues and glass work on walls. Staff is well trained and aware of what they serve. One thing really make me happy about this place , that, they do not serve fancy dishes like Pastas and Noodles. All the dishes they serve is with excellent presentation and shows the perfect training.

So after perusing the menu which is on simple hand made paper clipped on a board , We started our meal with a glass of Bel sharbat and Chicken 65 as starter. On a larger meal ( main course) we ordered Dak Bangalow Mutton Curry with Paronthee, Fish and Chips , Sindhi kadhi with rice and Aloo ki sabzi .

Bel Sharbet 

Chicken 65

Fish and Chips 

Dak Bangalow Mutton Curry with Paronthee

Sindhi Kadhi with Aloo sabzi served with rice 

Mutton curry was mild in taste and very well blended with the paronthee . Curry was typical bong curry with fried aloo and eggs. Fish was chips was a very innovative with Amritsari fried fish with a sprinkle of popped up Amaranth seeds and nicely rolled and fried Sweet Potato as chips. Sindhi Kadhi was not so impressive but Aloo ki sabzi was giving a beautiful aroma of kasuri methi .



They have very limited but very interesting options in Dessert section. As we were full , we just ordered two dishes - Khajoor ke Samose and Bhappa doi cheese cake. Khajoor ke Samose was very interesting dish with Pastry sheets wrapped like samosa and filled with dates and rose petals( gulukand) , baked and served with wipped cream. Cheese Cake was made with Bengali Mishti doi . I liked the Samose but my friends found the cheese cake better. After taking an hour round of the museum , we went again to the cafe to polish our meal with amazing  glass of Adrak ki Chai.

Bhappa Cheese Cake

Khajoor Ke Samose 

Adrak ki Chai 

Terracotta Lota used for bills

Our over all experience in Cafe Lota was fantastic . If there is wait involve , you can always take a round of the museum , where artisans conduct live demonstration . The place has a plithora of options for Vegetarians .
Parking is an issue but there is a valet parking service in the offing ( till 5pm).



MEAL for two - 1500/-
Address- National Crafts Museum
Bhairon Marg , Pragati Maidan
+91 7838960787

* The Kitchen Espion pays their own bill.

Anguli Pitha - Assamese cuisine ..

Aita ( Granny) and Jethais ( Aunts) used to cook many dishes and sweets which I hardly see in modern kitchen of Assam. I am trying to collect all those forgotten recipes and keeping them safe in my blog. Here is  my first post on  forgotten recipe of Assam.
Anguli Pitha. 
Anguli in Assamese means finger, and these pithas are shaped as fingers , hence the name "Anguli Pitha". This is a savory  pitha but you can cook in variation and serve it as accompaniment .

Recipe
Ingredients|
Rice flour - 2 cups
Refined oil to knead the dough and shallow fry the pithas
Salt - as per your taste
Nigella seeds or Kaljeera- a pinch
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Whole Red chilli - 2-3

Method

Mix nigella seeds, salt and little bit of oil to the rice flour and knead it into a dough. Boil water in a deep pan . Take little dough and roll them into your palm as finger shape. (Anguli in assamse means finger, hence little finger shape). Drop rolled finger shaped rice dough into the boiling water and boil them for few minutes. Take the pithas out and let them cool down. Now heat little bit of oil in a pan and add whole red chillies and cumin seeds , Saute the pithas till its slightly crisp from outside. Serve them with Lal Saah . ( Laal Saah is tea without milk and people in Assam prefer their tea without milk ) .

*For the variation, you can fry them along with sliced onions and veggies like bell peppers and brocolli. 

Buzzing at Buzz, Metropolitan Mall, Saket. New Delhi

Photo courtesy : Buzz.

 Clubs or Adda is not new in Indian culture. Earlier there used to be community halls for a gathering and chit-chat . Now as the time progressed, same old adda culture has been transformed into clubbing at Bars and Lounge .  It has not only become the essential part of life for meeting friends and relatives, people prefer to hang out at Bars at weekends for relaxing after a hectic week . 


As the time is progressing , Beverages and Mixing of spirits are becoming most preferred subject in Hotel Management Institutes. With food and drinks, Music is also becoming an integral part of life . Pubs or lounge cafes are hence a blend of Good food, Spirits and Music .


Delhi is mushrooming with lots of such Pubs and Lounge bars , Buzz , is among such Pubs, which  is standing tall since 2001.  They have a beautiful ambiance with Yellow and orange theme ,with a cute cubical chamber for smokers.  This is the only outlet where  I have seen women gang partying hard with all comforts . I often go this place to meet friends , and as a Food lover , I like their concoction of spirits and fusion dishes. They have world wide range of Finger Food along with some good North Indian dishes. Their inhouse preparation of Wasabi Prawns is something to talk about. So you can enjoy your Booze and food with some good Bollywood music and if you are a fan of sufi music, check this place on Wednesday evenings.


After checking this place for few times , understood the reason for the name “BUZZ” for this pub. As  it means "a low, continuous humming or murmuring sound, made by or similar to that made by an insect." , You will be forced to hummm along with their concoctions  and musical atmosphere.  Sharing below  the photographs of  their best served mixes and my favourite Wasabi Prawns .

Sangria

Coco Freeze Nectar

Apple Martini 

Buzz Masala 

Wasabi Prawns 

Toffee Pudding 

Meal for two is 2000/- apprx.
The Kitchen Espion team wishes the team of Buzz a success ( we will drink and buzz their success.) 

To reach
BUZZ,  Ground Floor,
 Metropolitan Mall,
Saket
New Delhi.