Explore French-Vietnamese cuisine with Chef Luke Nguyen at TLC Channel

I always follow TLC Channel for some exotic recipes from celebrity Chefs and their travel programme on around the world. When i got to know about Chef Luke's progamme on TLC , I  thought to pen down the information for my readers. 

Chef Luke Nguyen 

A new series of  French -Vietnamese cuisine is coming up in TLC Channel . Chef Luke Nguyen who hails from France is going to showcase his expertise in Vietamese twist to French cuisine  which is going to be aired every weekday at 8pm as Luke Nguyen's France .



Luke's journey commences in Paris where he explores Parisian and tradition. In lyon, Luke cooks alongside the country's top chefs and home cooks. He travels along France's famed southern coastline from Nice to Biassitz and experiences the generiosity of the locals as they not only open up their homes but also share their treasured family recipes . Luke's journey will also take him through the iconic Loire Valley and later to Brittany where he enjoys French food heritage at its finest.   On his journey via TLC he will uncover the gallic influence in Vietnamese cuisine with an art of regional French cuisine .




We will discover France's diverse cuisine as Luke whips up tantalising dishes including classic recipes like melted goat's cheese on sour dough and French Vietnamese fusion .
So lets catch Chef Luke Nguyen on TLC Channel for French and Vietnamese cuisine ., every weekday at 8pm. Cnt wait for its telecast .



* Information sourced by
Liopnion group. 

Spirit -"ology" ... Lets Rock and Storm with Blue Eyes White Lily and Green Apple .

We drink for different reasons: to quench thirst, to loosen up or get drunk, because it tastes good, to enhance a meal, because we’re addicted, as part of a ceremony, to celebrate, to mourn. We drink when we’re happy. We drink when we’re sad. And then there are the non-drinkers, for whom abstaining may be as much of an issue as drink.Whatever  is the reason for others , I drink when I feel like to relax  with good company. 

 Last month I got a call from Silvicpr company to try  two newly launched Vodka ( Green Apple and Blue Eyes White Lily ) of  Rock and Storm Distilleries, I was thrilled to try their cocktail recipes .  Sometimes I wonder why didn’t I learned Mixing Spirits professionally., As I love to try new recipes of cocktails .  All the five recipes were fruit  and tea based , so I loved  all of them.  Let me share their all five recipes of Cocktails . These summer based drinks are perfect  for  Delhi weather . Blue Eyes White Lily Vodka is pure grained so it was nice to mix all kind of fuits and liquors to get a good punch.  Green Apple is a flavoured one , and it was going very well with Green Tea.

   








Blue Eyes Green Tea

photo courtesy : silvicpr 

Ingredients: Blue Eyes Green Tea, Green Tea Bags – 2, Boiled Water - 20ml, Gin - 20ml, Blue Eyes Vodka - 40ml, Sugar syrup, Lemon juice, Whisky - 2 to 3 ml, Sprite

Method: Dip 2 Green Tea Bags in 20ml boiled water in a Shaker, Squeeze a little, pour the water in a Glass already filled with Ice Cubes. Add 20ml Revolution Gin n Lime Duet with 40 ML Blue Eyes Pure Grain Vodka, Sugar Syrup & lime Juice to taste.

• Top up with Sprite

• Spray 2-3ml of Big Boss Whisky

• Garnish with Mint Leaves







**Blue Eyes White Lily

Ingredients:White Lily, Blue Eyes Vodka - 45ml, Lychee Juice - 60ml, Limca - 60ml, Lemon Juice - 2-3 drops
Method: Put 1/3 part of Crushed ice in a Glass, Pour 45ml of Blue Eyes Vodka, pour 60ml Lychee Juice, Limca 60ml & 2-3 Drops of Lemon Juice. Slightly Stir.Garnish with Fresh Lychee bulbs. 

**Blue Eyes Summer Crush
Ingredients: Summer Crush, Blue Eyes Vodka - 45ml, Tomato - ½, Cucumber - ½, Melon - 1/8, Sugar Syrup, Mint - 5-6 Leaves

Method: Blend Half Tomato, Cucumber & Melon in a Blender with Some Crushed Ice.  Add Blue Eyes Vodka 45 ML Add Sugar to Taste Pour in a Glass.

Garnish with Twisted Slice of Cucumber....

**

Blue Eyes Mango Sunrise

Ingedients: Mango Sunrise, Vodka - 45ml, Mango Juice - 45ml, Coke - 60ml, Crushed Ice, Gin - 15ml

Mthod: Put Some Crushed ice in a glass, Lock it on base and fix a Long shot Glass filled with 30ml Blue Eyes Vodka & 30ml Chilled Mango Juice In the glass. Pour Coke 60ml and Revolution Gin n Lime 15ml

Photo courtesy : Silvicpr 

**Blue Eyes Masala Twist 

Photo courtesy Silvicpr 

Ingredients: Blue Eyes Masala twist, Blue Eyes Vodka - 45ml, Lime chunks - 4 to 6, Mint Leaves, Brown Sugar, Chaat masala, Sprite

Method: Pour 45ml Blue Eyes Vodka in Shaker Put 4-6 Lime Chunks, add Brown Sugar Muddle Them Slightly , Add Tapped Mint Leaves, Add Some ice and Chaat Masala Shake Well and Double Strained in a glass topped, with Sprite, Garnish with Lime Chunk or Mint

**Let me share a brief description on the brand , which i have gathered from the PR of the company.
The company "Rock and Storm Distilleries " is a ventured by Arundeep Singla . It was launched in 2010 and has since then made its mark in Whisky, Rum , Vodka and Gin with both premium and semi premium brands. Distelleries is headquatered in Punjab and retail in Delhi. 

, 

Too much French for me - L'Opera - The Patisserie

Come birthday month, my people start discussing about Cakes and Pastries from L'Opera . For the

past three years , we have been regular at this French Parisserie . As my birthday is approaching , I overheard some chinese whispers at home about celebrations and immediately Mango Macaron of L'opera which i had at their Nehru place outlet ,came into my mind . This newly launched Macarons were very smooth in texture and just melted into my mouth .  I also had some fantastic cakes and toffees . Hang on , I must share this story in detail.

Although this story is two months back , but i must share it with you. When I got a call from my friend Veta Ratra about new Chef  and his new ventures , I joined her along with my blogger friend, Nimmi Vashi.  It was an euphoric moment to meet Chef Cedric along with Laurent Samandari , Man behind this authentic French Patisserie and his excellency Francois Richier , Ambassador of France. 

Pattisserie - L'Opera , Nehru Place 

After a brief discussion with Chef Cedric , got to know that he hails from a bakers family and his passion brought him to India and work at L'Opera .  He is planning to launch an extensive array of products including some sugar free pasteries and cakes . 

Chef Cedric giving a brief on his latest creations

inside view of the outlet . 

So talking about some of his creations which i had was Mango Macaron which is made with fresh mango and cream .,  Rum Truffle , Oats , Toffees ( Pistachios with White chocolate, Honey milk chocolate , and White chocolate and Museli) and Biscuits ( Oats and sesame and Green tea ) . I also had two newly launched Cakes at their outlet - Banana chocolate Chip and Carrot and Walnut Cake

Rockstar of the event - Mango Macaron

Toffees. 

Cakes . 

some more view of Toffees 

loved these Oats and Green tea biscuits 

I am not a very biscuit person but loved their Oats and Green tea biscuit . I can still feel the taste of Mango Macaron . I am sure on this birthday too , I am going to blow candles on L'Opera Cake . :)

Me and My Espion team wish them all the best for their new venture and many more such delectable innovations . My gratitude to Veta Ratra and Laurent Samandari , Co-Founder of L'Opera for giving me an oppurtunity to attend Chef Cedric event for show casing some of his fantastic creations . 




List of their outlets in NCR

*Khan Market
*DLF, Promanade Mall, Vasant Kunj
*Galleria Market , Gurgaon
*Hauz Khas village
*Epicuria Food mall , Nehru Place
*French Embassy
*Ravissant Blliis , New Friends Colony
*DLF Golf and Country Club , Gurgaon
*German Centre , DLF , Cyber City Gurgaon . 

* Although Espion pay their own bill but this event was on invitation by  Ms.Veta Ratra . 

COL- Chickens of Ludhaina - My love story of falling in love with Yellow Butter Chicken of Ludhiana .

My story of falling in love with the "Yellow Butter Chicken" started with a general discussion with my friend . I was initially not very surprised when he told me that he only eats chicken because i know people from Punjab love the "Kukkad" . I insisted on him to try out other meat too and so started the discussion on famous curries of Punjab ( Butter Chicken , Tandoori Chicken , Cream Chicken etc). When he asked me whether I have ever tasted Yellow coloured Butter Chicken, my curiosity to know more about it grew and then he told me about anewly opened outlet in Gurgaon  called "Col-Chickens of Ludhiana"  which is serving three famous curries of Ludhiana.

The menu

After meeting my friend , I couldnt wait for another day and asked my friends whether they are game for trying this outlet with me .So next day me  and few of my friends ( +lakshay gumber , +Shalini Pereira and +Naju Medhi )  decided to meet for lunch with some Ludhiana special food. Although it is a "Take away outlet" , they have seating capacity of 10 people .  While waiting for my friends , I got a chance to chat with the owner of COL-Chickens of Ludhiana , Amit Khanna. I was more curious to know about Yellow coloured Butter Chicken , because living in Delhi , Butter Chicken for me was red coloured gravy with huge amount of cream over it . Apparanently Ludhiana is famous for three curries - Butter chicken, Cream chicken and Rada Chicken. So according to Amit, during partition of Indo-Pakistan, when people from Pakistan moved to India, they brought their special  recipe of Butter Chicken , which is yellow in colour . Since then Butter Chicken curry is yellowish in Ludhiana with a base of  onion and cream. According to him , Amit has not compromised on the quality of the ingredients and they use their inhouse spice mix to maintain the authenticity of the curries .

After going through their menu, we decided to order all the three famous curries - Butter Chicken, Cream Chicken and Rada Chicken. As per my friend's recommentation, we ordered Mirchi Paratha to eat with the curries . For starters we ordered "Stuffed Tangri Kabab".

Stuffed Tangri Kabab 

Butter chicken was not tangy unlike what i get at most of the outlets in Delhi . It had a very distinct flavour . Cream chicken was perfect blend of onions, cream , black pepper and fenugrek . No ingredient was overpowering with other .  It blended  very well with Mirchi Paratha . Btw dnt get scared when you look at the amount of Mirchi over the Paratha , they use degi mirch for the colour and to make it mild spicy. Rada Chicken was slightly spicy than other two gravies , so we ordered plain Tandoori roti to polish the curry. Although spices used are their inhouse spices but i could smell the aroma of Javitri and Pipli .  I must say that all the three gravies had distinced flavour and aroma. Talking about Tangri Chicken , i think it should be talk of the town. They stuff the Tangris with a lavish amount of Keema and spices and serve it with refreshing mint chutney .

Cream Chicken . 

Rada Chicken .

t

Talk of the Town - Yellow Butter Chicken of Ludhiana 

Mirchi Paratha - layered with cream with a sprinkle of Degi Mirch 

Btw their menu has lot of options for Vegetarians too . They claim that their Soya Chaap and Stuffed Mushroom are high in demand . I have kept the list of veggie items pending to try out on my next visit .

Although we all were full but wanted to try something in dessert section , so as per Amit's recommendation, we ordered Fruit Cream . We all loved the dish and saw a smile at Amit's face as he proudly told us that its his wife's recipe .

Fruit Cream

With all the mentioned (half portion each) curries, one portion of Kabab with two Mirchi Paratha and one Tandoori Roti and dessert , our bill was 1500/-  which is quite reasonable .
Espion team  congratulates Mr. Amit Khanna for introducing such delicacies of Ludhiana and wish for his succcess in  his venture.

COL has maintained the tradition to serve Jaggery to their guest after the meal . 

To Reach
COL-Chickens of Ludhiana
Supermart - 1. DLF - Phase 4
Gurgaon . ( 9999-763723)
* They accept plastic money
* They are closed on Tuesday.
* A Lavish meal for two - 800/- 
* The Kitchen Espion pays their own bill to review .

Eat Organic - Drink Organic at FARM OUT , A Coffee shop and Sandwich and Salad Bar...

That feather which helped me to know about the Cafe and build friendship with the man behind this beautiful Cafe .

My story of Farm out begins with this Logo painted on the wall in first floor of  Farm Out - A Coffee shop , Sandwich and Salad bar in Gurgaon. Few months back I got a chance to attend their Organic Coffee event ,and to know about their products . While enjoying  their Sandwich and special Cold Coffee , my eyes were not moving away from the logo and i couldnt stop myself asking the owner Arijit Ganguli about the logic to paint the feather on head and to know more about  his Cafe.
So here is my discussion with him 

In this time of Fusion and world cuisine what inspired you to open this Organic Cafe. ?

Arijit - "The inception happened with the founders Arijit and Amit were sitting in a farm early in the morning thinking what to eat - finally ending up using some fresh veggies from the same farm and making some really healthy sandwiches and salads. The initial idea behind farmout was to use farm fresh ingredients in the recipes but doing some more market study and realising how much harm non-organic produces are causing silently, we decided on using organic produce and that actually add a higher value to the product offering". Is it all Organic ? Arijit - "All the vegetables, tea leaves, coffee beans used in the cafe are organic. We have tied up with few organic farms for the vegetables and plan to tie up with more in the coming months. The tea leaves we use are full leaf and organic and the arabica coffee beans are sourced from couple of organic farms in south India." Your Juices and Drinks are very different than most of the other Cafes. Is it your inhouse signature recipes. Arijit - "Most of our drinks are created in-house after lot of experimentation and trying out in different tasting sessions. For example - The Watermelon Mint chiller initially started with watermelon + mint juice. What we are serving is now is a thicker version where we blend them rather than juice them and we also added a tint of ginger to create a balanced taste"

You had mentioned about hindi classes for expats, is it in regular basis Arijit -

 "We organise events once in a week or two - it started with a coffee tasting session, followed by a session on Imaginary theatre and finally the last one was on learning Hindi in a restaurant setting that was more for travellers and expats"

------

A simple and cute ambiance 

While chit chatting with Arijit , I went through their menu and found some interesting list of beverages . While asking about them , I got to know that apart from 12 Hot teas , they serve 4 varieties of Ice Teas . The Ice Tea is prepared every morning (sometimes twice or thrice in a day) and do not use any concentrate or artificial flavours . The best sellers are Himalayan Spices and Tulsi -Rhododendron for Hot Teas and Mango Green and Orange Mint for Iced Teas.

Recently they have started providing the facility of Home Delivery within Gurgaon which is a boon for Gurgaon people in this scortching heat. Although I came out happy after enjoying a nice organic sandwich , Chilled Cold Coffee and chit chat with Arijit Ganguli , the suspense of adding the feather in the organic basket still exist . Let me keep it pending to know about it on my next visit . :D

Quinoa Salad 

Tea 

Oriental Bagoda 

Chicken Salad 

The Kitchen Espion team wishes a great success to the team of Farm Out and recommend the place for some refreshing salads and Beverages. To reach SF 116- First Floor Galleria Market, DLF Phase 4 Gurgaon. Buzz +911- 9599914161, +91 1244019060

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