Legoland Malaysia Tour

Our next destination in our Malaysia trip with AirAsia was to Johor Bahru. It is the southernmost city in Malaysia. 

Singapore is only 23 KM from it. One can plan a trip from either Kuala Lumpur or from Singapore. This is a kids' friendly city as there are many things to do here - Legoland Malaysia, Hello Kitty Town, Thomas Town, Angry Birds Activity Park, Little Play Loft etc to name a few. We chose Legoland Malaysia & Thomas Town as we had a short stay. 

Legoland is a chain of Lego-themed children's/family theme parks. There is also a Legoland water park adjacent to Legoland - an added attraction for the kids and adults as well. 

There is a mini city inside the Legoland. It is called Miniland. It has miniatures of famous Monuments and Buildings like Petronas Towers. And they look quite similar to the original ones I must say!

Ninja-go The Ride was the first ever ride in Asia where we use our hand as swords to battle. This is a 4D ride and both the kids and adults would definitely love it. My son had an awesome time here.

There is also a driving school for kids of different age groups and they would be taught how to drive and also about signals. After the learning session they are given their own driving license.

There is a toy train which takes you around the Legoland where you can see the entire place and it is worth waiting in the queue.

It was the Chinese New year when we visited Legoland Malaysia. There were celebrations and dance acts which happened throughout the day. There is a belief that its good luck if one touches the Lion after the Chinese Lion Dance. 

Our family had an amazing time in the Legoland and this is "the place" for kids' entertainment for the whole day. The passes for the same are available online and also at the counter there. The wait time to get the tickets was less for us as we booked them online at below link:

https://www.legoland.com.my/book-visit/kids-go-free/

Sunset Cruise in Langkawi by Naam Adventure

On our exclusive trip to Malaysia with AirAsia, we wouldn't have missed the short stay at Langkawi, situated on the northwestern coast. 

The Langkawi islands are a part of the state Kedah, adjacent to Thai border. It's a duty free island. Langkawi Islands were given a World Geopark status by UNESCO.

As Langwaki is surrounded by sea, there are many water based activities to indulge in. One such activity is cruises for people who love morning sun or sunset which includes dinner. We opted for a sunset cruise by Naam Adventure, The Premier Marine Leisure Water Sport Company. Tickets for the same are available online at https://www.naam.bz/

Naam Representative came to our hotel to pick us up in her cab and the ride was very smooth. She dropped us at the Royal Langkawi Yatch Club where we had to board the Cruise. The Cruise started on time as the whole ride was to show the sunset and it's going to take a while to get to the spot in the sea.

Naam Adventure the number one sports company is known for its Punctiliousness. All the guests were boarded with utmost care.

The cruise ship was spotlessly clean and promptly we were served the welcome drinks and snacks. We were allowed to go to any part of the ship following the  safety instructions.

Free Flow of drinks and unlimited buffet food was also a reason considered by many tourists to opt for this one of a kind experience.

One can get an experience of swimming in the middle of the sea. Naam puts a net buoy for safety against jelly fishes.So its absolutely safe as safety jackets were also provided. 

 It was bit cloudy but we could see the sunset which happens in Langkawi at around 7.30pm daily. Nobody is too busy - it's just a matter of priorities. I feel travelling also has to be one such priority.

Here is a video of our Sunset cruise with Naam adventure in Langkawi, Malaysia :

My Review on IGP.com - the best online gift portal

Every year I have this dilemma as to where would I find a good collection of rakhis to send to my brother back home in Visakhapatnam from my present home in Bangalore.

All this had started after marriage as I had to shift to Bangalore from my hometown Vizag. One of my close friends suggested me to checkout this wonderful online gifting site called IGP.com or IndiansGiftsPortal.com. An ideal affordable single rakhis, rakhi sets, rakhi hampers, sweets, add on gifts etc. are available here. 

                      

In the single rakhis section one can find amazing collection of fancy rakhis, rakhi threads, Mauli rakhis, kids rakhis, divine rakhis etc. Prices range from Rs.151 to Rs.450. There are rakhi combos and assorted mithais too. 

IGP has a wonderful Rakhi portal which allows you to choose from a variety of Rakhis like Set of 2 rakhis, rakhi with chocolates, kids rakhi hampers and even personalized photo gifts! 

      

                          

There is an exclusive offer for Rakhi which is around 25% off if you use the coupon code RK25 when you are buying rakhis. The offer is valid only till stock lasts. Some really nice rakhi hampers are there like Relishing Bites Rakhi Combo, Joy of Togetherness Rakhi Hamper, My favorite brother Rakhi Mug and Twist of Green Rakhi Hamper. 

One other interesting aspect of IGP.com is the deal of the month which is Flat 50% off on their best selling gifts. One wonderful thing is that IGP has over 2000+ rakhi designs and have shipped over million plus orders! They serve more than 90 countries worldwide! 

For those who want to send Rakhis with sweets and dry fruits, IGP has some really nice options like Barfee Namkeen Rakhi Combo, Panjiri Laddoo Rakhi Combo, Dry fruits box with Rakhi and Batisa Slice Rakhi Combo. 


The festival of Rakhi holds a special place in the hearts of Indians. Whether you belong to Uttar Pradesh or Delhi, Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu, one festival that always warms hearts is Rakhi. Even if you have moved your base out of India you can easily Send Rakhi to India via Indiangiftsportal. This helps you to connect back with your family and friends on this beautiful occasion of bonding and fraternal love.

#MySiblingRocks reminds me of the wonderful relationship I share with my brother. When we lost our father quite early in our childhood, he took over the role of an elderly protective brother and father figure even though he is 2 years younger than me. He ensured that my education is not suffered and we are never undermined by our relatives. He has been always a pillar of strength for my mom and me. He started work at a very young age when his contemporaries were still studying. He ensured that we all had a comfortable life. He is very mischievous too and likes to irritate me sometimes when I want to eat something of my choice or watch a movie of my choice! But I love my brother and wish him all the best in future including his upcoming marriage. 

Table d'hôte (TDH) menu at Loft 38 Bengaluru

Loft 38 lounge on 100 feet road Indiranagar recently launched a table d'hote (TDH) menu which is a set priced menu with different courses out of which a visitor can select 1 item from each course. They have a varied variety of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian starters, soups, main course and of course desserts!

We started with a round of ice teas. There were different flavors like lemon, peach and green apple. We preferred different ice teas according to our tastes. We understood that we could add the ice tea or a virgin mojito for a very nominal price of Rs.99 to our TDH menu which is generally available for lunch from Monday to Saturday.

The menu includes vegetarian dishes such as starter options - tomato & mozzarella salad and pear, blue cheese and walnut salad, root vegetables and chickpea goulash. For non-vegetarians, there’s smoked chicken salad and roasted beef salad for starters. One of my favorite non-vegetarian starters was the Crispy Calamari.

In vegetarian main course, I liked Thai Yellow Vegetable Curry. This is fresh turmeric, galangal, lemon grass and coconut flavored homemade yellow curry which is served with steamed rice.

In oriental cuisine, my favorite vegetarian main course was Stir Fried Vegetables. This is oyster-chilli-soya tossed vegetables which are served with rice stick noodles.

Another favorite of me with regards to vegetarian main course from the TDH menu at Loft 38 is Potato Gnocchi. This is pan fried potato gnocchi with mushroom pil pil, chilli and garlic.

If you like seafood and specially fish, don't miss out on Pan Seared Basa fish. This was Pan Seared basa with curry leaf tossed sweet potatoes and spicy tomato and tamarind sauce. Executive Chef Sajosh Peetayil perfected the cooking by not just retaining the Kerala base to it but adding a contemporary twist to it! 

Desserts were one of the highlights of Loft38 lounge's TDH menu! My favorite was Orange Crema Catalana. This was spanish style custard with fresh oranges and orange sauce. This was perfectly made and presented very classily. 

Finally another of my favorite dishes at Loft 38 (not just Desserts!) was Churros Con Chocolate. This is fried choux pastries with different flavored chocolate dips like mint dip, spicy chocolate, etc! 

Loft 38 lounge is a perfect place for family and friends to enjoy not just amazing music and wonderful food but also relax and chill out. I would definitely recommend it to all my friends! 

For anybody interested in trying out TDH menu at Loft 38, I suggest you can try out 3 course menu initially if you are not interested in a soup. 3 course meal would cost you around Rs.499 and 4 course meal would cost you around Rs.599. 

Aloft Project Star finals in Bangalore

I love Music and always looking out for performances and shows by not so popular musicians and bands as I feel the popular ones are too commercial. I enjoy concerts like Oktoberfest and NH7 because they showcase local talent and promote them. One similar attempt and effort is being made by Aloft Hotels via their Project Aloft Star campaign. As it's mentioned, it is all about unknown musicians "Be Discovered" by fast paced travelers not just from India but from all across the World!

Project Aloft Star was created by Aloft hotels in association with MTV Asia to invite unsigned bands and artists to showcase their talent by uploading their music videos on MTV Asia website and get votes from their fans so that they get a chance to perform at the finals in different Asian cities including Bangalore. 40% of public voting determined which entries got to perform at the finals for each cluster and the remaining 60% was determined by MTV. The finals of the Bangalore event was held at the W xyz bar at the newly opened Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park on Outer Ring Road, Bangalore.

One of my favorite finalists were Rahul Jain of India. He is a singer/composer/lyricist who started music at an early age of 9-10 years. He has composed more than 250 tracks and done more than 900 live shows, performed with all the leading musicians of the industry. He has composed more than 10 national level jingles  & for 2 feature films. Working as an independent artist, he wants his music to reach the best level where everyone can listen the feel and soul for music through his songs. It was great to interact with Rahul Jain and other musicians before they performed for the finals. 

The finalists were judged by one of my favorite musicians of all time - Dr. Palash Sen of Euphoria band. He was enjoying the music played by these bands and also giving them some valuable suggestions. He was very approachable and didn't have any qualms about being a celebrity! He also sang his popular song Maayeri at the end of the finals and enthralled the audience with his voice!

Not just me but my one and half year old son Reyansh also enjoyed the music a lot and started clapping and showing appreciation for all the bands! It was good to be hosted by Aloft hotels during Project Aloft Star as they are committed to cutting-edge music programming that supports emerging talent while discovering great music.

One of my other favorite bands was Keith Louis Castelino's band. Keith wanted to be a songwriter and make his music heard, to tell the world his story since childhood! He is passionate about writing and composing originals, be it acoustic rock/ grunge/ alternative rock. Every song that he writes has a story to tell which is inspired by his personal life experiences. His music is like bits and pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, that express every emotion there is, to him. Keith and his band came very close to winning the Project Aloft Star India finals but luck was not on their side! 

Each of the finalists at Aloft Project Star India Regional Finals in Bangalore brought on their unique blend of original compositions and covers and it was a tough fight between them! Boby Techi, Keith Castelino, Rahul Jain and Stebin Ben performed very well but the day belonged to Natania Lalwani who wowed the judges with her performance and walked away with USD 10,000! They were applauded both by the judges and the public. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful event which had an integration of online and offline marketing.

With 100 hotels open now and coming soon in 14 countries around the world, Starwood’s Aloft brand delivers a fresh approach to the traditional staid hotel landscape. For the ‘always on’ next generation of traveler, the Aloft brand offers a tech-forward, vibrant experience and a modern style that is different by design. For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.com. 

Chili’s Grill & Bar brings back The Original Lipsmackers Circa 1975

Chili’s Grill & Bar started operations way back in 1975 in Texas, USA, with just 11 dishes & drinks. The popularity grew to such an extent that the brand managed to carve the initial footprints in the casual dining space of the country and subsequently the international market. 

Chili’s Grill & Bar, brought back the original lipsmackers in the form of a Limited Time Offer across all their outlets in Bangalore (Orion & Phoenix Market city), Mumbai, Pune & Hyderabad. I was invited to review the same with some other food bloggers. 

                       

Chili's serves American food influenced by Tex Mex Cuisine. The interiors of the restaurant were funky as it was decorated with pictures from The USA and also a mini jet plane.

                    

The following gorgeous menu was served to the food lovers as a part of lip smackers. Offering a range of quintessential American favorites with a tagline of “Taste an American Original”, Chili’s Grill & Bar promised a gourmet experience like never before. The Original Lipsmackers Circa 1975 menu saw the inclusion of their famous Home Made Chili such as Texas Red with Beans and Chili’s Pie, along with Chili’s Special Soft Tacos which are tacos served with rice and beans, just like the Cowboys liked them. We were prepared to encounter a Texan standoff as we tried to choose from a variety of delicious burgers like the Our Own Chili Burger, Chili’s Trip, Terlingua Pride and No Bun Burger. No matter which one we picked, we were sure to win! Just so that the vegetarian guests do not feel left out, they could experience the same menu in vegetarian options too.

                        

                       

But I didn't wanted to go with the crowd so I preferred something from the regular alacarte menu. Here are some of the items I tried at Chili's Grill and Bar:

Triple Dipper as part of the non-vegetarian appetizers. This was basically a combination of 3 of my favorite appetizers - Chicken Crispers, Wings over Buffalo and Boneless chicken wings. I loved the Chicken Crispers but found Chicken Wings to be a little spicy. 

In Southwest Grill, I tried Fajita Chicken Quesedillas. These were marinated chicken with fajita onions and Jack cheese in butterly toasted tortillas. 

In Seafood, I tried Blackened Salmon which is one of the new dishes on the regular menu. This is Salmon fish seared with peppercorn spice, served with cilantro rice, seasonal veggies and cilantro aioli. 

Finally I went for the Chicken Ranch burger which I enjoyed a lot. This was crispy breaded chicken with tangy wing sauce, cool Ranch dressing, lettuce & tomato. The burger was served with homestyle fries. 

Chili's is at 2 different locations in Bangalore and opening currently at a secret 3rd place too! 

Address 1: Chili’s Orion Mall, Store  No  R3  &  R3-  A,  Rajajinagar  Extension, Malleswaram  (W),  Bangalore 560022

Phone: 08022682126

Address 2: Chili’s Phoenix Market City #20 UG Level, Outside Courtyard, Phoenix Market City, Mahadevpura, Bangalore -560048

Phone: 08067266406

Times City Gourmet Week 2014 - Memories of China at Taj Vivanta

Ever since I have been to the Times Food Awards 2013, my wish list of visiting the restaurants in Bangalore has increased.  And the time has come to taste and savour the gourmet food being served for the whole week in different restaurants.

Memories of China at The Taj Vivanta is also serving the gourmet food as a part of the Times City Gourmet week 2014.

                         

The ambience of the restaurant depicts the Chinese tradition and culture.  It was relaxing to spend time and relish great food.

There was a set menu and also we could choose what we would want to eat from the same. We started off with soup and appetizers

                                 

                           

Crab meat with wild mushroom soup with vegetarian shark fin and double boiled chicken soup with chinese pok choy and crispy golden fried prawns and five spiced fish in Shangai style were served in the starters menu.  I rejoiced at the first part of the menu as I always had a liking for Chinese food.

                           

Sautéed Prawns with dried chillies and shallots was the unrivalled item on the whole menu.  As I come from a coastal region and being fond of eating fresh prawns and fish, I was totally flattered and bowed to the chef. 

Undone noodles with smoked fish fillet in a superior broth, sautéed sliced beef with wild mushroom in Yakiniku sauce were also served.

                          

And the last one the menu, dessert ; exotic fruits and deep fried sesame dumpling stuffed with ferrero rocher were the show stoppers. 

                       

On the whole an amazing experience to remember till next year.