Aamlicious festival at Khandani Rajdhani - treat of the season!

Rajdhani Thali Restaurant that serves authentic Rajasthani and Gujarati food is having the Aamlicious festival - 'the king of fruits' mango festival across the outlets in the city and the country, and I was lucky enough to get to taste the same.

Let's look at the Menu. Kairi Panna and Aam Thandai were the drinks on the menu. The Aam Thandai  that was served had pepper in it and it was new to me; of different taste altogether!

The other items on the menu were Kairi Stuffed Bread Roll, Shahi Aam Dhokla, Mango Dry Fruit Ghugra, Chatpata Kacha Kairi Muthiya.

The Kairi Bread Rolls served had raw mango in it; had a refreshing and remarkable taste.

And in the main-course there was Arbi Mango Raswala, Aam Pyaaz ki Sabzi, Kaddu Kairi ka Bharta, Malabari Mango Kadi, Fajeto, Mango Pulao, Mango Jalebi and Amarkhand to name a few.

An annual ritual at Rajdhani Thali that I wouldn't have missed! I would recommend everyone  to come and take a trip down the memory lane like a child enjoying and rejoicing the mango season! 

Price Per Thali:

Lunch on weekdays - Rs.450 (inclusive of taxes)

Dinner & Weekends - Rs.499 (inclusive of taxes)

Samaroh's Aamostav - a celebration of Mangoes!

Samaroh means feast, ceremony; celebration - What better way to celebrate than with food! Samaroh Restaurant at Lavelle Road is having Aamotsav till 30th June 2017 and I was invited to be a part of it!

Dry Fruit Boondi

The best way to start a meal is with a Mitha as it signifies and hopes for a good and pleasant beginning of something. Dry Fruit Boondi and Keri Tomato Shorba with Heera Namkeen were served in the first course of the meal.

I personally relished the Nastha or the starters served after the shorba that included Keri Panna, Paneer Tikka, Keri Vegetable seekh, Wonton, Corn keri Tikka. Here I would like to mention specially about the Paneer Tikka which just melted in the mouth. The Paneer for the same was brought down from Delhi and was a real scene stealer.

Wonton, Keri Vegetable Seekh, Paneer Tikka, Corn Keri Tikki

Chole Chaat and Mango Samaroh Pani Puri were also among the other savories served.

Chole Chaat

Mango Samaroh Pani Puri

And in the Mukhya Bhoj; Main Course included a diversified variety of food from all over regions of the country like Masala Jeera Chhas, Dal Makhni, Paneer Lababdaar, Mirchiwale Kofte, Keri ki Sabzi, Dum Aloo Mutter, Aam Ras, Roti and Veg Pulao curd rice, steamed rice etc.

Aam Ras

Aamras is also a traditional Gujarati dish called as Keri no ras. It consists of sugared Mango pulp, which is passed through muslin to remove fibrous strands of the fruit. It is commonly eaten with roti or pooris. 

The aamras that i tasted here was unique and mouthwatering!

Save the best for the last; In the Mitha Kulfi, Rabdi Malpua, Mango Chum Chum and Pantua were served. One of the best I had ever tasted as they were made with tender love and care. It was not less than a mom's made meal as recipes for many of the dishes were curated by the owner Mr. Jagmohan Bhutada's mom.

My son was totally pampered by the staff and they also served him his favorite cut mango pieces. 

An Epicurious meal to remember till next year.

Opening hours 

Everyday 12 Noon to 3:30 PM, 7 PM to 10:30 PM

Address :

Samaroh,7, 1st Floor, Vittal Mallya Road, Lavelle Road, Bangalore

Phone number: 080 49652435

Recipe for South Indian Rasam - Kalyana Rasam

South Indian weddings are know for the colorfulness, festivity and food. And one of the popular and must item in the menu is Kalyana Rasam. It is tangy and spicy, so it's a balance. So here is the recipe that I got to know from a friend of mine.

Ingredients : For Powder

• Tur dal ----- 1 tablespoon
• Coriander Seeds -- 1 tablespoon
• Peppercorns --- 3/4 to 1 tablespoon ( according to one's spice levels)
• Cumin Seeds --- 1.5 teaspoons   
• Dry Redchillies---2 nos     

      For Rasam

• Tur dal ---- (cooked) 3 tablespoons
• Tomato --1 no
• Tamarind ---small Lemon size
• Garlic Pods --- 4 nos
• Peppercorns --- 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds --- 3/4 th teaspoon
• Turmeric --- 1 teaspoon
• salt to taste       
• water

      For Tempering

• Oil ---1.5 teaspoon
• Mustard ---1 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds ---1/2 teaspoon
• Garlic Pods ---4 nos
• Asefotida (Hing) --- a pinch
• Fresh Coriander ---1 small bunch

    Method

1. Soak the tamarind in warm water and squeeze the pulp.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a pan and roast all the ingredients for powder.
3. Cut the tomatoes and squeeze out the juice by adding little water.
4. Add the cooked tur dal to tomato juice along with the tamarind pulp and salt.
5. Grind the garlic pods, cumin seeds and peppercorns to a paste.
6. Take a pan and add 1 teaspoon of oil in it. Now add the above paste and fry it for a couple of minutes.
7. Now to this add the dal, tamarind and tomato mixture and bring it to a boil.
8. Add the Rasam powder and mix it thoroughly and boil this for a while.
9. Take another pan, add oil to it and add the ingredients for the tempering.

      

    Relish this with hot steamed rice and pappads/vadiyams

Note : You can also add a bit of jaggery to this to enhance the flavour.

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.