Shilpa, Author at ChicLifeByte

#MaggiTujheSalaam: A Tribute to Maggi!!

Food March 10, 2016

“Badi gazab ki bhook lagi…Maggi chaiye mujhe abhi” is what we have been singing our entire childhood…and Maggi is one thing that has been common from childhood till now and that’s also been with us through our ups and downs. From the late night Maggi which we have had during our exam time to the times when Maggi was our ultimate saviour from the hara bhara khana that our mom wanted us to have or the Hill Station waali Maggi., We all have special memories associated with Maggi. A few months back, we went through a dreadful time when Maggi was banned…obviously none of us believed in the reports and prayed and prayed for our favorite food item to be back. And God did listen to our prayers and sent us our Maggi back!! 😀

I don’t think there could be a better tribute to Maggi than a Maggi food festival. So we excitedly waited for Feb 28, 2016 to take a ride to Nehru Park, Chanakyapuri where the first edition of Maggi Festival was taking place. The festival was not only about Maggi noodles but Maggi in various forms or combinations. Didn’t understand? Maggi Shawarma, Maggi Lasagna, Maggi Donut, Seekh Kabab Maggi, Maggi Popcorn, Maggi Momos, Butter Chicken Maggi, Vodka Maggi, Vada Pav Maggi, Paneer Tikka Maggi, Poha Maggi, Salami Maggi Cakes, Baked Cheese Maggi, Maggi Dosa and a lot more! Yes, that’s what we saw at the festival organised by Delhi based hyper-local startup GoBuzzinga and supported by Delhi Food Walks.

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Mister Chai: It’s not only about Chai!!

Food March 7, 2016

For us Indians, chai is a ritual followed not only in the morning but evening as well. Though we have hundreds of street vendors across the city for chai but it is quite difficult to find a perfect cuppa in the premium spaces. So when Team ChicLifeByte got to know about Mister Chai at Shangri La’s – Eros Hotel, New Delhi, we were quite excited. The Café is perfectly located and the branding was visible on one of the pillars as we entered the hotel. Lively, well lit, open café with grey and light green couches made for comfortable and pleasant seating.

Conceptualized by the renowned Dubai based interior design company Stickman Designs, Mister Chai is an intimate and relaxed space with a seating capacity of up to 50 guests and enclosed by a beautifully detailed brass balustrade, with each bookend creating a unique design detail. Placed to the left is the full height, gold-leaf-etched timber Tibetan prayer wheels and to the right is an intricate screen of planter boxes in colour contrast of black, red, green and brown interestingly called “Wall of Chai”. This quaint and exquisite element ensures that guests enjoy privacy from the main lobby.

Bevelled antique mirror walls add depth and open up this subtle space. Brass shelving is suspended delicately from the ceiling, displaying the unique varieties on offer. We were impressed by the fact that each feature adds its own distinctive character to create the perfect ambience for guests to relax and savour the delicacies on offer.

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Go Indulge with PizzAah!!!

Food March 4, 2016

We all know that there are limited options when it comes to Pizzas. What if I tell you there’s something new in the pizza space to try out! Rich with authentic Italian flavours and variety of options both in veg and non veg. We were excited to know about this place when we received an invite from them. With the launch of PizzAah! – Mumbai’s latest pizza chain, not only can diners satiate their taste buds in wood-fired and smoked flavours but also, can have them delivered at their doorstep.We thought what better than Valentine Day’s eve to soothe our taste buds!

PizzAah has been launched at Cafe Lager, Bandra West. The cafe is where the famous “Zenzi” Bar used to be. The place has got that rustic feel to it with lovely interiors and rhythmic music running in the background. People who have been to Zenzi however might miss the old charm sans the celebrities off course. As of now this is the only place available with the dining option. Encouraged with an overwhelming response at Bandra, PizzAah has started with a Dark kitchen in Andheri East.

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Asian Hawkers Market- Excellent concept & excellent food

Food March 1, 2016

Asian Hawkers Market was one food festival Team ChicLifeByte was looking forward to. Afterall, it did make quite a buzz during the last edition. Who can miss the scintillating Pan Asian culinary journey celebrating Asian cuisines and culture from the Far East to South-East Asia. This three-day food festival saw the best of five-star and standalone restaurants come together to present the cuisines of Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam (I just got the visa to Vietnam, by the way, so should soon go explore it myself).

There was a lot of buzz for restaurants like Pa PaYa of Mumbai, promoted by multi-award-winning restaurateur Zorawar Kalra, presenting its critically acclaimed dishes for the first time in Delhi. Also in the thick of the action was Delhi-NCR’s newest Asian restaurants – Honk at Pullman-Novotel, New Delhi Aerocity, and The Bento Café from Ashish Kapur, creator of The Wine Company, dimsumbros and Yo China, showcasing their products for the first time at a food festival. And Vidur Kanodia of Shiv Sagar fame was to test-market his forthcoming brand, Hawkers Chowk, and its unique range of Sichuan dosas, Chinese bhel and chilli idlis.

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The Green Innovation by Carl’s Jr.

Food February 24, 2016

We all love to dig into those yummy burgers filled with tikki, yummy sauces, dips and veggies but then what we realize later is the amount of calories we have consumed. That’s when we also feel guilty and regret about consuming so many calories for a little pleasure. It is so difficult to resist amazing burgers. Even on the day we diet, our tastebuds long for some superb food stuff. What made our life easy, fun and guilt free is a recent invitation that ChicLifeByte got in its mailbox. Yes, we had a little respite when we got to know that Carl’s Jr., the Californian premium burger brand has launched ‘Green Burgers’. This was done keeping in mind the growing demand for healthier options in the burger space and sensitivities of gluten conscious patrons. Initially we thought that the bun will be made of green stuff with a patty but when we reached the restaurant we were in for a pleasant surprise.

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#Farzified at Farzi Cafe, Connaught Place

Food February 19, 2016

Getting Farzified was what had been on my mind for a long time now!! Actually, ever since the restaurant opened up at Connaught Place. Though I have been to the Gurgaon outlet but when the place has opened up at sadda Dilli, it’s a different experience. As I made my way to the critically acclaimed award-winning restaurant by Zorawar Kalra, I totally loved the concept. Wooden interiors, well Lit, English Style set up. Even the waiters were dressed in black and white with a red tie.

Re-contextualised for the modern day diner, Farzi Café is attributed to having made Indian dining cool, while bringing Indian cuisine back “in-Vogue”. Amalgamating the European bistro with innovative, futuristic Indian food, Farzi Café offers a unique, genre defining, Indian bistronomie dining experience. Upping the cool quotient and breaking perceptions, it showcases innovation in Indian food and dining using modernist elements such as molecular gastronomy across its food and drinks, turning them on their head while offering a playful, high-energy ambiance.

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Jewelsify for the women of today!!

Fashion February 18, 2016

Team ChicLifeByte was recently invited for the launch of Jewelsify’s new diamond jewellery at Grub House in Rajouri Garden. It’s truly said “Diamond are women’s best friend”, how would they not be? They give us an aristocrat feel! How we all feel blue blooded! So without thinking much, I accepted the invitation and headed towards the place.

As I entered the place, I saw the funny quotes on wall which certainly uplifted my mood! No really I mean it! I realized the soothing place is great to have a gala time. I looked around towards the crowd, and saw there were many people around, mostly ladies and how can ladies say no when it is about diamonds!

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Junkyard Café: A Funk Place made out of Junk

Food February 17, 2016

Can you imagine a hip & happening place made out of junk? Even we could not imagine a place like this until reality hit us! Yes, we saw a place made out of junk and the name is true to its description, it’s called Junkyard Café. A brainchild of Umang Tewari who also owns Vault Café, Café Public Connection, Garam Dharam and the recently opened 3 Pegs Down.

The place spread over 13000 sq. ft transported us to a different space altogether. The luxurious and spacious cafe nestled in heart of the capital – Connaught Place had pillars covered with tyres & drawers, seats made of car engine, drums, bamboo, chipboard etc. That’s not all, the place also has a picture of Mona Lisa made out of scrap. A transformer stands out boldly at one of the entrance. On the walls, we could see cycle wheels, broken rear view mirror. Infact, even the bar had colourful drums and old tyres. Another thing which caught our attention was an Aircraft with Junkyard branding. Lights made of cut wine bottles, ceiling made of 8000 empty bottles. Oh! How could we miss the broken motorcycle which made for the perfect picture spot. Junk be utilised, and that too in the most beautiful way is quite evident at Umang’s Junkyard. Junkyard Cafe is one of those places in India which are concept driven. It brings out raw junk world which is grungy, contemporary and at the same time very exclusive!!

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A review of Plaza Premium Lounge situated at Indira Gandhi International Airport

Food February 16, 2016

Being a travel enthusiast, Airport is one of my favourite spot 🙂 And airport isn’t only about aircrafts or flights but a lot of other interesting things….like shopping and food!! Team ChicLifeByte did give you a review of Delhi Duty Free a few days back and this time it’s about food. So while I was taking a flight from Terminal 3, I stopped by at Plaza Premium Lounge of the Indira Gandhi International Airport situated on Level 1 of the airport (the same level where you have the food courts) post collecting my boarding pass and clearing security check.

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Essence of Greek Mythology with Organic Harvest

Beauty February 15, 2016

How many of us dream of skin like Cleopatra? Are you one of those too? Beauty of Queen Cleopatra intrigued many men and women for centuries and Team Chiclifebyte have taken a step to make your dreams come true! We were recently invited for a bloggers meet by a brand called Organic Harvest, India’s only homegrown brand with an entire range of organic skin care products which speak of nature in its purest form.

Organic Harvest started in 2013 which specializes in hair care, body care and skin care products that are safe and highly effective. The launch that we were invited for was for the launch of Activ Range which has 7 variants. The Activ range has effortlessly captured the essence of Greek Mythology with organic flower & fruit extracts as principal ingredients. We were quite impressed seeing the range in its fresh packing in green. It did lift up our mood. The hydration range comes with a moisturizer, gel and serum while the retention range comes with a serum and cream. We got to know “Initially, the ‘activ’ range was created to bring back the naïve elements used during the Greek mythology era. The “Back2origin” completely justifies this activ range as they literally went back into the history and after a thorough and intensive research of 2 years, the true potential of these highly impressive actives have been beautifully brought together, in seven variants, to cater all types of skin ailments”.

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