Saffron @ Atlantis, The Palm- Sumptuous and sublime Tuesday Night Dinner Buffet

What could be a better treat on a tumultuous Tuesday than the wonderful saffron setting amidst the sea and an extravagant relaxed meal? For a seafood lover, Saffron @ Atlantis is a paradise in disguise.

Tuesdays, which is more subtly known as the midweek in Middle East, could be chaotic with all the stress fillers like work, traffic and family pressures. Saffron @ Atlantis is a great mid week break. Having frequented the restaurant most of time on pretext of long drives to the Palm Island Beach, Saffron has always caught my interest with the well laid buffet and guest service (Very specific as GUEST and not CUSTOMER).

As a mother of a toddler, I have enjoyed every little time spent there as my little one was well taken care off. For any person to frequent a restaurant, two things prove to be the utmost important. Service and Food. A good service for me is easily measurable when my little one is taken care off. I can then easily enjoy my meal to rate the food.

The spread is so huge, that it is actually taking me a while to recollect what all I ate..but for sure, I could only touch base on 40% of the spread. Being an ardent lover of sea food, most space was taken by lobsters and oysters from the cold station and the grilled prawn from the Arabic station. A huge spread of salads and breads completes your craving for appetisers not forgetting the famous “ Shechuan Crab”

Being an Indian, and a spice lover I very much try to avoid Indian food as it seems blander for me in other countries. But at Saffron, the blend seemed perfect and easily ruled my palette. Tandoori Pomfret took all allocates.

The Thai and Malaysian gourmet station seemed the best when I tasted the much popular “ Laksa “ which I found quite authentic and as well was more convinced when introduced to the Chef from Malaysia. They are more than pleased to come and take your requirement and have your food served matching your taste. You name it and you had it from Nasi Goren to Congee to Phad Thai. But what I missed was the spiciest Sambal.

What is south East food without Dim Sums or Sushi’s ? I could have then to my heart’s content at the buffet. The freshly steamed Dim sums and crisp rolled Sushi was a feast for me, and the best accompaniment of sauces and the most famous Wasabi.

With so much to linger on, I frankly did not have any space for a proper main dish. But made sure I had space for my greatest weakness, Desserts. The freshly made Caramel Custard caught my eyes even when I was entering the restaurant and having a look at the buffet. True chocolate lovers can indulge in “Fountain of Sin” (that’s what I call a chocolate fountain). Cold stone Ice cream couldn’t escape either...I had to indulge in it. Also was there a huge assortment of tarts, crèmes and cakes certainly looked delicious.

With such a huge escapade from the kitchen, Saffron for me is a sure shot return place. And every other time I go there, I think I should try all that I missed on my previous visit, but turns out that every Tuesday night has something new to offer. Saffron, as opulent the spice is, so greater is my indulgence with the sea treat for me.

Reservations could be made at The Atlantis Hotel, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Pick up Bags – A packet is costing heavy on pockets

After a two month break, I returned to Namma Bengaluru, only to find a ban on plastic bags less than 40 Microns. Personally I welcomed the move comparing my living in the Middle East where even a simple grocer (never the less from Namma Kerala) would also use a cover higher than 40 micron.


Surprise came to me when I had to shell out extra bucks for the same. I was a little pulled back. But at some point fell this move was actually required. Speaking to my neighbours I realised that most of them carry bags for shopping now.

But there are a few who still can’t seem to get over their plastic obsession. A. S.(name changed) a neighbour has another solution. She placed low quality plastic carry bags with her favourite vendors. The bags would only be given to her. As it sounded as funny to me, it only showed the dependability factor and spurge to save money. This was a perfect example of “Penny Wise- Pound Foolish”

As much as I agree to the fact that these vendors are charging extra for the plastic carry bags, they should understand that this will not happen always. A few places who used to have the 40+ Micron bags for regular use have also started charging for the same. It seems more of money making machine now.

My favourite place to buy masalas and curry powders in Bengalur is Shivananda Stores. When I visited them, it was the same plastic bags with branding. But he charged me a good whopping 20 Rs for all the carry bags.

For some this is a effort to save the environment. And for some this is just money making tool. So much for a small word called “Plastic”.

When I walked down the Russel l Market, I remembered the old times, when my mother would keep bargaining for vegges, and I would be carrying all the bags – they were never plastic, but mostly a status symbol where she would showcase her bags from the best Saree Shops!!!!

Now I guess even the saree showroom don’t give those lovely jute bags. So much we do for the green city, but shortcuts are still a welcome point. Apart from the buyers, guess even the vendors should compromise a little for nature.

INDIAN AFFAIR – Serving Indian favorites with bold western flavors

The Indian Affair @ The Chancery Pavilion is a 'classical-contemporary' boutique restaurant that sits inside the magnificent city of Bengaluru. Offering a nostalgic, Neo Indian-themed atmosphere where the sole focus is on gourmet food. The restaurant serves neo classical version of Indian cuisine, flavors that would be subtle yet rule the pallets.

Indian Affair operates in lines of fine dining: a 2500 square feet unit with 72 seats plus a large patio overlooking the pool. The restaurant has customized interiors developed with comfortable seating and bold colors. A vast selection of wines beverages is available at the distinctive bar with their own unique décor. Indian Affair can stupendously be tagged as the “refined drinking and dining in Bengaluru’s social hot spot” .

A not so recent addition to the map of Bengaluru’s hippest landmarks for elegant dining and drinking, Indian Affair Restaurant at The Chancery Pavilion has re opened its doors in January 2011 and is rapidly looking at taking a lead in the race for the city’s top Indian restaurant.

A popular hang out for Bengaluru’s glitterati, and featuring a high celebrity count among its guest list that includes Leander Paes, leading artist from the Kannada cine field and many more , Indian Affair now translates authentic Indian cuisine to a stylish, contemporary setting, with the addition of a spectacularly long bar that provides the backdrop for a vast array of exquisite cocktails and wines to pair with food.

Indian Affair’s Head Chef, Dildar Hussain, was headhunted from Carnival Cruises, where he continually entertained a plethora of international celebrities and Bollywood stars. With an immaculate attention to detail under Dildar’s supervision, the sumptuous new menu at Indian Affair reflects food hailing from all over India. Observing Chef Hussain’s ethos of producing healthy Indian cuisine with a contemporary twist, it features dishes inspired by the seafood of the south and meat from the north.
Featuring A La Carte, Set and Vegetarian menus, Indian Affair starter dishes include: Kukad ka Salad ( Marinated Chicken deep fried salad, tempered with spicy sauce and served on a bed of fillo pastry and tangy yogurt),Choose ka Tikka (Bonelss baby chicken marinated with tandoori masala, tondoor cooked and served with Butter naan and mint chutney) and Lobster Dum Lukhnowi Khorma ( lobster marinated with pomegranate juice, black pepper,, stuffed with pomegranate seeds, mozzarella cheese, baked in oven and served wth pomegranate rice).

Indian Affair is a name that has become synonymous with both the highest caliber of modern Indian cuisine, as well as the most sumptuous signature cocktails, rendering the fashionable venue for the perfect setting of world class drinking, dining, or a combination of both.

Cooking, the art of mesmerising many, with all the few you have

Cooking, the art of mesmerising many, with all the few you have


Restaurants, eateries, home deliveries, quick meals, ready to eat, fast foods, have all become a part and parcel of out lives. With growing lifestyle and standards we usually forget the old times and the traditional cooking that was a part of our lives. This blog is intended to all those traditional food and food lovers, who want to explore back the lost legacy of traditonal POTS and PANS...

Basic Sauces of the world- a basic must for food lovers!!!

     Basic Sauces of the world- a basic must for food lovers!!!



Connection of food begins ever since your 6 months old, and how many of us till date call up our mothers, grandmothers to know how to make that regular dish or curry made at home? I remember my live alone days when I would more or less call my mother everyday to find out what masala ( spice) goes in what.

Suprisingly, I realized that most of the dishes had the same spices in them. And my mother’s secret would be the roasted Zeera- Methi ( Cumin-Fenugreek seeds).

Most of the cuisines around the world have some or the other sort of basic sauce or spice that goes in most of the dishes. Italians rave about the Tomato base used for pizzas and pastas, Germans of the spices in sausages, Chinese about the soy and garlic, Japanese of the wasabi, Americans of the herbs and Worchester sauce, Far Eastern countries of the fresh locally grown herbs like Chilies, Lemongrass and Kafir lime leaves, the list seems endless.

Its only the variance in quality and add-on ingredients and spices that gives not only a different taste but a completely different flavor.

The laws that govern a stomach otherwise known as “Gastronomy” not only demands a good appetite but also a good palette to judge the ingredients that would heighten the sense of exploration for a gastronome.

As a food lover myself, there have been a few things on my plate that made me to keep guessing what went in, only to realize that it was all in my kitchen shelf. When I went to a local eatery around the name said “Tunday Kabaab” and on top of the most preferred list was the “Chapli Kabaab” which boasted of the meat being marinated in 30+ varieties of spices. That’s totally took me back, just wanting to realize a small town of Lukhnow where this dish has gained the maximum popularity since ages could grow so many spices and also develop cuisine that could accommodate all of them. Only to realize that every spice in that dish was overpowered by another leaving no room for distinct flavors’ to touch my palette.

All that I could feel was meat buried amongst the spices. All said and done, its still famous. But there are as well many dishes that have least spices or ingredients in them but leave a lingering long lasting want.

With this little note, I will now start my blog which will have the most simple recipes, and anytime during which I would love to hear back from you not only about these recipes, but any kind of food that would have taken all your attention.