Royal China

Feel like having an awesome chinese lunch/dinner in south delhi ? 

Royal China is the place to go. It's located in Eros Corporate tower (Top floor) in Nehru Place. It's a little steep but totally worth it. This review is about my first lunch there. Just my brother and I went. 

We first ordered the prawn-chicken siu mai dim sums. They were out of this world. The best Dim sums i've ever had in my life are at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Singapore and these dim sums are Royal China come VERY close to those. The best part about them is that it's got prawn right in the core of it, then it's surrounded by a layer of chicken with a sausage like texture and then the flour skin of the dim sums. But they are not complete without my special sauce. 

You must have noticed that they give you a variety of sauces to choose from at a chinese restaurant and most people only try one or two and stick with them. The trick, I say is to make your own sauce. First order ask the waiter to get you a bowl of fresh "Hot Garlic Sauce" (Whenever you can include garlic in your meal, please do. It make the food taste better, brings out the flavour. Plus it's healthy. It helps in digestion and also cuts cholesterol). Once you've got the Hot Garlic Sauce, you take (2 big spoons or 5 tiny spoons) of the hot chilly paste, then add the vinegar with chopped green chillies about (1 big spoon or 3 tiny spoons). Make sure you get a decent amount of green chillies in there, too many will ruin in and too less will not add enough flavour. Of course you can set according to your own taste buds. the last piece of the puzzle is the Soya Sauce. According to me, if you pour soya sauce directly on it, it over shadows the flavour of the dish. The idea is to spice it up and ENHANCE the flavour of the dish you ordered NOT to over shadow it. Pour the soya Sauce till you get a dark red/light brown colour (if you pour too much, it'll turn dark and ruin it). Always try to pour a little and then mix and stir to let it set in and let the colour change. If it's still too red, pout a little more and than stir again. The right amount of soya sauce is what adds texture to your food. The vinegar and soya sauce will balance each other out so as to diminish the strong taste of each other and it will get it to the level which you want. 

Then come the beef and asparagus rolls. Honestly they are very good, but they just didn't taste oriental to me. It tastes like BBQ sauce which is good at a picnic or a BBQ but not at a chinese restaurant. My advice would be, to go there and order these along with beer and just keep repeating your order and beer. They will go very well with drinks as long as you are not having any chinese food along with it. 

For the main course we ordered, chicken fried rice and chicken in hot chilly oil. This chicken dish was amazing and went very well with the rice. They had put a little corn in the rice as well. I don't know if you guys like that, but I did. In case you don't like corn just ask them not to add it. But I would certainly advise you to try it once. If you don't like it, just ask them to remove the corn next time. But if you do like then you have me to thank and can take me out to lunch/dinner to this restaurant. 

Among other things, i love the decor, the seats (minus the weird fluffy cushions) and the BEST part is the view. Sit next to a window and look down upon the city. We might not have sky scrapers but we do have a lot of greenery to enjoy. 

Cheers

Food-Blogger Rohan

"Jaya" ... Oriental restaurant in New York

"Chinatown" in New York is a totally different vibe from Times Square. My friend and I were out doing touristy things and got hungry. As the food capital of the US, New York offers you a huge variety of cuisines. As Thai food is one of my favourite cuisines, I was not going to leave New York without having at least one thai meal. 

Now from the outside, just like every other restaurant in chinatown, it looks very shady. Even the narrow street that its on looks shady. But my friend had eaten there before and she's a foodie like me, so i listened to her. 

As soon as you walk in we got a strong smell of seafood, coconut milk and lemon grass. It's a very typical Bangkok smell, which many people might not like but I do. We ordered a Pad-Thai, chicken in green curry and a vietnamese beef dish. I have to say that the Pad-Thai i had there was the best i've ever had including the one I had in Bangkok. It had assorted seafood in there (Prawns, fish, squid) along with just the right amount of chopped veggies. It's always good to balance out the carbs and meat with a decent amount of vegetables. The green curry was a little disappointing. It was bland even though we told them to make it spicy. The beef dish on the other hand tasted amazing but it didn't taste vietnamese to me. It tasted like Beef "Korma". It was very oily and went really well with steamed rice. Either ways, the overall experience was nice. Mind you, if you are looking for a place with nice decor or 5 star quality seats then DON'T come here. But if you want some good thai food in New York, this is the place to the check out.

Cheers

Food-Blogger Rohan

Wokano !!!

My first night in LA .... 2 hours into the city. My sister picks me up from the airport and we head home to pick up my niece and then we head out to "Wokano" for a nice sushi dinner. Great ambience, dimly lit ... Just the way I like it. Then came the sushi. We ordered all different kinds of sushi. Salmon hand rolls, Spicy Scalops, rainbow platter. It was all amazing. I think LA has the best sushi in the world. I've never been to Japan so I cant really be a judge about authenticity but its tastes pretty good to me. With a side of Corona and great company, we were having a great evening. 

I think we avoided ordering seconds for anything else except for the spicy scalop. That was INSANE !!! The meat was so soft and tender, rice was tender as well. I really liked the wasabi in this restaurant. Sometimes its really strong and sometimes its weak. But it was just right in this place. 

Anyone visiting Pasadena, i would definitely recommend this restaurant. 

Cheers

Food-Blogger Rohan

TK's

Today was one of the best sundays i've had in a very long time.  For weeks now, i've been wanting to make a scene for "sunday brunch" at TK's. I have eaten there quite a few times and i must say that today the food was exceptional. 

Started off with the salad and sushi. They had this amazing lamb, cucumber and onion salad, which was divine. My cousin (Jared) had the lamb and onion soup, which he says was good but nothing exceptional. There was this very good pork dish in the salad section that we all seemed to like very much. But for me, the highlight of the salad was the lamb, cucumber and onion salad. 

Then came the main course. First the chef started of with this nice fried garlic, it was like small garlic ships. My recommendation is to crush the garlic chips and spread it over your food. It tastes amazing. Of course included in the sunday brunch is champagne. They make sure that your glass never gets empty. They keep coming and pouring more and more and more ... It makes the whole eating experience a lot more fun. Then i saw my cousin (Jason) having what I thought was orange juice, but it was a mimosa. Now, i had heard of mimosas but never actually tasted them and I must say that switching to a mimosa just changed the whole mood for me. It was new , it was fresh and was going very nicely with the food we were eating. 

The next thing we got was the tenderloin chopped steak. This mixed with some noodles was the unanimously voted the best dish. The beef was so tender and juicy. Just biting into the meat and sucking in the juices was so delicious. This is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Then prawn were ok, nothing great, I just had 2 pieces. The chicken was very good. Made in soya sauce. It was just the change in taste/mood i needed at that time. Of course everything was being washed down with the help of the lovely mimosas. 

The fish i felt was a little bland and had a lot of bones, so it definitely didn't excite me much. 

The only thing worth eating from the dessert counter was the mango cheesecake. 

Overall we had a blast ... I hadn't chilled with my cousins (Jason, Ekaterina & Jared) in so long. We kept laughing about stupid stuff and enjoying our food. Great service only one bad thing i noticed. Twice we ordered ice-cream and both times they didn't give us any spoon to eat it with. But all-in-all, amazing dining experience today. 

Would definitely give TK's a 8/10

Cheers

Food-Blogger Rohan 

Sakura ... Best Japanese place in delhi .... NOT !!!!!!

Sakura, a japanese restaurant in Metropolitan Hotel. Apparently this place has won "Best Japanese restaurant in Delhi" award 4 years in a row .... Thats just strange. Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying the place is horrible. It's just over-priced and definitely not the best.

*FOR SOME REASON IM NOT BEING ABLE TO UPLOAD ANY IMAGES, SO THE LINKS ARE BELOW*

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We started off with some sushi. Picked up some Nigiri and Maki rolls. The Nigiri had a nice variety, there was japanese egg, cuttle fish, tuna, salmon, tiger prawns, sea bass. I would give a thumbs up to the sushi, it was actually quite nice. It was sunday brunch with inclusive white sparkling wine (not champagne), we had some good sushi and sparkling wine on the side, we were off to a good start until we reached the second course. It was a buffet, so when i say course, i mean my own personal course. For japanese food, i always start with sushi, then move on to salad and meats and then the main course.

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The tenderloin which is sliced and mixed with the salad was horrible. Even the salad itself was just tasteless. Usually salad leaves are so fresh and they have a nice taste to them, they are juicy as well. These were dry. The tenderloin was like rubber, so chewy, it was ridiculous. The Tempuras (Prawn and Broccoli) were below average. The marinated chicken was the only good thing from my second course. The other stuff was so bad, that I couldn't finish it, I left it halfway and started my third course. The potato salad was a disaster, just bland.

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The rice and the chicken teriyaki was honestly the only decent thing over there. The other stuff didn't even have a good look to it. The prawn dish had a weird smell to it, so I didn't even bother serving myself any of that. But i did thoroughly enjoy the rice and chicken teriyaki. I ate it slowly and kept sipping on the white sparkling wine. They kept re-filling my glass. Even though the food was bad in this place, the service was good. Although I did run into a rookie. I asked him a question about the food and he started answering something totally different, he was nervous. As the manager saw that, he quickly ran over to answer my questions. Here's a tip pal ... KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SERVING AND LEARN WHAT GOES GOOD WITH IT BEFORE YOU STAND THERE AS A MEMBER OF THE STAFF.

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Then came dessert. Now, i must say that I give them a 10 on 10 for having the balls to try something like this, but a 0 on 10 for taste. They had weird flavours of ice cream --- Green Tea, Wasabi, Red Kidney Bean and some black japanese leaf thing, forgot the name and NO i'm not talking about Sea weed. It was actually quite funny and horrible at the same time. I had to order a normal chocolate and vanilla ice cream to actually enjoy my dessert and get the weird taste out of my mouth. I ordered ice cream because their dessert sucked balls as well.

Best japanese place in delhi ??? Definitely not this one .... My vote goes to TK's. TRUST ME ... If you are hungry for japanese food, go to TK's NOT SAKURA.

Cheers

Food-Blogger Rohan

Dinner at Margarita's .... And then Ben & Jerry's !!!!

First night in Singapore was a big success. We met up with our friend Jayesh and his wife Mona who live in Singapore and they took us out. I had already been to this restaurant in my last visit and loved the food, so I was really open to the idea of going again. I love mexican food and there aren't any good mexican restaurants in Delhi (Not that I know of ... If you know of any, please let me know), so it seemed like a good idea to go to eat mexican food. As the name "Margarita's" would suggest ... this place has INSANE margaritas, the best that i've had anywhere in the world. So we ordered a pitcher of Margaritas, a separate glass without ice for my dad since he doesn't like ice. This went really well with nachos (cheese & plain) . Although i have to say that it's a shame that being a mexican restaurant, the nachos still couldn't come near the nachos at Hard Rock Cafe'. Eitherways, the whole combo was really nice. Nachos with Cheese, salsa, guacamole and sour cream .... Oooooohh that's the perfect blend. 

Then came our dinners, Mom ordered a chicken burrito, Dad, Jayesh and Mona ordered veg enchiladas and I ordered the massive Beef Burrito. I have to say it AMAZING and sooooo filling. I couldn't finish it, i felt so bad but i just couldn't. It had the perfect mix of beans, beef, rice sprinkled with some green stuff, i think it was cilantro ... whatever it was, it gave it a very nice flavour. A few bites of the burrito and then a sip of the margarita to wash it down and then you take some of the filling of beans and beef and mix it with some of the rice and "voila" you achieve the perfect surprise for your taste buds. I enjoyed my meal the last time also, i had a fish taco last time which was also amazing. 

So anyhow ... After this awesome dinner. We went to Ben & Jerry's and had some awesome ice cream and before that we went to this bakery where they had a HUGE champagne bottle. Then Jayesh and Mona gave us a tour a singapore. Cheers and a big thanks to them for taking us out last night. All in all, had a blast, ate some good food and then slept like a baby ... "What more can anyone ask for" ??

This was night 1 ... More to come ;)

Cheers

Food-blogger Rohan

Banana Pancakes ...

I actually started having banana pancakes after having them for the first time in "chaar dukaan" in Landour, Mussoorie. Although the ones you get there are totally different. Next time I go there, i'll take a picture and write a new post about that place and the food there. But for now, home made banana pancakes. To me somehow, pancakes at home are incomplete without scrambled eggs and hash brown on the side. It just creates the perfect mix of sugar and salt. 

Just pick up a box of pancake mix from any market, make a few pancakes, once they are done, start poking holes in the pancake with a fork and then just put a decent amount of butter on it while it's hot. This way all the butter seeps all the way into the pancake and doesn't just stay on the surface, plus it also makes the pancake softer (which is how I like it). Then chop a banana into thin slices and place them on each pancake and then of course comes the maple syrup. Now don't be afraid to pour that syrup, pour it all over the pancakes. 

Side this up with scrambled eggs made with 2 whole eggs, salt and pepper poured on the eggs with hash brown. Now, the hash brown made at my place is like the one you see in the picture. Very different from the ones i've seen anywhere outside. e.g. the McDonald's breakfast hash browns are like a cutlet, but these are different. I don't really know which is better, i like them both. But i certainly like my home made hash browns with these pancakes.

2 or 3 pancakes with all the side dishes and you are set. You can probably skip lunch as well. It tastes sooooo good .... WOW !!! God bless whoever thought of "Pancakes". The perfect taste of butter mixed with mapel syrup with a slice of banana, its divine is all I can say. 2 or 3 bites of the sweetness and then a couple of bites of the eggs or hash brown to just sort of surprise your taste buds. They like to be surprised, trust me ;)


Cheers


Food-blogger Rohan

Hao Shi Nian Nian

I had surprisingly never heard of this restaurant , you know ??? Considering , it's ME the Crazy Foodie. It's also quite funny because i heard about it in a very different way. Here's the back story .... I have an AMEX Platinum card and they offer all these cool rewards for points that you earn. So i call them up to redeem some points and they give me this long list of things i can do with those points etc. I stopped that chap right there and said, "Just tell me where can i get free food with these points". So I picked up coupons for 2 places "Spice" and "Hao shi nian nian". I am yet to go to Spice but I wanted to check out Hao shi nian nian, so i checked them out, they have 2 addresses:

M- 25, Greater Kailash - II

and 

Central Plaza, Sector 53, Gurgaon

GK-II is much closer to my office, so one day my brother and I went there. I was very pleasantly surprised by the decor first of all. Now, people might say "this place is better or that place is better", but this is not a competition. This is just simply me expressing my likeness towards this place, not saying it's my favourite restaurant. We ordered the chicken mini-buns for starters, they were super. Specially mixed with this special sauce i make at every chinese restaurant which is basically hot garlic sauce mixed with pretty much everything on the table (Soya sauce, vinegar with green chilli and the red hot paste) in the right proportion. Just pour a spoonful of my magic sauce all over the chicken mini-buns and enjoy.


Then came the main course. We ordered the "Chef's special chicken", I forgot the actual name, some mandarin name. But when you go there and mention "Chef's special chicken", that's exactly what you'll get. It's boneless chicken with loads of veggies mixed and it's gravy so you have something to pour on the rice. I always prefer steamed rice over noodles. We also ordered "Stir fried shredded sole with dried chilli and black mushroom" & "Stir fried seasonal vegetables with garlic" . Don't forget to add the magic sauce. If your stomach can handle spicy stuff then pour , pour, pour away. It's garlic based, so it cuts cholesterol as well. I always like to say go out and eat but keep your health in mind. Little things we can do just to balance our food like mix our meat with alot of vegetables and specially at oriental restaurants always have a cup(s) of jasmine tea, which is exactly what we did. It helps in digestion and cuts fat and cholesterol.


The food tasted REALLY good specially with the magic sauce on top. If you see the picture of my plate, it's got just the right amount of everything. Nothing is over done .... Rice, chicken, fish and veggies .... ALL covered in the magic sauce and then we conclude the meal with a few cups of hot jasmine tea. Awesome meal.


I must admit, you do end up feeling a little heavy after this meal, but you digest it very fast. That's the good thing about chinese food, it's easier to digest as opposed to stuff like Poori aloo or paratha etc. I definitely recommend this restaurant. I love the food there :)


Cheers


Food-blogger Rohan

Veggie-stuffed Omelet and Chicken Ham

If you are looking for that healthy plus tasty breakfast, this is a very good idea. It leaves your taste buds satisfied without making you feel guilty about eating or without causing any stress on your heart or arteries. Although since it is heavy on the protein, people with weak livers may want to steer clear of this guy. This is what i had right after my morning workout a few days ago and it left me feeling great and energized without making me feel heavy and stuffed. 

First step is making the stuffing ... I actually had steamed veggies mixed with oregano and pepper along with baked chicken the night before. I used the left over veggies from last night to stuff this omelet. It had broccoli, carrots, peas, beans and cauliflower all steamed separately and then mixed together on a sauté pan. Sauté them with a few drops of olive oil, add some oregano and black pepper on top. You could even try throwing in some garlic in there. 

Then you pour about 1 table spoon of olive oil on the fry pan and let it simmer for a few seconds before adding 3 egg-whites on top, pour the veggies on top of the egg-whites and let it cook, once the bottom is done, you fold the egg to form a nice stuffed omelet. I had this with a side of chicken ham and 2 slices of toast of whole-wheat bread. Always make sure you get your chicken ham from a good store, otherwise it can turn out to be a disaster. We usually get it from Steakhouse (Jorbagh) or Sugar & Spice (Khan Market) or Pigpo (Jorbagh). 

Dipped into a bit of "Maggi Hot & Sweet" it tastes very nice. I felt light yet full of energy the whole and it got enough protein in me after my workout. If you have room for it, follow it up with a glass of freshly squeezed juice or cold chocolate milk .... Trust me, its DIVINE !!!

Cheers

Food-blogger Rohan

Aloo, Meat and Rogni Roti ...

Delicious Aloo-Meat curry made at home, with a side of zeera-aloo and rogni roti. THIS was my breakfast this morning. Yesterday was Easter and I pretty much slept through it and missed out on some awesome dinner. This is what i had. The meat was so soft, it was perfect. You know ?? 'They' say .....  (I've always wondered who are "they" , haven't you ??) Anyhow ... "They say" that mutton always tastes better the next day. It'll always be softer, more tender and will taste better. Maybe it's because the masala gets more of a chance to seep into the meat and the longer it stays in the oil, it becomes just a little more tender. Like, i said .... I'm no expert, but it just somehow tastes better the next day. The cook in my house is pretty awesome ... He makes the gravy with garlic, ginger, Green chillies and tomatoes .... He just sort of mashes all of those into a paste. Then he adds some black pepper, cloves and those flavour addind leaf thingys, whatever they are called. After it cooks, it forms a nice thick paste of curry, which just makes the meat taste amazing. Cherry on the cake is the potatoes that are added to the meat while it's being cooked. Being in that pressure cooker for a while, really softens the potatoes and allows for the masala and the flavour of the mutton to seep into it. Together they taste great. 

Now i've always loved the thin sliced "zeera-aloo" made at my place with rogni roti, but i've never had it along with aloo-meat. Some would say that's too much of potatoes, but it tastes amazing. Rogni Roti is honestly a type of roti that i haven't seen anywhere else, or at least haven't heard of that name anywhere else except for in my family. Maybe people have other names for it. Anyhow, so while making the roti, you smear some ghee on the dough and sprinkle some ajwain (Trachyspermum Copticum) on it. Then roll the roti into a long "snake looking" line and then roll it up into a ball so that all the ghee and ajwain gets totally into the dough. 

This combo is great and it's quite heavy. A perfect breakfast for those who feel like having a heavy breakfast because they are most likely to skip lunch etc. It's advised to balance this breakfast with half an apple and 1 grapefruit or orange or sweetlime. 

Hope you enjoyed reading my very first post on this new food blog.

Loads more to come .... Going to Singapore tomorrow, so gonna eat alot there ;)

Take care

Food-Blogger Rohan