Punjab-Di-Shaan Comes to Mumbai

Very rarely when we go out for a fine-dine, gourmet meal in the city do we eat Indian food. It’s usually the Oriental, Italian, Continental route that we pick instead of desi fare. There are a few establishments in the city that offer gourmet Indian fare may it be North Indian or South Indian food. Soma at the Grand Hyatt, Santacruz is one such restaurant that I’ve been wanting to visit since a while. 

Having eaten at all of the Hyatt’s restaurants, each of which offer top notch food, Soma was yet to be struck off my list. I recently got the opportunity to dine at this restaurant that offers authentic Indian and North West Frontier province cuisine, as a part of their Punjab-Di-Shaan food festival. On from January 25th to February 15th, they’re serving up some delicious, authentic Punjabi street food and ghar ka khaana. Makkhan maar ke!

Soma is done up in the most subtle neutrals along with contemporary art murals that highlight the walls here. Very classy and simple unlike Indian restaurants. Also they have an open show-kitchen so that you can see your kebabs and have them too!

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The Food Week That Was

If you’ve been following me on social media you would have noticed me making a huge spectacle of my birthday week. I love birthdays, more so my birthdays. A week long celebration that includes family, friends, fun, shopping and of course food! Out of all the places I ate out at, here are three I visited for the first time and thought were noteworthy enough to share with you’ll. These three places have been on my ‘Must-Eat-At’ list since a while, and I was glad I got to strike them out. In no specific order, here they are! 

I. Bombay Salad Co.

I’ve been dying to visit this place ever since it’s launch because I’ve eaten Chef Karishma Dalal’s food before and I know she’s a maverick when it comes to making healthy food taste good. I’m the last to order salad at a restaurant, let alone celebrate my birthday lunch at a place that serves only salads, multigrain sandwiches, wraps, smoothies, and juices. But here I was, after having heard some wonderful reviews.

The ‘Wow’ Factors: The salad menu is exhaustive with tons of options for vegetarians as well. The items go beyond the basic Ceasar salad et al., and include a number of quirky ingredients you wouldn’t imagine in a salad along with your healthy basics. There’s also a salad bar, to mix and match your ingredients, if customization is your thing. Moderately priced, the salads come in a large or a small bowl, and the server gives you the option of eating it cold or warm.

The Samurai (Rs. 215/- for a small bowl) comes with lettuce, a bed of soba noodles flavored with teriyaki and a soy dressing along with mushrooms, brocolli, peanuts- and was my favorite of the lot. The Protein Overdose (Rs. 215/- for a small bowl) comes with egg white, shredded beef and assorted greens which makes it a must order if you’re a meat lover. Our juices came freshly squeezed and barring any sugar. Our Goan Pork Sausage sandwich (Rs. 295/-) may not be a healthy pick, but upped the ante on the taste front. Ask for their Dark Chocolate sorbet which isn’t on the menu, you’ll be shocked anything healthy can taste that good!

Goan Pork Sausage Sandwich
Pomegranate Orange Mint Juice
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Product Review: iChef.in Gourmet Recipe Kits

Q. Your preferred excuse for not experimenting in the kitchen and cooking as much as you’d want to?
a. No time and energy to enter the kitchen and whip up something new after a hard day at work
b. Don’t know the recipes and technical skills behind cooking all the cool dishes
c. Don’t know what ingredients to buy and where to buy them from
d. All of the above

If you too fall in the final category, like I do, there’s good news for us lazy slobs who want to experiment with cooking but don’t know how to – iChef.in The website offers gourmet meal recipes and ingredients, hand delivered to your doorstep. Each kit comes with exact, measured ingredients, and a pictorial recipe all at 250 bucks for a meal for two.

What prompted me to order was the variety of dishes they had on offer – all International cuisine, with a decent mix of vegetarian and meat options. These were the dishes I could not easily whip up at home because my cooking skills were limited to the staples rice-dal-roti-sabzi. I ordered a basic Thai Green Chicken curry rice meal to start off with.

Here is what I liked about my experience:

Same day delivery: I ordered my kit through via phone on my way to work in the morning, and it was home by the time I got back from work, ready to be cooked.

Cash On Delivery: 

They only have COD option which I’m more than happy about. Though that may be a hassle for some others who prefer using plastic money.

Packaging: 

The ingredients came in this adorable cloth bag (which my mother was most excited about). Each ingredient was labelled and packaged in separate plastic. No spillage, or leakage either.

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