Bakery & Breakfast, Continental Cuisine, Delhi, European, Gurgaon, India

L’ Opera (Galleria Market, besides Citibank ATM, DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon, Khan Market Delhi, 2nd Floor, DLF Promenade Mall, Vasant Kunj, Delhi, Ravissant, New Friends Colony)

In a nutshell:A cool new French Patisserie & Boulangerie (Bakery) in Gurgaon – At last there is a Bakery where u eat & think ‘this is exactly what I have eaten in Europe / US’, in terms of the flavor, feel, taste, texture & everything else associated with a yummilicious experience.

The signboard on the facade

Address & other details: L’ Opera

Every large ‘Party Cake’ also has a smaller version

Meal for 2: Rs. 400 onwards

Colorful macarons on front window

Cuisine Type : Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian

The Quiche section

Short Description- In case u r in a hurry:

This little French Bakery Chain has 6 branches in Delhi as of now. They have a french Chef who has surely brought around a point of difference in the Bakery options in Delhi NCR. We have always been to the khan Market one & were pleasantly surprised to see a new store open up in Gurgaon.One of those six shops is inside the French Consulate in Delhi as well & another is inside DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon.

Croissant Section

The stores in Khan Market & Galleria have similar layout – A beautiful ’glass & wood’ shop window in which large decorated cakes share the space with super colorful macarons & a tiny ‘Eiffel Tower’. The large cakes have smaller versions inside the shop as well.

Store window

As u enter the shop, u get a huge Glass display Counter for all items. There r different sections for cakes, tarts, croissants, sandwiches & other baked items. A section of the wall has huge display of different kinds of breads & sandwiches.

Breads section in L’Opera

The Seating area is little & in the back-end of the shop. It has high stool seating around tables & I am sure u wud struggle for space in peak hours. The interiors overall are very tastefully done & have a nice Classic bakery feel.

The interiors of L’Opera

Super Loved our breakfast here & all those things that we got packed post the breakfast.

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:

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Guest Blogger, Indian, north Indian snacks (street food)

Rajinder Da Dhabha (AB-14 , Safdarjung Enclave Market , New Delhi)

Contributed by Guest Blogger YUMMdoot YUMMRAJ tried Chicken Satay at this place after reading this post & was super impressed. In a nutshell: Though I can never really call Rajinder Dhaba the best of anything, it surely dishes out good food and is an awesome value for money – something that I call a ‘Jack of all Meals & Master of some ‘ eatout. Address … Continue reading Rajinder Da Dhabha (AB-14 , Safdarjung Enclave Market , New Delhi)

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Asian Cuisine, bhutanese, nepali, North East, Tibetan

Yeti – The Himalayan Kitchen ( 50 A, 2nd Floor, Hauz Khas Village, Hauz Khas, New Delhi)

In a nutshell:

Quite interesting & different ‘Himalayan’ cuisine with some ‘too good’ & some ‘just good’ dishes.

The signboard with most letters missing.

Address & other details: Yeti

Meal for 2: Rs. 400 onwards

Cuisine Type : Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian

the interiors

Short Description- In case u r in a hurry:

The Himalayan Range is so vast that the word ‘Himalayan cuisine’ covers a plethora of cuisines of places situated on the Himalayas. Yeti serves Nepali, Bhutanese, Tibetan& North eastern Cuisine. Pretty interesting variety I wud say, for someone in Delhi – almost no one has thought about it before.

We heard about this place & decided to try Nepali cuisine. The menu card had precisely 99 items across the cuisines mentioned above. They include so far  unknown (in Delhi) dishes & also the already popular momos, noodles & thukpas. So to focus on one cuisine at a time was the best way to do justice to the lunch.

starter platter at Yeti

As we approached the restaurant, we saw the signboard & were surprised to see missing letters in it – in a new restaurant????

The restaurant is situated in the first floor of a building almost near the gate of the Historical ‘Hauz Khas’ lake. The interiors are nice with Himalayan motifs and masks all over. The music being played here is also folk tunes from different regions – played a bit louder than ‘enjoyable’. Space being a constraint, the tables are a bit close to each other. In the peak of lunch hour, the chatter from all tables & the music make sure that decibel levels are quite high – makes u talk louder than usual.

masks on the wall

Like many other theme restaurants, they can sell the music CDs that they play / small motifs masks etc as most of these r unusual to find in Delhi.  

The serving staff are quite well trained & warm. The one serving us always had a smile on his face. His understanding of the items on the menu seemed to be good & he cud answer all our queries regarding food on the menu.

Serving time might be an issue for ‘non thali’ items on the menu in peak hours. We almost waited for 30 minutes for a main course dish. However what came post that was a marvel as it was freshly cooked from scratch.

The coordination however seemed to be an issue. We cud see people waiting inspite of having empty seats inside. Make sure u book a table before u land up here are it is already pretty popular.Waiting without booking can b quite a harrowing experience.

The starter thalis are humungous & in fact the quantity is too much to the point of being silly. Two people with average appetite will be almost full after just having a veg / nonveg starter platter. A good idea can be to have ‘half plate / Full plate’ or ‘bite size sampler / Big bite sampler’ etc.

Not all items on the menu are ‘exotic’ or special. There are simple dishes like stir fried potato with sesame seeds or masala chana that taste good but r not the ‘oh my God, this is out of the world’ variety. Some others like chicken fry, goat lung fry, ‘wai wai’etc. are very good.

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to enjoy reading:

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American, Continental Cuisine, European, For the Chef in u……, Guest Blogger, seafood

Quick fix Dinner with Couscous, Asparagus and Fish

Contributed By Guest Blogger Vasudha Mukherjee Bal for ……………the Chef in u

This was one of those weekday nights where I was craving for something different for dinner and yet did not have the energy to spend a lot of time in my kitchen. I was feeling equally lazy to look for recipes and started with a blank slate – wondering what I could do with whatever little produce I had in my refrigerator.

I found that some asparagus stocks that screamed “Eat me before I die” loudly to me as I opened the chiller tray. So did some white fish I bought the other day without a clue of what I would do with them. Found some wilted parsley, a few florets of cauliflower and a lone tomato too as well as some couscous. So decided that I would use the trio of couscous, fish, and asparagus for dinner that day. The trio transformed itself to a memorable meal, so wanted to share my accidental gastronomic discoveries with everyone who cares to read. Here is what I did…

Asparagus with lemon agave vinaigrette

Asparagus with lemon agave vinaigrette

I first microwaved a bag of asparagus for a few minutes – you can blanch them if you don’t have the microwaveable variety. Next, I whisked up a dressing with the juice of a lemon, a dash of orange juice, a couple of diced shallots (or use little red onions), some agave nectar (use honey if you don’t have agave), salt and pepper. Next, heat a skillet, put a tablespoon of olive oil, sauté the asparagus, and spread the dressing over it. That is it!

Fish with lemon garlic sauce.

Fish with lemon garlic sauce

I used haddock fillets, but you can use any white fish that you have with you. I first spread some flour and a couple of teaspoons of panko crumbs on a plate and put salt, pepper and a dry rosemary-garlic rub that I had (use any dry herbs you have). Patted the fish on the flour mixture, shook off the excess flour and out it on a hot grill pan which I had earlier put some oil spray on. (You can use a regular frying pan too, but I love the grill marks that the grill pan gives me, plus cast iron distributes heat evenly).

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For the Chef in u……, Fusion, Guest Blogger

Tangy Mango Salsa with toasted pita bread / nachos (cool summer snack)

It was one of those occasions when we were expecting a guest – someone who wud come to our house for the first time. I was thinking about ideas for an innovative starter & that is when my eyes fell on the ripe seasonal mangoes kept in the corner of the kitchen.

I thot – Why not use mangoes? Mangoes? Mangoes for a starter? ……………………. ok, why not a dip made with mangoes? & then slowly over the next 30 minutes I figured it out, tried it & really loved it. So did my guests.

the wow mango salsa

Here is how u can try doing the same.

fresh ripe & juicy mangoes

Peel 2 mangoes & finely chop the mangoes as much as u can. See the pic to get an idea of how u can chop.

how to mince the mango

Keep the minced mangoes aside.

minced mangoes

Take 100 grams of black Kalamata olives & chop them finely.

Kalamata olives - full & chopped

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bengali, For the Chef in u……, Guest Blogger, Indian

Machher Paturi (Bengali style Mustard fish in Banana leaf)

This is a part of the series ……. For the Chef in u

Contributed by YUMMRAJ’s favourite Chef ANONYMOUS
Super easy to make & Super good to eat……………

Machher paturi (fish in banana leaf)

U can try this with boneless fillets of fishes like betki or even with pieces of Hilsa (ilish) that have bones. U can try this recipe with prawns as well.

For all of u who stay in Coastal states of India, procuring banana leaf is easy. For the rest, there are markets in all cities that sell regional food – check those places out. In case u do not get it, use aluminum foil instead. The taste will almost be the same. The flavor of banana leaf will be missing.

banana leaves cut into square pieces for paturi

Take 1 inch size cubes of 300 grams boneless betki / standard sized pieces of other fish like hilsa.

Grind 3 tablespoons of mustard with 4 green chillies to a smooth paste. Grate ¼ coconut & keep aside.

The ingredients of machher paturi

Mix together the mustard paste, grated coconut, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon mustard oil & salt to taste. Apply this paste to the fish pieces evenly & leave it to marinate for 1 hour.

marinated fish chunks

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bengali, For the Chef in u……, Guest Blogger, Indian

Chhanar Dalna (Bengali style ‘homemade paneer / cottage cheese’)

This is a part of the series ……. For the Chef in u

Contributed by YUMMRAJ’s favourite Chef ANONYMOUS
Super easy to make & Super good to eat……………

Chhanar Dalna – Bengali style home made paneer / cottage cheese

Historically curdling of milk was not considered to be good generally in India & particularly in Bengal. With the advent of the Portuguese in mid 1600s, came the cottage cheese & it is from there that the Bengali cooks learnt the use of chhana (paneer) for cooking as well as for making sweets.

Chhanar dalna is a homemade cottage cheese & potato curry.

For making the chhana, boil 2 liters of full cream milk. When it comes to a boil, add juice of 3 whole lemon. The milk curdles. Take a muslin cloth, place it over a large vessel. Pour the curdled milk over the muslin to separate the chhana (cottage cheese) from whey.

Discard the whey & tie the muslin cloth to a potli (see picture). Hang it for 2-3 hours from a height so that the excess whey drains out.

From here , there are two methods –

Method 1: What I have inherited from my family.

Method 2: Experimented as advised by Paromita Dey

Draining the whey by hanging it from a muslin cloth

Method1:

Place the potli on a flat surface & put something heavy on the top for 30 minutes to flatten the Chhana.

Flattening the chhana

Take out the chhana from the cloth carefully & place on a cutting board.

The lump of chhana on a cutting board

Use a sharp knife to cut the chhana chunk into pieces. If u use a blunt knife, the chhana might break / become uneven.

the chhana cut into pieces

Fry the chhana pieces in 1 tablespoon oil on slow fire till they start getting golden brown.

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bengali, drink, For the Chef in u……, Guest Blogger, Indian

Aam Pora Shorbot (Bengali style Aam Panna – refreshing summer drink made from raw mango)

This is a part of the series ……. For the Chef in u

Contributed by YUMMRAJ’s favourite Chef ANONYMOUS

Super easy to make & Super good to drink……………

the thanda thanda cool cool lip licking refreshing good aam porar shorbot – bengali vesrion of aam panna

Summers are in & so r those times when just glass of water is not good enough to quench ur thirst. A tangy refreshing soft drink can often make a difference.

Aam pora shorbot is a Bengali classic drink made from the pulp of raw mango. Here is my take on the Classic recipe.

Take 4 raw mangoes. Ensure that the ones u choose are neither soft nor yellowing.

raw mango / kaccha aam

Wash them & roast them on slow fire direct flames – similar to what u do for baingan bharta (‘begun pora’ in bengali).

Aam pora – Roasting the raw mangoes on stove

Continue reading “Aam Pora Shorbot (Bengali style Aam Panna – refreshing summer drink made from raw mango)”

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bengali, For the Chef in u……, Guest Blogger, Indian

Mochar Paturi (Bengali Classic vegetarian food cooked in Banana leaf)

This is a part of the series ……. For the Chef in u

Contributed by YUMMRAJ’s favourite Chef ANONYMOUS
Takes a bit of patience to make but Super good to eat……………

Mochar Paturi

For all of u who stay in Coastal states of India, procuring banana leaf is easy. For the rest, there are markets in all cities that sell regional food – check those places out. In case u do not get it, use aluminum foil instead. The taste will almost be the same. The flavor of banana leaf will be missing.

Take one mocha (banana flower). Remove the red flap layers at every stage. What u r left with is tiny 1 inch sized sticks that look like mini bananas. Take each stick in hand & remove the central piths (the style of the flower / central stock). Mince the sticks into small pieces. This whole process might take a ton of ur patience – Ur problem gets solved in case u have domestic help.

Mocha - Banana flower

Soak overnight in water after adding ½ teaspoon each salt & turmeric.

Boil the mocha with plain water. Discard the water once the mocha softens.

Grind 3 tablespoons of mustard with 4 green chillies to a smooth paste. Grate ¼ coconut & keep aside.

Mix together the mustard paste, grated coconut, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon mustard oil, 1 teaspoon sugar & salt to taste. Apply this paste to the mocha evenly & leave it to marinate for 1 hour.

Marination of mocha

Cut the banana leaves into approx. 15cm X 15 cm squares.

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Asian Cuisine, chinese, Gurgaon, India

Jing (Vatika Towers, Golf Course Road, Sector 54, Gurgaon)

In a nutshell:

Beautiful Romantic Setting, attentive service, average to good food.

The outstanding interiors of the restaurant

Address & other details: Jing

Cuisine type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian

Sauteed Prawns with celery & preserved chillies

Meal for 2: Rs. 1000 onwards

Short description – In case u r in a hurry:

The guys who planned the Restaurant, I wud say, are wizards. They have created an outstanding place amidst an otherwise office complex. The overall look & feel of this place, the color schemes, interiors, the huge glass walls, the ‘dim but not dark’ lighting, the interior decoration & most importantly the greenery on other side of the glass wall – all seem perfect.

the facade

With such a cool ambience & peppy but non intrusive music, this place positions itself as a great place for a romantic evening out. It can also be good for casual get togethers for small groups.

I had heard people complain about the service earlier. We however found the service to be good except for two issues –
Firstly, refilling of water was being done abruptly. At times it was quick, at times after gap of 10mins or at times it wud be refilled only after u wud wave at someone.

Secondly, we ordered for two starters – one was a dimsum & the other was fish fried in Sichuan spices. As u know, any Sichuan dish is spicy & chatpata while a true blue Chinese dimsum is mostly on the other extreme – super subtle. The order of serving these was completely wrong. First we were served the spicy Sichuan fish & then the subtle dimsum. In European restaurants , palate cleansers are served in such situation – an ‘in between’ food that helps clean the taste & flavor of the previous dish & makes way for the tastebuds to appreciate a new taste. As a result, the subtle Dimsum started tasting absolutely flat till I rinsed my mouth with water thrice. A smart way to serve (in absence of palate cleanser) is subtle first, followed by tangier ones.

Overall, the staff members were very well behaved.

The food was average to good , urely not wow.

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to enjoy reading:

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