Mocha Coffee Bar- DLF Saket

Located on the 1st Floor of the DLF Mall in Saket, Mocha is an Indian Coffee Chain, which offers a very relaxed & casual Coffee bar cum restaurant experience .. Situated in the Corner, offers this restaurant a great view of the buzz happening in the mall .. Mocha started their 1st branch in the M-Block, Greater Kailash- Part 1. Infact Mocha can be credited with introducing the Flavoured Hookahs to Delhites . Also popularly known as Sheeshaa , the Flavoured hookas have taken Delhi & many of the metros by storm

Gourmet Affairs visited Mocha during one of the relaxed weekends, always preferring the Snacking time as the best time to eat - because, while Important meals of the Day Like Lunch & Dinner , should only be had once during the day, Its the "Snack" which one can actually have more than once - After all, its just a snack .....

The Restaurant has no Doors, which is a very interesting layout - & especially for a Mall shop.Making myself comfortable in the Cool ambience of the place , I scanned the Menu for picking up my Snacks ....We started with the Cutting Chai & Bun Maska, a Quintessial student favourite - The Cutting tea, had a great Cinnamon tone, and the Sweet Bun was lightly buttered - For Rs 50, a reasonable treat

Next was the Chicken Sausage Omelette - Served with Fries, a special cream dip & Crisp toasted bread - It was the perfect appetiser --- Smoky Chicken sausages, with loads of Coriander, cilantro & Basil for flavours - The Creamy dip was quite light, frothy & a bit tangy ----- Munch along with the fries & a sinful unhealthy snack

Next on our table, was a Red Sauce Pasta ---- Hmm, heavily loaded with Herbs - Oregano, Thyme, Basil, lots of garlic powder - Red hot pasta sauce --- accompanied by a Crisp Garlic toast ---- The Pasta, was quite nicely greased & spiced - One of the best, Red Sauce Pastas, ever tasted

 

Shawarma House -Golf Course road,Gurgaon

Golf Course road, On Gurgaon is a huge Corporate Hub, and its also coming up as a little foodie zone as well , catering to the vast number of office mongers .... Subway, Shawarma House, Striker at Global Foyers, Bercos,a slew of Korean & Japanese restaurants .. During one of the bad food days at our office canteen, I decided to head for a quick bite to one of these outlets


when time is less, all you want to look for is a quick & helathy bite . I headed for the Shawarma house in the Central plaza mall ..Located at the corner on the main pavements leading upto the mall, this is a nifty little joint, spread across 3-4 outlets in Gurgaon itself .. They serve the Middle eastern,& lebanes cusine --- Shawarmas, Falafels, wraps, Fatayers , Kofta kebabs is what they specialise in

 Served with a special garlic dip called taatkee ..which i found a bit tangy for my palate . I have had taatkee, at many places , but this one was quite tangy & liquid, unlike the strong garlic & thickened dips that one gets at the restaurants - The bread is quite soft, compared to most shawarma breads i have ever had .....Priced at Rs 140/= , Its quite a fill

The menu of the outlet -- Nice brightly done backgrounds

 

Viva Hyderabad - The Biryani Chain of Outlets

Hyderabadi cusine, known for its rich Mughlai fare, the delectable biryanis, the succulent kebabs, the royal spread- its a culinary world which is hugely popular -thanks in part to the aura & partly to the mystique & confusiion which surround sthis cusine - whether its done to death comparison with the lucknowi cusine or the purists debating to differentiate it from the mughlai or awadhi cusine ---Also the classic debate - over the Biryani - Which is the better one Lucknowi Biryani or Hyderabadi Biryani ..... However One thing is clear, Biryani is one of the most classic meals of the exqusite Hyderabadi cusine --- Its also famous for its Pathar ke kebabs, The Classic Haleem, The shahi tukda & the works.

Viva Hyderabad is one such chain of eateries that is doing its bit to bring the ever popular Hyderabadi Cusine & take it to the Delhities like never before & that too in an QSR, affordable format - Well, being someone on the go, even when stationary, I have a special affinity for QSRs - A) They are quick to serve & quick to eat - quick to eat, is a given with yours truly -- but the impatient foodie needs his meals quickly served as well , B) Thanks to the memories of Student days, when exploring so many food options -(Only for the readers of the Blog), QSRs are also easy on the pocket --  For the uninitiated - QSR - refers to Quick service restaurants, which serve your typical take away food


Viva Hyderabad have close to 10 outlets in Delhi / NCR & growing rapidly thanks to a simple, yet effective business model - They take small shops, not more than 100 sq feet kiosks, where they serve some limited Hyderabadi Fare , which is basically precooked - Its is just heated over at the counter & you are ready to have a real quick bite .....

 

 

 Take a Look at the Biryan ---The Long multi colored grains of rice, each grain is so similar to the other yet so different - The pristine saffron yellow -The serene white of the grain, the vibrant red from the chillies, the occasional black (Clove thrown in), The tanned green cardomom --- a Color extravaganza & add to it the rich aromatic flavors.....hmmmmm. I am ready to fly ....to gourmet land.....

 I tried their Combo meal - The Shikhampuri kebab was something which i tried for the 1st time- this is made basically with a mix of yellow grams & hung curd--- The meat is from the leg of the Goat ...... it was just right spiced for me, subtle & not too over pervasive flavoring

All in all , a good experience, a quick bite in a qucik time & not too heavy on the wallet - Meal for 2 (Like yours truly) could be well under 500/ -- Inflation, are you listening ????