Grape Expectations For British Airways’ New Port

British Airways has added Graham’s Six Grapes, the Port favoured by Sir Winston Churchill, to its business class (Club World) drinks menu starting this month.

Back then it was known as Graham’s Vintage Character Port and was served to his guests at Chartwell House, his country home. The historic Port has a rich bouquet of ripe plums and cherries and will pair particularly well with the desserts and cheeses on board this month (August), in particular the roasted white chocolate and hazelnut tart and the cheddar and camembert with spiced mulled apple jelly.

Colin Talbot, British Airways’ head of catering, said: “Port is incredibly popular in Club World - last year alone nearly 41,000 bottles were served to our business class customers- so we are delighted to be adding Graham’s Six Grapes to the menu. At altitude it holds its flavour well thanks to its good structure and with the long lingering finish, it will wonderfully complement the dessert and cheese selection on flights.”

Additionally, this Autumn British Airways will be launching a new restaurant-style premium dining service in Club World, with display trolleys allowing customers to select dishes from a choice of freshly prepared starters and desserts served on beautiful new table settings. The airline also announced a sleep partnership with The White Company, the British retailer will supply bedding and amenity kits in Club World to ensure customers get a good night’s sleep in the sky.

The new style dining and bedding, is part of British Airways’ multi-million pound investment plan to benefit its customers with a focus on excellence in the premium cabins and more choice and quality for all.

Four hundred million pounds will be spent on Club World with an emphasis on improved catering and sleep, and a new seat in the future. At Heathrow a First Wing check-in area with direct security and lounge access has launched, and lounges around the airline’s network are to be revamped and improved. The Club Europe cabin has also been introduced on UK domestic services and all customers can look forward to the latest generation Wi-Fi across British Airways’ long-haul and short-haul fleets over the next two years. 

Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel, Gachibowli launches its new-menu at Link cafe

Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel, Gachibowli recently announced its all new menu at its popular café. Link Café now presents and serves a lavish gourmet delicatessen fare along with freshly brewed specialty coffees and a contemporary café menu. It also offers consumers a range of high end takeaway merchandise.

Located in the lobby of Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel, Link Café is an interactive deli that is perfect for unwinding & socializing with your friends, over great food and assorted beverages. It’s an all-day 24X7 neighborhood Café offering cuisines from all over the world.

Maple and Vanila latte

With the refreshed menu at Link Café, guests can expect a variety of lip-smacking appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers and rolls. Delicious café food along with the alluring aroma of fresh coffee, and tea infusions are sure to make it a completely irresistible experience for everyone.

Vegetarian Kebab Platter

Italian, French or Indian Link Café, has compiled a collection of special delicacies that are sure to delight its customers. The gracious round-the-clock Link Café offers a perfect café dining with multi cuisine a-la-carte food menus from appetizers such as cocktail dal vada, andhra chillli chicken to a spread of salads like Nicoise, Musclun Green Salad Link Café has a lot to offer.  

Link Café also offers a range of delicious sandwiches, burgers and rolls like mumbai masala toastie, chicken parmesan burger, and a special Link signature sandwich that’s sure to suit your taste-buds.

A must try is the all new specialty alcoholic coffees, a new addition at Link Café. From heart stopper that’s made of rum, coffee, vanilla and cream to Espresso Martini, Link Café offers a range of specialty coffee’s that’s will surprise you.

While enjoying the delights of the new menu, guests can relax to the soothing tunes of a live band.  Elegant and relaxed, Link Café is the perfect place to unwind with your family and friends over casual conversations.

Venue: Link Café, Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel, Gachibowli

Time: open 24hrs

For reservations: +91 40 49251172.

A rendezvous with the Iron Chef at the Taj Mahal, New Delhi

Standing tall in the heart of the capital city, the Taj Mahal Hotel, has been a proud purveyor of global cuisine for over three decades. The iconic Hotel is home to some of the most celebrated dining destinations in New Delhi, including Wasabi by Morimoto, the award winning contemporary Japanese restaurant, created in collaboration with the globally renowned Iron Chef, Masaharu Morimoto.  

Recognized world over for his trademark style of cooking, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto combines fresh ingredients, unique recipes and classic techniques to create unmatched dining experiences. Chef Morimoto has taken Japan's traditional tastes, combined it with his refined culinary style and delighted global audiences. His passion for his art translates into the menu at the Hotel’s prized restaurant.  

Credited with introducing India to the flavours and intricacy of contemporary Japanese cuisine, like never before, Wasabi by Morimoto steps into its 10^th year of culinary excellence in 2017. To commemorate the occasion, Chef Morimoto will present his exemplary knowledge and passion for food for an exclusive audience. This gastronomical journey inspired by the taste from the Island Nation, with the Master himself, will be an experience to remember!

Spread across two days, the specially curated experiences will unravel the exquisite secrets of Japanese culinary arts. Chef Morimoto will present his stellar craft in exclusive sessions of rolling sushi taking the guests through the history of the resplendent cuisine.

The visually stunning Wasabi by Morimoto, will present a host of signature gastronomic extravaganzas, helmed by Chef Morimoto where a specially curated 10^th anniversary menu will be unveiled. 

• Date: 11th & 12th August 2017 (Friday and Saturday)
• Price: 

• Sushi rolling classes; followed by lunch INR 7,000 per person

• Chef’s Signature Omakase Menu: 

• Lunch: INR 5500 per person
• INR 8000 (food only) per person
• INR 10,000 (food & sake) per person

(*All prices inclusive of taxes)

• Time: 

• Sushi rolling master class: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
• Lunch – 12:30 onwards
• Dinner: 8:30 pm

• Venue: Wasabi by Morimoto, The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi, Number One, Mansingh Road

Join Chef Morimoto and the Taj Mahal Hotel for an unforgettable dining experience this August. For reservations / further information, please call 011-6651 3585

Exciting Gourmet Passport Offer in Mumbai

INR 599 is all you need for a year-long Gourmet Passport subscription in Mumbai!

Food connoisseurs in the city can now steal this deal between August 1 to 15 and avail
three redemption opportunities at the listed top-rated restaurants

Attention, gourmets of Mumbai! It’s time to satiate your taste buds with all things fine and lavish with a mind-blowing deal available at the Gourmet Passport ultimate fine-dining app! Having recently launched in the city of dreams, the platform has rolled out a limited-time offer, making its Max Pack one-year subscription, worth INR 999, available at INR 599 for Mumbai users only between 1st August and 15th August. 

After purchasing the app at the discounted price, diners in the city can avail Gourmet Passport’s ultimate ‘Buy 1 Get 1 Free’ offer thrice in one year at each of the  top-rated restaurants and five-star hotels in Mumbai listed on the app. 

All you need to do to avail the offer is download the app, purchase the Max Pack, dine at your preferred restaurant, and avail the astonishing discount. Max Pack coupons will be valid for an entire year from the date of purchase. The limited period SALE on the subscription is available exclusively for Mumbai restaurants. Some of the partner brands include Sofitel, ITC Grand Central, Mamagoto, The Fatty Bao, The Leela Mumbai, Trident, The Lalit, Four Seasons, Indigo Delicatessen, Olive Bar and Kitchen, NRI, Punjab Grill, The Good Wife and Korner House, among others. 

The Gourmet Passport app constantly keeps adding premium fine-dining brands to its kitty, deals on all of which can be availed with the Max pack at no extra cost. Patrons can even refer their friends/family and earn cash back on future purchases. 

Commenting on the offer, Rocky Mohan, Founder of the Gourmet Passport app, said, “Having recently launched the app in Mumbai, we noticed that the growing demand for exquisite fine-dining experiences amongst the city’s well-travelled urban populace. We were eager to fulfill this demand, which is why we have rolled out this offer to satiate Mumbai’s growing appetite for the best in fine-dining and aspirational eating. We are confident that the city’s suave and cultured patrons will appreciate our unique proposition and make the most of this one-of-a-kind offer.”

Equipped with a simple user interface and an even simpler deals model, the Gourmet Passport app is the creation of India’s renowned liquor baron and award winning cookbook author Rocky Mohan, who is also the founder of the Delhi Gourmet Club, Mumbai Gourmet Club & Gourmet Passport Tribe. Ranked amongst the 50 most influential people in the food industry of India, Rocky's love for food and fine-dining is reflected in his regular newspaper columns, TV appearances with international celebrity chefs, and the four cookbooks he has authored. He has also been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the liquor industry and for keeping alive the legacy of India's best loved drink, Old Monk Rum, first distilled by his grandfather!

Ginger Hotels expands its footprint in Mumbai with Ginger Mumbai – Andheri East

Mumbai, July 17, 2017: Ginger Hotels, the dominant budget hotel chain from the house of TATA continues its growth in the country with the opening of Ginger Mumbai, Andheri East. This is their second hotel in Mumbai.

Strategically located off the Western Express highway, 3.5 kms from the airport, Ginger Mumbai, Andheri East is in close proximity to the Bombay Exhibition Center as well as the railway station. The hotel also provides convenient access to the city’s thriving corporate hub on the Andheri Kurla Road.  

With 142 smartly designed comfortable rooms, a caring and professional team to serve with a smile, this sparkling clean hotel offers a unique check-in experience of Coffee and Keys, an interactive social  lobby, seamless high speed free Wi-Fi, a multi-cuisine restaurant and bar, a pan Asian eatery, a state-of-art fitness center, RFID access control and efficient meeting facilities. Ginger is a great choice for today’s value conscious and discerning travelers. 

Sharing his thoughts on the opening, Rahul Pandit, MD & CEO, Ginger Hotels said, “We are proud to expand our presence in the commercial capital of India with the opening of Ginger Mumbai – Andheri East, our second hotel in Mumbai. This Ginger hotel gives our customers a small insight into the refreshed Ginger experience. Ginger Hotels is the pioneer and the largest chain of branded budget hotels in India with a resilient promise of safety, cleanliness, a relaxing sleep experience, an invigorating shower experience, a hearty breakfast and seamless Wi-Fi. We assure travelers of a consistently pleasant experience across our 42 properties in 30 locations around the nation.”

A Breezy Afternoon through SodaBottleOpenerWala

I have been a huge fan of the SodaBottleOpenerWala restaurant at Cyber Hub, Gurgaon for quite a while. Moving to Hyderabad, I was curious to explore their outlet here. Sometimes multi-city brands dilute over expansion in different cities. Sometimes they change and evolve. So I was all set to venture into their branch in swank Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad and find for myself, how it is. 

I must say I loved the restaurant at first look. The outdoor porch area is full of antique bric a brac with character and colour. Inside, it is a much more spacious restaurant with all the quirky fixtures one associates with Parsi memorabilia. Quaint, black and white family portraits, vintage furniture, hand written menu items on blackboards, a checkered black and white floor, red and white check tablecloths and bright hanging lamps and retro bollywood music(I always end up hearing 'Mannu Bhai motor chill pom pom pom'.  On one side is an entire row of high tables with perched chairs and natural light seeping in through lace curtains for cosy couples who still have the 'looking deep into each other's eyes' thing going. 

Rest of the tables have eclectic seating to choose from depending on your mood and company.With SodaBottleOpenerWala, the Olive group gives you a concept that is unique to India; the dying legacy of the wonderful chaotic, crowded, bustling, colourful, quirky, cluttered, eccentric world of an Irani café. One can only be thankful for  their clever and aesthetic revival of the dying legacy of the disappearing race of these cafes.

SodaBottleOpenerWala is your quintessential Bombay Irani Café and Bar with all its idiosyncrasies in place. It brings with it typical Parsi cuisine, some Irani specialties, pearls that sparkle on the streets of Bombay and signatures from old-world clubs, along with a well-stocked bar - in a fun, quirky and contemporary avatar.

Crispy Corn Bhel

Gwarfali Cutlet

We start with the perky Raspberry Soda that can literally chase the blues away with its radiant redness. I wanted to try something different from my usual favourites. So we start with the Crispy Corn Bhel and Gwarphali Cutlets. Both are such startling vegetarian creations that I savoured truly. The crunchy cheeslings and pomegranate seeds in the Bhel is a nice touch. The Gwarphali inside is soft and firm at the same time with a cheesy and creamy texture and golden-hued crunchiness on the outside. I do try an old favourite nevertheless which is the Kolmi Fry, I think the best dish ever with brown onions as the absolute stars!

Talahuwa Gosht from Hyderabadi section

Hyderabadi Biryani

This SodaBottleOpenerWala also has a special Hyderabadi food section to cater to local clientele and lend the restaurant a distinct flavour. I am told the quintessential Hyderabadis love their staples too dearly to let go of them. Thus from this section, we tried the legendary Talahuwa Gosht and Hyderabadi Biryani. I am reaching a Biryani numbness by now, living in Hyderabad so would say the biryani was fine. Talahuwa Gosht was nice and tender, coated with just the right amount of masala, making it a great bar snack. I was lucky to even try the Anaida Haleem and Irani Haleem which was part of their Gyarah Handi Haleem during Ramzan. The Anaida Haleem, created by noted pop singer of yesteryears exclusively for SodaBottleOpenerwala gets my vote. There are many more Hyderabadi options that I am sure to try in my future visits such as - Marag with Naan, Nihari and Khatti Dal. This time I stick to the eternal Parsi favourite Mutton Dhansak maintains its richness with the irresistible brown caramelised rice.

There is no scope for dessert but we get tempted to share the Red Velvet Brownie and ReadyMoney Cheese Cake Jar. The Red Velvet is a delicious melange of white chocolate and cream cheese, one of the best I have had. The jar has layers of raspberry green tea infused cream cheese, biscuit and chocolate shavings that fill you with wholesome gooeyness. It is multi-layered and multi-flavoured, just like the facets of a microcosm like India, and you come away appreciating and embracing India's rich diversity a little bit more each time!

5-Week Boutique Yoga Workshop at The Hungry Monkey

What: 5-Week Boutique Yoga Workshop - Vinyasa Power Yoga

Where: The Hungry Monkey, B 6/6, Second Floor, DDA Market, Safdarjung Enclave

Date: 12th June to 16th July 2017

Days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Time: Group 1 - 7:00 AM to 8:15 AM

          Group 2 - 8:45 AM to 10:00 AM

Charges: INR 10,000 Per Student (Inclusive Taxes)

About The Workshop: The classes are designed to progressively increase in intensity over the 5week period; so whether you are a newbie trying out yoga for the first time, or you are looking to take your existing yoga practice to the next level, the workshop will help you to effectively and holistically adopt yoga into your fitness routine. 

Energizing Full-body workout with specially curated Vinyasa-Power Yoga sequences includes ASANA - for targeted muscle strengthening, toning and improved flexibility, PRANAYAMA - for improved stamina and breath-focus, and MEDITATION- for blissful relaxation, de-stress and mindfulness.

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Facebook event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1376921325716793/​