King Chilli, Guwahati

King Chilli,
Hotel Gateway Grandeur
Christianbasti
GS Road
Guwahati

0361 6111 000

94350 10935, 94354 03484
www.gatewaygrandeur.com

No home delivery

King Chilli is located within the Gateway Grandeur Hotel. One of 2 in-house restaurants, the other being Florentines. Florentines serves Indian and Continental food & King Chilli serves local ethnic food.

We sat down at Florentines, but decided to order from the King Chilli menu. The waiters were reasonably obliging about the 2 of us wanting the menu from the next restaurant and ordering just milkshakes and sides from their own menu.

We decided to try the duck fry at 250/-. While we have always loved duck, the meat here was of the tougher, more muscled variety - the kind of difference between eating gaunchi/country chicken vs broiler chicken.

The Pork king chilli 400/- flavoured with the regions famous bhoot jholakia/ king chilli was absolutely excellent. This particular chilli, burns the lips more than the tongue and is highly addictive. I've cooked with dry bhut jolokia before, but this was the first time that we were trying the fresh variant.

While we loved the pork, I'd like to bring it home as a take away and cook it some more until the fat breaks down, because I'd love to eat the flavoured and slimmed down fat that results from cooking pork for long periods of time.

kolachil/banana flower fry 100/- was middling. Nothing I would try again. Its the first time I was eating banana flowers as a dish, so I'm willing to try the Bengali and Tamilian versions, but this one wasn't exciting at all. The dish wasn't flavoured and the flavour of the banana flower itself was too mild to carry it off (In case you are wondering, I did try it before I put the king chilli pork on my tongue)

Its traditional to eat the Assamese Joha rice with these dishes, but since we have been eating Joha rice daily at the guest house, we decided to order the basmati rice 150/- for familiarity and nostalgia.

All of this was served with a nice big bowl of Naga Chilli Pickle.

We would like to go back as we were very impressed with the cleanliness, the atmosphere, the hygiene and the food, but we will most likely call ahead and order, because service is really slow. It looks like they don't get much crowd and hence everything has to be cooked from scratch after you order.

Prices here were inclusive of taxes.


Florentine Fine Dining in the same hotel serves Indian and Continental cuisine.
We ordered a lacchedar paratha for 40/- a cold coffee 95/- whether with or without ice cream and a vanilla milk shake for 85/-. This total of 220/- turned to 242/- with the addition of taxes. (5% VAT & 5% Service charge)

The waiter from Florentines made us promise that we would come back to taste their signature chicken and veg florentines with a warning that it would take 40minutes to prepare once we placed the order.

Edited to Add:
 Ambience here is really nice. Service is good. Its very clean and hygenic and a lovely place to take visiting friends out for an Assamese meal, but service is slow. So we call from home an hour before leaving to order what we would like and an hour later, we reach there and the food is waiting for us piping hot & fresh.

Khalsa Parivaar, Guwahati

Khalsa Parivaar
GS Road
Bora Service
Guwahati

0361 2454 656

Wanted to pick up something to supplement the dhal-chawal roti-sabji prepared for our dinner at the guest house. On a hunch, we just stopped at Khalsa Parivaar - a small but clean and hygenic place with a few tables inside in air conditioned comfort. We ordered a chicken hariyali (65/- half plate 6 pieces) and a chicken tikka (130/- full plate 12 pieces).

The hariyali was average but the tikka was tongue tinglingly and spicily excellent. They don't deliver home but you can pack a take away. We are definitely going back here.

Went back for the smoked chicken - 220/- Its absolutely fantastic. Spicy - so don't order if you don't like your tongue on fire.

I'm addicted to this smoked chicken now and I'm going to be craving it in my dreams.

Oh & before I forget, the prices above are inclusive of all taxes.

Edited on 25 July to add:
Kisne nazar lagaa di? Khalsa Parivaar has been shut for the last 3 weeks. sob, sob!

L'Opera - French Bakery - Delhi

L'Opera
Shop 5-B (keep walking beyond Good Earth)
Khan Market
4732 2889

Monday to Saturday: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
Sunday: 9:30 am to 3:30pm

 L'Opera products were earlier available at the Frech Embassy - for Embassy staff only and at DLF Golf & Country Club - again for members only. So their Khan Market opening is a welcome development.

L'Opera has a 3000 sq. ft. production centre at Noida and the Head Chef and ingredients come in straight from France. Prices on their Menu may seem high, but since all ingredients are sourced from France and are of higher quality (the almond flour, French butter, French cream etc) its worth the indulgence.

When I visited yesterday, to my bad luck the Head Chef was off on vacation and hence I was  told that the French Macaroons would only be available after 10 days when he returned. I've been craving French Macaroons ever since Masterchef Australia aired in India (and the ones at Wengers - CP 35/- while pleasant, weren't satisfying) and I was really excited to hear about L'Operas authentic offerings. But I guess I will have to wait a few more days to satisfy this foodie craving.

We ordered some Financiers for Rs.75/- - Almond based tea cakes - which were excellent. The Matcha Green Tea and Coffee Eclairs (145/- each) were also very good. Most eclairs sold in Delhi are over stuffed with overr sweetened cream. The eclairs at L'Opera were stuffed with just the right amount of flavoured cream for moistness and had a strip of flavoured icing that had had hardened on the top which provided just the right hint of sweetness.

L'Opera offers Breads (25-350/-), Viennese Pastries (35-80/-), Macaroons (125/- each), pastries (65-200/-), cakes & tarts for 8-10 people (1000-2500/-) & some savoury items for cocktail parties ( 25-210/)

They sell out quickly, so call ahead, especially if you want a larger order.


They do offer home delivery for orders above 1000/- according to a schedule, so call 0120 - 4066 888 and check.

L'Opera is a welcome addition and stands way above the majority of generic bakeries in Delhi.

(Prices include taxes)

Parampara - Gateway Paradise - Guwahati

Parampara
Gateway Paradise
Silpukhuri
Chandmari
Guwahati
0361 2666904, +91 9435548812

Parampara Paradise was universally recommended as the best place for us to try authentic Assamese food in Guwahati.

The ground floor is called Paradise which has fans but no air conditioning and the upstairs with airconditioning is called Parampara. I didn't check the menu downstairs, so I do not know if there is a difference in pricing between the 2.

Parampara Paradise offers a variety of 6 different thalis. The mega thali or the Parampara Thali at 350Rs offers unlimited servings of everything

We ordered the Assamese Vyanjan Non veg thali at Rs170/- each. Only the steamed joha rice is unlimited in this thali. But quantities are more than enough for one person. The Assamese thalis only serve rice. Rotis are not an item seperately available on the menu. But they do have an Indian thali that offers rotis/chapatis and the husband who needs rotis with his meal, requested them to add a roti to his thali which they obliged after a short discussion.

This Assamese Vyanjan Non veg thali included : unlimited steamed joha rice, (clockwise) bowls of payas - vermicilli paysam on this day, assorted palate ticklers, Masor Tenga- Rohu fish in a sour curry, chicken curry, a dry vegetable - one of the many greens specific to Assam, pitika - mashed potatoes with mustard oil, mustard seeds, fresh corriander and chillies, dal - lentils, Khar - a vegetable preparation with soda bicarbonate.

I will need to find someone who can explain to me the concept of soda bicarb being the chief ingrdient in cooking a vegeatble. The vegetable on the day we were there was knol khol - not one of my favourites, so this was the only item that remained uneaten on my plate. My husband did not like the overwhelming taste of soda bicarb, so he did not eat this either.

The palate ticklers ( we call these items thond launk in Konkani - they are strongly sour or spicy like pickles or chutneys which increase the flow of saliva and hence improve appetite and bring excitement even to a simple meal of rice and dhal or pez - rice gruel)were supposed to include Kahudi - dry mustard paste with mustard oil and tamarind juice, Kharoli - dry mustard paste with mustard oil & soda bicarb, Kharisha- grated bamboo shoot with mustard oil & red chillies and Mahor Guri - powdered gram lentils with salt, lemon juice & chillies.

We did arrive late and perhaps they ran out of some items, so what is actually in this bowl is a slice of the local lemon, green chilli, Kahudi - hiding under the chilli, Mahor guri - to the right of the Kahudi and a green chutney

All thalis are served in traditional bell metal plates and bowls.

 In the vegetarian Assamese vyanjan thali - 160/- the fish and chicken dishes are substituted with a paneer curry, soya kofta curry and mahor bor tenga.

The massive Parampara thali besides offerring unlimited servings, includes a flavored organic soft drink, pigeon or duck curry instead of chicken, fish wrapped in plaintain leaves and roasted over charcoal, and an intriguing traditional dessert of cream, Assamese puffed rice and jaggery. This item is also on the limited a la carte menu, but unfortunately wasn't available by the time we finished lunch.

I'd love to try this dessert and the roasted fish, but I need to be really hungry to be able to do justice to this thali. But given that we are moving to Guwahati, I'm sure the opportunity will present itself.


There is an Assamese non-veg thali 140/- which offers mutton instead of chicken and curd instead of payas - dessert.

If you really aren't interested in trying Assames food they do offer an Indian Thali - North Indian Vegetarian - for 140/-. This thali includes rice and chapati, dal, mixed vegetable, paneer curry, vegetable kofta, pickles, papad, Mahor Guri, salad and a choice of dessert or dahi.

The a la carte menu is very limited about 13 items which are meant to supplement a thali rather generate a meal on their own. Pigeon or duck curry is available for 180/- (I'm not sure if an order of this comes with free rice) Gooseberry soup, chicken in bamboo, fish in bamboo, plaintain flowers cooked in channa dal are some of the dishes they offer.

Fosters beer is the only alcohol served here at 150/- for a large bottle, a glass of aerated cold drink is 30/-

Service is relaxed. I wouldn't say it is slow, it just goes with the pace of life in Guwahati.The waiters each wear a traditional Assamese muffler/stole around their necks which seems a bit absurb (given the weather) yet endearing.

Prices include all extras - no VAT, Sales Tax, Service Charge extras. Hence rates seem extremely reasonable for someone like me who has been jaded into submission by the horridly high pricing +20+% taxes of Delhi

Rating : 3 / 5

Port Lounge, Guwahati

Port Lounge
Guwahati Airport

The Jet and Kingfisher Lounges are located within the Port Lounge and are a segregated part of it.

The Port Lounge only offers complimentary tea/coffee, veg/cheese sandwich, fruit cake and fruit juice to frequent flyers entitled to use the facility. For a hot bite, one has to order from the menu.

Since the airport is almost an hour away from the city and one needs to check in an hour early, we had not had the chance to eat lunch before arriving at the airport. The cheese sandwich did little to quell our hunger pangs and only seemed to encourage them.

We then ordered from the Chinese (rather than Indian) section of the menu.

Prices are definitely high compared to prices in Guwahati city, but quite reasonable compared to Delhi, especially given the size of servings.

We ordered a chicken schezwan fried rice for 240Rs, a Hong Kong Chilly Chicken dry for 220Rs and a chicken chopsuey for 230Rs.

The food tasted like Indian street food style Chinese - rice, noodle, chicken tossed in generic red and green sauces in differing quantities. But it was still very tasty. The fried rice was good but the chopsuey was lovely even with the unusual additions of mushrooms and baby corn to the sauce. My egg was fried hard instead of soft but the taste of the saice was so familiar that I forgave them this oversight without a 2nd thought.

A 5% VAT charge was added to the amounts above while totaling the bill.

Anyone can eat at the Port Lounge for the same prices.

The seating is comfortable as is the airconditioning. Lights are kept low so you can catch a nap if needed. Multiple TV's can each be tuned to a different station (which can be bugging when someone turns up the volume on any one particular TV)

I must mention that service was much faster than the only other restaurant we visited on this trip to Guwahati. So its a boon for those who want a quick bite before catching a flight. Especially since over 70% of the flights departing from Guwahati are budget versions which don't serve a hot meal on board.

Premvati Food Court, Akshardham, Delhi

Premvati Food Court
Swaminarayana Akshardham
Delhi

When entering the Akshardham temple, you aren't allowed to carry anything inside, except your wallet (not purse), keys and the clothes that you have on.

Given the hordes of people from various strata of society who arrive and the sheer size of the complex (100 acres), the temple trust has taken its responsibility of providing food for the stomach along with the soul, seriously.

There are a couple of kiosks around the temple complex which sell basic drinks - tea, coffee, soft drinks, some snacks and a few packed meals.

The Premvati Food Court is more comprehensive with a much larger menu.

The North Indian thali has 2 rotis or 5 puris and rice with dhal, a paneer curry, vegetable curry, 2 dry vegetable dishes, papad, pickle, chaach (buttermilk), dhokla, pakoda and a sweet. All this for 105Rs (all inclusive).

Snacks are even more reasonable - dhai bhalla for 25Rs, Poori subzi - watery potato curry with 5 puris for 30Rs, Chhole Bhature for 40Rs. They have samosas, kachoris, kulfi, eggless cakes and other items on the menu too.

Asoft drink is 15Rs, as is a 1 litre bottle of water. Since their tie up is with Coca Cola you get bon aqua water and the coke brand soft drinks - coke, thumsup, fanta etc. The coffee is Gerogia coffee (another coke brand). The hot coffee is 25Rs and the cold coffee (highly recommended - but dont drink the dregs) is 35rs. Cold badam milk at 25Rs tastes like thandai and is very refreshing when you have been traipsing along in the heat.

The food court also has burgers and pizzas (albeit Indianised), dosas and idlis, kulchas and parathas for those who are so inclined.

The food is clean and hygenically prepared and served. How clean the tables and sinks are, do depend on who sat there before you, so choose your seating with care.

You have to place your order outside the building (2 counters) and pay there. Your bill comes with a series of counterfoils which also has the counter number at where that particular dish/drink will be served. There are 8 counters inside and you will have to stand in line for each of them - present the coupon and collect your food item.

The process may seem lengthy, but it is quite efficient.

The food is quite tasty and hence if you are visiting the complex, I would definitely reccommend grabbing a bite at the Premavati Food court before you leave.

Sunday Brunch at Magique, Delhi

Magique
The Garden Village
Gate No 3
Garden of 5 Senses
Said Ul Ajaib
Delhi
97175 35533

We had heard a lot of positive reviews about the food at Magique and thought that a meal there would be a wonderful way to kickstart the New Year. So we headed over for lunch on the 2nd of January, only to find that they only served a buffet brunch on Sunday afternoons.
Since we were hungry enough and wanted to spend a couple of hours catching up with friends it seemed like a wonderful option. The choice on hand was quite varied and with 4 at our table, we were able to taste almost everything on offer.

There were indoor and outdoor seating options. Given the chilly weather and the gentle warmth of the sun we opted for the outside. There were umbrellas overhead to keep the direct sun off our heads and gas heaters were turned on to keep the nip in the air at bay.

 To start off we hit the salad and sushi bar. This entailed 4-5 different salad leaves and a multitude of dressings including thousand island and blue cheese. There were a couple of Middle eastern spreads - hummus, garlic tahina etc, so the bread basket included pitas as well as foccacias. There were 2 veg sushi rolls and the non vegetarian version was just omlettes. While they were very tasty, I don't really know how fresh their raw fish based sushis are.

Then for the hot section of our meals, we headed to the grill counter. Stuffed king prawns, lamb chops, chicken sausages, lemon and herb sole fillets for non vegetarians, grilled polenta, feta slices sandwiched with a pesto like filling and roast vegetables for the vegetarians were being grilled fresh at a table in the garden. Served with sides of a cheese sauce or herbed butter, the items were all very well marinated and cooked just right.

There was a Oriental wok counter right next to it, where the stationed chef was tossing fried rice and noodles to order with a wide variety of meat, sauces and vegetables. This was the only counter that we did not order from, but given the overall quality of food and the aromas from his station, it must have been good.

We next focussed our attention to the pizza counter. The base was a the shape, size and thickness of a Lebanese pita bread.The pizza chef had pepperoni (looked more like salami to me), smoked chicken, 4-5 different cheeses, some sun dried tomatoes and olives as toppings. We however did not let this limit us. Picking up some rocket leaves from the salad table and baby corn and other veggies from the oriental wok station, we requested the chef to incorporate these into our pizza and he gladly obliged.
The little kid with us gave his stamp of approval to the Margharita pizzas. (kids below 5 eat free, above 5 pay 50%)

The grills and pizzas took a few minutes to be prepared, but they were absolutely fresh and tasty when we sunk our teeth into them.

As if this wasn't enough, there was a Thai buffet to go through before we could consider dessert. Steamed Rice, Chicken red curry, vegetable green curry, fried tofu in basil sauce, a mixed mushroom dish (excellent), raw papaya salad, Thai salsa were all on offer. I could have been happy with just the rice and chicken curry for a couple of meals with the mushrooms being an added incentive. There was also a yummy spicy Tom Yum soup that coukd be turned non vegetarian with the addition of the side of steamed chicken.

In comparison to the amount of food we had consumed, the dessert table offerrings seemed a little meager. Mascarpone cheese with strawberries, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, chocolate bars and a coffee mousse tart were the only options, while I enjoyed the carrot cake and chocolate mousse, the others at the table felt they would have preferred sweeter options.

Soft drinks, mineral water, mocktails and tea/coffee were included in the brunch package, alcohol and cocktails were extra. I had a lovely cinnamon flavored virgin mojito and the husband had a smoothie that he quite enjoyed too. Lots of healthy fruit based options in the mocktail menu. We ended the meal with jasmine tea and coffee.

The brunch was 1200Rs per person + taxes which worked out to almost 1500Rs per person. Extremely reasonable for the amount of food on offer, especially since I heard that an ala carte meal at Magique without alcohol can run into 3000Rs per person.

Ambience : 9
Food : 8.5
Service : 7