Fresh Roast, Ahmedabad

We had a lovely mini Zomato Foodie Meet Up at Fresh Roast today and none of the foodies who attended had visited Fresh Roast before. So it was as new and exciting an experience for each and every one of us.

Fresh Roast is set in a 90 year old Heritage Building that has been loving restored and now the 33 room house has the option of 18 rooms for rent (like service apartments) too.

However, we were there for the food and the food gossip, so after we were shown around the place, we all began a series of foodie discussions with each other and the wonderful team of Zomato Ahmedabad.

We were given a special menu to choose from, culled from the best dishes that Fresh Roast offers.

There were at least 7 varieties of mocktails and milkshakes to choose from. A similar choice of soups, salads, starters and main courses were also offered. We were all so busy talking away, that I don't think any one of us took any pictures of the food.

I tried the Lemon Blazer - Fizzy Lime and Mint Twist with Cranberry and Pineapple juice that was really refreshing and also had a bite to it. I suspect a bit of green chilli was thrown into the mix. But it just enhanced the taste.

I did consider ordering a soup, but for some reason I didn't and I didn't notice anyone else order a soup or a milkshake either.

Our table tried the Lettuce Wrap salad that was interesting, but although the menu said it had an oregano lemon dressing, for me the overwhelming flavour was a sweet and sour imli sauce kind of taste (that was interesting). The other table said the Fettuce Salad was also very good.

Given my special dietary requirement of non fried, non cheesy, non carb food (for today), I couldn't taste the really exciting dishes on the menu. I was told that the Jalapeno Cheese Wraps were very good. I did however try the Sauteed Mushrooms and the Pesto Malai Paneer and I have to confess that I loved the Paneer. This may be the first time I want to go back to a vegetarian restaurant to have a veggie item all over again. The paneer was really yummy.

The spinach cheese balls, bruschetta, quesadillas, Milanese Pizza and Ravioli all looked good, so I guess I will have to try them when I return to Fresh Roast.

For dessert, there was a choice of ginger, rose and kiwi ice cream. The ginger ice cream was rated the best of the lot. So that's another item on my wishlist, for when I return.

The service was lovely. Non intrusive but served with warmth and care. The open air seating outside was lovely and with all the garden umbrellas, we did not even realise how hard it was raining.

Rarely do Pure Vegetarian Eateries feature in my "visit/visit again" wishlist, but Fresh Roast is firmly in that category.

Food Product Review : Mint-O-Ultramintz

About 2 weeks ago, I was contacted by Blogadda, asking if I would like to review mint-o Ultramintz as a part of their Product Reviews Program. A few days before that, a friend of ours had been heavily recommending ITC's mint-o-ultramintz to my husband and also complaining about how difficult it was to find it in the open market.

So I obviously jumped at the chance to review the product. Sigh! the things one does to keep ones husband happy! LOL

Within a week or so, the package arrived by courier and I was quite impressed with the personalised gift wrapped packaging.

On opening the first layer, the packaging inside was almost like a jewel case, with the ultramintz box resting in a hollow, lined with silk.

The courier I received, actually had 2 such boxes.

Ultramintz are supposed to be made with imported peppermint oil and sugar substitute, so they are supposed to be a low calorie mouth freshener / refresher / instant pick me up / low calorie sugar fix.

As a low calorie sugar fix, I like the product. It is mildly sweet, not too strong and works perfectly for me when I am working late into the night and have a sugar craving, but don't want to binge on something unhealthy / fattening.

As a ultramintz, I was expecting much more. The name, the icy look on the box, the packaging - all made me expect a much much stronger minty flavour, one that would almost burn away my taste buds, like Big Red Chewing Gum. But, on this count, the product failed for me. Its a very mild peppermint flavour. Its a good flavour, but just not strong enough. Even tic tac seems to be stronger than ultramintz. Brands like XXX and Altoids are at a different strength level altogether.

Now, if I had bought ultramintz as a regular mint box to keep in my handbag, I wouldn't have been disappointed. But the sheer build up to the product, the way it was launched in the market, the way it is packaged, the way it is being marketed, the way it is being talked about. All of this compounded together, made my expectations skyrocket. And it was these expectations that were dashed when I tried them at home.

Everyone else in my family, also felt the same way. That the final delivery, did not meet the product expectation build up. Ultra to us implies "more" and we all expected much more strength to the peppermint part of the product. The sweetness was ideal and no issue at all.


Will, I buy it off the shelf? I honestly don't know. I'm not sure of their price point yet. The box is convenient and not as fiddly as a tic tac box, which often opens up in the purse, but is that enough, for me to switch brands and products?

Overall, ultramintz is a nice mint to have handy in your purse, to refresh the taste in your mouth or as a low-calorie sweet fix, but its not even strong enough to work as a breathmint.


I am reviewing mint-o Ultramintz as a part of the Product Reviews Program at BlogAdda