ZAFRAN RESTAURANT - BLOGGERS EVENT, A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE NEW MENU

I was invited for a bloggers' event  at Zafran on Wednesday 13 November, for a sneak preview of their upcoming winter menu  to be introduced from December 2O13. For those of you who are are not familiar with Zafran, it's one the finest Indian restaurants in Kuwait that offers contemporary Indian cuisine. 

Gaurav Singh, Brand Chef

Mr. Khalid Khader, the operations manager welcomed us and spoke to us about Zafran. We were introduced to brand chef Gaurav Singh who explained to us about the new menu. He is based at Zafran restaurant in Dubai and had come down to Kuwait for this event. Chef Gaurav is definitely endowed with the gift of creativity and culinary expertise, quite evident in every dish he has created for the new menu. He also said that only natural ingredients are used for preparing the dishes. A four course dinner was served and we were free to ask the chef any questions we had about the food.

left to right in order - papadums, mixed pickle, mint chutney, tamarind chutney, sweet mango chutney

Sweet and tangy chutneys and mixed pickle were placed along with roasted and fried papadums. 

Pomegranate Blush

Welcome drink was Pomegranate Blush with pomegranate juice, dash of lemon and sprite and pomegranate seeds. Additional drink was Lemon Splash with fresh lemon juice with sprite. Both were quite refreshing.

Double Mushroom

Aloo Tikki

Shammi Kabab - bottom, Double Mushroom - top left, Aloo Tikki - top right

1. Starters -  All starters were unique and delicious.  

* Aloo Tikki, which is mashed potatoes filled with mashed green peas, shaped into patties. Lightly spiced 

* Double Mushroom - Mushroom filled with cheese, then dipped in batter and fried. 

* Shammi Kebab - Minced lamb paste with moderate spices shaped into broad regular patties. 

Minced lamb kebab straight from the grill

Tandoori prawns - bottom,  mince lamb kebab - top most, chicken malai tikka - right 

Platter of grills and lemon splash

2. Grilled Food - was cooked to perfection. If you enjoy grilled food, this is definitely something you will quite enjoy. The marinade used was aromatic and flavors were amazing with just the right amount of spices, making grilled food delectable.  It was served with salad.

* Sheek Kebab was served right from the grill, with smoke, sound and beautiful aroma. 

* Chicken Malai Tikka marinated in cream and light spices and charcoal grilled. It was succulent and well textured

* Tandoori prawns - this was a haven compared to the usual hot and spicy tandoori prawns, I've had in the past in other places. Prawns were marinated in yoghurt with just the right amount of spices and grilled.  Light and delicious.

dal makhani - bottom, steamed basmati rice - top left, prawn in coconut milk - top right

clock wise : chicken tikka masala, prawn in coconut milk, dal makhani, naan, steamed rice

3. Main Course 

* Dal Makhani, a lovely creamy dark colored indian black lentil curry cooked overnight on charcoal which adds a light smokey flavor to it. A very healthy dish usually had with plain rice. 
* Basmati rice - the texture was perfect and the aroma was lovely
* Naan - Indian bread cooked in tandoor oven, best eaten hot or warm.
* Prawn in coconut milk curry which is mild and absolutely pleasant in taste. 
* Chicken Tikka Masala, was one of my favorites. I cannot fathom what magical spice combination it contained, I would say, it  tasted divine.

Chicken biriyani

chicken biriyani 

Chicken Biriyani and Raita - Chicken biriyani by chef Gaurav is amazing, unlike any other biriyani you would have had. The rice is fluffly, flavored with saffron. The chicken was soft and cooked in tomatoes, with just enough spices. The biriyani was cooked in 'dum' style where flattened wheat flour dough is used to cover the pot with biriyani before the final cooking so as to not let the aroma and flavors escape.   I am a huge critic when it comes to biriyani I eat at restaurants, but this is something I really truly enjoyed. You could have this and not feel sleepy or tired, because it's not greasy and it's light on your stomach. Raita is a yoghurt based accompaniment, with bits of cucumber, which was nice.

Pista and saffron kulfi

4. Dessert - Saffron and Pista Kulfi - Kulfi is Indian icecream. It was made using fresh milk, saffron and pista. The kulfi was served with kiwi, water melon and strawberry slices.  It tasted lovely.

The food, taste, texture and smell was wonderful. The presentation was artistic and neat. What I appreciated besides the taste of the food, was that it wasn't greasy. Chef Gaurav is quite aware of his guests' preferences and taste so all the spices used is in moderation. If you want your dish a bit more spicy, or less spicy you can always tell them while you place your order. There is a special children menu,  which they would enjoy and it is healthy too, so you don't have to worry about taking your children to fast food joints. The ambiance at Zafran is quite pleasant. The decor and interiors are endowed with warm colors like black, red and yellow. You definitely should visit Zafran try out their contemporary Indian food. I've been there several times with my husband as well as with my friends in past and have always enjoyed their great food and friendly service. Their new menu will be introduced in December 2O13.  

Zafran restaurant telephone : 25750647, 97281007

Location : Salem Al Mubarak Street, 1st floor, main entrance right beside Centerpoint,  or accessible from Centerpoint as well.

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IMPORTANCE OF NOT HURTING OTHERS

GOLD TEA AT MOCCA ART CAFE IN DUBAI

Image Credit : Mocca Art Cafe Facebook page

World of tea is fascinating.... black tea, green tea, white tea and if I were to add more, there is the English breakfast tea, Ceylon tea, Assam tea, Darjeeling tea, Chinese tea and the list goes on. Now how about gold tea, sounds exotic, exciting? Mocca Art Cafe in Dubai has introduced gold tea in their menu at a promotional prices of  55 dirhams ($ 15 u.s. dollars). 

If you are wondering what gold tea is all about, Ashraf Mahran, founder and partner of Mocca Art Cafe explained that the tea is sourced from Ceylon, then sent to Germany where it gets gold plated and then to Morocco for flavoring, before it is served at the Cafe. The tea is mixed with excellent plant products and flowers which gives it a nice scent. No additives or coloring is added which gives the gold flakes its purity. It's a natural drink that helps the body to relax, de-stress and enjoy. Tea lovers or those who are curious about gold tea can have an interesting and golden experience now!. Gold tea is already available in UK, USA, China and India. 

Wondering if gold tea will be introduced here as well.....

Visit Mocca Art Cafe Facebook page

MY PHOTO FOR TODAY - ARCHITECTURE AT THE SOUK DISTRICT AVENUES MALL

HUMOR - ASK A WOMAN

WEIGHT LOSS - ONE UNIVERSAL STATEMENT, MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU

T-shirt at Centrepoint, Salmiyah

With all my recent illness, my diet and health both were on a continual roller coaster ride and I despised every moment of it. 

Every one who has lost weight or is trying to lose weight knows how important it is to be consistent with food choices to promote weight loss and to exercise faithfully. And yes we have our days or even phases when there is a total relapse and food habits go haywire. And when that happens, we assure ourselves with the universal statement, 'I shall diet tomorrow'. We don't mean to fool ourselves with that statement. Somewhere deep inside, we truly wish to keep that promise, but the action plan keeps getting postponed for either genuine or lame reasons. Does this feeling sound familiar? It does, doesn't it? 

It only 'seems' hard to get back on track if you've strayed from your path in your journey of weight loss. I used the word 'seems' because, honestly, what is it, that you cannot do, if you were to put your mind, heart and soul into your goal? Right, you see what I mean, so keep that promise and get back on track, eat less, eat healthy, stay away from refined flour products, sweets and fatty foods and you are on your way. Every time I go on a weight loss plan, I feel like a tortoise, the weight loss seems like a very slow affair. But you know what, don't worry about how slow it is. The important thing is you are on the right track and don't give up and in a couple of months, you will be see amazing results. 

Start now to sculpt a new amazing healthier, slimmer you by 2014. The New Year is only 3 months away!

THREE IMPORTANT THINGS FOR HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

H&M WINDOW DISPLAY

While I was at the Grand Avenues, I passed by the H&M store and I really liked their new window display of denim wear. 

MY PHOTO FOR TODAY - RESTAURANT AT SOUK DISTRICT IN AVENUES MALL

How innovative! Aluminium cooking pots as lamp shades and the lids for decor at a beautiful restaurant in Souk district, Avenues Mall. 

WILLIAMS-SONOMA COOKING DEMO

Two weeks ago,  I passed by Williams-Sonoma at Grand Avenues. It was around lunch time and they were holding a cooking demo. During the demo, they promote their cookware and cutlery. A healthy dish of Chinese chicken and vegetable salad with couscous was prepared as a part of the demo. It was light and tasted good. I didn't get time to visit the upstairs where they have home furnishing.

Williams-Sonoma is having a 50% sale right now. 
Tel : 22283101

If you are interested in their recipes, visit their website here

A BREAK FROM THE MANY THINGS I ENJOY

I took a break from several things - blogging which I love, the outdoors, cultural activities, and walking which I enjoy. The reason is, my health took a roller coaster ride since the past 6 weeks which upset me as I had to go through immense pain of all sorts. Falling sick is horrible. It makes you realize, how important it is to be healthy and disease free! I can't say I am completely well, but working eagerly to get better. Everything I love and enjoy doing took a back seat.

On my way to recovery from a queue of ailments that followed one after the other, I found myself contemplating on what's truly important in life. There are of course a number of important things. My family topped the list no doubt. You know, there is nothing more important than love in your life,  spreading love, positivity and good will and wishing well for others wherever you are and wherever you go. Life taught me not to be judgmental about people, for you have not walked in another person's shoes. You don't know what the other person is going through.  If you can do a little good, make a small difference in a positive way, it's great. While we look for imperfections in others through a magnifying lens, we have faults and imperfections as well, hidden under a mask of denial.  It's important to treat people with respect and kindness, just the way you expect to be treated. There should be no room for anger, aggression, ill intent or grudges because  it really does you no good except hurt others and hurt yourself, increase your stress level and stop you from appreciating life. Negativity is often like a boomerang. What you sent out good or bad comes back to you.  

If you can forgive, you free yourself from the clutches and shackles of negative situations. When you forgive, you are actually  letting go of the that which holds you down from experiencing true emotional freedom. Don't compare yourself with others and fret over what you don't have. Gratitude helps you realize how fortunate you are in numerous ways. Don't worry about the grass on the other side of the fence. Work on your grass, pull out the weeds, nurture it with care and patience, make your grass green and be proud. 

Family, relatives and friends are a blessing which money can't buy. Give them your love, time and attention. Often we take people for granted. Let it not be too late to realize the value of people who care, whom you can count on. 

I look forward to blogging again.  The weather is getting better and lot of beautiful things to look forward to, including a vacation in October. 

INNER PEACE

MY PHOTO FOR THE DAY - SOMETHING IS MISSING

I didn't realize at first when I clicked this photo, but when I was looking for photos to post today, I chose this one, and suddenly I realized something is missing!. Look carefully at the second and third picture.  The tail is missing!!!  Wonder what happened! Taken at the children's mini farm at Bayside Market place Mall in Miami.

HUMOR - PHILOSOPHER'S JOB

WEIGHT LOSS - AWARENESS OF WHAT YOU EAT

Have you have been struggling to lose weight and return to old eating habits because 'dieting' seems hard, tiring and boring? 

Does losing weight eventually seems like a far fetched dream? 

Do you fool yourself into saying, 'I'll diet tomorrow', so that you can 'enjoy your favorite calorie rich food' today? 

Is your food laden with fat, sugar and salt? 

Do you binge all the time? 

Do you overeat during meals? 

If you answer yes to the first question and any one of the rest of the questions,  let me assure you weight loss is definitely something you can achieve. Only on one condition, by making it easy on yourself. And how you do that?  Be good and extra loving and caring to yourself. Make that one decision you have been afraid or reluctant to make. And make that decision soon. I know it's seems hard and tough to follow through once you decide to lose weight. The easy way out is living in denial and eating all that you desire. But the not so easy part about it is suffering silently from being overweight. So many people have taken the decision to lose weight by making healthy food choices and are living testimonies today after successfully reaching their target weight, even if meant months or year(s) of sincere efforts. And that's guaranteed to change into a healthier (and happier) person.  I must admit sometimes, we are very much aware of what we eat and how much we eat. It's just that, we don't care enough to make healthy choices and let temptation and habit take over. 

If you feel you are eating in moderation and still find it hard to lose weight, make a journal and write down what you eat, is your food high in calories, are you eating and not exercising? The calories expended should be more than the calories consumed for you to lose weight. Don't compare yourself with those who eat and not put on weight, because some of us are genetically hardwired to put on weight. Yes, some of us have to eat less than our 'skinny' friends who eat more and don't put on weight. Eating less does not mean we should starve. Make healthy food choices, eat less carbohydrates and wheat based food, refrain from eating junk, and high calorie foods. You can have a small treats in moderation once a week so you don't get tempted. No matter how boring you find exercise or if you 'don't have time' for exercise, there is no better solution, except to 'make time' for exercise. 

Daily awareness of what and how much you eat will help you lose weight. 

MIAMI BEACH - A MUST VISIT PLACE

If you visit Miami in Florida, the beaches are something you shouldn't miss. Check the weather before you visit. It's really hot during summer. Be sure to wear sunglasses and hat/cap. Carry chairs, find a shaded area or carry one of those huge umbrellas you can sit under while you enjoy the beach. Be sure to splash on sunblock or sunscreen lotion. Carry food and plenty of water. And enjoy! 

Here are some photos I took at one of the beaches in Miami.