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Showing posts with label Food Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food Reviews. Show all posts

Cold Stone Creamery - The Favourite Brand of America is now in India



Cold Stone Creamery, America's most loved ice-cream brand is now in India. We all have had ice creams of various flavours from various brands for ages but I bet not all of them would have been the same as Cold Stone Creamery is.

This conglomerate has been introduced in India by the renowned Lulu Group through its subsidiary Tablez which is known for introducing Toys 'R' Us. The brand also owns Peppermill, Bloomsbury's apart from owning the franchisee rights for other brands such as Galito's, Genghis Grill,Grimaldi's, Famous Dave's, Sugar Factory, Pancake House among others.

Cold Stone Creamery has got more than 1,000 stores in the U.S. and currently has 7 in India with 1 in Kochi(which is also its Head Quarters), 5 in Bengaluru and 1 in Chennai. They are also planning to expand it across India with close to 200 stores coming up.

I was invited to check the functioning of the store and was really thrilled to get to know about the concept.




The store gets the milk solids from the U.S. and they are very much sold on the same day which means the cream you have is not more than a day old. Since Bengaluru has 5 stores, they also have their production facility there where the preparations are made and sent across to other outlets including Chennai.

What makes Cold Stone Creamery special?

Unlike few other brands, the milk used in the preparation is rich in fat which is as high as 14% This ensures that you get the real taste of the cream and not just the compressed air & ice-solids. The real taste of it comes from this cream and is kept intact since they are deep frozen and hence you will not find the store staff using scoops since it cannot be scooped but they use flat ladles to break it up.

They have their own tried and tested formulae which offers various combinations in the ice-cream though you as a customer is also allowed to make one on your own. I tasted Founder's Favourite and it was divine. You can find more about it on my Zomato ratings.

There are wide range of flavours available along with toppings. Also on offer is the Ice-Cream cakes.
Neighborhood - my support system

Neighborhood - my support system

How friendly are you with your neighbors?

When this question arises, many of us are left baffled since we hardly know any. I was born in 1980 and I had the opportunity to be raised in a house which had almost 10 sections that were being let-out and hence I can say with confidence that I knew a minimum of 10 families. But it did not end there. Almost the entire street knew me. This came with few pros and cons. Pros being that I always felt safe and felt happy and proud at times that everyone knew me and the Con is that I could not do anything mischievous as I knew for sure that the complaint would land up directly with my dad.

Having said that, I now live in a gated community where there are more than 300 families but since it is an apartment, I hardly know 10 families. However, one good thing with the apartment life is that you can get to see each other during functions and festivals. Perhaps that is the only occasion where we all can meet.

Now let's go back again to 80's and 90's. Those days were fun since during each and every festival, we were pampered with various delicacies. For Bakrid and Ramadan, it was delicious Biryani & Haleem, For Christmas and Easter, it was cakes and Easter eggs. And for Hindu festivals, we used to get delicacies and various varieties of sweets. It was almost like an Extended Family back then and food bonded us together.

I still remember one of my tenants used to pamper me with home cooked food when my mother was away and I liked her rasam(Indian soup) and potato fry that she made every now and then and sent it to me.

It is really good to recollect my farewell day when I completed my degree. I invited my friends to my home and we all went to the terrace. There was karaoke and lights being set-up already and I arranged for Kurkure and Samosa since it was the most preferred combo for my friends who had it till their tummy was full. It went well with soft drinks. We had fun-time together by dancing and singing till we all got exhausted.

Food is obviously that link that keeps us with each other - there is no bond greater than eating together. I remember, in early 2000s my parents had won the bid to keep stalls exclusively for savories, chips and other items in the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. Though we had our own brand of snack varieties back then, it was Kurkure which was selling like hot cake. One of my tenants, who has also worked for us as the Manager for the fair, used to call the snack as "Kurkur" which made us laugh each time he pronounced it but he was never bothered correcting. We had a barter system with the nearby sugarcane and fish shops.

We would give them few packs of Kurkureeach time and they would reciprocate by giving us their famous sugarcane juice, fish fry etc., in exchange. We met new people and made new friends with our snacks barter.

Since time immemorial, it is only food that made a human being content at any given point of time. We made lot of friends and got lot of memories with Kurkure and when the fair closed, we sent the unsold packs to UdavumKarangal- an NGO which takes care of orphaned kids which brought more smiles on their innocent faces!

Dates Kheer


Ingredients
Dates :1 cup
Milk :1/2 litre 
Condensed milk :1 cup
Sugar :1 spoon 
Cardamom powder:1 spoon 
Ghee: 2 spoons 
Cashews and kismis : as required 
Method 
Soak dates in warm water for half an hour. Boil the milk. Blend soaked dates with cashews and raisins to a fine paste. Add this blend to the boiled milk. Boil altogether till becomes slight thick. If reuired, add sugar ( though it’s not compulsory as we get sweetness from dates and condensed milk).
Add condensed milk and stir.Once it is done add cardamom powder. Garnish with roasted cashews and raisins. The product is rich in iron and can help the children beat he deficiency effectively. Moreover, they would love this for sure. Give it a try. The kids would love it for sure and would keep asking for more.
To know more, head over to http://www.livogen.in/iron-chef

My first ever Hookah Experience

Before I could start this blog, I must convey this Statutory Warning

"Smoking causes Cancer. Smoking kills. None of the person shown in the video supports or promotes smoking since smoking is injurious to health"

Being a teetotaler, I always had a fantasy when it comes to smoking. I however refrained myself till date from smoking and in fact asked my friends to stay put from that. I also did gift an eCigarette to one of my friend in order to make him to get rid of smoking slowly. As a kid, I had tried with various other options like smoking a candy chocolate which satisfied my desire.

When I came to know that there is a restaurant which gives an unique "Hookah" experience I wanted to try it. Unlike the usual stuff, this Hookah was unique. It offered various flavors since even the management of this restaurant were actively promoting "No Smoking" which they have even put it up inside their property.

The restaurant V Lounge  is located at 6,College Road, Nungambakkam. It is just two buildings away from the renowned K.C.Das sweet shop and is located on the first floor.



Coming to the food that is curated which would go well along with the Hookah were the likes of Mongolian rice,Triple cheese grill, Mexican grill sandwich, Chilli cheese toast, Chiili mushroom, Dragon baby corn, Chilli paneer, Basil rice to name a few.

Each and every item is so well prepared that it gave me a mixture of all kind of taste be it with hot, sour, salty, tangy among others. I must say that these offered a very good alternative to pizzas but was more tastier than that.

The place is a great one to hangout with your friends. It offers 2/4 wheeler parking too. 

What makes this restaurant a must visit?

1. Unique Hookah experience
2. Ambiance
3. Taste and Quality of food
4. Delicacies
5. Presentation
6. Seating arrangements
7. Parking facility
8. Affordability
9. Hygiene
10. Location

If you are looking for a place with all the above to spend some quality time with your family or friends, you know where to head over to....

Seeds for healthy life

We live in a world where adulteration is imminent. There are lot being done in our day to day consumption of food. Not all could be blamed but at the same time, it is our precaution that would keep us at bay.

There are few in which adulteration cannot be done or even if done, can be figured out easily. It is nothing but the seeds. Seeds are organic since it will not be manufactured using chemicals but is the end result of something which are either a flower or a fruit.

There are so many varieties of seeds which are available out there for our daily consumption but we hardly use them. I was lucky to find a bunch of them on Amazon. Without giving a second thought, I ordered few of them. I am going to list them here and talk about them in detail. 




Oregano is usually used as a seasoning to give that tangy taste and flavour to the final product. It goes really well with bread toasted in sandwich toaster where it has to be applied along with salad in the centre. Similarly, it can also be used as a topping on pizzas.


Chia seeds is known for keeping your heart hale and healthy. It also helps you in maintaining the complex of skin. The seeds are rich in minerals.

While these seeds can be used in various ways including baking, toppings or sprinklers, the best way is to soak them in water. You would see them bloated up but when you drink it, you will feel real good when it come on your mouth as you will bite it to enjoy its crispness inside.

Regular consumption is good for you to keep you hydrated and my better half has seen her weight being reduced to a decent level.


Flax seeds are really good for heart.It helps in preventing heart attacks and strokes. This is due to the presence of Omega 3 fatty acids in these seeds. 

Flax seeds can be had as it is. It can also be powdered and sprinkled on salads. Alternatively, it can even be consumed along with water or roasted and added to the food.


Gond Katira looks like big crystals or dried pumpkin which is used as sweet. It is a natural coolant and hence helps you fight heat strokes. For better results, this must be soaked for few hours in water before being used.

You can use this in making sweets or can be consumed along with vegetables/curries or can even be prepared as a drink.


Most of us love coffee. Usually the coffee beans what we see is the one which has been roasted that gives that dark brownish look but here is the one with a difference. These are fresh coffee seeds which are not roasted and hence the colour is greenish. Coffee is generally known to invoke our senses thereby keeping us fresh and active for few hours and give us that instant energy when we were feeling low.

Green Coffee beans are good for diabetes patients as it helps in balancing not only the sugar levels but also the blood pressure levels. This also helps in weight loss management. If you feel you are above the normal weight, try using this on regular basis to see the difference.

Using green coffee beans is simple. Boil the beans and filter the water. Add honey to it for natural taste and goodness instead of sugar. Sip it leisurely.


Halem seeds are the must for women as it helps in increasing the menstrual health. It also helps in boosting the immunity in the body and can also help in hair loss treatment.

These seeds can be mixed with cereals. Since they have that natural peppery and aromatic substance, it can be used along with salads, vegetable curries too. They are reddish orange in colour which looks attractive.


Juniper berries are rich sources of Vitamin C which can help you in fighting common fever, cold which may affect you from day to day. Since these berries are helpful in detoxification, you can add them on veg,non-veg, salads or even stew. Kindly ensure that they are either ground or crushed or soaked in water for better results though it isn't compulsory.

Since these are natural food items, do not be averse in using them on a regular basis.


Pumpkin seeds are usually used by us. It is a natural ingredient which is rich in iron, magnesium, minerals and proteins.

These can be had along with salads or powdered and can be used in soups by sprinkling them on the top.



Quinoa is rich in fibre and minerals such as Zinc, Iron and Magnesium and can be used regularly since it helps in the digestion process.

This can be taken as a breakfast or mixed in salads. It can be had as a side dish or consumed in roasted form. if the kids doesn't like it, ground it and add it to the food.


Raw Hemp seeds naturally has Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids along with Vitamin E and various other minerals.

These seeds can be powdered and be consumed along with fruit shakes and vegetable soup apart from being eaten raw and also with salads.


Each and every seed has its own advantage and goodness. Sunflower seeds helps you in fighting thyroid. Since these seeds are rich in magnesium and is a great source of anti-oxidant, by taking this, you can help fighting thyroid ailments.

The seeds look similar to pumpkin seeds but this is little bigger and thicker.

You can use it as it is or in powdered form. It can be had along with dry fruits as a navratan.

Why Sorich Organics?

The company is a 9001:2008 Certified with license from FSSAI which means the end product what you are having in safe apart from being of highest standards in quality. They are available in leading stores apart from being available on Amazon which you can order sitting at your home, conveniently.

The product comes in a sealed, reusable packs and are priced affordably. Each product which has been reviewed above has a shelf life of 1.5 years or 18 months.

 You can also read my reviews on Amazon.