Anti-Brunch - The Little Next Door – Chilled out zone — Reviewed!

Brunches are always fun. Just what you need on a lazy Sunday – late waking up, leisure lunch, time pass with friends. Have been to so many amazing brunches be it Big Brunch at 212 All Day or Farm to Table brunch at Hyatt Regency, but the Anti-brunch at The Little Next Door was totally a unique experience. Anti-Brunch? Yes! The owner Ashutosh Joshi told me about the concept in which he wants people to come, eat, drink, chat, play with their family and spend the most of the time at their restaurant. Come as you are, come with any mood, you will always move out with a happy face. The Little Next Door entertains you with Books, Board Games, Jenga and Foosball every Sunday. Overall a chilled out vibes. What can you expect at Anti-Brunch?

• Eat
• Drink
• Play
• Endless Conversations with friends
• Unwind and relax
• Time with family
• Meet like-minded people

Located in a quiet lane of Kalyani Nagar, as soon as you enter, a small yellow door will transport you to a chic, trendy, contemporary restaurant. The Subtle use of blue and white color gives it a very Mediterranean touch. You will be floored away by the simplicity and quaintness of The Little Next Door. Indoor and Outdoor seating are available. Live Counters for DIY Salads, Eggs to Order, Pancakes, Barbeque, Chargrills, and Pasta. Brunch menu keeps on changing; apart from the live counters, you can order Pizza, Wraps and not forget the whole range of desserts! All this and more at only Rs. 495 + taxes.

After a small tour of the vibrant cafe, I was pretty excited to try the food. The dishes on the menu are inspired by European regions. We started with the fresh salad with the goodness of watermelon balls, pineapple, sprouts, kale leaves, lettuce and vinaigrette dressing.

It was a great start! Nearby salad counter was the fresh pancakes in the making and trust me those were the most fluffy, light, delicious pancakes I had in a long time. You can choose the toppings, I opted for honey and Blueberry compote. Highly Recommended!

I had my pasta three ways, as in all types of sauces. My choice was Penne Pesto. I loved it to the core. It was creamy and prepared with the choice of some exotic ingredients. Do not forget to try the Pesto Pasta.

From the grills, we had Broccoli and Potato Tikki which was delicious, grilled pineapple was charred properly and was my personal favourite. Veg Grills had mushrooms, onions, bell peppers. Very balance taste and grilled to perfection.

Amazing range of desserts can be seen on the indoor counter. Right from Chocolate cake to Red velvet pastry to Strawberry tart and brownies, you will be spoilt for the choices they have to offer.

I am going again there for some amazing food and quality time with my friends and family. Do let me know what are your experiences.

What: Anti-Brunch
Where: The Little Next Door, Kalyani Nagar
When: Every Sunday, 12pm - 6pm.
Cost: Rs. 495 + taxes.

Blogmint – Influencer Marketing Platform

What and why a blog? Blog is an online diary, a platform where you can share your ideas, knowledge, experiences, thoughts to the world. You connect with like-minded people and share your opinions with them.

When we make a blog, we are clueless about what and where to start from. Almost everyone has a blog, be it active or not. Same was my case 8 years back when I wrote my first blog post. I have been asked several times, how to manage a blog. First and most important thing about blogging is you need to be consistent, patient and have increased social activity.

Blog needs social engagements and it is necessary to reach right audience. While browsing, I came across Blogmint which is Asia's First automated platform that connects brands and influencers. Not only brands but also influencers can get benefited by Blogmint. From product launch to brand awareness, it is useful to everyone. And trust me Blogmint is easy..

• Sign-up
• Discover campaigns
• Apply (if eligible, you will be notified)
• Write and Submit Blog
• Get Paid...:)

You can also connect your social media handles with them and increase your exposure. I have been associated with them for really long and I am one happy influencer! What better can it be to write and get paid so what you guys are waiting for. Just make a blog, sign-up on Blogmint and start writing.

Happy Munching – Terra Chips — Reviewed!

I usually like to have small portions of the meal all the day and prefer to grab the munchies in between. Usually, for untimely hunger pangs, we often go for junk like pizza, coke, potato chips etc but what if we get some amazing natural and exotic alternative. Browsing for some choices on Amazon, I found Terra Chips which is a gourmet real exotic vegetable chips with four ranges in India– Mediterranean, Original, Sweet Medley and Blues. It has natural, exotic ingredients which make it guilt-free to eat.

The idea to start Terra was a forward thinking of two chefs in New York. Now the brand is 20+ years old and yes people are loving it. I tried Terra – real vegetable chips – original which had basic sea salt flavor. While Mediterranean have a hint of lemon and herbs, Blues are made with naturally grown blue potatoes. I wanted to try the basic one and the best part is, it has all the goodness of root vegetables like Taro, Sweet Potato, Parsnip, Yuca, Batata, and Ruby dipped veggies (veggies are kissed with beet juice to give the autumn red color). The Ruby dipped chips is the most dramatic and colored.

When you open the packet of ready to eat savory, you will be hooked on to the vibrant colors, flavors, and delectable crunch. What makes it special is the sourcing of unique veggies from a selected group of farmers. The color, the crunch, the flavors make them unique in comparison to other brands. You can much these endlessly and that too guilt-free.

The awesome packet of chips is a mix of root vegetables, canola oil or sunflower oil, sea salt and beet juice. What more can you ask for? The intimate process of crafting the chips remains the same for all varieties. It is Gluten Free and NonGMO. I just couldn’t resist myself and ate half a packet in one go. It is not only good to carry while traveling for gourmet healthy snacking but also a party starter. I also keep them for guests or friends.

Priced at Rs. 385 for 141 gms. Bit steep but it is guiltless snacking after all. You can follow them on Facebook or visit their website or check Big Basket for some amazing ranges.

Maa Ka Laad Food Festival – Courtyard by Marriott, Chakan — Reviewed!

Mother's love is unconditional – its fearless, full of compassion and dedicated towards her family and when it comes to food, nothing can replace home-cooked food by mom. With the fast paced commercial life, eating out has taken more of our time and healthy homely meals are missed somehow. To recreate the magic of 'Maa ke haath ka khana' and revive the lost recipes from remote areas, Courtyard by Marriott, Chakan had come up with the quite unusual food festival, "Maa ka Laad", synonym to Motherly love.

The idea behind starting this food festival was to promote the exotic and gourmet recipes which are forgotten by time. The week long festival saw few moms from different fields who came daily and prepared their special dish for the day and the same was then added as a part of the regular buffet.

I was happy to join them for the 'Maa Ka Laad' food festival and the dish created by one of the maa was Prawns Curry. She had prepared all the basic, raw materials and spices right from the scratch which enhances the flavours. That aroma of freshly used ingredients was easily identified . Chef Jaideep assisted her very happily and the dish was ready in just 15 mins.

The regular buffet was extensive ranging from varieties of salads, regional favourites, ample starters, scrumptious main course and sinful desserts. My personal favourites of the day were Chilli Poppers, Salads, Herb roasted potatoes, Cheesy Au Gratin, Paneer Masala, Shrikhand, Payasam, Bread Pudding to name a few. Overall a fantastic lunch on busy weekdays.

Do not forget to follow their page on Facebook and Instagram for updated festivals or events.

What: Maa Ka Laad Food Festival
Where: MoMo Cafe, Courtyard by Marriott, Chakan
When: 20th March 2017 to 25th March 2017
Cost: Rs. 800+taxes