A lazy Sunday afternoon - Brooklyn Shuffle, Pune

A lazy Sunday morning spent lazing around on the couch, watching Shrek and wondering what to eat for lunch. And before we knew it, we were on our way to Brooklyn Shuffle. You know, a change from the routine, a change of place, change of food, ambiance, mood, everything. Brooklyn's got such a happy feel to it, then why not? J

We reached a little late for lunch (2:45pm) and were surprised to see the place buzzing with people.The staff here is super friendly, and within a minute we had found a perfect corner for the three of us, with cozy blue chairs and a sun-lit table. You know, the perfect Sunday setting. 

We decided to order 3 dishes for the 3 of us, which turned out to be a lot since the place is a little too generous (it’s a GOOD thing) with it’s portions.  This is what we ordered-

1 Fried Chicken Burger

1 Chiken Banh Mi Sub

1 Chicken Mac and Cheese

Along with this, we ordered-

1 Cappuccino

1 Fresh Pineapple juice

1 Coke

Here’s the verdict-

Fried Chicken Burger

10/10 for the presentation. The fries in the bucket, the onion rings on the side, coleslaw, and the humongous burger on a wooden plate. All for you to eat. I was afraid to touch it cos it looked so BEAUTIFUL. The fried chicken patty looked juicy and tempting, the size of the burger was a bit overwhelming, and the quantity of the entire dish, along with its accompaniments, was a lot more than what I had expected.

One bite into the burger, and I was a little disappointed. People love the fried chicken burger here, is what we were told. But maybe I was expecting spices, a little flavor..a little something that seemed to be missing. The coleslaw in the burger ended up making it a little too bland I guess. I had to eat the burger with ketchup to get a strong flavor. I also had to remove the pickles and the coleslaw from the burger to get a strong taste, but it didn’t really work for me. I would suggest they added a little flavor, a little spice, so that it doesn’t taste bland.

Chiken Banh Mi Sub

Once again, 10/10 for the presentation. But again, the taste was a little disappointing. The bread was hard since it was toasted, and it made eating the whole sub a difficult process. The sub had a little tangy flavor cos of the pickles, and the chicken was well cooked, but I could have done with some spice.

Chicken Mac and Cheese

Goes without saying, 10/10 for the presentation. This came accompanied with 2 pieces of bread, and was the best dish on the table. Oh, the cheese and the white sauce- PERFECT. It tasted as good as it looked . Yes, this was bland, but it’s SUPPOSED to be so. It tends to get a little too heavy for the stomach since there’s so much of pasta and cheese to be eaten, but sit around for a couple of hours, and you can finish it off easily. And it’s worth it.

The Cappuccino was brilliant. Light, not too milky, a perfect froth..*sigh*  (Psst- I live for coffee)

The fresh Pineapple juice- MUST TRY IT. Perfect sugar rush, fresh, and TASTY.

Also, you must know that when I say I am a foodie, I mean it. So if you thought I was leaving before having dessert, you were wrong. Yes, after all that, my mother and sister were looking at me as if I had gone nuts, but hey, life’s too short to miss out on dessert!

So I ordered the Apple Crumble Pie. I have eaten this earlier, and have written about it. It was good back in December, and now it seems to have become even better. Yeah, can you  BELIEVE that? It’s warm, the crust tastes like Shrewsbury biscuits (much tastier than the biscuits actually) and the apple inside is warm,sweet, and mixed perfectly well with cinnamon. It is served with one scoop of vanilla ice cream. My sister and mother, who claimed to be too full to eat more, had half of the pie together. (OMG, this is SO yum, how do I stop? :/) Well yeah, the dessert made up for the disappointment with the burger and the sub earlier.

I’ll be coming back. This time for coffee, the pie, and some writing (the place has a quiet space outside where you can sit at a table quietly and read/write, lost in your own world)

Happy Eating!

Djuma Soundsystem at Vivanta by Taj Blue Diamond, Pune.

It’s not every day that you waltz into the suite of an international DJ to take his interview. What was supposed to be a formal interview ended up being a friendly chit-chat over pizza and <healthy> drinks.  We entered the suite and found him lounging around in shorts and a t-shirt, talking to his entourage about lack of sleep and wondering how much time would the interview take. I assured him I won’t take more than 10 minutes (and well, I did not), and quickly proceeded with my questions.

I tend to do a whole lot of background study before I take something up.  So I had already read a couple of interviews of Dj Mikkas, and had found out that he lived in Denmark, and had no musical background. His favorite places to perform are Berlin, and in India he loves the scenes at Goa, Gurgaon,Pune and Bangalore. He finds India a very tough country to please; he enjoys his music and feels as long as his enthusiasm is alive, he does not need to think about competition. And there is no particular type of music he plays, it depends on what the crowd likes, the mood, the atmosphere, everything.

Knowing all the important stuff, I thought I’d get a little casual. It did surprise him a little bit. “Oh, casual…like, what’s my favorite color?”

“You read my mind..that’s exactly what I was going to ask you! So, what is your favorite color? J”

Mikkas <laughs>- Ah well….Black. Black is my favorite color.

This was how the “interaction” started, and by the end of it, we were happily instagramming pictures with each other. Sweet and humble beginnings. 

Me- Where are you from?

Mikkas- I live in Copenhagen, but I am originally from Norway.

Me- How was your childhood like?

Mikkas- Cold. I remember, when we were further north for the first 7 years, the sun wouldn’t set at night.(Midnight Sunset) And it was COLD.

Me- Oh yeah, I know about this. My folks were there for quite some time. Fascinating. 

So, how were you like, as a boy?

Mikkas- oohh *thinking* Um, pretty regular, you know. Just the average school boy I guess. Not much of a loner, no, but I remember I would go for walks alone, thinking about different beats in my head. There was music in my head, lots of it. I started deejaying when I was 14. Yeah, that young.

Me- Why music?

Mikkas- There was so much music in my head, I had to do something about it! I saw it (still do) as a form of expression. I was a movie maker, had my own TV production, but music was what I was meant to be doing.

Me- If not music, what would you be doing?

Mikkas- Ah well, I think I would have been a movie director.

Me- So…why India?

Mikkas- Why not? J It’s difficult to please the audience here, and I love the challenge.  It’s a pain, trying to plan and co-ordinate things here, but once you LAND here, this place opens up a whole lot of opportunities for you! Things magically fall into place once you get here J

Me- How’s it been so far?

Mikkas- Warm. So warm. Back where I come from, it’s freezing cold. This feels nice.

Me- How’s it different, coming here as a tourist, and coming here on business?

Mikkas- I still feel like a tourist. I came to India 20 years ago, as a tourist. I don’t think anything has changed about it.

Me- So, where do you plan to go next, after Pune?

Mikkas- Bangalore.

Me- How was Delhi?

Mikkas- Honestly speaking, I didn’t think it was successful. The crowd comprised of mostly the hotel guests, and the average age was what..60? :/ But hey! I made them dance!!! There was a 60 year old couple going nuts on the dance floor!

We performed at another club, where yes, they had a younger crowd, almost 200-300 of them, but people were rowdy!

Me- So, what should we expect tonight?

Mikkas- ah well, let’s see. I play what the crowd wants. I start with my slow tracks, but I have noticed Indians prefer the loud, pumped up beats. So I will gradually move on to that later. I don’t force my music, I want people to feel comfortable.

Me- Last one! What’s your favorite food here? J

Mikkas- Oh, food! Um, I like the fish curry in Goa, and the breakfasts. I like Dosas!!

And on that hungry note, we concluded the interview, and headed down to the pool side for some coffee and snacks.

At the table, we ended up discussing random things, like party hopping in Goa, Goa trance parties, hitchhiking, the brilliant hospitality at the hotels, the view from the room,the works. Mikkas is a humble guy, who smiles at everyone, orders his beet root and carrot juice, sips on it quietly while instagramming pictures, and is a very very good listener. He is an international music artiste, but on a personal level, he is just one of us. And his entourage had so many interesting stories to tell us (we discussed mobile phones, telephones back in the 90s,vegetable shopping, and typical Indian bringing up at lengths) that we didn’t realize it had been 2 hours already.  I even forgot to complain about my Oreo Shake being too milky (I had expected chocolate!)

We were back at Vivanta at 7:15pm, where the opening DJ had just started spinning out his tunes. The energy was kicking in, and it felt positive. We found a table at the back, and started gossiping like little girls having met after so long (Girls. There’s so much to discuss) The place filled up by 8:30pm, Mikkas had just started his act, and was playing soothing beats. After a certain while, we couldn’t help but join the guys in the front- the music was energetic, the pulse was loud, the lights and beats were perfectly synchronized, the atmosphere was trippy, and the crowd was getting into the flow of things. Mikkas himself was energetically jumping around, moving along to the beats- one would never think the man up there had got only 4 hours of sleep the previous night. The passion was seen, right there.

And the night was GOOD. This is the kind of music that gets you high and moving, without any alcohol. Yeah, that good. Never saw a dull moment or a drop in the energy levels till the end. By the end of it, a little girl (she was 4) was dancing along to Mikkas’ music. Brilliant energy, a whole lot of passion, and it was all reflected in the music. A brilliant night, after ages! Haven’t seen this scene around in Pune, no I haven’t.

Honestly, I would love it if he came here again. The only down side to the event was the food. There were 2 options available in both veg and non veg, and a little too over-priced. But I doubt that mattered to anyone, almost EVERYONE was on the floor, dancing.

So yeah, I made new friends, experienced new music, and once again gained new insights into a completely new industry. It was a good exposure, and I know for sure, there will be more to come.

Chung Fa, Pune - A Review

6 days- 2 reviews, 5 articles and 1 movie shoot. A hectic week was followed by a lazy (and hungry) weekend.  While everyone was getting dressed for a night of drunken revelry, I lazed around in my pajamas in front of the TV, on my couch, contemplating the various ordering in options available. After 45min of struggling with the voices in my head, I decided to try out Chinese food. And not just any Chinesefood , mind you- food that I can devour with such enthusiasm, that I’d make Adam Richman trying to eat a cheeseburger with 20 patties(Man Vs Food, for those who don’t know) look civilized compared to me. 

Hence, Chung Fa. It’s 6km away from home, I need to pay a 100 bucks extra for delivery, but WHO CARES. When there’s good food to be had, money is just another number.

I have a standard dinner order here-

Veg Hakka Noodles

Chicken Chilly (dry)

Chicken Manchurian (dry)

I have eaten the Beef Chilly and Chicken Fried Rice too, and loved it. That’s the standard lunch order J

Here’s the verdict-

Veg Hakka Noodles

This is by far the best noodles I have ever eaten, and that’s saying something. The quantity is generous. Super generous even! And the quantity of vegetables they add- pretty amazing to see how nothing has changed over the last 20 years that I have been eating here. The noodles are thin, the oil in which they are made does not taste stale, the vegetables feel fresh and crunchy.

In fact, do not add the garlic sauce to the noodles for extra flavor, the flavor of the noodles is  good enough.

Chilly Chicken

I usually order the dry one ‘cos I have this irrational reasoning (which might be true) that there is more flavor in the dry dishes, since corn flour and water dilutes it a little bit in the gravies. 

The quantity, once again, is generous. The chicken is well cooked. The corn flour doesn’t stick to the pieces, nor does it fall off (food which is falling apart is quite a turn off, you know) The chicken is fresh too (stale chicken tends to give a characteristic after taste) And it’s unlike the chilly chicken you have at other places- you won’t see capsicum and chilies, but the spring onions,garlic, and sauces get it absolutely spot on. I prefer the chilly chicken here compared to the ones at any other place. Try this. 

Chicken Manchurian

A little sweet, this one comes with tomatoes and capsicum. I repeat- generous quantity, well cooked chicken pieces, and good presentation. This time though, there were too many tomatoes and a little extra oil in the dish. Once again, the preparation is quite different as compared to what you get at other places, so I guarantee you  will enjoy this.  Do give it a try, and decide for yourself.

The night ended on a very very VERY happy note. Mean girls, good food, the couch, and I. I live for these weekends.

Do go try out the food here- if you are not comfortable with the place, you can always order in. The place is small, a little dingy, but neat. Have seen a wide variety of crowd there, but I personally prefer ordering in (because a-too lazy, and b- good food must not always be eaten in a civilized manner. I prefer being a little un-lady like at home )

Do check it out and share your feedback!

#100Happy Days- The Happiness Challenge

This is a wonderful concept, I personally believe. Haven't found many who'd agree with me, but I ain't doing this for them. 

Before I go ahead with this, I'd like you to take out 5 minutes to check out the website:

100happydays.com

Hopefully this means that people will now KNOW the concept, and probably understand the reason why some of us might want to follow it.

It's very easy to be sad in life, extremely easy. Things like not getting your morning coffee can spoil your day. Have you ever stopped to think about how many of these little things have we taken for granted? This challenge is taking me there, one day at a time. Days when I feel nothing has made me happy, I realize we take the word "happy" for granted. We only acknowledge "ecstasy". So yes, my pedicured feet and cup of nesquik have made me happy, and I shall instagram them!

I usually instagram pictures at the end of the day. If in case I do not have any pictures., I do make sure I tweet. End of the day works for me since it gives me time to reflect on all that has happened that day. It sounds cliched, but it does make me realize the importance of the little things that I've taken for granted in life. 

Anyway, here's my journey so far...follow me, and try doing it too. It takes a little time to get used to, but you see the effects soon. 

(The Challenge was accepted on 2 Jan 2014)

Day 1- Nesquik and emails. Comfort zone ^_^

Day 2- An impromptu plan to eat out, and BOY was it good! Tandoori Chicken is very very very under-rated. 

 Waking up to check my phone, only to see that smile. *sigh*
Butterflies in tummy is how each day starts, this can't be restricted to 100 only.  

Day 3- Dad's birthday :)

After a tiring 4 hours at the mall (NEVER shop during sale season, spending 2k extra is WORTH it)
and picking up one lipstick (must control urge to pick up pretty colored expensive lipsticks) and listening to
the younger sister complain about life, in general.  Sister's day out- Day 4.

Day 5 - Another random plan to fulfill butter chicken and appam cravings.

Day 6- Finally remembered his birthday this year. What started off as a quiet dinner turned into a chaotic (yet fun) night. Also, this is the first time I landed up at a house party absolutely un-invited, only to have the whole world I usually try avoiding present there. Highlight of the night- me being the only sober one around (I don't drink), it was fun seeing people surprised by my ability to have fun with people I openly hate, especially when I hadn't even had a sip of alcohol to drink.
High five to me. 

Rambling on about life's little problems, only to see her doze off. She's forgiven, cos she's cute.
Day 7 with le sister.

Day8 - After downloading the NBA 2K14 twice, visiting the post office once, burning the game onto DVDs twice, buying a completely new game, testing it, and finally sending it to le boyfriend. What started off as an annoying task ended up making me feel very um...awww. Cos I'd not do it for anyone, duh. 

Day 9- found a lot of stuff while cleaning my room. This is an airport ticket from 5 June 2013.
Nothing can make me forget the hug and the tears that flowed during that extremely painful goodbye. I choke up looking at it. But yes, it makes me happy. 

Day 10- Successfully managed to pick up things I didn't need. 

Day 11- Nesquik, Pulp Fiction, and Sundays. 

Day 12- Gossiping with le sister. And a little bit of nostalgia. 

Day 13- Food review! Didn't know it at this time, but it's helped me become a biggie in the food bloggers circle in Pune! 

 Day 14- I decided to explore a little more. And I'm happy to say that I'm now learning how to interpret artwork. It's very very interesting. Changes perspective, you know.

Day 15- won them on Twitter. No one can possibly be unhappy around chocolates. 

Day 16- Met these boys after 2 weeks, and it felt like forever. There are a few people you meet who end up being a part of you. These are a few of my peeps. 

Day 17- A day that starts at 3:00pm, followed by coffee and carrot cake, and ends with biryani from Blue Nile. 

Day 17. 

Day 18- Yes, I'm still too excited to put this into words. Review of the Fat Cat's Cafe. And people LOVED it. I'm glad I could share this experience with them ^_^

Day 19- dinner with my peeps! A "Pulp-Fiction" mood followed by complete madness. Also ended up reviewing the place (Mad House Grill) 

Day 19. 

Day 20 - Brain storming session with le sister. My skills had left me impressed. 

 Day 21- my blog post went viral. The post was regarding the defamation of the Indian Army done by the music artiste Delhi Sultanate. I received messages from all over the country, thanking me for standing up for them and not being intimidated by the "bullies" I hadn't expected the post to get that big, but it was overwhelming, nonetheless.

Day 22- friend from the US came down for a visit. What started with dinner and drinks (also got a few free flaming shots from the manager *tee hee*) ended at 2:00am after an eventful night of dancing. Also ended up bumping into people from Mumbai who seemed to recognize me from Twitter, and were in Pune for a few shows. Ah well, felt good :)

Day 23- Was invited for a food review to Taj. Made a whole lot of contacts, and yes, the review was loved by many.
Once again, I was overwhelmed. 

Day 24- Networking. It's important.

Day 25- Kick-started the day with the Republic Day parade on TV. So PROUD of the country and it's defense forces ^_^

Day 26- It finally struck me that maybe it was time I made a few long term decisions. A whole lot of contemplation, lots of mood swings later- I know I am ready. And a little more determined than what I ever was. A new me. Feels good.

 Day 27- 19 hours of non-stop shooting (YES, I BAGGED A *tiny* ROLE IN A MOVIE!!!) Made a whole lot of new and extremely interesting friends. Cant' wait to get my hands on the photographs that were clicked that day.
And suddenly I don't see movies the same way anymore. What we see is MAGIC. What goes behind all the magic is um..organized chaos. 5 takes for one angle, you kidding me? But the difference is seen on screen. Daniel (who has a special nick-name for everyone and calls me sassy) very casually said "we don't know what we are doing, all that we know is we need to do our best. It's automatically transferred on to the screen"


 Oh also, I am apparently not camera conscious! So much happiness!!! Plus the director is a humble and friendly human being, and I know I've made a nice friend ^_^

Day 28- Pedicures make me happy. 

Day 29- Won these on Zomato. Awesome, I know right?

Day 30-

Resisted the temptation to eat something at Fat Cat's Cafe while I sat there for 30 min. I am SO PROUD of my will power right now, I am going to reward myself with an entire cake tomorrow. 

Yeah.

Day 31-

People are selfish, sadistic, and at times extremely ruthless. No one is going to save you, you are in this all alone. If you want to fight, be prepared- NO ONE is going to support you though your struggle.

I don't get angry easily. Yes, it is very easy to tick me off, but anger is something I'd experience once in 6 months. But when I am angry, God save you. No, I will not throw things at you, I will not yell at you, I won't even FIGHT sometimes.Oh, you won't even know I am angry!Anyway point is, when furious, I tend to go mad internally.

So I'm sorry, my patience has been tested. I'm livid, so livid that I can't get myself to EAT. Or SLEEP. I'm going to try and remove the frustration on the treadmill and in the pool. No one can make me feel so UNWANTED and get away with it. Just because I don't want to fight doesn't mean I don't understand what's happening. Why am I making others sound like evil villains? Because they haven't given me a reason to feel otherwise.


What's happy about this day? Well, there's hope. And that some day, the goodness will be returned to me.
What goes around comes around- Karma.


Also, the emotion of hate can only be reserved for someone you love very dearly. When I love, I love.




Day 32- Got a mention in DNA-Pune for going ahead with this challenge. Aww well, I feel famous ^_^

Day 33- Dad's classmate from down to meet him from Australia. Seeing his excitement on meeting a friend after 30 years was more than enough to get us happy high on life. A night full of reminiscing, wine, and oooh, gifts from Australia!! Hello CHOCOLATES!

Day 34- Writing. Writing makes me happy. Wrote a review for Chung Fa, Pune. Well, I write about food only because I want people to share my good experiences with people, and not cos I am getting free food, you know. And the food at Chung Fa is really good! It's sad that so many haven't eaten here. Hence, the review.

Day 35- Got my first real break as a lifestyle blogger. A couple of newspapers have now given me projects, and yes, I have been working on them. It's great news, and yes, I am overjoyed.


Day 36- Another review. Another story. Another mood. Read- nostalgia.

Day 37- Picked up BEAUTIFUL earrings (must stop myself from buying things on pure impulse) Anyway, I also got a free red velvet pastry at my FAVORITE coffee place in Pune, The Fat Cat's Cafe. Oh God bless them, that's all that I can manage to say. #droolmax

Day 38-  An interview of an International DJ. An event to write about. Another surprise invitation to a launch party. Free dark chocolate. Oh this day was EXCELLENT! (Even though friends did cancel out on plans without bothering to inform me beforehand, or coordinating with me to begin with, especially when I had worked out my schedule according to them. *sigh* Shit happens.)

Day 39- It started off on a bad note. Depressing even. Ok I have my days when I absolutely MISS my boyfriend, a little too much for my own good. There is so much to talk about, and all I'd want is to spend some time with him. Ah well, karma. My patience and love shall one day pay off I guess. Anyway, what started off on a depressing note slowly spiraled downwards into self pity and rage. And then I just decided to take my mum and sister out for a chill scene lunch. There's a diner in town- The Brooklyn Shuffle. Not my kinda food, but the mood was such. They had a great time, I personally didn't enjoy much, but well, the evening ended on a good note.
Family. Friends. Love. We take too much for granted.

Day 40- A Monday morning that started at 5:00am (I had a movie shoot at 7, and it was 10 degrees here in the morning, and I FROZE) The shoot went off well, I got back home, caught up on some sleep, and spent the whole evening eating street food cos well, it's  project I have taken up. So right now, I am running a temperature, eating maggi, getting work done, and LOVING it. Writing gives me a high. Working hard, so that I don't have time to think about other depressing stuff (like how I miss him and REALLY need to meet him soon and God to give us SOME SUPPORT cos otherwise He is being super sucky) feels liberating. You know what I mean? :)

Day 41- WRITING. Most of the days, wriitng has made me happy. That's ONE thing I've learnt through this exercise. So yeah, not bad eh? This time I wrote a review for Brooklyn Shuffle (again)

Day 42- #TastyThirty is a brilliant initiative taken by a couple of students who are just passing out from SIMC PG. They wish to promote the top 30 street food joints in Pune. They asked me to help them out with a few places, and I was more than happy to accept the invitation. We visited street food jionts all over MG Road, and I can't wait to go ahead with the second phase of this project. I also wrote about this on the blog. Here's the link-

http://everyshadeofrandom.blogspot.in/2014/02/street-food-pune.html

Day 43- Magnum chocolates has launched in the Indian market, and Pune was one of the few cities that was selected for a launch event. I've covered it in the link given below, do have a look-

http://everyshadeofrandom.blogspot.in/2014/02/mother-of-god-chocolate.html

Day 44- Valentine's Day. Ignoring past hang ups, I decided to be in love today. And there's nothing happier than the feeling of being in love, and fighting for it.

Day 45- This day was about me, myself and I. Cos no one is on their way to save you. Sounds depressing, but once you learn to accept this fact, it's a confidence booster. So yes, for me, this was a day about being my aggressive self. It felt nice, after very very long.
Oh yes, I also wrote :)



Day 46- Brunch. Whites and pinks and the girls and mocktails. I love brunches!! ^_^

Day 47- FINALLY managed to watch Hasee Toh Phasee. If you haven't seen it yet, I suggest you go ahead and do so now. It's the cutest and most refreshing thing you will come across in recent Hindi cinema.


Day 48- An article that I had written in the vaguest of moods(with absolutely no intent of having it published anywhere) gets published on THOUGHT CATALOG. Yes, guilty pleasure, I was caught, and well, excited as well as paranoid. Excited cos it's not everyday that your article gets global recognition. And paranoid because I had NO CLUE what I had written (I am moody that way) plus was sure I could have done a much better job.
As I found out hours after it being published, I had made a goof up in the opening line, which did turn off quite a few people. Well, I do accept my mistake, plus I hadn't even edited the draft I sent to TC, and yes, I must have been high on God alone knows what to have sent it in the first place.
Anyway, peace out women. Peace out.

Also, gossiping with the girls over coffee and cake can't ever be disappointing ^-^









Day 49- I need 50 hours in a day to get through stuff like this. Gym. Work. Brainstorming sessions. Gossiping with the girls. CAKE.Writing. Reviewing. The day started at 6:30am, ended at 1:00am (only to be repeated the next day) But hey guess what, this is FUN. There is so much to do, there is so much to leanr..it's EXCITING.

Day 50- I am halfway through!! This makes me happy to a certain extent, yes it does. Plus a long long day (it's 11:45pm, and I can't see myself going to bed before 1:00am) filled with a whole lot of KICKASS work, meetings, coffee, conversations, and writing. Plus the boyfriend got internet signal for a while, so yes, chatting with him has got me a little high on life again :)