The Three Bloggers

Everybody has people they look up to and admire. I too have a few people who I consider an inspiration for my blog, below are three brilliant food bloggers of Mumbai sharing their experience of blogging and giving their advise to upcoming bloggers.

 

1)  Nikhil Merchant - A food writer, gourmet consultant and blogger. He strives to marry the varied flavors of food with the myriad moods of life.

What inspired you to start a food blog?

A friend, Nikita Modi, now my colleague for the blog (all the photography is done by her), who came down from Paris after her advanced photography course urged me to cook up some fine dishes for shooting. She suggested to start a food blog so I could use those images too and put up recipes. At that time I was already writing a column for DNA Mumbai on food and thought why not start off with my own platform to showcase my work. Hence Nonchalant Gourmand was born. This was about 3 years ago.

Personal advise about food blogging to new bloggers?

Be honest, speak your mind and remember the pen is mightier than a sword. Criticism comes very easily to us and it can have deeper implications when talking about someone or something, so think before you write and publish. If you have something negative to say, say it to the person in context and see where it goes from there (especially when reviewing places / foods / cuisines), everyone has a perspective you cannot enforce yours, only educate. 

Reason behind your blog name?

I believe food should be stress free and laid back. I don't follow rules while cooking and do not depend on books and largely depend on inspirations which I come across in life. Hence I am quite "Nonchalant" about the fact that the kitchen is my relaxing zone (much like a holiday area, akin to a beach or poolside) and being a cook (not professional) the Nonchalant Gourmand is a reflection of what I am all about. 

 

Favorite Cuisines?

Asian and New Age (not fusion). New Age is more on the creations of a particular chef in question. What he brings to the table, how he interprets a particular dish etc. This excites me and that's what I incorporate in my dishes too.  

Top 5 Favorite Restaurants in Mumbai?

Yauatcha, Koh - Intercontinental, Dum Pukht - ITC Maratha, San Qi - Four Seasons,  Botticino - Trident BKC

The one place you love traveling 2 just for the FOOD?
 

Interiors of India. All these small little towns and villager/forest type live cooking. It opens up so many horizons and flavors 

The best compliment you've got for your blog?

 

 

Someone came up to me at a newly opened restaurant (not in my town) I was eating at and said to me they knew they would find me here considering I "always" surround myself with good food. It was a coincidence but the fact that they thought of me when they stepped in the restaurant was compliment enough that I can assume there are readers all over. Food is a universal language and you will find that the food world in general is very small and packed with food lovers. So as long as there are food lovers out there who live to eat as much as read, I think I will keep writing. 

The one food blog you love reading?

 
I like www.finelychopped.com writing, he is extremely honest and to the point. I don't read reviews in general (or food blogs only for recipes) but if there is a restaurant finelychopped is talking about I make it a point to read to understand its core. 

The restaurant you consider your find?

I don't usually review, but yes I do discover new places. I found Botticino, Trident BKC to be extremely understated and not known by many people. I personally had an opportunity to discover the place and have an interaction with the chef who runs the Italian place and he's brimming with talent as well as his creations are true masterpieces. It still is noted by most in-house guests but every single person I recommend it to, they come out fully satisfied.

  Follow him on Twitter & Nonchalant Gourmand

 

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2)  Gaurav Jain - He writes and produces animated content for film, television and web out of his studio in Bombay. Over the years he has developed a fascination for food which plays itself out on his blog                                                                      

                                                                   What inspired you to start a food blog? 

I was working on the script for my first animated feature and i would look for ways to distract myself. Since i ate out often and after a rather mediocre but expensive meal i figured why not write about it and warn others.

In those days there were no review sites. So the blog was born out of a little boredom and a lot of frustration. 

Personal advise about food blogging to new bloggers?

  

Write, edit, re-write. Write often. Discover your voice. Your 100th post should be different from your 10th which in turn should be different from you 1st and it signifies growth.

  

A picture is indeed worth a 1000 words.    

 
 
 
Reason behind your blog name?

  

It was simple and to the point. i also wanted to use Bombay in the to flip off the name change brigade.  

Favorite Cuisines?

Keeps changing but Thai, Mezze, Mediterranean, Tam-Bram, Dum 

  

 Top 5 Favorite Restaurants in Mumbai?

 
Thai Pavilion, Swati Snacks, Indigo Deli, Ramanayak and Crystal

  

The one place you love traveling 2 just for the FOOD?

  

New York for sheer number of options but have been going to London a lot more and that city has some of the best restaurants of any place i have been. 

The best compliment you've got for your blog?

Not strictly a compliment but it was funny when different sets of friends chose restaurants for dinners with the wife and i based on the blog not knowing i was the one writing.

 The one food blog you love reading?

 I like reading about people's dining experiences rather than recipes so it has to be Anorexic Hog :) ,Tiny Taster, Big Bhookad, Food Chants, and Mumbai Boss (though not strictly a blog) london's review of  sandwiches. And yes i know its more than one but i am a cheater. 

  

The restaurant you consider your find?

Not my find per se but The Sun at Napean Sea Road is a hidden gem which i consider makes some of the best North Indian food anywhere. Been going there since i was 9 and it still has not changed in terms of taste. I have pushed it on to people who have found it to be amazing as well. I also drag folks to Crystal as much as I can and I have never gotten a bad reaction.

 

 Follow him on Twitter & Eating Out In Bombay

 

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3) Ashrita - She is a Commercial Pilot by profession. When she is not dreaming about airplanes, she loves to travel, cook and learn new things about different cultures. 

 

 

What inspired you to start a food blog?

 

The food blog was started as dear hope in times of distress, when I didn't know how to cook all that well and wanted to keep a journal of everything I was experimenting with in my kitchen. Never imagined it to reach where it has reached :)

 

Personal advise about food blogging to new bloggers?

My advice would be to keep it real. Very often we have someone we look up to in the world of blogging, and while its great inspiration, one does have to carve their niche and be original to get noticed and appreciated. 

 

 

Reason behind your blog name?

The blog name Caramel Wings was a brainchild of me and a close friend of mine who persuaded me to start a blog. Caramel for my love of all things sweet and Wings for of course, my love for flight.

 

 

Favorite Cuisines?

I am not too fussy when it comes to cuisines but I love Italian and Mexican fare. Pan Asian and Middle Eastern to follow. But nothing beats Mom ke haaton ki Fish Curry with Rice!
 

Top 5 Favorite Restaurants in Mumbai?

As much as I eat out at many expensive places, my favorites remain a mixture of everything between Street Food and something more polished. My favorite restaurants are : Jai Ambika Dosa Center, Indigo Deli, Trikaya at Seven Bunglows Versova, Veda at Palladium and Smoke House Deli.

The one place you love traveling 2 just for the FOOD?

That has got to be New Delhi!

The best compliment you've got for your blog?

Someone once commented on my blog saying that reading my blog made them happy. I don't think there is any better compliment for anyone who writes.

The one food blog you love reading?
 

MyJhola.in by Saee Koranne-Khandekar.

The restaurant you consider your find?
 

I have yet to come across a restaurant like that. But I have had my moments with dishes, like the Pizza Dosa at Jai Ambika Dosa Center, the Crispy Spinach Chicken at Fire Bowl Oshiwara, Chicken Wings Chili from Shalimar (Bhindi Bazaar/Apna Bazaar) and the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Fondue at Out Of The Blue, Bandra/Powai.

 Follow her on Twitter & Caramel Wings

Friday Friday, gotta get down on Friday.

Okay I’m most likely not going to have anyone reading this post thanks to my obnoxious post title, but what the heck.

Last Saturday we kept shifting from Citrus to Jughead’s at Veera Desai back and forth and finally landed up at Thank God It’s Friday – Infiniti Mall (Andheri)

So a friend and I decided to grab a light meal at TGIF and thought of skipping appetizers and calling directly for a main course each. We looked through their wide selection of food on their menu cards and honestly were rather confused as almost everything sounded fancy. After much pondering, we ended up ordering for a Sizzling Chicken and Cheese and the Chicken Chimichanga.

There was also a football match that my friend wanted to watch so we requested them to change the channel on their TV, instead they rolled down their big screen and put on the match for us, so much win J

Coming back to the food, the Sizzling Chicken and Cheese was like a dream dish for a cheese lover like me. However this isn't advisable for someone looking to lose weight. This is basically a garlic marinated chicken breast over melted Colby and Jack cheese served alongside their special melted cheese mashed potatoes. The chicken was very well cooked and had the right amount of flavor in it. This turned out to be an absolute treat.

Moving on to our next dish, that is the Chicken Chimichanga, this is a flour tortilla filled with diced chicken breast, green chilies and cheese. It is topped with Ranchero sauce and melted Monterrey Jack and Colby cheese. It is served with sour cream, black lentils and rice. Just by reading the description, we were all excited and so we were really looking forward to this and thankfully this did not disappoint us either. Similar to the Sizzling Chicken and Cheese, even this was an overload of cheese, not as much but quite a bit. The tortillas were crispy and the chicken was slightly spicy which was in its favor. The rice on the under hand was slightly bland, but we chose to ignore that since we were overwhelmed with what we had already. Also we were really full, thanks to their good quantity.

By now it’s not hard to judge that we loved the food, but apart from that we also loved how friendly the staff here was and their DJ who played really good music while we enjoyed our meal.

The ambiance of the place is also quite good, it’s fun and young. They have a separate bar area too.

However the prices are tad bit expensive. We spent almost Rs. 1200 (Inclusive of Tax) for these two dishes.

Lastly we also were asked to fill some online feedback form which would avail us to a Rs.500 off on our next visit in the same month, but sadly I misplaced the coupon L

Overall it was a great experience, shall visit the place soon to try out their other interesting dishes.

P.S They have a superb dinner deal/offer you can read about in the below image. Photo courtesy – Zomato

If you like my blog and want to keep in touch with me and know my daily food updates, follow me on twitter - https://twitter.com/tamannaW

Location - 2nd Floor, Infiniti Mall, New Link Road,
Andheri Lokhandwala, Mumbai

Contact Number - 022 30932030 ext:224