Summer Menu at Olive Bar and Kitchen, Mehrauli

One of the most reputed names in Delhi NCR, Olive Bar and Kitchen, Mehrauli, better known as Olive Qutub, has created waves among the food enthusiasts, serving exquisite Italian, European and Mediterranean cuisine. Set in a large, sprawling haveli in Mehrauli, the ambience of Olive Qutub is perfect for romantic dates with its calm and serene al fresco seating .

We were invited to try out their new and exhaustive new summer menu which Chef Sujan Sarkar had carefully prepared. He had left no stone unturned and made sure that we had the most wonderful time as we tasted delicate yet delicious dishes which made use of rare ingredients such as goat cheese, endive, salsify, baby gem lettuce and green apple.

First up in the starters was the Home Cured Salmon served with compressed apple. The dish was topped with cucumber and green apple water which were made from the respective fruit extracts but didn't really help in bringing in any new flavour to the dish. However, the intention behind the idea was novel; curing often gives a distinct flavour which is not liked by all, topping it with cucumber and green apple water would enhance the taste of such dishes.

Home Cured Salmon in Cucumber and Green Apple Water

Delhi High

Guest Post by : Nikhil Chawla

Punjabi by birth and nature, Nikhil is the founder of one of the biggest facebook blogs in Delhi NCR, Hmm. He has been a foodie since birth as food was a big part of his family's get-together. Though he has been both a non-vegetarian for some part of his life and vegetarian for the other, he believes that the former one explores fewer things in their eating habits because it's a mindset of not eating vegetarian food outside your home. By day, Nikhil is into corporate leasing with MNC and food blogging is what helps him keep sane.

The drinking culture in Delhi NCR is a bit biased towards the Gurgaon side with major breweries and pubs opening there to cater to the youth. With the recent boom in the number of companies in Gurgaon, there has been a huge migration of working class people which has caused for the major restaurants and food chains to shift towards the Haryana side of the NCR region. There are many liquor shops in Gurgaon which serves varied priced alcohol from Rs. 35/- a pint to a Rs. 4 lac a bottle. All these air-conditioned shops have a drinking place, some of which have a nicely done décor.

Toofani at Dhaba by Claridges

Pizza Party at Pizza Corner, Hyderabad

With multiple pizza joints coming up in the twin cities, it is really hard to choose from the closely competing brands. Then comes an invite from Media Moments Insight for a “Pizza Party” at Pizza Corner. The #pizzacornerparty was exclusively for bloggers at their Gachibowli outlet.

The Pizza Corner outlet at Gachibowli

Quesa Lounge, Noida

Originally located in Sector 51, Noida, Quesa Lounge has moved to Sector 18, Noida, one of the biggest eating hubs in the city. The look and feel of the restaurant too has increased considerably with the renovation.

The old gramophone really brings in a touch of royalty in the restaurant's decor.

The Lounge is two-floored and neatly decorated with a regal setting. There are gramophones, old telephones and bulbs in cut wine bottles hanging from the ceiling as a part of the design. On every table there is a small bowl with flickering lights which adds to the ambience. Like any lounge, the music at Quesa is loud and they generally play English songs with a touch of electro and trance. Their menu card is neatly designed and looks as if it was hand-written.

Maama Chicken – Mobile barbecue carts in Hyderabad

Guest Post by : Vishnu Kompella

Vishnu is well known in the local foodie circles in Hyderabad as a person who has vast knowledge of street food in Hyderabad. He is one of the top reviewers of Zomato for Hyderabad, and a regular participant in the various food meets organized by the foodie clubs here.

The idea of a barbecue station is to cook meat relatively quickly using the direct heat imparted by a charcoal based fire. Like any other city, Hyderabad too has many restaurants which offer live grills on the table but the high demand for barbecued dishes has made these items very expensive and not affordable for daily dining.

The Grill