Ladleful of Spices: April 2016

Why do they call it anti buffet? A question that made a nest in my mind the moment I got an invitation to attend a bloggers' table at Mamagoto. Nobody was willing to tell me about it, the only answer I got "be there to know what it is!"

I realized it was a good spread of dishes and a live counter behind almost every dish. You choose a dish and they will customize it or rather cook on counter for you and serve it on your table. You practically do not need to get up from your table!

While everyone was getting seated, I went around to have a peek at the dishes on display. The most noticeable counter was the desserts counter. A very enticing array of desserts that included fresh fruits, cup cakes and a few Asian ones. And then the humongous ensemble for Khow Suey caught my eyes! Whattay lovely presentation! When it was served, I realized the taste had exceeded presentation. An absolutely balanced mix of lentil paste and coconut milk as a base that perfectly matched the add-on condiments.

What followed next was the Teppanyaki, not exactly cooked in front of us but brought from one of those live counters.I had expected a bit more 'saucy' tepppanyaki but it was very dry. Never mind. Then after it, there was a never ending train of dishes, both veg and non-veg from the menu for the day. Rather than saying this individually for each dish, I can sum up all in a single statement - they were very delectable, and more importantly the chefs stuck to the original recipes for the dishes. I have always liked the consistency of dishes at Mamagoto, and it has kind of become a routine. If I were to choose which was the star of that day, it definitely would be the khow suey, and ofcourse I cannot let go of my greed, so I choose a 2nd best - Thai green curry!

The anti-buffet is priced at Rs 660/- AI and is available only from Monday to Friday for lunch. A few pictures from the buffet!

Assorted Desserts Counter

Accompaniments for Khow suey

Khow Suey

Did I ever mention that I am a 'jabra fan'of the knight in shining red? Coca Cola is what I am referring to. And that is what I almost always have if ever I opt for a fizzy drink. You might be wondering I would to brand it as a 'knight', but if you read below, you sure will know why!

Very few of us, particularly belonging to the 80s generation, know that Coca Cola has had a rebirth in India. Coca Cola had exited India in the late 70s, and during my childhood, I would hear a few elders say "nothing like Coca Cola". Having grown up with Thumps Up, Citra, GoldSpot and Limca - Coca Cola always sounded like a myth, until around 1993-94, when it came back to India. Like a knight, it had to fight off a really strong local market and consumer popularity of existing brands. So basically, the 80s generation got introduced to it in the late 90s, but Thums Up remained by far the most popular(or rather blind) choice for us. But sooner than later, the dashing red colored logo enticed engulfed many, including me! The phoenix had risen in India!

Present day - Coca Cola, has tie-ups and myriad offers running up in the market to woo its customers. But what definitely is unique, Coca Cola partnering with the famous Ohri's group of hotels to open an experience zone for diners - A restaurant with the culinary expertise of Ohri's group and a range of beverages, drinks, mock-tails, all made from Coca Cola products! Ohri's Coca Cola Happiness World is the name, and I'm sure a Coca Cola fan will not be disappointed!

The occasion was a bloggers' table and it indeed was a surprise to see an invitation board sporting our profile shots! Its rare that a place would put up such a board and it sure was a lovely welcome! While all of settled down and exchanged pleasantries, Ekta Shukla from Coca Cola introduced us to the world of Coca Cola and about their idea behind setting up Ohri's Coca Cola Happiness World. As part of their 1 year celebrations, they have introduced two new flavors at Happiness World - Frozen Coke and Frozen Fanta. Let me take a bit of time to talk about the ambiance - well its Coca Cola all over the place! Photo frames and cutouts and graffiti - all describing about the history of Coca Cola and its products!

And as soon as Ekta had finished briefing, the Frozen Coke and Frozen Fanta make their way to our table, accompanied by an attractive looking starter - Fiery Cokegappa Shots. Needless to say, I was bowled over by this fusion of the very traditional golgappa, Coke and all served in a shot glass! Impressive indeed! Not only by looks but taste as well. I would have never imagined Coke being used for golgappa!

And very soon the beeline started, one after another, 4-5 varieties of mock-tails were presented and all of them had a Coca Cola product as their themed ingredient. I would say I am still dazed by the Coke attack! Okay, kidding! I really liked the drinks with Coke and Fanta more than those having Vio milkshake(their latest launch), more so because they had much more robust flavors of the main ingredient. The milkshake based mocktails were a tad sweeter for my tastebuds, but I am sure kids will go ga-ga over them! And if all these weren't enough, Tadakta Bhadakta Frozen Coke made an entry fit for Gabbar Singh(Sholay fame) - a spicy tangy frozen coke drink 'packaged' in a small 'kullad'(earthen cup).

My tryst with Ohri's sizzlers started circa 2005. An undying thirst for sizzlers has always pushed me to try out at a dozen places before settling with Ohri's...Why? They have been so consistent over the decade! The perfectly cooked meat set up on a hot plate with the right amount of sides and veggies and to be able to do it ever so consistently has been a trait of Ohri's chain of restaurants.I would rather have you savour it to appreciate it instead of me making a poetry out of it. Okay, I might be exaggerating if you feel so, but I can surely tell you my experience with sizzlers at any of Ohri's establishments has always been a pleasurable one.

There were a few other dishes which I really liked, for example the chicken tenders, which were so perfectly fried and juicy. We actually ended asking for an encore of it a multiple times! But when sizzlers are around, its really hard for me to focus on anything else! The Chilli Cheese toast and Loaded Cheesy Fries were quite decent, with just the right amount of cheese(at least for me!). I usually don't like anything which is overly cheesy, but these seemed to have the right amount of cheese in them.

The deserts, I would say, matched up with the drinks in their footsteps. The Bull's Eye was simply delicious a treat, with molten chocolate oozing out from the center of a super soft brownie and a dash of vanilla icecream complementing it quite well. The Minty Watermelon Icecream Bomb and Alphonso Fusion were just refreshing and flavorful!

Good things come to an end, but that has left me longing for another visit, another tete-a-tete with the Red and the Hot! Oops! The Coke(and its variety of mock-tails) and the Sizzlers!

I guess its time to let the pictures do their talking part!