Classic BLT @ The Flour Works

Food is my weakness. I can absolutely do anything to have a bite of my favourites.
A few days back a friend and I decided to catch up. It was pouring but we decided to meet anyhow. We wanted to meet at The Flour Works which is practically the other end of the city for me. Normally, I come up with millions of excuses to not go out in the rains but today was a different day. I hadn't been to TFW for a really long time and I was missing the place and yes the yummy food.

But the rains? Ugh! Don't get me wrong! I love the rains but definitely not when I'm off to a restaurant or a meeting. But anyhow, I wanted to eat at Flour Works and nobody could stop me, not even the rains. With the downpour and traffic that moved at snail pace, it practically took an hour for me to reach TFW. Unfortunately I had to wait in the car as these was no parking space available and my friend hadn't reached.

I waited in my car and watched the cars zooming by, splashing dirty water on the way. Where were they off to in a hurry. God Knows!

I sat there hungry, thinking of what all I was going to eat. Do I have the desserts? No I think I'll have a sandwich. Or maybe.....Gosh! Where was my friend? Ok wait, I think I'll have the Classic BLT (Rs. 225) my favourite. Just the thought and my mouth was watering. I waited while my tummy grumbles and just as I look up, there she was! I could now almost see my BLT in front of me. I parked my car and had to practically walk in ankle length water to get inside the cafe. But hey anything for food!

We quickly settled down and I placed the order. The service here is always quick here and in no time I had my Classic BLT with blue cheese aioli in front of me. One bite into it and I was totally lost in the mind-blowing combination of crispy bacon, tangy tomato and crunchy lettuce.

The Flour Works is one of my favourite places around town. It's like coming home. No matter where all I go, I want to come back here. Hidden on North Avenue road in Kalyani Nagar, The Flour Works' delicious food and the inviting, laid-back ambiance makes you forget all your worries and just have a great time. For me the two best companions are good food and good books so I carry my favourite book and enjoy some delicious food here. :)

Next time you need some 'me' time or you just want to have a nice time with your friends, you know where to go.

The Flour Works
Commercial 3,
Nirvana,
North Avenue Road,
Kalyani Nagar, Pune
020 - 30570433

Simple rice noodle salad

With the busy lives that we lead, we seldom have time to sit back and relax, let alone enjoy a quiet meal. To top it all, domestic help now a days is a big pain. So the typical scenario on a working day is you come home too tired to do anything and all you want to do is gulp down the first thing you see and hit the bed. Cooking takes a back seat and take away menus rule the kitchen counters. The result? Poor health, multiple tablets and so on.

Here is the perfect fix for one of those days. The rice noodles salad is my favourite and I usually include a bowl of tomato or spinach soup with it just so that I don't feel hungry later.

Check out this quick, simple recipe and do comment on the post below.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients:

80 gms boiled chicken breast, shredded

200 gms rice noodles

1 small onion

2 small tomatoes

1 small green bell pepper

1/2 red bell pepper

1 small cucumber, peeled

1 small fresh red chilli

1/4 cup bean sprouts

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp vinegar

1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional)

1/2 tsp soya sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

Handful of roasted peanuts

Salt to taste

Directions:

• Place rice noodles in a pan and fill water till it covers the noodles completely. Boil till the noodles are soft. Strain and keep them aside. Add a little bit of oil to the noodles to prevent them from sticking to each other.
• Chop the onion into thin slices.
• Chop the green, red pepper and tomatoes julienne.
• Chop the cucumber into thin slices. You could also de-seed them.
• Now in a large salad bowl add the noodles, red and green bell pepper, cucumber, bean sprouts, onions and shredded chicken.
• Next, add the wet ingredients like vinegar, soya sauce and olive oil. I also add a hint of sesame oil to give it an oriental flavour.
• Sprinkle sugar, chopped red chillis and handful of roasted peanuts. Add salt as per taste.
• Toss well and serve.

Note: You can skip the chicken and eat it as a vegetarian salad as well. For the non-vegetarians, you could also add boiled prawns instead of chicken.

Breakfast @ Terttulia

When it comes to food, we all have that one place that is simply our favourite. No matter how many times we dine out there, we' re always ready for more. Be it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just a quick bite, that's the first place we think of when we think of food.  For me one such place is Terttulia. Located on south main road in Koregaon park, this place with its comfortable and inviting ambiance is the perfect place for great conversations with delectable food.

It was one of those Sundays when I wanted to step out and have a lavish breakfast. As for most of the Sundays, I like staying in and cooking something myself or enjoy my mum's delicious traditional Maharastrian breakfasts. 

By the time I reached Terttulia I was starving and as I step it I was greeted with the delicious aroma of  omelette, crispy bacon and waffles. Ooohh, yummy!

I normally prefer egg whites but I simply love the Egg Benedict (Rs. 215) served here. It is also the perfect option for all those who are looking for a filling breakfast option. For those of you who ain't aware, Egg Benedict is an American dish that is prepared with poached eggs and a slice of ham or bacon on an English muffin topped with Hollandaise sauce. This dish gets its peculiar taste because of the Hollandaise sauce, that is prepared by mixing egg yolk and liquid butter. 

My advice to all those calorie conscious ones, its alright to cheat once in a while and when you do so don't forget to try out the Egg Benedict!

After eating this lip smacking dish,I thought I'd be full but I kind of surprised myself by reaching out for the menu once again. Eggs done. Now I needed something sweet. Next I ordered the Belgian waffles (Rs. 145) served with lots of goodies like the fruit compote, whipped cream and maple syrup. 
The mere aroma and sight of the warm waffles had my mouth watering. One bite into it and I couldn't stop till I'd gobbled down the whole thing. 

While I was hogging on to my breakfast, my friend had ordered French toast (Rs. 135). Now, I'm not really a fan but I thought I'd just taste these. They were quite good but I would still give it a miss. But for those who do like them, its worth trying out.

By the time I was done, I was so stuffed, that I thought I'd just stick around till I could actually walk myself to my car. Gosh! I had eaten like a glutton! But breakfast @ Terttulia is something that I just can't miss!

Terttulia
393, Sanas Corner, South Main Road, 
Koregaon Park, 
Pune 411001
Tel: 020-26052180

Easy Muffins

I've always been a die-hard foodie. On any given day, you would either find me glued onto some cookery show or in my kitchen dishing out something new. Be it appetizers, mains, desserts or just some quick munchies, I just love cooking.

I love muffins. But after trying out innumerable recipes off the internet that just wouldn't work, I thought I'd never be able to make those perfect fluffy muffins that I once ate at a cafe in New York.

One day having not much to do, I flopped on the couch and turned on the TV.  Guess what? It was Donna Hay show and she was demonstrating easy to make muffins. Yes, muffins! I quickly got my notepad to jot down the recipe.  I felt, if I can try out so many recipes off the internet, I didnt have much to lose by give this one a shot, right? Luckily, I had all the necessary ingredients so I got to work just like someone on a mission. A mission to finally succeed!

I whipped up the batter and arranged them in slightly greased muffin trays. I watch skeptically, waiting for the batter to rise. 

VOILA! There they were, fluffy, brownish muffins! Finally after multiple failed attempts I had mastered the art of making the perfect muffins!

 

Here is the recipe for you guys. Give it a shot and do comment on the post to let me know how your muffins turned out. 

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Makes one dozen muffins

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup caster sugar1/2 cup vegetable oil1 egg1/2 cup milk (I prefer cows milk)1 tsp vanilla essence

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius.
• Mix the dry ingredients like flour and baking powder together and keep it aside.
• Next, beat the egg and sugar until it turns into a creamy paste.
• Add the remaining wet ingredients like milk, vanilla essence and vegetable oil to the egg mixture and blend well.
• Stir it till it because a smooth, lump-less batter.
• Spoon mixture in muffin tin lined with paper patty case. Fill just 1/2 of each cup.
• Baked for 30-35 minutes or till the muffin cooks completely. You can test it by inserting a folk. If it comes out clean, your muffins are done. Remove from the tin and cool them on a wire rack.

Note: You can add blueberries or chocolate chips as well.