Ice Cream Cake In Bangalore!

A lot of people showed interest in my recent Whatsapp display picture, an ice cream cake I finally managed to find in Bangalore. This quest goes back to 2012 when the aforementioned dessert took up quite a bit of screen space in an episode of Modern Family. And as luck would have it, Manee and I happened to walk right into a place that has a pretty good version of ice cream cake. Behold Exhibit A from Bella Mooz, Church Street.

First, hear me sing about the ambiance. The eatery has about 4 tables, two of them located in a balcony with a lovely view (again, it’s Church Street we’re talking about). The tables outside look into a garden and for once, the noise gets cancelled out. 

I’ve seen very few people here for some reason. It’s a good place: the menu is fairly creative (try Baked Alaska), the ice creams rich and the smoothies perfectly made.  Manee had a random chocolate sundae with a rather sticky sauce while I settled down with the hero of this post.

 (chocolate sundae)

 

Firstly, it is layered really well. Three layers of very thin cake and ice cream are nearly impossible to be held together by themselves, let alone be cut into pieces. The looks of the cake don’t really kill but it has so much ice cream that the chocolate cake gets lost somewhere amidst its layers. It’s the sort of dessert you’d want to take your time with. I know I know ice cream cake and all that but let it melt a little, almost to a sundae-like consistency and it will taste better. Make sure you take some extra chocolate sauce with it. 

All in all, a good treat for about 100 INR (forgot the exact price). Definitely going back to Bella Mooz..for reasons other than the cake but more on that later. ;)

Bangalore's Best Veggie Burger

Us vegetarians are not exactly spoilt for choice when it comes to continental dining, even within the territorial limits of India. If a grass-eater wanted to relish (authentic or comparable) American cuisine in Bengaluru, he would probably have two princely options namely mashed potato and mashed potato with peas. Quite obviously disappointed, I began looking for a decent-enough veggie version of the burger that would brighten weekends. One place blew my mind away- The Only Place.


This is not a restaurant review of The Only Place..that has been said and done by every other techie who assumed he discovered the best steakhouse in the country. What this post tries to do is recollect Marshall Erikson's speech about a heavenly burger, and proceed to elaborate on the difference such a burger can make to one's day. The burger in question is the humble vegetable burger in the establishment's menu..served with cheese or without. Do not go by the picture below as it looks much better 'in person'.





Before you proceed to polish off the bun and its patty, get yourself an iced tea and a portion of cheese garlic bread..this is a must at The Only Place and I guarantee it will be like no other cheese garlic bread you have had- more cheese than bread, literally. Post that, devour the home made french fries that come with your burger: use the sharp, authentic mustard to dip. Why must you do as I say, you wonder. Food that has been strongly recommended will surpass every level of awesome only if you attack it with great expectation. Of course, it can also backfire but I assure you that will not be the case here. Expectation now built, you hold the warm, HUGE burger and bite into it.


The bun is soft, moist and uncrumbly (hear that, KFC?), the patty large enough to droop outside the bun (hear that, McD?), a slice of tomato, excellent cheese, perfectly flavored..this burger is every vegetarian's delight. Size-wise, it is comparable to two McVeggies which implies I generally skip dinner after making this a late lunch. It even manages to push Mysore's Downtown burger to a far second, not considering the ambiance and pricing. At 110-120 INR, TOP's veggie burger is the best I've had in the city, in comparable/less fancy ambience. Finish it off with a cherry pie and don't scrimp on the ice cream.


I have decided against elaborating on the difference such a meal can make to one's day.

Review: Coffee Day Cueqa Nachos in Tangy Jalapeno flavour

Despite its not-so-tasteful ambiance and pathetic music, Cafe Coffee Day doesn’t entirely suck. The menu has a couple of good coffees and a tasty dessert or two. The brand deserves a lot of respect for almost single-handedly bringing the café culture to India and making our otherwise busy lives a little laidback. After living in Chennai where even the IT areas display serious lack of ‘hangouts’, my respect for CCD has grown several-fold. I began tasting packed food sold across the counter in CCD outlets and this was a recent try.

Product: Cueqa Nachos in Tangy Jalapeno flavor



The only Indian product which is remotely like nachos that I have come across is Bingo Mad Angles. The urban Indian has already equated nachos to popcorn, chips and other paraphernalia that accompanies one to a movie hall and most multiplexes are cashing in on it. Cueqa appears to be CCD’s answer to the likes of Cuppa and Taco Bell.

Looks

The nachos come sealed in a sturdy jar which is an obvious win over selling them in flimsy plastic. About 20 pieces are neatly stacked inside, with few broken ones. The pack I tried was manufactured nearly four months ago and the contents seemed extremely fresh. Thumbs up on packaging.

Taste

The nachos are extremely thin and crisp, very close in texture to their Mexican counterparts. The lack of oil is apparent (and a little disappointing) as the product seems dry at the end of the day. After five years of eating Indianized nachos at Fresco's, this doesn’t quite hit the spot. Cueqa is exactly like the nachos you get at multiplexes, only round in shape. They don't taste great dry but are surprisingly excellent with toppings.

Fixes

• Mix and match with dips like mayo, cream cheese and salsa.

• Remember the Monaco-with-toppings ads from the 90’s? Try topped nachos.

• Replace papdi in your bhel with nachos.

Or just serve them the conventional way, with cream cheese, salsa spread and a simple garnish.
Exhibit A:




Cueqa Nachos: What Works

• The idea of selling nachos a la Pringles.

• Tangy jalapeno flavor is subtle and delightful..goes well with dips and salsa.

Cueqa Nachos: What Does Not Work

• Extremely dry texture: it is impossible to eat without moist toppings/dips. Although that’s how authentic nachos are, it doesn’t really suit a samosa-loving palette.

• Overpriced, as is expected with CCD. Even movieplexes offer a larger quantity with salsa for a similar price.

Consumer Gyaan

Nutrition (amount per serving, serving size unspecified)


Energy: 186.56 calories
Carbs: 27.12g
Fat: 7.3g
Protein: 3.10g
Sodium: 438.49mg


Price: Rs. 50 for a 40gm dabba

Other flavors: Zesty Spice

Available at: CCD outlets and some online shopping sites

OE Rating: 3/5

Thoughts on repurchase: Uncertain

A New Jar of Nutella: Review

Nyootella?

Nutrela?

NO.

Nut-ell-ah.

One of the quickest food fixes is a Nutella-dunk. For those of you unfamiliar with this heavenly hazelnut-butter from Italy (think Ferrero Rocher), it is more than the chocolate-flavoured spread it is marketed to be. Nutella is to the rest of the world what Hershey’s chocolate syrup is to the U.S. Use it to replace jam on your toast/roti or as dessert topping..it goes best with anything that has neutral or fruity flavour. Or whatever taste you have acquired.

I have been loyal to this stuff for about six years, right from the days it used to be sold in ‘select stores’ for a princely sum of 80 INR. Ferrero has now revamped the packaging and the product also retails in a stately glass jar, along with its heavier screw-top cousin.

The new Nutella jar is sealed with gold foil and must NOT be refrigerated on or before opening, as the ideal spread is gooey. It also comes with a literature booklet affixed to the lid that contains details about the product. This is futile as it is pasted in such a way that it tears while opening.

New Nutella: what works

• It's old wine in a new bottle..thankfully! Wouldn’t want them to change the flavour anytime soon.
  

• I’m a sucker for glass bottles and jars and this one made me drool.

New Nutella: what does not work

• The slide-on lid is tactlessly designed. Once you open the seal, you basically have to finish the contents in a go (easy-peezy) because the lid is flimsy enough for ants to party. Oh and forget traveling with the jar.

Tips

• Cannot stress this one enough: ALWAYS buy the small jar. It will be emptied in less than a week anyway, just like the big jar.

• After the jar is licked clean, throw away the lid, peel off the label and use it as a glass. I’m looking at a collection here.

Fixes

The sober:

The not-so-sober (and possible inspiration for this blog):




Nutella hamburger

Consumer Gyaan

Nutella nutrition per 100g

		Energy		538 kcal
		Protein		6g
		Carbohyrate		57.3g
		Sugar		56.7g
		Fat		31.6g
		Fibre		3.4g
		Vitamin E		6.7mg
		Magnesium		70mg

Quite obviously, this can be a death trap if you overdo it. Limit portion size to a spoonful every other day and you're good. Oh and Nutella is not for people allergic to nuts or lactose.

Shelf life: 12 months. Do not refrigerate.

Purchase price: 125 INR for 180g, 195 INR for 350g

Available at: Most supermarkets such as Reliance Fresh, More, Food Bazar and such

Products like Nutella: Crumpy, a Belgian hazelnut spread

OE Rating: 4.75/5 (the lid ruined perfect-5 prospects)

Thoughts on repurchase: Hmm..think I'll buy Crumpy over Nutella. Bazinga. :P

Image sources 1, 2.