#EatBetter: InnerChef

With the advent of technology, our lives have definitely become much easier and hassle- free. And it's indeed very difficult to keep pace with the fast paced life. I remember those bygone times when people who were too lazy to cook would go to a restaurant to get a take-away.  Nowadays, ordering food is just a couple of clicks away. Combining technology and food is the new mantra. Being a foodie, I love to experiment with all types of food and keep on trying a new option every now and then. And the various online food delivery options coming up just add more convenience in our kitty. One such option is the InnerChef which I happened to try very recently. The very first thing that I liked about InnerChef was that they don't involve any third party for delivering the food items; they prefer doing it on their own. 

InnerChef was founded in April 2015 and is one of the fastest growing food tech companies in India with it's services in Gurgaon and Bangalore and the fact that they go with the hash-tag Eat Better definitely makes people to vouch for them. 

I exclaimed with joy when the food arrived and the packaging with a lot of wonderfully crafted boxes was absolutely delightful. I happened to try quite a few items from their offerings including their desserts in a range known as Indulge which is a highlight in itself as InnerChef involves home bakers and bakeries for showcasing their dessert creations to a massive audience. Quite an indulgence in itself, isn't it?

Now, coming to the food one by one: 

Chicken Kri-Kri with Goat Cheese Salad and Grilled Chicken Panini : This dish was served with mustard and barbeque dips. I absolutely loved the Paninis; soft and fresh. And the grilled chicken in the Panini, such a delight. The salad felt a bit sour to me and the fact that the likes of pomegranate, almonds and orange slices were combined with some extra large lettuce in it disappointed me. Nevertheless, the goat cheese made up for the damage. 

RiverSole with Veggies: Being a Bengali, I have such an affair with fishes which is clearly evident and I don't shy away from the fact. It was my first encounter with RiverSole though and I was overwhelmed on seeing the fish served in the mustard gravy with some olives on the top. The fish was quite juicy with the mustard completely imbibed in it and it was a delicacy in itself with veggies and a bread served alongside. What I felt was that the gravy could have been a bit thicker to enhance the taste even more.

Chettinad Chicken with Malabar Parathas : This dish won my heart; I mean I was floored by the preparation. I am not fond of Chettinad Chicken but this dish was just spot on with the tender chicken and sautéed vegetables in a rich gravy and those perfectly prepared malabar parathas served with curd and onions alongside. An awesome combination altogether. This has to be in the "What to Order" section of InnerChef; a must have.

Grilled Chicken Pasta in Red Sauce: I always prefer Alfredo (creamy white sauce pasta) over Arrabiata (red sauce) and I was sceptical on trying Arrabiata but on seeing the dish, I actually felt like having it. It was a typical Arrabiata with chunks of grilled chicken in a rich tomato gravy infused with parmesan cheese and plenty of black olives to go with. The entire preparation was quite dry but I liked the creaminess accompanied with the tanginess; it was quite appealing to my taste-buds.

Awadhi Mutton Koftas with Roomali Rotis : Perfectly cooked Mutton koftas in a rich gravy served with Roomali rotis; I am craving already while jotting this down ! Yes, it was that good. The perfect blend of spices in the mutton gravy made it so delectable. It was served with curd and salad alongside. Yet another "must have" from InnerChef.

And the beverages :

Mint Lemon Iced Tea : Bright yellow in colour and looked extremely beautiful but was a complete let down as there was no lemon-y or mint-y flavour. The lemon and mint did not seem to complement each other. 

WaterMelon Cooler : Yet again, looks can be deceptive. It looked pretty with the red liquid resting in the bottle and we did have a lot of expectations from this one but we were disappointed. It tasted too sweet for my palate; felt like coloured sugar water.

The beverages definitely need improvement. A minty mojito or a litchi-cranberry juice would have been a better option to beat the heat.

And the Indulge Section of  InnerChef : The Desserts :

The concept of desserts in a jar has always seemed quite intriguing to me and the very fact that InnerChef involves home bakers to showcase their talent makes it yet more fascinating. We happened to try three of their dessert creations and I, unlike any other dessert lover was completely charmed by the presentation and the taste of the desserts.

Sunrise Lemon Cake : That cute yellow tinge and the spongy texture with the perfect balance of 'sweet and sour' in a soft cake made it an extreme delight. Amazing !

     

BlueBerry CheeseCake Jar : The cheesecake was extremely soft with blueberry infused which could be felt with every spoon. The creaminess and the softness plus the beautiful layers of the cheesecake was indeed a delight. Perfect one !

             

Death by Chocolate Jar : DBC is the favourite of every chocloate lover but the DBC jar by InnerChef could not do justice to it's name. Quite sticky and gooey; felt like some melted chocolate on top of a soggy cake base. This definitely needs improvement. 

                                         


As I stated earlier, the packaging was just top-notch with nothing spilling out of the boxes. And did I mention that every box had it's own set of cutlery and a small packet saying "Cookie with Love" containing two heart-shaped cookies. This was really adorable and it did bring a smile on my face ! InnerChef surely knows how to spread happiness !

It was a pleasant experience of treating ourselves with the delicacies of InnerChef. The pricing of the items were just perfect; the desserts may seem a bit overpriced but a jar full of happiness is worth paying some extra bucks.  And yes, they have a wide variety of options to choose from. And I would definitely order from InnerChef next time because I would not be bored of trying their many options. So, whenever you are lazy to cook or have friends at your place, do try ordering from InnerChef ! And do make it a point to have your share of their desserts, they are drool-worthy !!

So, sit back, relax and let InnerChef do the needful in creating lasting happiness in every mouthful.

A delightful affair : The Blogger's Table at Big Pitcher

We always wondered what's inside the Big Pitcher. We had been procrastinating to visit this place since quite a long time and then, one fine day, we were invited to this place as a part of the Blogger's table organized by the Food Blogger's Association of Bangalore (FBAB). And we were completely bedazzled. Yes, we have been to many microbreweries in Bangalore but, by far, this is the largest. The place comprises of six floors with each floor telling its own story. And with the bloggers visiting the place, the story was retold. Such a delight! This place has all the ingredients to make it the perfect place for a Sunday brunch, a Friday night party or simply a casual dinner.

Each floor holds a restaurant in itself and once we reached the place, we got to figure it out. We were asked to head to the second floor which was the Splitswood, a typical cowboy themed space. There was some warmth about the place and the people which made the time spent there more delightful. Big Pitcher is ravishment in itself. And with all the other factors, it becomes just merrier!

The food started flowing in one after the other. At a sudden point of time, we felt too tired even to move! :P But yeah..Yeah..it's food ! How could we be lazy? It all started with the display of the Nachos! Both the Veg and the Non-Veg nachos were an absolute delight with ample amount of cheese filled in to make us smile!

Next came the Golden Chicken Fingers with the tender chicken and honey mustard dressing and the Fisherman's Pot with shrimps frites tomato salsa and tartar sauce. Amazing!

The Dirty Fries with the combination of fried potatoes. Chicken sausage bits and chicken liver overloaded with cheese was quite unique, too dirty but too good! *wink*

The Szechwan spicy prawns with crispy fried prawns tossed with pepper and chili and the Fish Pepper Salt with crispy fried fish tossed with garlic, onion and chili defined happiness.

Their signature roll, the Caterpillar with Cucumber avocado, fresh water eel and sweet chili sauce was a master preparation; we went gaga over it.

The stuffed mushrooms with Cheese crumb fried tasted amazing. So cheesy and delicious !

And the Dim sums, be it the vegetable, chicken or the prawns were heavenly; perfectly steamed. Just the way a dim sum actually should be.

The Caesar Salad and Prawn Caesar Salad looked quite like the 'king' of salads and yes, we did have an option to choose our choice of toppings. Now isn't that what you wish for?

The Tom Kha was the traditional Thai style soup with coconut milk scented with kaffir lime leaves with vegetable/chicken. So Thai, so good!

After being already stuffed with the appetizers, came the main course and we were in awe of it. All the dishes looked magnificent. Their Signature Pizzas with thin crust and available in both Veg and Non-Veg choices were absolutely awesome. I am a non-vegetarian but I totally loved their Indiana Jones, the vegetarian choice in Pizza with Paneer, Makhani sauce with cilantro and cumin. The non-vegetarian counterpart, Chili Murghi tasted pretty okay, but was not great.

Next it was the turn of the burgers and they kept coming one by one. Oh Lord, what a beauty they were! We happened to try their Chicken Cowboy Burger which was more like the chicken barbecue burger with chicken breasts stacked high and topped with cheese and barbecue sauce.

The pastas on the display were Penne Arrabiatta, the typical tomato basil sauce pasta with parmesan cheese and everyone's favourite, Penne Alfredo, the one in creamy and cheesy white sauce. The pastas felt a tad too bland.

Santa’s Lamb Chop Steak was one of a kind with grilled lamb chop steak, a mix of vegetables and herbed rice.

Chicken, Mushroom, Cheese was yet another concept absolutely savored by us. The grilled chicken with mushroom filled inside and cheese dripping inside was amazing. It was served with vegetables.

Tricia Ala Porbe was their fish specialty main course with grilled fish fillet and garlic bits served with herbed rice and vegetable medley!

The Thai Veg Curry and The Thai Chicken Curry served with roasted peanuts looked amazing! Apart from the Thai cuisines, we also had our share of Malaysian cuisine with Nasi Goreng which is the Malaysian style rice preparation with prawns, chicken and dried shrimp paste.

And then the most awaited part of the evening, the desserts arrived to satiate our taste buds craving for some sweet at that instant. We were overwhelmed by the Australian Lemon Cheese Cake, a dark choco cake and cheese cake covered with special Strawberry topping.

The Sizzling Walnut Brownie with Fried Ice Cream tasted quite generic, felt a bit burnt though, not one of the best you can vouch for.

The Trio Chocolate Mousse with dark and white chocolate mousse and fruit and nuts looked really great and yes, it did taste really good.

The Flame Flambé Gulab Jamoon in rum flambé with flames over it was unique and a delicacy in itself with the rum complimenting the gulab jamoon really well and yes, it did compliment our taste buds.

We did try some of their classic mock tails including the likes of fruit punch! The mocktails kept us refreshed till the end. Their variety of beers was what everyone looked up to, being the largest microbrewery in the city. Dark Ale, Belgian, Sarava and Kingslayer are some of their famous offerings amongst beers. Sarava was quite light with that fruity touch while the Kingslayer was the dark strong beer. We had the opportunity to check the process of brewing and meet the master brewer. That was quite a learning experience.

The staff was so warm and more than happy to explain us every minute detail of the dishes and drinks. We felt gratified by their warm behavior and the lovely butter-pot gifted to us was just an icing on the cake. We could not have asked for anything else. A wonderful experience and yes, a totally delightful affair.