Sanctum club – 4th year celebrations

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I’m still wondering how was the thought process was initiated while christening this place. Situated in the core of Bengaluru right in the middle of the city and still tough to spot ! That’s how special Sanctum is.

As the definition goes, Sanctum means it’s a inner shrine of a temple.                                 For the first timers I’m sure it’d be surprising that Sanctum is not a part of the chancery group despite being in the same building, It was my first visit and was pretty confused initially and was later guided by the staff of the chancery pavilion to reach the place.

The entrance is dim lit giving it a sacred feel and once you enter the place is a charm with its simplicity. The decor is simple and minimal, The bar draws attention once you enter with a wide gamut of alcohol.

I was here for their 4th anniversary celebrations with a menu curated by Chef Souvik Gupta.

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Coming to the food and beverage,

I tried the classic whiskey sour which was well done and set the mood up for the evening,

The next one was the oriental spice that was a concoction of guava juice, tabasco sauce and vodka served with chill powder on the glass rim to oomph up the spice quotient. I loved this cocktail in particular that was quite different in bringing the sweet and spice balance together in a pool of vodka.

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The food was mostly of varied cuisine and the focus was mostly on finger food and starters. Vegetarians had a good variety of options too.

We tried the garlic nanizza, Mozzerela bruschetta , Stuffed mushrooms ,broiled dhokla with imli confit, Aloo tikki chaat and chilli cheese hazelback

Each of these were exclusively prepared by Chef Souvik and my favorite was the stuffed mushroom and the mozzerella brushchetta which tickled my tastebuds well.

For the main course we had the veg biriyani with raita,

The staff of this place are pretty attentive to your needs and make sure you have a good time.

A recommended place for evening parties and great food.

Sanctum Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Weekend at the Whitefield arms

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Weekend mornings and afternoons are that time of the week where most of us prefer to lay back and relax at home after a tough week at work. Recently I was invited by one of my blogger friend to experience Whitefield arms. After listening to the name of the place, It sent a psychological trigger of what happens to me in the weekdays, while I travel to work everyday on the same route.

Why ? The place had “Whitefield” in it .

However I decided to attend the meetup at Whitefield arms, Two good things happened that day, One being that a new restaurant was added to my list that was worth coming back. The reason being that there are less restaurants around Whitefield that pack a punch. The second reason being there was relatively less traffic that day which gave me a reassuring feel that Whitefield is not what it is over the weekdays.

Coming to the ambiance, The place looks completely British with more emphasis on black and white in the entire theme, Which makes it classic yet classy.

The entrance from inside the mall where there is a corridor leads to the pub is filled with pictures of old Bengaluru and the maps before Karnataka was born. Pretty impressive and well researched which would certainly be a value add for newbies in town.

Now coming to the food, We were privileged to experience the ongoing mango festival specials where an entire menu was dedicated to mangoes from cocktails to desserts.

First stop was the cocktails, We tried four in all and my personal favorite was the sparkling mango. Made of sparkling wine fresh orange and mango juice. The fresh ingredients were the key contributors to the character of this drink. The refreshing feel and the eye catching presentation ensured that marked its presence on the menu with confidence.

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For the food, We started with the classic mulligatawny soup. Thick and consistent were two words to describe it.

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Next to arrive was goat cheese with asparagus and fresh mango vinaigrette. This dish is one of the jewel the crown of the mango season special.

The dish made of warm and soft patty textured base with fillings of goat cheese and mango salsa topped with micro greens and garnished with a couple of asparagus spears.

Another mango delicacy served was the mini mango popadums. These were mini papad boats filled with falafel and the mango sprouts salad. It was a perfect accompaniment to the alcohol.

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The other starters we tried on their menu were the cottage cheese butty and TWA chips,cheese and gravy

For the main course it was the spinach,cheese and potato dumplings. Its basically crispy fried potato and cheese dumplings served with spinach puree served with rice. The spice levels were maintained right and served in a generous portion.

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Last but not least, Coming to the desserts and back to the mango menu we were served with mango panna cotta,

Served in little shot glasses with a gradient of panna cotta, mango puree and a scoop of fresh mango to make it look delectable. It scored equal marks in taste as it did from the way it was plated.

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To sum up, Whitefield arms is one place that I would come again for more. Their outdoor seating is mostly preferred by the crowd due to its calm surrounding. With good amount of options for vegetarians and decent choices with cocktails this place is certainly on my list for future visits.

Yours Tastefully !
Voice of my tastebuds 🙂

Palm oil demystified

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When it comes to oil, there are few options that are always a part of our list when we head to the grocery store. However when one says palm oil, most of us raise our eyebrows as though a taboo is associated with it. Well, I had a neutral standpoint here as I had no much idea regarding it’s pros and cons. Also, I’ve been listening about palm oil at least from the past 25 years as my dad is a part of the food distribution system for Govt of Karnataka.

The story goes back when I remember palm oil used to be packed in 5 liter tins and were stacked in my shop for card holders and it was a hot selling commodity then.In the recent years, I’ve seen a change in this trend and the oil now comes in one liter packets and is offered at a subsidized price to ration card holders. But, I’ve noticed consumers rejecting to take their quota and most of this is sent back to the government. This part had always left me questioned. Why ?

I was recently invited for a bloggers meetup by the Malaysian Palm oil council to understand palm oil better. I was happy to be a part of this event as I had a lot of thoughts about this oil in mind.

Why palm oil?
1) It’s a neutral odour oil with no taste, Which basically retains the core characteristics of the fried product.
2) It’s 100% trans fat free as it does not need hydrogenation.
3)  It’s nutritionally balanced with high levels of carotene and Vitamin E tocotrienols.
4) It’s cholesterol free and rich in potent anti oxidants.
4) Imparts a good and consistent texture in fried foods.
5) It’s non GMO.
6) Very stable at high temperature.

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Primarily, The different fractions of palm oil include the Red palm oil, Palm oil, Palmolein   oil and the palm stearin.

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We tend to think a lot about this topic and while choosing our oil as it forms a major part of our diet everyday and is directly lined to our health, Another fact is that most of the big companies that use palm oil for frying and processing food. India itself is the largest palm oil importer in the world also we need to understand that the largest consumed oil in the world is palm oil.

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Further palm oil is not just for frying and household purposes, It has a lot of other uses as well.

  • Margarine
  • Vanaspati (Vegetable ghee)
  • Shortening
  • Soap noodles
  • Personal care products
  • Palm based chocolates, ice cream and creamers.

To conclude, My understanding of palm oil had a new view and I was able get the pros and cons of it very well.
There were around 35-40 prominent food bloggers from Bangalore who were here and had various questions clarified.
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Also, A suggestion from my side that I passed on to the officials of MPOC is to touch base upon the grass root level and enlighten the individuals regrading the same. The reason is that palm oil is still being distributed till today in the public distribution systems across India and people are mostly unaware or either misinformed about it and I’m sure it would take time.

More details about palm oil can be found at http://www.mpoc.org.in/about-palm-oil/