An ornament in Powai’s food scene: Tiara

This hotel has been around for a while and has always intrigued me but somehow I have never stepped into Tiara, the all day dining restaurant at Meluha -The Fern, Powai. A Sunday Brunch seemed the perfect day to remedy this.

The restaurant exudes a warm and cheerful vibe and the natural light filtering in, adds to the charm. Comfortably seated at a table overlooking the road, I glanced at the buffet spread and was mesmerized. Lamb, chicken, fish, pork – all of these were on offer in various forms. The salad counter was exhaustive and offered a plethora of choices- both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The live stations included a pasta counter, a pancake section and even eggs. It was fun to watch chefs rustle up dishes a la minute.

The starters and soups arrived on our table. The celery and parmesan soup was soulful. The cheesy flavours were distinct and delighted my taste buds. The starters especially the mutton seekh and pine chicken were outstanding. The flavours were robust and the meats, well-spiced and cooked to perfection.

The salads were fresh and the ingredients used of a superior quality. The crunch textures were refreshing for the palate.

I enjoyed the mains as well with the roast chicken being my favourite. Well-marinated, it was aromatic and flavourful all the way. The pork could have been a bit more moist. The curries were delectable as was the Murg biryani, one of the finest I have savoured in a long time.

What can I say about the desserts? These were a feast for the eyes. Tiramisu, baked yogurt, gulab jamun cheese cake, chocolate cake, fruit tarts and more. The spread was an exercise in choices. I gave in to my guilty pleasures and tasted some of these. Each was better than the other.

The food at Tiara surpassed my expectations and perhaps it had to do a lot with the new Executive Chef Prashant Tiakdia, who is an experienced hand. Together with his team he was surely wowing the palate of his diners.

The service is impeccable and the staff well-informed and articulate.

Rating : 3.5/5

 

 

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A Superlative Menu

Salads are not all that you need to eat when following healthy dietary habits. I am all for eating healthy food, yet, food packed with nutrients and flavours. Yes, taste is key. Insipid and bland food does not meet approval with my palate.

Thus, the new Super Foods Menu introduced by TGI Fridays, the global casual dining leader,  caught my attention and immediately I set out to explore this at the Palladium, Lower Parel, Mumbai outpost.

The menu, for 3 months, though limited offers enough variety. I noticed, that the offerings had super foods like beans, broccoli, blueberries, salmon, spinach, tomatoes, walnuts and yogurt in abundance. Being natural ingredients, these are loaded with excellent nutritional benefits.

Wasabi Miso Glazed Chicken, Salmon with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce, Cranberry & blueberry couscous and Kale were some of the unique dishes. What was interesting was that, appetizers, entrees, sides and desserts, had all incorporated super foods in some form or the other, thus making the entire menu healthy.

The Fruits & Nuts Super Salad made with crisp lettuce, spinach, broccoli topped with walnuts, apples, dried apricots, cranberries, and blueberries, was a delightful medley of flavours that wowed my palate. No where was there any monotony at all.

Next, I tried the Wasabi Miso Glazed Chicken. Bursting with simple and subtle flavours, this, lemon and olive oil-marinated grilled chicken breasts were drizzled with a spicy wasabi miso sauce. Served with toasted almond, cranberry and blueberry couscous and ginger garlic kale, this was a power-packed meal in terms of taste and nutrients. I only felt that the portion of the kale was a bit too much for the meal. One can only enjoy a certain amount of kale.

Pomegranate Honey Mustard Salmon cam next. A hearty portion, I thought to myself. Again, a lemon and olive oil basted grilled salmon filet topped pomegranate honey mustard vinaigrette. The tangy flavour were unmistakable, yet, teased my palate sufficiently.  The salmon was of exceptional quality and grilled to perfection. Unfortunately, the novelty factor of the toasted almond, cranberry & blueberry couscous and ginger garlic kale had worn off by now. Yet, I savoured the couscous.

Vegetarians need not despair. They can relish the Vegetarian Tex Mex Chili made with chipotle peppers, sun-ripened tomatoes, red onions and beans topped with yogurt, fresh pico de galloand jalapeno served up hot and spicy on a brown rice pilaf.

The quality of the ingredients, struck me as the best and the presentation was enough to make a person satiated already, feel hungry again. The food may seem a tad overpriced, but given the quality and portion sizes, one cannot complain.

Although we decided to skip dessert, as the meal had been too filling, the Fruit Crumble seemed inviting.  Jam-packed with strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and juicy peaches, served piping hot and topped with an ice-cold scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt,  haunted me and I  have resolved to go back another day to indulge my sweet cravings.

Rating : 4.5/5

 

 

Sure to wow your palate

I have a weakness for popcorn, I must confess. Cannot resist it while watching a film. So naturally, “WOW Popcorn”, in Mumbai is like a blessing in disguise for me. I was excited like a child, as I got ready to tuck into my tub of popcorn.

Neha Goyal of WOW Food Brands has succeeded in wowing my palate with her delectable popcorn flavours. With golden brown corn kernels imported from specific locations across the globe under the banner of “WOW Popcorn”, Neha, has mesmerized popcorn fans.

The aromatic popcorn comes in several exciting flavours. The Kettle popcorn with a tinge of sugar and a dash of salt, bowled me over completely. I could not keep my hands away from the exciting tub. The cheese popcorn is equally delightful. One can never wrong with cheese anyway. But the icing on the cake was the sweet, caramel popcorn. The melt-in-the-mouth popcorn teased my taste buds and how! For others, there is good ‘ol plain slated and butter popcorn too.

After Napean Sea road, there is now another outlet in Bandra in the western suburbs.

WOW popcorn is tasty, fresh and of high quality. Easily the best Mumbai offers.  At Rs 60 for a small tub, which is quite a lot, it is a steal. What’s more, you can ask for a mixed tub too with all your favourite flavours thrown in. Ir better still you can create your own mix too to suit your taste buds.

Watching a film at home is never going to be the same again. There has got to be a tub of flavourful WOW popcorn for company.