Japanese Food Festival at JW Mariott

JW Marriott, Mumbai hosted Japanese Food Festival in honor of the new Japanese chef joining their coterie. I was invited to be part of their media table along with some renowned lifestyle and food bloggers in the city.

The media table was to showcase different items from teppanyaki cuisine- veg and non-veg. The spread and demo were arranged around a large "live demo" table, separated for vegetarian and non-vegetarians alike.

The food festival was held at their Oriental Hotspot- Spice. The venue/ ambiance is lovely, serene and offers a great spot for personal dining and formal too.

Here are the few glimpses from the table-

The Menu for the evening. The veg Menu, and the crispy wine to welcome the tables. The red candle holder looks cute and matches the setting.

The hot soups served as appetizers. I loved both of them. Visually the tofu bean curd soup was more enticing.

Here's the glimpse of the table set for media along with live Teppanyaki cooking counters. "Teppanyaki" is a Japanese word which refers to dishes cooked using iron "Teppan" plate, including steak, shrimp, okonomiyaki, Yakisoba, and Monjayaki. "Yaki" essentially means grilled, boiled or pan-fried.

The table used here is a modern Teppanyaki grill, a typically propane-heated flat surface grills, widely used to cook food in front of guests at dining. The solid griddle type cook surface is more suitable for ingredients like rice, egg, finely chopped vegetables. Soybean oil is primarily used for such Teppanyaki grills. The chef at JW Mariott even used chicken and vegetable broth to fine tune the grilling.

In the veg- Teppanyaki Onion rings, baby corn, mushroom, and Zucchini. The recipe and cooking were as simple as word goes. Some broken- stir-fried rice to add to the main course.

Dessert Time!

The Japanese Food festival at JW Mariott was a good show. The ambiance, the setting, and food were just right. For me it served as the best place to catch up with friends and business associates for a hearty chat where food is not focused but setting and catching up is more important. 

Would I go there again? Maybe Yes.

Haute Kutir Overall Rating-

Ambiance: Excellent

Food: Good

Service: Very Good

Drinks: Barely there

Gentry: Good

Experience Factor: High

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Lazy Saturday Brunch with Blog friends at Renaissance Convention Centre Hotel, Mumbai

It is festival time and celebration is all in air. Colors, lights, glitters and joys everywhere. A good time to unite with family and friends. Post my marriage and increased work load at office, I could barely spend time with my friends. And the Mumbai-scapes doesn't help much on weekdays to meet and spend time with your dear ones. So this last Saturday, when Renaissance Mumbai reminded me of the pending invite of a lazy breezy bunch, I could not resist inviting my BFFs - The vivacious, darling Disha Kotak and the super gorgeous, yet so down to earth Vipra Patil. 

The exclusive buffet was organized at the beautiful Italian specialty restaurant "Fratelli fresh". We reached the venue post 1:00pm wherein this exclusive buffet consisting of delicious Italian specialties beautifully paired with a glass of Prosecco, awaited us to take on a gastronomic journey.

Fratelli Fresh- The ambiance

Here's a dekko of the beautiful venue-

The Saturday Brunch

The scrumptious buffet conceptualized by Chef Tony consisted of Antipastis such as Caprise, Gill Egg plant, roasted Peppers, Smoked Salmon, Grill Lamb Salami among others. 

Main course: Gnocchi Pomodoro, heat Risotto, Varieties of Pastas from Carbonara to Oglio Agli, Bolognoise, and veg/non veg Pizza, Lamb Romano, Polo Cacciatore, Pork stew, Lasagna among others. Cold cuts like Chorizo and honey Roast Ham along with some international cheeses like Gorgonzola and Provolone.

The dessert was a lavish spread comprising of Tiramisu, Panna Cotta, Cannoli, Zuccotto among others. 

The food Verdict: Pizza was awesome. Lasagna was too creamy and we could not take more than two bites. Cheese lovers but not that much. I have requested for Pesto Ravioli which too was a damp squib excluding the sauce. The filling could have been better. Next, when you visit, you must specify the kind of filling you are looking at. Desserts were a mixed bag wherein Panna Cotta was not as set as expected and limped quotient. Yup Tiramisu was awesome and I just loved their strawberry sauce. I would call the sauce- a perfect blend. The saver of the day was the Pasta Aglio Olio and the Pizza. 

After a glass of Coke and spoons full of sauces, we were ready to call it the day. The kitchen starts at 12:00 pm and closes at 3:00 pm. The staff was polite and courteous and absolutely non-intruding. You can calmly sit across, in good company of friends and enjoy a good Italian fare at the beautiful venue. For reservations, you can contact- 91 9820090645

Food Rating: 2.5/5

Bon Appetite!

Be Beautiful with Garnier BB Cream

I am a working professional and a full time wife :) It is hence, imperative for me to look better, prim and proper. No matter how much I love all things make up but actually I love to be natural and wear minimal make up. My usual partners in crime are-

1) My comb [I often use them once in day while leaving for office and then either coming back home or before sleeping]

2) Eye Liner

3) Lip Balm

4) Body mist

5) A compact that I barely use in spite of carrying it all time.

6) Lacto Calamine

If you open my cupboard and the newly acquired dresser, you will find make up of all kinds, all brands, untouched and unused. My daily regime would cleansing, toning and dab some lacto calamine [optional]. And foundations, I must tell you, you cannot wear them everyday especially while going to office. Any other cream is strict nah nah.

So what do you do when you want a clear, well toned skin without applying too much make up, skin corrector or prime or foundation? Well the answer is Garnier BB cream!

When BB, CC cream was first launched in India, I was quite skeptical to use any of them.I dismissed them as just another "cosmetic" until I used it earlier this year. Need I dramatize it the way they do on tele brands extra? well no. Though I liked what I used.

The product- Garnier BB cream

Introductory price- Rs 99

What the product claim: BB cream brightens, smoothens and moisturize you skin., giving it flawless finish.

My Skin types: Normal to Oily

Complexion: Wheatish to fair

How did BB cream fit in to my regime- Post bath face regime for the outdoor. Repeat? Rarely more than once-twice in a day.

Neutrogena Acne Wash & Blackhead Eliminating Toner Review

A lot of our buying is forced by the brand image and advertisements. However, the products leave a lot to be desired when you use them. 

So I have heard many a thing about how amazing the Neutrogena products are esp the oil-free range. Thankfully, I do not have oily skin but my hubby does. He has got an oily skin with blackheads and acne outbursts. 

After going through some rave reviews, I logged to #Flipkart with #Billion Sales [just kidding] and bought-

1) Oil-Free Acne Wash

2) Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Cooling toner.

I gifted this comparative to Lotus and Garnier products that he was using earlier, to him expecting it to address his woes, if not do the miracle. Well, it reassured another long traveling belief of mine- The high price tag does not still ensure quality.

So the experience was not something to write home about. To sum it up, here's what I think about these two products-

1) The face wash is harsh in texture, giving an excessive feeling of harsh chemicals being used and is totally non-effective on pimples.

2) Irrespective of texture, the face wash was highly ineffective. Instead of controlling the acne and pimples, it rather aggravated them.

3) The face wash given it's translated benefits is not worth the money you spend.

4) The pump dispenser and the transparent bottle are the only 2 good things about this product.

I tried this product on my face and unfortunately my skin too break into acne/ pimples post 2 usages.  So you can well understand what will it to the skin that it claims to serve.

The Cooling Toner

1) The toner unlike the face wash is somewhat better and does not disrupt the skin post application

2) It was OK and refreshing on the skin and absorbed easily

3) Better capping/dispenser could have helped

Haute Kutir's verdict: On a scale of 5, with 5 being highest, I would rate both of them as-

Neutrogena Oil-Free Face wash:- 1 / 5

Neutrogena Deep clean Toner- 2 / 5

Will I buy them again? NO

Would I recommend it to others- Certainly NO.