Experiencing An Urban Village At Surajgarh...

With rapid urbanization and the intrusion of technology more or less into our daily lives, we have become screen slaves 24x7. Add to it the woes of work-life balance and you'll have little or absolutely no personal space left.

Now, more than ever, cities have become concrete jungles in the true sense and there is the need for a relaxing escapade from the daily grind. One such escapade with the interesting concept of ‘Urban Village’ - Surajgarh Gurugram - was inaugurated a couple of days back.

Situated on the Golf Course Extension, Gurugram, Surajgarh is spread across a magnanimous area of over fifteen acres, and this heritage village has now been proclaimed open to the general public.

The launch of this unique ‘Village in City’ was attended by the media and residents of Gurugram, Delhi, and Noida. Located in the heart of the city, next to the lush green Golf Course, Surajgarh Gurugram offers an unparalleled glimpse at heritage, traditional Indian delicacies, mesmerizing village beauty, alluring garden areas, soothing fresh air, adventure sports activities and much more for the city dwellers, tourists, and explorers at large.

An amalgamation of cultures of Haryana and Rajasthan reflects in the architecture, rural vehicles at the doorstep and the cordial folk welcome at Surajgarh Gurugram, and brings forth the real forts and villages of India, enriching the quality leisure time spent with family and friends.

The lively and cheerful ambiance of Surajgarh Gurugram is synonymous to a perfect outing destination which is situated just a short drive away from the hassle of a fast-paced life and perilous pollution, adjoining the beautiful golf course of Gurugram.

The major highlights of the opening ceremony included the exquisite folk dance showcased by Rajasthani artistes and beautiful handcrafted decoration by the rural artists beautifying the walls.

Apart from that, there was also puppetry, games, obstacle course, camel and horse rides, and a meal at the in-house Khaan-Paan to enjoy. A breathtaking view of the Aravali hills also complemented the leisurely experience.

 At Khaan-Paan, village style food is slow-cooked on mud baked stoves in the traditional manner by the ladies of Rajasthan.

There is also an ornate brick-walled well to soak in the village belle experience and a duck pond, rabbits, goats, and birds to appreciate being carefree.

On the occasion of the launch, Mr. Anil Yadav, Director, Surajgarh Gurugram, had this to say.

“We are proud to bring India’s picturesque villages and the heart of our colorful nation to Gurugram. Our motive is to preserve and showcase the passive village life in the era of rapid urbanization. Today, when people are reaching farthest corners of the country in search of calm and serene villages, peaceful rural life experiences and a soul-satisfying journey, Surajgarh has brought the fusion of real Indian heritage villages of Rajasthan and Haryana in the mid of the metro city for all those who want a short break from their busy lifestyles and want to enjoy the vibrant culture of ethnic Indian life.”

All in all, a visit to Surajgarh Gurugram ensures a vivid and memorable experience for all patrons. :)

Fine Gastronomy At Boombox Brewstreet...

Boombox Brewstreet is one of the many breweries that have set base in the dynamic Sector 29 Market in Gurgaon. What sets it apart is the element of music thrown into its conception.

Located opposite Ministry of Beer in the same market, and situated on the first floor, Boombox Brewstreet is all things music, and that is made evident by not just the decor but by the nomenclature of dishes in the menu as well.

From the life-size radio in the stairway to the cassette shaped entrance, to the vibrant DJ Console to the headphone bearing skull made with electrical components, Boombox aces the decor. As for the ambiance, it is moderately lit, and the seating is a mix of chairs and plush sofas.

As for the food, there is considerable variety and each dish is made to resemble a catchy tune as far as the jargon is concerned.

Some of the dishes have an element of molecular gastronomy and the same is signified through a tiny atom made alongside each dish's name on the menu.

Here's what I would say are the must try items at Boombox Brewstreet.

Beverages:

Sweet Child of Mine

Cheap Like Thrills

Citrus Cyrus

Appetizers:

Baby Corn Ka B'Day Bash as the name suggests, was about crispy baby corn tossed with greens.

Hoton Pe Bas Tera Naam Hai is Boombox's take on Chettinad Chicken, with curry leaves and coconut foam.

Something Is Fishy had an element of molecular gastronomy in its making with grilled fish on a bed of minced tomatoes and black gravels going well with honey and khus caviar and mustard greens.

Main Course:

Ho Gayi Teri Balle Balle Pizza had Paneer Tikka, bell peppers, onion, and Makhni Mayo going into its making.

Promo Mix Pasta was a mix sauce Penne Pasta.

Bay of Biryani was one of their popular Indian preparations and had well-cooked rice garnished with cashew nuts.

Dessert:

Ye Daulat Bhi Le Lo, Ye Shauharat Bhi Le Lo is Boombox's take on Delhi-6's iconic Daulat Ki Chaat served on a bulb of fuming liquid nitrogen, with rose petals as a garnish.

The only other place where I happened to savor this famous sweet delicacy was at Too Indian.

All in all, Boombox Brewstreet comes across as a nice stopover for some innovatively plated dishes and a musical ambiance.

#PostcardsFromPersia At SodaBottleOpenerWala...

It is always a formidable task to present the less known cuisines of any country in its true, authentic form. Persian cuisine has been one such less-explored arena for us Indians.

Thankfully, SodaBottleOpenerWala has been the harbinger to revive the dying legacy of the wonderful chaotic, crowded, bustling, colorful, quirky, cluttered, eccentric and so real world of an Irani café.

After their #DoTheNew last year, and as a part of their 3-year-anniversary, SBOW has collaborated with famed singer Anaida Parvaneh, who, along with the chefs at SodaBottleOpenerWala presents a menu that has been curated to showcase traditional Persian dishes made using ingredients from Iran that will be available in Delhi at SodaBottleOpenerWala’s Khan Market and Noida outlets from March 18 to April 30, 2017.

My calling was to visit SBOW, Mall Of India, Noida to relish Anaida's thoughtful creations for dinner. Though SodaBottleOpenerWala retains its characteristic decor with simplistic quirks from the era of late 60's and early 70's, there is perhaps a chalk-and-blackboard list of dos and don'ts when at a Parsi Bhonu's place and the glass tables featuring tips and tricks to feel-at-home when at SBOW in general.

I must remark how the decor had an old-school look and feel to it even with porcelain rose-tinted crockery reminding me of my mother's vintage dinner sets. A life-size family tree tracing Mr. SodaBottleOpenerWala's lineage was also a welcome sight. :)

Coincidentally, the unveiling of the pop-up Menu with Anaida in attendance timed itself well with the celebration of Navroze, i.e. Parsi New Year in the offing a day later. It was a sheer delight to be acquainted with, and concur with Anaida's perception of a holistic aura to food. Also, her perspective of 'No Chili' concurs with mine as I detest spice in my food. It was a pleasure to share the table and a wonderful meal with a like-minded person as Anaida.

With a host of authentic Persian delicacies up their sleeves, each prepared using ingredients that have medicinal and healing properties, Anaida and Chef Hemant have presented the pop-up menu as an A’la Carte and as a vegetarian & non-vegetarian Sini, inspired by the concept of Indian Thalis specially curated with the entire Persian vegetarian and non-vegetarian experience on a platter.

Out of all the dishes on the Menu, Anaida's Soup-e-Jadooi and Salad-e-Salamat were the ones made solely with a holistic and natural healing purpose, borrowing from Anaida's mother's anecdotes.

The Soup-e-Jadooi is a remarkable concoction of chicken with coriander, pearl barley, mixed sprouts, turnip, mushroom, carrots and roasted vermicelli. It acts as the perfect pick-me-up for anyone feeling under the weather.

According to Anaida,

"My mother was a naturopath who hardly allowed us to take any allopathic medication. There was a herbal remedy for everything and over the years I learned a lot from her and studied some of my own. Treating cooking as an art I enjoyed creating dishes with ingredients aimed at certain diseases and the challenge was to make them as tasty as possible to treat food as a healing tool. 

Personally, I also work with foods on energy level, while science still has to catch up with certain teaching I have come across, I like to mix and match certain foods for their energetic properties and this particular soup for me, has the 'good feel' energy." 

Here's what all was relished over some nice company and good banter at Anaida's Persian Pop Up...

To begin with, we had Irani Chai which was black tea brewed with love in a porcelain pot and served with dates and sugar cubes on the side.

Well, summer's here already and what better than to drive away the sweltering heat with a spoonful of delicious variations of Raita presented in the form of Mast-o-Khiyar (Iranian style Raita with a dash of chopped cucumber, dried mint and rose petals flavored with sea salt) and Laboo Burani, which is a Raita of sweetened beetroot in hung yogurt flavored with rose petals. Both these preparations went well with Salad-e-Salamat.

Irani Haleem came from a traditional Iranian recipe made using slow cooked lamb and wheat paste and went well with the quintessential Bambaiyya Pav.

Fesenjan was a specialty from Iran made by slow cooking chicken in pomegranate molasses along with walnuts turned out to be a personal favorite.

Khorak-e-Ghosht or lamb shank slow-cooked in onions, chick peas and mild spices flavored with Persian black lime was also well appreciated when paired with Saffron Rice.

One of the star variations to Ladies' Finger put forward by Anaida was christened as Khoresht-e-Bamiye and consisted of the humble vegetable being cooked with tomatoes and onions, topped with fried eggplant and finely fried potatoes.

Coming to eggplant, Anaida's Kashk-o-Bademjan is essentially an eggplant roll flavored with Iranian eggplant paste paired with fried onions and mild spices, served alongside flavorful Kashk, made from dried yogurt.

Among the rice preparations, we savored Dill and Fava Bean Rice being presented as Baghali Polo on the pop-up menu, and Chef Hemant's special creation, Tahchin which consists of chicken marinated in yogurt, cooked in charcoal, mixed with cardamom and saffron flavored rice. It was also served with a mildly spiced tomato dip on the side.

The curated selection of desserts is a delight, to say the least. Shole Zard or ‘yellow flame’ is a Persian pudding dating back several thousand years prepared with aromatic rice flavored with saffron and almonds. It was traditionally served at special occasions such as weddings, gatherings or new year as it is laden with saffron, an exotic and expensive ingredient.

On the other hand, Persian Halwa made with wheat flour cooked in ghee and rose water flavored with cinnamon and nuts formed for the perfect end to our Persian meal at Anaida's pop-up.

Also, as the outlet has a newly acquired liquor license, they believed in flaunting it by presenting their Vodka sampler. Being a teetotaler, I skipped its tasting but a capture was also good enough to appreciate its presentation.

Before I wrap up this account of my time at SBOW, Noida, I must also commend the staff for being on the toes with their on-fleek service, catering to regular patrons with as much aplomb as they did to us Bloggers. I had a wonderful time at SodaBottleOpenerWala and it remains my go-to place for all things authentically Persian. :)