Palmyra- Bristol Hotel

The definition of good food is-  Presentation, Taste and Aroma. All the three factors are responsible for special dining and this is what we experienced in Palmyra- Bristol Hotel, Gurgaon. Chef Somnath made it a fab experience for the diners who innovated and curated many masterpieces which were cooked with less oil and lots of love.

As a foodie I always look for innovation. My search took me to this beautiful restaurant Palmyra in Bristol for a Sunday dinner.  As always the initials were starters like hara bhara kabab, honey chilly potato and paneer tikka. But one thing was different here that the food was light and not heavy as we often experience. The kabab were soft and taste very nice, paneer was not over marinated and the honey chilly potato tasted both sweet and hot.

Palmera is situated on the fourth floor with a huge space outside to enjoy drinks and starters. The covered area is for buffet.

After digging on to the starters and some fruit juices, my wife thought to give main course a try. Honestly I had no expectations from this place due to some bad reviews on Zomato , but as I started looking at the dishes, my opinion changed gradually.

My plate was quickly full with small portions of all the dishes which included paneer butter masala, kaju matter mushroom makhana gravy, chickpeas and aubergine tagine, dofinose potatoes,  stir fried vegetables, veg biryani and dal zaffran.

One thing is very different among all the dishes that they are not cooked with lots of oil. The taste was balanced with different spices but not overloaded. The veg biryani had a very pleasant aroma and taste excellent. Preparation with less oil made things enjoyable, light and amazing. 

Among all the dishes my favourite was chef’s own innovation dofinose potatoes which taste heavenly!!!! Even it was prepared with cheese but still it was not at all heavy.The chef told us that he used raw potatoes and the starch did the job of sticking them together.

The deserts were equally satisfying both to the eyes and taste buds. The spread had rabri jalabi, kalakand, banoffee , cake and red velvet tiramisu. The winner here is banoffee which was a bomb and again a brain child of chef Somnath who had cleverly innovated with caramel, banana, cream, muesli and some other flavours. 

We also had a brief discussion with the chef and agreed that Indian food should not be overloaded with spices or oil, which often renders people tummy full but unsatisfied. Nobody wants high cholesterol in their body. The trick is to balance everything. Over all we are very quite happy with the food and below is my rating. Anyone looking for good food must visit this perfect place.

Food-5/5

Taste-5/5

Ambience-4.5/5

Chef's friendly nature- no star, all smiles J

Staff-4.5/5

We would really want to see some more innovative dishes from the Chef soon.

Dilli Ki Galliyan-Zodiac @Fortune Hitel (ITC Property)

I was invited for this blogger event to experience the taste of Purani Delhi. As we speak about Old Delhi, the place that comes to our mind is Chandani Chowk which is considered the hub of authentic food. This was my first time in Zodiac and must say that the ambience is very nice with zodiac signs on the walls.

As we are all aware that ITC hotels are known for its quality food, in continuation of this legacy they have brought the taste of Purani Delhi right here in Gurgaon. Bringing the authentic taste to the place was made possible by Chef Inder Dev who has done an intensive research of the food items before putting it on the menu. We started with lassi along with kalmi bada, bean mathri and pyaaz bhujia which were nicely cooked.

More snacks were served such as bhalla papri, chhole bhature and gol gappay. Among these my favourite was bhalla papri which had a tangy taste. 

We started the main course with non-veg food like Goli kabab and dora kabab. Both of them tasted out of this world! I had also tasted biryani with chicken korma and chengezi chicken. I am a die hard non-vegetarian so could not experience much of the veg course. However  as per others bloggers, veg items were equally awesome.  Out of the entire main course I liked Matka Ghost, Goli Kabab, Dora Kabab and Biryani. All the dishes were cooked in the same way as you will find in Purani Delhi and the best part is after a long time I have tasted authentic Biryani. 

After eating all the mouth-watering dishes there was very less scope of sweets. Yet, I believe every Indian will agree with me that we all have a secret space in our stomach which opens up when we see desert.  We were served with Rabri Jalebi, Rasgulla and Phirni. The Jalebi was good and tasted great when mixed with Rabri. The Rasgulla was also good and the Phirni was excellent with less sweet content.

Overall below are my ratings.

Ambience-4/5

Food-4.5/5

Staff-5/5

This is a must visit place and do not miss the food festival “Purani Dilli ki Galliyan” at Zodiac,

Nikkor 50-300MM lens

After using my new Nikon DSLR for nearly 6 months I encountered a small limitation "ZOOM". Yes without a medium range zoom I was not able to click some long distance images, eg. birds, sunrise, moon etc. I was aware that lens is the soul of any DSLR camera and without a proper lens I will not be able to use my camera to its full potential.

My existing 18-55 mm is for short range and macro images but as a backpacker I needed more than that. Lens could be very expensive and can go up to Rs. 6 Lac, but I am not a professional and photography is not earning me by bread and butter, so I was looking for a basic zoom lens which can satisfy my need and at the same time not very heavy on my pocket.

 















As an intermediate I was not looking for a very long range lens and decided a medium range lens will do the. After dong some research my choice is Nikkor 55-300 mm VR lens.

The reason I choose this product is because of the Nikkon brand name and second is compatibility with my existing DSLR. I feel it is very important to buy a compatible product or else the product will not sink up 100%. There are other lenses available with low price from different brand but they were missing the very important function VR. VR means vibration reduction which helps stabilizing the image in the absence of tripod or in case of moving objects like birds. The lens also has an auto focus capability which will give a peace of mind when you are struggling with other functions like ISO and shutter. The lens comes with a very durable plastic cover for front and back and this will save the lens from dust and moisture. It also has a very good pouch to save the outer body from scratch when the lens is not in use. It’s really very easy to attach the lens to the camera and same with the detachment. The VR technology works very well and I never had any complaint; this is a very important part because the lens is heavy and while focusing on a distant object, it is natural that hands will shake. Without a good VR it is impossible to shoot without a tripod. Now I am able to click very long distance images without any problem.

 

The only small issue which I am facing is the lens is little heavy and I can feel it while holding it for some time, but this is not an huge issue as zoom lenses will have some weight. I will recommend this lense for any intermediate users like me

My Nikkon D3300

Buy Nikon D3300 with 18-55mm Lens from Snapdeal

I am not new to photography but I was using a Sony point and shoot camera with attached little wide lens . The camera is good, but the problem was its limitations and no option to change the lens. I have a habit of doing extensive research before buying any product and price does matter for me. My budget for buying a DSLR was 30000 and there are many options available in the market including combo offers(two lenses 18-55 and 55-200). But as a beginner my first priority was ease of use and the functions should not be complicated for which my choice is Nikon D3300. The camera is not very basic and not very high end. The reason I choose this model because I was aware of some the basic features like ISO, Shutter, and F number etc. The product is very easy to use, the functions are very clear and with the help of hot keys I do not need to go to the function menu all the time to change settings. The three basic functions like shutter speed; ISO and F number is damn easy to change from the main screen on various moods. It also got an easy to use dial for different mood like manual, Auto, Macro etc. The best part in the dial is for effects like you can give special effects to your pictures for example Vivid, black and white, Toy camera effect, selective colour and also Panorama.

On the bottom right side there is a hot key to delete unwanted images and also one to select time in case you want to use a tripod. On the left side of the screen the product has menu button, play button to watch your images instantly, zoom in and zoom out only for the captured images and a button marked with the letter(i) which helps us to change different functions on screen. The camera also got an in build flash which pops us as and when required apart from this there is also an option of extra flash on the top. Personally I don’t like to use flash until and unless it becomes very important because the product has an amazing ISO sensitivity which works very well in low light. The camera also has slots for HDMI in case someone wants to view images on HDTV and also a slot for MIC. In the bottom the product has a universal socket of tripods honestly I have never used my tripod because the VR(Vibration Reduction) technology works flawless. Even at the time I have captured very low light images the VR is a life saver because carrying a tripod means adding extra weight. The product comes with Nikon software to edit your images and it very easy to use. I have purchased it with an offer online so I got a Nikon standard DSLR bag.

Along with the camera the standard products are 8GB memory card, Camera body, 18-55Vr lense, user manual, HDMI wires, strap and charger.

I have not encountered any problems while using the product. It may be after few years which I will use the product to its full potential but I will stick with Nikon.

Car Service-Bad Game

It’s been more than 8 years since I have been driving my car and honestly have not faced any major fault. Apart from small hiccups due to minor accidents, my car has not given me troubles. However, now after 7 years some parts have grown very old and need replacement. As I am moving towards changing my old parts I realize that there is no option but to buy genuine car parts from the service centre. Yes, there are few options outside the system, but they are not 100% genuine. It solves the purpose for a while but again very few want to compromise on quality. 

So what options do consumers have? After doing some research these are  my findings. 

There must be more than 50 dealers of Maruti (an example) in Delhi/NCR and all of them want to make huge profits. Please be aware that profit margins are limited because of huge competitions among dealers and the only option they have is to sell more cars with discounts and festivals offers. This does not mean that they don’t earn profit, but their greed makes them do wrong.

So how will they make profit?The answer is false SERVICE charges. As soon you step in the service station, the goal of the service manager is to charge as much as possible. They do it by two ways- Labor charges and overpriced spare parts.

There are two kinds of charges; one is the normal service charge which the customers have to pay no matter what. This is often in the range of Rs.1500 to Rs.2000 which includes washing and cleaning, spark plug cleaning and engine tuning. 

The second are the charges for wear and tear of different parts and the separate labour charge. Almost 90% of the customers do not understand the bill and the terms in it, giving a golden opportunity for the service manager to increase the bill amount. You will be surprised to see that the labour charges are sky high! My dealer charged me Rs. 95 just to fix a small door handle! The only work was to fix a screw. That’s it!

Our little knowledge about our car proves to be the biggest opportunity for these car dealers. Very often I have seen very huge charges on the final bill without any reason. 

-The best way to avoid is to start asking questions and ask for the old part if they have changed it. Try to sit with them at the time they are making the job card initially and give them strict instructions not to change any part without your consent. 

-Also, always carry your user manual to understand which part needs to be changed and when is the right time.

-In the final inspection ask the service manager to show you the new parts; yes some might not be visible.

The problem is the customer can’t buy parts of his own from the service station and they can charge any amount in the name of labour charge.There is no guarantee that the parts they have changed are genuine because almost all the work been done in the service bay and entry of customer is restricted.

Be alert and save your hard earned money on your car service.

Patient care @ home

Patient care at home- This word often is confused with regular nurses in the hospital and aayas. In hospitals there are two kinds of care available-One are the nurses who are responsible for taking care of patients as per the doctor advice, giving medicines or food on time and checking vital stats. The second are “Aayas” who are responsible for activities like giving sponge bath to patients, helping them with bed pan and other cleaning related jobs. Nurses are well educated while on the other hand an aaya could be little or un- educated. 

Sometimes we need the same kind of care at home.  While hiring a helping hand at home, what should one do? The first thing we have to keep in our mind is the requirement of the patient. For example if the patient needs regular injections or constant monitoring and medicines depend on vital body functions, then one must hire a nurse. Nurses are required for bed ridden patients, those suffering with serious conditions or old patients living alone. Aaya is also required in these kinds of cases because most of the nurses would refuse the cleaning jobs. In case of predefined medicines and food an “aaya” would be perfect. Aayas are good with those patients who are bed ridden and where the only work is to feed and clean them. An example is my mother who fractured her leg after slipping in the bathroom. 

In some cases help is required for half a day but that’s depends on the patient condition. In general an aaya is required only for helping the patient with those daily activities which they are not able to do by themselves.

Now the question arises that from where to hire them. Nurses are mostly available from the hospital directly and it is the most preferred method too. However, they are very expensive and also no one wants to take a chance because they are meant for a critical job. The same way aaya can also be hired from hospital but the problem is hospital charge a huge amount for this unskilled work. It is better to hire an aaya from an independent agency.

With growing needs, there are new agencies mushrooming everywhere and all of them promise you with the best staff they have. In reality, most of them are bogus and have no experience. The reason they are into this business is quick and tax free money. They work on two ways-One is you pay only to the agency and in turn they will pay the employee. In other words it’s an outsourced profile. The second way is you pay some amount initially to the agency and a fixed salary to the maid every month.

The problem is there is no guarantee of the employee. Even these maids are unskilled but they must have prior experience of patient care. Most of the agencies give you wrong information. The best way to be on the safe side is to ask for references and then wait for their answer. Almost 90% will never give you any reference because of two reasons- One they have never worked with patients, and two- they have never worked at all. 

I have come across maids who were involved in house cleaning and the agency people lure them for these kind of jobs because the pay is high. My present maid (aaya) even told me that once her agency owner got a road side lady beggar and took her for a job in patient care after teaching all kind of lies! That’s alarming!

So how to handle grave situations at home in presence of maids/aaya-

1.       Install a CCTV by which you can monitor the daily activity at home. This is also important because the maid always have the fear that someone is watching.

2.       Take a small interview of the maid in front of the agency person. For example where they have all worked previously, for how long they have been working, what was the nature of their last assignment and so on.

3.       Take two or three references from the nurse and the agency owner as well.

4.       Ask for a police verification before you hire them and also check their original documents. Keep a copy of all the documents with some photographs.

5.       Explain the nature of work in detail to avoid last minute surprises. Try to tell them they have to do everything for the patient, even cooking and washing clothes, massage or therapy patient’s body. Also don’t miss telling them the most important thing- In case the patient needs anything at night, then the same has to done.

6.       I will also suggest restricting their access in the house for example eating habits. Please understand, most of them come from a very poor family and never had access to luxury. My intensions are not to be inhuman but at least they must know their limits.

7.       Don’t let the maid knows about the places where you keep cash or jewellery. Try to lock the room in case you are leaving and the patient is all alone at home with the maid. In case you are planning for few days out of station then please let few neighbour know. Their frequent or surprise visit will keep the maid under control.

8.       Try to keep an eye for the initial few days and take a feedback from the patient himself.

9.       Last and most important is the compensation. Be clear on the terms and conditions from the beginning itself.

I am no expert in this field but this is my experience and hope it will help. These agencies charge a lot of amount, so don’t let them fool you.