A heavenly afternoon with a divine accomplice - Four Seasons Wine.

“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.” - Ernest Hemingway

My enthusiasm in wine soared when I visited the Napa Valley .The whole process intrigued me .

That was my defining moment with respect to wine. In the beginning to appreciate wine is tricky.The taste is cultivated overtime .

In India you would see the majority favoring Whiskey , Rum etc etc .Wine is called a "Ladies" drink by many . I really don’t know how that perception was set .But yes ! I am jubilant by the fact that this trend is slowly changing.I spend an hour sometimes at "Natures Basket" conversing with the staff on the various brands they sell and trying to build an understanding on the cuisine they would be suited best with.

I got a call from Akshay Gopal Ginger Claps asking me to review a bottle of  Cabernet Sauvignon wine .Being a devotee of wine, I was ecstatic on being picked for the review.

I have had Four Seasons Wine many a times but I had never really known the fact that Four Seasons Wine belongs to UB Group.I did a research on Four Seasons Vineyards  and found out the following trivia .

Located in Sahyadri Valley, Four Seasons started their operations in a state of art faculty near Baramati. Alongside they have a French chateau style resort and a spa to boost wine tourism in the area.

So I decided to savour this bottle of  Four Seasons Wines with my friends on a dinner  but Wine has it's ways  :D .On a lazy Sunday afternoon my eyes fell on this bottle of wine which was beaming right back back at me . That is  when I decided I had to pop it .I could no longer be apart .

I impromptu  prepared Spaghetti in Mushroom sauce .Luckily for me I had saved some Tiramisu .I headed over to the balcony and set myself to start the feast .It was a sunny afternoon . I tilted the glass and the wine was clear and had a bright Raspberry color. Initially on smelling it ,the odour was floral but deeper in the glass the odors  grew richer.

Cabernet Sauvignon is very rich in flavor as they leave the skin on during the making. The sense of dryness is felt on sipping the wine and this is quite common in red wine due to high content of tannin. Personally this works for me every time with Pasta or Spaghetti. The creaminess in the sauce of the spaghetti and the acidity in the wine was a perfect combination for the palette. Tiramisu paired with a glass of Four Seasons Wine , and I was in heaven.

I enjoyed my Sunday lunch.It was blissful and quiet .My wine , my food and I   --- My definition of a perfect afternoon .The wine was ideal in Flavor . Was well balanced and rounded up without any distaste.

I have not had my chance at tasting  Sauvignon Blanc that Four Seasons Wines has to offer .I am definitely going to try it soon an they are quite an experience and are very affordable. The bottles are priced at 650 RS . A perfect idea for a gift as well.

I strongly recommend !! :)

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Low key and artistic !

Coffee on Canvas is located in Koramnagala 4 th block .A cafe on the rooftop.
It is a low key place with all the elements working in favour for the place .

Ambience:
Its lovely with a lot of lanterns hanging. There is plenty of plantations and creepers.
I say they live by their caption and help bring out the artist in you .A pin board is put up right at the entrance with many sketches done .My Favorite being that of Jon snow (GOT character). Each table has a different art to showcase .
Negative : Too many mosquitoes inspite of the flycutors.
Rating :3.5

Food:
The menu is simple .Yet has a lot of options .
We ordered Mushroom Ravioli,Spaghetti(Chicken) in Tomato sauce ,Fettucini alfredo (Chicken).
Drinks - Strawberry smoothie and Green Apple soda.

Fettucini

I have had my share of experiences with Ravioli hence I was skeptical on ordering one . However I did and I was pleasnatly surprised .They served it with bread and the mushroom ravioli was teamed with white sauce .It was simple .I am not sure if I could taste a lot of mushroom but having said that it was surprising to see the effort and detail at serving a dish by trying to be as authentic as possible.

Mushroom Ravioli

My friend struggled with the Spaghetti(Chicken) in tomato sauce and finally gave up on it as she was not pleased with how the tomato sauce was cooked annd that the flavours did not blend.
The pasta was good.The showstopper for me was undoubtedly the Strawberry smoothie. It is a breath of fresh air .We ordered seconds :)
Rating:3

Service:

They have limited staff but are prompt when called for .
One very impressive point I would like to highlight is their courteousness .While clearing the dishes the staff enquired on what went wrong with the spaghetti and accepted our constructive criticism.We were just chatting when they brought a freshly made Spaghetti.
It was quite a gesture on their part .We were very pleased.
Rating :4

Value for money :

With all that we ordered along with an expresso .The bill amounted to 723 rs .
Totally VFM .
Rating:3.5

Chilled out place ! On my list of the best cafes around.

Coffee at Canvas

Delizioso!!

We headed over to Via Milano one sunday night to meet our friends dad who had come down from France .

Ambience:
It ' s classy , airy . A lot of plantations making the whole experience very refreshing and rejuvenating!

Service:
The owner and the staff both make it a point to serve whoever walks in with a very welcoming smile .

Food:

We ordered Bruschette for starters.

Add caption

Main course :Chicken scaloppine in white wine sauce ,Shrimps and tomato risotto,Chicken filled tortellini, Spicy Fusilli pasta with tomato sauce.
Everyone was satiated with the food that was served .The presentation was a delight.

Tiramisu is our pick for dessert .Its not the best that I have had yet having said that it was a perfect ending for a great dinner.

Value for Money: The prices are high . But this is a place which you can pick to have an experience at fine dining !

Ambience: 4
Food : 4
Service : 3.5
Value for Money : 3.5

My Verdict : 3.7

Spot on Malabari Cusine in Namma Bangalore!

Being a hard core Keralite more so in the tummy than in the heart .This is my flee spot whenever I miss home food .

The place is an urban "Thattu kada " .That's what they aimed at I say they have done a decent job .There are people walking in at any time of the day .Credit partly goes to the fact its right at the centre of Koramangala and also primarily due to the services offered and the food .

Being a malayali I will vouch for this place as they serve authentic Kerala cuisine.
Highlights of the menu in my opinion are Kozhi Varatharacha curry(*Ground coconut Chicken curry), Chicken Stew , Idiappam , Puttu Kadala , Prawns Masala, Fish Curry Meal .

Even a simple ghee rice and Veg kurma is extremely tasty . No kidding.

About the service , the staff are very friendly and always smiling. Food is served fast .
Theirs is an open counter so one can head over to have a look at the cooking process.

Value for Money: This place is by all means VFM ! Recently my friend and I were so broke that we decided to go have simple thali here and since we were really late(3 pm) we had to settle down for ghee rice and kurma . We sat there for 2 hours chatting away to glory . No one shooed us away . The staff even served us with bowls of Payasam and we were so delighted.It was the best Paripu Payasam(*Dal Kheer) I had in ages.

Ambience: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Food : 4/5
Value for Money : 4/5


My verdict : Statiscally 4.25 but I am going with 4.


*I might get slapped for my amusing translations for the dishes.

A fresh Memory.

As suggested by a friend as a quiet place with good wine . Me and me my friend head off to 100 ft .
The place was quite empty .It was a Tuesday .

Ambience: It a nice place which is very urban ,decorated by someone with an eye for art .We hit off to the first floor .

Service:It was excellent .The staff was courteous .My friend not being very particular about wine had a lot of questions and the waiter answered all of them with a smile.Believe me there was this whole round of Q&A happening and I had to intervene .As always a lady has to intervene to make a decision.*Wink*

 Food :Three Mushroom risotto was creamy .Yet there was this lack of flavor.
Garlic Prawns and baby spinach was good. The prawns were cooked well with the right amount of cream teamed up with it .
We had about 3 bottles of wine .
For Wine Fanatics ,The south African Wine they offer is good .Just the right amount of acidity !!

Value for Money: The food was mediocre ! Service was great but even then ,the prices are way too much for the servings offered .

All in all a place you can be rest assured that you will not be disturbed and can have a peaceful romantic dinner :)

Service :4
Ambiance:3.5
Food : 2.5
Value for Money : 2

Giving an extra .5 not because I am generous but because of the experience that I had and treasure : D .

Prost to you mate ..

I have been eying this place ever since I saw the caption "PROST - Pouring soon" .
Prost means cheers in German is located at Koramangala 4 th block .Its a great place to hang out at .The interiors are very "garagy" .Yeah I know what you are thinking -->"Dude!That's not even a word " .I reckon I am a strong follower of Barneys if you know what I mean .So the place has a rustic feel .I loved that way they have labelled the restrooms .A ladies clutch and a mens wallet hanging on the doors ..Quite unique ! I haven't seen that around .
Food yes! I quite liked it .The starters were done well --:>"Prost style Prawns" and "Crab cakes Thai style" yummm! Strict Warning --> Do not order the "Calamari fritters".It was oily and quite sticky ..In short ,did not set well into my palette.But yes there were quite gracious when we told them so and offered to exchange it ...

They have 5 desserts on their menu but "Whiskey Decadence" is definitely the best .Just a perfect ending for a great dinner!Do give it a try .Just the kind of place where one likes to unwind after a tiring day.Great music as well and a perfect place for sports lovers.

My Verdict : 3.5