LEISURE

Food blogging is growing in India, and a lot of food enthusiasts are sharing their wonderful recipes online. Each of them have their unique stories, experiences, and of course, their food recipes. Here are three food bloggers who live in Bengaluru doing what they love doing, and a peek at their journeys.Blog beginningsArchana Doshi, on her food blog , calls herself a “chef, blogger, author, food writer” and more. She is a software engineer by profession but when she became a mother, she had to leave her career behind. At this time she decided to blog about parenting, and a…

When was the last time you bought a pen? How much did it cost? Was it made of plastic or coated with gold? Yes some pens are made of gold and can cost up to a couple of lakhs. Cross pens. Pic: Anisha Nair Brand name, as in any other retail product is a key factor with the pricing of pens too. From Parker, Pierre Cardin, Cross, Sheaffer, Baoer, Waterman, Mont Blanc, Caran d’Ache, Q, the list is long. You have a plethora of designs, trends and styles to choose from. It also depends on the material from which pens…

With so many coffee joints sprouting up around town, us Bangaloreans are pretty much spoilt for choice. Along with coffee that you can pick up and drink on-the-go, meals that are made to go with that fresh cuppa are the new deal. Mixed Berry Cheesecake. Pic: Gaana Srinivas Several upmarket coffee joints offer great combos so that your coffee becomes a full blown meal. Pairing it with freshly baked pizzas and sandwiches is a current favourite. Of course, muffins and cookies remain constant companions of the brew. But what kind of coffee do you choose? Caramel laced, chocolate laden, or…

The waiter opens the door for me with a warm smile. It is a breezy rooftop restaurant at the four floored Tibet Mall. Though the ambience is simple, Hotel Tibet serves some of the most popular and authentic Tibetan cuisine. Tibetan Veg Platter. Pic: Anisha Nair Though this restaurant serves continental and Indian cuisine too, Tibetan cuisine is definitely the first choice. Tingmo is the Tibetan soft bread rolled and baked with orange colour on the sides. This is the bread that is used by Tibetans regularly. What stands apart is the Silky Noodles with vegetables soup, also called Thenthuk.…

With all the traffic around it is easy to miss Star Briyani near Silk Board junction. But once you step inside the food will definitely catch your attention. The menu seems too short. But the taste more than makes up for the length of the menu. They have only three types of briyani - chicken, mutton and egg. In fry or kebab we were left with limited chicken, mutton and fish items.Ambur Briyani has a royal legacy.  It is said to have evolved from Arcot briyani, from the kingdom of Nawab of Arcots.  Ambur is a small little town in…

The aroma of the coconut oil being heated in the pan, the tempting curries and payasam dishes spread across the table is what God's Own Country's food is about. Here are some of the restaurants that serve the best of Kerala cuisine in Namma Bengaluru. Fish Curry. Pic: Kumarakom Prawn pollichathu and Kerala Chicken curry is the biggest draw at Peppers in BTM Layout. The simple ambience with a few abstract paintings on the wall have calming effect and lets you concentrate on the food.Average cost of meal for two is Rs 250. Alcohol is not served. Karimeen. Pic: Kumarakom…

The movie 3 Idiots has this famous scene that talks about Gujarati cuisine. Watching it again again, my mouth started watering at the mention of Dhokla, Faafda, Thepla, Haandva... I immediately set out find some Gujarati restaurants around Koramangala. Gaanthiya. Pic: Aayush Anand Rajdhani in Koramangala promises to serve the typical Gujarati cuisine. The Gujarati speciality that Rajdhani serves is Masala Khichadi. This is one of the most popular dishes in Gujarat and tastes heavenly. Besides tasting delicious, it is also considered one of the most nutritious and simple dishes to prepare. It is made of a mixture steamed dal…

This year’s Mango crop was a latecomer and much smaller compared to 2011’s bumper produce. While last year produced 11 metric tonnes, this year looks good for just three. “Mango is known for alternate bearing. One year you get a good crop and the succeeding year you get a poor crop.” says Dr G K Mukund, Professor of Horticulture at the University of Agricultural Sciences. Badami: Karnataka’s leading Mango variety. Pic Salonie Rego This year however, saw profuse flowering throughout Karnataka, which was completely unexpected. But factors like the prolonged drought and high temperature still reduced the quantity. Prices are…

It's time for summer vacations. Outings and travel are at its peak. People prefer coloured and textured bags making the military fatigue suitcase covers a passe. No more heavy luggages either. With more people opting to travel by air, baggage weight limits have also become a factor for the change in trend.April - July seems to the peak time for luggage dealers. Summer vacations is when the people flock to buy suitcases and bags.People prefer suitcases made of polycarbonate plastic, as they are lightweight, durable and trendy. These bags come with a choice of two and four wheels. They are…

In the previous article we discussed about handling pests in general. Here are a few examples shared to show how pests can perhaps be dealt with, without the use of chemicals and dangerous pesticides. Powdery Mildew Caused by fungi, the leaves in this case develop cloudy whitish spots are a common problem faced by several terrace gardeners. Starting out as a few spores on the leaves, powdery mildew quickly spreads, ultimately yellowing the leaves and causing leaf drop. It stunts plant growth, distorts the flowers and fruits and weakens the plant in general. Spores never stop producing more spores, so…