Fabelle Chocolates Launch at ITC Maratha, Mumbai

ITC has come up with a new range of Premium Chocolates called Fabelle. Fabelle Chocolates have been in the making for a decade now, with extensive research and innumerable trials in the company's pursuit to craft the finest luxury chocolates in India. They knew what they wanted, and God, they have succeeded! A ten year research and sourcing chocolates from the very corners of the world, just to ensure the best premium ingredients. 

Fabelle was created by international chefs working in conjunction with ITC master chocolatiers to craft the finest quality chocolates. The taste just proves that their efforts paid off. Each offering was unique and exquisite.

We were first given a presentation by Mr. GK Suresh – Vice President, New Category Development, ITC Foods. We learnt a lot of interesting things, for example, that their ganache is conched for 12 hours to give the perfect melt-in-your-mouth feeling.

Let's start with the Fabelle Elements. They're intricately crafted pralines inspired by the elements of nature - Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Wood.

From L-R: Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Wood

Chef Prashant Sabne suggested I eat them in this order - Earth, Fire, Air, Water and Earth. Get a box of this, go ahead, treat yourself! Amazing stuff. I couldn't get enough of these. My favorites were Wood and Fire. Wood combines coffee chocolate and cinnamon. Classically favorite flavors for me, so this one was obvious. But Fire was a surprise. Made with Ancho chili and candied mango, this was an exquisite experience to say the least. You definitely will need the Air and Water after this one!

Next up, Fabelle Ganache - velvety soft cubes of exotic cocoas delicately churned with butter and fresh cream. There were three variants - Creamy Milk, Rich Dark, and Dark with Apple and Cinnamon.  

I am a huge fan of Dark Chocolate, and I loved that ganache. But when I met the Apple and Cinnamon, it was love at first bite. I never thought I would like it so much, because I am generally wary about flavors barging into my dark chocolate, but this one did a great job! I had so many of those. I regret nothing.

Fabelle As You Like It – personalized chocolate cup creations offering myriad possibilities of fillings and toppings, with endless combinations that you can experiment with.

I had so much fun creating my chocolate cup. We all named our cups after ourselves, so mine is called 'As Myra Likes It'! Do you guys wana know what was in my personalized chocolate cup?
It’s a dark chocolate cup, the first layer of filling inside it was a berry preserve, topped with a generous layer of dark mint creme, topped off with a powdery layer of arabica coffee. Everything I loved, and it was so awesome! I wasn't sure if berry would go well with dark mint creme, but then I remembered what surprises the ganache gave me, and then I felt better about making this chocolate cup!

Fabelle Single Origin Cacoas – single origin bars, crafted using cocoa from different countries (Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Ecuador, Sao Tome and Ghana), each asserting its own distinct flavour and hence adding a unique flavor to each bar.

 
Fabelle Gianduja - This is a recreation of a tradiitonal Italian delicacy from the Napoleon era fashioned with an infusion of hazelnuts into rich, creamy milk chocolate. Not usually a fan of nuts in my cocoa love, I was quite impressed with these delectable bits. I tried it very hesitantly, but I shouldn't have been worried, it was really good. Even someone like me loved it, so of course people who like nuts in their chocolate would go absolutely mad about it.

After all this, there was still dessert! God, I was already on a sugar high by now, and then I see dessert. Space creates itself in one's tummy when faced with chocolatey goodness.

White chocolate cheese cake jars -

The goodness of Philadelphia cream cheese and white chocolate caught in a delicious house cheese cake recipe, embellished with berry coulis. The rich creamy cheesecake with the tart fruits - what a play of textures! Foodgasm right there. Also, it's eggless. That was probably the most amazing part. To get that smooth creamy texture without using eggs; wow.

 84% signature dark chocolate petit cake with fleur de sel -

Signature dark chocolate (84%!) with fruity and intense undertones explored three ways - a pure ganache, a citrusy chocolate cream and a rich chocolate mousse, on a textured sea salt-nut sablé, enrobed in cocoa glaze. Now, I love anything that uses fleur de sel. It just adds so much texture. So I knew this was going to be a treat, but even then I was underestimating it. It was just that perfect. Look at it. Even the glaze is perfect.
Vanilla cremeux bar with St. Domingue chocolate mousse -
  

Single origin 70% Saint-Domingue chocolate with strong cocoa notes, paired with a light cream of Madagascar vanilla and fortified with an almond hazelnut crunch, this was bliss. I thought nothing would ever match up to the petit cake and I was wrong. This was so so so good and rich, I was just done. This was a very very fitting last bite for such a scrumptious, chocolate-filled day.

Mind you, the three desserts shown here are all tasting portions. The actual menu items are larger in size but equally rich. You can just imagine what that would do to your dopamine levels. 

Heartily recommended!

Bloggers Lunch at Peshwa Pavilion, ITC Maratha

I was so happy to be a part of the Bloggers Table at Peshwa Pavilion. The invite was for the launch of their new menu, The Luxury Collection. ITC has a huge focus on Responsible Luxury and has revamped their menu to reflect this. They are also big believers in local, organic, and sustainable produce, at the same time ensuring that still maintain the luxury, perfection and attention to detail that ITC is known for.



I was super excited about this meet because I couldn't wait to see what they had come up with. Imagine how my expectations were raised when this was in front of me:

I couldn't wait to try all these! Being vegetarian, I was glad there were an equal number of options for veg and non veg. Not too many places do us the courtesy of an equivalent number of options.

We met Chef Sourabh Rai, who is the junior sous chef at ITC Maratha and also oversees the operations at Peshwa Pavilion, has been with ITC since 2014. He explained to us each of the terms below.

Sattva - Food marked with this tag is made in a quarantined area away from contact with all non vegetarian items

Swasthya Cuisine - Sustainable + Healthy! For example, salmon contained a rich quantity of omega-3, which is a good fat and hence good for your body as it does not negatively affect your cholesterol levels. 

This ties in perfectly with their 'Choose Wisely' initiative. This was created in collaboration with WWF and Central Marine Fisheries Institute. Did you know ITC is the first company in India to adopt the Choose Wisely program with WWF? To illustrate this, Chef Sourabh Rai told us that the per capita consumption of fish in India has increased from 9.9 to 19.2 - from the 60s to now. More people need to be aware of this issue.

Also, there is an emphasis on local produce, and hence regional specialties like kokum are extensively used in their new revamped menu. Another example would be the use of local nuts like cashews instead of hazelnuts in a recipe.

The very first thing on the list were the Swasthya Beverages.

The first one was Carrot and Mono Floral Honey. This was just the right amount of sweet and high in vitamins and antioxidants. In case you didn't know, Mono floral honey is that which is made by bees which collect it from solely one plant.

The next was the Jamun and Mint Muddle. I liked this one a lot, and I don't even usually like Jamun! Sharp, tangy but still quite sweet. It had a slight astringent taste, which for some reason I liked. The mint leaves were extremely fresh, and added in no small measure to the flavor palette of the drink.

Last, but in my opinion best, the Date and Tender Coconut Blitz. The taste of both comes across strongly. An amazing combo, which was elevated in no less measure by the addition of black salt.

Chef Sourabh suggested Crusty Bread for the table, for something to munch on between courses. 

This crunchy bread was made of pearl millet(ragi), rye, rajgira (amaranth) and sundried tomatoes. Served with classic basil pesto. The bread was quite nice, and of course, super healthy. But I believe the pesto could've been a tad thicker. Otherwise, it was pretty good.

Next up, Molten Brie with Pretzel Crusts.

This was an entire wheel of cheese, breaded with pretzel crust. I mean, do you really need me to tell you that this is amazing? It was served with roast beet and spiced apple chutney. The spiced apple was a tad too tangy for my taste when I tied it solo, but no doubt it went really well with the apple chutney. I also paired it with the crusty bread, and the contrasting textures made it so gooood! It was also served with dill, mint and parsley mayo. What a great play of flavors! I just couldn't stop eating this. 

What was next? A Seasonal Squash and Carrot Puree.

This was served with melon seed. green onion, sambal, and flat rice noodles. I am a fan of flat noodles anyway, and I was not let down at all! It was amazing! I wanted more. Yummy, thick, and hearty. All the ingredients complemented each other so well. A dish I would definitely come back for.

The Green Burger BOP (BOP = Best of Pavilion)

Then buns are 'Good for You' rye and sunflower seed buns, served with a side of greens and fries. What's green?

Look at the patty! So Green! Zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, green peas, with some ricotta and oats. This was super yummy! Oats and crumb on top to complete what is possibly the healthiest burger I've ever had.

Next, Vada Pav. Now, I do love street food, no two ways about it. However, I don't much like Vada Pav, but I was willing to give it a shot here.

Served with teekha chutney, meetha chutney and the dry powder that they usually sprinkle on the bun before putting the vada inside.The chutneys were served in a pipette, which was something that all of us found super cute.

Last of the mains, Pumpkin Ricotta Gnocchi.

Embellished with amber butter, dates, and charoli nuts, this was absolutely fabulous! The medley of flavors were to die for. And the amber butter, oh God. Such delightful flavor combinations. I had never even thought pumpkin and ricotta would work so well with each other before I had this dish.

On to my favorite part of every single meal - Dessert!

First, Pavilion Chocolate Fudge, served with jaggery caramel sauce.

Served with berries, nuts, mascarpone and ice cream. Absolutely delectable. I was not sure how jaggery and caramel would fit, but it fit beautifully. And the fudge was just the right amount of sweet. Even with the ice cream and mascarpone, it didn't get cloyingly sweet. The berries added a much required tartness, too.

Next and last dish of the day, White Chocolate Cheesecake, served with spiced forest berry compote.

Being a major chocolate lover, and a dark chocolate fan at that; I was so surprised when I loved this more than the Chocolate Fudge! With white chocolate shavings on top, and the citrus freshness, there was already a flavorful bite right there. But the addition of the spiced berries took it to ecstasy levels.

One of the best meals I've had at a bloggers' table, I heartily recommend this place to everyone! Their food is not just tasty and healthy, but truly does follow their concept of Responsible Luxury.

Culinary Challenge at The Lalit, Mumbai

First off, I would like to apologize to all of you sweethearts for not posting anything this past month. It's been a really hectic time for me. I know I should have posted more often, but I hope you guys can forgive me! I have been posting reviews on Zomato on and off this past month though. Check out my profile there (100+ Zomato followers now yay!)

And now, for the very delayed post about an amazing event that happened at the Lalit Hotels -  the Grand Finale of The Culinary Challenge.

The culinary challenge is a platform where the Chefs from The Lalit, Mumbai are encouraged to come out of the cocoon and fly with their imagination to create something new, or something traditional.

The participants are free to create dishes which are Traditional, Contemporary, Fusion, or Classic. I was really excited to see what they would come up with. And I was pleasantly surprised with each course! The plating, the textures, and the taste (of whatever I could taste, being a vegetarian) - it was all so good.

First, the chefs.

And now, for the food.

The first course was called 'Seafood Delight', created by Chef Farooq Shaik. 
 It was a cold seafood platter with so many different dorms, tastes, textures, and taste. And it was an absolute delight to look at.

Yes, that's a baby octopus! There's also lady fish, salmon ceviche, and prawn mousse. A closer look -

Those translucent balls, as well as the translucent sheet everything is placed on, is a tomato consommé sheet. Consommé is a very tricky thing to get right - and he did. The brown rocks that you see are actually dainty balls of bocconcini cheese coated with olive dust. It was superbly created. 
The presentation of this dish was really the most interesting of all.


Next up, we have the 'Mehfil-e-Murgh' consisting of four types of chicken variants; created by Chef Parmeshwaran.

Clockwise from top - Dhaniya-Pudina Murgh, Papad Murgh, Deconstructed Parda Murgh Biryani, and Murgh teh-pe-teh.

The Dhaniya-Pudina Murgh is essentially a herb crusted chicken roll. The chicken breast had a perfect texture and was very well cooked. It was served on a gravy with a tomato onion base that went well with the green chicken roll.

The Papad Murgh was created by dipping the chicken tikka balls into a papad mixture. I was quite surprised, having never encountered anything like this before. But the texture contrast of the murgh malai tikka and the papad was just beautiful.

Next up, the Deconstructed Parda Murgh Biryani. 

That's a basket made of chicken juliennes held together by chicken mousse. I personally liked this one the best out of the four because it was so imaginative and superbly done. The basket is covered with a dainty golden roti.

And you take the roti off, and voila!

There's chicken flavored rice inside. Deconstruction, indeed!

The last of the four is the Murgh teh-pe-teh. This was a layered dish, with chicken mousse layers interspersed with one layer of khoa mixture and another of a potato-paneer mixture. Once it was all layered, it was coated in a cashew-cheese-cream mixture before being oven-baked. This was also a favorite and it was quite difficult to decide between this and the Deconstructed biryani.

Are you guys salivating yet? I thought so. There's more to come.

Our third course by Chef Rajendra was titled 'Sunahri Nalli with Akhbari Pulao & Mahi Bhatakali'.

This dish combines pomfret and mutton with a rich pulao. This is a treat for people who love seafood as much as they like their meats. With a creation like this, they won't have to choose. The fish had a lovely texture, and the gravy was well flavored and well seasoned. 

Next up, the 'Lobster Thermidor with a molecular twist', created by Chef Rajan.

  The lobster was cooked in a white sauce and deglazed with white wine. Gruyère and parmesan cheeses were added to the mix. 
The roses are actually made of deep fried potatoes that have been manually shaped.
The lobster was accompanied by a porcini mushroom risotto, deconstructed feta cheese spheres, and mango caviar.

You can see those more clearly in the next picture.
 

To top off this already spectacular creation, it was flambéed right at the table!

 Spectacular, isn't it?

This is how it looked at the end, just as it was settling down.

This dish was enjoyed by everyone at the table. It was flavorful and made an impact.
 
The last course, and most definitely not the least, dessert! Named 'Circle of Life' and created by Chef Heena Shah.

It was a veritable wonderland. She chose to stick to two dominant flavors throughout. And it was amazing how much she experimented in that. 

Hence, we were treated to orange and rose mousse, orange panacotta, orange caviar (with a chili reduction!), orange parfait, macarons, and orange ice cream.

The presentation was impeccable. Like the candied rose petals in such straight lines. It truly was a work of art. But then again, I am partial to desserts, so of course I am going to wax eloquent about it.


That wraps up the dishes! The winners, you ask? 


It was difficult, let me tell you. All the dishes were so good that it was a trying task to choose. After much deliberation, here's who we picked!


First place went to the 'Mehfil-e-Murgh' consisting of four types of chicken variants; created by Chef Parmeshwaran.

Second place went to the dessert 'Circle of Life' created by Chef Heena Shah.

Here are the participants, with Executive Chef Aungshuman Chakraborty - just ouside Baluchi, at the Lalit Hotels, Mumbai. It is a fine dining restaurant which is known for Mughlai and North Indian cuisine.   

I had an amazing time at the Lalit that day. You can read my review of the 24/7 restaurant here, and to do justice to the awesome desserts, a separate dessert review.

Writing about all this awesome stuff has made me quite hungry. I'm off now, but do let me know which dishes you liked best in the comments below! Also, comment below or tweet at me if you want recipes of these dishes.

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Restaurant Review Part II - 24/7 Restaurant - The Lalit, Mumbai

This is actually Part II of the review. This one is solely about the desserts and how beautiful they are. You can read about the rest here. Come back here once you're done. Better to save dessert for last, yes?

 

Top Row - Coffee Cream Caramel, Papaya Tart
Bottom Row - Sugar free Apple Strudel, Hazelnut Terrine

Sugar free Apple Strudel

Hazelnut Terrine

Soft, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. Each bite giving such an amazing delicate flavor. The texture of the base was just so perfect. This one hit all the right notes. Just writing about this terrine makes me want it all over again. Two, or three, or four more!

Mascarpone Passion Fruit Mousse

This had a perfect mix of flavors and the textures and tastes complemented each other perfectly.

Top - Chocolate Rum Cake - It was absolutely divine. The ganache on top was literally and figuratively the icing on the cake! Top it all off with a seedless candied cherry. Also, you could actually taste the rum.

Bottom - Strawberry and Mango Mousse - soft, light, so delectable!

Turkish Delight

Banana Tiramisu

Mix Nut Tart

Just looking at these pictures makes me want it all over again! Which of these would you like to try? Leave a comment below and tell me about your favorite :)

Oh, and follow me on Instagram for yummy pictures!

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