Best dark chocolate in India

The Nation wants to know… How much dark chocolate can I eat every day?

One bite of chocolate a day can keep the doctor far away!

History states chocolate is the food of gods. Yes, I felt like one when munching on my favorite chocolate. I am a chocolate lover, but it surprises people when I say I tried my first dark chocolate only a decade ago.

I tried this chocolate with a friend and instantly hated it. My god, the hate I had for that person was surprising. How could somebody spew hate in chocolate? That thought ran through my mind for the next few days.

Finally, after two or three attempts, I started liking this dark bitter chocolate. It actually is an acquired taste.

Do you know why does dark chocolate has a bitter taste?

Flavanol is a plant chemical present in cacao beans. This is the reason dark chocolates have a bitter taste.

Whether you are looking for a chocolate gift pack, hamper, or basket, add this chocolate to it as it is healthy. Yes, you heard it right! The health benefits of dark chocolate are clear with regular consumption. I know what some will do after reading this line.

Yay, I will have this chocolate every day.

Please don’t be this type of person. An average dark chocolate bar has over 600+ calories. Consuming this daily will do more harm than good for your health.

You can also read – Pop Tates Happy Hours in Mumbai

How much dark chocolate can I eat every day?

As per studies, 1.6 ounces (25 to 50 grams) of a dark bitter chocolate bar are good enough for daily consumption. Square-wise, have one piece per day.

But is dark chocolate good for weight loss, heart, skin, high blood pressure, and diabetes? Many studies show the benefits of this chocolate. I will list a few benefits of having an ounce of this chocolate every day.

Best dark chocolate in India

1. Nutrition:

Let’s get straight to the point. An ounce of dark chocolate (70 to 85% cacao) fulfills over 50% of the daily value for iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, and other minerals.

2. Diabetes & Lower Blood Pressure:

Flavanols in this bitter chocolate reduce risk factors related to insulin resistance. This chocolate also has anti-hypertensive properties that help in lowering blood pressure.

3. Protects your heart:

Consuming this chocolate offers anti-inflammatory effects that protect your heart from cardiovascular diseases.

How to choose the best dark chocolate in India?

Let’s keep it simple. There are few ingredients for any dark chocolate flavor. Look for one which has no trans fat and less sugar. If you are going for a specific flavor, find dark organic chocolates. This way, you know the flavors are not artificial.

Bee Tee's Melt - Best Dark Chocolate in India

Nowadays, I am focusing on finding the best artisan chocolate and bean-to-bar chocolate brands in India. Bee Tee’s Melt is one such brand that fits my requirements.

They source beans through artisans, cacao farmers locally in Kerala and internationally in Vietnam. Right from roasting, grinding, molding, and packing – They do it all. I tried a few options, and I’m impressed. I’m sure you will be too. Check out all their chocolate options on their website.

Bee Tee's Melt - Best Dark Chocolate in India

References:

WebMD

Dineout GIRF - Best Food subscription in India 2020

Eat, Save, Repeat with the Great Indian Restaurant Festival via Dineout

Whether its inflation or the great depression, people will always spend on good food. As we have been noticing since the past few years, the food industry has grown to higher standards.

There are niche restaurants that have just one theme whether it is tea, milkshakes, French fries, desserts, and even dosas! Also in one life, it gets difficult to go and eat everywhere. You either must have a lot of money or a lot of time.

Hence in order to ensure that we all can go out and eat a lot, Dineout which is India’s largest dining platform is bringing back the GREAT INDIAN RESTAURANT FESTIVAL (GIRF)!!

What is the Great Indian Restaurant Festival (GIRF)?

The GIRF is a festival run by Dineout for one full month where high discounts are given to customers all over India! You can utilize this huge discount on food, drinks, buffet and even the total food bill. Isn’t that cool?

You can also read – The best meal in BKC Mumbai money can buy!

More information about the Dineout Great Indian Restaurant Festival:

1.      This happens to be the 4th edition of the Great Indian Restaurant Festival.

2.      Festival duration: 1st August – 1st September, 2019.

3.      The hash tag for this festival will be #MonthOfMore

4.      In this festival you will get flat 50% off (there is no minimum or maximum limit at all) at India’s top 8000+ restaurants on food, drinks, buffet or the total food bill!  So keep eating and saving this August! 

5.      These are the Participating Cities:  Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Goa, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Indore, Ludhiana, Nagpur, Kochi, Surat.

You can also read – Best places to visit in Mussoorie

What do you gain from Dineout GIRF?

As a long time foodie I can assure you that festivals as such allow you to broaden your knowledge about the variety of cuisines we have in the Indian market.

There are more than 8000+ restaurants. This means you can go and try out places which you haven’t tried earlier due to budget issues or because you had no knowledge about the cuisine.

So experiment all you want, save more money and eat as much as you want but don’t miss out such an amazing foodie festival. Pick out your smart phone and download the “Dineout app”. Install the app and reserve your table today. Limited seats are available. Bookings now open!

Please NoteKeep an eye on their Flash Sales to buy deals at only Rs. 11.

Here are my past posts from the A to Z Challenge.

Maharaja Bhog is the best thali place in Mumbai in 2020

Maharaja Bhog – A Royal Thali Food Experience

I have been visiting many restaurants and have tried a lot of cuisines for the past 5 years. It takes a lot of effort in cooking and presenting your best work ahead so people can enjoy the taste.

But whenever I have visited Maharaja Bhog, this experience always is on the highest level.

They will welcome you in the traditional Indian way saying “Namaste”. After you settle down, the meal experience is nothing short of exceptional.

A huge thali will be present on your table and you will be served more than 12-15 varieties of food dishes. These are bound to tickle your taste buds and also introduce you to one of the ancient ways how the food was served in India to the royals.

Location and Ambiance:

You can find them in many parts of India like Mumbai, Pune, Kochi. They are also present in the UAE and the USA too.

They usually would have seating which can accommodate a table of 2,4,6,8,10 and even 20! This is a place to bring your whole family for a royal lunch or dinner. The food is pure vegetarian. Even though you might like non-vegetarian food, Maharaja Bhog will be an experience to remember.

This is the traditional Maharaja Bhog thali.

Here’s what I tried in Maharaja Bhog:

The staff will first help you in getting your hand washed and then proceed to serve you a welcome drink. Once that’s done, the food will then be served one by one until the whole Thali is complete. The best part of dining in Maharaja Bhog is the fact that the food is unlimited. You can eat as much as your heart desires.

In appetizers, we began with small munchies like cutlets and khandvi. Along with it, you are served cucumber raita, pudina chutney, and sweet chutney. They also have dry chutney which is spicy and really good.

In veggies, I tried paneer based gravy, tinda masala, Aloo ki sabzi! In dal, I tried many variants right from the traditional dal, sweet dal (Gujarati), spicy dal (Rajasthani).

Accompanying the food was paratha, roti, and puri. These too accentuate the food experience. Finally, they had served us a traditional pulav and their famous dish dal khichdi.

In desserts, we got to try the basic halwa and aamras. For those who love mangoes, they must go soon as the season has ended and you might not get to salivate on aamras here.

Isn't the thali box cute?
Their new concept – Thali in a box
This is the packaging of a Maharaja Bhog Thali.
The box from inside!!

For those who are worried about the daily variety, Maharaja Bhog always changes their menu and brings in new variety always to ensure you don’t try the same dishes always.

Apart from having lip-smacking food, you surely will love their hospitality. Every time I go along with friends or family, they remember the good food and will always adore their hospitality. They surely know how to handle patrons and ensure they are happy. I would like to thank their MD and founder Ashish Maheshwari for the hospitality we received from the staff and also a food experience to remember!

Maharaja Bhog indeed is the best thali place in Mumbai and India. If you are looking for the best thali places near me, don’t look any further!

Here are my past posts for the A to Z Challenge

Follow my food journey on Zomato and Instagram

Boulevard – Hotel Orchid, Parle

Experiencing class is a feeling understood by those who visit a very good place and have the time of their lives. A place with good food drinks and ambiance becomes better with the people that work there. It is them who would work their life off towards giving customers a memorable experience and bringing a smile on our face.

I encountered a similar experience when I visited Boulevard at the Orchid. Located right outside the Domestic Airport, the Orchid houses the very elite and premium customers. Boulevard is situated on the first floor. This fine dining space has a buffet spread good enough to keep everyone happy.

My experience with their food was good. My experience with their hospitality was better. They really know how to take care of their customers. Sure, it is a part of their job but not everyone can pull it off with such ease. They treat everyone as equal and that goes a long way in understanding how Orchid as a brand is.

Here’s what I tried on my visit;

We began with few of their mock tails;

Their mock tail spread included;

  • Cranberry Juice
  • Thandai

As for the food, I must say that the variety of different cuisines here makes this place perfect for a foodie. Indian, Continental, Italian and many more can be found in their spread right from the salad to the appetizers to the Mains.

They have three live food counters;

  1. Chaat
  2. Icy Gola
  3. Pizzas

It’s a treat as you can gorge on food made right in front of you. It’s a good feeling. You’ll love the outcome.

Next up is their salad menu which has all the possible variations you could imagine. Apart from the basic vegetarian and chicken based salads, you can also witness the magic of the squid salad and the assortment of mayonnaise dips at your disposal.

They have decent appetizers with each option for a vegetarian, chicken and fish tikkas. You will have to place an order for them separately.

For the mains, they have options ranging from North Indian, Chinese, Italian and various other International options like Lasagna and many others. You will be spoilt for choices. The food is hot, tasty and to the point.

For the desserts, I would definitely recommend the variety which Boulevard maintains. It’s a spread like no other. Being a person whose guilty pleasure lies in sweets, I went like a child visiting Disneyland. Do have a look at the pictures as they just don’t have chocolate. There’s a lot more to it than you can imagine.

 

Overall, I would like to mention that the place has such good feels that you wouldn’t realize how time passes by. It’s a good place. Do check them out. Their buffet prices change as per weekday/weekends and for a weekday lunch expect the rates to begin from 1500++ taxes per pax.

Read my review on Zomato – http://www.zoma.to/aBMvBb

Best Japanese Restaurant in Mumbai

Kofuku Juhu – An Amazing Japanese Restaurant in Mumbai

Aisatsu!

Which is also called as “greetings” is how we were greeted while entering Kofuku. Also called as “Happiness” in Japanese, Kofuku aims at spreading happiness through its scrumptious food.

If I had to look for the Top Japanese restaurants near me in Mumbai, Kofuku would definitely be on that list.

You are bound to be transported to all your memories of television shows and movies that display how a restaurant styled in Japanese is. Kofuku has two types of seating; One with your basic tables and chairs. The second one is the Japanese traditional “Izakaya” sitting where you sit on the floor. It’s quite a good feeling and very intimate too.

Kofuku has an amazing staff and we were treated well by the Manager “Rajesh”. One of the staff named “Roger” choose the best food options Kofuku has to serve.

Here’s how we began our meal in Kofuku i.e. one of the best Japanese Restaurant in Mumbai;

Pomegranate lemonade and Dark Berry – These two mocktails lived to its name and tasted exactly as it should. We liked them.

Kofuku in general is well known for its amazing sushi options. We tried 2 varieties of sushi here and this is what we felt;

Best Sushi in Mumbai Japanese Restaurant

Oh My God Sushi – Also called the flaming sushi, this one has my favorite sushi combination of all time i.e. Cream cheese, salmon, and Avocado. I always would make it a point to try out this combination anywhere I visit. Here too, the sushi was amazing.

Drizzled with creamy spicy and sweet sauce, you are bound to declare your unconditional love back to sushi. Served with sweet-sour and a salty soy dip, wasabi, and pickled ginger, my mouth salivates as I remember the meal from last night.

Prawns Tempura Sushi

Prawns Tempura Sushi – Another revelation in recent times has been the prawn tempura. I am not fond of prawns but when it comes to sushi, I can’t let go of this option.

This is supposed to be crispy sushi along with its creamy spicy and sweet sauce.

Yes, the crispy quotient was not fully up to the mark but it indeed was a good choice. They serve this with a sweet-sour and a salty soy dip, wasabi, and pickled ginger. The strength of the wasabi is indeed strong. Eat wisely.

Chicken Yakitori in Kofuku

Chicken Yakitori – “Roger” suggested we take an appetizer instead of third sushi. Although we were not sure about that, we are glad he helped us choose this. Here you have grilled Chicken pieces that are placed on skewers and are glazed with sweet-spicy Yakitori sauce.

This one is more on the sweeter side and the meat is cooked well. I would suggest you opt for this only if you prefer sweetness in your meal.

Balinese curry in yellow coconut flavor - Best Japanese Restaurant in Mumbai

Kofuku Balinese curry in yellow coconut flavor – This is one of the three “Chef’s curry specials” available in Kofuku. As the name suggests, this curry has a lot of coconut in it. Cooked well, balanced taste, amazing texture, thick curry goes so well with the boneless chicken chunks.

Being a Mangalorean, I have always seen coconut being mixed in our curries. I love them and hence when I tried this chef’s special, it felt like home.

The curry taste is so good, no doubt they are one of the best Japanese Restaurant in Mumbai.

Teppanyaki fried rice in Best Japanese Restaurant in Mumbai

Teppanyaki fried rice – This one is one of Roger’s suggestions. He said the traditional Balinese curry would go well with the traditional Japanese fried rice with eggs and veggies. So we did try this and yes, this sticky rice does go well with the curry. I must say, the rice bowl looks too cute.

Mochi Ice cream – Finally to end this scrumptious meal, we opted for a traditional Japanese dessert. They had many other options and we took one which had no chocolate.

Here they have pounded sticky rice with two separate ice cream fillings of Vanilla & Mango. I must give them credit for the presentation of this dessert as they make this look like a fruit cut in 4 pieces.

In the end, we left this amazing Japanese restaurant in Mumbai with a very good meal experience. I’m sure you will too. Do visit Kofuku for an authentic meal experience.

Arigato! (Thank you)

Follow me on Instagram and Zomato for more such foodie encounters!

You can also read – Netflix has Secret Codes that unlock 250+ Hidden Categories