Lifestyle – Dumbbells and Drama

Lifestyle

Gong, Pune – This Could Have Been Better

A barrage of photos on Instagram had already prepared me for the grandeur of the ambiance, and I am glad to say that my expectations were met when I stepped in for a lunch meal at Gong. Unfortunately, this was the only highpoint worth celebrating, something I wish I did not have to say. Don’t get me wrong, don’t be too disappointed yet, I think I have evolved to be an extremely picky customer, and I notice things that people tend to pass off as normal. Allow me to explain. The atmosphere is special: the Japanese influence on the décor and lighting are predominant throughout, and the fine-dine aura is well maintained with soft, ambient music. Gong comes off as sincere and authentic, coupled with a little wit and charm. Gong does have your heart as soon as you walk in. Now that the ambiance has set the expectations this…

Lifestyle

Mad House Grill Pune- A Legacy

These days it’s quite a task figuring out where to dine. For those of you who are new here, long story short, I have now moved over to the dark side. This dark side boasts of heavy weights, HIITs, 10km runs and a lot of healthy eating. I am consciously making diet plans, trying my best to follow them, and of course minimizing all the eating out. Before you assume we gym folks do not know how to have fun, I’ll have you know that we have our lovely cheat days, 1:00am nights and parties every other day. Balance is the key, and once you get the hang of it life gets easy. With restaurants introducing healthy food in their menus, trying to get this balance has got easier lately. Joining the list of brands that the #fitfam will always be thankful to is Mad House Grill, an establishment critical…

Lifestyle

Mixed feelings at the launch of Mandarin & Mircchi, Pune

The team behind Sassy Spoon and Baraza have opened a third property, Mandarin & Mircchi, inside the premises of Ishanya Mall. Taking its cues from the public that is torn between choosing from the Chinese and Indian cuisines, Mandarin & Mircchi decided to gift us the best of both worlds, perfect for those times you cannot decide if you’d rather settle for some fish tikka or chilly chicken. I checked out this new place last week at the soft launch, and here’s what I have to say about Mandarin & Mircchi- AMBIANCE This new establishment is located right next to Baraza (even before entering I had made a mental note to keep this as a dinner option for those weekends we head to Baraza) and appears to be fine dining. You walk in to a space that has been creatively customized to showcase the amalgamation of Oriental and Indian elements.…

Lifestyle

Super Excited To Be A Part Of The Women Writers Fest In Pune!

SheThePeople has chosen Pune to host its flagship event, The Women Writer’s Fest , a festival that aims to focus the dialogue around women writers who are breaking new ground in content, style, and storytelling. It takes me immense pleasure to announce that I am also a part of The Women Writer’s Fest this August, and will be participating in the panel at the Blogging Workshop. *cue applause* With me I have the gorgeous Aashna Bhagwani from Beyond The Bouffant, Reema Sathe, Founder of Happy Roots and Sheena Dabholkar from one of my favorite Travel & Lifestyle webzines LOVER. The session would be moderated by Richa Singh, Founder of BlogChatter. This workshop is scheduled for 11:00am on 18thAugust 2017. (I have literally written this with a smile on my face, and I cannot be patient about this fest anymore!) About The Fest The Women Writer’s Fest will be a day long event…

Lifestyle

Cheat Day With Smart Food- A TJ’s Brew Works & Nudo collaboration

There has been a sudden influx of health brands, with each one claiming to be healthier than the previous one. The time is right, seeing how everyone is taking up the fitness journey. But wait a minute, how healthy is your mayo and cheese loaded salad? How healthy is that multi grain bread? I’m not pointing fingers at anyone, but I feel there’s a lot that the customer today needs to know. Did you know the highly processed wheat grain today is not recommended in your diets? Did you know salad sauces end up making your salads unhealthy?All that I’m saying is, “healthy” is easy to fall for; there’s a lot that one needs to know. Nudo is a new entrant in the ‘health food’ market, and we recently went over to TJs Brew Works to see what this brand duo has in store for us. Was it really health food?…

Lifestyle

A Taste of Chocolate Paradise: Le Flamington, Pune

I can safely assume that Pune has a coffee shop at almost every corner. Seeing how much the city adores the beverage, the entry of gourmet coffee came as no surprise (at least not to me) What I was worried about was the reaction of this price sensitive market that has grown to love deals and budget entertainment options. So was I right? From the little bit of knowledge I’ve gathered after speaking with owners and managers of gourmet coffee stores, I realised people were not too comfortable shelling out those big bucks every now and then. They do have a set of loyalists, mostly the early adapters who’ve stuck around, and the market is definitely growing, albeit at a slow pace. Why am I talking about coffee when my headline clearly says chocolate? I wanted to share with you the context of the conversation I had with Taha Khan, owner…

Lifestyle

Mocha Is Back In A Brand New Avatar & We Love It!

Once upon a time Mocha, with it’s quirky walls, dim lit interiors and sheesha (and those Oreo Shakes) was a popular haunt for youth in Pune. You can only imagine how sad it made us to see one of our beloved cafes shutting shop. Four years later, on 5 May 2017, Mocha gave Pune a reason to celebrate once again as it opened its doors to public in a completely new avatar. The menu and ambiance might be completely different (definitely not what the old Mocha was like) but that never stopped Puneites from celebrating the comeback of this brand. Has it lived up to it’s expectations? Let’s find out: Ambiance There are no dark purple or deep pink walls anymore. Everything is brightly lit, modern, sleek and super stylish. The seating indoors is spacious and well ventilated. The outer area comes as a pleasant surprise with its swings, pebbles,…

Lifestyle

DimSum Affair At Baan Tao, Hyatt

The baby sister has been a huge fan of momos all her life (I fail to get the obsession, I mean steamed white flour dumplings stuffed with vegetables/meat served with sauce fail to get me as excited as say a butter chicken would, you know what I mean?) But well, when Baan Tao at Hyatt Pune reached out to me for a Momo Festival, I decided to take the baby sister out on a momo date to have the night of her life. I’ve always considered momos as snack food, and now in hindsight I think we should have gone a little more prepared (read hungry) for the festival. Don’t get me wrong here, it all went good. But eating 20 momos is not as easy as it sounds, a fact that we realized that night as we enjoyed a delicious dumpling dinner, not in the mood to miss out…

Lifestyle

Hey Pune, Zora Has GOT TO Be Your Next Dining Destination

It’s been a long time since I fell for food the way a naïve young lady falls for her tall, dark, handsome knight in shining armour in all those romance novels. I remember it like it was just yesterday; my eyes lit up as I saw the exotic curried mixture of spices and herbs glistening in the candle light as the serving platter made its way towards me, the voluptuous bubble filled buttermilk waffles made my heart race, and one bite of this gorgeous creation had me smiling, with silent tears of joy rolling down my cheeks ( I’ve got alibi, in case you wish to confirm this) “It’s a perfect first date / anniversary place” “I love the music” “Woah, this place is huge!” were things you could hear us saying before the Masala Whiskey and Blue-Red Wine Mojito were served to us. These magical concoctions had us quiet…

Lifestyle

The Little Next Door Is A Good Idea For Some Weekend Debauchery

Had a rough week and looking out for a place to get wasted because….weekend? I’m pretty certain you know what I’m talking about. Unfortunately this comes at a price, and this price gets too much to handle, especially at the end of the month. We only have a handful of bars and pubs serving booze and food at an affordable rate, and while this might work in our favour, the crowd spoils the vibe. Or we might love the crowd but the prices seem way OTT. I’m sure you know what I mean. So where does one go? I think I might have a solution for you. Head over to The Little Next Door on a Friday night and knock yourselves out with unlimited beer/sangria and barbecue starters….only for 850 bucks! I went over last weekend, and here is what my night looked like – If there’s one thing I need to…