Airport Style Simplified

With the growing Paparazzi culture in India, celebs are getting more and more style conscious. Stylists have become the need of the hour and it doesn't matter, if celebs are dining with friends, attending parties, running to the gym or driving to the airport to board a flight, celebs are more well put together and stretching fashion boundaries in a race to be the best.

The lesser mortals like us are definitely not far behind and we do try to do our best with whatever resources we have in our tiny wardrobes at home.

My airport style is most of the time functional than fashionable.

I need to be comfy, warm and look good.

I have already shared my airport style once on the blog, and so I am here with yet another outfit I wore to the airport.
                         

Outfit details:
Top: Gift From Sister
Blazer: Harpa via Jabong
Pants, earrings: Local shop in Mumbai
Shoes: Zovi
Bag: Myntra
Bracelet: Confusion Fashion Accessories

The blazer kept me warm, the flats made sure I could run around at the airport and the yellow adds the much needed pop of color. Plus the black outfit makes me look slimmer than I actually am. ;)
WIN WIN..I say !

What's your airport style? Let me know in the comments below.

Restaurant Review: Delhi Zaika, Bandra West

A few weeks ago I was invited to review the Delhi Zaika Restaurant in Bandra West.

Come experience the taste and flavors of Asli Delhi straight from the streets of Jama Masjid and Naizamuddin. One look at the their menu card and I had decided that there was no chance I could afford to miss this place.

Delhi Zaika in Bandra is their fourth branch in Mumbai after Grant Road, Kurla and Mumbra.
Situated bang opposite Bandra BEST Depot, this is a compact little restaurant with a cozy ambiance.

Ambience of the Restaurant

We were comfortably seated in a comfy corner and oriented with the overall set up of Delhi Zaika.
We were told that the food that is served at Delhi Zaika is influenced by the famous Delhi street food served outside Jama Masjid and Nizamuddin road.
All the spices used in the preparation of the delicacies are sourced specially from Delhi and that is how they achieve the authentic Delhi wala tadka in their food.

Our Experience:
Welcome Drink:
We ordered for the Jeera Soda, which was quite refreshing and perfect to start our meal. It was a packaged bottle. I felt that they had limited options as far as welcome drinks were concerned.

Starters:
We were served the Malai Chicken Tikka, the Kali Mirch Chiken Tikka and Barra Chicken Tandoori apart from the Paneer Tikka.

                                                                          Malai Tikka and Barra Chicken Tandoori
The Malai tikka, came dipped in Malai and the Kali Mirch Tikka and Barra Chicken Tandoori were doused with generous amounts of melted butter, which gave it a very appetizing look and authentic street food taste. When I looked worried at seeing the amount of butter and malai on my plate, the owner consoled me saying they only use Nutrilite Butter, which helps make their dishes comparatively healthier without compromising on the taste.
The starters had almost filled us up and we couldn't even finish the complete platter.

Main Course:
Though I wanted to order Roti, the owner of Delhi Zaika insisted that we try their special Naan, which is unlike the regular naans we get at other places.
He told us that they used a butter like substance called khameer in the naan dough which makes it extremely soft and we can break the naan into pieces without much effort. He also told us that we should try their most popular and signature dish, Chicken Changezi.

Chicken Changezi

But I was too keen to order Nalli Nihari, coz I had already sampled three chicken dishes.
We also ordered the Dal Tadka for company.

Naan- The one that stole my heart :)

 First things first, their Naan is something I haven't tasted ever in my life. It is soft, delicious and very very fluffy. I didn't know, something called khameer could make such a huge difference to something as simple as Naan, which we have been eating all our lives.

                                                                                         Nalli Nihari
The Nalli Nihari was cooked and spiced to perfection. The most common complaint I have with restaurants serving mutton dishes is that the meat is not cooked well. But this was just perfect. The meat was well flavored and so well cooked that it almost melted in my mouth. If I have to mention one flip side, it would be that I like mutton a bit spicier, and this one was not too spicy. But believe me I was so happy I ordered this dish.
The Dal Tadka was surprise winner. It tasted so much better than most dal tadka's I have tasted.
Though the owner wanted us to sample their special Biryani, we were too stuffed for the day, and decided we would move straight to dessert.
                                
We ordered the Matka Rabdi and BOY!!!...we were drowned in the creaminess and richness of the humble rabdi served in clay matkas.
No wonder this place is always crowded and if you want to avoid waiting for a seat in this restaurant, make sure you reach here by 7.30 pm for dinner.
Delhi Zaika also does free home delivery within Bandra for a minimum order of Rs.250 and accepts catering orders as well.

Verdict:
The food is of good quality and made with the most authentic spices specially brought in from Delhi. The meat is cooked to perfection with the right amount of spices.
I like that you have to option to order smaller portions like quarter, half and full depending upon your appetite.

Priced reasonably, a meal for two costs under Rs. 1,000, which is excellent considering the quality, flavor and taste of the food.
The ambiance of the restaurant is vibrant but is a little compact. However, the food makes up for all.
I would rate this restaurant 4/5.
All in all, I loved everything I sampled at Delhi Zaika and I insist that you try it at least once.

P.S. We were invited to sample the food for free, but the opinions expressed are completely mine.

Random Ramblings & An Outfit Post

If you are alone and feel lonely, you are clearly in bad company.

-Sadhguru

I love this quote so much, I have been citing it at every possible opportunity. :)

In other news...
Confusion Fashion Accessories sent me a few of their gorgeous pieces for review.
The one you see below is their Sworovski & acrelly stone earring. I wore it for a get-together with my friends. These earrings were a perfect companion for my black kurti. The quality of the stuff at CFA is something I really like and they can transform any of your simple outfits instantly.

In case you haven't noticed, I am flaunting a new lip color in these pics.
It is not a lipstick/lip gloss it is the latest Color Rich Smoothies Lip Balm from Streetwear.
                                                 

I am a lip balm person more than a lipstick person. And whenever I have to wear lipstick, I kinna freak out. Coz no matter how good the quality of the lipstick is, they make my lips dry.

My latest find has been the Street Wear Color Rich Smoothies Lip Balm in Coral Kiss shade.

It is a blessing for people like me.

It is mint flavored, glides smoothly on the lips, keep my lips super moisturized and gives a coral tinted sheer finish to my lips.

It is perfect for everyday use and I think I am addicted to it.

The Streetwear Color Rich Smoothies Lip Balm are enriched with the goodness of shea butter and Vitamin E and also comes with SPF10.

Priced at INR 150 it comes with an expiry date of three years from the date of manufacture, so it is perfect for people like me, who buy stuff and forget to use it.

Street Wear Color Rich Smoothies Lip Balms are available in the shades of Plum Pluck, Mocha Muahha, Pink Pout and Coral Kiss. Street Wear is available across the country through leading retail outlets and renowned online partners.

Playing Personal Stylist

Hi everyone, today I am here to write about a styling session I did for my friend Jaya.

So Jaya was in India last month on a short holiday and learnt at the last moment that she would also have to attend her little sister's Roka ceremony.

She emailed me saying that she had decided to put me in charge of styling her look for the Roka and she wanted to wear a saree. Since, she didn't have much time to shop, we decided that she would wear one of my sarees.

I immediately sat down and started thinking which saree would be apt for Jaya. 

I had three options in mind, my three favourite sarees.

Saree 1: The pearl and red Kanjeevaram Saree

Saree 2: The black and gold Raw Silk Saree
Saree 3: The Pink Net Saree.

 and these are the looks I came up for Jaya.

The traditional look with jhumkas and a floral bun.

The artsy look with a statement neckpiece and soft curls.

The girl next door look with open wavy hair and minimal accessories.

Jaya picked the first look which was my fav, the Kanjeevaram look. And though I was keen for her to sport a bare neck and jhumka look, she liked the traditional look I had sported with my long mangalsutra and gold jewellery and decided to mix both the looks.
Scroll down to see the final result.

The gorgeous couple- Jaya and Manoj

Thank you Jaya for the beautiful pictures. You looked utterly gorgeous, and like I promised we are are definitely buying you a Kanjeevaram saree on your next trip to India.

5 Places You Must Visit Before You Die!

Post my entry into the 30's club, life has been much sorted out than I had imagined. I am calmer, organized, health conscious, and matured than I have ever been. However, it has also brought in a little bit of anxiousness.
I feel like I am almost half way to 60 and there’s still so much more I would like to do and achieve.
One such thing that bothers me is that what if I do not get to travel to the places in my bucket list before I die? God forbid, but my spirit will definitely haunt those exotic locations after I die. (LOL)

So today I am sharing my list of top 5 destinations which I want to visit before I die, and rather everyone should, before they die. (Die…??? I promise this is not a sad post.)

Antelope Canyon, Arizona

If you thought the Grand Canyon was grand, wait until you see the Antelope Canyons. The older generation of Native Americans believed that they felt an uplifting spiritual feeling whenever they visited this place and I am not surprised to hear that. This place is one of nature’s beautiful mystery and looks so unreal. It gets its English name because long time ago, herds of pronghorn antelopes grazed and roamed freely in this place.

Banaue Rice Terraces, Philipines 

The Banaue Rice Terraces also referred to as the eighth wonder of the world are 2,000-year-old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people with minimal equipment; they used hands. To me they look like a stairway to heaven, don’t you think so?

Mount Nemrut, Turkey

This place brings history and belief to life. This place has remains of stone statues of God Nemrut Dagi, which are now rotten and broken. But what remains is still an impressive sight. One can imagine how huge and gigantic these statues actually were from the remains here. The mountain where these remains stand was built by King Anthiochus and is a tomb-sanctuary.

Glass beach, California

One can discover the Glass Bleach while cruising along Fort Bragg in California. The glass beach has a stunning shoreline that sparkles and shimmers with tiny pieces of colorful sea glass. A popular myth says that the glass pieces are mermaid tears. Every time a sailor got lost in the sea, mermaids would shed a tear which would wash ashore and form the sea glass.

But in reality, since 1906 the residents of Fort Bragg had established this place as an official dump site. Many glass items like pots, crockery, etc were dumped here, which over a period of time was broken into small, smooth and round pieces by the pounding waves and formed the Glass Beach.

And last but not the least…

Pangong Lake, Ladakh

The very moment I saw the final scene of the movie “Three Idiots” where Kareena Kapoor rides a scooter to confront Aamir Khan, I had resolved that I want to visit this exact location where the scene was shot. Not because I am a Bollywood buff, but because the place looked serene and magical beyond words. When I went home and googled about it, I was surprised to find out that this place was in Ladakh, India. Booking a Ladakh tour seemed like the most sensible decision that time, but only.. if wishes were horses..! (sigh)
The Pangong Lake is a beautiful water reservoir which is about 134 km long and falls majorly under China. The clear blue water of the lake reflects the towering mountains all around and appears so unreal to the tourist here. This is definitely a major highlight of Ladakh tourism and has been on my bucket list for the longest time.

So, what do you think, guys? Which places are on your bucket list? Let me know.

P.S. I do not own images used in this post.