OWN THOSE 5 DAYS WITH NEW WHISPER ULTRA

..¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸ I'll be writing about menstruating and related products in this post. I have always hesitated to talk about them openly. Every single woman experiences menstruation almost their entire lives ( from puberty to menopause ); it being the most important aspect of womanhood; yet, we shy away from it. Well, not any more! Lets not be so embarrassed about ourselves. God has gifted us with this wonderful privilege ( periods being the essential core of motherhood ); so, lets be proud, cherish and OWN it completely. Lets #OwnThose5Days! Periods, however, I must say, brings along with it lot of physical discomfort. There are lots of myths attached to it as well. But with newer technology, those are a thing of the past ( with myths being busted too ). I remember, when I had my first period, I used clothes. It was messy, uncomfortable and I hated it. I wished we didn't have periods at all, and would curse God or anyone that had the misfortune to come my way day and night during those days. However, after getting introduced to Sanitary Pads, such as Whisper, the discomfort vanished overnight. And, it didn't seem as terrible anymore. Whisper has been improving their products, that's only getting better and better with time. With products getting better, women do not have to dread those 5 days any more. They can live equally 'free' lives during periods; as they can, the rest of the month. Whisper India recently launched its latest product of Whisper Ultra Clean, that is 5 times better than any of its past products or any other competitor's brands. So, owning those 5 days is now a breeze! Lets have a round-up of the event and product launch :-) ..¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸ Some 'live' tweets from the event... And this is why @awryaditi is simply unstoppable! #OwnThose5Days pic.twitter.com/YOEB3J9zU0 — Whisper (@WhisperIndia) December 19, 2015 ONE RIGHT STEP WITH THE NEW WHISPER ULTRA TO POWER A THOUSAND STEPS TO SUCCESS "We're the new age girls! Let's not sit back at home" - @awryaditi #OwnThose5Days pic.twitter.com/C6Rwha7s0k — Whisper (@WhisperIndia) December 19, 2015 Launching the all new Whisper Ultra Clean! It's time to #OwnThose5Days! #MythBusters pic.twitter.com/axgBVaTnzR — Whisper (@WhisperIndia) December 19, 2015 R&D expert Chetan Kotyalkar, in a demonstration to the bloggers, highlighted the unique features of the New Whisper Ultra that comes with 1000 suction holes to offer better protection for long hours. Next time you think of taking a step back, don't! #OwnThose5Days & get going with your dreams! #TimeToChange pic.twitter.com/jxce7gWE0T — Whisper (@WhisperIndia) December 19, 2015 Whisper wants to enable women to keep striding forward. We all know, how today's life is for women. We do lots of things - be it in home, college, office, sports etc. And I may sound biased, but lets face it, we women do lot better compared to men in all these fields. Infact, women multi-task more than men, juggling both home and work. We are really the un-stopaable. So, why let those 5 days create any hurdles for us, right? Hurdles? Yea, you heard it right! Some of us, during those days, infact slow down, hesitate or restrict ourselves, inspite of being capable to do everything, just because we fear - what if! Our work gets stalled as such, during those 5 days, which cumulates to almost 1500 hours every year. This isn’t merely just a pause; it’s a step back and sometimes even a set back! Imagine, how much can be done in that time wasted. Well, Whisper India brings us the solution with the launch of New Whisper Ultra. Main highlights of the Event : In the product-launch event, was showcased, a never seen before innovation via powerful demonstrations highlighting the benefits of the New Whisper Ultra. The event previewed the top sheet upgrade & boosted core of the new product from Whisper India that offers more absorption for long hours and better dryness for clean feeling. And the exclusive bloggers were the lucky ones to preview it. The NEW WHISPER ULTRA Offers 5 times more protection than ordinary pads ~ it has 1000 suction holes for - 1. More absorption for long hours | 2. Better dryness for clean feeling | 3. Faster absorption for sudden heavy flows | 4. Better comfort with soft top sheet | 5. Better odour lock In the event, was also an interesting discussion between Versatile bollywood actress – Kalki Koechlin, Gynaecologist – Dr. Nandita Palshetkar, Whisper R&D Expert - Chetan Kotyalkar & stand-up comedian and writer – Aditi Mittal, who brought to life the need to break free from the various irrelevant period taboos and the importance of menstrual hygiene. The list of taboos ( like not exercising, not wearing white, not washing hair for the first two days and stay largely at home during periods among others, all mostly irrelevant ) are something we all have been guilty of practising at some point of our lives or the other; either due to lack of information or for the lack of proper innovative products like the New Whisper Ultra, that ensures complete protection. Kalki and Aditi shared personal experiences and opinions expressing the need for a superior sanitary napkin for a woman to be truly unstoppable. There was also a never seen before product demonstration, that clearly showcased that the New Whisper Ultra offers five times more protection than any ordinary pad. Dr. Nandita Palshetkar showcased her expertise to explain the menstruation process and the dos and don’ts every woman should incorporate in her monthly routine. She also educated all about the importance of menstrual hygiene. Blogger meets are incomplete without some fun activities. And here Whisper India scored again. The ‘Whisper Out Loud Blogger Hangout’ culminated with Whisper’s super fun #OwnThose5Days challenge kick-started by Kalki and Aditi, followed by the ever enthusiastic group of bloggers. To celebrate the spirit of being unstoppable during periods, #OwnThose5Days challenge comprised of a series of five activities which depicted everyday physical hurdles in a fun way. And thus, wrapped the fun event with lots of information and memories as precious take-aways. Versatile Actress Kalki Koechlin & Ace Stand-Up Comedian Aditi Mittal encourage the New Age Ultra Girl to #OwnThose5Days ..¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸

Pin It Now!

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NANDINI REVIEWS SNIPPETS - EDITION 2

I'm back with a host of events, I've been to, the past couple of weeks. Sorry for not being consistent. Well actually, for some events, I had already written separate posts ( in both my blogs ). Do check out those as well. Anyways, enjoy the ones I'm covering today.

ASUS DIVAS MEET - SELFIE PHONE LAUNCH - Sept 6th was a very special day for the ladies in Bombay. It was the Diva's meet, and all pretty ladies ( ahem, a few odd men too ) assembled at the ITC Grand Central. Anushka Dhandekar of MTV fame, made an appearance with her make-up secrets to look better for Selfies, and also showed us some tricks to click that perfect selfie. Here, I must say, before the 'Selfie' term was even invented or I had heard anything of it, I've been self-clicking my pictures ever since I got my first phone with a camera in it. That was ages ago. So, the tricks taught were something I had known for quite sometime, myself. I think, every gal anyways finds it out for themselves, with practice. For instance, tricks like, always click a selfie by holding the camera at a certain height from your face and never from below. Know your best angle and click the most awesome looking pictures of yours ever by exploiting that angle. Speaking of Selfies, Asus has come up with a special 'Selfie' phone itself, that makes clicking Selfies far more easier. It has an 'S' swipe on its screen and a 'click' option at the back of the phone. There are more added features in the phone, along with accessories that comes in cute colours as well. Another Asus event coming up soon, stay tuned for updates ;-)

ASUS ZENPAD LAUNCH MEET - As mentioned above, another Asus Meet took place at the venue of Four Seasons Hotel, Worli, on 9th Oct. It was for the Zen Pad launch. The product was already launched at the Zen Festival, held in Delhi prior; but, it was specially launched again in Bombay, to give proper focus to it. The product itself was quite impressive ( as thoroughly explained in the demo, by one of Asus's representatives ), and at an affordable price range too. I quite liked its unique UI features with privacy options, DTS sound quality and very clear display. Only complaint is - both Asus events left me very hungry :|

#FAMESTARSLIVE - This was a special event, organised by #Fame and I was invited by BM. The event was attended by some famous names like Gaurav Gera ( comedian ), Radhika Apte ( actress ), Ruchi Gangrade ( RJ ) and Mickey Mehta ( fitness expert ), along with about 50+ top digital infuencers of Bombay. How to brand yourself, and how these stars utilizes the social media to their fullest; a few tricks and some interesting AVI's by Jackie Bhagnani, Sunny Leone etc were the main takeaways from the event, besides of course, some awesome goodies like Selfie-Stick, Power-banks and device holder. The event was held at the Novotel hotel in Juhu, not to mention, the dinner that followed afterwards was mouthwatering. The App is free to download and use, and literally anyone can come into the limelight and get fame with it, its as easy as that.

BRUNCH WITH GOCHEESE AND CHEF RANVEER BRAR - Held at Hard Rock Cafe, Worli, this event had the Brand Ambassador of GoCheese, Chef Ranveer Brar ( *sigh*, he is married ), narrating his story and association with the brand. The marketing managers of the brand too fielded Q&A's from the media present, while we got to see some interesting recipes by the chef using gocheese screened at the event. Interactions and Selfies followed next, with some nice yummy bites. The event was all about cheese, and we were sent home with a goodie bag each, that had all kinds of cheese inside it. I had used Go Cheese earlier too, so, I must say I have no complaints with the product. Infact, it was interesting to find out that Parag Foods Limited is the face behind my favourite Gowardhan Ghee too. There are many more interesting products offered by the company, all associated with milk. The company is fairly new, but has branched out well.

THE DVAR COLLECTION - EXHIBITION - The same evening of 7th Oct, after all that cheesy affair, I made my way to a fashion exhibition next at 10th Road, Juhu. I was invited by Dvar India to celebrate their launch of different collections ( by different designers ) under one roof. Talented Daughter of Dilip & Manali Vengsarkar - Pallavi, who Launched her Accessories Line​. ZOONI - a 25 year old Label's​​ Classic, Evergreen ​Indian Couture Range of Gaara & Zardozi. Ushma Vaidya - A Protege of Manish Malhotra who impressed beautifully with her Mirror & Gold Work Laden Outfits in Pop Colors for the Festive Season Ahead! Industrialist Uday Kilachand's Wife, Sangeeta, who has dressed the Royalties of the Country & the Ambani Bahus, showcased her Vintage Line inspired by the Heritage of Gujarat​. Also, was the Legendary GOPI VAID & the New ​Bridal​ Lady in Town - Disha Patil in the event. While the creations had me awestruck, the prices made me almost faint. Phew!

~ Until next time ~

TALVAR BY MEGHNA GULZAR - THE MOVIE

¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸ What do you consider yourself when you get an invite to a special screening of a movie, that hasn’t been released yet, with a bunch of wonderful people too – a movie, that is based on something very unique and not the usual kind? You consider yourself very lucky! Yes, that was my first thought when I got an invite to the preview of movie Talvar directed by Meghna Gulzar. The movie is supposed to be released on 2nd Oct'15 and I, along with a few bloggers got to see it first. Isn’t that awesome? Well, more awesome is the story it is based on. The whole world knows about the famous Noida double murder case of Aarushi Talwar and servant Hemraj. For years, the case simply baffled us with various twists and turns. It was one of the most landmark mind-boggling cases in the judicial history of our country or perhaps, even the world. And when a movie is based on the complex, intriguing and not to mention bewildering subject, your curious level knows no bounds. The first thoughts that came to my mind was – how will the subject be handled as it is very sensitive in nature, will the story depict the whole truth in a totally unbiased way, was there justice delivered in the case at all or were there still loop-holes. With my mind buzzing with these questions, I made my way to the LightHouse Preview theatre where the special screening was held. Many bloggers had already arrived and soon the movie rolled. Irfan Khan and Konkona Sen made an appearance in the first few scenes itself and I knew instantly, the movie will be totally worth it – I really love their very ‘natural’ acting. All the other actors played their parts convincingly too and for a while I almost mistook the character – the one that played the father, for the real father himself. The acting was so real-like! Tabu, who played a cameo role, was a surprise package in the movie. Although the story is based on real life, the names have been changed. I was really amazed to see the various investigations this single case had gone through; by various people in various departments i.e first, by the police, then, the various sections of the CBI ( CDI in the movie ) – all coming to different conclusions too. No wonder the case had everyone stumped, for so long. The complexities, the many twists and turns, and the entire sequences of that whole incident has been delicately handled by the able director; that'll hold the audience at the edge of their seats for sure, and will have them wondering as well about the ghastly crime, the culprits, the investigations and the outcome. To see everything unravel in the movie was really a very unique experience for me, and one you must witness for yourself too, to find out - Did Aarushi really get justice? #YouDecide Catch the movie Talvar, by Junglee Pictures, this Friday, at a theatre near you! ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸

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( Images - )
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NANDINI REVIEWS SNIPPETS - EDITION 1

Heya all! I'm starting a new series titled 'Nandini Reviews Snippets'. This edition will mainly consist of the Snippets & Pictures of events I've attended over the week-gone-by and the latest happenings/brand launches etc; obviously with all the behind-the-scene juices ( I so love gossiping after all ). So, enjoy along with me as I share the fun I've had over the week. Some events as usual will be covered in details in a dedicated separate solo post. Do look out for them :-)

Sharing ( also ) in this post some past events that I attended but didn't get time to write about.

DUTCH FOOD FESTIVAL IN BOMBAY|MUMBAI - Some time ago we attended the festival and the Dutch did keep up to their infamous reputation of being extremely 'stingy' via their PR's lol. The PR, when sending invite had initially promised hampers for all bloggers, but once there, they were like "oh we are sorry, we can't give". In short, promises were not kept. And being a food festival, and invited during lunch-time too, there was no sign of food anywhere, except for some tiny samplings to showcase the dutch food. So, everyone came back hungry and very angry! I personally feel, if promises are made they should be honoured - else, their own reputation & trust-level gets tarnished. I can't say much about the food cos' hey, did we get anything to eat at all, eh? Anyway, above are few of the sample's pictures. I was invited for another of their Thai Food Festival event by the same PR later on; you can guess what my reaction was :-)

HP LAUNCHES ITS OMEN SERIES, SPECTRE X360 AND THE NEW HP PAVILLION - In a very informal gathering, at a pub @Kamala Mills Compound, specially targeting the youth, HP India launched its 3 new notebooks. 'Omen' being for the serious gamer, the versatile and flexible 'SpectreX360' that becomes a tab too when one wants ( great for travelling ), and of course the updated version of the HP Pavilion with full HD mainstream. The launch also had some foot-tapping music by Medieval Pundits. All the notebooks additionally have sound system that has been enhanced via HP's partnership with Bang & Olufsen who are a globally old ( 90 yrs of existence ), while young in India brand. Unlike the nasty Dutch experience above, this event had cocktails, yummy bites and lots of social interactions.

VELVETECASE.COM - This event ( that started with a minute's silence as a mark of respect at the Former President APJ Abdul Kalam's recent demise ) was held at Trident @BKC and the very pretty Kriti Sanon ( of Heropanti fame ) launched it, by ordering some jewelry 'live' and they arrived too on-the-spot ( fastest delivery, eh ;-). The website has been around for 2 years now, hence, this was more of a celebration & honouring of their old and new jewelry designers/sellers. Their APP was also launched by the Pro Kabaddi team, who seemed not to have lost any match after wearing some of the stuff bought from VelveteCase.com! Well, that's their claim, rest is up to you to believe. The event ended with lunch and lots of conversations.

JANE THE VIRGIN @ROMEDYNOW SELECT SCREENING - At Adfactor's media room, we were treated to the delightful tele-novella #JaneOnRomedy premiere that started its telecast on RomedyNow channel since Aug 1st week. This 22 episode serial is full of fun, love and laugh - which the channel itself is, and many twists & turns that'll keep the audience hooked. I loved the first episode immensely as it does have some elements of what we see in our Indian society as well. Its an award winning show and globally acclaimed, so I guess it made its entry into India at the right time. The event signed off with lunch and media bytes.

KALA SACH....THE BLACK TRUTH MEDIA PREMIERE @GEM CINEMA - I was treated to this hard-hitting movie that had me on the edges of my seat throughout. I must say all the actors have done a really good job. Based on a true story, on witch-hunting practices, this story left me thinking. Though, the movie is based on rural India, I feel that kind of mentality exists in the main cities too. I was reminded of situations, of any girl, who faces harassment and taunts if they want to live life on their own terms and it happens a lot. In the movie too, the fermale protagonist ( though married ) faced all she did, just because she encouraged education for children and was progressive in her thoughts, as compared to rest of the villagers. A must watch, to see the ugly reality that's still out there. I'm so impressed by it and want everyone to watch it and spread awareness on this grave social-issue! Will write a proper review in next post.

~ Until next time ~

ETIQUETTES OF FINE DINING WORKSHOP WITH FEMINA BELIEVE AT HAKKASAN

I'm bit late in writing this post. But then, its better late than never, right? Moreover, its about a very interesting event I attended recently; so, just couldn't skip it now, could I? First however, let me confess here - I'm a very basic person - a wild-child totally :D ( ok..ok a wild-woman, duh )! I live on my own whims, so, table manners and etiquette are things totally alien to me. I've always believed those are artificial baggages men has dumped upon themselves, just so to look advanced in the society. How I eat my food is my business after all. And I'll choose the most comfortable way possible. For me, Indian way is always the best :-) Our fingers are the natural 'fork' God has gifted us with and our palms ~ the perfect 'spoon' to scoop things up. So, why get entangled in unnecessary metallic tools that we called cutlery and waste our resources?

Even though my thoughts are that rustic, another side of my brain urges me to learn new things. What do I have to lose anyways, it pokes at my brain-cells. After all, when dining in groups or at very high-level gathering we can't afford to look like apes just out of the jungle now, can we or we can't have our food flying either, into someone's else's plate or head for the lack of proper knowledge on dining etiquette!! That would be really embarrassing, trust me. So, let me just check out what the rest of the advanced humanity has invented now, I thought. If I like it I'll adopt it, else, I'll go my own old-ways. So, with that resolve I made my way to the venue.

The Venue...HAKKASAN!

Filled with hordes of beautiful bloggers...

The Fine Dining Workshop...

bit.ly/1CqC3bk
The meet was organized superbly by FeminaBelieve, who left no stone unturned to make this day a memorable one for the bloggers. Right from entering the venue, there was FUN written all over. Be it, being treated to some cool and relaxing Sangrias or clicking selfies galore at the Photo Booth with a variety of props; the event got on to a great start with the Etiquette expert Greeshma Thampi taking over and guiding us through some dining-table techniques from all over the world. Yes, there are different etiquettes followed in different parts of the world. In USA, for example, one is expected to pay their own part - a separate individual bill is given to all; while the Dutch ( known for their stinginess ) simply splits the bill into two - you pay, I pay kinda; whereas, the French may not go either way at all - only one person will pay for the whole meal. And the Japanese may even take offence if 'tips' are given, while its alright to do so in the west. Then, there's all the table-layout procedure as well which is very complex yet interesting ( if we get it right, that is ).
A BMW technique of left-to-right arrangement of the cutlery is applied ( see pic ). Bread kinda stuff is on the left, the Main course in the middle and Water or any other liquid is on the right. For the full guide head over to FeminaBelieve.com website.

Well, that was not all. The invite to this event was titled - 'If Chopstick Baffles you, this is a Brunch you cannot miss.' So, Chopsticks were indeed an integral part of the whole set up. And we learnt how to use it too, with our expert scrutinizing at every table to check if we got it right. To test what we learnt, we even had a chopstick-contest, wherein, we had to pick peanuts with the chop-sticks. Whoa! Can you imagine that. While the winners picked over 50, with 17, I guess we were pretty good too. In all of these, we tasted some amazing Cantonese cuisine hosted by Hakkasan which I'll review in details in my next post.

The PR...Femina Believe Personality Development Workshops conducts short intensive workshops in a variety of subjects. Unrivalled curriculum, best in class Femina Believe trainers, warm and conducive learning environment make these workshops a unique learning experience. Femina Believe launches a selection of short thorough workshops in subjects like:
Makeup | Styling | Dining etiquette | Communication skills & body language.
Femina Believe workshops are currently conducted in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi NCR.

( Images - FeminaBelieve hashtag & ©Mine. All Rights Reserved )

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SAB TV SABSE ANOKHA UMBRELLA LAUNCH

¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸ What happens when you receive an invite to witness the very thing you lost recently? And the 'thing' promises to be most 'ANOKHA' you ever witnessed or experienced? Your interest naturally gets piqued and you wonder what can be more Anokha than what you already lost? Confused? Am I talking in riddles? Well....let me blurt it out. I lost my umbrella in my recent trip to the Himalayas. No wonder, I was still shedding tears over it. Then, suddenly a very interesting invite lands in my inbox, talking of nothing but an Umbrella - and 'Anokha' one at that. So, you can understand why I got so curious - having such an emotional connect with it already. Without wasting time I headed to witness this mega event organized by SabTV ( of Anokha Awards fame - and yeah, DO WATCH OUT the Awards are just around the corner i.e on 31st July ). So, will it heal my wounds, I secretly hoped as I went there. I reached the main Venue - Carter Road Amphitheater, Bandra West, Bombay/Mumbai. That's where all the action was. And oh what action - just see for yourselves. ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸ What's happening any idea? #SabSeAnokhaUmbrella pic.twitter.com/ZdDWppwfv2 — ☆ ♪ NandiniDéka ♫ ♡ (@NandiniDeka) July 23, 2015 Head over to Bandra Carter road Amphitheatre for a really Anokha experience #SabSeAnokhaUmbrella — ☆ ♪ NandiniDéka ♫ ♡ (@NandiniDeka) July 23, 2015 Have u seen a 30ft tall n 60ft wide umbrella?Whoa its big n its waiting 4 u @CarterRd Amphitheatre come n experience it #SabSeAnokhaUmbrella — ☆ ♪ NandiniDéka ♫ ♡ (@NandiniDeka) July 23, 2015 From right inside #SabSeAnokhaUmbrella pic.twitter.com/3ZNU0Y5Qok — ☆ ♪ NandiniDéka ♫ ♡ (@NandiniDeka) July 23, 2015 #SabseAnokhaUmbrella unveiled finally! Over 2000 workers made this record breaking umbrella. pic.twitter.com/tfvP5AGyuq — ☆ ♪ NandiniDéka ♫ ♡ (@NandiniDeka) July 23, 2015 Couldn't stop myself from tweeting my excitement right from the venue now, could I? This umbrella is also competing the Guinness Records in the largest diameter category. Its height reaches almost 3 storeys. The SabSe Anokha Umbrella was unveiled as a prelude to the upcoming Anokha Awards'15 @SabTV! I thoroughly enjoyed the event, so did the other bloggers present at the event, as well as all others who attended. The SabSe Anokha Umbrella will be displayed again on 26th July ( Sunday ). So, head there this Sunday if you missed it. ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸ Pictures from the Anokha Event - That's how a Giant ANOKHA Umbrella is set up - with Giant ANOKHA Cranes! #SabSeAnokhaUmbrella mangta hai #SabSeAnokhaCrowds, right? And they were all there ~ in droves Ek Anokha Hostess too :-) Anokha Celebrities dressed up in their Anokha costumes from their Anokha Shows in SabTV. Any guesses who they are? Hint : Follow #SabSeAnokhaUmbrella in twitter to find out. While I was coming back, I had a big smile on my face. I chuckled to myself, thinking, how before the event, I was fretting so much about my own lost umbrella that covers only a single person, whereas SabTV had gone ahead and brought a whole community of people together under this giant Umbrella ~ truly Anokha! This one-of-a-kind event is not to be missed, as its one great opportunity to forget all differences and hug each other inside the Huge Umbrella - in unity. So, what are you waiting for, you know where exactly to head to witness this man-made marvel at the earliest ;-) ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸

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( Images - ©Mine ( accept Manav Gohil close-up ). All Rights Reserved ) | SAB TV has created #SABSeAnokhaUmbrella, which is largest in the world. True to its brand message – Asli Mazaa SAB Ke Saath Aata Hai, SAB TV created this 30ft tall Umbrella under which around 1,000 people can come at once. SabTV's Anokhe Awards are scheduled to telecast on 31st July at 9pm. Stay Connected & Follow my Updates on the blog's GFC | GOOGLE+ | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | NETWORKEDBLOGS

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CELEBRATING SANGRIAS AND SEAFOOD AT SHANGHAI CLUB, ITC GRAND CENTRAL

Just before I left for my trip to the Himalayas, I received a very tempting invitation to review Sangrias and Seafood at the Shanghai Club, ITC Grand Central, Parel by FBAI. Being the foodie that I am, I really could not refuse such a mouth-watering invite now, could I? However, I was a little apprehensive about this review activity as I'm not really a big fan of Sea Food. Lets find out if #SangriasAndSeafood eventually changed my mind. ALERT - Lots of Food pics ahead!

The Venue...

Shanghai Club, ITC Grand Central, Parel from 7.30 pm onwards.
The place was familiar to me as I had been there few times in the past, but the restaurant 'Shanghai Club' was new for me. Its located on the ground floor itself. On entering I found the decor and ambiance soothing. And the staff quite attentive too as I was soon going to find out.

The Mocktails ( Sangrias ) and Starters...

When I entered the premises, there were just a handful of people; but soon, the place began filling up fast. And within no time all the foodies from different corners of the city had assembled to try out the Sea-Food cuisine specially set up by the ITC Team. As the name suggests, it was the evening of the Sangrias. I got to taste not just one but four of them ( Classic Spanish, Cherry & Plum, Very Berry, Water Melon & Basil - any guesses which was my favourite of all? ). To keep the Sangrias company were the small bites of spicy peanuts and crispy veggies tossed in sauce. The main Appetizers were Prawns & Asparagus, Steam Scambi with Hotbean and Mango, Crispy Promfret tossed in Chinese Barbeque Sauce, Prawn Bamboo Shoot and Waterchestnut Shumai. The tastes of each were unique and my favourite were the Promfret! Can you spot it?

The Crab and Soup...

The crabs ( Singapore Chilli with egg white ), I must say, is an elaborate course in itself. However, they vanished as fast as they appeared; obviously, into our tummies! It was nice to get our hands dirty too in such a prim and proper place for a change. Did I see some people use scissors to cut into the crab - they are hard man! But it was really the most fun part, of course.


Some people didn't like the Seafood Chilli Butter Soup that followed next, because of the overwhelming coriander flavour in it. But for me, it was a little piece of heaven itself. After all that sea food, my mouth needed a change of taste and the soup just provided that ~ to enable me again to continue on the amazing seafood journey.

The Main Course...

That should feed an army, right? The main course was an interesting mix of Stir fried Lobster with guzion sauce, Steam river sole in Ginger Soya, Stir Fried Asian Greens and Lotus Stems with burnt Garlic, Wok tossed Hakka noodles with Pokchoy, Mix vegetable fried rice, Steam Lotus leaf wrapped rice with shitake. You either mix the lobster gravy with the rice or noodles, or add in the soya sauce, or mix everything together - I had a great time playing around with this completely new palate and of course relishing it thoroughly.

The Desserts...

After a hefty meal, the desserts came and we were simply bowled over by the New World Star Anise Torte, the very unique Jasmine flavoured Tiramisu and Vanilla & Red Bean ice cream. And as though it wasn't enough already with our tummies threatening to bulge out anytime, we had a fresh fruit plate laid out before us as well, laden with some exotic fruits like Kiwifruit, Thai dragon, Water Melons and Plums. Oh...What a feast it was. BUUURRP! So, if you want to taste some authentic Sea Food you know where to go! Head over to the Shanghai Club @ITC Grand Central.

The ITC Team and Bloggers...

It was packed - houseful!!
The ITC Team, along with their chefs who prepared this delicious Sea Food cuisine appeared before us, as well as interacted with us, answered queries/concerns etc before finally clicking some pics with us and bidding goodnight. In all of these, winners of the on-going twitter contest was also announced with some bloggers winning some really enviable prizes.

The Surprise Gift...

Finally, the evening came to an end and we all took leave. Well...not before the ITC Team sending us home with this basket of happiness :-)

The PR...The Seafood menu that was served had some of the specials from Ala carte menu. Apart from the Ala Carte menu, Chef Jia and Chef Shrey curated three Sangria special menus:

The menu priced at INR 1500 plus taxes is a 5 course one that offers unlimited pours of Sangria with Chili tossed crispy vegetables with coriander & onions Guiyang style, Crispy spicy chicken tossed with red chili and Sichuan pepper, Crispy Basa tossed with Hunan sauce, Chinese clear soup with burnt garlic, Crispy honey drizzled noodles with vanilla ice-cream amongst otheres. This menu is available only during lunch.

Apart from this there are two other menus with unlimited pours of Sangria. This is available only during dinner. The one priced at INR 2300 plus taxes is also a 5 course one which has Sweet water chestnut and baby corn tossed in Chinese barbeque sauce, Crispy Shrimps Sichuan mala sauce, Crispy fried chili lamb Sichuan style, Steam open headed chicken dimsum, Stir fried eggplant soya garlic, Braised chicken Xingjiang home style (Served in Chinese clay pot), Red bean crusted cheese cake served with sour cherry, roasted almond ice cream and wild berry compote amongst others.

The other menu priced at INR 2700 plus taxes includes Crispy sweetcorn kennels with onions and chilies, Crispy red snapper tossed with hot basil sauce, Mapu tofu ( stir fried tofu in spicy chili bean sauce), Steam Baby lobster in Chef's special sauce, Sliced lamb Huangmen sauce, Chili garlic mix vegetables fried rice, Shanghai Dessert Symphony amongst others. Please note, these are only few of the dishes from the menu. This, again, is a five course menu.

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