Amrut - The Indian Whisky, known to the world

I was trilled to hear that I was invited for a whisky tasting and the event was held in Glass house, on lavelle road. I wanted have made up my mind to take that special person for date to glass and this event has confirmed it. This has been my most knowledgeable event form me. Amrut whisky is based in our Bengaluru, I was shocked to know that I was going for tasting a set of an Indian brand single malt whisky. They have reached international market and already been sold in over 30 countries across the world. Amrut Fusion has been rated at no. 3 by Jim Murray from over 4,000 (approx) whisky he tried from across the world, with a score of 97/100. Amrut whisky actually started out as a MBA project of Mr Rakshit Jagdale, this project of his has put India in the whisky market and has shocked a lot people all across the world.

Mr. Ashok Chokalingam, Mr. Rakshit Jagdale and Mr. Vikram were from Amrut to take us through the blind whisky tasting. This was a blind whisky tasting, where there were just six glass with whisky without any identification of the brand to anyone of us. The tasting session was taken forward by Mr Ashok Chokalingam who was in fact the Whisky Ambassador for the year 2012, voted by the Icons of Whisky. He explained us the various aspects of whisky that can be briefly explained as nosing, tasting, balancing and finish, along with guessing the age and origin. Let me tell you that I got the age and origin of all the whisky (It not that easy to get it right).

To briefly say talk about the above, we identified the smell of the whisky, firstly we smelled it we one nostril and then by both and we got various smells like orange, apple, smoke, walnut, spices, chocolate, etc, this was my first time to approach whisky like this and was enjoying every bit of it. Then we actually change the temperature of the drink with our palm, this enabled us to get the different layer of whisky. This was an interesting factor that I like. After doing we taste the whisky by allowing it to move to all parts of the mouth and get the proper taste of the whisky. The whisky actually felt different on the tip of the tongue, in the mouth and the throat (it was different for the each whisky that we had). The we were asked to feel then balance of the whisky as it was in the mouth, i.e, the tongue, mouth and the throat, some of the whisky was hard of the tongue but smoothened later on and vice versa also. Then came the finish, there are basely three category i.e, short, medium and long. Finish means the lasting effect of the taste that one carries with him. We were told that the finish and the age of the whisky run parallel to each other. I also came to know that the color of the whisky does not tell the age of the whisky as the same can be tampered with also. This was what I learnt under the guidance of Ashok.

This was rating on the whisky :

1. 22/40 for Glenmorangie
2. 30/40 for Amrut Classic Malt
3. 26/40 for Black label
4. 31/40 for Jim Beam
5. 34/40 for Amrut Fusion
6. 32/40 for Amrit peated

Do note that one man's whisky might not be liked by others. I just wanted to share my experience to you just to show that at time a blind tasting can actually give you a surprising score like the one I made.

After the whisky tasting, we were served a few of the chef's choice. We were served Stuffed mini eggplant roulade, Goat cheese lollipops, Margarita pizza, Chicken fire cracker, Beef carpaccio, Lamb sliders and Fish and chips. The chef used very less ingredients in his dishes which is his signature dish.

I loved the chicken fire cracker that was Tender chicken covered in a mix of mango puree and mustard which was the most interesting combination that I have come across, this dish also tasted wonderful and the mango puree and mustard complimented each other in the most unexpected way.

If you like goat cheese then you have to try the Goat cheese lollipops. I do not like goat cheese much but did not mind the flavor lingering on my tongue for long. The saltiness in the goat cheese and the dates and jalapenos stuffing really gave and very wonderful taste.

For more information, you can contact them at

Sales inquiries:
Ashok Chokalingam ,General Manager – International Operations, Amrut Distilleries Ltd,

Tel:+44(0)191-233 6316 Fax:+44(0)191-233-6346 

E-mail: info@amrutdistilleries.com

Head Office:
Amrut Distilleries Ltd, (N.R.Jagdale Group), # 41/1, 72nd Cross, Rajajinagar 6th Block,

Bangalore, 560 010, India.

Tel: +91 80 23100402, 380, 379, 389, 23503860 Fax: +91 80 23351542

Web Site: www.amrutdistilleries.com www.amrutwhisky.co.uk

Chili's - Indranagar Review

It is always a wonderful experience at Chili’s, this time I had the pleasure to visit their Indiranagar Branch on 100 feet road, Bengaluru. This is place is huge and has a different vibe to it, that can be enjoyed but all set of people. The choice of music here is good and the volume is just right to either enjoy the music or to have a conversation with your friends, family, date, acquaintance, colleagues, etc. You can feel a celebration at Chili’s with their special menu that is there for three months or so, these dish are quite the same from their permanent menu but with the exception of a few changes in the dish that would provide with a different and unique taste. As I mentioned that the place is huge and the management have used the space to provide enough privacy to each table. Recently Chili’s had held the India’s first cook out and that was a major hit across the country, I am looking forward to their next cook out.

Drink:

I wanted to try Watermelon Margarita from their special menu which has Sauza tequila, fresh watermelon puree and in-house sour, this was wonderful drink. The Sauza tequila was wonderful blend with the watermelon puree, which made it mild yet a very good drink. This was a wonderful drink for me to start off with. The highlight of this drink was the house made sour that was felt after the first two sips, this sour was just right to give you a mild taste which did not over power the watermelon taste.

Now I was stuck between Flavored Classic Margarita and Mojito, the waiter suggested me to go with the margarita. The margarita contained Tequila and triple sec with a splash of lime, this drink contained a lot of crushed ice which was a disappointment to me but this crushed ice and the splash of lime was the true creation of the drink. The crushed ice enabled me to take my time in having the drink slowly. Splash of lime gave me the tangy taste that was a different experience all together; due to this the order was repeated once more.

Persidente Margarita will shake up your day, as the is an hand shaken Margarita made with Tequilla, Cointreau and premium brandy. This is a two serves drink. This drink is really strong in alcohol content but the way this blends the taste of the food is mind blowing. This is among Chili’s wonderful creations.

Cosmopolitan that has Citron vodka, Cointreau and cranberry juice was indeed a very strong drink. This was the first cocktail that I had in my life. Even thou I felt this as a very strong dish, I still loved it that taste of vodka blend with cranberry juice.

Food:

For appetizers we had first order the Triple dipper with Paneer bites, Texas cheese poppers and Fried paneer quesadilla bites, I loved all three of them. The paneer bites was really good and that have wonderful crunchy with all the flavour intact inside of the paneer and the other ingredients, the paneer did have a unique texture inside for which I loved it. The Texas cheese poppers are always great in Chili’s, I just love them as the cheese in the poppers are really great and the way the cheese fills up the mouth is wonderful. The fried paneer quesadilla bites very delicious and all I can say about this is “Finish it while it’s hot” because if you don’t, then the others will finish it. The chipotle sour did the wonders in this dish.

We ordered the plain nachos that were served with in-house salsa. The salsa has a fresh texture to it which I love, the salsa was so great that I even used with the cheese poppers and paneer bites and with my big mouth burger bites also. For me nachos have always been a favourite snack and whenever I get fresh salsa with it.

The plain nachos were followed by Classic nachos and this look just amazing. I look it when there is jalapenos, this dish was made by melted cheese with jalapenos, beans and queso served with house-made pico de gallo and sour cream. This dish vanished into everyone’s tummy within a matter of minute. This dish was something more than just classic, this was more of a modern classic with all the texture and the whole dish was balanced was just delicious. The same was also available with citrus garlic chicken or buffalo meat, which be on my menu the next time that I go.

The Big mouth burger bites was the next to hit our table. The burger paddy was well made but the burger as a whole was a bit dry for me but the salsa did it trick. The big mouth burger bites is severed with onion string, fries and jalapeno ranch dressing that was really good. The onion string and fries were crispy and the jalapeno ranch dressing was delicious.

Then came in the BBQ grilled paneer salad (actually know as BBQ chicken salad, which is also available with Spicy garlic and lime shrimp), this was a crispy mixture of grilled paneer, cheddar cheese, pico fe gallo, corn relish, cilantro, crispy tortilla strips and a touch of BBQ sauce with is served with ranch dressing. I guess the mixture made your mouth water, like the way we did when the dish came to our table. The mixture was wonderful but it was too dry for me and i would have preferred a bit more BBQ sauce on the dish.

Cilantro pesto pasta with veggies was a blend of fresh green, cilantro, nuts and olive oil enlivened in a cream based sprinkled with pico de gallo which was simply delicious. I loved the slight tangy flavour that was there in the cucumber, the bread should have been a bit most crisp but other than that this dish was yum.

Marinara pasta with veggies was a tangy tomato based sauce with a proficient flavour of garlic and basil. I love tomatoes but after having so much I found the pasta a bit too tangy as I had was having the Flavored Classic Margarita, here the bread was crisp enough to relish the tangy flavour of the pasta.

Dessert:

Chocolate chip paradise pie was the same dessert that I had before and the taste just yum all over again. The chewy bar was slightly sweeter than before but it was enough to blend with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and caramel.

Molten chocolate cake topped the chocolate chip paradise pie on my dessert list. This was just yum all throughout. The master creation was devoured by us in a matter of seconds. Even thou everyone had eaten enough but once this was on the table, everyone of us became hungry again. This is one dessert that you just can’t miss having.

Thai experience in White Elephant

A proper Thai experience has come on 100th feet Indiranagar, Bengaluru. This a cosy place where one can come and enjoy the food, this an deal place to come with a date and even more entertaining to come with your family on a Saturday night.  

Drinks:

I wanted to have a Classic Martini but I was introduced to Mid-night martini, this was my first time having a mid-night martini. The drink suited to name with respect to looks and taste. The drink is had to perfect mash up on gin that I required. I liked this a lot and made sure that this order was repeated once again.

Out of luck I had the Cosmopolitan here, it was slight stronger than what I usually have.

Starters:

Khao Pod Thod Naam Prik Pow was the first to be served to us. I know that by the name you did not understand anything, it was the same for me. It is babycorn tossed with Thai chilli paste served in rice tartlets,  I was shocked in the first bite as the balance of flavours was a sweet but just enough to relax with any drink.

Pla Yang, is spicy skewed grilled fish. We all could not believe that the fish used was basa, the fish was well cooked and the salad that accompanied that fish was also full of flavours that brought the flavours in the fish more alive. This was a real treat but I would have preferred this dish with prawns.

Kai Hor Bai Taey, marinated chicken wrapped in a pandana leaf. This dish looked as a veg dish when is come on the table. When we were told that the same was chicken, we were shocked. The chicken still needed a bit more flavours than what it had. The dip that was served along was a sweet dip that compliment the dish very well.

Manfrang Tod Samros, is crispy fried potatoes tossed. This dish went very well with the Cosmopolitan. I liked the way the dish was prepared, even thou you feel that you have felt the taste before but I like the way that the taste stays in the mouth.

Salad:

Yum Woonsen, which is spicy glass noodles salad. I loved the flavours in this dish, it was just a bust of flavours with each and every bite that I had. This salad was just what the doctor order but not the gym instructor.

Food:

For food I will first tell you what all we had and later tell you the best combinations that I felt. We had the Kaeng Keow Whan (Thai traditional green curry, fish), Kaeng red (Thai red curry, chicken), chef special in prawns.

I had Thai curry before but never like it. This is the first place that I liked Thai curry. The green curry went very well with the steamed noddles, this was the first time that I felt the curry complimented the noddles to what it deserved.

The red curry was a good combination with the Jasmine rice and normal rice.

For the prawns, I had all just like that because I loved the taste of prawns. The prawns was well done and that's all that I require with prawns.

Dessert:

We had chocolate and jack fruit ice cream. I liked both the ice cream, since it was made in house I liked it. The jack fruits had the raw flavour that I like.

Tub Tim Grob, is water chestnut served with sweetened Jasmine flavored coconut milk. This was again the first time that I actually liked it. The all flavours was a good blend and complimented each other with each bit.

Gruay Thod, deep fried banana with honey and sesame seeds. This dish looks easy to make but I know it is otherwise. This was yum, I liked the slight honey flavour that I got in the dish.

Entertainment:

Saturday night is a treat to one and all, as you get to witness, Mr Rakesh's closeup magic, right at your dinner table. Mr Rakesh has been practicing magic tricks from the past 10 years and that experience comes out in his act. He performed card, ring, mind reading, etc tricks to entertain all of us. The best part of his performance that he comes to you table to perform his tricks.

Credits:

Rumana for picture.

Launch of the brewery at the Big Pitcher

The streets of HAL road have lit up once more, big pitcher has just got bigger by launching 6 brewed beer namely Hop witch, Kingslayer, Sarava, Czech That Pilsner, Adjust Maadi and Endless Darkness. I will continue about the beers in the following paragraphs. Let me first tell you about Big Pitcher, it stands at a 6 floor tall with different ambiance on each floor. Let me start off with the few things that I found interesting about the floors that I liked. The ground floor has a huge dance floor which is accompanied by the finest DJ's spinning the tracks, along with the part of the brewery. The first floor has the other half of the brewery , along with a much more private sitting of the ground this is called Club Kahuna. Club Kahuna holds Comedy Nite, Booze an’ Brains, Ladies’ nite, etc, so you can expect something new when you go there. You have something called The Street, where you can expect to get street food from about 30 countries. This is soon to open and I am eagerly waiting for the opening. The fourth floor was where the magic of the beer was unveiled, this is to host corporate parties and private events Studio 4121 which is well equipped with DJ, Stage and music system. The most talked about floor is the roof top, this is one place that you have to visit to have the over view of Bengaluru with amazing food and drinks.

Let me start of with the beers, the Bengaluru's newest and the biggest (as on date) mirco brewery has kicked off. Now Bengaluru has one more watering-hole in its list, it blends the philosophy of 5 schools of brewing namely English, Belgian, German, American and Brazilian. They have launched 6 beers as of now which I have named above. I am a bit hesitant about the names, so I will take you my views by the colour of the beer.

The light colour beer, will the best to start or end with because it has a very mild taste, which will wake up your taste bugs or they will make you to get the proper taste of the dessert and they are also on the sweeter side. The light colour might have been mild but the unique flavour that has actually gone in making the beer is very nice, I did not get the the difference between them with small slips but when I went for a bottoms up that's when I got the proper flavour and the difference between both the beers. (one of them was hop witch I liked).

In the medium coloured once was really miles part from either in the sense of smell and taste, one of them had the smooth yet a great taste of wheat that was my favorite (I sadly don't remember the name). I like the way the Brew master Luiz and his partner Koushika have done an amazing job because they have modified the German wheat beer with their own touch that is well balanced and tasted amazing. The other one was slightly of the other side which I did not like because of the fact that it was harsh and kinda flat, I heard that this is something related to the Belgian school but I did not like it much, whereas, my friends did like it.

Now the last two, the darkest of them all. The best part of both the dark coloured beers were that they were not hard but they did have a little choky sensation to it. This was the first time that I found a liking to the dark beer, they tasted slightly milder than the ones I have had before but never did like any earlier. One of the darker one had this chocolate after affect of the throat that was once again a very nice and unique thing  about the beer. If I have to say in a simple way, this is the best place to start of drinking with dark beers.

Luiz and Koushika have promised that they will never rush any batch, they will try and bring beers with either slight changes or major once depending on the experiment, with keeping in mind of what the customer wants. They will always keep there doors open for all beer lovers. The major aspect about their beers is that they are 100% natural.

The launch was accompanied by a wonderful spread of Continental, Chinese, Indian and Oriental Japanese food. The spread was a treat to all food lovers. The launch was not only about the beer (though this was the main agenda), it was also about food, dance, singing and partying.

The picture credits go to Suman, Nita and Rumana, thank you for the wonderful pictures.

I apologies once again for not identifying the beers with the name.