Tag: weekend

Goa Foodie Weekend!

North Goa:

Is another city altogether. With quite a few hotel options and so many restaurants and places to choose from.

Goa has tried balancing the two sides very well!

Even the MOPA airport has been done up so well! With shopping options and food options available at the airport.

On my recent visit from Nashik to North Goa.

I was impressed with Goa. It had been years since I visited as a tourist. And being a complete foodie! I did not miss any of the restaurants that were on the other side of Goa.

I had a completely new list of places to explore in north Goa.

Some of the places, that we managed to explore and enjoy in our 48 Hrs In Goa.

Hosa: A Coastal cuisine restaurant in Goa that

is beautifully done up in a 100-year-old Portuguese Villa that was restored by the same hospitality group that also has Indian Accent and Comorin under them. Two very popular restaurants they have been listed as one of the best places to Eat & drink annually in the world best.

The Muttonpepper Ghee Roast and coconut Shrimp were the two things we tasted and enjoyed from the menu.

A sure shot must visit during your visit to Goa.

Assa House: 

A French restaurant in North Goa that shouldn’t be missed by any foodie!

The menu is done by French Chef Alexis Gielbaum who was the chef at Souffle & Slink & Bardot.

Both of the restaurants that I had visited and had meals too.

The Onion French soup at Soufle and the interiors of Slink & Bardot would remind you a lot of it at Assa House. The Baked Alaska, The Clams in Pesto Butter Sauce, The Sea Bass and the Pork Belly were so good! A perfect recommendation for a light meal with a great ambience.

Sakana Goa: A Japanese Restaurant that has been opened by an Israeli-Israeli-Japanese couple is a must-visit for Japanese food. The interiors can be enjoyed during the day as well as at night with green gardens and trees around as you walk in. The Miso Calamari was a different palate but a great combination. The Pork belly Zucchini roll wais s soft & smooth they just melted right away. The Sea Bass in Teriyaki sauce two combinations that we couldn’t get enough of.

These are all not to be missed.
Burger Factory: Juicy meaty or leafy burgers. Burger Factory Burger will remind you of the typical American burgers and fries. The Zucchini fries were crispy and yummy! The Pork Cheddar bacon burger, Avocado and truffle and BBQ Pork Bacon were so well made!

Babka: A cafe that was tiny, but packed with surprises. The Tiramisu & the Salted Eclaris were so Good! Only if we were not dripping in the heat! We would have had more!
G-Shot: A coffee space more than bakes! The Vegan Vietnamese Coffee with Cashew Butter! Had heard so much about the space! And with coffee, it did not fail.

Stay: In North Goa 

  • W Hotel 
  • JW Marriott Goa 
  • Westin Hotel

Bookstore to Visit:

Champaca Bookstore

Hampiness – An adventure in the waiting!

Virupaksha Temple

A journey that had been on the bucket list for the last few years.

And having explored India from the north and west.

South had a been little unexplored and was waiting to be explored.

Hampi is a city full of temples that have references not just mythology ( Ramayan) Hanuman’s Birthplace. But, also with Shiva- A single monolith statue that’s one of the most visited sights of the city. To the Dynasties battles Kilji, Chanayaka and later the British coming to existence.

No Wonder a city filled with so much history and mythology feels like one place with many world heritage references that the The Ministry of Tourism, on 29th September, declared Karnataka’s iconic destination as the Best Tourism Village of India-2023.

Hampi was selected one among the 795 applications received from 31 states and UTs.

Some bits of Hampi feel like you are in Macchi- Picchu to some feel like you are in Greece. While some truly belong to India.

The city has many world heritage sites.Think your ₹50 currency and you will observe the chariot stone. Hampi is also referred to as India’s Rome with so many ruins and history to the sights.

The historians at Hampi, also mentioned to explore the whole of Hampi that has 80 monuments worth exploring would take you an ideal 45 days here! So much history!

And if you would like to travel to Hampi some of the most important sites are Vitthala temple, that’s full of interpretations of history and the home to the stone Chariot. To the Virupaksha temple an active temple that has rituals performed daily including feeding of elephants as an experience of lifetime.

Elephant Stables a monument that was built for the kings elephant many centuries ago is another site worth visiting.

At times Hampi makes you believe you are In Stonehenge with the rocks here beautifully placed naturally or makes you believe you are In Grand Canyon with trekking around on rocks that are placed with boulders for support.

The sunset and sunrise view points of the city, give you an overview of the lush green landscapes covered with sugarcane’s and Banana plantations.

With so much to offer for history & nature buffs.Hampi still has the rawness and beauty of India.

Hampi is still not considered a tourist destination, with only one flight to Mumbai! And limited advertising for tourism in Hampi.

Stay: Evolve Back Resort

Did You Know?

Karnataka once served as the capital of one of the largest kingdoms of India the Vijayanagara Empire around the 1500 AD. And during that time it was known to be one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the world.

The Virupaksha temple dates back to 7th-century, which makes it one of the oldest functional temple in the country is dedicated to Virupaksha, an incarnation of Lord Shiva, built with a pillared hall, three.

One of the must things to do before you leave the temple take blessings from Lakshmi elephant

The pillars in the Vittahla temple would also be used as musical instruments by the locals. Each pillar would have a different sound and rhythm.

Elephant Stables
Vitthala temple

The Hospitality experience in India!

Yes, have been travelling around India lately.

Exploring the states of India. 

Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh,  Punjab and Rajasthan we have been staying at many different hospitality group of hotels. 

While some we choose for the location, Some we choose for the service, some we choose for the view or some for the deal they  are offering. Rarely did we consider the food being one of the criteria when shortlisting the hotels. 

Taj group of hotels are the best located hotels around the country. They aren’t necessarily  very Guest service oriented though. 

The Marriott Bonvoy group of hotels have a range of hotels under their umbrella and give you the sense of luxury and at many times are value for money. 

The Oberoi Group of hotels… Nothing beats them. Their guest service are excellent. And they  know what  luxury experience mean. 

The staff is friendly and warm. 

ITC hotels… It’s one of the most underrated group of hotels but the food, Service and Guest experience makes it complete package hotels. But, it’s only their ITC hotel that offers true luxury and not the hotels that come under their Umbrella. 

Hyatt : This group hotel doesn’t really come on your mind of hotels. Not even in the top 3. But, the hotels are beautiful and spacious. 

The service is warm and though aren’t many in India..They should be consider when travelling north of India or Goa for a luxury experience. 

Brij hotels: 

Brijrama This was a new hotel we stayed at in Varanasi. It was a very heritage property that has been taken over by the Brij hotel group and have two hotels in Rajasthan and one in Raipur, One in Dalhousie to name a few. 

The hotel staff was very hospitable and friendly. The location was right at the ghats making it accessible through road & through the boats… 

All the experiences at the hotel have been first hand and not through people’s opinion or feedback. 

What have your experiences been? 

Which hotel group is your favourite and Why?

Seriously an Adventurous Trip!

The moment we stepped into Della and walked into Parsi Dhaba for lunch,

The A.C wasn’t functioning properly.

We moved into another table and lunch was served, a few minutes later a living fly was found on my dad’s plate while he was eating Mutton Dhansak,

So the service staff, wondered what should be done, they got a fresh plate and little mutton dhansak without a mutton piece.

This was just the beginning, we walked into our rooms filled with dampness. No, we did not get an early check-in. This was normal check-in time. No Towels, Tap holder not present.

We did post a social media review, immediately the team asked to pull it off and informed us the team would resolve our issues.

We did go For the dinner too much talked about Villa Bistro and it would the highlight of our stay. We did not get any call or nobody met us.

Got a call at 11 pm, Sir You did not come for dinner today.

Breakfast: We asked for a Cappuccino. But the staff said we don’t serve it for breakfast. We did enjoy the Dosa, Eggs, Waffles and pancake with Nutella and Maple Syrup

And decide to explore the property a little more, during the day and we’re walking by the poolside, where I noticed the coffee machine set up and not just that, there were guests, who were enjoying latté and cappuccino because I peeped into their cup and noticed the frothy milk.

So then I decided to go get one for myself.

The Staff refused to give a cappuccino sighting it’s not functional. I could very well see the steam and the machine switched on.

Ok! That did not bother me, but while I was still around a cup of Hot Capuccino was requested by another guest and served to him. But not me, even I too was an In-house guest staying at Della.

Hair Dryer & Iron too were not functional

I have been disappointed and dissatisfied totally. If you can’t serve to the full capacity or handle the crowd. Limit it.

The Trial Series: Netflix

The Trial:
A Body is found on the riverfront, and a few minutes later, the main accused is arrested. But this is just the beginning of a high drama series. This Italian series is split into eight episodes. once the case is exposed, and this goes on where you realise it’s a one-sided argument, but since this is a courtroom drama, the case soon is getting Balanced, where you don’t know whether the accused will remain in prison or will be set free. This series keeps you glued until the end and makes you witness, how one manipulates evidence and facts to prove one’s innocence. This is a binge-worthy series!!