Rejuvenate and pamper yourself at Bodycraft Spa & Salon

Bodycraft Spa & Salon is Bangalore’s destination for salon, skin and spa services. Across its six luxurious locations, Bodycraft provides the most comprehensive range of services in Hair Styling, Skin Care & Cosmetology, Spa & Wellness, Nails & Personal Grooming, Bridal and Medical Treatment, all under one roof and at affordable pricing.

I have always been a fan of Bodycraft's facial and have been a regular here. Be it any favorite occasion or special event in my life, I have always visited Bodycraft to feel good. Birthday's, trips and even for my latest visit to Oscars 2016, I made sure I pampered myself with their facial, manicure and pedicure so that I look my best among everyone from other countries.

This time, I tried their 'Perfect custom-made services' which made sure I got personalised solutions tailoring to meet my skin needs after a detailed consultation with their specialist. We normally tend to choose our services without understanding the need of our skin, so its always better to consult the specialist before choosing the services,

A consultation was very much required for my skin as I have been facing acne and breakouts very frequently. After consulting the doctor, who recommended some medicine to calm my breakouts and suggested the facial required for my skin coupled with a protein pack.

I would recommend Cleopatra's milk treatment for manicure and pedicure as it helps you de-tan and also pamper your hands and feet. But I continued with AHA manicure and pedicure which helped to give my nails, hand and feet a new look. This also nourishes the nails and prevents anti-ageing with the AHA mask. I coupled this with Lightening pack for my arms which did not work for me much as I couldn't see any different on my arm after the treatment.

Ainhoa Purity Facial was chosen for my skin, it is a deep cleaning treatment for blemishes, it helps to reduce blemishes, pimples, blackheads, irritation and redness. The skin appears calm and pores refined. I felt this facial was tailor-made for my skin so i had to choose it. It was also because of Ainhoa which I wanted to try for my face. Ainhoa products will help to re-hydrate the skin cells, rebuild elasticity and regenerate, invigorate and rejuvenate your skin.

To those who do not know Ainhoa, let me mention some details to you. It is originated in Spain having a rich history of over 15 years. The ingredients of the products are mostly natural which allows it to be used on wide variety of skin types. This range is for the serious skin care user who wants the latest cutting edge products for their skin and to achieve fast fantastic results. Ainhoa is one of Europe's most innovative cosmetic and skin care brands developed with the latest scientific advances, combined with natural ingredients. Using highly active ingredients such as gold, caviar and diamond dust, as well as the cutting edge development of vegetable stem cells and marine DNA.

I added Under-eye treatment to my facial for my dark circles and fine circles. I was very impressed with the under-eye treatment as it worked instantly on my eyes and they made my eyes look fresh and less dark. I would suggest everyone to add this treatment with your facial or clean-ups to make your skin feel good and make yourself feel fresh. Ainhoa Purity Facial was rejuvenating and I believe a regular Ainhoa purity facial will help my blemishes to reduce over the period of time.

After an intensive pampering session at Bodycraft spa & salon, I intend to visit them again and try their hair treatment as I feel my hair needs care. But for now, for all you reading this, do try their Ainhoa purity facial or a facial suitable to your skin and add an under-eye treatment for sure. You can enjoy AHA manicure and pedicure regularly or treat yourself like Cleaopatra which ever suits you.

New entrants to the menu of SodaBottleOpenerWala

I have always expressed fondness for parsi cuisine and SodaBottleOpenerWala has been my favorite place which doesn't make me miss Bombay Irani Cafe's in Bengaluru. A lot has been written on them and so have I too, you can read my earlier review here .

SodaBottleOpenerWala have added some new additions to their menu and Bengaluru is the first city to incorporate it. They made some changes in preparation in some of their items too. Mohit Balachandran took us through the menu and every dish served for the meal. Read on to know more.

As we started our lunch, classic Bollywood and International pop music was played in the background. While my friend's enjoyed their cocktails, I preferred to go with Shakes this time, I tried the Mawa shake and Date & Saffron shake, while my friends enjoyed Raspberry Soda which is more pulpy than before, Sekanje Bin, Mumma Nu Double Dose, a cocktail made of whiskey, rum, saffron, dates flavor, and beaten eggs. Bombay Julep, A cocktail made of Bacardi rum, mint, Apricot, honey, and lime juice which is served in a cute Julep glass garnished with flowers. The Bumsuckerwala, A cocktail made of frozen Raspberry, thyme, and Vodka. Oh there is a story behind this name of the drink, do read that :)

Then the starters were served, a mix of old and new menu but none of these were tried by me earlier so I was excited.

Crispy Corn and Bhel came in first and as we amunched on this classic Bombay bhel with crispy corn tossed with tangy chutney, Next was Chicken Chilli cheese pav, a fluffly pav with lagan nu achar, chillies and chicken topping.

 

Raasta Sandwich for the veggies which was made of multigrain bread, veggies, and cheese; served with spicy French fries. ‘Boil’ Egg Sandwich which was my favorite, had fillings of boiled eggs, green chili, and cheese; served with spicy French fries. It was just the way my Mom makes.

Bacon Vada Pav but those who tried found bacon to be missing.

Cafreal Chicken Salad made of Cafreal masala, lettuce, and pickled beet. I was wondering how did this dish find a place in a parsi menu?

Then main course was served, though I was craving for dhansak, I made sure I look beyond it and try the other dishes :)

First came Saturday Jardaloo Ma Gosh which is Parsi families Saturday special mutton dish in a thick gravy with apricots hence you would find this sweet. From the combo menu, we tried the 'Paneer Sanju Baba' and 'Khattu Meethu Pumpkin', which had a mix of sweet & sour taste. Some may know that a dish is served in Noor Mohammadi Restaurant in Mumbai which claims that Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has given them the recipe so SBOW had a veg version to it.

Without edu, a parsi dish or meal can never be complete so as the menu states 'When in doubt, break an edu (egg) on it', we tried 2 interesting dishes - 'Friday Sausage Par Eeda' and 'Guava Jelly and Onion Par Eedu'. Friday Sausage Par Eeda had bacon in it so I did not try it while Guava Jelly and Onion Par Eedu did not interest my palatte much. These sunny's side up dishes can be enjoyed with pav. We also had Jaloo's famous Malai na paratha which was very tasty but it could be very filling too.

From their 'Bar Snacks' menu came Parsi style Jumbo Prawns served with coconut milk gravy and steamed rice which can be enjoyed as bar snack or as a main course. 'Brinjal and Drumstick Kari' served with steamed rice and Kachumbar was a veg option which came along.

I have never tried their Berry Pulav so this was my day. The berries and fried cashews on a mildly spiced pulav was a favorite on the table. We also tried the Bambaiyya Chicken Biryani which is the classic Bombay style biryani. I skipped Paatra ni Machhi and tried Tarela Rainbow Trout which is baked with traditional parsi spices, this became an instant favorite on the table.

With a mix of veg and non veg options for food, we ended our meal with their tempting desserts. Mawa cake will always be my favorite. Chocolate peanut butter cheesecake was loved by all but I am not a fan of peanut butter so I enjoyed it the least. Irani Falooda had high expectations from me but I did not enjoy it much as I have had better falooda at other places. Mixed berry truffle and White chocolate hazelnut orange brownie was also enjoyed. However, everyone loved Matunga Coffee Cake the most which was served in a filter coffee vessel is a must try for the coffee lovers but I gave it a miss as it had liquor. Lagan Nu Custer is a famous parsi wedding custard which was relished by all.

The menu now has a variety of options for veg and non veg which makes this place a must visit for everyone who would love to have good parsi meal coupled with great music giving it Bombay irani cafe feel.

North Indian Food Festival at Asia Alive - Double Tree Suites by Hilton Hotel, Bangalore

Double Tree Suites by Hilton Hotel has been receiving lot of request for north Indian food so they chose this festival season to display a spread of North Indian food for 10 days under their head chef who hails from North India. I have been a regular visitor at Hilton Hotel at Embassy Golf Links but this was my first visit at Double Tree Suites by Hilton Hotel located on Sarjapur main road. Asia Alive is on the ground floor, next to the reception. Asia Alive is an asian restaurant has seating area for casual conversations with coffee, main dining area and also private dining area. They have majorly targeted food from Kashmir, Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan.

As welcome drink, we enjoyed Badam Milk thandai which would ideally fill your stomach so please just have few sips and move to the food ;) The starters came which had Achari Paneer Tikka, the paneer was really soft. Matarwali Tikki, it was soft and moist and can be enjoyed best with mint chutney. For non veg, we were served Mutton sheekh kebab and Amritsari machhi which were tasty but could have been more on spice. All these starters tasted best with Papaya relish which was so tasty that we ended up eating the relish alone most of the time.

From the Chaat's counter, I had to have Pani Puri as it's my favorite, I also tried Papdi Chaat and the famous Raj Kachori. From the Chole Bhature counter, I had to have a bhatura which in Bangalore you may not get, as they serve you puri ;) The Chole Bhature and Raj Kachori was just like the one I have had in Delhi so i was very happy with it.

I moved to the buffet spread and enjoyed some Salad's which were tempting enough. They also had a variety of Raita on offer which one can customise it to their taste.

As the food had already filled our stomach, I gave a miss to most of the buffet spread, now who can try this entire spread at one go? 2 soups were available along with a spread of vegetarian and non vegetarian curries which can be enjoyed with variety of naan's, paratha's or rice. You can try some of the paratha's which are from parathe wali gali in Dilli :) I tried the dishes which were of my interest like the Mutton rogan josh along with naan and some chicken biryani. They also have displayed a variety of papad's which you enjoy with your mail course.

Moving to desserts, apart from feshly cut fruits which had Kiwi, my favorite, and a range of indian sweets like peda, laddu, barfi, malpua, halwa, freshly made jalebi's and also a live counter for falooda.

Photo's have been shot from Le2 phone. The entire buffet spread can be enjoyed from 12th to 21st October 2016, for lunch and dinner, at Rs.1099+taxes and charges. They keep changing their menu so you might enjoy something different from what I have relished.