The Platter Fest at California Pizza Kitchen

This sports season, California Pizza Kitchen has come up with a new pop-up menu 'The Platter Fest'. Enjoy the T-20 games with the 3 platters on offer and one can enjoy the same with delectable mocktails and cocktails.

There are 3 platters on offer, A veg platter, Non-veg platter and a Combo platter. Each platter has 6 different appetizers and can be shared by 2 or 3 people. I tried the Non-veg platter which had Chipotle grill chicken, Sonora chicken roll, Cilantro Baked fish, chicken nuggets, fish finger and delicious chicken basil bruschetta. The platter is served with a bowl of sasla, sour cream and chilli cheese dip.

The fish fingers were crisp and tasted well with the chilli cheese dip. Sonora chicken roll was good to taste with Salsa or chilli cheese dip. Cilantro baked fish was a salty to my taste but the taste was mellowed with sour cream. Instead of chicken nuggets, I had chicken wings on my platter which tasted delish with chilli cheese dip. Chicken Basil bruschetta and Chitpotle grill chicken became good appetizers for my mocktail.

The 3 drinks from the pop-up menu had mocktail and cocktail option which can be combined with the appetizers. I tried the mocktails - Orange Mojito which was a refreshing drink with fresh oranges, Orange juice, lemon and mint. Mango Ecstasy which was my favorite and contained fresh Watermelon Chunks, Mango Puree topped with sparkling Water. My least favorite was Electric Blue which was very sweet for my taste Fresh Malta Orange, orange juice, Ginger Ale, with a hint of Lychee topped with Blue Curacao.

For the Combo platter, chipotle grill chicken, chicken wings, Cilantro baked fish, chili cheese toast, Margherita roll and spicy garbanzo fritters was served. The veg options on the platter was impressive, I have always been a fan of chili cheese toast and Margherita rolls and they were delectable even without a dip. Spicy garbanzo fritters were spicy but dry so this had to be had with a dip.

While, I did not try the Veg platter, you can try them next which served Mediterranean roll, Mexican quesadillas, Corn Baja croquettes, Spicy garbanzo fritter, Chili cheese toast and vegetable bruschetta. So head to CPK, as it is fondly called, and enjoy the platter before you enjoy their pizza's and pasta's for main course and not to forget their lip-smacking desserts. The option is limited for platter but then they have some platters on their regular menu too. Have the platter when served hot as you would not enjoy the appetizer when it has turned cold.

You can enjoy The Platter Fest from 7th March to 31st March 2016 at your nearest California Pizza Kitchen while you watch some amazing T-20 games.

Baja Beach Break at Habanero

Habanero has been my favorite place to enjoy Mexican food in Bangalore. The entire year, Habanero will give us a tour of Mexico by showcasing a special menu every month from various Mexican regions. From Feb 8th, the pop-up menu for the month, 'Baja Beach Break', is named after a popular beach 'Baja Beach'. I was recently invited for the preview of the pop-up menu at Habanero, Indiranagar.

Mexico's Baja Peninsula is a popular beach destination for tourists, and is known to be one of the best beaches in the world. Sun worshippers, surfers and paddlers flock to this beach for the water, sun and sand, and the beach resorts are also famous for serving sumptuous coastal Mexican dishes dominated by seafood items and lime flavors. American Chef Dan Durkin took us through the menu along with stories of Baja beach while we munched on some Nachos.

As summer is nearing, it would be the best time to enjoy some tropical drinks and from the pop-up menu, I enjoyed Virgin Pina Colada, they have a cocktail version too but the mocktail was an instant hit on the table.

Then came the starters, Lime lacquered chicken skewer. The dish was on the sweeter side. Next was my favorite starter, Seer fish Ceviche, it is a seafood dish popular in the coastal regions of Latin America. The dish is typically made from fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices and spiced with chili peppers, seasoned with vegetables. I am not a raw fish fan but this tasted exceptional.

For mains, I tried Garlic Shrimp Soft Tacos which was presented well and delish too. Beans and rice placed separately along with shrimp on 2 taco's. Taco and Mexican food lovers will enjoy it. Veggies have an option for Grilled eggplant soft taco.

Next was my favorite, Big salad with grilled pineapple, Mojito vinaigrette with choice of either grilled eggplant, grilled chicken or grilled seer fish. I tried chicken and fish, and I savored seer fish thoroughly.

Without dessert, I can never finish my meal. Coconut flan with home made chocolate truffle was on the menu. The flan has coconut milk to give it a Caribbean twist while the homemade chocolate truffle is extremely tasty and a bite of it along with strawberry completed the meal on a sweeter note.

The pop-up menu is very interesting and those who enjoy seer fish, should try the seer fish on the menu along with Pina colada and the delicious dessert. You can enjoy this menu till Feb 28th at Habanero.

Fire Monkey - Flaming Fatty, The Chinese New Year Celebrations At The Fatty Bao

Starting February 8, 2016, is a Year of the Fiery Monkey on the Chinese calendar. To celebrate this, The Fatty Bao, Bangalore, welcomes the Chinese New Year with a flaming special menu and some truly fiery cocktails. I was invited for a preview of ‘Fire Monkey- Flaming Fatty’ their special Chinese New Year Festival from February 8-14, 2016 exclusively for lunch and dinner.

Started the meal with Dragon Sushi which is believed to be symbols of power, dignity, fertility, wisdom and auspiciousness, dragons are used in dance to bring luck too. The vegetarian version had Avocado, cucumber, pickled carrot and spicy mayo and non vegetarian version had Spicy salmon, avocado, tobiko, crab meat, spicy sauce and tenkasu. I am not a sushi fan but this was the best sushi I ever had and asked for another helping of the same. These were my favorite from the menu.

Next on the table were Jiaozi which are dumplings. binged on some chicken and asparagus jiaozi while the vegetarians were taken care with broccoli and almond jiaozi. As I don't eat pork, others on the table enjoyed Baozi, smoked BBQ Pork, which were very cute looking piggy faces and made it straight to everyone's tummy.

Next were golden fried crispy Spring Rolls served with a homemade dipping sauce. While I ate the veg version which had wild mushroom, vermicelli, spinach and tofu, others enjoyed spicy minced lamb, black bean and mint spring roll. The rolls were crispy and crunchy, cooked to perfection.

Cantonese Sweet and Sour Chicken was next which we had with steamed rice. Crispy fried chicken with pineapple and vegetables made the dish a little sweet.

Ramen Noodles was served in a fat round pot, the uncut Ramen noodle in an aromatic duck broth with fresh coriander, soft boiled egg, crispy garlic and poached duck meat was delish as I enjoy duck meat.

Lastly, Steamed Red Snapper, a whole fish steamed with Chinese black vinegar and chilli sauce and served with stir fried vegetables. I savored every bite with steamed rice. As this signifies increase in prosperity, one can enjoy this with full family.

No meal is complete without dessert and similarly no Traditional Chinese New Year is complete without the ‘Moon Cake’, they had their version of moon cake which is served with strawberry compote and black sesame ice cream.

We couldn't leave without having Fatty Hill which is from the regular menu, yes I had my own guilty pleasures.

Few refreshing mocktails which is not part of the festival menu.

Some refreshments after I end my meal.

So head to The Fatty Bao (3rd Floor # 610, 12th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore- 560 038), wish them Nian Hao between 8th Feb and 14th Feb for lunch and dinner and relish this festive menu before they take them off.