A Chocolate affair with Fabelle Chocolates, ITC Hotels

ITC is set to redefine the luxury chocolate space in India with Fabelle. ITC’s Fabelle Chocolates have been in the making for almost a decade, with extensive research and innumerable trials in the company’s pursuit to craft the finest luxury chocolates in India that rival the best in the world. Fabelle was created by a congruence of international chefs together with ITC master chocolatiers to craft the finest quality chocolates, using choicest ingredients from across the world. With the launch of the chocolate boutiques at ITC Maratha & ITC Central in Mumbai, Fabelle will be present nationally across Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai & Kolkata.  

Fabelle offers a range of exquisite chocolate creations such as Fabelle Elements - intricately crafted pralines inspired by the elements of nature. Fabelle Elements have been created with 26 different unique ingredients sourced across from 7 different countries to delight the Indian chocolate connoisseur who seeks evolved chocolate experiences. Fabelle Ganache - velvety soft cubes of exotic cocoas delicately churned with butter & fresh cream, A Fabelle Ganache is a sheer masterpiece crafted with meticulous conching that brings out the most sensational flavors and aroma along with the melt-in-mouth experience. Fabelle As You Like It – personalized chocolate cup creations offering myriad possibilities of fillings and toppings, Fabelle Single Origin Cacoas – single origin bars, crafted using cocoa from 6 different countries (Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Ecuador, Sao Tome and Ghana), each asserting its own distinct flavour and Fabelle Gianduja - recreation of an Italian delicacy from the Napoleon era fashioned with infusion of hazelnuts into rich, creamy milk chocolate.

The chocolate boutiques will provide a range of exquisitely crafted desserts and cocoa beverages, created live by Fabelle Master Chocolatiers. Additionally, they will also have opulent gifting options which can be customised as per requirements for diverse occasions.

ITC has set up a state of the art facility with best in class technology to manufacture Fabelle chocolates in India. ITC is sourcing impeccable single origin cocoas from the best cocoa growing regions in Africa and South America such as Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Venezuela, Saint Domingue and Sao Tome. The diversity of each country lends a unique magical taste and feel to the chocolates.

A Vanilla Cremeux bar with Saint-Domingue chocolate mousse has been crafted with a 70% single origin Saint-Domingue chocolate which has strong cocoa notes. Similarly, chocolates from Sao Tome have fruity and spicy under notes which have been used to craft the classic warm cocoa. It has been paired with Lankan cinnamon, black pepper, frosted with whipped cream and cocoa nibs.

I am not a fan of dark chocolates but The Fabelle Single Origin Cacaos made me fall in love with it, I surely can enjoy a bar with my coffee or with the prescribed drink mentioned in the box. Fabelle Ganache will always be my favorite and for a fun time, Fabelle As you like it can be enjoyed where you can create your own creations. Hazelnut lovers like me should not miss Fabelle Gianduja. I enjoyed n amazing creation by Fabelle Master Chocolateier Rashmi at ITC Windsor which had Madagascar chocolate and it was heavenly. So drop by at the nearest Fabelle outlet and enjoy these luxury chocolates, well you can gift some to me too ;)

Below are the prices:

·         Single Origin Cacao Bars (box of 6) - Rs. 875

·         Single Origin Cacao Bars (box of 12) - Rs. 1700

·         Gianjuda (box of 12) - Rs. 825

·         Creamy Milk Ganache (sharing box of 20) - Rs. 745

·         Rich Dark Ganache (sharing box of 20) - Rs. 745

·         Rich Dark with Apple & Cinnamon Ganache (sharing box of 20) - Rs. 745

·         As You Like It (single chocolate cup creation) - Rs. 100

·         As You Like It (assortment of 6 chocolate cup creations) - Rs. 500

·         As You Like It (assortment of 12 chocolate cup creations) - Rs. 1000

·         Fabelle elements (assortment of 5 pralines) - Rs. 450

·         Fabelle elements (assortment of 10 pralines) - Rs. 850

·         Fabelle elements (assortment of 20 pralines) - Rs. 1595

An evening at Fabelle for two - Rs. 1250 approx.

Have a chocolaty day :)

Teabox unveils TeaPac, only fresh tea

World’s Freshest Loose Leaf Tea Now Available in First-of-its-Kind TEAPAC. Teabox, the global direct to consumer tea company has announced the launch of TeaPacs. These are the first individually packaged tea bags sealed at the source using a natural nitrogen flush that keeps the tea as fresh as the day it was picked. The latest addition to Teabox’s line of exceptional tea products, TeaPacs offer the highest quality, loose leaf tea from Teabox’s premium collection in a more convenient, on-the-go option without compromising flavor or freshness.

Teabox is the world’s first company to use a natural nitrogen flush in the beverage market, a technique most commonly used in packaging food items, including potato chips. This innovative approach creates a non-reactive environment that protects the TeaPac tea from oxygen, light, heat and moisture – elements that compromise the integrity of the tea, causing deterioration and ultimately, loss of flavor.

Teabox is an ecommerce company based in India that offers consumers globally a variety of 200-300 of the best loose leaf teas, chosen for their quality and sourced from over 150 estates across India and Nepal. Teabox is on a mission to ensure that every cup of tea consumed in the world is fresh, because fresh tea tastes best. Through innovations in supply chain sourcing, cold chain processing and packaging, Teabox has disrupted the 200 year old tea industry.

Founded in 2012, Teabox is based in the heart of India’s tea region and works directly with an extensive network of growers across India and Nepal to source over 150 teas. Teas are plucked, processed and packaged within one week using Teabox’s proprietary cold chain process, ensuring the freshest tea on the market is delivered to your doorstep.

Teabox has introduced 18 refreshing varieties of TeaPacs, the largest selection of loose leaf tea bags on the market. These include traditional favorites like English Breakfast and Earl Grey, and specialty blends like Masala Chai and Mountain Rose. Sold in boxes of 16 priced at INR 240, customers can mix and match any 3 boxes of their favorite teas and for INR 500 and above avail of free shipping.

Teabox hosted a perfect soiree for an intensive interactive tea appreciation session with its in-house tea experts today. The session touched upon two main aspects of tea- how to recognize different teas and how to judge the quality of the tea at hand. These are two fundamental areas in tea appreciation, upon which other topics, such as tea tasting and blending, rest and the audience appreciated every bit of it.

For more information, please visit www.teabox.com. 

Guilt Free Snacking with YOGABARS

With the fitness market booming and new brands popping up with an array of products, Yoga Bar stands true to its ideals & doesn’t compromise on giving you the best “Healthy Snack” your money can buy. Yogabars are made with tasty ingredients like nuts, fruits, honey and spices. Yogabar believes in the concept of Food for thought. The brand believes that the best kind of food is always made of simple wholesome ingredients, just like I think. They never use artificial sugars, preservatives or additives.

All the products are created with 100% natural ingredients. With 6 delicious flavours, each Yogabar has the nutrition one needs without the extras. Well chosen balanced ingredients gives the bars an ideal nutrition profile for a snack bar: 150 -170 calories, source of dietary fiber, 3- 4g of protein, healthy fats and complex carbs. These bars work really well as a snack during a long day without the guilt of bad snacking or for getting enough nutrition and energy while training.

Yogabars are available in 6 different variants, in flavours that remind you of your favourite desserts and comfort foods - Cashew Orange, Chocolate Chunk Nut, Vanilla Almond, Peanut Butter, Nuts and Seeds and Mocha Magic. The bars work really well to replace a missed meal or as an in between snack. I normally have these bars during my late night hunger pangs or before my work out.

Yogabars are available at http://www.yogabars.in, leading online websites like Amazon, healthkart and flipkart. They also have a presence in leading multibrand retail locations. They are priced at INR 450 for a box of 15 bars. In the retail shops, a single bar can be bought for Rs 35/-

New offerings by Five Star Chicken

Five Star Chicken is one of the most loved fast food brands in the country. They offers a wide range of chicken and vegetarian products in spicy Indian flavors as well as other Asian and Thai flavors.

My favorite from their latest offering is Hot Dogs. Yummy sausage served in a sliced bun along with some veggies and delish sauce which enhances the taste of the sausage and is truly a delight for taste buds.

Hungry Bird Burger is another new offering and my favorite burger at Five Star Chicken which has succulent chicken fillet (breast), the patty is spiced and crumb coated before frying which is more juicier and crunchier. The fried patty is sandwiched between a soft sesame bun smeared with a sweet garlic mayo onions and capsicum.

Crispy Chicken Burger has a delicious crispy chicken patty which is sandwiched between soft sesame bun along with veggie and mayo.

Thai Crispy and Crunchy Masala are not new offerings but been my favorite ever since I have started eating at Five Star Chicken.

Five Star Chicken is one of the subsidiary food companies and brands of Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), a Thai multi-national conglomerate. Adapting to the local taste, flavor and developing products which appeals to masses has been one of the key strength of the brand. With a growing network of stores Five Star Chicken is becoming a strong neighborhood brand offering great quality of fast food products at affordable prices to all consumers. Head to the nearest store to savor some of their pocket friendly new offerings.

'Organa' juices for a healthy living

Organic farming has been a traditional way of farming in India. The aim of organic agriculture is to produce high quality, nutritious food that contributes to preventive health care and well-being. It is always better to have organic food rather than conventionally processed food.

Mother India Farms was established in 2000 to nurture acres of farms with traditional organic methods to produce and provide quality organic and natural food products to global consumers, contributing to healthy living. The domestic business of MIF is handled by a subsidiary company, MION (Mother India Organics and Naturals Pvt. Ltd). MION has launched India’s first Certified Organic Juices and Fruit Bars, under the brand name ‘Organa’.

Mr.Gopinath Director of Operations _ Mr. Pradeep Kumar Executive Director & Mr. Durairaj Rangaswamy, CEO Founder, Mother India Farms

MIF is encouraging and promoting a commitment to healthy eating and living, creating a healthier environment around. I got my hands on some 'Organa' juices

RICH ORGANIC MANGO JUICE - It's a premium juice made out of Mother India Farms’ organic mango pulp. A perfect blend of Alphonso and Totapuri mangoes and a rich 20% pulp gives the juice a natural mango taste as if eating a mango fruit itself.























ORGANA RICH PULPY GUAVA - This is made from my favorite fruit and natures very best naturally ripened Organic Pink Guava fruit with 21.5% of Organic Pink Guava Pulp blended in each bottle of Organa’s Rich Pulpy Guava Juice.

RICH PULPY MIXED FRUIT - Apple is most nutritious and a miracle fruit. While, Guava is a super fruit, Mango is the king of fruits and Pineapple, highly fibrous. Say Cheers and stay healthy with Organa Rich Pulpy Mixed Fruit.

ORGANA REFRESHING APPLE - Made from Apples sourced from the Organic farms of Europe, you get world’s finest Organic Apple Drinks. It’s tasty, refreshing, and healthy.

You can avail them too at the nearest major retail stores and stay healthy :)

More about Mother India Farms/MION can be found below:
www.motherindiafarms.com
www.organa.in
www.facebook.com/organa.organic

Fuze tea by Coca Cola in India

Coca-Cola India is bringing the company’s billion dollar brand, FUZE TEA to India. FUZE TEA is a fusion of tea with fruit flavors and other natural ingredients which delivers a fresh, contemporary expression of tea. In India, FUZE TEA will initially be launched in Lemon and Peach flavours. It will be launched across the top 30 cities in the country including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad amongst others.

With a constant endeavor to offer more hydration and refreshment choices, FUZE TEA will be available in 250 ml PET bottles at price points of Rs. 30 respectively. The product will initially only be available in select outlets across modern and traditional trade outlets with the intent of building preference and anticipation for the product. It will also be available in some of the leading quick service restaurant chains and online retail partners.

Launched in 2012 in 14 international markets simultaneously, the brand has expanded availability to more than 40 countries around the world. FUZE TEA is one of the 20 billion dollar brands of The Coca-Cola Company in revenue terms and is one of the fastest to achieve this milestone.

I am honoured to be one of those who have received the Fuze Tea before anyone else. I'm glad and enjoying every bit of the taste.

Happy Chef by BigBasket.com

Bigbasket.com is India’s largest online food and grocery store. With over 14,000 products and over a 1000 brands in our catalogue you will find everything you are looking for. Right from fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Rice and Dals, Spices and Seasonings to Packaged products, Beverages, Personal care products, Meats - they have it all. You can pay online using your debit / credit card or by cash / sodexo on delivery in Bangalore, Mysore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai & Delhi

Big Basket Launches Happy Chef, Ready to Cook Meals. They will now deliver you gourmet recipes and ingredients with cooking instructions. They aim to make it easy for you to cook a fantastic gourmet meal at home, in minutes.

They deliver exciting chef-created recipes from different cuisines and provide you with all the ingredients required to cook them at home. Ingredients are fresh, pre-measured and of the highest possible quality. Step-by-step recipe cards accompany every recipe making cooking a breeze.

So what is the wait? Order and start cooking and discover how delightfully easy it is to become a chef :)

Fresho Coffee from BigBasket.com

I love coffee's so when I heard of Fresho coffee, I was waiting to try them. I do not make as good coffee as others but I do have friends who make excellent coffee so I did not mind sharing my coffee packets with them in return for some freshly made yummy coffee :) I have loads of conversations over coffee. I enjoy coffee with rain, with friends or even while I study. Now I have some company while I study i.e. Fresho coffee. I have usually shopped from bigbasket,com and had to support them for their new venture.

BigBasket.com is entering in this category with our differentiated proposition of “Pure coffee that is ground to order”. They want to carve a niche for themselves and perhaps garner market share in short run from established players. From being considered as a South Indian beverage in the last decade, North India has embraced it big time, thanks to the cafe's that have come up. Coffee is considered a very fancy beverage. The youngsters of today like to socialize over coffee. It’s an all-day beverage. It’s not confined to the 5 star places any longer. It’s become very fashionable to have coffee.

Fresho is our first private label brand which is positioned as a brand that stands for “freshness purity, off the shelf”. Currently the brand portfolio consists of Fruits and Vegetables, Bread and now they have extended it to Coffee. With Fresho Coffee they want to deliver “The world’s finest, freshest coffee” now at your doorstep. If you are a typical coffee lover who knows his/her mind and wants to have the best coffee, but has to make do with the options that exist in the market. S/he likes freshly ground coffee, but doesn’t have the time to go and get the beans ground, then take a look at Fresho coffee.

Fresho Coffee is pure filter coffee ground to order. The coffee beans will be ground against order to maintain freshness. The aroma of freshly ground coffee is so invigorating that you always crave for more. The coffee is 100% pure coffee with no added chicory. It’s a blend of Arabica (35 years old) and Robusta (75-80 years old). The average price for 100 grams – Rs 75. The variants start from Rs 46 to 99 for 100 grams. They have launched 5 exciting flavors -
– 1. Dark Nectar - A delicately processed coffee with a naturally sweet flavor.

– 2. Smooth Caramel - A unique coffee blend with a deep caramelized flavor.

– 3. Exotica - A dark roasted, heavy bodied, great tasting coffee.

– 4. Morning Dew - A beautiful blend with a touch of sweetness

– 5. Noir Crème - The rich, deep taste of mildly bitter coffee

Let me know if you have tried them and would love to know your reviews too.

Nioxin Product review: Did it work?

You would have read about my Nioxin experience at a bloggers meet. Nixon treatment is only for those suffering from hair thinning issue. I had a consultation suring the meet to identify my hair problem and it was noticed that I was suffering from Normal to thin looking hair and TREATMENT 5 was recommended for me. We were given the products to try on ourselves for 3-4 weeks so I followed it and here I will be writing about my experience.

Here are the results of the trial at home. I followed the treatment, not very religiously as its normal with me. I guess many of us are like me too, we start with enthusiasm and then slowly become lazy about it. I used the products 3 times a week.

Step 1 was a cleanser. Treat this as a shampoo, I applied it on the scalp, massage it until lathers, leaving it for a couple of minutes and then rinse it completely.

Step 2 was Scalp revitaliser. This acts like a conditioner but can be applied on the scalp too. massaging the lotion from scalp to tip of the hair and allowing it to rest for 3-5 minutes helps the scalp condition.

Step 3 was a Leave-in Scalp treatment. Apply this leave in lotion onto the scalp and massage it. Allow it to rest and the 3 step treatment is completed.

While I followed this process 3 times a week, I did not blow dry my hair ever. I always used a wide tooth comb for my hair and occasionally oiled my hair.

What I saw? I had very less hair fall so here it did not make much difference. But the thickness of my hair is slightly increased and I notices this as I rush my fingers through my hair very often and also by my hair band. Hair has become comparatively softer which makes me touch my hair again and again.

On Day 1 of the treatment, at Bodycraft salon

After a month:

From the picture its not clear about the thickness or the texture but it has become considerably better in a month's time.

So all those experiencing hair thinning issue should consult for Nioxin treatment and feel the difference.

You can try and experience #NioxinNowIndia at your nearest salon. This activity is in association with BlogAdda.com

Treatment for Hair - Nioxin now in India

I received a mail for hair thinning issues. Usually I consider such mails as spam and do not pay heed to it. But this was from BlogAdda. So I made sure I read it.

It said that if I feel I have hair thinning issues then I should attend the blogadda meet at Bodycraft salon, Koramangala. I was hesitant initially. who would like to talk about their flaws in open? I have major hair issues that I can write numerous post on it. I love to experiment with my hair but at the same time, I am very concerned too.

Keeping my hesitation aside, I decided t try the treatment and went without any knowledge to the salon. With BlogAdda, I always get to interact with new people. Last time, I met Shrinidhi during Tata Safari drive and this time, it was a bunch of chirpy young ladies. Usual me, I took an hour or so to gel along with everyone and discuss about ourself and know each other better.

The afternoon started with a tour of the salon, followed by detailed explanation of Nioxin treatment by Daisy. Let me first tell you about Nioxin treatment. Nioxin treatment is for those who have hair thinning issue. This can be categorized into Normal to thin looking hair and Noticeable thinning hair. I initially thought that I had noticeable thinning but upon inspection, I got to know that I have Normal to thin looking hair, that means I suffer from hair thinning issue and Nioxin treatment is for me.

They have 6 treatment, 1-3-5 for Normal to thin looking hair and 2-4-6 for Noticeable thin looking hair. This is not an over the counter product which you can buy but one has to under go a consultation before the doctore decides which treatment is better for you.

Treatment 5 was suggested for me after my consultation on my diet, routine, stress, chemicals on hair was done. A horrifying picture of my scalp was shown to me during my consultation and I could not sleep that night ;) Just kidding, post consultation, the treatment began. The Step Zero, as I call it was an In-Salon treatment which melts the dead skin on the scalp. It is equal to facial or scrubbing of the facial skin. The product is applied on the scalp and left on the scalp for 15-20 mins after which it was washed off. This procedure is required every 30-45 days and not before that.

Step 0

Then the 3 step process for hair treatment starts, Step 1 is to cleanse which was done by the shampoo. Step 2 was to revitalise the scalp which was done by a scalp revitaliser. The product was allowed to rest on the scalp and hair for 2-3 mins before washing off. This product brought some coolness to my scalp. Post this, a leave-in product was applied which was Scalp treatment. Post this, my hair was blow dried and I was done with my treatment.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Post the entire treatment, My hair felt light, so light that I felt all my hair might fly off or fall off ;) But a sense of fresh feeling was there and my hair felt fuller by the end of it.

Voila!

This entire procedure would have taken maximim 30 minutes but an event which started at 1PM ended at 7.30PM for me as I left the salon at night. A little more staff would have saved a lot of time. But I do not regret as I got to talk to many bloggers from Bangalore which otherwise I do not get a chance. Made new friend's - Shailaja, Sowmya, Vidya Suri, Manasa and a whole bunch of young bloggers. This covered up for a late lunch too.

Now I am home and I am going to try the Nioxion product on my hair for the next one month and would blog about my result. Keep reading :)

"You can try and experience #NioxinNowIndia at your nearest salon. This activity is in association with BlogAdda.com”