Staycation at Hotel Grand Mercure, Mysuru

Grand Mercure is one of the premium 5 star hotels that is part of the AccorHotels chain within India. It has been amazingly accepted by tourists & business travellers across India & foreign countries. Accor Group of hotels which is a France based company has been around for nearly 20 yrs in the business and have nearly 39 hotels across the world.

What better place to choose for my staycation than the historic place of Mysuru which has a rich history and tradition of its own, and Hotel Grand Mercure promising to give me an experience rather than just a stay :) I decided to getaway a weekend to experience the stay, dinner at By The Blue and the Sunday Brunch at La Uppu at Grand Mercure. A bunch of bloggers were invited and we headed to Mysuru from Bengaluru and had our favorite pit stops at Maddur for some maddur vada and coffee and reached the property by evening.

Hotel Grand Mercure believes in "Bringing stories to life" and this reflects in their decor, it's not just royal but also reflects the culture and history of the location, not to forget promoting the artisans and their work. After a Royal welcome at the property, the General manager, Sachin Malhotra took us around the property showing us the latest addition and also gave us a sense of 'local connection of Mysuru and Karnataka’s culture' which the Hotel showcases. One can also see Gandaberunda - "two headed eagle" which is a royal emblem of Princely state of Mysuru. The reception has patterns of silk saree. After looking through the property depicting the rich culture and history - Travel desk, Ball room, 24/7 coffee shop and multi-cuisine restaurant - La Uppu, Pool side restaurant - By The Blue, Gym, Spa, Pool and the rooms, I rested in my room :)

Grand Mercure Mysuru has 146 spacious contemporary rooms and suites and is located convenient to all major tourist attractions. My room had a lovely edible "welcome note" with some sweet and my midnight cravings were also taken care. And yes, a lovely goodies bag made me happier.

Some of my friends shared their experience while I was staying at the property that they loved the stay and their clients were also staying with them which gave them a good experience. Now that made me happy that not just a blogger but other customers also feel the same experience which I felt during my stay.

Separate post on Sunday brunch at La Uppu and dinner at By The Blue will be posted. Special thanks to Khusbhu Nair and Sachin Malhotra for taking good care and yes, Rohan Srinivasan, Derek and Anuradha for this experience and tolerating with the mad bunch of bloggers :)

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. 

Effects of alcohol on Diabetes

As I don't consume alcohol, so here is one article I would like to share on the effects alcohol has on people with Diabetes. People with diabetes should be particularly be cautious when it comes to drinking alcohol because alcohol can make some of the complications of diabetes worse. Alcohol impacts the sugar regulating function of the liver and can also interact with some medications in diabetics.

Here are some other ways that alcohol can affect diabetes:

• While moderate amounts of alcohol may cause blood sugar to rise, excess alcohol can actually decrease your blood sugar level - sometimes causing it to drop into dangerous levels, especially for people with type 1 diabetes.

• Beer and sweet wine contain carbohydrates and may raise blood sugar.

• Alcohol stimulates your appetite, which can cause you to overeat and may affect your blood sugar control.

• Alcoholic drinks often have a lot of calories, making it more difficult to lose excess weight.

• Alcohol may also affect your judgment or willpower, causing you to make poor food choices.

• Alcohol can interfere with the positive effects of oral diabetes medicines or insulin.

• Alcohol may increase triglyceride levels.

• Alcohol may increase blood pressure.

• Alcohol can cause flushing, nausea, increased heart rate, and slurred speech.

A healthcare provider will tell you how much alcohol is safe for you to drink. Depending on your health condition, that may mean no alcohol at all.

You can contact Dr Jayaprakash Sai, Consultant Diabetologist, Apollo Sugar Clinics, Hyderabad who has provided inputs on the article.

“Experience Karnataka on The Road” like never before

‘Respect The Road’ program and Times Group Books launched “Experience Karnataka” by Supriya Sehgal. Replete with the state’s unexplored travel spots, the book also spreads the message on road safety

Respect The Road, one of India’s leading road safety initiatives, along with Times Group, today announced the launch of travel book ‘Experience Karnataka on The Road’ at Sapna Book House in the city. Experience Karnataka book aims to spread the message of road safety while highlighting the beautiful tourist destinations in the State of Karnataka as experienced by its author Supriya Sehgal.

‘Respect the Road’ – SABMiller India’s responsible drinking and road safety program is an initiative that is focused towards addressing the issue of drinking and driving in particular and road safety in general.  The program was launched in 2015 in Bengaluru where it works with partners Ola, Drive U and Bengaluru Traffic Police to create awareness about responsible drinking and following road safety norms. The program was launched in 2011 in the city of Gurgaon in partnership with the local Gurgaon Traffic Police and private partners including chauffeur and taxi companies.

The book captures beautiful and scenic road routes in Karnataka that travel enthusiasts can take while planning a road trip. Apart from revealing some of the hidden gems of the state, the book highlights the importance of travelling safe on the road. This comprehensive handbook includes photographs, easy-to-use route maps, advice on the best places to stay, eat and shop, along with useful travel tips and alerts.

The dignitaries present on the occasion included BNS Reddy, Additional Commissioner of Police, Devashish Dasgupta, Director- Corporate Affairs, AB InBev, India and Mudit Shekhawat- Senior Director, Marketing, Ola.

A must-have for all travel enthusiasts, the book strives to be a platform through which general public can be engaged on various themes related to road safety and Karnataka tourism.

Bengaluru welcomes Made In Punjab

After Farzi Cafe, Massive Restaurants bought Made in Punjab to Bengaluru, a smart-casual dining brand having a menu covering the rich agricultural regions surrounding the rivers Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. I really enjoy relishing North Indian food once a while, may be because my roots are from north. I haven't had good North Indian food in Bangalore much apart from countable restaurants which serve them. After a grand launch of Made In Punjab, located at Level 2 of UB City, next to Farzi Cafe, I had to visit the place to try their menu.

I was very well aware that the full will be rich and filling so I made sure that full portions were not served and I get to taste as many dishes as possible. With some conversations poured in the mocktails and cocktails for the lunch. I tried Khatta Meetha which was little more meetha, may be because of my sweetness ;) and Minty Apple which is a refreshing mocktail and my friend enjoyed his cocktails, Cucumber based Vodka drink Cu Cu Fizz.

Then came the starters, Tokri Chaat was delectable with mini potato baskets with green peas, crispy colocassia and chutneys. Legacy Tandoori Champ was my favorite which had lamb ribs which were spice, meaty and juicy.

Next, Gabbar prawns was served where the prawns were marinated with chili yogurt and roasted in tandoor was lightly flavored. Dahee Pataka was spiced yogurt croquettes served with mint chutney which really stood out. And LOL Tikki was my most favorite, leg of lamb patty infused with bone marrow which is slow cooked for 6 hours served with mint and tomato chutney was delish, it was melt in the mouth dish.

Then came Karara Bhatti Paneer Tikka, soft paneer marinated with bhatti spice with roasted papad coating and it is tandoor roasted. I do not enjoy eating Broccoli much but Broccoli Badam which had broccoli marinated with chili garlic almond, tandoor roasted and fried broccoli becomes a very filling yet delicious dish.

Make sure you do not fill your stomach with starters else you will never enjoy their main course which shouldn't be missed otherwise. Luxury B.C. (I mean Butter Chicken) is a must try as they present to you their version of sinful butter chicken using the best goan cashews, firangi tomatoes, fresh white butter and Punjab dairy cream. The dish is coated with silver varq adding to the luxury of the dish.

Agar tussi veg ho then try the Lahsooni Palak Chenna which has shredded spinach, chenna along with onion tomato masala, another rich gravy from the lavish menu.

Don't miss Mummy da pyaar anymore as you relish Maa ki Daal which is a classic dal makhani, every morsel is worth it.

All these mains, you could enjoy with roti, naan's or paratha. I can't wait to head here again to try Nalli Hard kaur which is much appreciated by their other guest. Their menu has equal importance give to veg and non veg items so no one is going hungry from here :)

If you still have some space for dessert, which you should save some like I tried the Ras 'Dates' Malai which is a classic rasmalai with dates rabri. And next was Gaushalla Di Kulfi, condensed milk ice cream dipped in berry cream and khus falooda.

I wanted get a taste of their lassi so I requested for tasting portion only of their Kesar lassi. Only wish I had another stomach to relish more of their dishes but I guess I have to save some for my following visits.

The happiness on my face clearly tells the good meal I had with the staff being very courteous. I have visited MIP twice till now and my visit has given me a happy tummy and a tongue longing for more food :) As the pricing of the dishes is reasonable, do not wait for any occasion and head to this award winning restaurant soon.