work trip to london Archives

Dishoom (and Eating My Way through London)

Eating at an Indian restaurant can be a “double edged sword” kind of an experience for a person of Indian descent. On the one hand, INDIAN FOOD! On the other hand, you always question how good the meal will be or if it will compare to your mom’s home cooking.

When everyone I know insisted that I eat at the restaurant Dishoom in London, I knew this would not be one of those experiences. It was likely going to be one where I wanted to lick my plate clean. And it so was!

Five of my coworkers and I headed to the King’s Cross location on Thursday afternoon for lunch. For being such a popular restaurant, the entrance is not very grand. In fact, I would’ve missed it altogether had I not been with other people.

The inside of the restaurant, however, is beautiful and very open. Unlike other Indian restaurants I’ve been to, this one has a very modern and clean feel.

The menu is representative of that as well – lots of traditional dishes like daal, mutter paneer, paneer tikka, etc. alongside unique/fusion dishes like a mango and paneer salad, slaw, etc. It was so hard to choose what I wanted!

Luckily for me, my coworkers were up for sharing a number of dishes. We started with sides like far far (fried Indian snacks made from rice flour), bhel (puffed rice, nuts, pomegranate seeds, and a few other yummy things), okra fries, and chole bhatura (chickpea stew and a fried puff bread). We also shared the mango and paneer salad and black daal (creamy lentils).

For my main entrée (yes, we each also ordered separate dishes), I went with the paneer frankie – soft paneer, sautéed onions and bell peppers, greens, and a spicy mint chutney all wrapped in a romali roti (thin flat bread). I was struggling to finish but you better believe I ate every last bite. It was the perfect combination of textures and flavors. The chutney definitely added a lot of heat and herbaciousness (is this a word?!).

The salted lassi I ordered was the perfect cooling element of this meal. Not too thick and definitely not watery in consistency, I really loved how the yogurt flavor came through in every sip. Delicious!

Eating at Dishoom was most definitely an unforgettable experience – from the food itself, to the décor, to the service. I can see why people make it a point to dine here.

I will definitely be back!

Other notable restaurants I tried this past week include Pret a Manger (haha!), All Bar One (went twice for breakfast), Lupita (unique Mexican food), and Kimchee (Korean food).

Overall, my trip to London was a lot of fun. It was great to connect with so many people on both a professional and personal level. Excited to see what 2016 will bring…hopefully more trips to London (and Dishoom)!

Weekend Recap – A Day Off, Date Night, and Flying Across the Pond

written by Parita 10 Comments

My weekend officially started on Thursday night because I took Friday off so I could prepare for my trip. Well, I kind of took the day off. I still responded to emails in between running errands. I don’t do unanswered emails when I know they’re piling up in my inbox.

Anyways, I dropped Vishnu off at work, came home, went for a long run, cleaned, picked Vishnu up from work (short day), ran a bunch of errands (Target, dry cleaners, the bank), did laundry, and packed. Oh and answered emails!

Friday night ended up being date night. While we had decided on a cute Italian place a short walk from our apartment, we ended up at a Thai restaurant that we spotted on our way called The Lemon Grass. We’re strange like that!

I had a glass of Malbec and Pad Thai with tofu. And Vishnu had soup and Basil Sauce with chicken and rice. My wine was smooth and delicious, and the Pad Thai was tasty but VERY spicy. I asked our waiter if they could do something between mild and medium spicy, and he gave me the ‘ok’ sign. My dish, however, was HOT. Even Vishnu agreed. I still managed to eat half of it. Vishnu’s Basil Sauce dish was just ok – mainly because there wasn’t much sauce. His soup was just ok too. I let him steal a few bites of my Pad Thai!

After dinner, we decided to balance the spicy Thai with some sweet gelato from Paciugo’s. Aside from a couple of gelaterrias in Italy, this was some of the best gelato I’ve ever had! I got a cup with half baccio and half peanut butter chocolate. YUM!

We then made our way home and settled in to watch a movie called Stuck in Love. If you’re looking for a moving romantic comedy with good acting and a great plot, this film fits the bill. Highly recommend it!

On Saturday morning, I ran around the apartment, finished packing, and put together a to do list for Vishnu.

The one thing I didn’t do this time around was make a bunch of food for Vishnu to eat throughout the week. I intended to but never got around to it. When I told him that he would have to fend for himself and figure things out on the food front, he looked at me with fear in his eyes. I told him I have full faith that he won’t starve. He told me he’s going to get a whole chicken and cook it in the crock pot. Oh boy…

That brings me to the flying across the pond part of the weekend. My flight from Atlanta to Tampa was only an hour, and I had very little time to spare before boarding my flight to London (a good thing because I hate waiting around the airport). I have nothing bad to say about this travel experience (shocking!). The food (and wine!) was good, my seatmate was really nice, and everything went according to plan.

Once I was checked into my hotel room, I finally relaxed by taking a 45 minute nap. I was meeting Rosalind (my friend and colleague) at 10:30 am, so I got up, showered, and got ready for a day of exploring.

We had breakfast in Camden Market at a cute little café. Then we went to Fortnum and Mason (a beautiful store filled with delicious treats) because Ros needed to pick up a few things – it was total chaos. We then walked through Hyde Park and ended up near Winter Wonderland (an outdoor carnival) where we rode a crazy swinging roller coaster ride (SO MUCH FUN!). After that we walked around aimlessly and ended up on Oxford Street (like Michigan Ave in Chicago). We rested our feet at Starbucks while we chatted and sipped on a couple of lattes. And then I was officially done for the day – so tired! I got back to my room around 5 pm, worked for a bit, and then called it quits.

Day one in London was a success! Now on to a pretty packed work week.

Have a great Monday!

Three Things Thursday (33) – London Baby!

written by Parita 13 Comments

I’m flying to London on Saturday! This is a work trip, and as always, I’m super excited to see my coworkers and experience some new things while I’m there.

On the work front, end of the year trips are my favorite because they’re all about reflecting on the past 12 months and planning for what’s to come.

On a personal note, we have a few fun activities and lunches/dinners planned. Woo hoo!

In today’s Three Things Thursday post I’m going to share a few (3 to be exact!) of the things I’m looking forward to about next week (so hard to choose).

Pret a Manger’s porridge and mixed berry compote

If you’ve read any of my previous London recaps, you know that Pret’s porridge is my FAVORITE! I think half of London knows how much I love this stuff because I won’t shut up about it.

If you love oatmeal, you’ll go crazy for it. It’s so perfectly creamy and nutty. And the compote is both sweet and tart. I could go on and on!

You better believe that I’m getting my fill in the six days I’m there. And I can’t promise that this is the last you’ll hear about my beloved porridge!

A night of theater

One of our evening activities is seeing the musical Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre. I wouldn’t say I’m a musical junkie, but when I go, I end up falling in love with the production (Wicked, Book of Mormon, and Aladdin).

I haven’t heard much about Kinky Boots, and to be honest, my only recollection of it is the poster at the Tube station near our office. But I’m hoping that it too becomes one of my favs!

Dishoom

To be fair, I’m excited about all the food I’m going to eat next week. BUT, Dishoom is the one restaurant I’m really looking forward to trying. My friend Roshni ate there when she took a family trip to London earlier this year and raved about the experience. She said the food is unforgettable!

I’ll be sure to try as much as I can and report back…you know, for the blog’s sake!

Well, that’s all I have today. Happy Thursday!

If you’re a blogger, write a post and link back to one or all of the hostesses: Raj from Pink Chai Living, Nisha from Love Laugh Mirch, or Salma from The Write Balance. Then share a link to your post (not your blog’s home page).

Sharing Means Caring + A Giveaway

written by Parita 25 Comments

With regards to the title of this post, I’m sharing with y’all in two ways today. First, I’m sharing lots of information about my life (haha), and second, if you stay with me for a few minutes, you’ll see that I’m sharing a pretty little giveaway. Aren’t I so caring?!

First up…my life.

1. The biggest news I have to share is that I took Guinness (Robin and Andy’s adorable dog) for a walk the other day because R & A both had to work late. ALL BY MYSELF! This is HUGE. I used to be terrified of dogs. Even the little ones. But Guinny (as I lovingly call him) has changed that…sort of. I’m no longer afraid, just a little hesitant.

The adventures of Par and Guinny…

2. We are hosting Friendsgiving at our place this Saturday. I’m in charge of making a few side dishes as well as a dessert. I’m planning everything out later today and going to try to avoid the craziness of last weekend. For Vishnu’s sake.

3. I’m going back to Atlanta next week! Honestly, I can’t wait to see my parents and sister, Vishnu’s family, and hopefully some friends! This visit will be a lot different from my last, relaxing and full of laughter I hope.

4. A little less than a week after I get back from Atlanta, I fly out to London for work! SO excited. The majority of the people I communicate with on a daily basis work out of our London office, so it’ll be nice to get to know them and to put faces to names. AND my colleagues have planned a few fun touristy things for us to do while I am there. Woo!

5. I’m currently participating in a 21 day meditation challenge hosted by Oprah and Deepak Chopra. We’re only on day five and I’ve already gained so much. No worries – I’ve been taking lots of notes and have a few thought provoking topics I want to discuss on the blog. More to come!

At this point, the one thing I really struggle with is quieting my mind. We are advised to listen to the audio provided, hence being walked through the entire meditation. I love this. There’s beautiful, soothing music and everything. However, I’m having a hard time focus on the day’s mantra – too many random thoughts floating in and out. They say it gets easier as the challenge goes on…here’s to hoping that’s true!

* * * * *

6. Now for the part of this post that y’all actually care about…the pretty little giveaway!

A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by Blue Nile, an online retailer of fine jewelry, regarding my interest in a special holiday campaign called “Get one, Give one.” They offered to send me my choice of a necklace or a bracelet, while also providing me with a second one to give away to a reader! After looking at the given options, I settled on a beautiful branch necklace.

And I’ve worn it every day since it arrived!

So let’s get to it! If you would like the chance to win your very own branch necklace, leave a comment telling me about something fun going on in your life! The giveaway will close on Sunday at 9:00 pm, and the winner will be announced in Monday’s post!

Have a great Friday!