Memorable Dining Experiences.

To all those reading this article, there is one question that I would like to ask you all. 

How many of you have gone back home after dining out and raved about it? It has to be one of those meals that you will remember always and not stop telling people about it.

Recently I was just looking at the year gone by and was thinking as to which were the places that served outstanding food. Most of them were on the streets for me on which I will be writing a post soon but as of now I can think of the meals that I have had at restaurants till to today i.e. 30th Jan (I'm writing this post, lets see how many days it takes me to finish it :P.)

To begin with, there are 4 places that come to mind and they are as below. These are the places that I will always remember and I have been raving about them quite a lot to my friends, colleagues and at times random people on who ask for suggestions on social media platforms.
1. Smoke House Deli - Mumbai - 2014
2. Gaggan - Bangkok - 2016 (yes, I dined at Gaggan and it was on my Birthday).
3. Olive Kitchen & Bar - Mumbai - 2017
4. POH - Progressive Oriental House - Mumbai - 2018

The experience at Smoke House Deli was a food review I had attended (Perks of being a food blogger) and the restaurant wasn't aware of it. I already have a post written about it, you can click here and check it but I will still throw in a short review about the place here, like a summary.

I was dining it at the place with a friend of mine and we had decided to meet each other at the restaurant. Only after reaching the place, I realized, we are at the wrong outlet (it was my fault, back then I was bad with such things according to some of my friends). Somehow we managed to reach the correct outlet in time to order and enjoy the food.
It was kinda dicey to pick as to what we should order so we just asked the servers to suggest some and we are glad that we let them help us here.
What all we had? (I will just list down the highlights here)

Aubergine & Mozzarella Fry with Sundried Tomatoes and Garlic Salsa

1. Aubergine & Mozzarella Fry with Sundried Tomatoes and Garlic Salsa
- This I can say hands down was the best dish I had here. Personally, had never imagined Aubergine being served like this. The outside was crispy yet soft and gooey in the center due to the molten cheese. I tried to replicate the dish at home the very next day and failed miserably. It's time I give it another try.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

2. Wild Mushroom Risotto
- Cooked perfectly, Al dente and creamy, this risotto was the 3rd best thing I had (2nd was the Pannacotta). The flavors were earthy from all the mushrooms that they had used while making it and was just spot on.


3. Vanilla PannaCotta
- Jiggle is one thing that will make it sure if the Pannacotta you are eating is good or no. This one was just what I was expecting, had very clean flavors and that lovely JIGGLE.



The next was my birthday meal at Gaggan, I had made a note that I have to dine in here ever since I had heard about it. So for one of my annual birthday trips, I had a stop in Bangkok and I made a reservation to eat here. I can say for sure, its one great meal and an amazing experience. I couldn't have asked more on that day and it was the perfect way to treat myself.

Yogurt Explosion

It was a 19-course menu which lasted for about 2 hours approx. All the dishes that I had on that menu were just amazing and I did enjoy each one of them. some of the dishes that I still dream about are


1. The signature - Yogurt Explosion.
- This will just explode like a bomb in your mouth and leave it with the chatpata (Umami of the Indians) flavors. I did try making this at home and did come close but not the same though.


2. Pork Vindaloo

Pork Vindaloo

- This would have to be one of my favorite dishes from the whole lot. The was crispy AF and creamy and tender and flavorful and amazing. (I think you got the point :P)


3. Mango Uni Sundae
- Never imagined a sundae to be like this and served with a portion of sea urchin i.e. Uni. It was the first time I had it and didn't know what it was until I came back home and read about it. Trust me it was good in a weird way but it was worth trying.

Two experiences are down and two more to rave about. The next on the list as mentioned above is the food at Olive Kitchen and Bar in Bandra - Mumbai. 

This is one of those places where I will want to go back for the food and the whole experience. Right from the 1st course till the last course, each of them was just getting better and better and better. Here I am just going to write about 3 of the many dishes tried, not that others weren't good but these were just, just amazing. 

Brie, Mascarpone & Parmesan on Raisin Bread

1. Brie, Mascarpone & Parmesan on Raisin Bread - Perfectly toasted bread with a huge piece of Brie cheese which was warm and then there was creamy mascarpone cheese and then there was the nutty parmesan cheese. The delight for a cheese lover. The best part was the gooey Brie cheese.

BTW the bread was also made in-house.

Baby Lamb Ribs with Sweet Corn Miso and Charred Co

2. Baby Lamb Ribs with Sweet Corn Miso and Charred Corn. - That Sweet Corn Miso was just spot on and my mouth is watering. The ribs were cooked to perfection. The only thing disappointing on this dish was why didn't I get more of that miso corn (there was a generous portion already but I needed more).


3. Duck Bacon Fettucine Carbonara. - This has been the best Fettucine I have ever had. In-house made pasta tossed along with creamy carbonara made using the duck fat and bits and pieces of duck which were tender and would just dissolve in your mouth. If you are going here, this is the dish you need to have for sure. 

It's about the most recent meal and the final meal that I have to rave about in this post. It was at the newly opened POH - Progressive Oriental House in Mumbai. Ever since the place opened up and I saw the images and read about it, the restaurant was on my radar to visit and eat some delicious Oriental food. To be honest, there was a lot I ate and I can't really remember the names of all the dishes I had but the best ones are what I remember and here's the list. 

Non-Veg Sushi Platter

So the thing is I don't have photos of the dishes listed below but of some other dishes, I had as well.


1. Crispy Duck - The meat was so tender and cooked in such a way that it would just melt in your mouth. Confused with the same crispy duck right, the meat was melt in the mouth but the skin was crispy, so it was the perfect balance of textures when you eat the dish as a whole. It is the best duck dish I have ever had.

Sichuan Pepper & Poached Apple.

2. Pork Belly with Vanilla Pomelo Salad - Another soft, juicy and cooked to perfection dish. The cubes of Pork Belly would just fall off the stick on which it was served. Also never had I imagined that the vanilla being used in such a way with the pomelo to compliment the pork. If you love Pork then it is a must try dish.


3. White Peppercorn Ice Cream - This does sound weird but tastes heavenly. The moment I read it on the menu, I was a bit skeptical as to if I should order it or no but I'm glad I ordered it. The ice cream was creamy, smooth, had the right amount of sweetness and just the perfect kick from the white peppercorn. 

So these were some of the best meals I have had to date. Also, I have an idea in my mind where I am thinking of doing a post like this every year focusing on the best restaurants I have visited in that span of a year and then put it up. Let me know if you think it is interesting you would like to read about it. 

Also if you have had such a great meal, do let me know about it in the comments below.