The Junkyard Cafe - A Lip-smacking Afternoon!

Hello lovelies!

So about a week before, I got an invitation for an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G blogger's meet in my inbox. I checked the mail with a great deal of excitement and instantly gave my RSVP. After all, it was food! Yes, the blogger's meet was organised at The Junkyard Cafe, Saket on 2nd July 2016 as they had recently launched this outlet.

As I stepped in, the ambiance took me to the world of junk. It was decorated literally as a junkyard. I clicked few pictures before choosing a perfect place to sit -- near the much-talked-about Michael Jackson's art piece. First impression of the place -- a definite 'yes'.

There were other bloggers too. The atmosphere thereafter turned chirpy in no time. Food connects everyone, no matter what! Here are some of the clicks:

There was a special food menu for bloggers. But before we could look at it, we were served with some snacks. I will review each of them for you one after the other as I plunged into them. Here you go:

1) Junkyard Style Paneer Tikka: Paneer!! Enough to pep up my mood any day. It was right in front of my eyes, presented so beautifully that I could not stop myself from taking the first bite. The foodie in me simply loved it. The spices were mixed well. It was served on a leaf. It is often said that if the food looks good, half of the battle is already won! So yeah, for presentation, I would give a 5/5 to The Junkyard Cafe.

2) Hara Bhara Kabab: Indeed a good item to be served on the table. As I dug into the kabab, I could not stop at one and ended up eating 2-3 in just few seconds. The taste was too good and stayed for long on my tongue. It's worth trying!

3) Vanilla Cold Coffee: I see coffee on the menu and I don't order it! How can it ever be possible! It came in a elegant looking bottle and I took my first sip, not knowing if I would love it or not! But voila! I loved it. In fact, I found it one of the best cold coffees I have had in Delhi so far. I finished the large bottle quickly. Placed it on the table only once before finishing it off, that too just to click a picture for you all.

4) Veg Spring Rolls: So it was beginning to be a snacky afternoon, with so many varieties of snacks coming on the table. Ah! the presentation! Especially the flower caught my attention. The artist in me fell in love there and then! I took a piece of the roll and put it in my mouth. And OMG! it was prepared so well. It was simply the best snack I had that day. I was drooling on it till the end.

5) Palak Patta Chaat: The blogger sitting next to my table struck a conversation with me and recommended this dish. As soon as he did that, the waiter came to my table carrying it for me. I was all set to unravel the chaat. Paan in this form! What an innovative idea! And it was interesting. Presentation was spot on and it tasted good.

6) Ice Tea: Summers and ice tea go hand in hand! So I opted for Basil flavour while Kanika, who was with me at the event, went for Peach flavour. We both tasted both the flavours and they were good. I can safely say that the restaurant's USP lies in their drinks.

7) Honey Chilli Potato: Everyone loves them despite the weight-gain factor associated with them -- potatoes -- yes! I ordered them quite eagerly in spite of being full. We had been eating non-stop for about an hour by the time we decided to have these. But we were tempted to try these anyway! However, this was not that good. It was cold and taste wasn't that exceptional. As good as it looked, it did play a spoilsport!

8) Milkshake: We thought of ending on a sweet note and ordered milkshakes -- I chose Hazelnut and Butter Scotch as that's my all-time favourite flavour, Kanika decided on trying Banana and Cake flavour. Both the shakes were amazing! Thank goodness we chose to have them and not end on a cold  and not-so-good dish. I must say their shakes were one of the best I have had.

Quirky Note: I explored the place some more and went to check the washroom too. What I found there amazed me. Have a look at the basin and know for yourself!

P.S. I loved the place so much that I went ahead to check their outlet in Connaught Place too. Similar ambiance followed and I made a mental note to keep this place as one of the hangout options from now on.

Ambiance: 4.5/5

Presentation of food: 5/5

Preparation/Hygiene: 4/5

Overall Ratings: 4/5

THE JUNKYARD CAFÉ

Address: Plot D-1, Unit 16,17, 30, 31, 

Ground Floor, Salcon Ras Vilas Mall, 

District Centre, Saket, New Delhi

Phone number: 011 30806393

Also read the review of the same event by Kanika Sharma on TGC.

Dealing with emotions :)

Continuing from where I left in my last post, dealing with emotions is a time-taking process. After a heart-break, one must focus on controlling the outburst as it may do more harm than good. Now, first of all you need to relax and calm yourself. You have a whole life ahead of you, and one loose brick can’t make you fall. Ponder on something else, distract yourself. Force yourself to stop being nostalgic, busy yourself in work. Join some classes, if needed. Find someone to talk to, someone who will not judge you and just listen to what you have to say.

Don’t let negative emotions take the better of you. Planning a revenge or returning the pain can never make you feel better, it will add to the guilt. Let it go, improvise yourself. Use this time to hone a skill that you’ve been wanting to. Why bother about someone else, when you can make yourself a little awesome instead? Don’t be aloof, make new friends, dress up, dance a little - life can be better if we want it to be. Smile a lot, learn to love yourself. Be a keen observer. Look around. There’s a lot of worse going on around you. You are not the only one who is facing it!

And woah! You did it. You just made yourself feel better. But yes, you can never do it all alone. Surround yourself with people who love you unconditionally. And see the miracle happen! Give yourself a pat on your success!

Relationships can go through certain turbulent times, we all know that. For happy endings, one must be ready to go through ups and downs. As discussed previously, dealing with heart-breaks and resultant emotions may require a positive outlook towards life. If you are strong-minded, you can come out of the grief sooner. The key is empowering yourself enough to not let anybody else have the power to hurt you. Be committed in the relationship but don’t forget to give space to each other. Even if all this doesn’t help to hold on the relationship tight, be prepared to let it go.

You will have better opportunities waiting at the next door. Don’t compromise with your values for the sake of relationship. True love will never put you in such a situation, trust me on this. Be confident in yourself. Don’t lie to your own self, don’t pretend to be someone you are not. I see, there have been a lot of don’t (s) here, but seriously we have some do’s too. J For one, face the situation, ignoring it will only increase the pain. Waiting for him/her to come back will worsen your situation, and won’t want that, would you?

Moving on can be a personal struggle. Don’t feel that you are alone to deal with it, though. If you will close yourself in a room and cry for hours, that will never heal your heart. Going out, meeting friends, talking to them, venting out will help release the pain in great amount. 

Dealing with the matters of love and romance!

Love and romance are two entirely different concepts. We have all experienced love, love from parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, friends, etc. To love and be loved is therefore not a new feeling. But the ability to feel the intense side of this love - the romantic love, only comes when we reach adolescence. And this kind of love is way different from the love we have been so used to since our childhood days.

Because of this new intense feeling, our life too experiences a series of change. This romantic love can be good for some, heart-breaking for others. And still, it remains an indispensable feeling. It’s a passionate feelings of attraction. Our cultural, may put taboo on it, however, that cannot cease our heart from loving or be attracted to the opposite sex. Some call it infatuation! Express it in whichever way you like, but you can’t deny it. It’s a natural tendency.

Just as you need food to survive, you need romance to grow. They say, love is after all like a food for the soul. We see this romance in front of our eyes from the very beginning (our parents, of course) and yet when we experience it in our own lives, it seems so different from what we read in novels and are made to see in movies. These new feelings can be exciting - or even confusing at first. It doesn't always have a happy ending.

The key is knowing yourself a little better which will in a way, lead you to an optimistic path and assist your romance to grow in the right direction. Believe, and you are halfway through it!

Romantic love hurts, it is not always easy to tread on a smooth path. Heartbreak can result in exquisite pain, strange distress, and what not. Physical wounds can be resolved but the wounds of heart-breaks are never seen, just felt. It takes forever at times, to get used to them.

We all hate the feeling of a heartbreak, don’t we? And yet we find ourselves compelled to go over and over the memories, ideas or fantasies which make the feeling worse. Then we look for solace in painkillers to ease out the distress. But using painkillers, anti-depressants is never a solution to this pain. It can be embarrassing and lead to an incurable mental state.

All you need to do is be strong. Some people think that to be strong is to never feel pain. In reality, the strongest people are the ones who feel it, understand it and accept it. And that is the key that you should follow. We can do it with a belief in our own capabilities. Start with telling yourself that you deserve the best. Affirmations help in a big way! Open your heart, let it love… don’t be afraid.

A Feature Story on Maxwell Scott Bags :)

The luxury leather goods company, Maxwell Scott Bags has recently re-launched its website after an exciting re-brand. An international business based in York, North Yorkshire, Maxwell Scott Bags fuses British design with Italian craftsmanship to create luxury leather products ranging from briefcases and luggage to handbags and accessories. These bags are sure to keep your look professional and at the same time fashion-forward.

Founded in 2002 by William Forshaw, Maxwell Scott Bags began life supplying briefcases to corporate clients in London. After noticing that many of his colleagues brought plastic bags to work instead of business cases, William saw a gap in the market for high quality, professional briefcases in the workplace.

After a family trip to Italy sparked an interest in the traditional craftsmanship of Italian leather, William began looking for the highest quality tannery to begin producing the leather for his bags. A highly esteemed factory in Tuscany was chosen, and the business was able to take flight.

William Forshaw, Founder of Maxwell Scott Bags said, “Back in 2002, I had a tiny vision and a passion for leather, and the business hasn’t stopped growing since! With well over a decade of professional design and craftsmanship experience under our belts, I felt a rebrand was necessary to appeal to a new generation of leather lovers.”

Maxwell Scott Bags now sell their products internationally. Although still a small business with a small staff base, the company is expanding all the time and eventually aims to be the most-loved luxury British bag maker in the world. The company stands out among the crowd by using only the finest, premium Italian leather which adds to the longevity of the product. Marks and scratches can be buffed out and the leather develops a beautiful patina over time, meaning that products from Maxwell Scott Bags only improve with age. Now isn’t that awesome?

After spending the past year re-branding, the company is now ready to show off its brand new image. With a sleek new website, a newly launched informative blog and a range of upcoming products in the pipeline, it’s an exciting time for the British company. They are very clear that each of their product should certainly mean business.

With the high end business look, the bags speak elegance out loudly. The perfect finish makes them all the more tempting and a must buy. These bags are sure to make your life more organized with the great space and proper sections that they offer. They not only give you a tidy and ideal space to keep your belongings but also help you to make the right impression when you step out of your home. The stylish bags are a sure head-turner!

Maxwell Scott Bags are not limited to only office bags, but they also have a wide variety of wallets, shoulder bags, rucksacks, mobile pouches, and wash bags! They have various color choices too; ranging from tan, to chocolate and to black, of course.

To find out more about the Maxwell Scott Bags story or to browse the extensive luxury collection, visit the new website: www.maxwellscottbags.com

Follow me on twitter: @ilagarg_smile

And for regular updates, follow me on Instagram: @ila_licious

Few of my favorite things :)

So, I sat under the moonlit sky, pondering on what happiness means to me. Yes, happiness has indeed got different meanings for different people. For me, happiness is staying close to my brother, bringing a smile on my parents' face, and yes buying gifts for them. Because I feel a sense of achievement when I see them smiling and I am the reason behind it. It instantly makes me feel proud of myself. 

Apart from this, a sense of faith that someone somewhere exists who will truly love me and make me believe that I'm the best thing that has happened to him. And that he breaths under the same sky makes me blush even more! The wait for true love to hit you can be romantic too. *wink*

Chocolate and ice cream - the stress busters are always welcome to add happiness to my life along with pizza and cold drink to go with it. And then there are the small little things that we often let go unnoticed... these things are like fresh air and can take away all the gloom in seconds. The morning dewdrops on flowers looking like pearls, snowflakes in winters falling like cotton, the romantic drizzle that vanishes all pain, the fragrance of the wet sand, reading a good book with a cup of hot coffee while tucked in a cozy blanket, or picking up my pencils to make a sketch... everything feels heavenly. 

Playing with my cousin's dog and clicking his pictures, pouting with friends for a selfie, laughing like a carefree baby, crinkle my nose at the silly thoughts, and then tickling my best friend to annoy her all these things make me happy.

That's not all. Recently, I experienced a different kind of happiness that felt eternal. Spending a day at the orphanage, listening to them is such an unparalleled moment of untainted joy. Eating with them, playing with them and simply looking at their maturity made me feel so delighted. And when they let me hold their pet 'rabbit'... oh the bliss! I can never put that feeling in words because they flaunted the rabbit in front of me as if they are showcasing priceless diamonds. In that moment, I realized how small little things can be bigger than the biggest things in life as they hold so much importance in somebody's life. 

So, whenever I'm feeling a little low or sad, I simply remember one of my many favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad! In fact, I feel refreshed to indulge in many more naughty tricks and pranks. While recollecting happy moments from past, I end up creating more such moments in present, perhaps to cherish in future!

And when it comes to cherishing the moments and make them memorable, what better than gathering over a canteen table and make some noise, laugh endlessly along with 'thanda matlab coca cola'. :) After all, it's not rocket-science to be happy and make others happy! #Iamhappy

From dark to light! #together

Image Source: quoteimg.com

It was a gloomy winter day of 2009 when I decided to stay put at my home, not wanting to face the world that stood at large, waiting to make me feel small, questioning my strengths, and demeaning me in that process.

Yes, I could have chosen to be a little optimistic and walk like nothing happened but then I was taken aback by the events that unfolded before me. I was shattered to see my dreams going down the drain! All I wanted was that one chance that could perhaps change my world for better but suddenly I felt defeated, all alone against the cruel world. Now, all this may sound a bit melodramatic but then I could not deny the reality. So, I closed myself in the comfort of my home, my peaceful haven; not sure of what the future had in store for me!

Amidst all the turmoil that I was going through that day, my best friend who was my sole confidant intervened my space, not seeing any other way to help me hold myself together. She came into my dead world to lighten up everything once again and fill it with cheers. She insisted me on speaking my heart out, she encouraged me with her kind words over the cup of coffee (just the way I like) to ponder upon my feelings. After all, it was just a change of plans, not a big deal... She motivated me to face the situation rather than shutting myself to all the happiness. She showed me the way, a path that could brighten up the things again. I had failed once, but I can't fail twice, not if I remain optimistic and be ready to put in some productive efforts.

Her words, her company, and the way she smiled at me without judging me - all of that lifted up my mood and I was re-born with a new found hope. I chalked out a plan to traverse on the crossroad ahead of me and remain positive about it.

Deep down, I know I could never have taken that first step without her by my side. Her company and the power that she brushed upon me that day, the inspiration that she left me with were very essential to me. That gloomy winter day made me realize how beautiful the bond of friendship is that we continue to share till date and how my dear friend is my ray of hope among all darkness that sometimes tries to engulf me but has to go back, feeling defeated.

That sweet little nudge from her was all that I needed back then to believe that optimism is the greatest strength, it can help face any adversity. It brought me out of my sadness and motivated me to hug my life again, and this time with more zeal. Yes, the optimism that she gave me that day helped me revitalize my whole future. I will forever cherish the #memories and the #togetherness of that day because it helped me to be what I am today!

Let's all take out time to be #together with our family, friends, and loved ones. Let's start this journey here, Together - Meet the New Housing. :)

~ One day, everything will make sense. Until then, dance on! ~

Image Source: www.positivityblog.com

My idea of perfect bliss!

 So I was sitting by the window and it was wide open, my bright eyes were glancing at the rain-drops, as they fall from the cloudy sky to meet the thirsty earth. My ears seemed to enjoy the pitter-patter. It was a kind of relief to the soul.
It feels utmost bliss to see the wind playing games with the soft twigs of the young green plants. Cold winds blowing through the leaves of the trees. The earth seems happy and wishing that the monsoons stay for a little more time.
The idea of perfect bliss may still vary from person to person. For me Monsoon season is the most delightful one. I just feel all delighted to sit by a window side with a novel in my hand or with my lappy. So, the equation for bliss is very simple for me :

Rain + A novel / Lappy + A cup of coffee = Bliss!


But post-breakup nothing can make you cheerful for a while; not even the equation written above. What then? Ever wondered how easily people say, 'C'mon he/she wasn't worth you. Forget it and move on.' But reality is that if the attachment with someone is way too much then it takes time to imagine your life without them. People meet and depart, but life? Well, 'It goes on!'
The rain which made you glad earlier, can actually make you cry. You may gaze at the outdoors and hear the rain falling but the effect would be completely opposite. It no longer apes happiness but leaves you sad and nostalgic.
Love is like an earthquake-unpredictable, a little scary, but when the hard part is over you realize how lucky you truly are. Something like this happened with me too. I too fell and wasn't caught. But still today sitting at the window side with the smell of wet mud making me feel sensuous, I am happy. I know some of you may be thinking I must not be in deep or true love. That's not right, though. I loved him with all I had. Some relations are just not meant to be. I had to let him go. I was blissful this time, relieved of all the pain. The heart was forgiving 'him' gradually for hurting me and forgetting 'his' mistakes. He had wounded me badly but time heals all.
I just had to change the equation a bit to regain the control on my life. How could I allow him to hurt me forever even when he was gone, never to come back again? The equation now read as follows :


 Phone / Internet + BFF = Bliss!


Now I don't have to wait for Rain to come and make me delighted anymore. I have someone; someone very special, My BFF to make me smile when all I want is to cry. With him around, I don't feel the need for anything else in the world. It's like he is 'Happiness Personified' for me. Life seems hunky-dory when he is with me. I don't have any awkward moments with him. It's comforatble to share everything with him; from the deepest desires to the deepest, darkest secrets. Only the thought of him is enough to bring a smile on my face. There's an advantage of having a boy best friend rather than a boyfriend, afterall. A boy best friend serves the same purpose. The only difference parhaps is he wouldn't ever break your heart and will be willing to go to any extent to ensure your happiness. He encourages you to be better and he never gives fake compliment. He can rudely criticise you and take my word for it that it's helpful in the long run.
Today it seems both the equations have united to take me beyond the cloud 9. So it's raining outside, I am gazing at the sky, the wind from the open window is playing with my hair now, I am typing on my lappy with a cup of coffee placed nearby, my phone's beeping, it's a message from my BFF. Wait, I need to reply.

And me,
Well, I'm alive. :)