Shilpa, Author at ChicLifeByte

The Sojourn: A home away from home

Travel July 29, 2016

I am sure you are aware of Team ChicLifeByte’s travelogue to Palampur-Dharamshala and McLeodganj! In case you missed our first post of Palampur where we stayed at the beautiful Glade Homestay, you can read it here. Continuing from where we left you on the last blogpost, we were on an amazing road trip from Palampur to Dharamshala and before we tell you about the awesome place where we stayed, I would like to tell you about the scenic on our way. Our first halt at Dharamshala was Dhauladhar Nature Park (zoo) which is known for the wildlife that lives here. Honestly, we were able to see much more than what we could see at Jim Corbett last year 😉 Yes, we could spot a lot of animals and birds including leopard, emu, black bear and barking deer. The whole tour took about 45 minutes to an hour and then we left to see other spots. While in transit, we saw a momos stall and made out driver stop to know how momos taste in Himachal! Momos here were served with the chilli sauce as well as tomato ketchup! The amazing momos were enjoyed with Banta and then tea! Post which it was time for another religious spot – Chamunda Devi temple. To my pleasant surprise, I saw goats in a temple which is built alongside a beautiful lake with Lord Shiva’s statue.

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The Glade Homestay: A perfect Getaway

Travel July 28, 2016

How many times do we want to cut down from the hustle bustle of the city life and go to a quaint place away from the tension of daily life!

This summers, to take respite from the summer heat as well as the hustle-bustle; I planned to visit Dharamshala-McLeodganj. While doing my research for booking my travel and stay, I bounced upon a place called Palampur, a green hill station in Kangra Valley in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, surrounded by tea gardens and pine forests before they merge with the Dhauladhar ranges. Further research indicated, Palampur is the tea capital of northwest India but tea is just one aspect that makes Palampur a special interest place. Abundance of water and proximity to the mountains has endowed it with mild climate…..this description was enough for me to decide my route! Yes, before I head to the popular hill stations thronged by tourists worldwide known as Dharamshala-McLeodganj, I decided to stop by at Palampur.

Don the desi girl avatar without stepping out of your house!

Fashion July 26, 2016

With the forthcoming wedding season, we love to don the desi girl avatar and what’s more elegant than getting into the 9 yards to get into the perfect look. When I got married 2 yrs back, I went to the famous markets where shopkeepers would make you wear different sarees complementing you on your height, physique, completion etc. with the aim to make maximum sales. They would even make you eat the famous tikkis and chaat of their respective markets…Sounds fun? But this can be quite a ride with different hassles that come with it- parking, salesman being extra pushy and not getting the right pick for your look.

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Experiencing Chi Asian Cookhouse, Janpath

Food July 24, 2016

Chi!! As its name, the place is simple, sweet and cozy. Chi Asian Cookhouse, located on the first floor, opposite Janpath in Connaught Place has an airy, summery feel to it. Offering authentic Asian cuisine in the heart of Delhi, you enter into a classy, sober, subtle décor. Done up in white bricks and providing a seating space of approx. 70-80 pax, the place can definitely be in the list of your fav hangouts in CP. A few random splashes of yellow, bottle green, turquoise, blue are soothing to the eyes. A shelf holding multiple jars with coloured beans is what surely catches your attention, and of course the name of the restaurant written in yellow on a bright bottle green background makes for a selfie-perfect background. A large bar on the left offers a wide range of exotic drinks and the kitchen with a glass window at the end, styles the surroundings well.

A group of friends with me went looking around for a snack before we started with our frantic shopping spree in CP and hopped into this new place with much anticipation. Flipping through the menu, the a la carte offers a platter of Asian savouries and their newly launched Sunday Dimsum Brunch is an excellent option to choose. So, the ultimate foodies that we are, we decided to go for the dimsum brunch and much to our hope, the fixed menu has a lot on the plate to offer.

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The #Instaxicated bug

Lifestyle July 21, 2016

Do you miss the Golden Era when we had prints of all the pictures carefully treasured in albums? If you ask me, the era of digitalization has made it very convenient for us to click pictures and store them in our hard drive, but at some point of time, I do miss flipping through those albums which used to bring out the best memories shared with our loved ones.

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AK Clinics: A hub for beauty and hair treatments

Beauty July 17, 2016

All of us love to look good…but none of us are born perfect! Like our vehicles need denting painting, so do we!

It was time for my facial and this time I thought of ditching my normal routine salon and thought of trying AK Clinics, India’s Leading Cosmetic Surgery Clinics. AK Clinics was founded with the goal of transformation of looks of the entire human race. The purpose of existence of AK Clinics is to provide excellent treatments at an affordable cost. I thought why not give it a try! So I booked an appointment for skin polishing and headed to their clinic at Greater Kailash. I made my way to the clinic which had soothing interiors in the colour theme of brown and mustard and was warmly greeted by Ridhi who has been associated with the clinic for the last seven years. I sat in their comfortable waiting lounge for a few minutes after which I was taken to the facial room.

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Summer menu at Lodi- The Garden Restaurant

Food July 17, 2016

I knew that I was going to have a good experience when I saw the invite from Lodi – The Garden Restaurant in my inbox to come and savour their latest summer menu but it turned out to be an even better experience than my expectations.

The restaurant itself is designed in a way that removes you from the hustle-bustle of the city, despite being located right in the middle of it. It starts from the meandering path that takes you to the main building. On the left of the path runs the Lodi garden with its magnificent greenery while on the left you see tables laid out for the ones who prefer to sit under the sky.

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Teddy Boy – An ode to 1950s Britain

Food July 16, 2016

Teddy Boy– a gastropub inspired from British subculture – is an ode to the classy pubs of 1950s that were extremely popular among the youth of Britain. Teddy boy (or Ted) was the name given to any young man of this subculture that was characterised by their Edwardian dressing sense (normally drape jackets, drainpipe trousers, a brocade waistcoat, and a narrow tie, with their hair neatly done up, usually in the form of a quiff) and a liking for rock-and-roll music.

The interiors, the menu, and the theme of the restaurant are all dedicated to the Teddy boy subculture. Proof of this are the big British flag on the right hand side wall as you enter and vintage pictures of Teddy boys on the menu. The interiors of the Pub have been done up quite stylishly, the plain brick walls creating a laidback atmosphere and big couches providing comfort for seating. Even the lighting, which uses dim tungsten bulbs adds to this relaxed feeling. We also noticed a large wall clock and wall mountings of antlers (not sure if they were real). The exceptionally high ceiling also lends a royal, rich feel.

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Close to something looking like a tree house, Mumbai Matinee takes a Bollywood lover through her favourite tales

Food July 13, 2016

After a hectic day and work, I found myself a secret gem, Mumbai Matinee. This is a paradise for Bollywood addicts, which I proudly am. Located near the powerhouse in Shahpur Jat, this is a complete tree house café (just not in wood). You climb up a flight of stairs in a mesh decorated with those 90’s audio cassettes, that ofcourse all of us had at some time and loved playing with them. I started going back to my childhood memory lane from the entry itself. These audio cassettes reminded me of rolling them back with a pencil and the happiness it gave.

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Bunta Bar: The Buntastic Experience

Food July 6, 2016

Open it
Push the marble
Feel that fizz
And Voila
You’re ready to Bunta!

Sounds familiar? A drink which makes you nostalgic about your childhood memories, the carefree days spent playing chupan chupai or Ludo with your friends!

Now, I am gonna tell you about a bar which makes you nostalgic about your carefree and happy school days when we used to going to the nearest general store and could fondly ask for kanche vaali bottle…yes, those were the days!! I felt that reminiscence when I entered Bunta Bar, located at downtown Dilli, Janpath, Bunta Bar effortlessly transforms itself from day to night. As I entered I saw Bunta bottles all over the place from the entry to the celing…yes everywhere! In total, there were 4500 bunta bottles which were made-to-order for this place! A big branding of Bunta Bar with a painted peacock around it caught our attention as we made our way! Differential seating, colourful couches, backrest and high seating chairs! A DJ console out a truck…wow…that was ultimate!

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