Tigers Experience with Asian Haus - Home Delivery

Home delivery is normally done when your maid or cook is on leave , you don't feel like cooking , guest have landed up accidentally , or no gas for cooking etc etc etc but Asian Haus is a planned Home Delivery of nice hot Asian Cuisine at your door step and prompt too . Asian Haus has filled a gap in the market by giving good quality tasty food at your door step  - getting good restaurant food to your door step  a service which was not really available in the market .. people always complained that the food u eat at the premises is different from the one delivered, well in this case Delivery of good food is the only option . 

Getting down to what makes a home delivery delightful : Ease of ordering , Easy to understand menu , Good Prices , Good choices ,trusted quality of food ,Food Served Warm , Packaged well , Hygienic and Promptly delivered , or may be i can say delivered as per your Expected /predicted delivery time . 

Well it was one of those Sundays when i woke in the morning got a blasting from wife about how badly the domestic staff behaves , how irresponsible they are , never get breakfast ready on time etc etc .. i was like overdosed  and also with it she told me how i never take the in laws out for lunch ... so i quietly came down to office .. downloaded Asian haus menu , called the toll free number placed a huge order for 6 people , went back to the bedroom and told her lunch is organised for her and her parents so now she can chill and probably give the domestic staff a day off .. she was like must you make it more difficult for me , who will wash the bartan , why do u waste money and so on .. all i cud keep saying was relax babe chill enjoy your Sunday .. i have taken care of everything ... blah blah and went onto read the paper in silence . 

While all this is going on i had my fingers crossed hoping  that Asian Haus doesn't goof up with the food and delivery timing. OK so order placed at 12.43 for a promised delivery by 1.30 . As a house rule we eat sharp 2 pm on Sundays.

Sharp 1.26 the bell rings and Asian Haus is here WOW , I was like impressed. I thought tomy seldf why not blog this so  dragged the smart delivery  man back to his bike made him pose and repeat the full drill ; till my entrance door hehehehehe . The boy was worried ,thought aaj kismat khul gayee with so much bhao ,ya phir this man is going to complain to the boss .. but he was a smart guy , very well versed with the food and had perfect manners ... What impressed me most , i asked him to come inside and put the boxes on the dinning table  and on his own he removed his shoes before entering , not that we insisted but on his own which is a great gesture .

The Delivery

Wish i had remembered his name .. He came in with his ruck sack , which was well insulated , zipped it open and one by one checked if all mentioned in the bill was there .. then explained all dishes to me , recommended that if we were eating in an hours time to warm it once in the micro .. but if instantly then its perfect temperature ... getting impressed even more heheheheh.  I loved the packaging Spill proof , good insulation , clean hygienic and attractive . He tallied the bill took money and off he was . Since we were going to eat right away i told him to take the corrugated boxes with him and not waste them .. saaala uska discount to de deta heheheheheh.

Variety of South Asian food ,Outstanding delivery and Packaging are the two elements behind  the success story of Asian haus....

The Packaging

Ps: The pictures are bit more on the orange side thanks to my point shoot camera and also the room decor :(

Individual Packing

Beautiful recycled plastic containers - quantity is good enuf for two people .. you can simply peel and serve no fuss of taking out bartans etc etc ... they are microwave friendly too .  Heat Aroma flavors all remain intact .

The Sauces

The Tools

Hmmmmm so considerate . Chop sticks, Wipes what else do u need .Im sure they have disposable cutlery also.

Oriental Greens

Chinese greens stir fried with a thick garlic sauce; garnished with roasted garlic and cashew nuts. Whats the magic about Chinese greens the crunch and the freshness shud not die with the cooking . I loved the dish - Garlic sauce not over powering , the cashew just right and the choice of greens perfect .And the art is to keep the Textures of the veggies intact .

Baby Pok Choy

Stir fried baby pok choy covered with thick oyster shitake mushroom sauce. Dont about you guys but i love Mushrooms in any form and specially shitake mushrooms , nice chewy texture , combined with other vegetables a perfect dish to eat with simple steam rice .

Basil Rice

Fried rice with garlic, beans & basil - A haus Specialty simple fried rice with a hint of basil loaded with veggies . Sorry the colour is not correct ,its more on the whiter side .

Singapore Prawns

Medium sized crispy prawns in thick reddish sauce flavored with garlic & fresh red chilies - Overall a great dish but a piece of advise for the chef . maybe im wrong but i feel Prawns go limp by the time they reach destination ,specially when they are deep fried .. rather cook them in the sauce  wil make the dish even better . Overall loved the dish the sizeof the prawns was super , nice tangy sauce , spicy and quite like the original Singapore prawns tried by me .

Hawkers Noodles

Chilly garlic noodles - Awesome just Awesome  - let me tel u why - they were different from the regular dry noodles .. they were a bit sticky , thicker not flooded with bell peppers ... nicely dosed with garlic and chilies .. with burnt onions on top .. a standalone win win dish for me . Dunno what they mean by hawkers noodles is it the Van Style Noodles?

Sichuan Spicy chicken

Stir fry chicken with chilies & spices, served with crispy garlic .. Yes Spicy and fun , wish i cud eat this with my hands masal masal ke hehehehehheheh - A bit over spiced for my family but a good spicy tangy mix , The chicken went hard on re heating inthe micro, bad idea.

Cantonese Chicken

Diced chicken, dried red chilies & roasted cashew nuts in a mix of dark Chinese sauces - Loved it ... why .. sorry Asian Haus people pardon me for what im going to say .. was nice and ketchupy .. just loved it m yet gain the mix of the chicken and cashew married beautifully . I checked the same for the coloring it was natural . 

Roti Canai

South Eastern thin & light, flaky bread - Please eat this with the rendang curry you will love it .The riot is the common street food of Malaysia and eaten with such thick gravies . it definitely has an indian origin .. flat bread which is flaky .Very popular in south east .

Chicken Rendang Curry 

Chicken in thick coconut gravy, flavored with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves - More like pulled chicken , chatpata .. desi bhai log will  love it . The rendang curry is a slow cooked dish , normally served at festivities , it is very popular in Indonesia , Malaysia and Singapore .. Spicy is the name.

Vietnamese Shaking Mutton

Wok shook lamb on the bed of sticky rice with brown sauce & onion vinaigrette - The most popular dish on the menu ..... very simple dish - wok fired lamb with simple dressing and sauces goes perfectly well with the sticky rice - a dish just perfect for one person . This is a very popular dish in Vietnam made with beef called Bo Luc Lac .. where Luc Lac only means shaking of the meat in the wok til cooked.

Haus Khao Suey 

The Haus version of the traditional Burmese soup with yellow noodles, chicken and shrimps; garnished with fried onions, crushed peanuts and chopped scallions. And the real test .. the Khao Suey Thai style .. yes base for al is coconut whether it is original Burmese , Singapore style or thai .. the colors vary as they have a different set of ingredients in each region - the Asian haus one is more thai . I was impressed by the presentation and condiments(9 thinigies go into making a Successful Khao Suey ).. all of them in detail .. Excellent as i would call it , serves three people for sure . 

Chicken Scallion

Star shaped dimsum stuffed with minced chicken & scallion - Yes they were awesome , thin wrappers well ground meats which merged well with the hara pyaz  and perfectly steamed and yes juicy.. the family loved them and the unique packaging . 

The Table

All laid out on the table waiting for family to attack ,Yes Attacked before it gets cold, the plastic dhishesdidn look bad for serving directly on the table , ya for a casual family lunch its perfect .... we had a wonderful meal thank you Asian Haus . Ps the soup bowls are mine lol 

Overall Tigers Experience : This may be one of the first blogs i have written where there is no Ambiance , Smells ,Service to complain about hehehehehehehe very interesting. And end from where i started this blog .. WIFE was super happy as the rest of the family was Happy... so it was a good Sunday . 

Asian Haus has truly mastered the art of delivery ..  right from taking order to finding the menu online .. i believe they are soon going to be taking orders online also .. And the star of the whole experience is the packaging.. wonderful . being served warm food is a delight. I was actually from the school of thot that Chinese food shud never be ordered for home dining as everything goes limp , but i take my words back .. they have done a great job in enusring the food is almost as fresh as they would serve you in any restaurant.. Yes the food is slightly more spicy than what a normal palate can handle but im sure they can manipulate the same on request . Our experience has been excellent at appx 700 per head for 12 dishes is good and for so many dishes i think they are doing fine .. and i have been told that the consistency of the food is commendable , which speaks high of Asian Haus. 

The Menu is very very exhaustive covers the entire belt of South East Asia .. from China to Malaysia ... all handpicked dishes.

Delivery : Prompt , hot , fresh , zero error. In South Delhi and Now Gurgaon.

Menu : Salads/ Dim Sum/ Soups/Meal Box/Seafood/Curries/Poultry/Mutton/Vegetarian

Ambiance : Hehehehe My Homes comfort , TIgers Den.

Tigers Experience of Wokamama Pan Asian

How did this happen ? couple of months back went for a foodie event with the full family to Wokamama  - had a really mediocre buffet lunch – actually its got more to do with my allergy to buffets , the mood was only put off . hence kept complaining about the restaurant .

Suddenly last week got a call from one of Delhi Leading PR companies,inviting me to the tasters menu bloggers meet at Wokamama – I flatly said no  - then did nakhra ,oh who all are coming etc etc … eventually they convinced me to attend the same and I took it up also to give the restaurant another chance before being ruled out from my list of eating out . Plus on the side did a full study on the net about the reviews of Wokamama and found everyone praising the food – so all out together I decided to be there at the Bloggers Tasting menu meet .

Wokamama actually is located quite close to Delhi ,as you cross the border ,in a small village called Nathupur which is the right turn opp Pullman Hotel , sort of village complex with a couple of shops in the compound and the very famous Spoonful Soul as the neighbor. 

Now starts the Experience – Attentive Valet service , Elevator to take you to the third floor –otherwise I wud have climbed up chanting Jai Mata Dee and cursing the agency which invited me . Out of the elevator you land into a open terrace on the right with terracotta tiling nice lil huts like a lounge to sit out and enjoy the Sunday winter afternoon or to have a party . On the left two steps up is the Restaurant Wokamama. Dim Lighting Orange walls  dark furniture – well a bit gloomy for my liking but anyways no opinions as yet . There is a Bar on the left side with stools , they are proud of the cocktails they make - no drinking during the day so will have to go again lol.

I enter only to be greeted by two of my Old buddies  - MP Singh and Sameer  Puri – my connect with them is that they run the Ranch Catering services and had this stud farm on MG road called the Ranch – and they hosted my wedding reception 19 years ago with Brian Silas playing live. Ranch used to be iconic and a lnadmark on MG road, besides them and the small restaurant Sip n Bite there was nothing else on MG road – forget Gurgaon LOL . We actually did think twice before heading on MG roads that time . Well anyways  MP and Sameer own Wokamama , Lotus pond, Bamboo shoot etc etc  and they recognized me and major jhuppy puppy happened back slapping Punjabi style . It was indeed  a pleasure to meet old friends – a bit about them M.P. Singh, A commerce graduate with an MBA, he went on to do his Hotel Management, (specializing in kitchen) from Hotel Institute Caesar Ritz, Le Bouveret, Switzerland in 1985. With over five years experience in managerial capacities with Le Meridien and Hyatt Regency hotels in New Delhi. And Sameer Puri, A commerce graduate with a three year diploma in Hotel Management from IHM, Pusa, New Delhi, he has worked in various managerial capacities with Le Meridien & Maurya Sheraton Hotels in the Food & Beverage department and Indian Air lines catering for over six years. With so many years of experience behind they cant ever go wrong .

Ranch Catering was one of the first in the farm house party scenes - they started it all for delhi . Their catering has always been par excellence . Besides running a couple of restaurants they have now gone biog in the institutional kitchen arena.

So now I knew I was in good hands over lunch , there a few other bloggers on the table , average age 22 lol ,anyways they said they were bloggers so I believe them .

Both Sameer and MP sat with us on the round table center of the restaurant . MP was the master of ceremonies who wud announce and explain each dish before being served . 

The Menu 

Starters

Sate Lilit Ayam  

Canadian Pork Valley

Butter Pepper Garlic Squid

Vegetable Tempura

Salmon Nigri or Tuna Nigri

Chilly Pepper Corn

Prawn Tempura / Veg Tempura

Soup and Salad

Tom kha Soup

Chicken Pesto Salad

Sum Tham Salad

Main Course

Pla pad Karcha

Crispy Sweet Chilly Duck

Chicken Waterchestnuts Black Pepper

Mince Lamb with Crispy Rice

Fiery Ming’s Chicken

Guilin Egg Plant

Chinese Greens Superior Soya Sauce

Vegetable Sticky Rice

Chicken Green Curry Noodle with Basil

Dessert

Coconut Pan Cake

Mocca Rage 

A well Balanced Menu with Flavors from Bali , Malaysia, Thailand  and some originals from China.

Starters:

Sate Lilit Ayam  (Balinese Chicken Satay With Explosive Aromas Of Bird Eye Chilli, Kafir Lime On A Lemon Grass Stick)  - can i start praising the food - well this was something new for me - Satay in this shape and specially on a lemon grass stick which added immense flavor to the meat . For the first time i did not jump up and ask for the sauces lol . Very well made dish.Indeed.

Vegetable / Prawn Tempura- (Japanese Style Fritters Accompanied By Pineapple Chilli Sauce, Tempura Sauce, Radish And Pickled Ginger) Well honestly speaking im not a big fan of Tempura - i find it very bland but yet Crisp. The pineapple sauce served along with this was something unusual - very nice sweetness of the pineapple and the tingeof the chillies to tickle the tongue . 

Butter Pepper Garlic Squid ( Innovative Mix of Butter, Szechuan Pepper, Burnt Chilli & Garlic) - Squids in butter are always a winner - the innovation was in the Burnt garlic and chilli flavor - Just Yum and fresh .

Salmon Nigri or Tuna Nigri - Shushi with Raddish And Pickled Ginger / Wasabi

Soups and Salads:

Tom kha Soup (Spicy Soup With Coconut Milk And Galangal. Choice Of Prawn/ Chicken/ Vegetables/ Tofu And Enoki Mushroom)  Very nicely made not thats spicy - full of rainbow flavors .  I did order a small portion of Khao Suey soup to check the difference - HUGE LOL 

Chicken Pesto Salad (Spicy Thai Salad With Roasted Rice, Chilli And Lemon) Why Pesto suddenly the east was missing the west is it hahahahaha, well it was a nice fusion well played by the chef. Nicely marinated and cured chicken served on salad leaves.

Sum Tham Salad (Spicy Papaya, Tamarind & Peanut Salad) Nice salad - I loved the cherry tomatoes int he spicy thai sauce . I eat this regularly at home when on a diet :)

Canadian Pork Valley (Japanese Chargrilled Skewers with Mirin, Sake and Japanese Soya) Hmm Pork Belly expecting this to be a riot anmongst all was a let down - was hard to chew - guess a bit over cooked . 

Main Course: 

Steamed Fish in banana Leaf with Red chilly and Kafir - Loved It  -(Health conscious hahahahaha)

Guilin Egg Plant - hahaha MP will laugh at this - when i heard egg plant the nose went up and said noooo  but Mp insisted for his sake to try one piece - which i did - crisp eggplant no kucchha falvor of baigon perfectly cooked in tangy sauce .

Pla pad Karcha (Quick Fry Fish Fillet with Thai Ginger, Kaffir Lime and Chilli) - Everything was nice the flavors of Gingers etc etc but the fish per se let me down was hard .

Mince Lamb on crispy rice - Innovative for sure - a must try  The crispiness of the rice merged excellently with the Lamb which was juicy and made in a spicy sauce .

Quick Fry Chinese Veggies - Steamed with Burnt Garlic on top . - Fresh Veggies and the burnt garlic on top made my day - I love garlic .

Chicken Green Curry Noodle with Basil - Yes a great way to eat noodles - or shud i say thats the way i like it . Good combination for sure.

Vegetable Sticky Rice - the usual 

Mocca Rage - MP insisted that we try this desert on a full Up tummy - Actually a delicious Mocha Cake served with coffee and chocolate ice cream - Love it with the coffee ice cream and finished it hahahahahaha shameless me.

Coconut Rolls with Pickles Raisins and Cinnamon - Steamed so happy to eat .

Mp Explaining the making of the rolls .

Special Mention - The sauces served along with most of the dishes were just amazing - i loved the spicy tangy innovative sauces .

Overall Experience: Wonderful . It was a pleasure to sit with two well experienced highly educated pundits of the Kitchen and Hospitality industry – the way MP described each dish – its origin , its flavor combinations , the textures – a beautiful painting kept being made in  the mind  even before the food could actually reach the palate .  Well I would not rate this as fine dining but yes good quality  Pan Asian food for sure .

And my dear friend Sameer ensured the service quotient was perfect .

Was tired eating and relishing each dish and its ingredients individually . Tasters menu’s are not easy believe me .

Ambiance – Needs improvement specially inside , more light , more brightness. 

Service – Good

Food Freshness and Quality – excellent

Presentation – Hmmm they might get upset with me but I hate the silly Leaves , Beetroot , carrots on the side they just fil the plate that’s it never ever have eaten them nor have seen anyone eating them – If you have to plate up do it with something from the ingredients in the dish .

Flavors : Very original

Quantity: Perfect for two.

Value for money – 600 to 800 per head . Yes they have a bar to suck your blood hahahahahaah

Going Back again – For sure , for their Khao Suey and to check if they did what I told them to do .