Paper Boat Drinks - Product Review

Paper Boat Drinks manufactured by Hector Beverages are one of the newest entrants to the packaged juice industry. Aimed at putting one in a reminiscing mood, they have largely expanded their operations from what it was in 2012 and now cater to multiple airlines, marts and malls making it a national brand. When they contacted us for a product review, we accepted it at once.

Paper Boat All Flavours

Sold at a reasonable cost of Rs. 30/- for every 250ml of juice, the packaging boasts of honest Indian drinks with no added preservatives and artificial flavours, as we found out after tasting their drinks. Every sip is a refreshing one with the sweetness and tanginess of the natural flavours flooding the mouth, creating a mystical swirl which brings back old memories.

Paper Boat Packaging

Starting off with only 4 flavours, they are increasing their variety in a prolific rate much to the joy of the customers whom they cater to. We have tasted 7 of their flavours which they were kind enough to send in a neatly packaged orange gunny bag. While the looks of the packs inside were cute, they were also designed for keeping the drink fresh and convenient to carry around.

Aamras

Paper Boat Aamras

While you would argue that Aamras is basically Maaza or Slice, the taste differs significantly. The juice is naturally more thicker and isn't artificially sweet like most of the soft drinks. The sweetness comes from the mango pulp which is equivalent to heaven even by Alphonso standards.

Paper Boat Imli ka Amana, Golgappe ka Paani and Kokum

Imili ka Amana

Paper Boat's experimentation with Imli - Imli ka Amana, was a tad bit disappointing as the tanginess has been greatly mellowed down to make way for a sweet and soothing drink. Though the drink gets top marks for originality as no one has ever concocted a drink with imli yet, the natural flavor of imli was greatly diminished.

Golgappe ka Paani

Golgappas, phuchkas, pani-puri -  though all of them essentially refer to the same snack , the composition of the water dip ( Golgappe ka paani) is what differs from region to region. The tamarind concoction in the drink has a fine blend of black salt, cumin, red chilli powder, coriander powder and aamchur powder which makes it so tasty. The Paper Boat version is that of the version popular in the western parts the India and is a bit sweeter than its counterpart which is a tad bit spicier.

Kokum

Used as a souring agent in Goan/Konkani curries, the taste of the Kokum juice was a bit surprising to me. It was tangy and a bit spicy, but was equally soothing. The fact that I have never tasted Kokum juice before made this new flavour even more appealing.

Aam Panna

Paper Boat Aam Panna

Aam Panna is everyone's favourite summer time drink. The taste of raw mangoes seems refreshingly good and the spicy khatta meetha taste brings back nostalgic memories of childhood. The Aam Panna is extremely effective against heat waves and heat strokes which makes it extremely popular during the sweaty summers.

Jaljeera

Paper Boat Jaljeera

Another popular Indian summer time drink, the Paper Boat Jaljeera is the perfect infusion of cumin, rock salt, lemon juice and black pepper. Technically, there are two versions of Jaljeera which are famous in India, the spicy one and the khatta meetha one - the drink in the pouch is of the khatta meetha variety. Other than the sweet and heavenly taste, the jaljeera serves to cool the body and the jeera along with black salt in the mix aids in digestion.

Jaamun Kaala Khatta

Paper Boat Jaamun Kaala Khatta

The flavor of the drink is predominantly salted Jaamun, rather than Mumbai Kala Khatta. The juice is spiced up, tangy and leaves a faint aftertaste which can be expected from Jaamun flavored drinks. Fortunately, unlike the common Jaamuns, it doesn't leave a bluish tinge on the tongue, which makes us more presentable even after drinking gallons of the juice. Also, it is the only Paper Boat juice on which 'Shake and Sip' is mentioned just below the bottle cap.

Paper Boat All Flavours

Website : http://www.paperboatdrinks.com/
Manufacturer : Hector Beverages

You may also like: The new tea based drinks from Paper Boat Drinks

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A Traveler's Food Diary - Agonda Beach, Goa

The Agonda beach at South Goa is a study in contrast to most of the other beaches in Goa. Quiet and peaceful, it offers a great opportunity to rejuvenate in its serenity. We stayed in Hangout Agonda, a set of cottages right at the northern end of the beach. Our beach hut was right on the sand with a full view of the beach.

Hangout Agonda Beach Huts

Grilled Sea Bass in butter and garlic sauce

The added attraction of the place is its beachside restaurant with mouth watering seafood varieties. There is lot of excitement among the guests about the live catch – normally an assortment of fresh lobsters, sea bass, red snapper and other varieties of fish. We went for a whole sea bass grilled in a butter garlic marinade, served in a bed of rice, veggies and French fries.

Mackarel Recheado

The Goan cuisine here is also a must have.  My favorite here was Mackerel Recheado. Recheado, the Goan masala paste used for stuffing inside the fish contains among others red chilies, vinegar and select spices. It was served with salad and few pieces of raw mango. The Goan Prawn Curry, a red curry with fresh prawns with a coconut base and garnished with coriander. It went well with rice.

Calamari in Goan sauce

Fresh squids or Calamari is available abundantly in the locality. We tried a few preparations of the same, including one using recheado masala, as well as the crispy fried variety.

Mixed Seafood Fry

But my favorite was a Mixed Seafood Fry, which was basically fresh prawns and squid fried in masala with select veggies like capsicum and tomato.

Beer Battered Prawns

In the evening, Beer Battered Prawns were a perfect foil to the local Cashew Fenny.

Cashew Fruit

On a boat trip down the river to the backwaters, we came across a large cashew apple. The boatman split the fruit into four parts – and we all could taste the bitter sweet fruit. The cashew nut is the seed at the bottom of the fruit.

Chicken Steak

A walk down the red kuccha lanes of the Agonda village, led us to The Meat Factory - part of the Agonda Palace hotel.  It was time for some good Chicken Steak with pepper sauce.

Mixed Seafood Grill

Seafood platter- containing fish, prawn and squids served with rice and French fries was also delicious.

Gomantak Thali

The vibrant Palolem beach which is around 10 kms from Agonda is a must visit. We stopped by a small local restaurant on the way for a GomantakThali. The Thali has fish curry, cocum juice garnished with chilies and coriander (which tasted like rasam), and couple of veggies, one of which was the red saag, which we also love in Bengal. It also had the Goan Fish Rawa Fry – a large fillet of fish coated with rawa and fried.

Sea Shell Masala

Another non-vegetarian item in the thali was the Sea Shell Masala. Sea Shells cooked in Goan masala.  One needs to eat the little sea shell meat with the masala and discard the shells.

Pork Vindaloo

Our delightful trip ended in no time. On our way to Panjim from Agonda, we did not miss out on Pork Vindaloo in a shack near Colva beach.

Address: Hangout Agonda Beach Huts,
Agonda Beach North, Goa
   
Telephone: 09930048186

Also see :  A Traveler's Food Diary
                 Ozran Beach, Goa
                 Srinagar, Kashmir
                 Sikkim
                 Vietnam

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Cafe Birian - Awadhi & Hyderabadi Biryani

Cafe Birian attributes its name to the Parsi word 'Birian', from which, the word 'Biryani' has been derived. Birian essentially means 'to fry before cooking', which has given rise to the Dum Style cooking, prevalent even now. Though Biryani is said to have originated in Arabia, the Nawabs of Lucknow and Nizams of Hyderabad have adapted the dish in their own styles thus giving rise to the flavorful Awadhi and spicy Hyderabadi biryani.

Hyderabadi Biryani at Cafe Birian

Mirchi ka Salan, Burrani Raita, Hari Chutney and Onions

Cafe Birian at Indirapuram serves both the varieties of Biryani - the Hyderabadi and the Lucknowi one. Packaged in earthen matkas (clay pots) of various sizes, the clay pots ensure that the food remains hot till the matka is opened and brings in subtle earthen flavors to the biryani rice. Using of matkas also give some added ingenuity to the dishes as the biryani contents are layered and then cooked slowly over a low fire with the top of the pot sealed with dough which is essentially the Dum style of cooking.

Matka Biryani

The Lucknowi version of the Biryani is probably the closest to their ancestors the Persian pilaf (pulao). The Awadhi Biryani with all its spices is one of the best dishes here. The dish had a good quantity of meat; the aroma and the taste of the basmati rice was simply awesome. Served with the Burrani Raita, I regard their biryani one of the best and most value for money in Noida.

The restaurant also serves the Kachhi Hyderabadi style of Biryani, made famous by the Paradise and Bawarchi restaurants of the South. The meat and the rice are thoroughly mixed and cooked together in a Dum preparation. Though the biryani served was technically perfect, it lacked resemblance to the authentic Hyderabadi biryani. The Hyderabadi Biryani has clumps of masala stuck to the meat which burst through grains of rice; this was greatly missing in the Cafe Birian version.

Awadhi Biryani at Cafe Birian

Not only does Cafe Birian serve different biriyani dishes, but also serves Burrani Raita, Dal Birian, Bhuna Gosht and other small time fares. Unable to taste all the dishes in only one visit, we also managed to taste their Bhuna Gosht with Roomali rotis. Though the Bhuna suggests that the pieces should have been deep fried with marinations, Cafe Birian had smoked the mutton pieces giving the gosht an unusual but tasty smoky flavor. Made into a brown rich gravy, the Bhuna Gosht with Roomali Roti is a must try at this place.

Bhuna Gosht with Roomali Roti

Address : 4A, Mahagun Mansion Market,
Vaibhav Khand, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad
Telephone : 0120 4235599

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The Hyderabad Bandis and Their Delicious Tiffins - Part 2

Guest Post by : Raj Vuppala

Raj Vuppala is an enthusiastic food addict based in Hyderabad. He has huge interest in occidental cuisine, as well as the local food from Andhra Pradesh. A database expert by profession he is usually one of the first persons to visit a newly opened food outlet in the city.

Part 1 | Part 2

In the first part of this post [Street Food of Hyderabad: The bandis and their delicious tiffins]. I had covered a group of bandis or tiffin stalls, which are my favorites. But during my long food journey in Hyderabad, I have discovered many other places, some relatively unknown, which serve tasty tiffin fare. This second article talks about a few more of them.

Ram Ki Bandi - Dosas in the making

Ram Ki Bandi

This bandi is located in Mozzamjahi market opposite to Karachi Bakery. The operation hours are from 3:00 AM to 8:00 AM in the morning. No matter at what time of the night you visit this place, it is always crowded. He serves idlis and different varieties of dosas along with chutney.

Idlis at Ram Ki Bandi

The idlis are soft and served steaming hot. Along with palli chutney make a good combination. The star dish from this place is the double cheese dosa. It is made by adding slices of cheese, upma, ginger chutney, onions, tomatoes, coriander, podi and ghee. The taste of the double cheese dosa is just amazing and will bowl you over with the very first bite.

I would rate the cheese dosa one of the best available in Hyderabad (even better than Govind and Lakshman dosa). I highly recommend this place.

Narayana Tiffins

This place in Yousufguda was started by an ex-employee of Purna tiffins. It is located in Krishna Nagar near Purna tiffin, and is much cleaner than Purna tiffins and has a better feel. The tiffins served here are similar to Purna but will cost you much less. I have been frequenting this place more regularly ever since it opened. The people who run this place are much more warm and friendly compared to Purna which has become very commercial in terms of price and service.

Narayana Tiffins

Coming to tiffins, the size of idlis here are much bigger than Purna. All the items in the menu are much more economical. Other items that are great at this place are idlis, poori/subji. When it comes to chutneys and dosas, it is not as good as its more illustrious neigbour.

Mahalaxmi Tiffins

Located near Panjagutta crossroads, I was recommended this place by Chowder Singh, a well known food blogger. It is a very small roadside stall located in one of the busy bylanes surrounded by shops.

Steamed Dosa at Mahalaxmi Tiffins

They offer the regular south indian food like idlis, dosas, etc. The main specialties of this place are the guntur idli and steamed dosas. Guntur idlis are regular idlis topped with gun powder and ghee. They generous topping of gun powder adds a little spiciness to the otherwise bland idlis. Another of their favorites is their steamed dosa. Steamed dosas are made by covering the dosa with lid so the steam generated cooks the dosa. These dosas are thicker, softer and fluffier than regular dosas. The steam dosas at this place are great and definitely worth trying.

Guntur Idlis at Mahalaxmi Tiffins 

Yousufguda Egg Dosa Bandi

Yousufguda is the place to visit during late evenings and nights for some good tiffin bandis. The bandi which is very popular in the area serves amazing egg dosas. The dosa is topped with egg, onions and generous serving of gun powder. Combined with spicy coconut chutney, they make a heavenly combination.

Egg Dosas at Yousufguda

Though the food is great, this place is usually very very crowded and you will need to push your way through to ensure you are served. In spite of the downside, this is a good place to try for those who have late night food cravings.


Addresses:

Ram Ki Bandi: Near Karachi Bakery, Mozzamjahi Market, Nampally  Open from 3 am to 8 am.

Narayana Tiffins: Opp Water Tank, Road No 5,8-3-229  Venkatagiri, Krishna Nagar,
Telephone: 9985222469, 9949467403

Mahalaxmi Tiffins:  Lane next to Diamond Food Zone (Opp Y2K restaurant). Very close to Panjagutta X Road.

Yousufguda Egg Dosa bandi:  Yousufguda Main Road. There are multiple places serving  egg dosas, but I like the place run by two ladies.

Also see: Street food Around Charminar

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