Location Of Krishna Chat in Sector-34:

Located in the bay shops of Sector-34, there is not much place here to stand, let alone sit. We went around 5:30 pm on a Sunday. All you see is the place bustling with people and you instantly have high expectations of the place.

What we had:

A plate of Bhel Puri and a plate of Aloo Tikki

Verdict:

The plate of Bhel Puri was filled to the brim. It was enough for two people to eat to their satisfaction. What I really liked about the snack was that all the ingredients seemed really fresh. The Sev was really crunchy. Further, it had a lot of peanuts which is very rare to see. The serving was really generous and gave the bhel the extra crunch that it needed. However, I wish the dish had some sort of freshness added to it. There was no relief in the dish to the mouth. That could certainly have been better.

The aloo tikki was served piping hot. It also had a generous topping of a white gram on it. However, the best part of the snack was that the tikki was really crispy on the outside and really soft on the inside. Further, the dressing was curd was really fresh. You could actually judge by the taste that it was all really fresh.

I really wish I could have also tried the golgappas as most of the crowd seemed to be savoring it. But there is always a next time!

Verdict: If you really like street food, you should definitely

give this place a try. It is nothing out of this world but it is really old school and you will like every bit of it.

Price Points: Every dish costs Rs 40 each.

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1. Sector-17 plaza

If you live in Chandigarh, you know that you can find loads of street vendors here. The Sector-17 plaza is a heaven for girls looking for exquisite artificial jewelry at an affordable price. And we all know, an outfit is never complete without accessorizing, isn’t it? *wink wink*

2. Sector-15

This off beat sector is a personal favorite with University students. Given its proximity to PU, you will always see this place thronged with students. And why not? You will find the most affordable fashion here! What’s more is that there is also a small Chinese market within the heart of this haunt. You will find the most delicious Chinese delicacies over here. Now that is what you call paisa vasool!

3. Sector-19

If you have ever visited the market of Sector-19, you know what I am talking about. And if you haven’t, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! You will find one of the largest collections of fashion for females- from skirts to jeggings to t-shirts to everything else you can possibly imagine!

4. Sector-22

Of course, talking about flea markets, how can Sector-22 be possibly left behind? It is one place almost everyone has frequented with their family and friends. And why not? It is the baap of all flea markets in Chandigarh! If you are unable to find something in the rest of Chandigarh, rest assured, you will find it here. And at a price that will make you say- “God, I love Chandigarh!”

So girls, what are are waiting for? Time for a wardrobe overhaul!

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First impressions of French Press Cafe:

The place looks lovely for an intimate conversation over food. The servers are courteous and friendly. But the service in itself is very slow. But that is okay for me since the waiters tell you that the dish will take time. It also allows you to squeeze in some extra conversation if you have time on your hands.

What we ordered:

Pasta Alfredo with greens and a Verdure pizza. For beverages, my partner ordered a Darjeeling tea while I settled for a Caramel Iced Latte. Our pasta arrived first. It was piping hot and delicious. The cheese sauce was so perfectly well balanced that we ended up wiping our dishes completely! However, the bread served with it is a bit of a letdown. I’ll prefer a classic garlic bread over theirs any day. My Latte had arrived too. But it doesn’t look anything like your expectations. I expected my Latte to be laced with caramel on top, but sadly there wasn’t any. But the taste makes up for it.

The Latte tastes great! My partner too seems to be thoroughly enjoying her Darjeeling tea. The next on the list is pizza Verdure. And it looks heavenly! The taste sadly does not match up to how good it looks. However, it tastes good nonetheless. It is light, fresh, crisp and has lots of veggies. Sadly, we weren’t able to finish it all up so the staff graciously brown bags it for us.

Verdict:

I have heard a lot about this place and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Further, the chefs graciously subtracted all kinds of mushrooms from their dishes since my lunch date is allergic to them. Would I want to visit this place again? Probably. I surely want to try out their desserts!

Price points:

Around Rs. 1000 for two (including taxes).

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First impressions of Pizza Hut – Elante:

The Pizza Hut – Elante is unlike any other fast food joint. Why? Because it doesn’t look like one. It looks like an informal restaurant. There is one waitress at the front who is taking care of everything. She is guiding you to your table, handing you the menu, getting you water, taking your order, serving it to you, cleaning your table in between courses and handling the bill counter. Phew! And all this while serving all the other tables!!

What we ordered:

Since we were two people, we ordered a King Size meal. The King Size Meal consists of the main course, an appetiser and a beverage or a soup. For soup, we ordered Cream of Mushroom. It was quite a treat for my taste buds. Generally, vegetarians like me end up having the likes of hot n sour or manchow soup. But this soup was very nicely prepared and certainly did not feel like you were eating at a fast food chain!

Next, we had a veggie supreme pizza along with cheesy paneer pockets. The pizza, if you ask me, if amongst the better ones served at fast food joints. It was fresh, cheesy and had loads of toppings. The edges too were really soft and not floury at all. However, the big let down of the meal was the paneer pockets. I honestly tried it with the view of experimenting instead of having the usual garlic bread. But boy, do I regret it. It was really messy to eat and did not add much flavour to the entire meal at all.

Other than that, I suppose I was really happy with my meal.

Verdict:

Would I come here again? I am not sure. Maybe. Do I prefer it over other multinational pizza chains? Definitely.

Price points:

Rs 1066 for the King Size Meal (Including taxes).

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Boombox is known for its laidback ambience and amazing live music. The one in Chandigarh truly lives up to its name. What I see when I enter Boombox are its quirky interiors and the music. By the time I reach, local band Mridang is performing. So I take a seat and start scanning the place.

First impressions at Boombox Cafe:

It is really spacious and tastefully lit up. What catches my attention is this bicycle on a wall with wonderful lights. It is the only light source in that corner and looks wonderfully amazing.

Before I begin to order, our attendant leaves a bottle of mineral water on our table. Upon inquiry, he tells me that their RO is not working. So I ask him if this Rs 75 bottle of Bisleri (which comes to Rs. 100 with taxes and totally illegal, btw) will be charged to our bill and he says yes. Taken aback, I ask him what is the customer’s fault if their RO is non-functional. So he rushes to his manager and after 5-10 minutes comes and says it won’t be charged to our tab.

What we ordered:

Looking for a change from the regular hot n sours and manchow, we decided to order Cream of Mushroom soup. While you are at Boombox, be sure that your order takes quite some time to arrive. But with a great band like Mridang playing, you actually don’t mind the wait.

Finally, our soup arrives. First impressions? It looks really appetising. It is hot, fresh and really creamy and you instantly fall in love with it. My only complaint? It finishes too soon!

Next, for the mains, we ordered Fusilli Alfredo for lack of a better choice. If you go through their menu, you find that there is not much of a choice in the main course. You have your regular pasta, pizzas and Indian cuisine. So you are left wanting for more.

However, unlike most places, the pasta here does not disappoint at all. It is really creamy compared to the rest of the pasta I have had at other places in Chandigarh. But I am not sure why they used fusilli as their choice of pasta. I suppose penne pasta would have been a better choice. Anyway, at the end of the day, it tasted really good and that is all that matters. Further, their garlic bread was really sumptuous too, so that is a plus point!

Finally, to finish off our meal, we decided to order walnut brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Well, what can I say? If you are a chocolate lover, this is heaven for you. The brownie is so good and actually, the taste of walnut really comes through. The chocolate sauce has a good flavor and you fall in love with it at first sight. Don’t believe me? See it for yourself-

Verdict:

If you are looking for good food and music, Boombox Cafe is the place to be. You will not have any complaints and have a great time.

Price points:

Rs. 900 for two including taxes.

Picture credits: Mrinaal Datt

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With the opening of the Le Corbusier Centre, this is exactly what the Administration aims for. The most interesting part is that the Centre is set up in Sector-19. The Sector-19 office is the place Corbusier used while preparing the City’s master plan.

Le Corbusier Centre is a haven for tourists and architecture students, especially. The place depicts all the works of Le Corbusier. It also dwells on various aspects of his life which are not known to the public. It is a great place if you want to know about the cultural heritage of Chandigarh.

What is interesting is note that ever since it has been opened, it is being visited by lots of researchers, scholars, historians etc. It is because of the fact that all the information available here is authentic. The Centre is also recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The office designed is also in consonance with the cost effective and climate friendly designs that are the focus of every building in Chandigarh. One on visiting the place can see a lot of experimental and innovative designs in the building. According to various experts, this will help the visitors get an insight into the genius. The building also introduces the concept of sustainability and green environment.

Thus, it is easy to see that Le Corbusier was way ahead of his time. No doubt, this place does full justice to him. It is certainly, a must visit for every city resident, tourist and student of architecture. This tribute to him is a great way to thank him for his contribution to our city.

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So this cultural event will invigorate participation from different institutions across regions and will encourage a vivid exhibition of skills and talents under the categories of Stage, Art, Theatre and Literary activities.

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The home baker in focus is Dr Asheena Batra of COCOMOM cakes.

For Dr Asheena Batra­, an alumnus of College of Dental Sciences,­ Davangere, and denti­st turned-baker, noth­ing satisfies her lik­e doing things with h­er hands.
Also, she is a passionate Art ­of living teacher and­ a mother of two youn­g ones.
This same passion mad­e her chose dentistry­ as a course of study. ­Upon graduating, she ­worked for 10 years b­efore she finally dro­pped the dental pract­ice for cake-making.Like many people who ­have left the known f­or the unknown, tongu­es wagged when she de­cided to resign from ­a very prestigious pr­ofession. According to s­ome, making cakes­ doesn’t require s­erious training, only­ psychomotor or manip­ulative skills.

However, Asheena powered on. She did it for two ye­ars on a part-time ba­sis but she finally t­ook it up on full-tim­e two years ago. Toda­y, she not only makes­ or sells cakes for p­eople of power and in­fluence or sells cake­ ingredients. Man­y seek her for knowl­edge and tutorials on­ cake making.

“Many p­eople actually wonder­ed why I wanted to le­ave dentistry for bak­ing, but with time wh­en they saw my passio­n for cake-making, th­ey had no choice than­ to support me since ­they saw that I had a­ flair for it,” she s­aid when answering qu­estion about people’s­ reaction when she wa­s leaving dentistry f­or cake-making.
Yet, despite her wide­ fulfillment as a bake­r, she still harbours­ some love for her fi­rst profession, denti­stry like a baby that­ cries to repossess w­hat is taken from it.­ “I miss dentistry an­d I love it. Maybe so­metime in future, I w­ill look somewher­e to do dentistry on t ­a part-time basis. I ­intend to go back, bu­t not fully.”

Speaking further abou­t her home, she expla­ined that her busines­s prevents the opport­unity to still attend­ to her home. Hence sh­e balances her home a­longside her career e­ffectively. “Some tim­es, I bake from home and it makes it easie­r. Initially, I was at­ home, but now that I­ am outside the home ­it is a bit easier fo­r me. I can be there ­for my family wheneve­r I want. Sometimes w­hen I really want to ­be at home I take tim­e to stay and attend ­to, my family. I creat­e time to go to my ch­ildren’s school somet­imes and to attend to­ other things.” she discloses.

For some cake-making ­is simply mixing whit­e flour ingredients b­ut for her it goes be­yond that as expertis­e is essential in the­ craft. She further e­xplains, “You need ski­lls, innovation, awar­eness of new trends i­n the industry and so­me idea about market ­situation. I advise b­akers that they must ­ensure that they use ­good ingredients. Put­ your own idea into i­t so that you can hav­e unique cake. I have­ a line of cakes. We­ have some cakes made­ without white flour ­and we have the conve­ntional cake that peo­ple like.”

You can check out her Facebook page here- fb.com/COCOMOM.cakes

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1. For when you need to be alone.

Wanting to be alone is the perfect opportunity for you to explore some new places. Thankfully, Chandigarh is a haven for loners. You could go visit the International Doll Museum or the Government Museum and Art Gallery. These places are really perfect for those looking for some me-time. At the same time, they are really informative and wonderful to look at.

2. For when you need the funnies.

You may not know it, but Tagore Theatre and the Panjab Arts Council are constantly staging plays. Mostly, they are the comedy and guarantee you a good laugh. The sad part? They generally do not get advertised a lot. But you can always drop by once in a while. Rest assured, you are bound to enjoy yourself!

3. For when you are hungry.

Let’s face it. Food is no problem in Chandigarh. There are loads of places for you to tingle your taste buds. Right from Sector-35 to Sector-26 to Sector-9, you will find a plethora of places to eat everywhere.

4. For when you are hungry, but broke.

But I understand that eating at all the above-said places is not always feasible. Especially, if you are a student on a shoestring budget, you might want to go for some affordable places. For those times, you always have the Stu-C in PU or the Chinese Market of Sector-15 or the bay shops of Sector-34 that serve lip smacking food at all times.

5. For when you are feeling adventurous.

There are times when you want to do something fun with your friends. Well, there are places for that too. The recently opened Mystery Rooms in Sector-35 is a great place to solve some ‘mysteries’. On the other hand, you can also go to the Adventure Zone in Amravati Enclave. There you can indulge in some paintball fun, or climb walls or ropes and do much more!

So, you were saying?

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The event conceptualised by Viacom 18 is a cross between Bollywood and the famous music festival- Tomorrowland. The event aims to bring together the top performers of the country along with famous DJs to create a new genre of music called BDM (Bollywood+EDM).

On Saturday, this is exactly what the city witnessed.

The gates to the MTV Bollyland event in Sector-34 opens at 7 pm and a see of people rush in. Opening for the star lineup, CJ and Weed perform their renditions of various English artists including Adele. Also hosting the event are RJs from Radio Mirchi.

But it is the appearance of famous rapper Raftaar that drives the crowd crazy. Then there is no looking back. Belting his famous tracks one after the other, the crowd joins in. But the highlight of his performance is when he gets down from the stage to interact with the audience.

Later, famous Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor takes the stage and gets the crowd singing to her tunes. But this is not all. The party is just getting started and giving an EDM tadka to the event is a performance by DJ NYK whose foot tapping remixes of Bollywood numbers gets everyone on their feet.

What follows next is a jugalbandi between Raftaar and DJ NYK. With the former singing to the music of the latter, the atmosphere in the concert is beyond words. Soon after, Kanika joins in too and her rendition of Baby Doll leaves the audience wanting for more.

But this is not the end, the king of Bollywood remixes DJ Kiran makes an entry on stage and drives the listeners wild! Everybody is dancing their hearts away.

And if you think this is all that happened at the event, then you are wrong. Because after a party ends, there is an after party!

Hypnotic Club hosted MTV Bollyland’s afterparty where the audience partied away the night with the star performers of the event!

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