SPLENDID FBAI SOIREE

It is always a delight to catch up with fellow food bloggers especially over delectable food and interesting drinks. The recently held evening gathering by Food Bloggers Association of India (FBAI) at True Tramm Trunk in Juhu, Mumbai this week was a wonderful one. The occasion was packed with fascinating thirst-quenchers of Turning Point brand, in-house cocktails with quirky names and an engaging quiz by the FBAI. The buzzing atmosphere of True Tramm Trunk made this twilight celebration more marvelous.

During the soiree two very beautiful bottles of boozy beverages were doing the rounds. Since I do not consume alcohol, my fascination rested in their design and finding out what was exceptional about them. My curiosity was put to rest by Mr. Ashwin Deo, Founder of Trinity Vinters and creator of the Turning Point brand who explained what the bottles I am referring to entailed. He pointed out how the nation was consuming sangria as the most preferred cocktail and this had led to him devising the idea of serving bottled sangria. Presently two variants of the sangria – Nashik Mule (white wine based) and Metropolitan (red wine based) in 330 ml bottles and a retail pricing of INR 135 are available in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi. Illustrious designer Rabia Gupta is the brain behind the artwork on these sangria bottles.

After having grasped all the information I had to on sangria, I turned my attention to satiating my taste buds. True Tramm Trunk served up numerous lip-smacking dishes. But, my favorite vegetarian nibbles for the evening were Kungpao baby potatoes, cottage cheese stuffed mushrooms with barbeque sauce and crispy nachos covered with guacamole and salsa. Wok tossed chicken chili and chicken tikka tandoori eshtyle were my picks for the non-vegetarian nibbles.

For those who enjoy cocktails, True Tramm Trunk had some interestingly labeled ones on offer. The way these cocktails were labelled and served was a chic, urban ode to the country style liquor prevalent in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and our very own city of Mumbai. From what information I could gather from my pals indulging in these cocktails, JAGADHARI NO. 1 was an interesting blend of coke and whisky with spices while THARRA was a concoction of lemonade and citrus rum.

The soiree drew to a conclusion with a fun quiz based on food and beverages. Each and every attendee at the soiree was placed in one of the five teams for the quiz. Quiz masters from FBAI kept asking intriguing questions through three rounds - basic Q&A, theme round and rapid fire. Eventually there was a tie between two teams at the end of the three rounds. The tie-breaker proved to be a nail biting finish with questions being asked on cuisine of Jharkhand to Kashmir to Goa to South Africa and finally one team emerged as victors.

I enjoyed myself thoroughly and to conclude I can say it was one of the most pleasurable soirees I have attended.