Thursday 6 March 2014

My First Food Blogger's Meet at Cafe Wanderlust

Do you know that saying, ‘Eat to live, not live to eat’? Well I think that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! I mean seriously, one of the best things in life is enjoying good food. Food has such an effect on you- it stirs memories and can put a huge smile on your face. I love food and I do not understand how people can go on weird/stupid/crazy diets to be skinny. Give me a slice of pie or a plate of onion pakodas over pencil legs any day! Life without carbs/cream/chocolate... not worth living in my opinion...

If you are a regular on my blog, then you know I’m passionate about food. If not, then the above rant will definitely convince you of that. Its because of this, that I do a lot of reviewing on Zomato, and if I find a certain place really special, then it makes it to my blog:) So anyway, getting to the point... last Sunday I was invited for my first bloggers meet. Fellow food blogger Shivangi Sinha was kind enough to include me and I was so excited at the prospect of meeting other bloggers who shared the same passion about food that I have.

The meet was at Cafe Wanderlust. I have wanted to go there for the longest time. In fact the hubby & I had walked in a few times, but it was always full :( So my excitement levels went up even more at the prospect of finally going. Cafe Wanderlust is a quaint, tiny cafe located in Galleria, DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon. Its interiors are very different from the usual cafes- very casual, quirky and laid back. There are bean bags, low seats and even a hammock!  All this welcomes you to come in, sit down and stay as long as you like. This is a place where you can really while away your time.







[All images of Cafe Wanderlust- Disha Disha Saxena Utkarsh]

I cannot tell you how much fun it was meeting so many interesting people who are zealously passionate about their food. So many great conversations and even heated debates ranging from ‘where you get the best cheesecake?’, to where one can find the best sushi in NCR. We met at 12.30 and the 4 hours we were together flew by in what seemed like no time at all! The highlight was meeting fellow bloggers Shivangi Sinha who has her own food blogging website ShivangiReviews, Mayank Sinha and Maneesh Srivastva of Mystic Foodie Mantra.





Group pic via Maneesh Srivastva

During our time there, our gracious host and owner of Cafe Wanderlust, Disha Saxena Utkarsh, ensured that we were well fed while she narrated to us the story of this interesting cafe. The idea for this cafe originated from Disha and her husband’s love for travel and all the interesting food they tasted along their journeys. As the saying goes, ‘it’s not the destination that’s important, but the journey itself.’ This cafe, unlike so many others is a family business, with Disha seeing to the management and her mom (who actually works in the kitchen) handling the food aspect. While I was there I was amazed how 6 people, including Disha’s mom, could manage so efficiently in that tiny open kitchen!

Aside from food, Cafe Wanderlust also holds a number of travel related events. They have a club, the Wanderers Club, through which they organise travel talks, photo exhibitions and even group trips, which I found really interesting, and kinda cool.

The menu of Cafe Wanderlust is very eclectic but vegetarian- there are foods from different parts of India and the world. They are also currently having a Banaras food festival till March 9th so we had a chance to taste a wide variety of Banarasi specialities as well as a few regular items on their menu. You can read my in-depth review of Cafe Wanderlust here.

If you like interesting experiences and something a little bit different, then Cafe Wanderlust is the perfect place for you. It’s a great place for a late breakfast or an early lunch on a lazy Saturday or Sunday. Their food is not fanciful, just simple, homey food from all over the world, food that is done well using fresh ingredients and made with a lot of passion and love.

My Top Picks...

Adrak chai- best chai in town, poured from an old Aluminium kettle into cutting chai glasses

Mumbai vada pav- the most authentic tasting vada pav I’ve tasted in NCR till date... only drawback... the bread which is not Mumbai style pav

Samosa chola chaat & pyaz kachori

Mushroom cheese crepe

Pain au chocolat


Find out more about Cafe Wanderlust here and you can see more of my reviews on Zomato here




10 comments:

  1. The meet looks like so much fun, food enthusiasts in a lovely setting. What better can you ask for, right? The conversations must have flowed yummy too!

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    1. It was a really good meet up... there is nothing like meeting new people who share similar passions! Have a great weekend Ambika!

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  2. Meeting like minded people in an interesting place over fab food...........Sheer bliss. Glad you enjoyed yourself.
    I just want to reach into my computer and grab all those delicious goodies that you've just described. Thank you for sharing, have bookmarked it, for when I'm in Gurgaon next time. Have a wonderful week Shalini !!!!

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    1. You absolutely must Sruthi... have a great weekend yourself!

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  3. Seems like a happy bunch of people you met! Thanks for sharing.Must ask my friends at Gurgaon..whether they frequent this place.

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    1. Thank you Reshma, it really was... what could be better than good food coupled with good conversation

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  4. Fantastic! First off, meeting with bloggers and likeminded folks is always a treat and then to visit such a wonderful, quirky, homey cafe is just the icing on the cake. Lovely! Best wishes, Tammy

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    1. Thanks for dropping by Tammy. Yes it's always nice to meet like minded people especially when we all have a common love of food. Hope to see you here often... best wishes Shalini

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  5. It really was a fun day ... i'll see you again soon...
    lots of love from Shivangi and Team Shivangi Reviews :)

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    1. Totally agree Shivangi & look forward to seeing you again

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