How to get good wedding cards made

When the occasion is that of a wedding or an engagement or a house warming or a similar ceremony that involves the making of a large number of invitation cards (in the hundreds or thousands), then the need is to find a place that can do reliably and in the most economical way. One of the best places in Delhi (right, you guessed it) is in the old parts of Delhi, in this case, Chawri Bazaar. I can see many of you recoiling from the prospect of a trip to Chawri Bazaar, it is a crowded and hot place after all.
Well, in case you did not realize, things have changed now. The Delhi Metro has a station right under Chawri Bazaar and that opens up right smack in the middle of the whole area. So no worries about how to get there. Take the Delhi Metro from either the Connaught Place (Rajiv Chowk) or Kashmere Gate side and get down at Chawri Bazaar station. Once there, ask for the road that leads towards Nai Sarak, or simply ask for shops where you can make wedding cards, and you will find a whole row of shops on either side.
You need to haggle, know the going rate and be able to have some idea of the types of cards you want. The shop-keepers over there, though very knowledgeable about the cards, are not the best in terms of customer friendliness and it would help you a great deal if you carry a few samples of the types of cards that you are looking for. They will take orders, and will also do printing if you give them the stuff that you want to print. They do not allow you to take samples of the cards that you like.

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Bad Food - Avoid Nirulas GIP (Noida) at any cost

It was time for a treat, and we were all looking forward to a good lunch. So off we headed (all 12 of us) to the largest mall in Noida - The Great India Mall in Noida. It has a good top floor full of eating options. You get a Food court (food is so-so), a once good vegetarian restaurant (Yatra - all you can eat, but the quality level has gone down), another great Indian restaurant Rajdhani (too much crowd trying to get in), a TGIF without liquor (not worth it without drinks), a great and value-for-money place Pind Balluchi (30 minutes waiting, there were 4 ladies kitties going on), and sundry other places such as KFC, other fast food places, a fine dining place, coffee and tea places, and so on.
Eventually after not getting a place at Pind Balluchi and walking out of TGIf after being told that drinks were not available, we went to Nirula, it is the safe place after all and we thought that this would be an acceptable alternative (big mistake). The menu does not have many options, but this was just the start. In this hot environment, their cold drink machine was out of order and we had lesser alternatives.
We settled ourselves into 2 tables and ordered the veg and non-veg starters. Service seemed to be a bit slow, but we were in a nice mood and decided to wait. Then we got some of the non-veg dishes, and they were not exactly the best. The chicken chop was over-burnt and not having much of a taste, the veg platter was rejected because one of the kebabs was smelling bad (bad quality control and bad over-sight); when we returned the order and canceled the order, still another waiter got us a replacement dish - by then people were starting to get disgusted.
How can you advertise something and give something else ? The hot chocolate fudge was shown in a great glass and looked a decent quantity, but when we got it, it was in a paper cup and did not look anything like what the photo was. And then we started to get the main courses - the pizzaz were not appetising, only the burger and footlong was okay. People who had ordered a separate piece of chicken (a leg piece) actually rejected the stuff after a bite, it was totally bland. Same was the case with people who had ordered the chicken platters, since the dishes were bland. People were incredulous as to how you could spoil something like a tandoori chicken.
We were laughing at this horrible party, and decided that this just did not cut it. the treat needs to be repeated at a better place, and Nirulas was now on the blacklist (including other people in our company who would ask us). They even did not have material for feedback and we had to ask for it.

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Swagath restaurant in Delhi and surroundings

Post courtesy Akshaya (link)

Swagath Restaurant is a famous chain of restaurants in NCR which specializes in Indian Mughlai food and Coastal food. It is surely the best restaurant in the coastal food category in Delhi and NCR. The main restaurant is at Defence Colony with branches at Malviya Nagar and Noida. It is a non-vegetarian foodies paradise - nearly any non-veg item from their menu is worth ordering. Vegetarian food is also quite good - although it is more famous for its non-vegetarian offerings.

For the starters, try Fish Tikka Ajwani (Boneless Fish Marinated with Yoghurt, Ginger, Garlic and Gram Flour; flavoured with Ajwain cooked in Tandoor), Mutton Seekh Kebab (Minced Lamb Marinated with Ginger , Garlic Paste with touch of red chilly, finished in clay oven) or any Fish Fry. For the main course try Chicken Stew, traditional Butter Chicken (some of the critics do rate it as one of the best butter chicken in Delhi) or Chicken Masala Chettinad. Try Mutton Biryani or Subz Biryani - they are really wonderfully cooked. Since I am not a great admirer of coastal food, I have not tries their coastal food options more but they are surely regarded as the best in Delhi.

They also offer Chinese food but I will suggest to just skip it since this is not what they are best at. The cost is little bit high but it is worth every buck you spend. Food for two would cost around 900 bucks (without drinks). They do home delivery as well and their portions for home delivery are quite large.

Contact Info:-
Swagath
14, Defence Colony Market
New Delhi
Ph:- +91-11-24337538

Swagath
C-8, Malviya Nagar
New Delhi - 17
Ph:- +91-11-51830622, 51830613, 51830640, 51830649

Swagath
J-57, Sector - 18,
Noida (U.P.)
Ph:- +91-120-2516066, 4240619

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Shopping for the Sherwani in Delhi

Sherwani's are being seen as the style statement when a male is about to get married; ethnic Indian wear, and very elegant, especially when the design on the You have a bride-groom who wants to look his best and stand out among the crowd (especially since nowadays in a marriage, everybody is dressed in their best). Depending on the closeness between the bridegroom and his fiancee, the girl also wants to have a say in how the bride-groom will look like, and you also need a place where you can see a variety of different types of sherwanis, as well as the classy suits that people nowadays wear as an alternative to the sherwani.
Most people want to find a good place where they can sample these sherwanis and suits. You also need access to good shops because a good sherwani can cost upwards of Rs. 20,000 with a good one normally costing anywhere between Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 50,000. You need to remember that this is a one-time cost, since a sherwani is not liable to be re-used in any way.
Sherwanis are available in fancy shops such as Gujralsons, Diwan Chand, etc. You can find these shops in many locations such as the Great India Mall in Noida, Lajpat Nagar, Cross River Mall in East Delhi, west Delhi malls, etc, but it is rare that you find more than one shop in a specific location. Chandni Chowk has a selection, but the best place that I have found for the male marriage dressing is Ajmal Khan Road in Karol Bagh. There is a short stretch on this road that has multiple shops - Diwan Chand (including a discount version as well), Gujralsons, Grooms, Rod, and Vasari. Through all of these, you should be able to find the one that you want. Do remember that the Sherwani needs to be stitched, and hence you will get the Sherwani after a few days.

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Lemon Twist, Noida

Post courtesy Akshaya (link)

Lemon Twist, at Sector 63 Noida, is a new restaurant from people behind Lotus Pond, Delhi and Bamboo Shoots, Noida. The restaurant is a variation from their older tradition Chinese cuisine restaurants - here the focus is more on fusion cuisine. The restaurant is situated in two floors - the lower one is a tradition restaurant setting while the upper one is a open terrace setting along with a grill. They are promoting the place as a Oriental Wok and Grill place. Since I visited the place for a lunch, I was seated in the lower part of it. The decor is good - place feels comfortable. The staff is surely not up to the mark - they seems less knowledgeable about Chinese food (which is a bad thing if the place is termed as Oriental Wok place).

We ordered two starters - Vegetable dim sum (which they called SiuMai - although they were no way close to the SiuMai we are fond of) and Crispy Spinach With Red Peppers. The second one was good but the dim sums were just okay. In main course, we went for Exotic Vegetables In Lemon Chilli Sauce, Shitake Mushroom In Fried Sesame Rice along with American Chopsuey. I think this was after a long time that I had order Chopsuey at some place - and I was again disappointed with it. The main course and rice were good although the rice quality could have been better. Overall, we left with a mixed feeling towards the food - sometime good and sometime not-so-good.

Although they are terming their place as the one where a "portion" of salad, soup, starter or main course is sufficient just for one, it is still enough for two people in most cases. The rates are not high, when compared to Bamboo Shoot or Lotus Pond. But then the food is also not that good. In my opinion, worth an occasional visit only. The location surely makes it an easy access for people working in Sector 55/56/58/62/63 and other nearby sectors.


Contact Info:-
Lemon Twist
H-1A/16, Sector 63
Noida
Ph:- (0120)4217500

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Sampan @ Crowne Plaza Surya

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Sampan is the Chinese cuisine restaurant at Crowne Plaza Surya. The best thing about Sampan is its location. It is situated on the top floor and offers a panoramic view of the city specially a marvelous view of the DND road with its curves and elevation properly visible. Sampan, meaning a flat bottomed boat in Chinese, has good décor and Chinese artifacts. Apart from these two good things, place is not much worth to write about.

The food is not that good as other Chinese joints in the city. And the cost is too high for the place and the food. Food for two will cost around 1600 to 2000 bucks. Crowne Plaza Surya is not regarded as a good hotel in Delhi and Sampan also lives to this reputation. There is nothing spectacular about food here. It serves Schezwan and Cantonese varieties mostly. One can try Crispy Spinach and Corn for the starters. While in main course, try Chicken in Sichuan Sauce or Vegetables in Garlic sauce variants. One can also go for their buffet which happens daily on weekdays in the lunch timings (from 12:30 to 2:30 or something of that sort). It is cheaper and would let you try various things without worrying about shooting your bill upward.

Nothing great for me except the views it offers.

Contact Info:-
Sampan
Crowne Plaza Surya
New Friends Colony
New Delhi – 65
Ph:- 26835070, 41672222

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Jade at The Claridges

Jade (earlier known as Jade Garden) is the oriental cuisine restaurant at The Claridges in New Delhi. The setting is good - on the ground floor of the hotel along a grove of bamboos. The atmosphere in professional and the staff is courteous.

For the food part, it offers Chinese and Far Eastern Oriental cuisine. It may not be the best Chinese in the town but it is surely the one where you can enjoy the kind of Chinese food which gave birth to the Chinese cuisine culture in India. Do not let go of the complimentary fried prawn munchers served along with food - they are delicious. For starters, go for Shredded Spinach - a rather crispy item - it is truly wonderful. In the main course go for Stir Fried Chinese Greens or Bean curd with Mushroom. Their quantity is just enough - so order just the right amount for your guests.

It also offers an exclusive dim sum menu which includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian dim sums plus sweet dim sums as well. They have a large variety of dim sum - around 35 to choose from. Apart from this, they also offer executive lunch on weekdays - wonderful stuff at a cost - but worth a shot if you feel it. I would suggest to go à la carte here since other options are quite costly. But Jade is surely worth a visit (or maybe more).

Contact Info:-
Jade
The Claridges
12, Aurangzeb Road,
New Delhi - 110011
Phone:- 23010211

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P. P. Sarees off Nai Sarak

In the quest for saree shopping, we have gone to a number of different places, such as Nalli in South Extension, the many saree shops in Cross River Mall in East Delhi, Satya Paul, etc. However, in the end, when you have to buy a number of sarees for the bride (except for the wedding saree) and for the many other female relatives to whom sarees have to be gifted, you need to buy numerous sarees (in the 10's or maybe hundreds), then you find that your steps head towards Chandni Chowk. It is the place where you get good designs, and you can't get sarees more economical than that.
There are numerous shops in the Gali Paranthe Waali, and in the many Katra (small lanes) as you move along the main Chandni Chowk street such as Katra Asharfi, and one more shop that we went to and bought more than 10 sarees was a shop called P.P. Sarees. It is located off Nai Sarak, around the middle. You can find it through asking, first you ask for the lane leading to Dareeba, and then once inside, you ask for P.P. Sarees; you should be eventually find it and then you can shop for sarees to your hearts desire.
Contact details for the shop:
Padam Chand Prem Chand
23286182, 65280729, 9811239505, 9810129534

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Apsara sarees - Shop for wedding sarees and lehangas

Apsara Sarees is a shop right off the Chandni Chowk main road. As you head off into the Paranthe Wali Gaali and cross the first saree shop of Gauri Shanker, you get into the first turn, and there it is, Apsara Sarees. If you are looking for some of the heavy sarees for the bride and for some of the other main female players in a wedding (such as sister and sister-in-laws of the groom and the bride), then it makes sense to pay a trip to this shop. It is a place where you will get some of the stylish and heavy sarees and lehangas at a price that is available only in Chandni Chowk (if you wanted to buy this article outside Chandni Chowk, it would cost much more).
Sarees that I have seen here while shopping with some female relatives can cost around Rs. 20,000 - Rs. 30,000; but once you have got over these prices, then you can see how these sarees shine. It is without doubt that such clothes will make the wearer feel special during the wedding or pre-wedding function, and that is exactly how you want them to feel.
For a lot of the sarees and all the lehangas, they will take your choice, and make these on order, so it might take some time for them to get ready, but the end result looks great.
Contact details for Apsara Sarees:
1980, Gali Paranthe Wali,
23267767, 23286856

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Brahmputra Complex, Sector 29, Noida

Post courtesy Akshaya (link)

This is road-side eating at its best - the evening food stalls at the Brahmputra Complex, Sector 29, Noida is just fabulous. The food at these around 15 stalls offers great variety while being not heavy on your pocket. You have to eat standing up or in your car but you will not regret coming here just for that.

In vegetarian food, there are momos, soups, chaat, aloo-tikki, steamed corn and bhelpuri. The aloo-tikkis are crisp and good on your tongue. Bhelpuri is also spicy and you would surely ask for second helping. In non-vegetarian food, the variety increases a lot. Numerous stalls offer different tikkas, seekh kebabs, boti kebabs, shammi kebabs, chicken/mutton korma along with roomali roti and chicken/mutton biryanis. The tikkas and seekh kebabs are specially worth trying along with mutton korma. But there is a warning here - some of the stalls serve very spicy food, so be ready to deal with it. And then there are two good juice shops if you feel to beat that heat on your tongue or in your throat. Plus, you can always try some sweets from Evergreen later on to complete your dinner.

Surely, worth a place for good enough food at reasonable price - provided you are not too keen on ambience.

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Buffet @ Mainland China, G.K.-II

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The first time when I visited Mainland China G.K.-II, I was very much impressed by their food. And I had a glimpse of what they offer for their daily lunch buffet - which is served on second floor. So, today I again headed toward Mainland China, this time to taste their lunch buffet.

And it was wonderful – simply wonderful. They have huge variety for the buffet, so such a reasonable price. If their a-la-carte menu is genuinely Chinese, their buffet is one of the best Indian-style Chinese to get in Delhi. To start with, they offer dimsums – I tried both veg and non-veg ones. Plus they had four starters – 3 veg and one non-veg; I was able to taste only two of them (since I had to save myself for various main course dishes) – Chicken Drumsticks Hunan Style and Crispy Veg. They had 5-6 types of salads on offer. And I forgot to mention that they had soups on offer as well – one veg and one non-veg. Their main course continued the more-than-enough trend set by starters and salads. They had five main course veg dishes and five non-veg ones plus rice and noddles both in veg and non-veg variants. My last visit to their place was totally a vegetarian one, this time I stuck with non-veg variety only. The non-veg main course dishes had nearly everything to try – chicken, lamb, prawns and crab. I tried Prawns In Spicy Chilli Sauce, Crabs in Butter Garlic Sauce and General Tao’s Favorite Chicken. And they were all delicious. Having stuffed all this in my stomach along with beer, my next target was wonderful dessert and fruits section. They had 5-6 desserts ranging from ice cream to mousse and fresh fruits.

Really, it was a very rich buffet in terms of variety of Chinese dishes plus the quality of food as well. And all this for 375 (+taxes) bucks per person only. Mainland China is slowly becoming one of my favorite places for Chinese. Next time, I am going to go for dimsum treat only.

Contact info:
Mainland China,
Plot No. 4, Local Shopping Centre,
Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash - II,
New Delhi - 110048
Tel : (011) 40535525 / 26
Email : mlcdel@airtelbroadband.in

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