Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil - A product review

Rice Bran oil is the new buzzword in Indian markets and advertisements touting its healthy value are in plenty. When blogadda sent me an email asking if I would like to review Fortune's Rice Bran Health oil, I decided to jump on the bandwagon too and see for myself what the benefits of using this oil were.
I am reviewing this healthy heart oil as a part of the BlogAdda's Product Review Program for Indian Bloggers.'

A 2 litre can of the oil arrived, neatly packed in a recycled box and I have been using it for my regular cooking since then. Here's a look at the use that Fortune's Rice Bran Health oil has been put to in my kitchen.
It has been used to make a simple stir fry with methi leaves (recipe coming up soon)

Mixed vegetable kuzhi paniyaram for an evening snack (recipe here)
 
to fry up some perfectly delicious puris and pappadams

and to make the best and easiest murukku ever (recipe here).

Now, after doing all this, I sat wondering how I was going to "review" this oil? I couldn't just say that I made all this and that the oil worked just fine, could I? So, I've compared this oil, on certain parameters, to the two oils that I use regularly in my kitchen - refined oil and coconut oil.
Odour - While coconut oil has a distinct odour that I absolutely love, though not everybody shares that love, Fortune's rice bran oil is almost odourless. I say almost because there is a very, very light sweetish odour which you can discern if you sniff hard enough :-)
Colour - While the refined oil I use and coconut oil are colourless, the rice bran oil has a light yellowish shade, which, however does not detract from its uses.
Viscocity - Found almost no difference on this count, except that it seems to be a runnier  and hence lighter oil when compared to olive oil.
Fortune also claims that Rice Bran oil has the following health benefits:

• Heart friendly as it a cholesterol lowering oil
• One of the key ingredients in this oil is Oryzanol which is said to improve HDL/LDL ratios.
• The balance of Poly unsaturated Fatty acids and Mono unsaturated fatty acids in this oil is stated to be ideal for cleaner blood vessels.
• The presence of Tocotrienols and phytosterols gives it anti-cancer properties.
• Squalene - an ingredient in the oil helps improve skin tone and delays wrinkle formation.
• Vitamin E helps maintain balance of nervous system.
• Natural antioxidants protect against various diseases.
• Ferulic acid stimulates hormonal secretion and rejuvenates health.

When I used this oil for deep frying, one of the things that I really liked is that the food did not seem to "drink" oil. The oil absorption was quite low. All in all, I would say that at an MRP of Rs 115 per litre, which is only slightly higher than most refined oils, this is something you should try out at least once.

Restaurant Review - The Fat Chef

What???
Italian, American, Mexican, sandwiches, burgers
Where???
5/2 Jagriti, Ramagondahalli, Varthur Road, Whitefield, India 560066
Contact :(080) 41119768/(080) 40992981/(080) 40992982/9844932817

Having read excellent reviews of the restaurant, we decided to go to The Fat Chef for dinner tonight. The restaurant is situated right next to the entrance to Renaissance Jagriti, on Varthur Road, Whitefield.
Now, let's talk about what I liked about the restaurant.
The ambiance is fantastic. Spacious, with plenty of out door and indoor seating, this is one restaurant that anybody will like at first sight. Having called ahead to make a reservation, we were able to avoid waiting outside, and were shown to our table almost immediately on arrival. The restaurant has no printed menu......the day's menu is put up on boards at the entrance and we have to go, look at it and then place our order.
We ordered Baby corn fingers for starters, pasta alfredo for the main course, and french fries for the LG. We also ordered Pepsi and fresh watermelon juice. The water melon juice was served promptly, but the Pepsi never came, despite reminding a waiter once. After that, we just told the waiter to cancel the order for the Pepsi. The baby corn fingers and the dip served with it had a strange sour taste. We didn't like it much.
The spaghetti in alfredo sauce was excellent. It had just the right blend of flavours, and was perfectly seasoned. The garlic bread was really good too.
What I didn't like:
The waiter put a bowl of steaming pasta and a basket of bread in front of us, but forgot to give us plates. We waited for a while, but there was still no sign of plates. We finally had to call another waiter and ask him to get us plates.
Our water glasses were never refilled. Despite several waiters walking around from table to table, not one of them came around with a jug of water to refill our empty glasses.
We had to wait for an inordinately long time to get our bill. Again, we had to ask for the bill twice......I don't know why the first person we asked never got around to getting us the bill.
Will I go there again???
Even though the starter was nothing to write home about, I really enjoyed the rest of our meal. The service, however, was terrible. I might go back another time for the food, but if the service isn't better next time, I am sure I will never go back again.

Restaurant review - Azulia

Where???
At the GRT Grand
120, Thyagaraya rd,
T Nagar, Chennai.
Phone : 28150500

What???
Mediterranean food

Would I go back there???
That's a definite, loud YES!!!
Their menu is extensive and is presented well with details on what goes into each dish. The waiters (atleast the one who waited on us) was quite informative about the dishes. They don't have a choice as far as soups go - there's only the Veg/non-veg soup of the day. On the day I went, there was Fava bean soup and it tasted awesome. There's a whole lot of starters (hot and cold mezze) on the menu and I'd love to go back and try out more of those. What I did try was called Bourak bel jibneh and it was a kind of crisp cigar shaped roll stuffed with veggies. The french bread and pickled brinjals that they start you off with are finger licking good. For the main course, I tried a dish with couscous, the name of which I can't remember. What I do remember is the taste. All the dishes were only mildly spicy - nothing like our hot, spicy Indian dishes, but it definitely scored high on the taste meter.
You should go in expecting to spend about Rs. 1000 per person. The portions are small as in they are not meant for sharing. It is just right for one person. Service, as it always is at GRT, is fantastic. The waitstaff are all dressed in Mediterranean costumes. It would be good if the interior was also done up in keeping with that theme.
Oh....and I love the fact that as I was leaving the restaurant, the lady at the reception came up to me and gave me a little paper bag with an Azulia apron in it :-))

Restaurant review - Cholayil Sanjeevanam, Nungambakkam, Chennai

Where???
97, Nungambakkam High Road,
Nungambakkam, Chennai.
Phone:044-64508427

What???
Healthy, vegetarian food.

Would I go back there?
I've been to Cholayil a few times now but it is only today that I got to taste their "Rajakeeyam meal" which is basically a South Indian vegetarian thali that serves healthy food. The food is served in a certain order and you are expected to eat it in the same order. First, there's a small bowl with cut up nenthrapazham(ripe plantain) and grated coconut, followed by a colourful array of juices (dates, nut milk, haritha buttermilk, vegetable juice and rice bran water). Once you down all of these, you are served four kinds each of uncooked veggies, semi-cooked veggies and fully cooked veggies in that order. You are not given water even if you ask for it, because they say that water fills up the stomach and hampers digestion. It is given to you only at the end. Once you are done with all of these, you are almost full. That's when red rice and parippu (dal) make an appearance. Then comes white rice with sambar, rasam, morkozhambu and buttermilk.
This is followed by payasam. The meal ends with a spoonful of honey poured into your hand.
The meal leaves you pleasantly full and it is nice to sit down and eat in an orderly fashion once in a while. There is no cloying sense of oil or fat that you leave with at the end of the meal.
At Rs. 120 a meal, it is good value for the money too.
However, if you do not like to be told that you should eat in the order that they ask you to, this restaurant is not for you. For me, it was a pleasant experience and I enjoyed the food.

Restaurant review - Bombay Blue

Where???
45, College Road,
Nungambakkam,
Chennai.

What???
A hotch-potch of cuisines - Italian, Mexican, Lebanese and Indian

Would I go there again???
I went in expecting to find a lot of Bombay-ish stuff like chaats and street food, but found a menu that boasted food from four different parts of the world. The food is OK - not the kind that will have you raving about it, but not bad either. One of their specialities is the wide selection of sizzlers they offer. You will notice the smell of smoke almost as soon as you enter the restaurant. This is because nearly all the people who go in order a sizzler. We did too, and while I was not displeased with the way the sizzler tasted, I was not very excited about it either.
The soup that we ordered tasted more Indian than Italian, but it was good. The falafel and the sandwiches were good too. Again, nothing to rave about, but no rants either.
So, to answer my question - I wouldn't mind going back, but Bombay Blue is definitely not going to be my first choice if somebody were to ask me where I'd like to go.

Restaurant review - Little Italy Ristorante, Chennai.

Where???
112,Eldorado building, Nungambakkam high Road, Chennai.
Ph :42601234
It is opposite Pizza Corner on Nungambakkam H.R.

What???
Mostly Italian and also some Mexican food....the entire menu is vegetarian. Both the cuisines have been Indianised to suit the local palate but it does taste good. The minestrone soup, which incidentally, is my favourite soup, was a huge disappointment. I was expecting an Olive Garden style soup, but what they served turned out to be greenish and watery. Other than that, the rest of the dishes we ordered turned out to be quite good. The risotto and penne with sun dried tomatoes and sauces were both good, though the quantity is much too less for the price that you pay. The Quesidillas looked like they were made using rotis instead of tortillas....but tasted quite alright.
The service is just about average. The wait staff (at least some of them) seem to have trouble with both English and Tamil. I asked the lady who waited on our table a question about a dish and she just said yes and walked off. I also had to wait an extra 10 minutes to get an plate for my daughter despite the fact that several waiters were walking around setting tables and I was told that I would have to wait for "Just one minute".
That said, the ambience and the food made enough of an impression to make me want to go back.

How much should you expect to pay???
About Rs 600 - 650 for two people.

Do make reservations, especially on weekends, because the place does tend to get quite crowded.