Simply Fahad-istic!

WeChat with Anyone, Anywhere! : My 5 Favorites

WeChat With Anyone, Anywhere! : My 5 Favorites

"I hate how when you have W#@†$@☧☧,every Tom,Dick and Harry who has your #(Phone number) in their mobile phone book can find you on it and contact you!",I ranted to Deepak,a friend of mine.

"Have you tried WeChat?" he asked."A lot of people I know have started to use it of late."

Before I knew,I was WeChat-ing with my friends.A little over a month later,IndiBlogger and WeChat announced this bloody cool contest !And it goes without saying that there was no way I was not participating in it!
Remove the annoying bits from the average mobile messaging application,throw in more awesome features,and you have WeChat!To give a brief insight,one is required to accept friend requests on WeChat,rather than discovering that the application already has connected him to the entire world.There is no 'last seen at' timestamp.There are however,group,voice and video messaging features!No wonder I have enjoyed WeChat from the very moment that I started using it!
That brings me to my today's post,my entry for this 'WeChat with Anyone, Anywhere!' contest.The contest is a very creative one.The question being,"If you could connect with 5 or more people in a WeChat group - who would they be,and why?What would you talk about?The people can be dead,alive or even fictional".Ladies and gentleman,without further ado,I present to you,my 5 favorites!

1. Benjamin Spooner Briggs

What better way to solve the 140+ year old,world's greatest maritime mystery than to WeChat the captain featuring it!
Unheard of the mysterious...the bewildering...the controversial story of 'Mary Celeste'?(Name of the ship) I am not surprised.The Mary Celeste has not been written or talked about by the media as widely as some other ships,like Titanic.
Just to give a little brief,she was sailing from New York to Italy in the winter of 1872.A month later,she was discovered floating in the middle of the Atlantic ocean,unmanned!The ten people aboard her were never seen or heard from again!What happened to them?!

The above image is in the public domain.

Piracy? It is not beyond belief that pirates may have attacked the crew and passengers,
murdered them,and thrown them into the ocean.But the valuables of the crew/passengers were still on the ship when she was discovered!Why would pirates attack a ship,murder everyone aboard and not take away the valuables?!Also,there were no signs of violence on the Mary Celeste!
Mutiny? Some believe that the crew,tired of Benjamin Briggs,the captain,and his attitude towards them,murdered him and his family,then escaped in a lifeboat.However,Briggs was in no way an unfair captain!He was a respected man,known for his abilities and fairness.A mutiny hence,is very unlikely to be the cause behind Mary Celeste's abandonment.
Bad Weather? Another theory suggests that the weather took a turn for the bad,and the captain,panicking and believing that the Mary Celeste was going to sink,ordered everyone aboard into the lifeboat,and abandoned it.But,again,why would an experienced and able captain make such a huge error of judgement?Also,another ship sailing through the Atlantic ocean at the same time as Mary Celeste came across no severe weather conditions.

So what really happened to the ten people aboard the ship to make them disappear,as if by magic?!
Once again,the opening statement,"What better way to solve the 140+ year old,world's greatest maritime mystery than to WeChat the captain featuring it"!

Thanks to WeChat's wide range of emoticons,I would be able to express myself well with the highlighted ones when the captain tells me the real account of what happened!

2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
From one captain to another!
The IPL spot fixing scandal has turned out to be much bigger than we ever imagined.Even as I write this post,new explosive twists emerge and the plot thickens.This has to be the most shameless Indian cricket expose of the modern era!
While Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have broken their silence,and rightly so,one man continues to keep mum - M.S. Dhoni,the captain of the Indian national cricket team and Chennai Super Kings.He has refused to react to the scandal time and again,and considering that he does not want to talk to the media,perhaps he will prefer talking on WeChat?

Image Source
Photographer - Blnguyen

The journalist in me(Are we Bloggers not journalists,after all?) wants to ask him several questions via WeChat,but right now I am limiting myself to only three.

Vice-presidentship of India Cements or the captaincy of the Indian cricket team?What means more to you?If the latter,why have you been silent?!
Do you agree with the BCCI chief N. Srinivasan when he calls son-in-law Meiyappan a mere cricket enthusiast?If yes,what is your opinion on this tweet doing rounds on Twitter now days,"If Gurunath Meiyappan is just a Cricket Enthusiast, Veerappan was also just a wildlife enthusiast"?
Is the BCCI gagging you?Or is staying silent your personal decision?

Even as I ask these questions,I wonder if Dhoni will answer us(me and the other WeChat group members) .Or will he send us a blank voice message instead?

3. Aladdin

So far,it has been serious business in the group with Benjamin Spooner Briggs and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.On a lighter note,how about adding Aladdin?(The Disney character who has the Magic Carpet.Not the one from The Arabian Nights!)

Image Source

Creator - TomTom/~imwalkingwithaghost

I will try convincing him to land me his Persian designed...friendly...intelligent carpet.If unpersuaded,hopefully the others will chime in and help me!

Just imagine how cool would it be to send away all corrupt Indian politicians(Psst: And my annoying relatives!) to a deserted island,on the Magic Carpet?

If Aladdin remains unaffected by our persuasion and protests,the audio mode feature of WeChat group chat would come in handy!We all would be able to talk to him,to convince him better!

4. Mithun Chakraborty
This one is the simplest of them all!No-one can be more supportive that Mithun Da in a group chat,so I will like to have him there!He will keep saying "Koi shak" after every message of mine!

Image Source

Photographer - Graphikamaal

On a lighter note,I would have nagged Mithun Da to share with us some name cards of Bollywood superstars,but I don't need to!I already follow several of B-town's big names on WeChat - from the Student Of The Year debutant Varun Dhawan,to the cute actress,Parineeti Chopra!I even have Punit Malhotra,director of one of my favorite movies,I Hate Luv Storys,on my WeChat!

5. Paul Michael Levesque/Triple H
For a die-hard fan of sports entertainment,what can be better than chatting with one of the biggest and most influential names in the industry?
In case you are unaware,Triple H,also nicknamed 'The Game',is an American professional wrestler,actor and business executive.He is signed to WWE(World Wrestling Entertainment).
Not only is he a wrestler at WWE,but also the company's Executive Vice President Of Talent.
Inside the ring,his numerous achievements range from being a thirteen-time world champion to being a former Royal Rumble winner(A match with 30 participants!).

Image Source

Creator - MC VIRRIA/~mcvirria

I would love to have a tête-à-tête with him,and get to know at-least a couple of inside stories!

What does the future of WWE hold,including that of my favorite superstar, Randy Orton ?
Your signature sledgehammer - who's idea was it?What was its origin?
Why hasn't WWE come to India for a show in over a decade now?

Never before in my 3 years history of using smart phones have I seen a mobile messaging application that gives as many awesome features as WeChat!One can send group,voice and video messages,even images!

This summer...imagine...being dressed in tank top and shorts...relaxing by the pool...listening to 90's pop songs...drinking cold lemonade...and group chatting with these 5 enchanting personalities on WeChat!The good life!

To know more about WeChat,visit their YouTube channel or site .

DISCLAIMER
This post is strictly for entertainment purposes only.It does not reflect the views of WeChat or IndiBlogger.

MISTRAL,DELHI
This is a review of the restaurant,Mistral.You might also like to have a look at the restaurant's lunch and dinner menus before reading the review.Simply Fahad-istic! also has their beverage and wine menus for your convenience.

"Genius!",I exclaimed cheerfully and experienced pleasure as I took another bite of the very crisp,caramelly cigarillo.Velvety smooth sweet cream filled my mouth.I then had a mouthful of the chocolate slab and as it melt my taste buds followed it with a spoon of rich creamy and milky vanilla ice cream...Dear Lord!
"This is really good!",I spoke again.This time with peaceful satisfaction.I looked at 'Traveler' Rohan ,author of partner blog ' Path Rarely Taken - The Travel Blog ',who was barely listening,busy enjoying his Souffle!
Our lunch at Mistral,the newly opened restaurant in Ambience Mall,Vasant Kunj,had been a mix of highs and lows,but desserts were certainly the best part of it.

The magnificent and stylish open kitchen(Some might argue that it cannot be called an open kitchen because of the glass wall separating it from the dining space.However,beautiful nonetheless!) where the cooking happens.Since I believe in the philosophy of "Applaud every restaurant that has an open kitchen",(Open kitchens are as much of a liability for restaurants as they are assets,according to experts.Imagine guests noticing the chef tasting every dish with the same spoon.Or worse,his/her sweat dripping into food!) I take my hat off to them!

From classic Italian Margherita Pizza to Aloo-Gobhi Paranthas,from Australian Lamb Chops to Chilean Sea Bass,from Sandwiches to Burgers - you say it,they have it!
Goes without saying,the menu is vast and diverse,the restaurant multi cuisine.The cuisines being European(Italian,French,British) and Asian(Indian,Persian) .They also have a deli and a pâtisserie/bakery section.
A multi cuisine menu,a deli,a pâtisserie - Mistral offers great variety,so much so the food choices are unlimited!

The Mistral Lemonade,the classic drink,is one of the best ways to beat Dilli ki garmi,particularly if you are a teetotaler.A soda water based beverage,the rock salt in it only makes it better.Order it with Norwegian Salmon or Chilean Sea Bass from the European grill on a hot afternoon you wish to make the most of summer!

The lemonade is certainly nice and refreshing.But is it so exceptional that they put their restaurant's name on it?Now,that's another question!

Another drink that the restaurant has its name on is Mistral's Delight.Priced at Rs. 155,it is a sweet and sour passion fruit drink.Sweetened with gomme extract(Commonly called gomme syrup) and garnished with mango wedges.

Does this one deserve a restaurant's name?It is simple,yet unique,so I say yes!

They have 3 bars - a cocktail bar,a vodka bar and a whisky bar.Not just the food choices,the drink choices are unlimited too!

The impressive wine display.
In the mood for a cocktail instead?The Cotton Club,a raspberry flavored,gin based drink offers a high.

The Focaccia,served complementary before the meal,with Garlic In Olive Oil With Herbs & Chili and Sun-dried Tomato Pesto,has all the characteristics of good bread.It is light,soft and flavorful.The quantity of herbs on top is just perfect!

Bread reminds me of cheese,which in turn brings me to the deli again.You can order a Cheese Platter from the deli,or even a cold cuts platter if you like.

If you want to pick up a quick bite,or have a cuppa before a movie at the neighboring cinema(Director's Cut) ,I recommend sitting in the outside area and ordering a snack from the pâtisserie.The range consists of cup cakes,eclairs,cake slices and tarts.Sacher Slice will specially go well with coffee.Try a quiche if you don't have a sweet tooth.

From pros,to the cons of the menu now.
While the menu is a vast one,it certainly isn't a flawless one.Foremost of them is the complete absence of Indian desserts.Imagine ending a meal of Murgh Tangri and Mutton Barra with a Crumble!Absurd,eh?
Secondly,their biggest Indian specialty,Dal Mistral,is not served for dinner.

All burgers,including this (avoidable) Mediterranean Burger come with a side of potato wedges/fries/mixed salad,green apple slaw and a dip.Even though a spicy tomato dip accompanies the Mediterranean burger,and can be easily spooned inside it,the burger is rather dry.The vegetables in the patty are so not Mediterranean as claimed by the menu!(Potatoes and peas are found the world over,no?) Also,they are so finely chopped,almost minced,that they fail to give any bite or additional texture.As for the slaw,it is unusually sweet.

Minus the emmental cheese it reminded me of the typical veg burger served at fast food restaurants.Not bad,but worth the Rs. 395 price?I think not!

When at Mistral,do try the pizzas,which are done rather well.The crust is thin,crisp and slightly browned.The tomato sauce and cheese,in appropriate quantities,complement each other.

Seafood lovers,the Seafood Pizza shown in the above picture is a good choice.Its topping,consists of mussels,prawns,scallops,clams,squid,caper and garlic chip.
Mine did not have any capers but hopefully yours would!

The service is slow.However,the lack in speed is made up by the friendliness and politeness of the staff.I also like the fact that they recommend dishes,thereby making the experience more personalized.

One of the best parts of dining experience at Mistral is the desserts!Toffee Banoffee is probably the biggest star of the menu.Layers of golden,caramelized banana slices,luscious and silky cream-filled very crisp cigarillos and chocolate.All topped with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream and a squirt of berry sauce.What a treat!

The menu states that Toffee Banoffee contains butterscotch ice cream while mine had vanilla.However,butterscotch or no butterscotch,it is sublime!(In fact,I am sure it tastes better with vanilla than it would with butterscotch.)

Chocoholics,for you,the best way to end the meal is with a Souffle.Made with rich and intense 70% dark chocolate!The sweetness of the souffle is strongly contrasted with the tartness of coconut & lemon sorbet,its accompaniment.

If dark chocolate scares you,don't be,the Souffle has ample sweetness.
It was rightly recommended to me by the waiter.

A couple of hiccups,but overall Mistral is a pleasant restaurant.Worth an occasional visit.

DISCLAIMER
All property/entity i.e. restaurant/dhaba/streetfood/takeaway reviews on Simply Fahad-istic! express only the blog author's opinions and are strictly for educational purposes only.They are not to be considered endorsements or warnings for/against purchasing the products or services of these properties/entities.Since there have been no discussions with the owners of these properties/entities,no kitchen or back of the house visits,assumptions have been made about some situations pertaining to operating procedures and may not necessarily be true.Menu prices mentioned are of the time of the reviews and are subject to change.These reviews are not paid for by the property/entity owners.

This work by Fahad Khan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

BEVERAGE MENU: MISTRAL,DELHI

This is the Beverage Menu of the restaurant,Mistral.You might also like to have a look at the restaurant's lunch and dinner menus.Simply Fahad-istic! also has their wine menu for your convenience.

To read the review of the restaurant,click here .

DISCLAIMER

Menu prices mentioned are subject to change.

WINE MENU: MISTRAL,DELHI

This is the Wine Menu of the restaurant,Mistral.You might also like to have a look at the restaurant's lunch and dinner menus.Simply Fahad-istic! also has their beverage menu for your convenience.

To read the review of the restaurant,click here .