surrey bc

I had the pleasure of attending the official opening party for Tandoori Flame last night, North America’s largest Indian buffet that just opened their newest location in Surrey, BC.

Last night was an invite only event for people from the media industry, bloggers and others in the community to be welcomed at Tandoori Flame and have the chance to talk with the staff and owner, Shraey Gulati.

I had the privilege of interviewing Gulati and discussing the transition from Brampton, Ontario— where the first ever Tandoori Flame buffet was opened, to Surrey, BC.

“Tandoori Flame in Brampton was open in 2009 by myself, my mom and dad and younger brother. 2011 is when we wanted to open a second location and we thought of doing it in Vancouver. We came here and looked for a location for about one year but we couldn’t find anything. In the mean time, 2013, the Mississauga location popped up. We did that in October and since then we always wanted to open up here in BC.”

Gulati recognizes that there is a large South Asian community in Surrey and Indian food has become more mainstream than ever— “It’s the new Chinese, it’s become very popular.”

It took the family 8 years to find the perfect location in Surrey and 3 years to build the buffet.

“We are very excited to be here in BC,” Gulati shares.

Besides being a buffet compared to a typical restaurant dining experience, Gulati expands on why Tandoori Flame is unique among other Indian restaurants. One of those reasons is that sometimes you go out with your family and you’re limited to ordering food of the menu, you may want gol gappay but your sister doesn’t.

“Here the idea is, whether you’re a group of four, group of forty or maybe two hundred, you come in and pay one flat price and start from our kids station to our chaat station— which serves about ten different chaats, our South Indian dosa station, then we have our tandoori station, we have the curry, non-veggie and veggie stations, Chinese station and also we have a halal station. Then there’s the salad and the fruit, the bakery where we serve amazing cakes, pastries and pizzas. Then we have for kids the ice cream station too.”

With over 150 food items and 12 different food stations, there’s no doubt that you will leave with your stomach stuffed!

“Where else can you find this for $15.99 or $16.99 or most expensive being $26.99 on weekends. At the end of the day the concept is Tandoori Flame, sab ke liye kuch na kuch [something for everybody].”

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First things first, working out is not a “trend,” it’s a lifestyle.

This isn’t a blog post that’s going to tell you what you should do, instead, it will show you what you need to do in order to stay healthy and positive.

The Health Benefits of Working Out:

From improving joint pains, posture, muscle strength, to reducing stress, there are many reasons why you should hit the gym.

I noticed that working out changed my perspective on life. I gained self-confidence in myself and became a more productive and creative person.

Your body should be taken care of. Working out boosts your mental wellness and did I mention that it really does make you a happier person? Say goodbye to stress and welcome a new version of yourself.

For more benefits of exercise, click here.

My Workout Routine:

I began working out with weights about a year ago. I remember how hard it was and feeling like I had no strength whatsoever. I wasn’t capable of doing a proper push-up, but now I can proudly say that I’ve built upper body strength that I didn’t think I had in me.

Nothing comes easy. The process may be slow but once you start seeing results, that’s the motivation right there!

I workout at House of Gains typically three times a week, where all-girls/co-ed boot camp classes and personal training is offered. House of Gains definitely pushed my limits and motivated me to become the best version of myself.

Here are my go-to workouts for every part of your body. Save these images to your phone and try them at home or the next time you go to the gym!

Workout #1

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Workout #10

Printable Workouts via WorkoutLabs

I typically begin a workout with 15-20 minutes of cardio and then complete my sets. Remember, it’s not about how fast you workout or how much weight you can lift. Using proper form is a key factor in making improvements. Practice perfecting your form and you’ll only get better. (I’m still working on my form for a few exercises.)

Lifting weights aren’t the only type of exercise. Other alternatives to working out include:

Going for regular walks and/or runs
Hiking
Riding a bike
Kickboxing, swimming and playing sports

Workout Clothes:

I don’t know about you, but workout clothes are definitely a motivation for me. There’s nothing like the feeling of buying a pair of brand new sneakers to wear at the gym.

Most of my workout clothes are purchased from stores such as Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Nike and Lululemon. There are tons of online stores that carry good and comfortable activewear.