"The
complete
drift
in
my
personality
after
starting
blogging
is
something
I
am
so
proud
of," said
Faraaz
Siddiqui
when
asked
about
his
proudest
achievement.
His
journey
from
an
Engineer
to
a
successful
food
blogger
&
entrepreneur
has
been
a
remarkable
one.
He
considers
the
tiger
to
be
his
spirit
animal,
king
of
the
jungle.
Faraaz
Siddiqui
in
an
exclusive
tête-à-tête
with
FilmiBeat
gets
candid
about
sharing
tips
for
novice
food
bloggers,
sharing
things
about
commencing
his
blogging
journey,
the
change
he
witnessed
in
himself
in
the
past
6
years,
a
challenging
moment
that
turned
his
life
upside
down,
and
much
more.
Why
did
you
start
blogging?
I
think
it
started
because
of
my
food
addiction.
I
belong
to
Hyderabad
and
have
always
been
inspired
by
the
amazing
food
this
city
offers.
There
are
many
good
restaurants,
and
most
of
them
go
unexplored
mostly.
Hyderabad
is
big
on
restaurants
and
cafes
&
so
many
local
rich
cuisines,
there
are
many
unique
dishes
that
are
of
different
types,
and
people
do
not
know
about
them
and
that's
when
I
started
"Spoonful
of
Hyderabad
''.
Now
exploring
different
restaurants
or
food
joints.
You
can
look
and
get
to
know
about
great
places
to
eat
in
Hyderabad.
Food
blogging
is
a
passion
both
about
food
and
about
discovering
a
dish
that
can
tickle
not
only
your
tummy
but
also
your
tongue.
On
what
parameters
do
you
give
your
reviews
on
a
particular
restaurant?
I
review
my
dining
experience
in
an
honest,
professional,
constructive,
and
balanced
manner
based
on
five
parameters
-
food
(from
presentation
to
taste),
location,
interior,
ambiance,
hygiene
of
the
café
or
restaurant,
and
value
for
money
-
to
help
you,
my
readers,
make
an
informed
decision.
I
do
pay
my
way,
review
incognito,
and
refuse
freebies
in
exchange
for
reviews.
Whilst
I
appreciate
chefs
spending
hours
perfecting
a
dish,
so
do
I
with
a
review
-
on
average
a
blog
post
takes
a
full
working
day
to
research
and
write,
and
that's
without
the
time
spent
eating
out.
What's
your
favorite
restaurant
or
food
place?
Well,
there
are
a
lot,
but
my
current
favorite
is
Taj
Mahal
Hotel.
The
in-house
dining
facilities
offer
nothing
short
of
a
magical
multi-cuisine
experience.
It
serves
delicious
buffet
spreads
that
include
south
Indian
as
well
as
North
Indian
delicacies
but
is
especially
famous
for
flavorsome
masala
Dosas
and
Idly
Vadas.
Did
you
ever
think
that
you
would
be
so
successful
at
blogging
when
you
started?
Depends
on
your
definition
of
"successful." I
started
blogging
exactly
6
years
ago
and
learned
everything
from
scratch.
I
think
I
am
lucky
enough
to
see
that
much
growth
in
6
years.
Today
I
am
renowned
as
the
top
Hyderabadi
food
blogger
you
could
say
the
pioneer
in
starting
blogging
in
Hyderabad.
I
have
been
featured
in
the
5th
position
in
the
top
21
Emerging
Entrepreneurs
in
India
in
the
Digital
Era.
Also,
stand
in
the
top
100
bloggers
of
India.
I
couldn't
be
happier
than
this.
The
photos
of
your
recipes
are
one
of
the
highlights
of
your
blog.
What
are
the
elements
that
go
into
each
photo?
The
hard
work
of
my
outstanding
team.
The
time
they
spend
clicking
the
pictures
in
such
a
way
that
they
should
be
crystal
clear,
well-thought-out,
and
well-balanced,
viewers
should
feel
hungry
by
seeing
the
photos
and
convey
a
message
immediately
that
we
want
to
signify.
If
you're
doing
it
right,
it's
going
to
provoke
an
emotional
response.
In
the
best-case
scenario,
viewers
will
associate
your
image
with
happiness,
success,
and
improvement-something
positive,
and
something
that
you
can
offer
them.
What
advice
would
you
like
to
give
to
people
who
want
to
start
blogging?
The
single
best
blogging
tip
would
be,
"Be
Consistent,
Be
very
Consistent."
Yes,
that's
the
toughest
task
you
must
follow.
Other
than
this:
1)Jump
into
blogging
only
if
you
are
passionate
enough.
2)Never
start
with
the
aim
of
earning
BIG,
you
will
end
up
getting
disappointed.
3)You
will
fail,
fail
a
lot
-
Keep
Going.
4)Follow
the
industry
experts
but
don't
blindly
follow.
5)Get
the
basics
right.
6)Quality
matters
far
more
than
quantity.
What's
your
most
guilty
pleasure?
I
don't
have
any
guilty
pleasure
because
food
is
what
I
live
for.
I
don't
have
guilt
when
it
comes
to
food.
I
either
eat
it
or
don't
eat
it.
Usually,
I
am
quite
conservative
with
the
amount
I
eat
and
eat
below
the
norm,
so
this
is
how
I
have
zero
guilt.
In
the
end,
it's
all
about
knowing
your
portions
and
when
you
know
that
there
is
no
place
left
for
guilt.
What
was
the
most
challenging
moment
in
your
blogging
journey
so
far?
Consistency
is
the
most
challenging
part
of
blogging.
Quality
content
along
with
regularity
requires
overcoming
a
lot
of
hurdles
such
as
forgoing
a
lot
of
me-time.
Maintaining
content
that
attracts
traffic
and
gains
followers
is
yet
another
challenging
aspect
for
a
blogger.
I
believe
one
can
overcome
all
challenges
with
hard
work
and
focus.
Tell
me
about
your
proudest
achievement?
The
proudest
moment
was
when
I
started
gaining
recognition
for
my
work.
Started
first
with
friends
&
family
then
spread
out
in
the
city.
As
when
I
initially
started
my
journey
the
term
influencer
or
blogger
was
not
known
in
the
city.
A
lot
of
them
thought
that
all
I
was
doing
is
wasting
my
time.
These
things
motivated
me
even
more
and
slowly
now
everyone
knows
what
I
am
&
"Spoonful"
is
now
a
brand
in
Hyderabad.
I
would
consider
this
my
proudest
achievement.
How
did
you
manage
blogging
and
your
food
cravings
during
the
lockdown?
Undoubtedly,
2020
has
been
the
worst
year
for
everybody
in
the
world.
I
was
not
able
to
explore
new
places
to
eat
out
&
take
pictures.
While
people
have
been
stuck
at
home,
they've
been
experimenting
with
cooking
and
eating
more
homemade
food
now
and
so
have
I.
I've
tried
making
so
many
food
recipes
such
as
pav
bhaji,
garlic
bread,
paneer
tikka,
and
many
more.
Apart
from
this,
I
used
to
post
self-made
food
videos
and
pictures
for
my
followers
and
named
this
series
'Spoonful
Eatery'.
A
lot
of
people
showed
their
participation
by
sharing
their
food
recipes
and
using
the
hashtag
#SpoonfulEatery.
In
your
opinion
what's
the
quick
technique
or
way
for
getting
more
fan
following
or
becoming
famous
on
Instagram?
Your
bio
is
the
first
thing
people
see.
People
come
on
Instagram
not
to
be
sold
to
by
a
corporation,
but
to
be
entertained.
They
want
to
know
the
YOU
behind
your
account.
Keep
current
followers
informed
on
your
latest
updates.
Being
open
and
transparent
will
go
a
long
way
to
help
you
connect
with
your
audience.
Staying
organized
and
planning
content
can
make
being
Instagram
famous
significantly
more
manageable.
Keep
engaging
in
new
and
fresh
content
at
the
right
time
for
your
followers.