Summer is here and it is already scorching my head and heart, leaving it terribly dehydrated. To be honest here summer is not my best times. And you cant blame me! It is blazing hot, no matter how less I dress it always seems more, and it is one of those rare seasons when I don’t feel like stepping out of home at all.
( Some of you may not that a big a deal, but for me, it is like going without water)
But there is always a light at the end of the tunnel because there is something that makes the treacherous heat of the summer bearable.
There will be no guessing games…so let me just get straight to the point.
Mangoes!
Yes…that yellow…juicy…fleshy…hmmm…( Okay…I will get a grip now) piece of fruit just makes me want to die, given the condition that I will be surrounded by mangoes on my deathbed and there will be loads of dancing mangoes in heaven…just for me.
Sigh!
Let me just assure you that my love for mangoes is just not a floozy, timepass sort of love.
No sir..it isn’t!
During this season, I make sure I keep myself abreast with any and every food festival that is happening in city, with a mango theme. And I usually manage to try all of them.
( I really like mangoes ok…sue me!)
Therefore, just like Frodo had a mission in life, I am always on the quest to find the best mango dishes in town that will lead me salvation. And I was in luck!
I came upon the Mango Festival that is happening at the Intercontinental, Marine drive in Mumbai. Each restaurant at the InterContinental, Marine Drive is thematically driven by the tempting king of fruits. They had every dish available which could be made through a mango. Aam ki kheer, kache aam ka jhinga, mango cheesecake, smoked chicken & mango…it is my Disneyland!!!
But just like a true adventurer, I just didn’t stop there. I got a chance to talk to the chef who prepared this delectable menu, Chef Amit Bharadwaj, Executive Chef of InterContinental.
So while eying all mouth watering spread of mango dishes behind and thus getting intensely distracted, I managed to ask the chef a couple of questions.
Me: What inspired you to have a mango festival?
Chef: The fact that what is in season is healthy, if nature produces something in a particular season, we must eat it then!!
Me: Most of the restaurants in town are having similar festivals. How does your stand out?
Chef: We have taken a holistic approach to the “KING” Alphonso and let it reflect in all the different courses of the meal this sets us off as a unique meal experience.
Me: How did you decide upon such a delectable menu?
Chef: We let our creativity be inspired by the magical Mango… the menu was the result!
Me: What goes in making a good festival?
Chef: The timing, the uniqueness and the singular will to “WOW” our customers f!
Me: What other fruits would you like to use for a festival like this?
Chef: Why use anything else to dilute the mango, we have used the mango in all its different forms, be it the dried powder, the fragrant Ripe mango or the and young green mango.
Well said chef!
I think by now, I have given the slight idea that I might be obsessed with mangoes. ( What was your first clue?!!) But then can you blame me? It is the best fruit that is created by nature and with its versatility, you make more or less 500 drinks, dishes, starters, pickles and various other edible items out of it. Most of the other fruits stay limited to squashes or syrups!
Now before I continue my rant and narrate in explicit detail my dream where I had a serious conversation with a mango…just go and enjoy the fruit. The season will come to and end soon and so the reign of the king. ( And by “king” I don’t mean Shahrukh khan!)
Visit http://mumbai.burrp.com/events.html for more information.
Got a sweet tooth? Here is a list of my favourite places to satisfy those cravings.
Corner House – Of course! And have the Death By Chocolate and in summer the Strawberries with Cream and Ice-cream.
Café Fresco’s – The awesome B52 – a creamy concoction of chocolate mousse and kahlua.
The Edge Ice Creams – Try the Rum Tart – you will go back for more.
Kadambam – The sakkare (sweet) pongal – warm, gooey, with oodles of ghee and bits of cashews.
Casa Piccola – The delicious After 8 – a mixture of peppermint and vanilla ice cream with malty chocolate sauce and whipped cream. To cheer you up on those days when you think nothing goes right!
Sunny’s –The chocolate cake is to die for!
Daily Bread/Deluca’s – The Ferraro Rocher gelato is rich, chocolately and superb. And sort of guilt-free
Just Chocolate – For that chocolate fix, try their exotic range of chocolates. And the home-made butterscotch ice cream is truly wholesome and delicious.
Karavalli – For at taste of fabulous Goa and all the wonderful memories that come with it, try their very delicate bibinca!
Selective meat-eater? Or “pure” vegetarian? Prefer organic products?
I come from thair sadam (that’s curd rice for non-Tamilians) brigade and am married to a sorpotel -sannas (aka Mangalorean) clan. So what do we eat at home – rasam and surmai fry, vatha kuzhambu and jackfruit curry, pan pole and milagai podi and may other such combinations which might make purists shudder. The rasam and sambhar I make is not the Tamil original either – it is the Karnataka version with a dash of jaggery, a result of growing up in Bangalore and my hostel life in Mysore. All this in addition to the pastas, salads, grills and bakes that I experiment with – a legacy from my US past and acquiring a neat cookbook collection from there.
End result is my daughter is a very non-picky eater. The only thing I can think of that she dislikes is tomatoes! Her list of favourite foods includes curd rice (of course) and vadu manga (pickled tender mangoes), salads, tuna sandwiches, fish fry, chicken soup and noodles.
Sometimes we eat what we do out of choice, sometimes as a result of upbringing and environment. There is Kareena Kapoor who converted from a hard-core meat eater to a vegetarian for her beau. And there are others who end relationships over differential food preferences.
I completely believe in embracing food influences whole heartedly. What I eat has evolved over time and continues to do so – I like to think that it is a reflection of my life.
So do you think you are what you eat?
Little things in life can go a long way. I have actually managed to make this list so that even you can experience the same feeling I get as I indulge myself in any of the items listed below. You should definitely give it a try next time you visit any of the following places!
1)Waffles: It’s an amazing place that serves all kinds of deserts from creamy mousses to mouth watering sundaes. As the name suggests it’s a place that is truly devoted to bringing us the best waffles in the country. Choco lotto, my personal favorite, is a crunchy waffle stuffed with walnut brownie, slurped in hot chocolate, and served along with it is one scoop of chocolate and vanilla ice-cream each. If you truly are a desert fan, please give this a try!
2)Birdy’s: If it’s one of those days you really crave some type of luxury, then chocolate éclair is your perfect match. This smooth cream filled delight guarantees to take you to an all time high.
3)Crepe Station: Very classy place serving pancakes, waffles and crepes (so totally French). If you want to just fill your stomach with some fries don’t forget to ask for that yummy yum white sauce, I think, garlic maybe…but trust me it rocks!
4)Subway: Weight watchers take a hike! Beware of the delicious taste of the Double Choc Chip Cookie or Oatmeal Cookie near those highly low cal sandwiches. That is one thing that called me back to subway!
5)Garcia’s Famous Pizza: My advice- If you’re a die-heart chicken fan, this one’s for you. Spicy Italian pizza. Its an extra yummy pizza topped with chicken sausages and chillies and loads of cheese. Like the idea? Call your nearest Garcias quick!
6)Sweet Palace: Located somewhere, where most of us would least expect it. In lokhandwala! It’s a small chaat centre serving one of the best Pani puri’s I have ever had! They even home deliver, just incase you don’t want to step outta your crib! 
7)Candies: Great place to chill with friends whenever you want. Next time you pay a visit try ordering for a Dragon Chicken Roll or people like me with the sweet-tooth can go for the blueberry cheesecake, I guarantee you a great experience so sit back and relax!
8)Yummies: Ok…this place rocks. Its like a tiny place at Bandra which serves the best and most affordable Chinese ever! Get there and call for a Triple Schezwan Rice and you’ll get what I mean to say!
9)New Yorkers: If your Italian food crazy, this is the place to be! Nachos with Mexican beans is something you should definitely have, just incase you decide to crash in.
10)Juhu Beach: Last but not the least, Laxmi Pav Bhaji, one the oldest pav bhaji stands present on juhu beach. Serves the yummiest pav bhaji maska marke…and trust me once you taste it, you are completely hooked! Those extra pavs will never stop coming!
Well, I know all of us have that place and that particular comfort food you want everyone to try, so go ahead express yourself and let everyone enjoy what you enjoy!
BlackBubblegum 
Complacency is one thing I absolutely hate about good hotels. But it is the strongest force that takes over a place rated good, and ends up being at its very root cause of downfall and unpopularity within a year of its ‘good’ rating, or so I have observed!
While its tough to get complacent when it comes to the taste of the food served, given that the cook follows the same steps each day, it is very easy to lose track of quality once a restaurant has established a reasonable amount of fame. But am surprised how little attention, restaurants pay to this key factor, after arriving at the threshold of success. Don’t they realise that even though the food is excellent, customers might not turn up if they found stapler-pins in their kababs or hair in the upma?
Yes, it is astonishing, isn’t it? That they manage to make big goof-ups like this!? What started me on this topic is the chip of crockery that I found in the tamarind sauce I was dipping my chandini kabab in at Samarkhand last Saturday. Given the dim lighting within the place, I mistook it to be a seed or such-like and tried chewing at it. I donot give up easy, so after a bit of struggle, I accepted that it might be a bit of bone, carelessly mixed up with the kabab. And then, sorry about this absolute lack of dinner-table etiquette, but my curiosity leaped over all that etiquette and I pulled out the bit to have a closer look. Guess what!? Yup, it was a bit of the crockery indeed, brown and smooth on one side and chipped and pale-white on the other. It was confirmed as much, upon being shown to the manager.
What really amazed me was the nonchalance of the restaurant managers, the absolute lack of apology or any smooth words at all from the whole bunch. They just took the piece back with them. To do what, you ask? To put it back in the jar of tamarind sauce perhaps!? You will probably go on to say that this is my fault when I narrate to you that this is the second such instance I have come across in this same place, Samarkhand. Six months back, over similar dim-lighting I pulled out a stapler-pin, after it gashed lightly in my mouth. Yes, it was in my piece of starter again!
Forgive me, but I have a weakness for their Dum Biryani, which has been overcome with the last bit of crockery piece I stumbled upon. No more of Samarkhand for me, even if it means missing the perfect Dum Biryani and their out-of-this-world kababs. I might have reconsidered and continued with my weakness for their biryani, had a simple apology come my way. But Samarkhand and its bunch or pin-feeders refuse to step down from the ladder of complacency. Bah!
This kind of taking success and popularity for granted is not just Samarkhand’s fault. I have seen this kind of stupidity at many good places. Hair under muffins at Cafe Coffee Days, hair in the upma at the moderately-scaled Sukh Sagar, hair in idli, eye lashes (surely not mine!) in lemon soda, coffee, sugar. Why? Why give up when you are so close to being someone’s favourite eat-out!? Why take the pleasure out of eating-out for a person who is choosing to come to you!? I simply donot get it!
Surely it is foolish to believe that you will continue to have this rush and this huge demand for your food when it is equivalent to a health hazard? Surely it is foolish to believe that customers will flock, no matter what, even though there are so many more new places to explore? Surely it is not good business sense this, absolute disregard for quality? Tell me?
Three months… and I’ve still not found it.
For all you know, I might have come to Hyderabad just to have a taste of that biriyani of which I have heard all my life. I come from another land where biriyani takes up a big chunk of our lives. Chicken Biriyani, Mutton Biriyani, Fish Biriyani, even beef biriyani… malabari’s have taken it to a different level. I was overjoyed when I moved to hyderabad. This was another land of the biriyanis. But sad to say, reality had a different bite to it.
I’ve tried it from Paradise, I’ve tried it from Hyderabad House, I’ve tried it from Four Seasons. They all gave me different versions of the Hyderabadi Biryani and none too great either. Or so, in my opinion… The Four Seasons was the best of the lot… but I still feel something’s missing.
The best biriyani I’ve had so far is from a restaurant I don’t even remember, which makes me quite upset… Cos i really want to have good biryani and if I cant get it in the land of the biriyanis… then where do I get it?
Hey Bangalore,
Are you in the mood for an indulgent Saturday afternoon tommorrow?
Do i hear a ‘yes’?
Ok, then. Come over to the Olive Beach between 11am and 4pm tommorrow (28 July) and check out the Gourmet Bazaar being organized for the first time in town.
You get to check out food and dining accessories (some of which have been designed by me!)
The Bazaar will feature Swiss chocolates, handmade pasta & sauces, organic produce, fresh breads, handmade crockery and functional sculptures for the kitchen. Not to mention, lots of Parmigiano Reggiano, Gruyere, feta and Brie on the cheese board.
See you there!
Can’t make it? It’ll be back next month!
Gourmet Bazaar, 11 am-4 pm on the last Saturday of every month at
Olive Beach, 16 Wood Street, Bangalore. Tel: 41128400.
Baseline prices — Dining accessories: Rs.200; Ceramics: Rs 150; breads: Rs 50; organic veggies: Rs 40/kg; handmade pasta: Rs 120/500 gm; pasta sauces: Rs 100/jar; cheeses: Rs 100/100 gm; cured meats: Rs 200/100 gm.
Chinese has been King cuisine in this town ever since i can recall. Most meals when going out were a toss up either between Indian or Chinese. Once in a while you would sneak into New Yorkers but not that often.
China Garden was THE place to go for a bite. Everyone came by even the dreaded suburbanites. There were a couple of other places around like the old Chung-Fa at Breach Candy, Chinese Room at Kemp’s Corner, Lings Pavilion in Colaba, Chinese Palace at Tardeo, Oriental Blossom (a lot later) All Stir Fry, Five Spice and of course the once in a while treat at Golden Dragon. Everywhere you went Chinese ruled - always.
Initially European cuisine wasn’t the most popular for regulars or occasional meals out.It wasn’t even very well known in fact European usually meant pizza or pasta (that too at the Gujju-American version dished out at New Yorkers etc)
It was not until the advent of Indigo that the city really took to eating out in a restaurant which was not only NOT Indian or Chinese but would have actually fit very nicely in Manhattan. I remember an extravagant meal sometime in late 1999 on a break from college in NY. It cost three of us 1500 bucks (huge deal then) but the meal was great as was the ambiance. I thought it fit in perfectly with most of the places i had been visiting while living away.It was so completely different in every way from anything available to you that it just had to succeed.
Due to Indigo becoming such an haute location there was a distinct paradigm shift in the way the cuisine was perceived in the city.
Chinese was not abandoned but it took a distinct backseat and the change in direction was evident in the opening of numerous European - semi European themed restaurants around then. The very successful if very filmy Olive in Bandra, Belissima and Salt Water Grill both at Chowpatty, Monza at Phoenix, the very Mediterranean Cafe Basilico, Cellini at the Grand Hyatt, Vetro at the Oberoi and one of my favorites Moshe.
However it seems over the last year that the tide has turned again and it is now European that is in the backseat with Asia taking over. A lot of new Oriental restaurants opened doors China White nee Royal China, Vong Wong, China House, the new-old China Garden or CG83, China Gate, Flamboyante. In addition to this other Asian cuisines snuck into the door with Sala Thai, Tamnak Thai, Lemon Grass, the pan Asian East and of course Sushi became cool Tetsuma, Wasabi and the dreadful Japengo.
The restaurants have become classier, the cuisine more complex and experimental. The people who visit them have become braver in their choices (chalk it down to more travel and international experience). Overall the new innings of Chinese / Oriental restaurants seem to be a better experience then the older guard.
Where do we go from here? I dont know. I reckon a few more Pan Asian restaurants would not hurt us at all but it would be fantastic to see at least one proper Tex-mex joint in the near future.
Edit : All the crap in this article is purely opinion based on my experience. I am not spouting any polity or pretending to know whats going on, so don’t bite my head off.
The aqua-blue and white-washed walls bring memories of the sea shore. The greens, reds and yellows of the salads jostle for space with the wicker baskets filled with loaves of freshly-baked bread and rolls. Crisp tablecloths. A whiff of grilled lamb and barbeque sauce. A strumming guitar, a lazy melody in the background, the clink of champagne glasses. Candles flicker in the shadows. The taste of creamy gorgonzola cheese and the tangy citrus flavour of the grape salad with crisp lettuce. Dip the pita in the tzatziki. Muted conversations. Cherubic babies in beautiful clothes play amongst the white pebbles in the patio. More champagne, ma’am? Sure, why not. The red pesto sauce is brimming with flavour. Delicious aromas drift over from the waffle iron. The sweet taste of warm chocolate sauce and maple syrup. The indolent Sunday sun shines away. I lean back on the cushion soaking it up. And savour the moment.
What is your favourite food memory?
Today am going to tell you about one of my favourite dishes, the mighty, all-conquering, yumm at any point of time, in any mood, with any company, and the dish for which I can sell my soul to the Devil… err, I seem to have gone over the top, but I do love Chicken Biryani absolutely!
Chicken Biryani, the kinds I’d give my left hand to eat, is the Andhra cuisine one. Endowed with the right amount of spices, taunting me with the medium sized chicken pieces, with the bowl of raitha alongside, and another bowl of mirchi-ka-salan, the plate of Chicken biryani, I realise is as much a favourite of many others as it is mine. In all this dreamy Chicken Biryani memories, am almost drooling over the keyboard, Oh! someone get me a plate of Chicken Biryani at once I say, with a boiled egg perched atop the mount of Chicken Biryani, and a little lemon slice peeping from the side… aah! Bliss!
Here’s a list of my favourite Chicken Biryani haunts _
* Nandini - Small in budget and great in taste, the Chicken Biryani at Nandini has never disappointed me. Branches of Nandini are scatterred all over Bangalore, but I must make special mention of the Nandini at the Domlur-Airport Road junction. That’s where I last had a Chicken Biryani. Their quantity is huge, or so it seems to a person like me with average appetite! I sometimes mix the Andhra gun-powder(!) to make it more spicy, but I mostly dig it with the raitha they provide.
* Even before Nandinis adorned the corners of Bangalore, I discovered Chicken Biryani at the tender age of 2(!), in a little place in Majestic, Annapoorna. I have no idea if this one still exists, but my parents frequented that place when they first landed in Bangalore and Majestic was like a good hang-out back then with all the major theatres and restaurants and connectivity with every part of the city. My parents sat me atop the table and left me the salt-shaker and the pepper-shaker to play with while gorging themselves with Chicken Biryani. Apparently, I raised a huge hue and cry about this ugly treatment meted out to me, and turned around, and gathered a fistful of Chicken Biryani off my Mom’s banana leaf, yeah they were into the banana leaf thing in a big way back then, and stuffed my little mouth. It has been ever-lasting love for me and Chicken Biryani ever since!
* Another little place serving yumm Chicken Biryani and Andhra cuisine those days was a restaurant called ‘RR‘. They moved, and have branches too. But I donot die for their Chicken Biryani anymore. Something is missing, am not quite sure what.
* Annachi, the one above the Coffee Day outlet on 100 Ft road, Indiranagar, well-known for serving authentic south-indian cuisine in its tastiest form, has great Chicken Biryani too. But its spicier than most other places, 3 minutes into the Biryani, am puffing, panting, sweating, gulping water, sprinkling sugar on my poor tongue on fire, etc. On the whole, not my best experience with the Chicken Biryani there.
* Nagarjuna, the branch at Residency road, next to Corner House, serves one of the yummy tasting Chicken Biryanis too. But I prefer the Nagarjuna Savoy, a more spaced out version of the same Nagarjuna, a more fine-dining place, a better service, a little more upscale. They serve good Chicken Biryani too, and I head there if I want to spend more than usual for my Chicken Biryani. Nagarjuna Savoy, I suppose you know, lies hidden behind Amravati, on the narrow street that leads to Symphony theatre from the Residency road.
* Amravati is another Andhra cuisine place, but I don’t like their service, their congested seating, and their Biryani. Yeah, not the best Biryani for sure. Why’d I head to Amravati then?
* There are many other insignificant ones, the Mayuri on New BEL road, which has pathetic service, but decent Biryanis, Gonguras, Shreedevi, Maharaja, which fakes the regular Chicken Biryani as the special Nati Koli Biryani.
This is my short and sweet list of Chicken Biryani junctions I recommend in Bangalore. Any favourite of yours that I missed?
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