Soldier of Fortune

The 5 most memorable meals of 2011

2012-01-10T15:40:00.000+05:30

Lunch with the First Family

2011-01-08T10:06:00.012+05:30

The dice was loaded, Barak Obama was in town, it was the November the 7^th, the whole city was in a security blanket. The rumours were, the American President was travelling, with an entourage of 5000 persons. The last time, the American President visited, the rumour is that the canine force , that is elite Dog squad (in the US of A everything is glamorised),was put up at one of the better hotels.

This time over, the year circa 2010, everyone was preparing for the Obama platter, The Hyderbad House banquets, banquets at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The ceremonial guard by the PBG (President Body Guard). The legends of the presidential car called The Beast. Pages and pages of newsprint devoted to the Food ,Drink, Travel, Car and Clothes of the First Couple, acres of footage on News and Lifestyle shows devoted to the first couple.

Amidst, all this chaos, the humble family of self, dearest wife Praveen and young Detective An, decided to have lunch at San Gimignano, a quaint, traditional Italian restaurant at The Imperial.To match the royal occasion it was our 18^th wedding anniversary. We entered it was noon, a crisp winter afternoon, the captain at the restaurant, one who started as a trainee and now runs the restaurant, offered us to be seated outside, outdoors (Alfresco). We, i.e dearest wife Praveen and I are suckers for Alfresco dining usually. However, today we politely refused.

We enter we are seated, I order a Peroni beer, dearest wife Praveen orders a chardonnay, a nice one (the name, it is lost in folds of my cranium), besides I have lost the bills , so cannot even refer to them. The drinks arrive, so do breads. We settle down.

Lo behold ! Hail Mary ! dearest wife discreetly says, just behind you, Ms Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Very slowly, we turn and discreetly observe the mother and son enjoying their lunch. Only once the visiting chef from Italy comes to click his heels to Madam and Baba. We let them be and indulge into our own reverie, a Caesar salad (came with a poached egg loaded with parmesan cheese, we had loads of bread with a red paste , made of red chillies/garlic/olive oil..... delicious (stayed away from the olive oil and balsamic vinegar we often have). We were told its a Tuscany recipe. Wife says, Rahul Gandhi is going on staring at you, perhaps he was trying to draw attention. Why is this regular family not making any signs of recognition, let alone reverence.

The next course arrives it’s a ravioli with spinach and exotic cheese cooked with truffles and then we get on to a spicy Italian sausage pizza. All the food is very nice, very good quality ingredients cooked to perfection. We look around the, sketches and pictures of the town San Gimiagno, the restaurant is named after. Here comes the Tiramasu, exotic 9with a hint of Alcohol). A Japanese enters the restaurant both smartly turned out and with a baby, they are again guided out, they resort to sitting indoors like us and unknowingly give company to Mrs Gandhi dressed in a salwar kameez and Rahul Gandhi wearing . errr do not remember. Enters Swati Piramal the head Assocham, wife of Ajay Piramal and publisher of a Business management magazine that prints 5000 copies. She was so poorly dressed. She asks Madam for a picture and flashes out a camera and the distinguished gent (captain of the restaurant) is summoned to click the photo. A Kodak moment for Mrs Piramal and Mrs Gandhi unwillingly agrees for a photo for the scrapbook. We cluck our tongues in despair.

The Gandhis are ready to leave, thy look at us in admiration, we let them be all through their lunch and after. Swati did not, the Japanese did not know and care. We knew who she is and still kept our excitement to ourselves including little detective An. They left very discreetly like they are regulars without any hullabaloo and security, pretty much like commoners.

And all this happened when the city and the country was trying to please the First couple of USA.

The service at San Gimignano was top class, attentive and unobtrusive. Nice.

If you have had a brush with the Royalty ! Ahem ! Polity ! do write in.

So long and happy New Year

Food Meditation... at The Attic

2010-09-01T13:46:00.016+05:30

After a deeply carnivorous diet which contributed in pushing my Blood Pressure by 10-20 base points on the systolic and diastolic pressure. It was time to take the mail from Mina at The Attic more seriously. I have, been a part of the group for lecture series followed by elaborate dinners at the IIC. (The Anglo Indian Dinner: see the previous posts, and the Mughal Cuisine, which I am yet to write about).
This is more about the current experience, the food meditation. Like mindfull eating, as professed, by Thich Nhat Minh(The Vietnamese Buddhist saint, now living Soouth of France). Words like Amaranth, Barnyard millet, organic and holistic living etc were words and places I would not go near forthe last, nearly 5 years, as I have been deeply carnivorous.

However, the latest, the blips on my blood pressure index and general winds of change urged me to look, accept and perhaps make the call. I spoke to Anaam, to enquire and confirm my attendance at the food meditation; he sounded Oshoesque (borrowed from Buddhaesque) in his disposition.

I was there at 1.00 pm sharp registered in the guestbook (called Food from Farmer) and paid the Rs 200/- and settled with the music around to an experience extraordinaire. I shared the table with a lady working on ecological recycling (developed while she lived in London) and a young teacher from a school at Varanasi. The next, floor seated table, like ours with a yellow damask had the constant chatter in French (by a French woman) and an Indian lady responding in French.
Anaam encourages, let the flavors communicate with you and vice versa. I take his advice rather seriously and smell and taste everything diligently.
Menu
1. Arhar daal (Lentils) with jakhia tadka 2 Mandua (Finger Millet) and Amaranth (Chaulai) Roti
3. Paneer (Cottage cheese) curry 4.Amaranth Raita
5. Alloo jakhia (Dry potato vegetable) 6. Chhachh (Buttermilk)
7. Black rice 8.Kheer (sweet rice in milk) 9.Ginger and Onion Chutney
10. Freshly prepared Achhar ( Chilly and Karonda pickle)

The food smells wonderful, the Chaach (buttermilk) has a creamy after taste. The Daal smells and tastes heavenly, imagine I have three bowls, it is ordinary yellow arhar daal, but you should have been there to share and understand the experience. The stars were definitely the daal, the pinkish ginger onion chutney and the kheer . Oh man the smells were pure the taste unique and everything had its own flavor with a heightened arousal of all my senses. I can easily say it was one of the best or perhaps the best meal I have had this year.
The experience took you to another place and time. I am sure there are several benefits of organic food, produce and the unaccustomed earth they are grown own. The produce in this case came from a village 5-6 hours walk from the nearest roadhead near Rishikesh. However, along with the produce, I would complement the cook’s effort with a 50 % leading to this simple, flavorful and exquisite meal Thank you, Mina Vahie and Anaam from The Attic for calling me and having me over.

I understand there are two formats of mindful eating here, one is the one I attended, in the restaurant format, 6 tables of four floor seaters. The other is a simpler format. Try it, it's worth it.
The Attic is in the Regal Cinema building above The Shop.
Do you have an interesting story on Alternative Dinning. Please write in.

So Long!

Living in America........ Best and the worst meal

2010-07-29T10:43:00.014+05:30

When you live in a town, a small town in America you tend to become a part of the town. In our case it was dearest wife Praveen, Detective An, and yours truly who stayed together in Pittsburgh for over a fortnight, while dearest wife Praveen pursued her Leadership Management (Full Bright Scholarship) at Carnegie Mellon University.

When you do something for 21 days it becomes a habit, similarly when you don’t do something regularly for 21 days it stops being a habit (profound isn’t it). Yes, I have not written for over 60 days and I have a problem getting back to it.

When the experiences are few and far, we tend to ponder, think and exaggerate and perhaps as a blogger record them. When the experiences are, varied and in fast consecution to each other, the choices then become extremely difficult.In the last two months I have passed through and visited Munich, Pittsburgh, Washington, Frankfurt, Goa, Bangalore and Mumbai. This one is about living in America. The most memorable and hyper varied experiences make it to my first record.

True to my grain, I am going to right about the salesman kind of places. Though my idiom in India Is Rs 100/-. Unfortunately, I think one has to re-calibrate in USA and call it eating under USD 8 (simply defined a burger, fries and coke at Mc Donald’s is approx Rs85-100, whilst in USA its USD 8). Will try to stick to the USD 8-10 budget. In no particular order, I am trying to capture experiences.

Most Memorable Meal:

Speaking to Sukku and Ritu (friends of my friend Rajesh Tewari our elegant host and friend from Discovery Channel), knowing my keen interest and food said, you have to try El Pollo Rico, the only place Anthony Bourdain wanted to go on visiting Washington DC. What when, where I had to do it we were leaving the next day for India. The next morning, Rajesh set the GPS for El Pollo Rico in Arlington and we were there. It looked like an ordinary diner or Cantina (Mexican) in a very ordinary parking lot.

It is famous for the Peruvian roasted chicken, that’s it, nothing else. Like India, Quarter, Half and Full Chicken with fries and coleslaw with two interesting sauces or chutneys a green spicy sauce and a pale yellow creamy cheesy sauce (can't get my finger on those sauces but delicious). Now the place, ordinary looking with a long bar and the Rotisserie behind it, with gringo like men smiling, the tables and restaurant was white light, ordinary. The main star is the chicken with subcutaneous fat, the skin charred crisp brown, the insides, meat coming of the bone though firm. I could go on and on and on…………. Using my most often used expression, the earth moved for me, it does, nearly once a quarter.

The price, we paid USD 13.50 (approx Rs 640), perfect could easily feed two hungry men or moderately hungry family of 3-4. Most amazing experience. You must check out the brief experience on YouTube (if you like. The basting of the chicken the crispness the spices and the flavors are hard to describe. I did sight a Peruvian Chicken Stall at the Ambience Mall in Gurgaon (near Delhi), but it looked like fried chicken far from the real stuff I had recently had. By the way goes great with Trader Joe’s Chardonnay (Trader Joe - a grocery/ supermarket has its own brand of wine, surprisingly well at USD 5 a bottle (Rs 240) we 4-5 of them over two days. Nice.

Most Disappointing Meal:

Pamela’s (www.pamelasdiner.com)is a Diner that everyone knows in Pittsburgh and it’s also been made famous by Pittsburgh famous visitor, Barak Obama, who has very often visited the diner for its famous pancakes. Even Pamela and Gale the owners and chefs have been invited to the White House to cook and lay out breakfast for visiting heads of states amd veterans on Memorial day. With this kind of lineage, we had to visit this place and visit we did, twice. Besides, it was well within the budget, i.e. the salesman’s budget extended taking the first world liberties of USD8-10. You can eat well, breakfast or Brunch at Pamela’s for that amount, in quantity, in quality, that’s a different story.

We were living in the Jor Bagh of Pittsburgh, called Shadyside area and the market at a stone’s throw is the Walnut street. Right in the centre of Walnut Street is the Pamela’s diner. Me and our little loving daughter Detective An (now called Cool Clouseau) decided to brunch at Pamela’s. We reached. Nice place gave my name Sam (a lot more convenient than Samil Malhotra), entered, black and white checkered tiles, apron clad wait staff.
A young waitress, what are you going to drink, we ordered coke and a pink lemon or ginger fizz. Absorbed the atmosphere, saw some caricatures of Obama. We ordered instinctively. A Hot Dog for the little one a Hamburger for me and Onion rings for us. Everything is enormous like everything in America, the wait staff the plates, the drinks, the onions in the onion rings, the steak in the burger. However it was, tasteless, even with mustard, Tabasco and pepper absolutely tasteless. Absolutely, bad experience.

Not giving in so easily, we went back, thinking it was a bad a day and a bad order, it’s a breakfast place we should order breakfast. This time three of us dearest wife Praveen, Cool Clouseau and me armed with determination. Praveen studying at Carnegie Mellon had heard great things about the place. With a 30 minute wait Sam was called. We are seated what are you gonna drink…. Etc later we order, Vegetable Omelet and home fries for Praveen and I went for the whole hog, Eggs, Pancake, Home Fries etc, the full shebang. The eggs are always four egged, it puts most of us at a disadvantage, the bacon to measly and dry, the pancakes (boy of boy, flat, neither sweet nor salted like bland wheat Chilla with no salt or sugar served with maple syrup which is another story). Cut to Praveen enormous eggs stuffed with raw uncooked vegetables, mind you she’s is used to the lovingly folded in a dainty pan by the head chef at the Taj or the The Leela, if she is eating an Omelet, kind of Omellete. This seemed like eggs and vegetables on wholesale. In America please do not repeat do not order any large, in fact most us can do with a kids meal.

Lesson learnt; do not eat where Barak Obama eats. I was tempted to try Ray’s at Washington Dc where he hopes across for a burger or Sandwich now a red light comes on which says stay away. The Commercials….. Costs us about USD 26 (about Rs 1230), the regret is we were hungry because we did not or could not eat.

Look Out For more Living in Ameriaca, The best Of The Pitt ( Pittsburgh), Beers in America , Alternate dining in America in this series.

Question, Which Head of State did Obama take to Ray's for the Hells burger ?

So Long !

The Good, the Bad the Ugly....Bars Offering Solace

2010-06-10T20:51:00.012+05:30

To go to a bar or a nightclub in Delhi in the 80’s you either were a regular or you had a foreign passport. Yes you needed a foreign passport to have a drink outside home in Delhi. No bars, no places to drink. No other option, drink in a park like we did, or across the border in terrible liquor stores and dhabas, in the car at a bar-b-cue joint (open air). What started out as a necessity, slowly became a habit. Also the economics did not help, bars when they did open, were and continue to be expensive. So necessity, habit and economics made the Delhi-wallah the drinker that he is.

Whilst Mumbai always had the umpteen hundred bars offering large, quarter, half or the bottle at your table with free munchies and fish to order at the entry level of the pyramid. Bangalore, Madras , Calcutta, Pune offered an affable drinking climate on each of their MG roads and their equivalent. It was easy to sit and order a drink in a decent bar in each of these places, while Delhi moved in the other direction, seedy clubs with red rexine sofas (South Delhi Club), guest houses (dubious ones like Sartaj opened bars in their premises), farm houses, out of town trips….. the sordid tale continues.

Then in the early 90s, sprung up a few entrepreneurs , who opened bars in standalone restaurants and some watering holes especially at the high end, TGIF at Basant Lok, Tonic at Asia Village Restaurants(by Kwality Restaurants). Slowly wider acceptance and growth with more restaurants that offerered alcoholic drinks. But, Delhi stuck to its grain lets meet at home, have a few drinks and then invariably reach late at a restaurant for dinner, then men folk topped up with a couple of drinks while everyone else ate vinegared onions and drank water. So the theory was, it is too expensive to get drunk (you drink to get drunk right, at least that was the generally prevalent theory) in a bar or a restaurant, so you drank at home, in a car (hence the word carobar). No social drinking, no wine and tapas bars, no single malts, cigars and steaks (the ultimate decadence yet), that was all for the new millennium.

So a decade into the new millennium its 2010, where does the regular sales guy go out for drink. He’s tired of pouring himself a drink the temperature in his Jangpura Barsaati is intolereably hot or cold (depending its mean winter or a mean summer). He is heard of Shalom, Urban Pind and Hard Rock café and Ai. However , its not yet a promotion, not even a hot date… the same stuff, targets , numbers, calls and refusals. Either stop by at the Theka (Liquor Vend), get a half of some dubious sounding vodka name after a Russian Town, Premier or Warlord and get smashed followed by Aanda Parathas (Egg Parathas) a sweaty night in a whirring air cooler. Wait I am told there is 4 S, solace for the salesman.

I had heard of these bars , had seen them, 4S Chinese at Defence Colony, 4S Punjabi at Greater Kailash 2 and 4S Beach at Saket. My Big day at 4S Saket. The place is democratic and it definitely helps with Abhijeet Singh and Sanjay Saini (my friends are regulars there). We had the best of service drinks and hot as hell (spicy Fingerfood). Six of us 4 Beers (Kingfisher), 20 ( Blenders Pride whiskies, albeit small), 5 Vodkas ( Smirnoff, small pour), 5 juices (assorted), 2 portions of Chilly chicken, 1 portion of Keema Kaleji, 1 portion of Murg Malai Tikka, I portion of masala peanuts all For Rs 4029 inclusive of vat and service charges its approximately Rs 670 per head (most of it during the happy hours). You know the funny sounding vodka with some chicken dinner would cost Rs 300/- But drinking out, like we did, would cost a king’s ransom at any of the up market bars masquerading as sports bars where waiters with goaties speak broken English with an accent and muddle up your drinks. Yes Pradeep Kumar, the owner is doing a great service to the people of Delhi and the salesmen brethren community. He started off 10 years ago with 4s in Greater Kailash 2 and is doing a great job getting guys off the street (that’s those drinking on the street) into bar. Cheers to that. That’s The Good.

In my endeavor to visit more places in this genre, I subjected the same friends, Sanjay Saini and Abhijeet Singh to another place. Correct subjected. We were driving back from the ranges, were sweaty, exhausted and tired, let’s go to Friends Colony get a beer. I had this bad idea lets go to this salesman kind of place called Chaska (sounded like a dance bar in Downtown Mumbai). They politely agreed for the adventure, as Sanjay steered his Honda CRV into underbelly Kalkaji, opp Deshbandhu College. Rahul Chaterjee from the web division mischievously guided and talked me into visiting this place, fondly remembering it as an institution for the salesman getting and blowing up his daily, weekly and perhaps monthly incentive, with mouthwatering soya chops across the street. I had to go there.

In we go, directed upstairs (as the bar is upstairs, while on the ground floor is a family restaurant also serves liquor), weak air conditioning, smoke filled (yes smoke, you can smoke in there). Over priced beer and over priced food. Why the heck would anybody subject oneself to this torture, Abhijeet, looking at the menu points out wisely, I know, the reason why this place does well, hard drinks the regulars, whisky, rum vodka are relatively cheap. Relaxed we had decoded the quagmire .The waiter very grimly informs us there are no happy hours, we quickly ordered 5 Beers ( Kingfisher), one portion masala peanuts, one portion finger chips aka French fries with industrial variety pumpkin sauce and one portion of chilly paneer (which would fall in category of dirty chow). Overall, cold beer, bad service and bad snacks, the silver lining we chugged merrily on the cigarettes. While shimmery middle aged women kept walking past us (some function happening somewhere on a hot Sunday afternoon). This was certainly The Bad. Vineet Malik, the owner, please stick to your base business, catering and a pastry shop called TheCcake Factory, in Okhla and Kalakaji Respectively,

And now for the Ugly, You go to your nearest liquor shop, bunch of guys, in a car, buy plastic or Styrofoam glasses, ice on frozen plastic bag, sodas and cold drinks out of an industrial quantity bottle and you are in business with blaring music….. the face takes on ugly grimace, your gait changes, so does your voice, ready for a fight, check out women wherever you see them. God it’s a mind set, hard to break, it’s the way the city did enjoy its drink and continues to do so, ends with an argument at the cop station an interlude with the cops, God bless if these guys see, girls from the North Eastern states hurrying home with bread and eggs, that’s the true and ugly face of drinking in Delhi. That is The Ugly.

Ends at a Aanda Paratha joint with a Chotu from Utarakhand who is generously abused and sometimes generously tipped. Brings in steaming hot Aanda parathas at Moolchand, ITO, Hauz Khas and all night drunken stupor eating places. Call it Nandu, Saleem, Qureshi the story is pretty much the same .

Do you have an interesting Bar story… Happy to hear it. Cheers !
So Long !

Holy Mackerel......The Salesman'sFish

2010-05-24T14:40:00.009+05:30

In my salad (college)days, Sanjay Mathur.. a friend went to Kyoto, Japan to visit his parents (living there). He came back with a story, explaining the inability of Japanese, to speak in English. He imitated, Jaapaan iiis an aailand, so we can eat raw fisss. Any time I think of Fish, These words come ringing in my head.

We did not eat raw fish or Sushi, we ate the Mackerel or Bangda in Kerala style, in a Kerala restaurant, like you would find it in a Kallu Shaap (Toddy Shop) around the backwaters of Allepey. It was in heartland Kalkaji, in a erstwhile Punjabi refugee neighborhood called simply DDA Flats. This mean little Kerala restaurant was elusive, I found it with walking around and asking, I had spotted one a few years ago, but it moved when I went back. In fact have seen a few more appear and vanish. They are in the category of the Kerala Restaurants in Gautam Nagar (near Green Park in Delhi) and Julena (Okhla, near Escorts Hospital). I have written about them earlier.

Arun Alex Paul (the man who got me started , blogging), and I, constantly, were unable to vist the place and sink our teeth into the grub. We in turn eluded this palce nearly for 5 months. One very warm evening a week ago, we had to bite the bullet. In this case, bite the mullet, sorry mackerel.

Mackerel is a pelagic fish, fleshy ,oily and wholesome. It’s like a small tuna and a large sardine. Actually its somewhere in between (in terms of taste, we agreed). Without knowing that they all belong to the same family of Pelagic fish, I have enjoyed all of them fresh as well as canned. Strangely one sees the most cans with tuna, mackerel and sardines (ever since childhood). Probing further Pelagic fish, has further classifications in terms of taxonomy, Predator fish, e,g Tuna, Shark and Billfish and Forage fish, e.g ,Herring, Sardines and Anchovies. All great fish, but for lesser mortals, as compared to more expensive fish. Even here the salesman’s interest is kept top of mind, to find and appreciate interesting tasty and cheaper fish. Remember, under Rs 100/-

However, the worlds taste for fish are changing, they like, like everything else, more and better, similarly with fish. The last sardine cannery in USA shut in Maine , after 135 years last month in April 2010 (Stinson Seafood plant in Goldsboro in Maine), sad. Once, a mainstay of world cuisine, with idioms, packed like can of sardines and Enid Blyton, Famous Five feasting on Biscuits with Sardines and Lemonade. The famous John Steinbeck classic Cannerry Row set around Monterrey Bay. All these, indicate a healthy market and business for the foraging fish the humble herring, sardines and similar small fish.

Our God (Anthony Bourdain, often addressed affectionately as God among us food writers) declares Sardines, as his favorite fish. Despite all that, its, dying gourmet .But , my recent experience had nothing to do with Monterrey, Maine, Steinbeck, Blyton or for that matter Bourdain.

It’s about Tommy in a chaste Mallu accent it’s more like Taommi, the owner of two houseboats in Allepey and this working class eatery for bachelor Malayalis (men folk from Kerala), some foraging a livelihood in the mean mean city of New Delhi. Sounds good foraging fish for the foraging worker. As a Salesman, you are always foraging, remember.
Let’s cut to the meal, Me and Alex and Taomi in attendance, we order, a Vegetarian Thali with a fried fish (turns out to be a mackerel the star of this post), three kerala parothas (soft and chewy), a beef chilly fry (spicy,served with a flavorful complementary gravy), a plate of egg curry (with two devilled eggs, crowded with rings of orange semi cooked onions), yet another mackerel and bottle of mineral water. All for a handsome price of Rs185/- Yes ! Yes!
When I got back, dearest wife Praveen asked with concern as I slept and the morning after are you all right Sam? (she was mortified how can this guy survive these budget dinner and still wake up the next morning)

Cut To the mackerel, soft, marinated, flesh, falling of the bone, fresh, seldom does a dish so simple and humble move you like this moved me unexpectedly. I was singing and sweating at the same time. Kudos to Taomi or his Uttaranchali Chottu. But the food was nice. I would leave it to Alex, to add the review in t about the rest of the stuff as his comments. But the the next evening Alex was back there and eating , guess what a Thali and Fried Mackerel and he messaged this may be a start of something new.
So do you have a recent and interesting Fish story, I would love to hear it.
So Long !

End of the Hippe Trail… Channa Bhatura at Paharganj

2010-05-18T12:01:00.014+05:30

Richard Gregory travelled (at age 19) from the UK to India and Nepal on the legendary Hippie trail that comes to Paharganj in New Delhi. London- Amsterdam- Munich- Istanbul- Tehran- Kabul, Delhi (and branches out to Kathmandu and Goa ). I enjoyed his memoirs of the trip taken in 1975, recorded nearly 30 years later from his memory. Delhi ! Paharganj was and is the place in the 60s,70s, 80s and even now in 2010. Though Cafes like, my favourite, Don’t pass me by, at Scindia House Connaught Place and the Ringo Star Guest house in the same building are gone and are a shade of their past glory. Paharganj continues to survive and perhaps thrive.

I had to go to Pahar Ganj to absorb the atmosphere, it’s been a pineing desire. The interest heightened even more, when I read about the place in newspapers, magazines Like Time Out (often describing the exotic Korean Restaurants and bars). Made a few, futile attempts. Then we see, Dev D by Anurag Kashyap that makes Paharganj look like the Pudding shop Of Istanbul, Thamel of Kathmandu , old Manali and Anjuna at Goa all rolled into one smoking cigar and available at Paharganj.

Yes I went to Paharganj, not for the muesli and banana lassi/ bacon and eggs breakfasts, or the minute steak and beer at Metropolis (a 75 year old restaurant with Continental food, that’s another story for another day), not to eat exotic Korean food or even to smoke the pipe peace, or even hire an Royal Enfield motorcycle . I have to sheepishly confess, I went there to eat the humble Channa Bhatura at Sitaram Dewan Chand. (Near, Imperial Cinema, Chuna Mandi, in Paharganj).

Lots has been written about this 60 odd year old establishment, by Rahul Verma, Hemanshu Kumar and lately by Pamela Timms on their blogs. So there is really not much to say, that’s a find and entirely new. Well one can say a lot about the lovely Channa Bhaturas. Channas are nice deep dark, flavorful. The bhaturas are good and travel easily and don’t go bad or soggy, even at the restaurant, they served pre- made bhaturas (sacrilege in other places, here no one seems to mind). We asked for freshly made bhaturas and got them, the add on of the Aloo subzi is nice and the accompaniments, the raw mango pickle, the masala green chili and onions are great. A great combination, for Rs 28, for the Channa bhatura and about Rs 12 for the Aloo subzi. And you’re ready to run cool on heavy heavy Fuel.

I ask Pawan Kohli the owner (with his rotund son, the cashier), where is a good lassi, he says avoid it, after, channa bhaturas, lassi, you will get packed (in chaste Punjabi). Honestly a cold lassi after greasy food turns it into sludge. Well, we were ready to take the risk, we walk down to the Lassi shop. Before that, a quick round up here. Sitaram started a push cart at DAV school in the late 40s and in the day moved his push cart around Paharganj and sold the exotic food to traders, the people and residents. Later they acquired a shop with Dewan Chand (two schools of thought, his son, or worker who later partnered and owned the place). Now passed on, to Pawan Kohl and his rotund son. In all they pack in good punch and good Channa Bhaturas. But the best I have ever had were at Lajpat Nagar Market (now shut shop and they sell birthday return gifts, paradise lost, more of this sad journey on another day). Which makes us probe when and where was Channa Bhatura invented, though Kwality restaurant claims ownership, well they popularized the dish, now we know it’s been around much longer.

The Lassi shop below the Metropolis Restaurant, has a heavy Israeli influence, sells Lassi, Mango Lassi, Apple Lassi, Banana Lassi, Pineapple Lassi, Apricot Lassi and on and on. We have sweet Lassi for Rs 15/- each. Nice Frothy. The owner , Mittal explains the subtleties of churned in a Churner Vs a Mixer and blender, I tend to agree Churned is better. We see talk drink and leave.

With this trip I was back to my roots as a Salesman eating out after wandering the circles of IIC ( food talks with gourmet lauouts), back to basics, Lunch for 5 Rs 140 (with complementary Aloo Subzi) and Lassis' for 5 Rs 90 in all Rs 230 for Lunch, for 5 ( self , friend and driver Bhushan, Jitender Bakshi, Mukesh Sharma and youngster Saurabh Pandey). Thanks to Jitender Bakshi for taking us there. Now I am sort off Paharganj qualified. We ate well and well within the salesman’s benchmark of eating well for under a Hundred rupees.

Footnote: My Favorite Uncle ( who lives in London since the late Fifties), Ranjit Kumar took the journey, right through the hippie trail in the 60s not on the Magic Bus but in a car. He gave the general trip story , but now I am wiser about the Hippie trail. The next time , we meet, I am going to extract the interesting details with a long and painful serious drinking session.

Please do share your Channa Bhatura story, I am sure you have one.
So Long!

The Anglo Indians....going,going and Gone

2010-04-27T15:56:00.010+05:30

Everyone in growing up in urban India up (in a certain era) had a Miss Stoneham story (ode to 36 Chowringhee Lane’s main character). I had mine growing up in Visakhapatnam, stylishly addressed as Vizag and even Walt air. I knew Miss Jones my class one teacher, with a sweaty upper lip and her enormous rotund size. Principal Almeida, who sang, Edelweiss with us in the evening sessions. Followed by Principal PA Moses , we said, in hushed tones, Moses poses near the roses (he had a patch of garden roses in his house).

Others who touched my life, from my father’s workplace (Gestetner Duplicators, an English firm and leader in the documents business). His boss FC Lyons (the General Manager), Wilson the driver, Anthony the peon and Fredrick the machine mechanic.More than anyone else, Fredrick the mechanic who brought heavenly food to the company picnic. Mutton fried and then boiled (we called it Fredrick’ mutton), the cheese and potato balls, browned onion rings. The very thought or memory, brings a gush of feelings. Ooh that smell can you smell that smell.

More on Anglo Indians, it’s Christopher at Calcutta’s Park Street restaurant, BBQ. He is , always dressed in a white shirt, dark trousers, with a tie sometimes a bow tie with a tiny scribbling pad, suggests, politely, shall I make it three (his subtle way of selling more). The story is pretty much the same, the chief order takers are Anglo Indian in BBQ, PeterCat, Moulin Rouge or Trincas. They love their job take it very seriously and at times when they are easy they chat you up. There is also a nice guy in Nelson Wang’s China Garden at New Delhi.

So what’s the interaction been, with Anglo Indians for urban folk, Teachers , Principals, Restaurants, Mechanics, Musicians (Mike Fey and Band, Seby and the Wings), an odd Cabaret Dancer in the 7os and even in the 80’s at Seven Stars or Sun and Sand. The stereotype of the Railway Engine workers of The Hindi film “Julie” Fame. The BBC documentary on the Anglo Indians who settled at Mc Luskieganj, 40 miles from Ranchi, now Jharkhand. Melville D Mello the newsreader, Cliff Richard and Englebert Humperdinck the singers. The two representatives of the Anglo Indian Community in the Rajya Sabha, Allan Sealy the author and Dennis Joseph the Copywriter. More British than the British ever were , talked misty eyed about the past almost a Proustian moment (an involuntary memory), or the flight of the pigeons, to New Zealand, Australia, Canada and sometimes America. Our children in India will perhaps grow without major interaction with evaporated and diluted community.

Is this a requiem for the Anglo India community or a Proustian tear jerker of the past. No its not it’s a celebration of the famous Raj cuisine, the Anglo Indian food, the colonial cuisine. Found in the Army Messes, The Oberoi hotels, The Imperial hotel (at The Daniels’ tavern), Dak Bungalows, The PWD bungalows, Irrigation department Rest houses, The Forest Rest Houses, MES Inspection Bungalows, Multinational Companies guest houses, the erstwhile Railway hotels and Clubs (including the dining cars), The planters Clubs in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Coorg, Nilgiris, the Old Clubs (have to mention Kasauli Club) and Gymkhanas, nuggets at Hill Stations all over India ,some effort by Oh Calcutta and Brown Sahib (current restaurants), Sola Toppee, The RaJ ( erstwhile restaurants that experimented with the Raj Cuisine).

I am told and have visited one of them in London, Veeraswamy’s has turned more regional Indian than Anglo Indian, the other one is Chutney Mary (another rather crude name for an Anglo Indian Lass), started by Camelia Punjabi is more regional Indian. The provocation for this post was a mail from Mina at The Attic. Informing us, about, a talk by David Housego (a journalist with The Economist, Financial Times, and now a textile entrepreneur in India) on Anglo Indian Cuisine. Followed by, dinner, at the India International Centre, with cooking guided and supervised by David.

The talk was largely around curry powder, using a powder instead of fresh spices. The lack of enthusiasm of the English ladies, deduced from the fact that the cookhouses were far and detached from dining areas, hence very little supervision. Accounts on cuisine, that the officers and more so, the soldiers ate poorly as there were often scrawny chicken and goats and sheep available ( read from some unknown sources). He had some detailed accounts which were anecdotal and enthusiastic. I would say more put together out of enthusiasm on the subject rather than absolute research. Where are words like Mish Mash and Rumble Dumble, so characteristic of Anglo Indian Food.

No mention of the use of Sherry and liquor consuming patterns, the high tea, the desserts, the caramel custard, use of pork and beef , breakfast and tea time treats, the influence and proliferation of bakeries and breads all over India, the reasons of neglect or lack of adaptation of the rich mughlai foods in the Anglo Indian diet, the aliveness of the cuisine in India today, the boarding houses and hostels of schools and colleges like Mayo, Sanawar, Doon, Welham and Scindia and St Stephens (read my post on Scramble and Mince at St Stephens Café from the Archives), of course NDA, IMA and OTA as Army training establishments, The mess at Lal Bahadur Shastri academy that trains IAS officers, apart from all the Institutions I have mentioned above. His talk left me cold, wanting for more.

The food, the menu, his talk was largely centered around the menu he had prepared, and pretended this was the universe in terms of Anglo Indian Cuisine, was at best a feeble attempt by the IIC (I presume North India cooks masquerading as Anglo Indian artists). Mulligatawny soup which I must say had authentic garnishes, (chopped boiled eggs, brown onions, chopped Bombay duck and peanuts) .Actually I will make it simple list the menu and mark my comments astride.
Soup,: Mulligatawny Soup, Anglo Indian Pumpkin Soup (As I said Mulligatawny was nice)
Non-Vegetarian: Captains Country Chicken ,Anglo Indian Mutton Cutlets, Pork Vindaloo Fish Cakes, Egg Curry. (The Chicken was bland with capsicum and pedestrian, cutlets like ordinary cutlets are, fish cakes I like them because they are fish cutlets and not particularly Anglo, pork, some element of work esp. the vinegar- Goan and the egg curry was decent)
Vegetarian: Ladies-fingers Fugath, Country Captain of Vegetables, Brinjal Bharta, Spiced Fried Potatoes, Dal Khichur (or Kedgeree)i .Rice & Roti ( just had the spiced potatoes and the Khichuri, not the Kedgeree with a kippers and a poached egg one would expect, which was hmm what can I say, surprised no breads at all, I mean English breads, no mention in the talk or represented in the food) ( Even to this day we get the Sourdough bread from the Manor Hotel in Delhi, loosely called Manohar Bread).
Chutneys/Pickles / Garnishes (some were nice, esp. the chopped mango as garnish apart from the garnishes with the soup, mentioned above)
Desserts: Bread and Butter Pudding, Banana ,Fritters, Ice Cream (bread and butter pudding was nice but not from what ought to have been and the fritter was passable).
Net, it was an Indian meal with Anglo Indian names, I guess a certain cuisine, any for that matter needs, learning , scale and practice over a period of time with of course the ingredients. The ambience was nice with tables reserved for Jairam Ramesh , Deb Mukherji, and guests like the Timms…. Pamela Timms a member of the eating out in Delhi Forum where I am a member, refused to recognize me as usual. All the heat and dust around her High Teas, I guess.

It was pleasurable as an experience sharing the table with publishers Bill and Lisa Hawk. As I am not a member of IIC, was there through the Attic, the snooty waiters refused to even ask us for a drink. At the end I have to say, it’s a rich tradition and a rich cuisine which was presented in shallow manner with passable food in an elegant setting.
Do you have a pleasant memory of the Anglo Indians and the food , please do write in .
So Long !

2 Nights 3 Days....... You are in The Army Now

2010-04-16T15:38:00.018+05:30

Headed for the Silver Reunion of my regiment at Babina, the dice is loaded. Boarded a shagged out coach of the Shatabdi Express to Jhansi, the destination is Babina (an acronym, Briish Army Base in Native Asia). Babina is also one of the poorest districts in Uttar Pradesh, though it feels like Madhya Pradesh. It’s the district where Rahul Gandhi has his humble meals in a humble village home of Bundelkand ( of the once famous Chandravanshi kings who gave us Khajuraho and Orcha, why is it that, illustrious kingdoms in the past are impoverished areas today, e.g. Pataliputra is modern Bihar). Was expecting the blood red German Coaches. Instead stuck with an early 70s was it the 80s coach. Lots of officers from my Armored Regiment and their families are travelling today. My neighbors on the train are (children of General Sanjeev Loomba, my first squadron Commander) Sahil and Shayla Loomba (and her husband Rohit).

We are off to a good start, all food oriented persons and our conversation skews towards unheard of food places in Delhi, Sahil a doctor with St Stephens Hospital surprises me with his repertoire of fantastic places in North Delhi, Ganesh In Karol Bagh (he clucks sympathetically, I haven’t heard of It), you have to have the fish and keema naans. Then Mezbaan , Zaika and Chacha Kebabs in Kamlanagar and A-1 Bakery behind Bungalow Road. I make copious mental notes. Rohit gets up from his slumber and adds a few places in South Delhi, fortunately I know all. I was beginning to lose the faith you know. Breakfast arrives.

I have to declare, I enjoy Train food especially breakfast more than the plane food. I am regular on aircrafts and I nod distastefully when they serve breakfast in air. Here I was enthusiastically looking forward to the cutlets with peas and limp fries, cold omellette and bread with a dubious sauce. It’s probably because I do it once in a while. I love it , somehow the childhood memory and the novelty of the semi warm breakfast on the train has not worn off yet. We are served, there are three variants, and we have all three . That’s, cutlets and bread, omellete and bread and upma vada. The waiter understands, this is the high rollers table and knows a handsome tip will be given. So he passed on the extra breakfasts of the regular train travelers to distastefully nod no to breakfast, to us.

We arrive and I have a crew for the next 2 nights and 3 days, Driver Lance Dafedar Devendar from Meerut and 10 Armored Regiment and Sowar Pradeep Chauhan my Buddy from Pataudi and my Regiment The 15 Armored Regiment. We have a smart Gypsy Jeep, while some get Toyota Innova’s and hired Tata Indica’s I am happy with mine. Immerse into a warm afternoon at the big tent at the Officers Mess, The relief is the Cold beer and the warm snacks, I switch to a gin and lime with the typical army mess style pickled onions (actually the right way, which many Michelin starred bars and restaurants miss out). The conversation meanders. Everytime a white haired, or bald, or apple shaped old timer walks in there is some cheers and laughter. Really almost like a convocation of old Turkey Buzzards. I remark we will appreciate some people in the course of the next few days and also depreciate a few. Laughter all around.
Lunc is lserved, Biryani and Bone Curry, the tradition continues, we (me and my good friend Raghu) taught this to cooks in the late 80’s nearly 22 years ago and here at the reunion we have the same lunch after an intense liquid diet.

The next big gig is the The Big Feast or Barakahana, quite honestly a relic of the past, designed for the British officers to interact with local Risaldars and the Risalas (todays JCO and the local subunits)The Cavalary which is todays armored regiments were raised by local fiefs providing a standing cavalary unit in return they got the right to collect taxes..

The food in the army is of a certain type with a certain taste. You eat it more out of hunger than desire. Especially with traditional recipes changing. I personally like the halal meat curry as compared to jhatka meat, with rice. The Jhatka always has bone fragments. The atmosphere is festive mostly rum is drunk. As a special case, the Commanding Officer, a youngster of mine when I was in the Unit (that’s how they call it), snapped his fingers and summoned whisky for me. Which a lot of people benefitted from including, Sahil, Rohit, and Vivek Law( amongst others). All children of Officers I had served with.

When someone remarked, you often see Samil with all the younger guys , I responded they are often smarter and I tend to learn more. Incidentally, Vivek Law, runs one or some of the channels for TV 18. So the food at the Barakhana was nothing much to write about. Also, the puritanical methods have changed for out sourcing some stuff to local caterers, who treat it as a wedding party and botch it up. So the traditional stuff you expect at the Barakhana or the JCO Mess party, go missing. Like hot pakoras, boiled eggs and sometimes egg pakoras stylishly called scotch eggs, liver fry, keema kaleji , spicy potato chips freshly fried with lots of red pepper, have just vanished. Even the food at The Officers Mess has changed for semi- western -continental -jankapuri style -caterer with a stylish names of unknown dishes. My advice stick to your grain and the basics, that’s pure and that’s puritanical, which still can be maintained and revived.

Walking in the evening on a lonely road with small loud speakers lining the road is almost an eerie experience listening to golden oldies like Jim Reeves and sometimes ( the organization my dearest wife Praveen works, Big 92.7 Fm ) broadcasted from Jhansi and transmitted on a lonely road in Babina seems like a communist country in Eastern Europe or Mao Zedong's era in China.

On the wonderfully done up Regimental Dinner Night with the works in the offing, I fell ill (too much of a good thing). My good old squady Katy sir(squadron Commander), ferried an Army Doctor to my room and got me medicines. The next morning Col HS Bedi and his ever so gracious wife offered to take me back on the chartered aircraft parked at Jhansi (from Alchemist Airways). We took the hours flight and were out of the Delhi airport in jiffy. A private plane experience absolutely unique for me.

Apart from the food, where would you find such affection anywhere and in any organisation. Your Old boss, bringing a doctor, another senior colleague taking you back in a private plane. Your youngster the CO, looking after what you are drinking. Dearest Friends Raghu, Rajiv Chaddha, Parry and Manish being by your side and making you feel 24 again. Almost magical even if it was for 2 nights and three days.

Tea Centre : Mumbai, Paradise Lost

2010-04-01T13:17:00.009+05:30

Prahlad Kakkar who ran this place for a few years once said “Tea makes you go in the morning and come at night”. The tea Centre has subsequently been run by Rathikant Basu (yes the bureaucrat turned, Star honcho, turned and humbled by his own channels Tara fame).Honestly I went to the place after reading Kalyan Karmakar’s blog (in this case blogs on the place). I have been in and around Chuchgate for nearly three decades, did a recce once, never sat down to eat there. This time we did.

It is not much of a salesman eating out kind of place, there are hundred others around Nariman Point. However, it may have been one, since a salesperson was a pretty high once in the value chain. It was started in 1956, by the Tea board. One of the objectives of the Tea board was , to popularize the consumption of tea in popular or populist settings. Delhi had the Tea board restaurant on Jan path, which was run by a grand Uncle of mine. It certainly, feels grand, yes Kalyan, a little like Calcutta club or at least a private club. New York has The Russian Tea Room. Mumbai, at Church gate, beside the Stadium restaurant in Resham Bhawan has the Tea centre.

This is large restaurant with crisp white covers and beige sofas (the ones with arms), maroon serviettes and air conditioning that’s below 20. Adjoining is a party room and a small tea store where I bought a bergamot flavored earl grey tea and a very cute round strainer.

Now the food, well I never do the blunder, but we did this time, we ordered the executive continental lunches, which promised. Grilled fish, Pimento Rice, Jacket Potatoes, Coriander Sauce Vegetables and Desert. Similar stuff for the vegetarians minus the fish. We thought it will be fast and the process of ordering quick. It turned out exactly the opposite, people around us got their food and we drank iced tea and twiddled our thumbs for 40 minutes. Enter the Executive Continental lunched, the vegetarians looked disappointed, The Non vegetarians equally disappointed, the grilled fish was in a mustard kind of sauce, the potatoes were boiled and smeared with brown gravy, the rice a vegetarian pulao,. The Desert an apology of a strawberry soufflé.

Overall a mediocre experience at an illustrious place. Maybe it was what we ordered, the perils of a food taster. The maths, about Rs 1500/ for the six of us for lunch a feeble dessert and teas for all-The quirky stuff on the menu and the walls like a “ a teapot is neck deep in hot water but still manages to sing” are really funny.

It’s a great a place for a middle aged manager to bring out the secretaries in his office for tea and pakoras. Its rather harsh, but actually some stuff like this was happening. The current lease holder is Cyrrus Chenoy, The new manager was Vispy a crisp middle aged man on his second day at work (his last job was at RTI, that’s another food story, I mean RTI). Around us everyone seemed appreciative and cool, For me it was a promised paradise lost.

Though out of line in most places, here there are tiny bells to draw attention to your table.

So Long !

That Calcutta......Those Bongs: Food festival for a Salesman

2010-03-25T17:01:00.014+05:30

Food, Yes Food is what propels Calcutta (I like the older names of illustrious cities). It’s not money, it’s not greed it’s not power. Landing in Calcutta is like shaking hands with an old friend. With my many voyages in the past and stays ranging from Hotel Lindsay, Lytton , Fairlawn (where part of City of Joy was shot and the cast stayed there) to The Park, The Oberoi Grand and this time at HHI. The predominant encouragement is the food and more often than not street food and affordable local exotica. So before boarding the flight I bought a book of short stories by Dipanwita Mukerjee called That Calcutta… Those Bongs. Allowing me to immerse in dreams of Illish, Gandharaaj lime, pithe, luchis and Patturi and of course Buro. Get eady.Calcutta looks like a city from the smoke stack era without the smokestacks, except of course if you are in Rajarhaat… you could feel you are in Gurgaon. My story is more about the smokestack Calcutta.

Arsalan : Mughlai Food

The choices were Shiraaz, Rahmania, Arsalan and a late entrant Royal came highly recommended by Sandip Ghose the high priest of food in Calcutta. The driver Alam knew where Royal at Chitpur road was located, however decided to go to Arsalan as it was already late for dinner. Arsalan (named after the animal the Lion) has Bihari ownership , launched in Calcutta in 2002 (makes it 8 years old), has made more than made a mark for itself in the gourmet’s heart. Imagine going past heavyweights like Shiraaz and Rahmaniya and the yet to be explored Royal.
Alam the driver parked at the swanky Arsalan air conditioned et al. I said basic and the first one ever set up and we are at Arsalan at Park Circus. There is a festivity around the place, or is it madness or perhaps mass hysteria, people at the cash counter behaving as if someone is distributing free food tickets in pre Prestroika Russia. We seat ourselves an old midget in a shirt and tie , Aziim takes our order. We are in Non Ac Hall. I believe that’s where the action is. On the right is a muslim Family having a conservative dinner .Further, three drunk Bengalis, one of them threatening Azim, food should be hot, muttion should be nice. Alam the driver joins us, Shantanu (my partner in crime)is a vegetarian today. We order a mutton biryani, a chicken biryani, a mutton champ, a vegetable biryani, a paneer dish, a dal and one roti. The Biryanis were flavorful but oily, with an enormous half potato, which was quite honestly bland. The expectation was greater than the delivery. The experience was nice. The food was anything but delicately flavored, I guess it’s the scale and volumes Arsalan deals with. We chase it with small squat Thums Up , the cold cinnamon flavor hits the spot after a heavy mughlai meal. We paid Rs 440/- for this nearly enormous meal.

Chitta Da: Differentaiated Snack at Dacres Lane : My friend and old colleague Sanjay Das promised to take me to Chitta da at Dacres lane while corresponding with me on this blog. Apoorva a current colleague made a similar promise. I also saw a segment on The Travel and Living Channel with the anchor a funny one, at Chitta da. I had to go there, I began to think of the stew and toast in a pedestrian district more known for the magazine market and the surrounding Government offices, (usually called Bhabans, for Bhawans).

We reached at mid morning at 11 am, and there was a row of patrons already imbibing the goodies. I asked the cook and server, what can you offer, fish finger, chicken stew and ghoogni (chick peas) all served with chunky toasts lightly buttered. We have the fish fingers nice chunky pieces of fresh fish in fingers like that of a goblin knotted and brown, umm but tasty inside with a light salad and mustard paste. I joked with Shantanu, Bengalis will just about anything with mustard. Next Ghoogni same format, delicious, it’s a channa curry with the same accompaniments. Now for the fried fish, a chunky piece of extremely fresh fish bite the crust into the odourless white flesh with the steam emanating. Oh yeah ! Followed, by tea as a beverage. Interesting format. We gave the chicken stew a pass, though it is the signature dish. Have to leave something for the next time.

Now for the maths, this truly a salesman’s outing in the Tiffin Gali (Dacres Lane now called as Jimmy Hitch Sarani)and eaters paradise. Rs 27/- for the fish fingers, Rs 25/- for the fried fish, Rs 6/- for the Channa/ Ghugni and Rs 18/- for four coarse bread toast slightly buttered and three chais in kullar (earthen cup) for Rs 12/-. In all a wonderful snack for Rs 82/- That’s the owner now, probably Chitta Da’s son Nararayan Chandra Roy.

Suruchi : Bangla Homefood

Sudarshan Saha a colleague of, dearest Praveen, asked me, about the color of the walls, when I described my first visit to Suruchi in the 90s. Only an intense Bengali can ask about the hue and color of the walls when the subject under discussion is FOOD. Intense he is , and intense I am, he photographs and I eat and write.

This was my second visit to Suruchi, I remember the last visit, where I perceived it as a widows and needy women NGO who could cook up some mean Bangla food. Now I know it’s the All Bengal Women Union, apart from all the activities they run this wonderful Bangla home food restaurant. There were four of us, two dyed in wool Bengalis ( Sudipto and Swarup), one semi dyed in wool Bengali (Shantanu) and one honorary Bengali (for the cuisine, Me) And yes, Sudarshan the walls were yellow. The place looked sleepy at ten past one with lights all off. Got seriously activated by half past one, with five groups of diners.

We ordered four thalis with addons of Bhappa Ilish (steamed mustard Illish), bhekti paturi (steamed in a banana leaves and mustard), fried bhekti and a dish of a fish kofta and mocher jingha (shrimps cooked with banana flowers. Very nice, interesting and delicious. With waiter ladies called Didi and food brimming on our table. Even the dyed in wool Bengalis smiled, reminiscing of their days at Burdwaan and Nadiad. We, half dyed and honorary bongs relished the meal and gave it a Thumbs Up. I asked for the Gandharaaj Lime with newly acquired knowledge og Bangla food. The dyed wool colleagues were aghast and their jaws dropped.
Lastly the misthti doi and pithes, more than pefect, Ate fish like fish (sorry its drink like fish) and the total bill with mineral water was Rs 735/- for all four of us and the Thalis were great as well with Dal, sukto, aloo bhaja. Nice, You have to be there.

Dinner at Kimling

Erstwhile Chinatown, then leather town and now eating town, Tangra. I do not remember ever having gone there during the day. It’s always been at night. With shadows lurking, strong smell of a tannery, a Chinese sauce factory (Sing Cheung Chinese sauces, oh, how much I want to buy the sauce brand as a business), smell of green chilli sauce and soy in the air mixed with overhanging gutter smell. It has the eerie feeling of the 70’s Bruce lee films with a mega restaurant named after his film Big Boss. The restaurants I have been to are Kimling, Chinahaus, Goden Joy and yet again Kimling many times.

It does have the old world charm, it an old fashioned fare and approach to the whole experience. They actually put in bright fresh tomatoes in their Hot and Sour Soup. I love their unpretentious fried snacks. We ordered, chili garlic chicken a chili onion fish, prawn crackers, chicken wantons and some medium to large golden fried prawns (all fried you see) with their exotic green unbranded sauce. Chased with Director’ special Black for the honorary bong and Vodka a Gorbachow (yes spelt with W), for the half dyed in wool and full dyed in wool bong. The experience exhilarating, the food crisp and atmosphere ,a lot of fun with conversation and jokes with a bunch of guys on the neighboring table. They were serious foodies and drinkers (Jaideep Raha, Tilak and Amit Bhatacharjee). The whole evening a wholesome one with all sodas and mixers thrown in was Rs 1500/- Great Fun.

The morning after : Maharani Snacks

A highly recommended place by Sudipto in tow with Shantanu c for breakfast, the Up bhaiyya influence for Kachoris, Samosas, Jalebis and Gulab Jamuns with Chai. The Kachoris, are more like slightly thick Puris. This the pucca khana (in other words fried food of Uttar Pradesh). It is a nice place, especially, the taste and the prices. Fits into precisely a salesman budget, four plates of Kachori, one samosa one jalebi, two chais all for Rs 45/- its on A C Bose Road close 85 Lansdowne (the designer boutique), near Gariahat.

In all we spent Rs 3000/- for all the above. Stupendous for USD 63, Calcutta is truly remarkable. Oh Calcutta…… Those Bongs

Finally, we did got to Terretty Bazaar on Sun yat Sen Road near the Old Lal Bazzar Police Station for the morning Chinese breakfast market at Old Chinatown. There were six odd stalls, selling, momos (dimsum), noodle soup and Chinese sausage. All made of mystery meat . I realized, I was not a complete convert to eat anything at anytime and for the first time I backed off with a timid hot cross chinese sweet bun to come back another day. I believe there is better action here on a Sunday.
So Long

The Happiest Pie:at The Oberoi Patisserie and Delicatessen

2010-02-17T15:55:00.008+05:30

There is a defining moment in everyone’s life. Here is mine the Pie, I just cannot stop thinking about it. We saunter into The Oberoi Patisserie and Delicatessen ( a difficult word for the pastry shop), that’s me, dearest wife Praveen and Detective An. We look at the menus, order a brochette a portion of small stuffed croissants, some red cheddar (probably Leicester) a coca cola, a coffee and a magnificent Philadelphia cheese cake, we walk around and the pastry chef at the oven offers a pie (her name is Vidhu).

She says, would you like a pie (in retrospect it sounds like would you like Nirvana). I said what kind; she says ham and cheese and mushroom and cheese. I am glad I said ham and cheese. She is also meddling with a sausage roll in the oven, I am distracted. No I stick to Ham and cheese.

It arrives on the table in a rather small plate; the rest of the food is yet to arrive. I am entranced, the crust is nice and brown and crisp. The cheese is gruyere is gooey and sometimes stringy, the ham ooh, ooh the ham it’s the best I have ever eaten, soft and whispers to you like silk. Amazing, crust, gooey cheese and strong ham, the flavors and textures are just too overpowering. Oh yeah! I could live like this. Accompanied by Wilkins Ketchup and Wilkins English mustard, which is grainy and nice. Me and Detective An immerse into the folds of the pies, while Dearest Praveen has a bite of just the crust.

Pork has an effect of overpowering madness; the king of most meats, when made well can lead to momentary lapse of reason and delirium. That’s what I felt, so overwhelmed, I was dropping the oversized Cutlery all over the place. The Manager, Payal took the complements on behalf of Vidhu and informed us that they have different specials on most days.

This magnificent dish (the humble pie) is Rs 511/- (inclusive of tax, The Oberoi very smartly prices nearly everything inclusive of a tax, albeit expensive, but you know what to finally expect. The Meal for all was 1850/- But the pie was worth it and more.

If you have a moving food story that made the earth move for you, happy to hear it and host it.
So long!

Triveni Kala Sangam : Cafeteria/ Tea Terrace

2010-02-11T11:47:00.006+05:30

Mumbai has Café Samovar, Bangalore has Koshy’s, Kolkata…… well Flury’s in its older Avatar. All these characterize the city or render character to it. Working in a newspaper in the early 90’s and especially in an, nearly all women team had its advantages. They introduced me to eating places where the radicals, writers, artists and thinkers hung out then. Now the corporate suits, lawyers, lovers and an odd artist hang out. But, the food is nice.

In the early and mid 90s, you saw Sudhir Dhar, the Cartoonist with HT, seated tall and alone at lunch nearly every day. I last saw him singing Carols with the kids in Richmond Park in Guragaon a few years ago. We went their then to be a part of the Fabindia fraternity, as a talisman of reverse snobbery rather than for the home cooked food that it Triveni Canteen/ Café and now Tea terrace offered.

For someone who had parathas, gobhi, palak paneer, channa, rajma, kadhi as a regular menu at home. eating at Triveni was a Fabindia statement ( Fabindia was a very Delhi wallah brand then, Its nearly national now), smoking, fruit beer, or just beer, Hindi theatre at Copernicus marg, drinking copious quantities of Indian Whisky, knowing a few kebab joints, having a joint, knowing a friend with an apartment at KG Marg, going backstage to meet the caste of an English play, hanging out with Femina Miss India contenders, English movies at Archana and Chanakya, Kolhapuris, Kohl rimmed eyes for women, cotton saris, jeans, stencil shirts, gifting potted plants……. And holding hands (all seem passé now), but you get the drift of the Fabindia idiom.

A lot has changed, however little has changed at Triveni…. Except the name a few more dishes, higher prices and slightly better service…………

Now for our last experience On a Friday the Discovery Channel Alumni met at the bar Past Times at the India habitat Centre. The next day, Saturday, the Alumni of Mint (the newspaper) met at the Triveni, Tea Terrace. In fact it was a stripped down version. People kept dropping out like nine pins, mother -in-law not well, have migraine, in a presentation with boss, just silence and no excuse. The four of us said what the heck, let’s eat. And eat we did.

Throwing care to the winds we ordered, 4 plates of Shammi kebab, 2 keema and peas, 1 paneer bhurji, I Aloo Jeera, another Paneer bhurji and lots of rotis with a coffee each. It’s supposed to be an afternoon lunch in a budget, we in our ditched out state overcame with stuffing ourselves. The food was nice in fact too much; the keema had a rough and chunky texture. Rahul Verma of The Hindu (who I have mentioned earlier and is way ahead of the game on food writing, has reviewed Triveni before) said, its due to thefrozen keema which has not been thawed and cooked.We wiped the plates clean. Shot the breeze in the sun.

It’s great place that fits into the under hundred rupees per head budget for the Salesman guide to eating out. Its another issue that we ate with vengeance and spent Rs 800/- for four persons (Rs200/- per head). The place is more efficiently run by Meenu Singh. Kamla Rai the founder and the person who ran it for decades is her Aunt.

Trivia : Triveni Kala Sangam was designed by Joseph Allen Stein and was made in 1963 under the able guidance of Mrs Sundari K Shridharani. The nook the book shop of rare collectible books, has shut down. The Tea Terrace is popular and life goes on.
I am sure you have a favorite Triveni Story if you are a dilliwala or have visited the place. Love to hear it.
So Long !

The Holy Trinity: INS/,UNI and PTI Canteens at New Delhi

2010-01-27T14:34:00.011+05:30

Like the holy trinity of Hindu mythology and theology, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. I draw an analogy of the three canteens in and around the Journalists precinct the canteens at INS (Indian Newspaper Society), UNI (United New s of india) and PTI (Press Trust of India). I know I have not been in the content side (in Television) and on the edit side of a newsroom (in print), but I have the gumption to not only write, but write about the journalist hangout joints, that is really the fall of the last bastion.

Like I have often said to some eminent friends on the other side of the Chinese wall (there is supposed to be an imaginary and metaphoric wall between the business side guys also termed as the suits and the content guys, the intelligentsia), that I can learn to write, the point is can you learn to sell. Well let us leave that for the moment and cut to the chase of the eating options at these legendary canteens. These are the canteens where many a time the agenda of the nation has been decided, these are the haloed portals when many a battle of words has been debated. Socialism, Communism, Capitalism, Extreme Right wing, Left, Centre, Further Right have been discussed over many tortured sessions of vadas and coffee. I have often wanted to do this story. Finally two winter mornings and an evening and I had my research sort of, complete.

INS (Indian Newspaper Society)

Got talking with the proprietor of Sri Krishna caterers at the INS, he has had the contract for over 4 years and is a break away or splinter group from the caterers at Andhra Bhawan. They cater for many a function and offices. We had a hot and a quick standing breakfast . My partner in crime Shantanu, yours truly and Robert, a colleague visiting from Bombay.

We order soft and succulent idlis (2 plates), hot and steaming Upma (2 plates) and a plate of Vada and perhaps a coffee each . The Idlis and Upma were nice the vada was forgettable and all we paid was Rs 80/- . Now that is new benchmark breakfast for three at Rs 80/-. Can you beat that. Well below the Rs 100 mark and that too for three. Lo behold ! No wonder, Content is King. They get to eat so cheap. INS building has been around since 1956, I guess , there has been a canteen here since, feeding many a million. Shantanu and I liked the experience, perhaps Robert did too as he went in for seconds or he was plain hungry.

UNI ( United News of India)

A truly heavy weight in terms of a canteen, has been around since 1961, earlier the south Indian Swamis ran it. Even my father, often brought home the South Indian Namkeen packets which were hugely popular in the early 80s they are still available today on a cold January morning in 2010. Unfortunately there have been many a changed management. Rahul Verma an eminent food writer of The Hindu, is the only one who has written about the legendary canteen which has nourished and nurtured again, many millions. And you, know I am one of the suits and get to write a tribute to the scribe kind of places and that feels like a double whammy.

Our experience was quick and hurried the idea was to see the place, is it still there and what is it like ? Yes it is there at the same place since then . We had a upma a plate of vada and two coffees at a handsome amount of Rs 37/-. The vadas were really nice and fresh out and piping hot. The upma was a little flat. Well what do we expect from a Himachali now running the place. In fact I got to chat with Sant Lal Sharma, the owner who also proudly posed for me. An outdoor dining with a shed for a kitchen. The quantities being cooked were enormous. Long live UNI, as we like the canteen.

PTI (Press Trust of India)

This again has been the raising ground for many an illustrious and talented journalist and television content creators I know of Pankaj Saxena, Anil Padmanabhan and I am sure lots more. I had to go to the Canteen. Bhushan, our trusted driver took me their one winter evening this January. The building is posh, atleast better than I thought it would be.

Though, the canteen or the cafeteria in this case was a gloomy tube lit affair. It is run by a Joshi Ji, who has been running it for more than half a decade. He was happy to rattle out the menu for breakfast, lunch and beyond. It was 5 pm, decided to check out nearly everything on offer then. Here goes, 3 samosas, bread and butter, 1 aloo bonda and a pakora, followed by a, made in Kashmir, Lichi drink all for Rs50. The experience was just about normal to average. Maybe there is a better time to be there, probably lunch. It was a little better organized in terms of seating and other stuff.

This kind of completes my tour of the Holy Trinity In and around Rafi Marg. Well all were priced at Rs 100/- and therefore qualify for my eating out under Hundred Rupees qualifying benchmark.
So Long !

Ahmadabad Revisted:Haveli and Galli

2010-01-23T22:37:00.005+05:30

With a hiatus of 7 months, I am back in Ahmadabad as a visiting faculty at MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications). I get into the car with Akbar and politely ask him, if we can go for a gastronomic outing. He politely postpones it for the next evening which is a Saturday. Stupid me, I do not take Akbar’s number, I was stranded high and dry (literally as Gujarat is dry state, sub text prohibition/no alcohol, officially). So I exercise in the gym which is hot and steamy as compared to the January winter in New Delhi, I play soccer, after nearly a few decades, Enjoyed it! Meanwhile dear wife Praveen’s colleague and friend Asif Kadri, sends a car for dinner at Agashiye.

Beatific setting for a Thali Meal

Praveen has been to Agashiye and she constantly influences, to extract me from the slumming I find expertise in. After Vishala and Gopi on previous visits to Ahmadabad many years ago, I was ready for another Gujarati super deluxe experience. Agashiye is the roof top restaurant (literally means “on the terrace”) at the house of Mangaldas Girdhardas a 40,000 sqft mansion built in 1924. It has a heritage hotel (check out www.houseofmg.com), two restaurants, a banquet lounge, a handcrafted gifts shop, a spa and a swimming pool.

It’s located at Lal Darwaza opposite the Sidi Saiyad Jali Mosque. This unique Jali dating nearly 500 years ago has, the sculptured tree of life (in stone)the emblem of logo at IIM Ahmadabad and many years ago was the centre structure of the lobby at The Oberoi, New Delhi. More of that later.

I walk in, past the kurta-pyjama-gandhi cap clad receptionists, past the black and white photos of the Mangaldas dynasty. A lift takes me to the top,soft Indian music, an outer lobby, people waiting, I walk in lots of empty tables I ask to seated, I am asked, have I paid at the reception I say no. Have you been served soup and starters in the outer lobby, I say no. I am seated near a Henry Wilson a freelance photographer from UK, we get talking after a while…. He has been visiting India for over 30 years. I interact with the senior steward (a Nepalese), though the brochure claims staff from neighboring villages. I am served a soup (a Cornish soup), with dhoklas and a cutlet made out of a yam, It’s a super deluxe experience for the inexperienced, a bit clinical, with washing hands at the table with a person pouring scented water and collecting the soiled water in a receptacle.

I am served 35 items including a bharta, paneer subzi (with missing paneer), gujarati dal and kadhi, bhakri (wheat thick roti), bajra rotis ( Henry Wilson remarked only if the rotis were a little softer), khichdi with ghee. Served in Alloy Thalis, served ,butter and pickles on a betel leaf ( a nice touch),. basoondi , mal puda ,a nice flavorful ice cream as desserts. Topped with a pan and lastly ber ( a coarse fruit) as a mouth cleanser. Yes in all 35 items at Rs 400/- a pop.

The experience is nice especially for the uninitiated to Gujrati food, good setting, pleasant ambience. The food lacks the scale and opulence of a thali joint, the affection of serving and feeding. I had to wait for some courses. Personally I like the Kathiawadi thali more as it is spicier. Nice super deluxe experience in a historic setting. Well the food, me the blue blooded Indian and Henry Wilson the blue blooded Englishman, both of us agreed have had better Gujarati meals.

Beastly setting of Bhatiyar Galli:

I missed going to Bhatiyar Galli the last time (that’s last summer, please check my previous blog on Ahmadabad in May 2009) and with a last night’s antiseptic Guju experience. I had to immerse back into the famous galli (lane)of cooks for weddings and contractual cooking… the bhatiyars. On the way to the airport I convince Ahmed the other driver from MICA and the betrayer of the previous night Akbar’s brother-in-law, to take me to Bhatiyar Galli. We go past Mangaldas Mansion and Sidi Saiyyad Jali mosque in the old bazaar we park behind Hotel paramount, . The parking wallah cha-cha (uncle), was exaggerative, when we asked if the Mahindra Xylo would fit in, he said, we can fit in a railway engine. I saw him eating a really enormous pan and remarked about its enormity, he said I will show you one as big as an elephant’s ear. He also said you will not get kebabs as there is some mourning being observed today in the bazaar.

I searched and made two or three quick halts. A kabab wallah on a cart, ZK Fry centre and a mutton samosa and fried kabab stall. The first stop a father and son duo on a push cart offered me a plate of kababs, a bun heated with oil and a plate of onions for Rs 13/-. Small succulent kebabs made of the bada (colloquially means bigger or buffalo), marinated with raw papaya. Nice treat for Rs 13/-

The next stop a tiny stall in a lane selling tiny meat (I guess again bada) for two rupees each. A tiny bite, but the big boys of the famous samosa shops were shut.

Next the slightly more activated ZK fry centre (it was around five in the evening). Frying fish on an enormous Tawa, I have a piece of surmai with a roti and onions (Rs 33). Tawa is generic and peculiar to Ahmadabad. Everything in meat is done on a Tawa, like the Tandoor or the open bar b cue in Northern India. The bazaar sorry Galli is slow and lazy, I am still hungry, I ask for some prawns, yes the owner starts taking me more seriously. They serve me a plate of tawa fry prawns, onions and a roti all for Rs 53/- I love a Thums Up (Rs20)with the greasy food there is something about the cinnamon zing that’s comforting. Now here’s is the math 13 +33+53+20 =120.That is Rs 120 for all the yummy stuff, I did overspend by Rs 20 (over the psychological mark of Rs 100 for the eating out under hundred rupee mark). Like, I said before, I never plan it, happy to make it around the benchmark.

I top it with an enormous pan for Rs 5 and ask Ahmed to speed me to the airport. I have a beatific smile on my face. I did it even if it was on the way to the airport. As a rejoined I met some students at MICA, Amit Monteiro and Arunesh and a few others already have a under Rs 100/- eating out club, with an open invitation for new and honorary members. I have got myself an invitation as a visiting faculty and a visiting honorary member to this elite club. On the radar is RK Egg Eatery, Sarkhej, Manek Chowk. Ahmadabad here I come.

Farmer's Brunch: Heartland Haryana, Hissar

2009-12-24T14:16:00.005+05:30

A bunch of guys with Jeeps headed to the Heartland of Haryana, Hissar. Haryana has the GT Road, the Punjabised version of Haryana with Panipat Karnal, Ambala and there is the real Wild West Texas. Jhajjar, Beri, Rohtak. That’s a lot of Ghee, Beedis, and Blankets for entertainment. We were traveling in a Honda CRV, a Bolero and the good old trustworthy MM550 very nicely modified to suit the terrain.

We drove in the still of the night, stayed at the Hunting Lodge as friends, Sanjay, Abhijeet and others fondly called it.A Hunting lodge is a place which lacks a womans, touch which makes it a home. Next morning at the crack of dawn, we were dancing with the wolves. And at sunrise when the shadows grew short and the birds were resting and the canteens ran dry we got, Hungry. We headed to the Chuck wagon; in this case it was a Haveli at village Dabra. Abhijeet’s maternal grandfathers place. The 40 feet high door with metal and wooden embellishments spread open to a wide courtyard, the sun was strong mouth was dry. From the corner of my eye we saw the gringo whose forefathers have been serving seven generations of the Haveli and it’s Household.

We waited before breakfast, in the large and high ceiling drawing room with rafters which were over 107 years old the Haveli is 107 years old. The photos of Risaldars and Risaldar Majors of the Royal Bengal Lancers, though the carpets are plush and the toilets are modern. The haveli is an old building with modern amenities. We were very hungry and the Gringo called out.

I entered I was dismayed at the simple and frugal spread, few rotis, butter and pickles. When I focused better and dug in, the simplicity and the natural taste overwhelmed me and all of us. There was Missi Roti, with Cow’s milk and butter made from cow’s milk. Served with Kachri Chutney (a cross between cucumber and small melons), also used to tender game meat and pulverize table meat. The pickles, simple and delicious, a relish of Carrot, Turnip and Cauliflower also a pickle of fresh green chilies. Delicious. More Rotis rolled six of us wolfing them down the gringo is doing a marathon from the kitchen to the dining room, we are eating and eating.

The accompaniments, a raw and rudimentary Laadoo (a course sweetmeat, as the Haryanvi’s call them), a plate of Pinniis (more sweets) and some caramelized Gajar Halwa or Carrot pudding. You can run but you cannot hide from the Gringo who is serving us. The Food is delicious we all have nearly 6-7 rotis each, with milk that taste so light smells wonderful. Nothing that I have ever eaten, back in New Orleans, sorry in Delhi.

Amidst the feasting the old timers in Abhijeet’s family uncles and grand uncles tell us stories of the Old hunting grounds of the British India which transport us to the Rudyard Kipling’s India, The Hunter in the Sola Hat. Truly, you have to have, a simple and hearty meal and enjoy the simple pleasures of a simple meal, sharing stories laughter and mirth.

So good , not put on like a commercial Haveli of Rajasthan and quite far from the Bhoppa’s and Bhoppis serving the French in the Neemrana hotels, masquerading as the true Indian experience of this simple meal . Of course it did not cost us anything other than Goodwill Hunting ! Thanks Abhijeet and Sanjay. (Two photos of the haveli are courtesy Randeep. Thanks).

So whats your simple meal story ?

So long!

The 1600 Calorie Brunch : The Claridges, New Delhi

2009-12-16T16:20:00.006+05:30

My Dearest wife Praveen is egging me by changing my environment and habitat from Street Food my natural Habitat to not only expensive but very expensive Brunch options. The latest is the 1600 calorie brunch at the lawns of The Claridges, In fact the Trilogy of the British Raj hotels in New Delhi all make very innovative use of the lawns, my previous blog has already mentioned about the Cavalry Dinner at the lawns of The Imperial (apart from wonderful winter lunches), The Brunch at The Claridges in the current post, The Economic Summit at The Ambassador in the upcoming post.

Yes, these three hotels The Imperial, The Claridges and The Ambassador (now a Taj Hotel), exude a certain character of an era. Although they are in different segments, they have a common thread and heritage about them. I got to visit all three within a month, with of course a little help from my friends! Cavalry Dinner (by the subsidy of the Cavaliers Association or perhaps The Imperial, drinks and Dinner for two @ Rs 2000/-) The Brunch @ The Claridges, wholly sponsored by Dearest wife Praveen, who induces me to a good life, otherwise I would have been a highway journeyman.

Now for the lunch which is largely food porn for my street hungry eyes, we started with a glass of wine, perhaps a dry Grover, with platter of cheese , tried six types of cheese, though ineptly laid out and served, cheese appreciation presentation will take a few light years to evolve (a loaded statement from a journeyman). Swiftly followed by Grilled Jumbo prawns and roast duck rolls with chives and plum sauce. Nice prawns, hint of prawn smell and the duck though heated under a lamp, elegantly called the salamander was cold and smelly (as in smelt of duck). Now interspersed with a bloody red Bloody Mary, impeccable service I must say (they spoil you). A slow sampler, of salmon, tenderloin steak, bratwurst (from the Grill). The Grill is very accomplished and the main attraction of the brunch, the eggs station was well unemployed. Sampled, bheja tawa fry, brains on a griddle with a varqi paratha umm okay. What got my heart and my vote apart from the service was the prawn and vegetable tempura with a lovely soya, ginger and wasabi mix (they brought the wasabi and the celery for the bloody marry from the main hotel kitchen on my request) and the appam with the stew, a humble dish but well done.

A quick round of a Mojito (too alcoholic), requested for a virgin Mojito …. Good. Deserts were ordinary, an apple turnover, Vanilla ice cream and Hershey’s kind of chocolate fudge, the hero was badam halwa made from only crushed badams and garnishes. I was too full to even look that way. At Rs 2200/- plus taxes it’s a trifle expensive. It’s a large spread , however, not a patch on the brunches at the Taj and Maurya Sheraton. The Sun and the service….. Oh yeah the service, makes up for everything.

Well personally, Buffet spreads vs. Ala Carte. In a buffet I am a sex crazed monkey, but with the ala carte I am the strong steady Husband or boyfriend at best. I am satisfied with what I have, I enjoy life at my pace and enjoy the dish of life. While in a Buffet, glimpse, ogle, a tit here and ass there at the end of the day could not savor anything tried to grab everything came bloated and unsatisfied. Well, yeah I am Ala carte, and steady kind of guy. I think Dearest wife is secretly testing me by exposing me to the big bad world of Buffets. I like them but I rather stick with Ala carte and her. A beer and a steak any time.

Cavalry Dinner : A Promise of Short Skirts et al

2009-11-30T15:28:00.013+05:30

I have written on the food in the Army earlier. I have to write about the second highpoint of every Armored Corps officer/ Cavalry officer in India. The first of course is Nagar, like every artist thinks of Paris, the same reverence is accorded to Nagar (Ahmednagar) in the Armored Corps in India.

As a Young officer, you are told about Nagar and its nightlife and its promiscuous ladies. You almost feel like a Jihadi who is promised Jannat, Hoors (Damsels) and sweet wines (almost all things otherwise forbidden in Islam) at becoming a martyr. I have often wondered, prompted, by brother dear Sanjiv, how can one half of a population be promised to the other half (men being promised promiscuous women) in heaven on becoming a martyr.

In peace loving India, there are a few opportunities of martyrdom hence you are promised Jannat, in Nagar anyways, with hoors, sweet wine (unlimited wine , smarter guys hitting on Officers daughters and the lesser mortals acquainting women in white uniforms and other commercial interactions). Its almost like pent up escapism , the late nights, drives to Poona, eating at Subhash Dhaba, Drinking at all the Whisky bars (various Officers Mess and Clubs and Institutes in town). Whoosh Heady feeling.

The Other big promise is at the other Mecca The Cavalry Week, culminates with the Cavalry Dinner also called the Cav Dinner. The promise is, officially being allowed to go to Delhi attend the Cav Dinner while you are in the Army. If one is from Delhi even better, get to take a lady friend and expose her to the glamour of the Army life especially as a tank man. Usually held at The Oberoi in the yesteryears, has tried The Imperial, The Shangri La and the deepest dregs of Hotels The Crowne Plaza at Friends Colony. Hope it makes TheImperial its home it goes with its regal image. With Cavaliers and Lancemen in the Lobby, the bar by Sea grams. The old generals, the gracious Turkish Mrs Zorawar Singh. The stylish eyepatch on a gent almost like Clark Gable in a Tuxedo.

Amidst all this, the promise of the shortest skirts on this side of the Yamuna. Well that’s what it used to be. Even the the head of the most powerful nation takes a look at the skirted being, let alone lesser mortals like the Army officers. Men in Cross belts and silver with tights in blue patrols, with a lots of silver and brass and boots with spurs and ladies in a chit of chiffon Whooo !

Hang on this a a food blog so what did we eat, Dearest wife Praveen and I arrived early ate the celery and leek tarts, followed by a chilly chicken and a grilled fish, we drank Grovers wine got the best and kickass service by the Senior Captain himself (from the Hotel and not the Indian Army). I switched to some serious drinking and lost count of time and the drinks to really enumerate a treatise on the food. It was nice, it always is like a good Army Buffet it has fish , Chicken and Mutton. Lots of Hot Food like the last man last bullet, hot food for the last man standing in this case, literally. The Imperial does a stupendous job for the price that the Army pays them. I think they do it because of the Photo opportunity the event brings to all Gora guests at the hotel and the British Raj glamour it brings with it at the appropriate setting of The Imperial.

All this on a very pleasant November evening in the Lawns Of The Imperial with nothing less than the Velvet Fog the Armored Corps band in attendance. Really takes you to another time and place to a simpler life in simpler times all for Rs 2000/- for a couple. Its risen from a Rs 1000/- years ago. Very very affordable, Definitely a part of a Guide to Eating out for a salesman, provided the salesman has been an Officer in the Cavalry like the author.

Well about the short skirts they were in short supply or the migraton of the Siberian Crane is late or is not going to happen.
Cheers and Bash on Regardless !

White Collar Or Blue Collar : Matruchaya Mumbai

2009-11-11T12:17:00.008+05:30

After a meeting with Volkswagen at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai, we conferred where to eat lunch, at the Delicatessen called the Gourmet Store ? ( that’s as far as I would go in a large hotel, even the coffee shops are unaffordable).

The Gourmet store is a true Delicatessen or Deli, where you can buy, Cured meats , Cheese, Foie Gras, Pate, Breads, Besides they do some gourmet sandwiches with choice of bread like focacia, stuffing’s like ham, cheese , jalapenos. With a choice of plain, toasted or grilled. I like the place. Besides, very few places in India can claim to be true blue delicatessens. Especially, the likes of Indigo Deli in Mumbai and the Smoke House Deli in New Delhi are far from being a that. They turn out to be fully fledged restaurants and masquerading to fine dining in that.

True to my salt and grain we decided, to get going from the five star environs, after gulping a few more lungs full of air conditioned deodorized hotel air. Headed to Worli, in a lane opposite the old passport office, to Hotel Matruchaya, the perfect salesman’s eating out experience. We stick to the Non Ac hall to recheck our recently debunked theory of service and their relationship to AC halls and Non AC Halls. Yes In Mumbai you still get better service in the Non AC Hall.

We enter and stick to basics, though my colleague Shiny, politely mentions something Tawa, (for a person in Mumbai, anything done on a Tawa is something special), we stay away from anything on Tawa. It’s a grubby two level restaurant, with quick service and almost ready made food. We order, aVegetarian Meal/ Thali for the Vegan Ankeet . A Prawn Masala Thali and a Mutton Masala Thali and as add ons we order a Surmai Fry (Seer/ King Fish)and Bombil Fry (Bombay Duck a Fish), a Prawn fry, A dish of Vade (fried, hard Malvani Puris) and Two Jeera drinks.

The Food is flavorful and fresh, though quite similar to all such coastal food restaurants in this or

around this range. Almost feels it comes out of a common kitchen located centrally, only garnished on site.
We have this entire gourmet meal for Rs 355/, about Rs 118 per head, we just crossed the Rs 100 mark. But, like I have said before, we make a subliminal effort and not a conscious effort to stay under the Rs 100 mark. Matruchaya, is for the hard worker, a thirty year restaurant, run by Prashant Bhingarde and his father Prakash Bhingarde.

Simple food, simple ingredients, at simple affordable prices for the blue blooded proletariat. The Blue collared worker, the true Mumbaikar, or a blue collared masquerading as a white collared (photo enclosed, Both Blue and White Collared).

This place was recommended by my friend and ex colleague, Sanjay Das….. An eternal foodie. Thanks Sanjay, enjoyed the experience. Cannot wait to all the new exotic places you have lined up in Calcutta specifically Chitta Da.

Thats me after the lunch (exhibit 1 with the pehelwan/ wrestler, Thats the apt photo (exhibit2) for the White Collar Vs Blue collar Debate (me in a light Blue Collar)

Southern Comfort: Madras Nights

2009-10-28T14:03:00.012+05:30

A few days ago my friend Arun Paul Alex , suggested we go to The Smoke House Grill and Eat steaks. I said we are Slumdogs, we need to slum it out. Besides, there is no twist and bite in going to a restaurant and reviewing it. The whole romance is in finding an exciting and local place to eat and drink cheaply. That’s what the (Guide to eating out for a salesman is all about). So the quest is Chennai. I still like Madras.There is no better way to arrive In Madras, than in an Indian Airlines flight (now, Air India I still like, Indian Airlines), the Mamis and Kelavans (Aunts and Grand Uncles) are all their with theirplastic baskets, vermillion and vibhuti (totems on the forehead) . You already feel you are in Madras enroute. Received by an enormous air conditioned Amabassador car ( adds more authenticity to the trip).

Joined by Praveen ( a male collegue and not Dear Wife) and Sathya, we are transported to Sree Velu Military Hotel, which is a shade of what it used to be. Sathya, a converted vegetarian, had Parothas and Korma. We started with a mutton or chicken soup (complimentary), had Keema Balls (like a Shammi Kabab), a Mutton Biryani with a very onion raita, Mutton chops in Masala with complimentary Rasam, Some curd and a bottle of Mineral water all for Rs 368 ( Technically we overshot the Rs100/-, the target for the salesman to eat out, it was per personRs 122/- to be precise). The place is very 70’s, with oil paint on walls, with orange and green colors, waiters had a tired look at 9 pm. They were dressed in green T shirts. There is a debate over the real Velu, Eldams road or Nugambakkam, there are equal number of followers. The Menu offers, Rabbit, Turkey, Pigeon, Shark, Quail and did I Hear Squirrel !! Miltary incidentally is Non vegetarian food for the uninitiated (spells vigor and vitality to deal with an arduous so called military life)

The mornings in Madras are the way Indian mornings may have been in the many centuries ago, floors washed Mugu/ Rangoli on the main gate, Music in the air then self performed (now Suprabhatam on the music system), Flowers, Incense, Prayers , grinding of the Idly barter and chutneys and the Arabic addition the heavenly smell of freshly brewed coffee. It’s still pretty much the same. Amidst all this morning melodrama, I had to visit Murugan Idly shop, though not of the pedigree of MTR and Vidhyarthi, Murugan in is relatively new in Madras (6 outlets), Singapore (2 outlets ), Madurai the original Murugan Idly shop has three outlets. The Madras outfits are under a decade old, despite that they have made a mark in the traditional Madras breakfast outlet market. It’s not cheap by Madras standards. I had two idlys with four chutneys (pure coconut, tomato, coriander and mint, in Madurai I believe they do 11 chutneys), with Sambhar of course and extras for malgapodi (commonly known as gunpowder, a creamy and pasty and dark feel to it) and ghee. An enormous vada, very crisp and very nice and a plain dosa with an excellent tumbler of filter coffee. The taste of coffee that lingers and stays with you for 15 to 20 minutes after you drink it. All this for Rs 99/- (under my Rs 100/- mark). That’s quite a place and price for Madras standards, well within reach of the Slum dog Salesman Sam aka Agent Sam.

A thing that intrigues me often is the price of tender coconut, no matter where you go in India the price is nearly the same, In Delhi its Rs 15 to 20, same in Mumbai, same in Kolkatta and surprise Rs 20/ in Madras. Despite transportation labor and margins. That’s pricing efficiency with little arbitrage margins like Gold.
So many places to go so few meals (there only that many times you can eat in a day). On the list are Ponuswamy, Anjapaar, Anbu Mess, Kalpakka etc, as had done the Amravathi, Karaikudi, Buhari and others on previous visits and stay in Madras.

Another debunking of my pet theories on this trip, if you are having a thali and add ons, sit in the main hall and not in the air conditioned farce. As, in all these places you get better and quicker service and hot quality food in the main hall e.g., Gujarati, Thali, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta and even Bangalore (Koshy’s and Bheemas). As the farce called AC has lower guest to waiter ratio, slow service, cold food and higher prices with less variety and authenticity. However, this does not hold good in Madras which is still extremely hierarchical and realizes AC means wealth and power hence you are genuinely wooed there. Lesson unlearnt and new one learnt.

Idyllically playing with his Curd rice in KaraiKuddi, a friend a drummer and a musician said Karaikuddi is fine you have to go to Ponuswamy’s (many moons ago). S we were at Ponusamy’s at Roypettah. Like all famous eating places everything is a chain of restaurants in Madras, we went to one of them. Lesson had not been learnt yet,we decided to sit in the main hall and ordered, Mutton sukka, Crab Masala, Chicken Chettinad, a plain gravy (complementary, all meals down south we discussed is all about add-ons and more value adds), two meals (complete with rice rasam, sambhar, curds, pappadam, and vegetables) with mineral water cost us Rs 426/- about Rs 213/-each, but we had a field day. The Crab masala and mutton sukka were memorable the chicken Chettinad was imminently forgettable. Here I must complement my dear wife, dear Praveen and who is a south Indian food afficionado is as an accomplished cook with a focus for South Indian gourmet food , makes a much better chettinad chicken (quite an accomplishment considering she grew up in heartland Punjab).

Raghu a Colonel in the Army and looks after the Girls Battalion of NCC at Madras, (I often smirk and remind him to keep away from their Knickers, i.e. the girl cadets). He is doing a fine job in training the youth and inculcating discipline, courage, honesty. Though it may seem like a joke in today’s day and age, but I think he and the NCC make a difference to atleast 10% of the lives that they touch. He and the Project Manager from Madras, Vikrant, whom I call affectionately decided to meet for a drink at the Madras Gymkhana (mind it, its still called, Madras Gymkhana). It is125 years old and all serving Army officers in Station are invited as members, also because the Army owns the land, where the club is located. Imagine, a night by the beach at the Madras Gymkhana in 1884. We armed ourselves with a couple of drinks and headed to Kalpakka a Kerala cuisine place near the Music Academy, came recommended by Alex and now these Malayalee gents were smiling at chomping into Syrian beef fry. Raghu had been here 25 years ago and Vikrant, had heard of it (or had been there). We entered and occupied the Air conditioned cabin and were served by a Nepali Gent, strange, Kerala food served by a Nepali in Madras. So here goes, two Syrian beef fry, prawns masala, Kari Meen Fry (pearl spot fish), Omelets, Vegetable stew, Four appams and four Kerala parothas with unlimited Chukku vellum herbal warm water, was at a grand sum of Rs 525/- amazing Rs 175 each , mind we were in the air conditioned super service. We were stuffed and trooped out.

Madras is a charming place which has the Southern comforts of Spice, Silk Smitha and Shakeela (Kodambakkam style). Dreaming of the surreal food at surreal prices. I drifted into a food coma, thinking of the sumptuous meals and ample bosomed and well endowed Kodambakkam Beauties.

Pantry Of Desire : The Oriental Fruit Mart, New Delhi

2009-10-01T11:50:00.009+05:30

Only when I was settling down from the holiday in UK and beginning to understand the finer distinction between, Irish, Scotish, Welsh, Cornish food and drink and gloat about writing my newly acquired knowledge on the blog. I was confined to the walls of the Escorts hospital and the food within it, albeit it was my father whom I was emotionally nursing. I was nourishing myself from the cafes and a dhaba owned by Wasim with the most amazing bread omlettes and Chai around the hospital.

Dearest wife Praveen tried to cheer me and my dear brother Sanjiv with her famous chettinad cuisine, outings to the Machaan, a dinner night at China Garden et al. Nothing seemed to bring me back into the fold as my head and heart was lost in atrial fibrilliation, aortic stenosis, diuretics, prothombin tests and betablockers apart from the trauma of a double open heart surgery for my dear father. At best I could have been an obedient dutiful son and a nervous bank clerk rolled into one. I did have sparks of action, thinking ahead of the game, the planner and strategist. However hospitals and doctors have their pace. All is well now.

Still I could not tear myself away and indulge in the urban pantry of my desires. I termed it a eaters block and perhaps momentary lapse of reason owing to the pshytropic journey we had been through. Then all of a sudden, an evening out, at good old Connaught Place. We dropped in at The Oriental Fruit Mart and Stores (The Food Store). You enter and are greeted by the two cheerful sons Ravinder and Jitender apart from the tubelit space and dark wood and glass showcases and stock cupboards, they have almost everything we need, we buy sardines, tuna, cream cheese, wasabi peas, diet chocolate and whole lot of other stuff. Though the packaged meats section is a bit weak. They make up with canned and tinned stuff.
It brought me back from my writing slumber and motivated me to write, my affiliation with processed food, meat, canned food goes back to era of the early 70s when Superbazaars were set up by the govt (This one was in Viashapatnam aka Vizag aka Waltair in AndhraPradesh) as a huge department store, it had everything from groceries to furniture to grinders to newly introduced HMT watches to custom confiscated goods including swiss watches and stretch lon trousers and bush shirts that lasted a lifetime. And, it had a meat section with piggery products from Ghanavaram and this was my favourite section, as it also had a mini zoo next to the parking lot. Who said the government can’t get it right.
My second tryst with canned food was shrimps, tuna, mackerel at a cooperative department store in Coimbatore (in Tamil Nadu) called Chintamani, while my parents shopped, I gazed at the canned food lost in a world of Enid Blyton's description of the feasting from the larder by the Famous Five. Sardines on biscuits, ham sandwiches, canned peaches and tinned cheese with tongue. Phew some of that was available right before my eyes.

Cut to the present, The Oriental Fruits Mart located at E Block in Connaught Place, close to the legendary store Giggles (the grand uncle and precursor to Archies stores) at E Block, offer and complement the heritage of Connaught Place and Delhi. The Oriental Fruits mart was set up by Brat Pal Arora in 1939 (which makes it 70 years old). It’s a food store stocking, from caviar and sturgeon /salmon roe to pomegranate syrup to churozio sausage. Its currently owned by Mahinder Pal who lives in Kamla Nagar and his helped by his sons as mentioned earlier, Jitender and Ravinder. Really friendly people.

Many years ago I often crossed the store, saw the exotic fruit and thought that’s not for me and I had been on this trip of buying and eating local produce. Eat what is available around you rather than something flown in from a distant land, and would be formidably expensive. However for the time being I have let the inhibitions aside and immersed in the choicest of food , fruit and meat.
Do try the store it offers great products at decent prices with excellent and friendly service. It helped me get back on track and back on business of the gastronomic pantry of desire. Thanks !

Spicy food and Sultry Seductress : at Durga Puja

2009-09-25T11:04:00.026+05:30

With all the Beer summits and a trip abroad I was loosing touch with reality when Paras Chatterjee, whom I affectionately call Lady Chatterjee's lover spelt out the secret. During Durga Puja on the sixth day and the seventh, there are food festivals in the various Pandals. Where, households showcase the gourmet food prepared at home. Its more of a social bonhomie and Goodwill hunting than commerce and profit. I later learned its called Anando Mela.

Detective An and I set out to the Arravali apartments in Alakananda in Aamar Delhi (Our Delhi-in Bengali). We walk in, lady's in the their sixth day best, or Sashtami best, with casseroles of food, Mutton reezala and parathas, mutton kebabs, Chicken cutlets, fish cutlets, Dhaka Mutton and Parathas, many stalls of Biryani. We were feeling like kicking ourselves, salivating and not able to eat....... Bishoon disshgushting (very disgusting in Bengali). We were self inflicted vegetarians- due to Navratras. Surrounded by great food and not able to eat.We got to the book store and devour books, Detective An buys nine books ( 7 Rainbow Magics, 1 Archie 2 Phantom comics) and I buy One, Indian Intellectuals meet pornography and decide to call it erotic stories.... Ruchir Joshi's Electric Feather. Again Bishoon Disshgusting. Basically rustic porn with an Oxford education.

Next day Lady Chaterjee's lover says, the Kali Bari/ Shiv Mandir has a food festival, today, everything is vegetarian. Umm sounds great to my vegetarian sensibility, I get there, early evening and take a hundred rupees and five hundred rupees from my wallet just in case. Hoping that I can manage in Rs 100/- (the sales man's guide to eating out in Durga Puja). You know, beating the Budget.I enter and immerse, I see a doe eyed bengali lady in a backless choli, its getting to be erotica saga rather than a food journey, she blinks her sultry eyes and pouts. I have my eyes on feasting elsewhere. Lady Chaterjee's lover is happy to see me their, gives a quick orientation tour, we start. First Singhara (Samosa in Bangla), in a casserole a bit cold, nice with Dal stuffing Rs 10/-, next we try a Dudhi Puli a sweet from a sweet lady at Rs 20/- its like a sweet Raviolli in a sweet milk malai.

Next stop is Ghugni, made of channa (like a Gujrati Ragda) but very spicy, garnished with sev, corriander and green chilli, mouth on fire. Price Rs 10/-. Actually Ghugni seems like an institution,like Bhel Puri in West India and Papri chaat/ Aloo Tikki in the North. An evening snack. It was heat hot as well as chilly hot Next stop a Mocher chop, a cutlet made out of a banana flowers priced at Rs 10/-. Keep it coming. The G spot was tickled on my palette, I said, more.!

Anything to do with Banana, is held with the same reverence as fish, in vegetarian cuisine by the Bengalis.All parts of the banana tree are mixed, cooked, fried and blended in food. So farI had spent Rs 50/- and savoured4 delicasies. We were again accosted by the sultry seductress, with all middle men ogling and youngsters giggling and fantasizing.

Not satiated yet, moved on to the Channa Payas a sweet priced at Rs 10/- (its obviously not for commerce but your prowess in cooking and other lattitudes). The Chhana Payas had a pasty feel to it. I dont think you cannot evenget good quality ingredients at that price. Wanted a change in palette after the pasty sweet what better than a mirchi pakoda again priced at Rs 10.- Nice hot and spicy, served by an infant while the father mixed the Ghugni and the little daughter gave me the change.

The score so far six items at Rs 70. I quickly added a Sandesh made by an NGO run by women, and I topped it with a Bread Roll at Rs 10/- Which took the maths to Rs90/- and the brand count to 8, unbelievable had 8 delight s for Rs 90/-. Hands in my pocket a whistle on my lips walked back to the car looked for the sultry seductress she had vanished like the savouries from the stalls.

So whats your story of a cheap street. I seriously beat the budget at Rs 90. So thats a cheap treat and al lot of cheap thrills.

So Long !

Beer Summit : London, Summer of 2009

2009-07-31T15:01:00.013+05:30

When one is tired of London, one is tired of life (Samuel Johnson)

Obama had a beer summit in the gardens of the White House on 3oth, 2009 with Sgt James Crowley of the Massachusetts Police Department ( opted and served a Blue Moon beer), Henry Louise Gates Jr a Harward University Professor (opted and served a Sam Adams beer) and Mr President opted for the beer of the American working class a Bud Light.We had a similar beer summit in London circa 21-26 July 2009. The trio here was different (means, I shared these 9 beers in 5 days with these gents), Ranjit Kumar (my maternal Uncle, my childhood idol and aka, Samson in College and Johnny by his wife and friends now), lives in London since 52 years, truly a working class hero), Beera- My buddy from the Indian Army now a senior executive with the Lloyds bank.

My first beer in London a Carlsberg, I love the beer, a little disappointed (because, I have loads of it in New Delhi now), I was living with Johnny (my Uncle, called John) and his humorous and bundle of energy, his Irish wife Aggie with of course dearest wife Praveen and little Detective An. Promised myself to try a lot more beers.

The next day after a covering a lot of ground in London, the Salvador Dali Universe and Gallery, we reached an outdoor café within the Royal Festival Hall on Belvedere Road, on the classy South Bank, called you know what Canteen ( it was dearest wife’s choice, we went back two days later for a coffee and cheese cakes). The vivacious waitress Polly grazed my arm and offered a Helles Lager, though brought to us by a shaggy Scotsman Michael .Mmm it was light and cold and I was thirsty, the recommendation and the recommendee, both were nice. We enjoyed the beer, infact I had the beer, while dear Praveen had a lemonade and Detective An had a classic Coke in classic glass bottle with Fish and chips and dish of mashed potatoes.

I opened the fridge one day (extending the generosity of our loving hosts) and pulled out a bottle of Peroni, (my Uncle usually stocks exotic sounding east European and Bulgarian beer), this time he had gone upmarket and stocked Italian beer. Though, I have had Peroni in Nat’s restaurant Flavours in Delhi. It felt refreshing and light, it’s a pity, I followed it with yet another Carlsberg or was it a scotch, a Chivas 18 year old (which is as different and superior from its Chivas regular as cheese is from chalk or something like that) or was it a Islay of Mist, a single malt blend too evolved for my humble and broken in palette.

We had an image of an ideal pub, within an animal sounding name (like Hog in the Pound, The Horse and the Groom) and lo behold we were at Hares and Hound a lovely 105 year old pub in Osterly park. We loved it, a traditional place in fact, now owned by the Fullers Brewery waited by the pretty Louise a Fillipino who has been in and out of this pub for seven years.

Amidst ,Bangers (Cumberland sausages) and mash with onion gravy and Fried cod (fish)and chips and lots of other food had memorable pints and half pints of Fullers Discovery (pale blonde Beer), Fullers ESB and the dark Guinness. Discovery was what it promised blonde and light and pale both to look at and drink, ESB was strong and had a bite to it and the Guinness got me into a dark mood (the lady in the photo shot and ad for Guinness is not Louise the Fillipino, lest you get ideas) we went to family bar and this is family viewing blog. Is that right or what ?

Beera(sounds similar to Beer, is Berender Pal Singh the senior executive), picked me up from home and said lets go to Windsor Castle, I thought to myself Castle at night, its like asking someone lets go to Red Fort or Purana Qila. Well I said lets go with the flow. It turned out to be an upmarket bar, pub , restaurant and nightclub district, the excellent host that he is,took me to three bars, The King and Castle where I had a shy beer amidst the heavy Vodka and Redbull drinking by the Eton College boys which is in the neighbourhood. With girls from every where, and the shortest skirts on this side of Soho. We are accosted by four young girls who ask for a light I offer them a lit cigarette, one of them ,an Indian says, join us we are going to Liquid and then Vanilla. I am too old and Beera is to sober to respond. Well I forgot the beer in all this excitement. I had a fruity garden Beer Leffe out of a bottle. Nice. Fortified by the encounter, Beera decided to stick to double of Jamieson the Irish whisky for the night, I meekly followed. In two characteristic bars, the Ha Ha Bar and Grill at the Windsor station and gues what the Horse and the Groom , but more of that later, her we are talking just beer.

The Last day, I have to have some more beers, we go to the neighbourhood store called Exotic and pick up Grolsch and John Smiths. I had seen and read about Grolsch in movies and books, It was nice and not a strong beer as I thought it would be. The last one was John Smiths it come with a plastic widget in the can which I was told by Uncle John, helps it move from a canned beer to a beer from the pump. Though it promises, to be a bitter it was not that bitter, It was quite nice. That’s the Story, Three Guys Nine beers in 5days. That my Beer Summit a lot more interesting than Obama’s
So Long or is It Tally Ho !

The Shangri La of my dreams : Kasauli, Eat, Wear and Stay.

2009-07-13T14:59:00.013+05:30

Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. In the book, "Shangri-La" is a mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains. Shangri-La has become synonymous with any earthly paradise but particularly a mythical Himalayan utopia—a permanently happy land, isolated from the outside world. In the novel Lost Horizon, the people who live at Shangri-La are almost immortal, living years beyond the normal lifespan and only very slowly aging in appearance. The word also evokes the imagery of exoticism of the Orient.

On a flight from Pune to Delhi in 1987, I met the head of Smith, Kline and Beecham in India (an Englishman). We got talking and he mentioned these golden words, “Kasauli is the Shangri La of my dreams”. And these words kind of stayed with me. I had known of Kasauli before, my mother lived there briefly , my grandfather Diwan Kasturi Lal Chopra, was posted there with the Punjab Police, in the post partition united Punjab ( including Punjab, Harayana and Himachal Pradesh). My mother had some Nutanesque photos taken in her pre marriage days on the slopes of Kasauli all with dark goggles, salwar kameez and an elaborate dupatta (very filmy indeed).

It was a resort for the British, bought by them from the Gurkhas at Rs 5000/- (a price for a steak dinner now). To launch an offensive against Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the Anglo Sikh Wars. Later used as a station for rest and recreation. Kind of getting your sanity back (it helped as the place also had a sanitarium amongst other things).

I was pretty influenced by the conversation with a westerner from Smith, Kline Beecham (which made Horlicks in India amongst others) and I often dreamt of a place like a mystical Shangri La and of course some part of family history. I finally got to go there, for the first time in the summer of 1992 and have been there 10 times since, living largely at Hotel Alasia, and Kasauli Club and with some visits to Hotel RosCommon, PWD rest house and once at the Indian Army Holiday Home. I like the mystery of the place, the church the grave yard, the old buildings, the Serum Institute, the availability of Solan No1 (The only single malt whisky in India, Golden Eagle Beer, all from Kasauli brewery). The ham and salami sandwiches from Daily Needs, the apple wine from Gupta store, the breakfast of the bun - channa- samosa at the sweet shop in the cobbled stone bazaar with 10 and a half other shops.

I would like to mention the legacy of a few generations old, outfits or stores that are a part of the history and render a lot of character to this heritage hill resort. These bring in the Food, Clothes and Stay Experience in Kasauli.

Eat (Roti)

Daily Needs, Established in 1920
Identifying the need for supplies, canned food, meat (piggery products, liquor, Lachman Dass set up a store near the Maurice Hotel, next to the Anglican Church). Followed by his son Lekh Raj who expanded to groceries, wine and supplies, with currently Jai Kishan Thakur at the helm (whom I have been dealing with for two decades) and now his able son Akhilesh, who swiftly fixes the ham and salami sandwiches to be had by me and Detective An (our dear daughter) at the wooden bench on the portico of the elevated store, drinking apple cider (watching the world go by) while they pack our picnic basket. The store is part of Kasauli history , folklore and of course a part of the weekly fix of the students of Lawrence School of the adjoining Sanawar Hill. The store has been opposite the R Maidens hotel for a while and I like the experience of hanging out there. Jaikishan Thakur , mentions a legacy of pork and piggery products stores, three in Chandigarh, three in Delhi (Deluxe Piggery at Bhagat Singh Market aka Gole market, Steak House, Khub Chand and Sons). I am a regular at all these outlets. Imagine a life (in this case many lives and generations) dedicated and devoted to Piggery Products. God Bless the Swine, I mean the Pig.We Enjoy the Chicken Sandwich, the Chicken Ham Sandwich, the pork Ham Sandwich and of course the Chicken or Pork Burger all priced at Rs 35 each. The Tempest Apple Cider is rather good. Though you may have to buy the plastic glasses to drink it out off. Heavenly.

Bun Sam- Narinder Sahu (aka Tannu) @ Narinder Sweets.
Narinder Sahu and his ancestors came from Varanasi (almost six decades ago) to set up a sweet shop in pristine Kasauli, on the cobbled street bazaar. The Bun Samosa with Channa, is an irresistible snack at Rs 10 each. They also do Bun Gulab Jamun (tastes like a Jam Sandwich). Innovative , absolutely. We enjoy it as a breakfast, or anytime snack. However, like all the shops in the hills they do not crank up before 9. am.

Wear (Kapda)

Jakki Mull and Sons, Established in 1862
The clothiers and drapers to the British and the royalty for over 147 years is no mean feat. I wanted to get a tailored (customized, or even better bespoke/ hand crafted suit), this summer from Jakki Mull and Sons at Kasauli. Unfortunately they do not do suits any more. I end up buying a polo necked (collared) T Shirt as Kasauli Club our selected place of residence does not allow round necked T- shirts and I am running out of freshly laundered ones. Pankaj Jain the current owner has honestly lost track of the generations they have been in this business. I like the feeling of buying something from a heritage store and chat up with the establishment owners. They do sell great fabrics, but no tailoring. Maybe he should combine it with a hotel package (get a customized suit while you holiday here).The Sikh gate keeper at Kasauli club (Gurdaas Singh) smiles to see me in a new polo T shirt and I politely ask for a reimbursement of Rs499/-. He laughs and says if I had that kind of money I would be enjoying in the bazaar.

Stay (aur Makaan)

Kasauli Club 1880,
Though I would love to go on with my treatise on the various living options some set up more than 145 years . Let us keep the focus on The Kasauli Club. Set up in 1880 as a reading room, developed into club house and dancing hall catering to the nearby cantonments, Subathu, Dagashai, Solan and of course Kasauli. It was known for its post tennis tea and Saturday dances and ball amongst others.

Burnt down in 2001 and rose like thePhoenix in 2005 is very pretty and an example of very authentic restoration, blending tradition and modernity. Met some interesting people this summer, Rahul Ram the bass guitarist and singer Of Indian Ocean (over a whisky we discussed the early 80s and their band with Gautam Ghosh, called White Fang). The guy who calls himself Sehgal, I meet him every time I go and stay at the Club, talks of his stints abroad, Golf and very little else. Ashima and Eknaam Singh , she teaches English at Sanawar, we shared cigarettes and interest in food. Got tips from her on the subtle flavors of Teetua of Himachli cuisine. We ate loads of snacks, as the food apart from Continental is just passable at the club. So Gin and Lime by day and Peter Scot and perhaps Solan No 1 by night and Chicken fingers, Chicken Nuggets, Peanut Masala, Cheese Toast and Chicken Seekh and Ckicken sausages all below the Rs 50 mark. The continental food of Chicken Chops, which come, twos, in a portion with Boiled vegetables and bread and butter is meal for Rs 75/- Well qualifies for my Salesman guide to a Holiday, all under Rs 100/- Came back two kgs heavier some due to my enjoying the drinking reading and conversing on the patio (overlooking the valley with Chandiagarh in the yonder) by day and night and the special snack diet prescribed by our dear daughter Detective An.

No Country For Old Men : Though the hills are no Country for Old Men. You see some ancient Establishments and even more ancient residents. The hills and mountains are designed for younger persons, always inhabited by older peole, as the young are busy making a living and counting their money in the plans, I believe the attraction to the hills is something as close to a fatal one, imagine living a tough life and for what. Me, I have, almost a fatal attraction, enigmatic, mysterious attachment to Kasauli, sometimes I think it is a previous birth reconnect as I roam the streets almost trying to remember something, I have inducted and re inducted all members of my family to Kasauli. Someday I will rest in peace there.

Breaking the 300$ mark : Sevilla at The Claridges

2009-07-02T14:12:00.005+05:30

As the economy slowly surges back, it’s the season to splurge. Actually with dear wife Praveen, every season is a season to splurge, birthdays, father’s day, hot summer day, cool rainy day.
On one such day, dear wife hosted three friends and me for a fantastic experience at Sevilla At The Claridges, this is one of the most or the most expensive meals I have been to, paid by us (dear Praveen in this case).

I seldom do a review of restaurants, but this is unusual as breaking the 300 $ mark is like breaking the bank , it’s like getting five new tires for the Jeep, or enough Jeans for a life time. However, dear wife is different. She would go to any levels of generosity if she likes someone. I was invited, so I reckon she continues to like me.

It’s the old alfresco (out door, or to use an old fashioned term open air) dining place called Corbett. Dining it is, as Sevilla is open only for dinner. Corbett was a place where I was introduced to Stuffed Tangri Kababs (so 80s, well this was in the 80’s with a friend of mine from the 80s). I was so impressed that I took my folks the senior citizens for the Jungle experience. Later in 2004 we had a strategic meeting with cable operators of Incable (Hindujas group)to upstage Hathway (of the Raheja group) in Delhi as they had an outstanding of a few crores. This was atop a make belief machaan.

Hang on ! this is not about the demised Corbett , this about Spanish, Mediterranean , mountain terrain Sevilla and the 300 $ experience, which is a big deal for an under 2$ meal seeker and enthusiast, that’s me. One of the guests that evening remarked emphatically , when you mean under Rs 100, you mean one dish. I replied , calmly, no I mean the entire meal, he looked the other way at Praveen and sipped his Italian wine, a Fresco Pom Bianco @ USD 64 (Rs 3200 a bottle). All I understood was Bianco means white.

I wanted a sangria and settled for the Italian wine which was truly exotic, dry, light and splendid. It was raining and we chose to sit in a glass cabana, air conditioned while the lean thin waiters (all looked too thin and too tall), used umbrellas to reach us the food. The food fired oven which serves fresh naan like bread was extinguished, was later fired when the rain stopped and then we tasted the warm bread fresh from the oven, a tad late. In true Spanish tradition we ordered, Tapas, cold and warm , vegetarian and non vegetarian. Amidst interesting conversation on trends, politics and the future, I ate Tenderloin ( I eat steak whenever I can , though it was a petite portion), dear wife Praveen had Tiger prawns, while the others had the Trout and New Zealand lamb chops. The evening was delectable. Praveen seeing hunger written all over my face elegantly passed on a portion of her Tiger prawns to me.

The Chocolate Souffle oozing with chocolate was wonderful in all a great experience. The guest asked me are you going to write about this evening. I mentioned, its way out my league. I would leave it to Vir Sanghvi. On second thoughts, I thought what the hell, salesmen also get a windfall in terms of a bonus. My bonus is I am married to Praveen.

Legends of the Fall - Part II: The Wengers Story

2009-06-04T09:49:00.018+05:30

Just imagine Connaught Place, New Delhi in 1926. After the great Durbar of King GeorgeV, The Capital of Of India had moved to New Delhi, In the 1920's the work on New Delhi with Edward Lutyens had begun. Connaught Place was to develop as the High Street under the guidance of Robert Tor Russel an engineer with CPWD. A block, with Nath and Co as Tailors and Drapers, Devi Chand and Co with a Uniform and Apparrel store, a Novelty Chemists round the corner and a Swiss couple (Jeanne Wengerer and her husband), own and run a wonderful restaurant called Wengers.

Wengers is a throwback to more genteel times at CP, of buggy rides and live bands, afternoon teas and evening promenades around the fountain.

But, unlike them Wengers has perfected the art of deceptive ageing. The upper floor once a ballroom and three tea rooms, might have been sold to bank. Creamy tarts with Kiwifruit and morel lo cherries might have nudged out staple strawberry, vanilla, pineapple and chocolate pastries, but old timers would insist Wenger's has not changed at all.

The story begins with Jeanne Wenger and her husband (called the Wengers) set up various outlets a wine store, a restaurant/ canteen in the Delhi University, a sweet shop in Daryaganj and the catering cafe at WHO (World Health Organisation). The legend has it the husband (I do not have the name as yet) died in a air crash in Europe. The lady Jeanne Wenger handed over or sold the business to Brij Mohan Tandon the Manager in 1945. The Tandon family with his three sons Ranbir Singh Tandon, Om Prakash Tandon and Anoop Tandon took the business forward. Today the third generation, Atul Tandon (son of OP Tandon) and Aman Tandon (son of Anoop Tandon) run the business with of course the survivor OP Tandon.

Charanjit Singh the current manager (who joined in1965), reminisces, he was an AC engineer fromLucknow, the management saw his interest in catering and experimented, by giving him the job of contributing with running the restaurant. The restaurant was on the first floor (where American Express Bank has its office). He talks of times when a small set was priced at Rs 1.25 and had a set of tea a bread pakora and a pastry. The large set with four snacks, Sandwich, Mixed Vegetable Pakoras, Chaat and pastry and of course tea for Rs4.00. The menu was a lot different then.The restaurant shut down in 1979.

The pastries as were in only four flavors and margarine was used which made them lighter and fluffy, they had not heard of butter and fresh cream. These were buuzzwords which were to be used later.The other signature dishes that evolved, were Shammi Kabab (still a signature dish), Cheese balls (which no one has been able to replicate, including Wengers themselves, although all old timer CP restaurants attempt it, Embassy restaurant suceeeds somewhat) and Vegetable Cutlet.

My earliest memories of Wengers are when we moved to Delhi (in 1979), my father IK Malhotra would talk about his salad days as a salesman of the early 1960's (an inspiration of this edeavor of finding and writing about places to eat local exotica for under Rs 100/- for of course the salesman). He would say, the day would begin with parking the sparkling Lambretta scooter at Wengers restaurant, have a cup of tea with a scrumptous patty with green chillies in vinegar and then kick start the day.Wengers for us was important, to picking up a patty and Keventers milk when me and dear wife Praveen were visiting CP and were on a budget or picking up dropping someone at the Railway station. Or packing food for the journey. This is in the early 1990's. Ofcourse Mom, the eternal foodie would treat herself and us to Wengers while she continued to call Janpath,Queensway, well into the 80's.

Then in 1996 or was it 1997, dear wife Praveen sent a treat for everyone in office at Discovery Channel at Gopal Das Bhawan, it was my birthday (she was a neighbor at Star Tv at Amba Deep Building). An then Wengers was on the menu for life, the plain cake, the shammi kabab, the paneer roll. And, of course the Christamas shopping with mince pies, christmas pudding and plum cake. On Easter, the ginger bread man, the signature hen and of course Easter eggs. Every time anyone goes to CP it's time for Wengers. Quick lunch at office Wengers. A birthday celebration, launch of Mint (the newspaper), wine and shammi kababs from Wengers. Who do you call......., Wengers !!

And now Detective (our Daughter) and the third generation just loves the food from Wengers, The chicken patty, the Mushroom patty...... mmm light crust, just right sized with the right texture. Pretty much like Nirulas. What make these outlets continue Wengers 83 years and Nirulas 75 years, much before we were a modern nation. I am so surprised so little is written on Wengers which continues to thrive and grow on us and the generations ahead all out of one outlet and a humble bakery with a legendary status.

Whats your favorite Wengers Story ?

Parting shot, whats the price of Shammi Kabab, Paneer roll, Chicken patty and Mushroom Patty.

So Long !

Legends of the Fall: The Nirulas and Wengers Story

2009-06-03T14:18:00.010+05:30

No chronicler of Indian F&B can neglect the two legends and part of every Delhi wallahs life, One single outlet bakery and one time restaurant, Wengers. The other a restaurant in Delhi’s Connaught Place, now a 65 outlet restaurant chain, Nirulas.

I have earlier attempted to crack the mystery and aura around Moti Mahal, Kwality and Gaylord. Now I attempt to the same with these titans since they are older in India than all those mentioned. Wengers the oldest big dady was born in 1926 (83 years old) and Nirulas was born in 1934 (75 years old). These geriatrics or senior citizens have been around for a really long time.

The Nirulas Story :
What made these men from Lahore LC Nirula and M Nirula settle for a restaurant, after trying their hands in running a photo shop, optician shop and a pharmacy before 1934. In 1934 they opened theirb first, called Hotel India with 12 rooms, a restaurant and a bar license. Then conversion to the Nirula name and stuck to that. . It also show cased the first Chinese restaurant with the Chinese room ,in the 1950’s and of course an espresso coffee bar (though espresso then was actually a cappuccino). The 1960s witnessed the opening of two specialty restaurants Austro- Hungarian cuisine restaurant called La Boehme a toast of the glitterati in New Delhi and an Indian restaurant called Gufa. It hosted the Lala Charat Ram wedding, Raj Kapoor , judged a beauty show and it introduced Delhi to cabaret shows .

In the 50’s my dapper uncle Ranjit Kumar on his father’s (my grandfather’s) borrowed motorcycle, a Norton or an Indian Chief parked it at Nirula’s and met at what they called Adda (meeting place, hangout joint) and we call Nirula’s this was at the famous L Block which also housed the Nirulas Hotel.He moved To UK in 1956 and often drinking Irish whisky with him he reminisces of the good times at Nirulas.
The other turning point was the moving into the fast food business in the 70s when the sons Lalit and Deepak Nirula fortified with their Cornell University education started rolling out the , The Pastry Shop, Snack Bar, Hot Shoppe and the the Ice Cream Parlour (called Nirulas 21, it had 21 flavors, a first time in India) The Pegasus bar and Potpourri, a sit down restaurant with a salad bar were opened around this time.

The world had changed ,Delhi was introduced to burgers , the big boy, the chilli burger and the mama of all the Mahaburger(as they were meant to be, not fried buns with a tomato, onion and a patty, although as a child I did not mind that as well) pizzas with sausages, the hot chocolate fudge ( which now has a facebook community around this sundae), hamburger steak, footlongs, banana split (yumm, a split banana with three scoops of ice cream, strawberry, pineapple and chocolate with their own toppings) and introduced us to really nice Hot Dogs. We were all living the Archies and Riverdale dream, we chose our own characters and thought we were at Pop Tate’s I was definitely Jughead and dreaming to be Archie once in awhile. The Nirula’s family got it right, in the 70s and 80s money was tight and aspirations were high. They got everything right. The Mustard had the right twang and the chillies in vinegar were divine (though the have stopped serving the chillies, the taste in my memory banks lingers on).

Opened family style restaurants with self service at Chanakya Cinema, the uber cool place to hangout, it opened at 10 am and shut at 11 pm. There was a rush to go in at opening hour (with all the bunking girls from Jesus and Mary College and their beaus waiting for them) and trying to request the gatekeeper for a quick snack pick up at 11pm. People had to be asked to leave finally at 11pm. The revolving door with gust of wind as an air curtain and the food was what dreams were made of. They also opened in Defence Colony, Vasant Vihar all in the 80s. They even had one on Darbar Road at Kathmandu
Today after the takeover by Narvis Capital of Malaysia and Samir Kuckreja (an old hand at Nirulas) it has over 65 outlets with more formats, as those at petrol pumps, at airports, a sort of express version, just ice cream parlours and pastry shops in addition to the restaurants and family style restaurants.

Everybody said Nirulas has it right, three generations can dine on a table and enjoy the experience, the range was immense , Thalis, Fish and chips, Butter chicken, Dal Makni, Chilly Burgers, Sausage Capsicum Onion Mushroom pizzas, Shakes, Lime Ice, Pineapple Sundaes, Hot Chocolate Fudge, Pasteries, Shammi Kabab, it was more than a 110 long list all the stuff was good even some outlets had dosas. So what happened to the magic.

It did evaporate a little with new girls in town, Mc Donalds, Pizza Hut, KFC and many many more. The Nirulas kept a brave fight with competing and sometimes saying we mean everything for everyone in the family. The new management is perhaps once again showind greater vigour.
My own experiences start with an afternoon at the swimming pool and in the summer of 1980, landed at Nirulas at CP, It was at Hot Shoppe I had, the hamburger steak at under five rupees. My friends Ravi and Ashutosh would say, if Sam (that’s me) is broke, he will have a chilly burger (at Rs 7/) otherwise a pizza and a banana split (both at Rs 13.50 each).

I had most of my dates there, initially lovelorn, I was gawky and choking on my food and gave all the attention to the foxy lady by gazing into her eyes, while she gave her attention to everyone and everything, Aas I gained confidence, I would focus more on the food than her. I knew I was developing a new relationship that with food and less with her. Cut to the present my dear wife Praveen goes with me as I am hanging on to the past (though she does enjoy some of the stuff when we order at home) and our little one Detective An, can’t let go of the mug of Hot chocolate fudge, she does not care much for anything else.
More power to Nirulas and we don’t care if a Malaysian owns it or a Chinaman as long as they stay as close as possible to their genetic code.
I am going to ask you to turnover to the next post for the Wengers story as it will make this post too long and unreadable.

Whats your favorite Nirulas Story ? What’s your favorite at the Nirulas.

So Long !

Salesman's eating options at a 5 Star Hotel: The Oberoi Delhi

2009-06-01T17:35:00.003+05:30

Patisserie and Delicatessen, Oberoi Delhi
I know it’s a salesman’s guide to eating out, so why am I doing a review of an F&B outlet of a 5 star Hotel at New Delhi. Besides I never do reviews. The reason attributed for this unique departure. Pastry shops are the last bastion of the salesman’s visitation to a 5 star hotel. That too sheepishly slipping in after business hours for the 50% discount.

A few decades ago it was the fine dining restaurants where shark skinned suit (a suiting material) and gabardine clad salesmen were often seen. Then we plebs started going to “the coffee shop”. Now we have been relegated to the pastry shop that too at a 50% discount. Before you get the impression I am doing a Bridget Jones on you (poor poor me). On the contrary, a salesman is all about opportunity, liberty, hope, dreams, democracy and success. However the reality is , we like the tossing of the key to the valet (except the Hyatt at New Delhi which charges, pre-paid a Rs 100/- as valet parking charge), smelling the lobby air (unless it’s the Le Meredien which used to smell like French fries always (to a hungry salesman that’s good too), the smart walk to the pastry shop and chatting up the ladies at the counter.Some hotels put in four and half chairs for the coffee while your order for the cake, meat cheese is being packed.

Last week Rohinesh, a friend I walk in the park with invited me to come over and let’s check out the new Oberoi Pastry shop. We often talk about little else other than food everyday. Actually I waited, and followed up for 6 months for the opening of the swanky new pastry shop at The Oberoi and then was reluctant to go as there was no discount after business hours.

We the middle aged and middle class princes of the future decided to throw a care to the winds and decided to go check it out as an academic field tour. We throw the key (sorry I had my dear wife Praveen’s driver), walked in smelt that smell (did not smell of any food like substance) it was like forest in South of France kind of smell. My brother Sanjiv who worked for The Oberoi Hotel for 28 years and was the GM here from circa 1992 to 1996, often said the lobby should never smell of food. We walked past the Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, Hermes and others to walk down to the old Kandahar (where prawns were the size of turkey legs in the 90s).

Down the wide frosted glass stairs, into the 4000sq ft of intimidation. At The Taj, the staff chats up with you to make you comfortable. At The Oberoi, you chat up with the staff to make yourself comfortable. We scout around, the coffee counter, the meat section, the pastry section, the inviting picnic basket, the wines in a wine cooler. The décor was Spartan and nice. So was the stocking, the meat section was frugal; we expected it to be largely stocked. The wines were well stocked amongst other Chinkara ( a house brand as, its owned by the daughter of the Oberoi clan in Australia).

We perch ourselves on high stools in the centre court around an enormous dummy cake, as the four and half coffee tables were occupied. The menus has small eats all, priced at Rs 600 and above, way out of our current league, so we settle for patties, nearly the cheapest things on display Rs 100 for a chicken patty and Rs 75 for a vegetable patty. We cannot escape not asking for tea or coffee as I have a feeling they might kick us out if we don’t and just stick to the patties. We order a cappuccino (Rs 245) for me and an orange pekoe (Rs 225) for my host.

The people, we meet Atri Sengupta a friend of mine from my days at Star TV, with a friend. We see Azharuddin, the cricketer and now The MP from Moradabad with a friend (I hope I am right). Three broad hipped women with a Quiche and a patty between them and narrow minded conversation around them. You should have seen the gift she gave……… (You know the kind).
Great service for a pastry shop, no discounts yet and a cool place to hangout. The coffee is wonderful; I like coffee a shot as the one that burns the lip with the first sip. Hard to get it at any of the Café Coffeeday, Baristas and Costas. Have to be at a quality place to get that. Smarter to order tea as you get a pot, while coffee is only a cup. The biscuit with the coffee is divine, or is it called biscotti. A good experience. We spent Rs 645, for two beverages and two patties. Oberoi very smartly (started by the GM in 1992 and my brother Sanjiv Malhotra) has an inclusive price of taxes, service charge. Hence no surprises, you get a bill for the amount you expect.

My wife often tells me that a common mans writing will not get me very far, hence I am taking baby steps through the pastry shop route.

Next stop downtown dining and uptown dining and something in between.

So Long !

The Elusive Bird : Roast Chicken

2009-05-11T16:26:00.005+05:30

Most off sites happen off site. Where do offroaders meet when they are not offroading (in their 4x4 vehicles), they meet in a bar. Winter had not started yet, it was 2008 and Romi Malik a capable offroader with Jeep Thrills and NIOC (Northern India Offroaders Club), invited me and fellow members from Delhi and Bangalore for as Offsite in the bar of Panchsheel Club in New Delhi.

Apart from borrowing a shirt from Romi, (no round collars allowed you see) we were welcomed with his hospitality in large doses…… endless service Of Blenders Pride, Fish Tikkas, and Roast Chicken amazing. Amongst the eight of us we must have had that many chickens….. Umm soft moist white meat that came of the bone like rose petals from a flower , light gravy, moist French fries and slushy peas. An amazing signature dish. For nights I lay awake in bed dreaming of this elusive bird and how could I eat it again.

Most times I am able to generally crack the recipe by tasting something … with this I could not. Seek and thou shall find I asked Alex my fellow foodie and partner in food related crimes, an unsatisfactory response….. not the same. I asked Samar Harlankar, the current Editor of Hindustan Times Delhi and blogs on his site Our Daily Bread…… umm not satisfied yet. All of them had view or a recipe but not the same. The reason, there are so many ways to make roast chicken.

Even the word roast means different things to different people and communities in India, let alone the world. In South India Ghee Roast could be a Dosa or Chicken cooked in Masala, in Amritsar and at Surjeet Dhaba roast chicken means only roasted in Tandoor or earthern oven, could mean so many things. In Western recipes, roasting is in an oven (gas or electric) or a pot like a pot roast. In Levant world east of Italy and the Mediterranean they roast it on an electric gyro. Braised on a open fire or heat like in France, USA and South Africa.
Mustered courage and decided to call Panchsheel Club and said I am calling on behalf of Romi and I would like to pick up a Roast Chicken at 6pm that evening. Later I called and reconfirmed from Peter the Catering Kitchen Incharge (who has worked earlier with Claridges hotel) and agreed to a pick up at 7pm. My excitement grows, I miss my evening swimming session , pick up cheap wine called Dia from Sula and land up to get my order. I pay cash Rs225/- for an enormous chicken wrapped in two separate bags.I also shake hands with chef Ganesh(though I feel like kissing them).

We open the roast chicken and the wine, there is some excitement will it be the same as I left it and dreamt of many times over. Yes that and more. Soft succulent meat leaves the bone as soft sand slips from an open hand. The sauce is perfect and more (its light), the peas and fries mushy as they are supposed to be, I love it. My folks, immerse into it, we have second helpings with the sweet wine which tasted more like cooking wine or wine cooler. We all love the chicken. The four of us could easily avoid dinner. (me , my folks whom I call affectionately as Senior Citizens and our daughter Detective An)

The meal (nearly that) costs Rs60/- per head and is exotica and well below my Rs 100/- for a meal for the salesman’s guide to eating out. The chicken can be paired with a garlic toast and mash to make wonderful “ Continental” meal (with of course a better wine than the Dia I bought at Rs280/-). Dream fulfilled, Paradise revisited, I sleep better now. Thank you Romi. In my dream that night I kiss the ring on Ganesh the chef’ s hand as in The Godfather.

So Long !

Eat Meat in Ahmedabad: Sabarmati to Salladin

2009-05-06T15:09:00.018+05:30

On the Spice jet Flight I ask the air hostess for a blanket, she smiles and says, sorry sir, as a rejoinder says. You can have my jacket and cuddle into it. Gosh, I react after a while, was that a pass, As usual I am too dense to react. I think it is a witty remark rather than a pass. By the time I reach Ahmedabad, I have pretty much reconciled to having a drink out of the hip flask, eat an exotic Divij, Ashish or a Nikhil Sandwich (named after the students who invented these at the Chota canteen at MICA) or even a Gunjan Paratha, they sound interesting.

I land and Akbar the driver from MICA (Mudra Institute of Communication and Advertising where I am on a teaching assignment yet again), is out there to receive me. We get talking. I ask him for a good Muslim hotel… (meaning dhaba). He recommends some Muslim dhabas in Juhapura in the outskirts of Ahmedabad (a safe haven for Muslims). Juhapura has 4 mosques and about 4 lac muslims living there with the pride of Ahmed Shah Abdali (the founder of Ahmedabad). I am quiet for a while, after 10 mins, he asks, would you like to go. I say “Yes” and abandon the plan of the exotic sandwiches.

Juhapura, seems exciting. He is a little surprised with the visiting faculty going with him to dinner at his favorite hangout. We arrive at (pardon my using the politically incorrect word) the ghetto. Juhanpura grew and is now bursting at the seams with Muslim influx after the Gujarat riots.
The balance has been struck between the Yin and the Yang. Narendra Modi’s saffron brigade in Velajpura now has been balanced by Juhapura. Hang on I am not interested in politics, I am interested in food. I am busy striking my own balance, last week I feasted on a vegetarian Gujarati breakfast, I now need to sink into a Non vegetarian Gujarati meal. The Yang to counter balance my vegetarian Yin.

We reach Sagar fry centre, I have a tot of whisky with Thumbs Up, a bite of masala mutter. There is a Tawa (a large gridle frying meat, chicken , fish, prawns) and on the barbecue there is only, dangerous looking deep red almost pink colored chicken. I ask Akbar to order, he orders two half tandoori chickens, I add a tawa bhuna mutton (our waiter mahim says softly there is only bada, meaning beef, I say that’s okay), now beef and add a half chicken fry masala. The tandoori chicken is large bony and with a fluorescent color. We dig in, its flat and chilly hot and not flavorful like muslim food is supposed to be, besides the Tawa (gridle) at industrial strength temperature kills flavor.

The chicken masala fry is laden with mashed eggs and red oily masala, the bhuna beef is a little better and the rotis are dry. There is onions and lemon by the side. The meal of four dishes (two tandoori halves, bhuna beef, half chicken masala fry, six rotis and three cold drinks, cost us Rs 234/- Pretty neat, nearly meets the under Rs 100/- (per person per meal) mark of local exotica at under Rs100/-.I have enjoyed the new experience. Akbar is instrumental in taking me to Sabarmati Ashram on my previous trip and now we feast on Muslim delights in a state with common belief everything is vegetarian other than the Hindu militancy which is not so vegetarian.

The picture of this man is stuck and etched in our minds to the shameful acts of the Hindu Yin to counter the Muslim Yang. Where lies the future for a country with 200 million Muslims and growing, where the liberal Hindu’s, once in while enjoy an excursion to the Muslim ghettos to enjoy cheap kabab, kofta, biryani and haleem. That alone cannot be the present and future of the cultural interaction. An alienated and branded as terrorist community, etched on the minds of the young and impressionable is going to leave a very deep gash on the collective conscience of the Hindu young generation.Sabarmati Ashram looks run down without central funding, and the Sabarmati rivers weeps silently with a sewage smell like the Yamuna. We must look at a liberal inclusion and and an urban liberal intellectual India, be it Hindu or Muslim. And, enhance the interaction, beyond a friendly Kabab or a Biryani during the Rozas and Id. Jai Ho

I later discovered from my friends at MICA I missed the action at Bhatiyar Gali which is the hotbed of Muslim food and Tawa action. Maybe the next time.

Gujarati Breakfast : On the visit to MICA

2009-05-01T12:42:00.016+05:30

On a Spicejet flight to Ahmedabad, the air hostesses cajole and smile to persuade and buy the veg breakfast at Rs120/-, chicken sandwich at Rs80/- cashew nuts at Rs 50/-. I pretend to be asleep, nod politely say no. I have made up my mind to have a Gujarati breakfast on the way to Mica. In the savouryland of Farsaan, Khakra, Fafra, Thepla, Khandvi and Dhoklas the opportunities are immense. I am almost salivating when I land.

MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications and Advertising, where I am visiting Faculty for the weekends) has sent a driver Akbar, an employee at Mica ( I think will he know the farsaan places, or will he take me to eat Nahaari or Haleem). Anyway, I ask, he does not seem to be interested in the food kinds. Its also an unusual request, to ask for a Dhaba kind of normal place with local food on the way by the faculty (as one called for the next two days). He stops at a corner Dhaba, they are beginning to make copious amounts of Pao Bhaji (more of a Mumbai savoury), they Dosas, Idlis etc . Not my scene. I want to sink my teeth into Dholas, Bhajia, sweets, aam ras miniature samosas. My mind is saying traditional. Available is general. Akbar is looking impatient. I sight a sweet shop.

I walk into Shakti sweets (everything is in Gujati language), the name of the shop, the food items menu prices. The owner at the cash counter says, aao seth kya sewa, I say I would like some instruction breakfast, he says, saab ko nashta karao (serve breakfast to sir). Magically in a newspaper on butter paper, appears, a large piece of Khamam Dhokla soft and moist with yellow chutney and chopped green fried chillies, yellow jalebis a few, adds two Bhajias (pakoras, more like bondas). I am famished, I dig in. Something to drink...... lassi or aam ras. I say lassi. Small , medium or large, I say small. I am served the creamiest thick lassi, I scoop with a plastic spoon. The food is good but not great, the affection is genuine and the prices! Gawd!

I love the experience, the food is okay to better. I ask the owner for the bill, he says, Nashta kaisa tha seth (how was breakfast). I say great. He says Rs 25/-I am shocked, the affordable prices and of all that I have eaten.

Who ? Why? How? are these prices possible, is it Narendra Modi who is responsible, or is it the consumer prudence buying movement nurtured in Gujarat or the cooperative society movement. No its individual, capitalist enterprise with profit motive which is making and selling yummy breakfast at these sterling prices.

The experience is local exotica, at Rs 25/- for breakfast for a hungry grown up adult. Its well below my Rs100/- a meal for local exotica. Its breakfast, I understand, its also Rs 25/-

Do you have an interesting Gujarati food story..... I have a few.

Parting shot.

Whats the main difference between Kathiawadi and normal Gujarati food ?

So Long !

Democratic Dinning : Parliament House Canteen

2009-04-23T12:34:00.014+05:30

Democratic dining has many facets. In the largest democracy, what better place to find dining options, other than the burrow of democracy,The Indian Parliament House.Inspired by the Café and restaurants in Westminister in London. The parliament House has set up several restaurants and cafes in the premises in New Delhi, astride the Raisina Hill within the Parliament House complex.

Inspired by , watching telecasts of "Yes Minister" on Doordarshan in the 80s and repeat telecasts afterwards. I had to go, to the canteen that served our Ministers and Members of Parliament. I tracked a friend, Chandrashekhar, working with the Loksabha Tv, and invited ourselves for lunch on a hot summer afternoon in April 09. He was apologetic that he could not arrange passes for me and Shantanu (my lunch partner) for the sanctum sanctortum, the Pariament House where the MP dine during the parliamentary sessions. Besides, security, now after the terrorist attack , a few years ago, is very very tight. We park in the adjacent Rakab Ganj Gurudwara and proceed.

There are three Canteens or Restaurants, one in the Library complex, one in the Annexe (Secretariat complex) and the one I have already mentioned in the centre of the Parliament House.

We enter, frisked thoroughly , we get a pass with a mobile (though offices of Reliance and Honda have more stringent checks with a digital photo taken and printed on the entry pass). We walk in the Library complex, which also has a parliament museum. Its a great set of buildings made in sandstone, air-conditioned, with staues in thick bronze of Rabindranath Tagore. Its very clean with thick wooden doors, almost looks like a UN office.

We enter the Cafeteria, high ceiling dome, chaos, its lunch hour and Dinesh Kumar at the cash counter for pre- paid bills and coupons is doing the job of perhaps 8 counters in Mc Donald’s . Its chaotic but he is efficient. Our host orders conservatively (we have to re-order). We have two plates of chicken curry, one plate of mutton curry (ummm, nice), Channa, Matar Paneer , 10 rotis and two plates of rice, (phew), a bottle of mineral water and three sweet lime juices all for handsome amount of Rs140/-

Firstly, our host is taken aback with our appetite, he is a vegetarian and pecks on his food, secondly, the mutton carry is amazing, old world railway mutton curry taste (rest is passable), thirdly, the prices are amazing and lastly we are served in crested crockery with the emblem of the round parliament house.
The prices are subsidized to the level of Rs5 crores a year by the funds of the speaker / parliamentary affairs ministry (and these funds are not auditable) which in turn are allotted from the central exchequer which is raised from the taxes. So, I subsidized my own lunch in a round - about fashion.

On the scale of, Salesman’s guide for eating out, it more than qualified, a sit down meal for three for Rs 140/- is a steal (though the benchmark is rs 100/- each). The service is sloppy. The siphoning off, of free food is immense. Overall , an interesting experience. I am told the parliament house consumes 200 kg of chicken a day , with all the pilferages, it looks like a well fled place (that’s when the parliament is not in session).
There are several cafes and kiosk’s run by the Tea Board and Coffee board apart from the three restaurants run by the Railways, which serve hot beverages and sandwiches.It may be good idea to try and go in the non prime hours perhaps for tea and try the exotic sounding tea menu of mutton cutlets, omelets and fish orly.Let me know, we can go, when you are upto it.

Parting shot

While the rest of the nation battles with rising prices of their chosen basket goods and empty wallets in the beginning of the month, our MP's enjoy subsidized dining (prices were increased once 1985 and then in 2003) and do their horse trading after the elections in the 5 star hotels. It feels great to get a subsidized meal out the same MP's Canteen.

When was the first restaurant set up in the House of Commons in the Great Britain ?

So Long!

Recession Drinking and Dining: Press Clubs Unlimited

2009-04-14T11:32:00.016+05:30

I have spent seven and half years with Print (Newspapers and Magazines) and nine years with Television. I was told Print is all about dressing down that is La Rive Gauche or the left bank in Paris (southern bank of the river Seine). It was the home of artists, writers and philosophers (Pablo Picasso, Jean Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway) you get the drift and guys in television were called the suits, tight crocheted pants, uncomfortable shoes and suits (with Discovery Channel being an exception).

This post is more about the lifestyle of Print and TV executives and more about the dining or eating out options. I have lived both the lives, high street dining options as Discovery Channel and a Star TV Executive ( Lunch at TKs at The Hyatt Delhi, which was our Canteen (sic) in the wonder years of Television and long dinners at The Oberoi Mumbai and lunch at The Great Wall at The Leela. While in Print as profession you meet so many different people and the foodies also talk about economy. Though, I was spoilt silly by the Directors Lunch room at The Times of India at Mumbai. The real print wallahs do proudly go to the great Institution and watering hole the Press club.

Honestly, my stay with Print has not been entirely, a slum dog existence, I have had good gourmet exposures. However the last 4 years , I have devoted, largely to a slum dog gastronomic expose of eating out and sometime drinking out in under Rs 100/- ( local exotica as a part of my Salesman’s Guide to eating out).

Print is quite honestly for the romantics… quite like the Left Bank. While TV is for the hard nosed businessmen with scant regard to the old world charm. My return to the proverbial press club is like going back to to the charming caress of an old mistress who I first met in 1993.
This is a Four Act Play……. About the Four Press clubs I have visited some frequently, like Mumbai and some infrequently, New Delhi, Chandigarh and Kolkatta.

Act One, 1993, New Delhi Press Club:

Nandu Manjeshwar (Response Editor a dubious designation, which meant editor at large for the advertising department, wrote what the advertisers would like the Times of India to write).In his largesse of heart and in happy mood with weeks of badgering, he took me and Anirban for a Saturday lunch treat or was it Friday. After Gins and Lime with fish fingers and during lunch of Keema and Peas with Rotis and another curry I forget, he raised his head philosophically and said, the pen is mightier than the sword. He was an erstwhile Colonel, who now wrote articles for a living. The expression still reverberates, did he mean the perks of the Press club (the grand meal and drinks costed under Rs 150/- then).
Me: But, Colonel how could the pen be mightier than the sword, when you Nandu Manjeshwar have been used to the prices in the Officers mess, even today the price for lunch and drinks hover around the price with the abdaars and Koi Hai ! In attendance.

Act One and Half, Cut to the present April 8, 2009:

Three of us, Vivek (lovingly called Dev D)Sandeep G again lovingly called Chaudhari saab and yours truly walked into the grey portal of the Delhi Press Club mentioned a name of a friend from Lok Sabha Tv. We are in ordering around, nobody takes us seriously, we give a Tip (to. ensure .prompt. service) and we are the jungle vips, suddenly waiters are handing over to next guy, as the shift is over and we stupendous service. We order pints of beer and peanuts, there is no menu, we see around, Veg Cutlets- yes, pakoras-yes, paneer bondas-yes-yes and vegetable salad chat, yes-yes-yes. The beer is cold we have 8 pints among three of us and the bill for everything is Rs 421/- Tips not included. Great fun especially in these times, besides its fashionable to be left bank.

Act Two Mumbai Press Club, Circa 2005

This long stay at Mumbai as forced bachelor with empty evenings with the company of Vikrant (the project manager), Shobhan (editor saab), Amblish (finance exec) and yours truly (all working with Times of India), needed a place to hangout. The summer beer promotion at Café Royale at the Regal circle was getting to be expensive as an everyday affair, hence. The choice was a seedy bar called Lalit or the press club.

The first few times, a few drinks (whisky/rum/vodka), snacks (dal masala, pakoras, anda pakodas0 and good homely food of chappati, bharta, kadi pakoda, dal subzi, anda bhujia and the four would rake bill of Rs 800/- all tips included for the four of us. We loved. We hung around there forever, even on weekends, saw films of great classic directors, sipped whisky. Qawali on a weekend, drank Grovers wine, an absolute evening of decadence could not drive our bill to more than Rs400/- a piece. I even took a friend from Manhattan and had a long afternoon of umpteen beer and snacks for the four of us total bill Rs 800/- Cheers to the Press Corps.

Act Three, Press Club, Chandigarh 2006

It’s a little bit of a haze, Mohit Sharma, my college at Hindustan Times and very supportive friend asks me, you are taking the team for drinks and dinner, do you have any money or do we stop at an ATM. Why ? They do not accept credit cards. Cool, we 12 of us drink like fish and eat and how. As I said it was a haze, we ordered everything on the menu. Yes the bill about Rs 2000/- in cash.

Act Four, Press Club, Kolkatta 2008

Manjeet Narwan the Business Head of HT and Rajiv Bagchi , Dada the editor, and I had done some mindless drinking at Chotta Bristol (pl refer previous post in July 2008). We walk in, the General Secretary of the Press Club, a HT staffer lays out the red carpet, food starts appearing, egg pakodas, fried fish, peter scot whisky, more kinds of fish and shammi kababs, we add to the drunken stupor. More people fresh from office join in. We step out in the backyard overlooking the maidan and smoke silly. All this is courtesy, HT gang my erstwhile employer. The print friendships run deep. People are very gracious hosts, not ostentatious they but do it with sobriety.

Left bank, you see.

So whats with, the Press clubs, how come they are so affordable, who subsidizes the quality, barring Chandigarh all my experiences have been excellent. I have met the most quaint characters with the most differentiated dressing, a man with a bushy and white side locks, a corner with Malayalees with bushy haired pony tails, guys with the most unusual stories that are perhaps unprintable. You meet the most quaint people in the Press clubs.

Viva to this unique Institution. Great for these recessionary times. You should know member, even better if you know the membership know. Or resort to tipping the Durban and the waiters handsomely and they will vie for your attention, pretty much what we did in Mumbai. Cheers to democracy, I do hope the Press Clubs outlive the Print Medium. Great fresh food , good service and very affordable drinks.

Parting Short !
When were the Press Clubs in Mumbai and Kolkatta set up ?
Do you have press club Story ?

So Long !

Roll Baby Roll : A Roll for All Seasons

2009-03-27T10:37:00.015+05:30

Straddling a Hot Rod (Harley Davidson), this Australian lass is holding a Chiko Roll in her hand, a tad, suggestively, in the Chiko Roll ad in Australia. I understand they have now toned down their communication with a girl next door imagery. Chiko Roll started in the 50's is a great industry for the one hand, holding a beer and the other a chiko roll, in sports loving and watching Aussie land.

Chiko roll girl

So Whats your Roll story. Every Nation and community has a Roll, as convenience food from the Sattu paratha rolled up in your hand to exotic gourmet roll in the tony Oxford Street sidewalk cafe in London. I wish I could be the official chronicler of the humble roll the food of the masses.

To charter the anthology and the taxonomy of the Roll in different cultures and parts of the world. Theres is a Roll or something akin in every part of the world.

Tunbundsrulle

Called by different names Tunbrundsrulle in Sweden, Kathi Kabab/ Kokatta Rolls/Roomali Roti Rolls in India (not counting the rolled dosas, parathas and Chillas), Tortillas in Mexico, Souvlaki and Gyro in Greece and the neighbouring Mediteranean, Shawarma and Donner Arab countries in Lebanaon and the Levant world (of Syria, Jordan, Mediteranean nations east of Italy, includes Israel, and parts of Iraq etc), Panini in Italian, the formidable Hot Dog in the US of and Canada, Lumpia in Malaysia, Vietnamese paper rolls, Sushi Maki rolls in Japan, the Spring roll/ Egg Roll of China and the adjoining countries, Lavesh bread and Shashlik of Russia and the CIS countries, Bun Kabab of Pakistan and neighbours, Mutton Roll in SriLanka, The bakery rolls of the the Western world and adapted by the Commonwealth world. We have not even started talking about the subcultures and missed two or three continents South America, Africa and Antartica.

Souvlaki

The way forward in this post can be two adress the why rather than the what in the Roll story. Why are they so sucessfull. I can think of :
Nizams Kolkatta

A single person"s meal (or one between meals). how many times have we wondered what to eat when we are alone, filling, cheap, tasty and quick.The answer usually is a Roll.
The sports watching onsite and offsite culture: quite similar to sandwiches and burgers.The Chiko roll company is large corporation in Australia. A nation of sports watchers.

Food on the Go: Don't have to stop eat, on the move. We see it every where when we travel where there is no place and time fora sitdown meal.

Peking duck rolls

The youth culture: Young people trying it and sticking on for later. Who can forget the Frankies in Bombay in the early 80s and how the became a range.
Nutritional angle (and I know I am on thin ice on this one). It usually has carbs (the outer wrap), proteins (meat), vegetables in some, as salad and lot of flavouring, pickles, chutney, mashed potato, relish, radish, mayo, tzatziki etc depending on where in the world you are eating it. Is it nutrition or just calories or just a filler.
Price factor: usually affordable.
Gourmet food: its lot more gourmet than ordering a sandwich, besides the sushi rolls and vietnamese rice paper rolls add to the glamour, ask vir Snghvi and he will perhaps tell you a place which makes one with Truffles and Wagyu beef (his two favorite gourmet food and perhaps reportoire).

Vietnamese paper rolls

Working lunch: Often we order Kathi kabab, from Nizams, Candies, Karims or Shawarma from Al Bake or something similar. I associate certain foods for business reviews. For e.g Subway, I never eat one outside a review, as it reminds me of the tough and uncomfortable questions.
Not Dirtying your hands: For intance Nizams's in Kolkatta was set up in 19oo by an immigrant and fuelled in the 30's with gora sahibs stopping by after the theatre for a roll wrapped in grey paper to avoid dirtying their hands.
Late night pubbing and clubbing culture: Across the world , had a lot to drink, had some short bites, need a filler, meat yes, spice yes, quick yes, cheap yes. Everywhere in Sweden, Hongkong, Berlin, Bangkok, Mumbai, Milan , you find a Kabab roll joint or a variant of the roll.

American Hot Dog
To the extent the mayor of Milan has banned all non Italian food and stalls. The new talibanisation of ethnic foods (I wanted to write about it but Big brother Vir Sanghvi beat me to the draw on that one.The logic, immigrants work harder, their foods(largely kebabs) are tastier and much cheaper As a protection to the lazier laid back Italians, the non Italians are prohibited from doing business.

Spring rolls

Donner Kebab a Turkish roll is almost a German dish, and as popular as Bratwurst in many parts of Germany. Goes great with beer, and its probably a hit with soccer fans. Almost like hot dogs with a Baseball or American football game.

We have not talked much about the rolls and the art of making them in the Orient, though they do not entirely qualify to be called rolls in the clasical sense. They seem to fit in in the nomenclature and there is huge variety, albeit, the need some instruments to eat it with e.g the chopsticks the fork etc, besides they add to the gourmet quotient.

Sushi Rolls

To trace the historical significance, one can track it down with reference to 8th century BC (and we are talking about the common man's role here) in the Greek history as well as the Mesopotamian Civilization which is modern day Iraq.Discounting what the Chinese, did , because the Chinese did everything else first and I don't read chinese to derive authentic sources on this topic.

My personal experiences begin at age 14. When I moved to Delhi and then committed a life time to rolls. First, with Kool Korner at the West corner Of M block Market in GK I (shut in early 90s). He Arora saab had the hottest kababs this side of the Indus River and three hottest daughters in nearly all of South Delhi ( dressed in shorts plump thighs and ample bosomed and in skimpy outfits fed on pork kababs in early 80s in GK 1). All in all the Kababs and the girls were quite a dish.The called themselves "The Pink ladies "in an orange Ambassador car. We were The Vulkans" in leather and motorcycles. Smoking lazily at Prince Pan corner while they looked back and teased us.
In memory of the pink ladies

Saleem's in Kailash colony, we were just about tasting monetary freedom and testing and tasting alcohol. They had a mutton tikka roll (with Roomali) and mutton seekh roll. You could make that adouble of each that is two kababs and two roomalis into one often called an "Atom Bomb". Alas, as income grew the appetite reduced more or less proportionately. I now perhaps cannot handle the legendary " Atom Bomb"

Then of course, Kathi Rolls of Nizam not to forget the earliest Kathi Kabab shop on in Panchsheel Enclave called Ali's opened in 1979 was hep and upmarket , it was my Dad who reminded me the name (Iwas struggling with name). He's just turned 81 and he promptly gave the name on the phone as if he had been revising it often. The rolls on Park street in Kolkatta, the Frankie's that flew in or travelled in the Rajdhani express from Bombay, the vineagary taste of the meat was addictive in the early 80s.

Al Kauser of Sadia Dehlvi and the clones thereafter including Aap ki Khatir, Khan Chacha and Saleem in Khan market.The Bihari kabab rolls in the outskirts of Dhaka.and my neighbourhood man Qureshi. All in all a great roll Journey. A special mention to the Souvlaki, Shawarma and others in our journeys to Greece, Dubai. My Peking Duck takeaway in the mayfair suites in New York or was it the Tudor hotel. More Rolls in the streets of Yangon in Myanmar. Roti Canai in KL and Roti Paratha roll in Sigapore with Metre Chai.

For some reason dear wife Praveen and little Ananya have not gotten to this eating pursuit. They are the sit down gourmet types. It continues to stay with me as habit of the past, whenever, I feel like having hungry food and smell my past. I get a roll......... Is it got anything with the Kool Korner girls Of B Block??

Whats your Roll story ?

What all goes into a Roast Peking Duck roll?

So Long !

Off Roading Kitchen : Journey food for Jeepers

2009-03-16T12:03:00.025+05:30

Among the pursuits, I keep flirting with, the one that has stayed for a while apart from food ofcourse, is Off Roading (in the legendary Jeep). An active member of Jeepthrills.in and Northern India offroaders club for nearly two years and a happy owner of a Pajero and a Mahindra MM 550 (Army issue and now with us), having participated in nearly 12-14 off- the road (OTR)events around Delhi. Qualifies for being called an active pursuit.

Where does food come in. I have written about food on State Bhawans, food in Railway trains, food in Greece, food in Bangkok, food in Indian Coffee Houses, Meat stores, Mallu food, Kashmiri food, food in the Army and so on.

Now for the the twist in the tail The Off Road Kitchen. Jeeps and food make strange and compatible bedfellows.Like the pegs in Patiala were big, the appetites and libido for food in North India is generally big. The Jeep forums in South india rarely talk about food and they make boring excel sheets about meagre expenses.

The largesse up North has to be seen to believed.For instance, the last week (OTR) menu was, pyaz kachoris and ghewar (from Jaipur, Rawat sweets, requested by me and promptly executed by Yogesh afellow Jeeper from there). Amazing stuff, a large kachori with a unique flavor, priced at Rs 10/- each and enormous mirchi vadas, lots of barter and stuffing, Rs 7/- and Ghewar, Yogesh please fill in the price. Thanks Buddy.

There was exotic ham and Salami Sandwiches being prepared on site by Sanjiv Singh and Prabh, the Salalami was more than a kilo and a half and brown bread, there were DahiVadas... by a young biker and jeeper from TeamBHP (another motoring forum), I saw some pre prepared chicken sandwiches, lots of boiled eggs, in fact 40 of them. Chicken salad, potato salad, Juices, cold drinks and Amul Lassi.

Our man Friday, Manchand, packed us some Tuna/ Anda Burjee and Cheese Sandwiches with a wad of Alloo Parathas and Chai and some softdrinks. Our companion Alex brought some beer(which we coul'dnt consume, he was on Lent (abstinence before Easter) and I am temporarily a boring vegetarian and going easy on beer) . Besides drinking is forbidden before the OTR ends, we left before it was declared closed for the day.

We are often accused of more eating and less jeeping (by the other chapters of Jeep Thrills in India). That was only breakfast. I did not stay for lunch. We are mean Jeepers with mean appetites.The off roading is pretty intense with a lot of tough terrain and tough tracks. You have to be there to believe it.

Our food and cuisine has improved over the last two years, its started out with cold boiled eggs and sandwiches and some tea..... then moved up to homemade ham by Pranab dutta (with the land rover and an Suzuki Intruder motorcycle), yours truly took good shammi kabab sandwiches, exotic duck curry by RB Singh (rides a Ford World War 2 Jeep).

Moved on to a fantastic professional barbecue by a kabachi from Nizamuddin. He made seekh kabab, chicken and paneer tikka and fresh roomali rotis on windy and pleasant, May evening,last year. Beside, the Behrampur lake in the Aravalis near Gurgaon. Graciously hosted by Gary and, he would not accept our monetary contribution for a grand meal.

I once heard Pranab, say I like to come out with the Jeepers more than with the Bikers because here the food is better. We also have diet parathas (oil less) from Romi Malik's Kitchen with generous dose of lassi and juices. Laxman (a moderator and the life blood of the forum) is partial to bringing in Idlis smothered with gunpowder and Sarvinder (a capableoff roader and a moderator) likes his Chicken ham sandwiches with a slice of onion. RB ( veteran jeeper and moderator) is more than partial to Indian food, with his constant hunt for specialities of the region, a spice, a unique meat cut, a new flavour. And the legendary duck curry.

Now for the piece de resistance Arjun Khanna (drives a Prado and is professional chef) and feed 40 hungry people(jeepers ) in 40 minutes, the menu, sausages, fresh fried eggs (all on site), baked beans, a mean cheese spread and freshly brewed coffee on a methane burner (helped by my little 9 year old daughter Ananya, brewing the coffee). The guy is amazing and more than generous. To the extent everyone is wee bit disappointed when Arjun is not coming Jeeping. His field kitchen serving hampers and the trolley is amazing, very very oraganised and state of the art.

Erstwhile, packed food for journeys was usually sandwiches, Aloo puri, parathas and dry subzi with pickles for North Indians. Gujratis travelled then with a retinue and continue to do so even today with khakras, phaphdas and theplas with chundoo pickle. The South Indians carried enormous tiffins with a spoon to fasten it and hold it together, stocked with tamarind rice (rolled and insualted in banane leaves. The Bengalis loved their aloo and luchi and jhal (mirchi) with a piece of kalakand as a sweet and triangle namkeens called nimkis.

Have we all left this behind to evolve a new set of Journey food, some of us don't even bother to take something along, plan-to buy-everything-on -the -way. Another kind carries only packaged food as opposed to packed food.

My favourite story of packed food is the one told by maternal Grandfather (a legendary Police Officer of Undivided Punjab, Diwan Kasturi Lal Chopra). Once he and British- Christian- Priest, set out to do some relief work in Rohtak floods in the 50s. The missionary priest had an Aluminium boat (a novelty then), they set out to give supplies to the flood stricken locals. Come lunchtime, grandpa opened his tomato and butter/cheese sandwiches with a thermos of Chai. The priest opened his parathas, anda Burji and mango pickle. Strange how, both had adapted. Grandpa to the British he worked for, and the priest adapted with the Indian way.

Fortunately The Offroad kitchen we have has amalgamated to be a ethnic pot with all varieties and cultures both Indian and foriegn, adapted to one great jeeping cuisine.

We have our codes for the beverages,

Bangalore ka pani : Beer

Roos ka Pani : Russian Vodka or just Vodka

Brown Pani : Whisky

Boodha Padri : Old Monk rum and so on and so forth......

Ususually, there is plenty going and every is generous to pass on whatever, they have, its very very democratic, almost like an ideal commune. You have to check it out.

Parting shots:

What were the Jeep variants in France and Japan called ?

Whats your favourite Journey food story?

So long !

Mallu Food or Porn: Take your pick

2009-03-03T11:50:00.012+05:30

I have been itching to write this post, you google Mallu and you are inundated with so much of mallu porn that its unbelievable. Though my innocent objective, was to know and write about my experience with Mallu food, but the porn is in your face raw and not airbrushed and crude. There is some eroticism to this rawness, fat, stretchmarks.... must be. My friend Alex a mallu, advises its Kodambakam stuff and ... and I forget is further explanation. I am sure he will fill in his comments. I think he said its generic, all South Indian porn is being touted under the umbrella of Mallu porn.

Switching gears from porn to food, My spiritual guru (Dr Nalin Nirula), once said, the tongue/mouth, ego ( which resides below the navel in the hara chakra) and the groin/genitals are strangely aligned and are in a straight line. They seek and provide pleasure and also a lot of pain in a persons life. Taste, Ego and Sexual Pleasure.

One a more basic plane, I intended to treat and write a simple post on my experience with EOID gang (Eating Out in Delhi) with Mallu food in Sarai Julena near Escorts Hospital on Okhla Road in New Delhi a Sunday evening a few days ago. Should stop using Mallu (as its kind of derogatory which gets to be okay after a while, Bong, Surdie, Punju, Bawa,Ghatti, Gujju, Chinky and so on).

However, I Love M or Kerala food or Cuisine (it has alot of similarity with the Sri-lankan cuisine), but I can't help see the similarity between, Malayalis and Bengalis, in fact Alex mentioned it was in his Middle school text book that the similarities were mentioned, e.g food habits, population density, education levels, and thats it. I have been doing the research for a while, though the edict is mine, I have taken the inputs of Murli (an ex colleague at mint, a mallu, who's worked in Bengal) and Nat (a colleague at Business Standard, a Tamilian, who grew up in Bengal and worked in Kerala), so here it goes......

The- compendium- of- similarities-between- Mallus and Bongs-will- amaze -you.Not included, Bangladeshis as yet(more of that later).

1.Communists and Communist parties (obvious).

2.Football Aficionados (Kerala and West Bengal Football clubs)

3. Hot and Horny Women (Think about it, meditate, you will get your answers)

4.Tea Drinking Lots of it(Kerala drinks a lot more tea and W.Bengal, of course, Adda).

5. Smoking- Lots of it ( Specific brands, Scissors in Kerala and Charms W. Bengal).

6. Marie biscuits- category (Highest sales contribution from the two states).

7.Beef (Permission of cow slaughter, as part of the cuisine).

8.Trade Unionism, similar to 1.

9. Work ethics (both work splendidly out of their home state).

10. Fish as a part of daily cuisine.

11.Ambassador car (fondness for it and you see many more).

12.Coconut trees (plenty grown and used, definitely more in Kerala).

13.Lungi (different formats, same product, extensively used).

14.Fondness for chappals, Bata- Crona and Sandak (probably, monsoon and humidity).

15. Banana/Plantain, (parts of the tree- fruit, raw, stem, flower, leaf used in cuisine extensively).

16.Appreciation of Arts and fine arts.

17. Romantic in disposition.

18. Art films (yes despite the raunchy stuff there is plenty of good stuff from Kerala Directors).

19. High readership of newspapers and magazines.

20. Interest and discussion around politics (at Adda and Chai Kada).

21.Names (Joy, Bijoy and many more are common).

22.Also, high density of population per sq km.

23. High lieracy rates.

So, I love Bengali food and Malayali food, this evening ,I was mentioning about, was at Sarai Julena, 8 of us, Hemanshu, Ashwan, Rohit........ and a Gora and aGori who retreated hastily when they were exposed to our slumdog gourmet destination (so I believe).

We order in parts, however the whole order for 8 burly guys, beef chilly fry, beef masala, beef curry, chicken chilly/pepper, chicken masala, chicken curry, beef biryani, chicken biryani, a single mackerel fried and 36 porrotas. Hungry food, rudimentary flavours, could be better, value for money, slow service (they can handle twosomes and threesomes and not eightsomes). This is in a lane going inside Sarai Julena where you first see a restaurant called Joy's then a Mallu video sale/rental (for your fix of Mallu porn or Adoor Gopalakrishnan, take your pick) a malayali jewellery store and then turn right climb a few stairs into the tubelit steel backed chaired Malabar Restaurant (how original is that).

The meal cost us Rs 650/- for eight persons. That's well below Rs 100/- for local or near local exotica actually it was Rs 81.25 person. I lived up to our Rs100/0 mark for The Salesman's guide to eating out. Albeit unintentionally. No Appam's at night and no Kappa biryani which were to be the highlights of the evening.

Who is your favourite Mallu porn queen ? Shakeela ? Please check her out.

What is Kappa in English ?

Parting shot.... Please add to my list of similarities between Mallus and Bongs. Please do Google images of Bongs and enjoy the fun.

So Long !

Kashmiri Food meets Nizammudin East

2009-02-23T11:32:00.013+05:30

Firdaus in his poetry has said:

Gar Firdaus bar ruhe zamin astHamin ast, hamin ast, hamin ast

If there is heaven on earth,It is here, It is here, It is here.

I would retort:

Kashmir the land of odourless flowers, tasteless fruit, crooked men charmless women.

Think about it, if you live in Kashmir long enough , you realise that there is enough visual beauty, but is only skin deep, the fruits look colourful and bright but for some strange reason do not taste great.The flowers remain fresh for long, they lose their odour, regarding women I have not shared intimacy with a Kashmiri woman (but those who have often say they make lousy and frigid bed partners). Its also been said that in Kashmir the only thing straight in Kashmir is the Poplar trees , otherwise the men, the roads, the deals, the interaction reeks of deceit. I am being rather harsh on Kashmir and Kashmiris.

But Kashmiri food is something else. Everyone will tell you that there is Kashmiri pundit Cuisine and Kashmiri Muslim food...... To me both are great. They have their subtle difference is spices and flavouring, use of onion and garlic Vs use of hing, different cuts of meat and different vegetables etc etc.

I have a theory that the the Saraswat Brahmins and Kashmiri pundits are genetically realated. They are both fair communities, they have light eyes, they both eat copious quantities of meat despite being brahmins and pundits.

The Kashmiri cook or waza has a fairly high status in society. Its often said the cooking charges of Kashmiri food, surpass the cost of the ingredients. The Kashmiri wazas are usually very much in demand for functions and daawats.

I have eaten at various places and have been exposed to Kashmiri food in Srinagar ( Mughal Durbar,Hadoos), Poonch, Baramulla, Gulmarg, Sonmarg. Here in Delhi, Chor Bizzare, Defence Colony Kashmiri Dhabas in the nineties.

When Himanshu Kumar, invited me to to a do at Nizamuddin East, as part of the EOID (eating out In Delhi Community), I was kind of happy. Though Nizamuddin West is more known for expats (William Dalrymple) or PIO's (Persons of Indian origin masquerading as expats, Arvind Adiga and Pankaj Mishra). This was at Pamela's home,Expats with twist, Indophiles. You enter their home a cascade of blue and white, with charpoys woven with cotton as sofas, more and more Indian memorabilia. I walk onto the terrace its called Pamela ka Dhaba, as more Moodas (stools), charpoys and a push cart as a bar, very imaginative and creative.

Here, Ahad and Sons, caterers of Kashmiri food based in UdayPark near South Extension part 2 in New Delhi and the waza Manzoor had laid out their Wazwan. Before that, an interesting khichdi with walnuts and called Ver was served by one of the members of the forum as a savoury (also she gave me tips to use the Ver masala thats been lying in our larder for a couple of years).

The layout was white rice, Rishta, Goshtaba, Rogan Josh (meat curry spicy), Chicken kaliMirch korma, Methi Meat (fine texture, methi and meat were one texture, boneless and pasty), Seekh Kabab, Tabakmaaz(ribs fried in oil, I got the best piece with fat crusted crisp mmmm), Paneer Kashmiri perhaps Shahi, Dum Aloo, Haaq (greens cooked in Mustard oil(actually all the food is supposed to be cooked in mustard oil), Nadru Yakhhni (lotus stems in yummy sauce).

The food was good a tad heavy with the meat and sauces, my favourites were the, Rogan Josh, Tabakmaaz and the Nadru. Ideally Kashmiri food is eaten in a Tarrami (a plate shared by four) and you have to be seated to enjoy it with your hands. I slurped it with my hands, but it was kind of difficult, to stand and eat in styrofoam tray. The price to us was Rs 650/- a pop/ Nice to experience so many dishes among like minded foodies on a terrace on aDelhi winter night.

Ended the meal with creamy phirni and shaking of hands. Kashmiri food try it I know a caterer or two delivers. please drop in acomment and I will write back.

Parting Shot!

Whats the sequence of eatinga a Wazwan ? Please elaborate

So Long

Back To Basics : Mumbai, Food Unlimited

2009-02-16T15:32:00.034+05:30

I thought, I was dithering from my cause and have been meandering in more expensive dining and drinking options. Besides, I have been Delhi-centric and have been ignoring my Karam- Bhoomi (Mumbai ) and focusing too much on my Janam Bhoomi ( Delhi).

A trip to Mumbai brought back the magic, I did not go to any new place, other than K. Rustom and Co for ice cream. The all under Rs 100/- options I visited were, New Royal Lunch Home (near Paragon Centre at Worli), Churchgate Stores and Restaurant, Bagdadi Restaurant, Stadium Restaurant (Irani cafe and restaurant near Churchgate) and finally a medium and new Jai Hind, at Dadar at the foot of Dadar bridge on Tulsi pipe road (while coming from the West).

New Royal Lunch Home (went their for lunch) offers a lovely prawn thali, chapatis (the soft folded kinds), subzi, rasam, gravy, a tiny portion of fried fish and a choiceof a nice helping of prawn koliwada (fried) or prawn masala (thick gravy or masala). Great stuff for Rs 75 or 70/- for the either of the prawn options. Its great taste and superb value for money. Its right next to Mahindra Towers, been around for a few decades. I don't have a picture. But its great.

After a bar hop (at Churchgate Stores and Bar, Leopold Cafe and Cafe Mondegar) went to Bagdadi restaurant behind Taj Mahal hotel and beside Bade Miyan (my second or third time). We had a Mumbai newbie, Shantanu, and we had to do the touristy places. Besides, terror tourism at Leopold which has untouched the gunshot signs at their cafe attracts the out of towners. Morbid stuff

At Bagdadi, we tried a lot of stuff, Mutton Qorma, Rs 30/- a weak meat and potatoes dish (very forget able), The fried chicken, Shiny, a colleague said the chicken are from YMCA (they are huge and excercise a lot before they are cooked), as usual was fried and served with a fried potato. The best dish was the chicken masala chilli fry, was the only dish we all focused on with enormous, DTH dish sized Khabooshi Roti's (one is more than enough for one unless you go to YMCA). The meal for three was a handsome amount of Rs 150/-. Was chatting with the waiter he said our signature dish is the Khara Masala Murgh priced at Rs550/- and an order needs to placed early (mighty pricey for a place where chicken plate (piece) is going for Rs 50/- will be back to try it some day.

After Bagdadi we had some time to kill, so stopped by and shook hands with the Miyanji at he cash counter at Olympus Coffee house, more famous for their Biryani than Coffee. I could spend a whole week ambling around South Mumbai, Fort and the eating joints, here its wonderful.

Drinking is a past time I seldom indulge in now, however being true to the grain, of being self proclaimed evangelist for the salesmen eating and perhaps drinking out. We did drink out at the Churchgate Stores and bar (at the round about on Jamshed Tata Road and at the corner of Cricket Club of India), they have a pitcher Royal Challenge at Rs 140/- on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursday and perhaps Sundays and on other days its Rs 190/-. We enjoyed it at Rs 140/- (5-6 mugs). Next stop Leopold Cafe, London Pilsner at Rs 180/- a bottle (Its become expensive with all this hullabaloo of Shantaram and terror tourism. We had two or three bottles, amidst scampering around, middle aged goras and goris getting their pictures from all angles in Leopold cafe. The staff is friendly and chatty (they feel like war vets now). And then moved on to Cafe Mondegar, a pint of Kingfisher, a Carlsberg big bottle and mug of draft beer for Rs 400/-. It had the young dating ad execs, the non terror tourism variety goras and goris and a girl just out shopping from Benetton and music in her head. The point is, in labout Rs 750/- you can visit three decent bars and three grown up men can drink out in Mumbai. I am still loving it.

Stadium Restaurant (next toChurch gate Station and short of Mocha), the actors 4 ( Mradul, Samil, Shiny and Shridhar) The order, Keema Pao, Keema Fry Pao, Egg Bhurjee Pao, Mutton biryani and Veg pulao and some maska buns (for some reason they call it Kheema in Mumbai)Straight forward, simple, eat pay and leave, Rs 318/-. thats four grown up men having lunch. Todays special written oin chalk on a board was Bhindis masala at Rs 35/- and Bhindi Gosht at Rs 70/-Amazing, served on the table, with a refreshing and smiling waiter. Must try it for its simplicity.

Now for the piece de resistance, all this while I have been visiting Mumbai, lived a month at the Ritz, twenty forty days at The Oberoi Trirdent (aka Oberoi Towres) several times at The Ambassador and I had never ever visited K Rustom & Co for their ice cream (pretty legendary stuff). Walked in with 5 other gun slingers and asked for ice cream over the counter and the smiling senorita Mrs Gomes smiled and said which flavour, I said you choose, she giggles and says these 8 marathi men are all having Anjeer and fruit.

I tasted Walnut crust, had a fresh strawberry and a fruit and anjeer. Amazing stuff. A slab or thick slice of ice cream in butter paper, taken out and assembled between to large wafer snack ( I hink, thats what they call it). The ice creams are all at Rs 30/- each with fresh strawberry at Rs 40/-. Its a blink and you miss it, Its nearly opposite The Ambassador. You will love. Next time we are giving Baskin Robins the miss which is across the street and opposite Jazz by the Bay (or is it Not just jazz by the bay). Confused lot. Its atleast Bagdadi, Stadium and Olympus and nothing like Stadium and outside and Baghdad and beyond Olympus and others.

On the way to the airport, again four burly men (I could definitely do with some female company on these eating out expeditions i have enough at home as Im usually outnumbered by women at home thats dear wife Praveen and Detective An ( Ananya)), Shantanu, Shiny , Sunil and Self (all S) walk in to Jai Hind Lunch Home at Dadar, this was earlier called Shardha restaurant, I have ordered from it several Dal Khichdi's for lunch when I was close by, busy launching Hindustan Times In Mumbai in 2005. It was vegetarian restaurant and now as Jai Hind is as Non Vegetarian as it can get in Dadar West. I have been to three other Jai Hind's, near Elphinstone Road and Pali Naka near pali hill (both poor cousins like the Dadar one) and the slightly posh one opposite Kamla Mills at Lower Parel, which has a long wait. Food very good, Bombil stuffed with Prawns, Prawn Hara Masal, Prawns Mangalore Masal and Mutton Sukka with Chapatis and solkadi. Phew! we just ate a lot and topped it for old times sake with Daal Khichdi. The staff especially the one serving us, was fantastic, unobtrusive, caring and smart. the owner attentive and courteous (also its a considerably new outlet). Great fun, a meal for 4 was Rs 603/- crossed the Rs 100/- per head limit by about Rs 50/-. but, it was worth the extravagance.

I am motivated to write my treatise soon on Gomantak, Malwani, Mangalorean, Konkani, Goan and cuisines of adjoining areas (Saraswat, Kolhapuri, Vidharba and Coorg) and years of several hundred trips to eat and observe at Ghazalee, Mahesh, Apoorva, Bharat, Trishna, Surmai, Saybaa and Sindhudrg all in Mumbai among others.

Just a passing foot note, Stayed at the Ritz Hotel with a huge room the size of tennis court and ordered room service, which i seldom do, ( they have reputed a Continental restaurant called The Lido room (sounds more like a 70 s cabaret place). The most outstanding steak sanwich, steak brown fried onions and bread, simple and Rs 140/- a real smasher.

Parting shots !

Which year did Leopold Cafe open for business ?

What's the anglisized name for Bombil ?

So long !

Hot and Steamy Nights in Bangkok : Food expose

2009-01-30T13:35:00.028+05:30

I know I have cheated on everyone I know. I feel guilty and terrible that I have cheated, but not with the " Thai Bar girls" and the "Sandwich massage" but with the food. Yes I did not eat Thai street food but lived a surreal and an airbrushed life of a expat, eating at, the better and high end restaurants (comparatively) rather than the street food and local exotica and the hard core stuff that I was yearning for.

When I was growing up in Visakhapatanam (aka Vizag and Waltair), across the street where we lived in Dwarka Nagar was a house with Thai tenants. They were perhaps students or what and the girls always wore shorts (this is 1975) all the time and always showed their plump and fair thighs. I often wondered and fantasized.... hmmm thats the reason why they call it Thailand.

Seriously, we were in Bangkok for 4 nights and lived at the Wireless road, the expat area opposite the US Ambassadors residence in the Hotel Conrad complex at the All Seasons Mansion. We arrive at 8pm and again unabashedly order Indian Chinese food yet again, from dragon express.com a home delivery. If you have read the previous post you would know, we are with Shilpa our host and we order Veg momos (yes momos and not dim sum), Veg chowmein , Veg fried rice, Veg Manchurian and Salt and pepper Prawns. Believe me, I haven't tasted a more authentic Indian Chinese food meal anywhere else in the world, even in India. Every ingredient was perfect and this is high street Bangkok.

The Other interesting meals were at MK's Gold at Siam Paragon(the upmarket version of a chain of Chinese restaurants), Seafood Market Restaurant at Sukhumvit, GreyHound Cafe at Central Chidlom, Loy Nava (traditional rice boat dinner cruise), Curries and More -traditional Thai restaurant at Ruamrudee, the Jungle cruise buffet at Safari Park, Calderazzo Italian Ristorante at Lang Suan, Witch's Oyster bar at Ruamrudee and Au bon pain at M Thai Tower at All Season's Place and that's it. If you don't count a deli or two here and there for breakfast or a Mc Donalds thrown in for good measure.

So how do you elaborate on 9-10 interesting meals without losing the reading retention span. I will try to write an abridged narration with outline experiences, price and a narration of food so please bear with me.

Mk's is chain of restaurants, I understand they have a upgraded version called Mk's Gold thats where I went, to a sit down restaurant for a quick bite, roast duck, roast pork with rice served with a soup and slivers of pickled ginger and some cucumber in and out in 10 minutes for a served on table with crockery cutlery and a white serviette service. In all Bht 100 with a gratuity. Thats nearly a Rs 140/-. Amazing Thailand. The food was yumm.

Sea food market restaurant at Sukhumvit, basically a large hall as big as multiplex with 6-8 screens, it was my third visit and the family's first. We start with a hostess with a trolley taking us around to shop at the stylised fish market, we bought, river prawns, sea halibut fish, shrimp cakes and lots of pakchoi and broccolli and french bread. Accompanied by Chilean white Saint Alacia wine. After shopping and paying for the ingredients we seat ourselves and choose a cooking style with cooking charges we choose between, stir fried fried and char grilled. Detective An (Ananya) freaks out she binges on everything, prawn cakes (fried), stir fried garlic river prawns and the garlic and soya pakchoi. Dear wife Praveen can't handle the smells, however, she feasts on the char grilled halibut fish and pecks on the garlic bread and sticky white rice. I gorge myself in the surreal lighting. In all a great experience . It costs Baht 1735 which nearly Rs 2400 now. I am sure going to a countryside place in inner Thailand will always be better, however in downtown Bangkok it was nice. It took us a little over an hour for the entire experience. Fantastic service 4 waiters to a table and unobtrusive.
Detective An loves it, she takes to the fish(seafood) as fish takes to water, metaphorically, that is. Good experience, for three persons with drinks (coke, Asahi beer wine and the starters and main course). The only caution, there are several smaller restaurants masquerading to be the real thing. The cabbies play dumb and try to misguide you.

The next stop is Grey Hound café: Started by an advertising professional, has restaurants all over Bangkok. Dear wife Praveen detests restaurants located in malls. But she agreed to this one on Shilpa, our host, insisting. It’s a quirky place with Thai fusion cuisine with waiters with quaint messages like “I may not be cute, but I help you order the best”. The restaurant is designed in black and white”. Four of us ordered, drinks- Ginger ale, Sprite , a yoghurt smoothie. Lunch – A pasta for shilpa, Fried fish in beer barter with chips for Detective An and Dear wife and I shared a Pomelo salad (grapefruit with shrimps and dried fish), Phad Thai (Thai flat noodles and shrimp with peanuts and chilli powder), spare ribs of pork, and a portion of fried rice with salted fish which came with a bowl of soup. The food was fashionable but not yummy and we tried quite a bit. More like our Indian fusion cuisine places which have enormously dressed up plates with passable food. It costed about Bht 1400 which is nearly Rs 2000/-. Not bad for the price despite the shallow service.

Curries and More: I must confess I did not go, my dear wife Praveen went to this lovely restaurant on Rumrudee and loved the experience. I ate some of the food they brought back. Yummy, Some rice and some interesting dish of chicken (with a nice yellow thick curry, Indonesian) and a flavourful prawn dish again yummy, Tom yum Kung soup, a pomelo salad, jasmine tea, iced tea and blueberry cheeese cake about Bht1800 approx Rs 2500/- for two and a little spillover for home which I ate.

Now the Dinner Cruise night on the traditional rice boat Loy Nava which has been in operation for over 39 years. This was an all farhang (goras) outing and me and Praveen were the only brownies on the wooden boat and deck (of course apart from the service staff and the dancers). This was a romantic dinner date, with Detective An at home , watching movies and gorging on yet again on Indian Chinese food.We started with a beer and orange juice at the pier, waiting to board the cruise. The Goras were elegantly dressed in collared shirts and trousers and women in dresses. Praveen was in formals and as usual I was as usual grubby in a T-shirt and jeans. Now for the food, reminds me of Bruce Springsteen's song, 57 channel s and nothing to watch. Similarly, to summarise excellent service, expensive wine, high end expat travellers, clipped British accent guide (Derek) and owner but terrible food.
We were served with soup, a choice of actually12 main courses brought to the table, desert and tea and coffee. The only thing edible was the Tom yum kung soup, the pineapple in the dessert and of course the tea. Everything else was just inedible, more quantity than quality (steamed fish, clams, prawns, callamari, fried pork, fried beef, soya based vegetarian stuff, chicken and more and believe me I pecked. If couldn't eat it, believe me a lot of people and more cannot go beyond pecking. The wine a sparkling one, a German Trocken was decent. On a experience quotient it was an interesting thing to do. Fantastic service standards, poor food. Amazing sights of Bangkok from the river Chayo Praya.

Just a hurried mention of the lunch at the Jungle cruise restaurant in Safari world, Me and Detective An dug into the fish ball soup and everything else was forget able. Curiosity, got me to peak into Jungle Cruise restaurant 2, there was Indian food, pooris, veg pulao, aloo subzi, dal , rice. There was even a Jain version, for all the droves of Indian Holiday makers. Me and Detective An had a super deluxe time picked and dropped in a Toyota Camry with the tour and guide Mr Mee who was a such a gentleman. It cost us Bht 3200 approx Rs 4500/-. I was memorable trip with cold wet towels and mineral water with chauffeur handing out an umbrella. Too propah I must say.

Calderazzo, dear wife had already been to this fine dining Italian restaurant on her previous visit, and wanted to repeat and relive the experience with us. Its a beautiful restaurant in a villa on Lang Suan road, Its five years old and has had nine version of the menu upgrade (means the menu has been revised nine times). Its sparkling white with nearly three waiters/waitresses to a table. We order, there are four of us, drinks - a glass of house wine- a chardonnay, a singha beer, a sprite and something else. Start with a bruschetta, lots of bread with olive oil and balsmic vinegar, I have a bed of mashed potato with a Italian sausage and great honey balsmic sauce, heavenly. Praveen has a pizza and Detective has a pasta (penne) with a kind of arabiatta with tons of parmesan cheese and shilpa has ravioli. Outstanding food and outstanding service. In all about bht1900 approx Rs 2600/-. Outstanding and a repeat yet again is highly recommended.

A quick stop at Witch's a pub for expats after a crawl in Suan Lum the night bazaar topped of the trip. Witch's is a kind of pub/ tavern place with a online community and a tabloid called The Cauldron attached to it. The white boys showing the Thai girls a good time kind of place, decent hot coffee, cappucino and we were ready to pack, just before that......

Praveen suggested and bought us yet again a great lunch at a Deli called Au bon pain, nice toasted bagels and cream cheese, Bagels with salmon and wasabi, tuna sanwich , sprite and coffee all this for the three of us, for Bht 500 about Rs 700/- Cheerful place with helpful and real smart staff. Some trips to Starbucks and others closed the trip from gastronomic point of view.

I have decieved the cause and the raison d etre (the reason of my existance), but what the hell. Once in a while I can behave and act like a true blooded expat when I really was one, though a brethren of the Asians in that.

Largely, Thailand felt unaffected by the global recession and crisis, the hoardings were all full and crowded, shops, malls were crowded and full of shoppers (it was also the Chinese New year weekend).

In all a great trip which cost me + 2.5 kgs...

So Long

China to Chandni Chowk : Indian Chinese food

2009-01-15T13:19:00.026+05:30

Indians will eat anything fried, spicy and sour, said Sanjay Khanna, my mentor at Discovery Channel. He introduced me to both, eating better Chinese food in most continents of the world . Also, eating Indian Chinese food with pride and not feeling hesitant to order sweet corn soup and manchurian anything (only Indians will understand this) in its various forms. Albeit , we did it with an eggdrop and canned asparagus (to renforce ,we had more evolved tastes).

My first experience with Chinese food as a child, was at this quaint Chinese restaurant called Shinkows at Ootacamund on cold and damp winter afternoon. I was on a day trip with my Dad, a travelling salesman , who had then become manager. We had noodles, sweet and sour pork and lots of chilli chicken (I thought for a few years that all sweet and sour was pork) As a teenager, I made an ass of myself, asking for sweet and sour at a family gathering at The Host (a restaurant in New Delhi). My sister in law said sweet and sour what. I then understood the style or the gravy is sweet and sour with a choice of vegetables and meats rather than a dish by itself.

For many years, we understood Chinese food as something you got from a van parked in South Extension , at New Delhi with an obscene name like Hungry Hop. Extravagance and more money meant, going to Chungwa (then at Defence Colony), Aka Saka, Faley (again at Defence Colony), Daichi (at South Extension). My taste buds and exposure to the cuisine improved with the highs and low of Chinese food at Pearls (the Chinese restaurant at the swanky Hyatt Regency in the 80’s with my bro Sanjiv and wife Poonam) to the Tibetan Dhaba and generically called Tib Tabs at Ladakh Budha Vihar opposite the Bus Terminal near Delhi University to Chopsticks at Churchgate in Mumbai (experienced the birds nest soup for the first time). While at Mumbai ordered from Chinese room at Kemps corner and ate at Nelson Wang's (High priest of Indian Chinese)China garden.

So many persons contributed to my evolution in Chinese food, father, brother his wife, friends and of course my mother who will try anything for the experience . So when I met my dear wife , Praveen, and on our first lunch date at Fujiya in Diplomatic enclave at New Delhi, I was kind of equipped to order a Chinese meal. We both enjoyed it, we grew and so did our taste buds, with more guidance, travel, experiences, we understood Chinese food to in its entire glory from provinces to style of cooking with travels in Asia, and US.

The real art of ordering a good Chinese meal is what I learnt from boss and now friend (hopefully) , Sanjay. The Chinese tea, the soup, the steamed rice and chinese greens and especially pakchoy. We had been to every Oriental (Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and Burmese restaurant, that was worth visiting in South and South Asia). Mean while Praveen’s taste buds and Chinese food affinity had evolved with innumerable vists to Taipan, Fa-hian, Larry’s China and with her immense travel and lo behold our daughter at 4, was a Dim Sum fiend and enjoyed paper wrapped anything and, adept at chopsticks and enjoyed greens, everything was going fine until ……………

One winter evening, Praveen’s friend Shilpa (working and living in South Asia for 14 years) meets us. We invite her out for dinner. She requests for real hard core Punjabi Chinese (Indian Chinese) and we go to Fujiya. All our learning and delicate development of our palette to distinguish between, Cantonese, Sechwan, Hunan, Haka, Mongolian subtleties is lost and we un learn and immerse into. Hot and Sour soup, Veg Spring rolls, Veg Manchurian, American Chopsuey and what not. Basically, lots of Soya sauce, cornflour, vinegar, chillies ghotala. Prophetic words…. Indian s will eat anything fried, spicy and sour……

However, Shilpa really surprised us with her fondness for this cuisine. Now every winter we have to find and line up the meanest Indian Chinese joint for her visit and shamelessly enjoy Indian Chinese.

Though Wikipedia defines Indian Chinese as the adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to Indian tastes. It is said to have been developed by the tiny Chinese community that has lived in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) for over a century. Immensely popular with Indians, it is widespread in major Indian metropolitan cites such as Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata; and is also enjoyed by Indian and Chinese communities in Malaysia, Singapore and North America. Indeed, in a curious twist, Indian Chinese has followed the mainstream Indian expatriate community as they have spread across the world, providing expatriate Indians with a taste of authentic Indian Chinese.

True , Tangra in Kolkata is where each one of us have their favourites, Kimling, Kimfa, China Haus and my recent favourite Golden Joy (introduced my Manjeet Narwan), contributed to this amazing cuisine .Which has legends like Nelson Wang, Camelia Punjabi and many unsung heroes and improvisers all over India, Nepal and Bangladesh to develop this Chinese chaat which is strangely appealing and perhaps addictive as yet again another Praveen’s friend Tina would say lets order Dirty Chow…….. Cheers to Dirty Chow, Chinese Chaat, Chinjabi, Chindian, Sino Ludhianvi cuisine. I am loving it.

Pal check out Indian Chinese !

Parting shots:
Whats your favourite Tangra restaurant ?
Whats your Indian Chinese food story ?
Where have you had the dirtiest Chow ?

So Long !

Wish Sandwich : Great Sandwiches at Jangpura, New Delhi

2009-01-12T12:33:00.019+05:30

The 4th Earl of Sandwich (John Montagu) sat on his gambling table in 1762 for a long session of gambling and asked for cheese and meat ensconced in slices of bread. To eat, while playing cards and he was presented with this meal by the humble cook. Though the name of the cook is not known, the name Sandwich stuck. John Montagu may been inspired by his travels to the Mediterranean where bread and meat wrapped in some form had been around for many centuries (e.g Shawarma, Slouvaki, Pita etc)

Colonel Charles Young was entrusted the task of rehabilitating the residents of Raisina Hill to make the humble lodge of the Viceroy and the Secretariat of the British in India in the early 19th century. He took the residents and set them up near Nizamuddin on the banks of the river Yamuna and the residential area was then called Youngpura (set by Colonel Young). It was slowly distorted and began to be called Jangpura .

So whats common between John Montagu’s invention and Jangpura- Sandwiches. Yes Sandwiches.

The place, Novelty Dairy and Store on Birbal Road in Jangpura aka (also known as), Hawkers House, has nice Sandwiches. As you enter you walk past the store and the passage leads to long hall with 20 foot bar table (which was gotten from The Oberoi, down the road). With six bar stools, this must one of the only Sandwich bars, which looks like a bar.

Its tube lit with, with three sardars (Sikhs) on my right, discussing fuel prices and one burly sardar on my left strongly and silently munching his Sandwiches and drinking his Coffee. What’s this place. This was once Bar with actual Alcohol, till the laws changed and now it’s a timid Sandwich Bar. It goes back 53 years, when Shanti Swarup the the founder, a post partition refugee set up this Place to pass it on to his silent son Sidharth in September 2008 when he expired. Its surreal almost the kind of bar, Mr Walker (aka) as Phantom, walks up and asks for Milk, for himself and his wolf. Its quite uncanny how many post partition refugees contributed to the evolution of food catering and restaurant business (please see previous posts on Motimahal (Kundan Lal Gujral), Kwality amd Gaylord (Purshottam Lamba and Iqbal Ghai respectively).

You do get good Sandwiches which are elegant, delicate, soft and tasty. We bought, Two Ham ( Rs50/-), One Chicken (Rs 45/- and one set of Tuna Sandwiches (Rs55/-). They were all nice. Our Daughter Ananya (Detective An) Loved them though she is partial to tuna with bits of Onion. The ham is cut in slivers, on slightly buttered bread and spread with home made mayo. The Chicken is more like a Chicken ham with the rest of the stuff done like the ham. They come with a green Chutney (Mint ) and Tomato Ketchup. They are four triangle sandwiches in a cling film wrapped set. And, delicate enough to be served at the the High Tea in The Peninsula, over looking the Bay in Hongkong.

I am sure you will like them as we do,I have to make a pit stop in Jangpura on the way home. Besides, they fit in well within the eating out within the Rs 100/- budget (for the Salesman’s guide to eating out).

Parting shot or shots : What’s a Wish Sandwich ?
Two slices of Bread and wishing there was something in between.

What is the other stuff you get to eat at Hawkers House Or Novelty Dairy and Stores at Jangpura.

Name and please describe your favourite Sandwich place or memory.

So Long !

Steakhouse, Jor Bagh Delhi : Lee Chongs Grocery Store, Cannery Row

2008-12-24T09:46:00.027+05:30

Speaking to a colleague today, i.e post Christmas, I realised, how well marketed is Christmas is, it has a brand mnemonic, cuisine, Santa, gifts, involves children. It fuels a sagging economy. Everyone gets a gift. In India its normal in a household with school going children to decorate Christmas trees, sing carols, get gifts from Santa, buy marshmallows, Christmas pudding, Mince pies. As a contrast, Lohri a north Indian winter festival involves, rural population of Punjab, punjabi couples (newly married) and families in their first year of marriage (first Lohri). Rewri makers and wood cutters and sellers benefit. That's it.

This not about Christmas or Lohri this is about an afternoon, at a store in Jorbagh,(two days before Christamas and how it is similar to a store in John Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row and in that, Lee Chong's store(Lee Chong's Heavenly Flower Store).

Steak House : Jor Bagh Delhi

Located at the sanctum sanctorum of the New Delhi's Old rich District. In the tiny and full of character Jorbagh market. This was my fourth or fifth shopping visit ( incidentally I have been billed twice, in excess). The blue blooded Dilliwallah doesn't care or check their bills. The store was set up on 12-12-1963. A break away from Khub Chand and Sons ( a famous store in CP in the 60's, however the piggery by the name Khub Chand and Bros survives). The one act play that follows has the following characters:

The Lady (shopping for bacon and ham, spectacles, fair and professor like giving- free advice)
The Daughter (from the mother and daughter separate bill duo)
The Mother (from the mother and Daughter separate bill duo)
Bikram (the overweight food show host)
Cheese buyer (gives advise on buying cheese, specs blue round neck sweater)

Parthasarthi (bureaucrat shopping on way home from abroad asks for some credit to pay for Christmas pudding from the establishment)
Kuldip Shenker (the owner of the establishment)
Vir Singh (billing, been with establishment for 42 years)
Two uninterested and demotivating store attendants call them Thapa 1 Thapa 2 (largely responsible for uncourteous behaviour)

I had gone to the store for our Christmas food shopping waiting to be served in a brown skin and brown clothes. I was giving Wengers the pass this year and was ready for a more gastronomically interesting Christmas, this year. On the list was cheese (a Pondicherry Gouda), Ham, Sausages, Rum soaked raisin Cake, Christmas pudding and if possible a cured leg of ham.As you enter the store you get an unexplainable smell a blend of stale air, cured meats, matured cheese , yeast and groceries rolled into one.

Started with buying Cheese and overheard the The lady and The Daughter go.... If it wasn't for their ham and bacon I would never come here. The Daughter: The Le Marche at Select City Walk by Sugar and Spice cuts out great slivers of ham, great for sandwiches. The Lady : Sugar and Spice sucks. I added, no, there some great cold cuts stocked at their Khan Market outlet. The Lady: Oh shucks I was just there. Under their breath The staff here is so unhelpful and impolite.

At the cheese counter, I look, I hear, The Daughter tastes smoked Gouda I try and choose the smoked gouda and pepper gouda. I talk about the Flanders's Mozzarella, The Cheese Buyer, says Flanders has a shop at Meher Chand Market In Lodhi Colony and by the way Amul's Mozzarella is the best. He buys his cheese and leaves.

I spot a Bikram an Unknown Food show host,who I had seen on TV,he had been to the Santa Village at Lapland and had covered a restaurant and Spa which offered a meal, unlimited food and Spa @ Euro 300 ! Steep ! We get talking, he asks what are you buying, we discuss my quest for the perfect sausage, he says Calcutta, I ask, in Delhi, He says Pigpo Breakfast Sausage a few Shops away, deep down I don't agree as I have tried it, my quest still continues.

Meanwhile, The Mother says out, aloud, a recipe for Pork Chops (she is getting them dressed, like she is buying and then deciding on the recipe). Bikram suggests, marinate in salt and pepper half cook, smear apple sauce and roast. Kuldip Shenker (the owner), dishes out the right foriegn "expensive"brand of apple sauce bottles and the sale is made.

Me: Desperately looking for Christmas Cake Or pudding I am offered Indian Palco which I can buy from my Anda Breadwallah, or expensive imported cake at Rs 1100/- a pound. Finally I chat up with the establishment he dishes out Mrs Walia'sStuff, ( a relative of the Mrs Bhicoo Manekshaw who runs Basil and Thyme , who I ran into at this store once before i.e Bhicoo), from under the counter. Its the Christmas puddings packed in a steel container. I ask for one.

Parthasarthi: (the bureaucrat) who is buying Ritter Choclates overhears and begs for one as well. We both get one each. Parthasarthi discusses the exotic way his wife will steam and flambe it. However , he is short of some Indian currency and asks for credit as he is coming from abroad (no credit card ? in this day and age ??)

We all patiently wait to be billed, first The cheese buyer who see buys and leaves, Bikram (buys expensive Cheddar, baked beans and some other stuff), the lady, Parthasarthi, Me, The Daughter and The Mother with separate bills and I then move out. It was more than a visit to a store it was like a congregation of foodies, at the local shrine.

This was a slice of life from an afternoon at Steakhouse, so different from the proletariat and pedestrian places I hang out at. As a part of the experiences for a Salesman's guide to eating out under Rs 100/-. This was so different and so detached. I felt like the rich old Delhi Boxwallah albeit, for a little while, raised me from my middle age and middle class existance.

So why the name Of Lee Chang's Grocery in the title of my post. You need to read the Cannery Row by John Steinbeck to see the similarity in the two stores. The cult attraction, the conversation. the late evening hangout, the exchange of recipes and everything in between.

Chong's Grocery in Cannery Row By John Steinbeck

Lee Chong's is the first location we are introduced to in the novel, the hub of commerce in Cannery Row. Lee Chong's store is truly a "general store" in which you could buy, "clothes, food both fresh and canned, liquor, tobacco, fishing equipment, machinery, boats, cordage, caps, pork chops. You could buy at Lee Chong's a pair of slippers, a silk kimono, a quarter pint of whiskey and a cigar. You could work out combinations to fit almost any mood." Almost everyone in the area owes money to Lee Chong, but he is generous with his debtors because he has found they will usually pay him back rather than make the long trek to the next nearest store over in New Monterey. Its also said what you cant get at Lee Chongs Heavenly Flower Grocery you can at Dora's.

Unfortunately, there isn't a Dora's at Jorbagh.

The parting shot.

Today is Boxers or Boxing Day : Why is it called That ?

What the estimated price of Christmas pudding for a pound and two pounds at your favourite outlet ?

So Long !

I know a lot of you are reading, please do leave a comment its quite easy. Love and wishing you all a Happy new year. 2009 will be fine.

Kwality and Gaylord:The First Family of Restaurateurs (Restaurant wallahs)

2008-12-15T10:18:00.019+05:30

It all began with ice cream. The British had a settlement in whats now Palika Bazaar and Iqbal Singh Ghai and Purshottam Lal Lamba started making hand churned Ice Cream, sold at the Regal building in Delhi. This was in Circa 1939 . In 1942 an American dropped in and tipped them to keep their business open after the late night show at Regal. This changed their fortune and friendship grew into family and Lamba married Ghai's sister and then what, they got into the restaurant business and started Gaylord. The "G" from Ghai and "L" from Lord. Thank goodness they did not call it Lordgay. But, those were innocent times and gay in the 40's in Delhi was an unknown word (in the current context). Though some historians feel Lord Krishna was termed as Gaylord in the indian context in an innocent way gay meaning happy.

PL Lamba started the Kwality resturant (misspelt as a marketing gimmick that Absolut vodka would follow 4o years later). I think Lamba meant Quality in the Punjabi way. Then came the partition of India and Pakistan and lots of family came and settled in various parts of India, there was a Kwality every where started in Bombay, Calcutta and at my last count there was or had been a Kwality in Mumbai, Kolkatta, Bangalore, Amritsar, Chennai, Nagpur, Chennai, Chandigarh, Patiala,Jamshedpur,Kanpur, Pune, Dehradun, Nagpur, Baroda,Goa, Agra, Mysore, Lucknow, Udaipur, Dalhousie , Vizag and some others I could not trace. All had some family linkage, brother, uncle cousin, son in law, old employee and so on. To the extent my friend and senior blogger Sandip Ghose tells me (he was in HUL, then HLL) that they had to buy the Kwality brand many times over as there was so many other claimants after the deal was done.

Meanwhile Gaylord made inroads abroad, 1946 to 1957, there was a Gaylord Indian Restaurant in Delhi, Bombay, London, Japan, Chicago New York. These were more stylised restaurants with a continental food experience, with a live band and an esoteric feel of a european fine dining experience. While Kwality stuck to the North Indian cuisine and popularised and immortalised the humble channa bhatura (the Pindi channa, a recipe of a halwai who came in from Rawalpindi and Lamba met in 1948 on a vacation at Mussorie). The dish is still a show stopper at Kwality, Delhi and in all their catering do's.

The story of Jay and Veeru progressed (Lamba and Ghai) expanded their footprint Kwality into Kwality Ice Cream amd the mantle from Pl Lamba was taken over by his astute son Sunil Lamba. Who further, expanded to Kwality catering besides expanding the footprint to 49 restaurants. Mean while the sons of Iqbal Ghai (Ravi and Sanjeev) were busy with Gaylord restaurants abroad, The Natraj hotel on Marine Drive (1960-1999)(which is now The Intercontinenal at the Marine Drive in Mumbai). It had the legendary RG's discotheque named after Ravi Ghai. They even started the Gaylord Ice cream with Yankee Doodle Ice cream parlours (though they now hold the Baskin Robbins franchise in India). Now have expanded to Mayfair Banqueting and Hot Breads.

So what was it that drove these men to develop brands which like the Moti Mahal which are faked in most cities in the world from Vegas to Kobe, from San Francisco to Sacramento, London to Birmingham there is Gaylord or even a Kwality everywhere in the world Krishan Kripalani has made a huge business out of Gaylord restaurants in the whole of North America without paying a cent in franchise fees to the Original owners. We think they had a tremendous vision to involve friends family and employees to set up businesses across India and across the world. Perhaps the only mistake of not registering the brand worldwide (there were hardly any systems to monitor it).

Kwality had a simple model make and sell Ice cream (a dream with cream) , and open restaurants with family for families to dine in.When Sunil Lamba came to handle the helm of affairs, his big ticket was at the Asiad Village in 1982. He opened a series of restaurants in the complex, Angeethi (frontier cuisine), Ankur (Indian Cuisine), Chopsticks (chinese cuisine), Tonic the bar amd another American fastfood restaurant, the name I forget. Which has been taken up further by his son Dhruv Lamba starting , Kwality express and Chopsticks express in Malls and Hospitals and Breads and More all over. Kwality also caters at the Delhi Gymkhana Club.

My experiences, began as a child at the Kwality restaurant at Vizag (aka Visakhapatnam), where the owner Mr Johar would call his waiters as Samosa, Bhatura and me and my brother Sanjiv found that very funny and even do so now. While my wife Praveen while growing up in Patiala and Chandigarh, had many fine dining experiences to share about Kwality.As we grew and met we had visited several Kwality and a few Gaylords all over India (like adding dot pins to the map of India).

So quite like a Sher -e -Punjab Dhaba there was a Kwality everywhere.Who can forget their first Choc bar, or the Mango Duet, the Choconut and the even now, prevalent, Kassatta (much copied but never the same)

Niloufer Billimoria my then boss at Times of India at Mumbai, many years ago perhaps in 1993 took us to the Gaylord (at Church Gate, Mumbai) and ordered a hearty meal of Waldorf Salad, Baked Alaska, Chicken Strogonoff and ended it with an ice-cream and she ordered coffee. As a dining experience we have had better experiences at Gaylord than at the Kwality which is largely remembered for the exhorbitantly priced Channa Bhatura and perhaps the butter chicken.

I tip my hat to these extraordinary gentlemen i.e Ghai and Lamba who taught most of India how to use cutlery a serviette and the table cloth made of Damask and offered a fine dining experience and fairly good and sometimes great food at an affordable price for the middle and upper middle class India. In a recent Big fat Kapoor wedding a few weeks ago I savoured the Fish Orly and fat Kakori Kababs, the Biryani, Taar Meat and of course the Channa Bhatura. Impeccable.

Request anyone to give the current and exact price of :
A) Channa and Bhatura's at Kwality Delhi (as they are priced seprately) ?
B) The Price of the Kassatta ice cream (Kwality Walls) Currently ?

So Long !

St Stephens Cafe : Then and Now

2008-12-02T15:43:00.015+05:30

I did not go to St Stephens college to study. However, like the children of a lesser God. I have visited the Cafe, (as it was and is called instead of the commonly called canteen) several times. The last I must have visited would have have been in circa 1985. When I was studying at KMC (lovingly called Karl Marx College, which was fashionable then and perhaps again with fall of capitalism).

I visited The Cafe at St Stephens college today with a colleague Shantanu. It was like shaking hands with an old friend, like the smell of a place I have been before. I was a little lost in the maze of corridors as we entered from the western side. The students and visiting students had distinct differentiators in the looks and clothing department. The students, gentlemen, wore, sweaters, sweatshirts, jeans (unwashed), floaters, slippers sandals and a sling bag, with an emphasis on mufflers and long scarves. Pretty much what they wore in the winter in my salad days (23 years ago). And the ladies very pretty much dressed in the same shaggy look as the unwashed men. The fashion for both gentlemen and ladies, is to flaunt their intellect and not their looks. They are the shishyas (disciples) of Amitav Ghosh,Upmanyu Chaterjee, Alan Sealy and Khushwant Singh.

We walked in through a large hall with rattan chairs painted yellow, read the menu on the notice board and calibrated my memory 23 winters ago. Its uncanny as we sat down, the old waiter "Bhaiyan" or Jadunath emerged from the kitchen and said, mince and scrambled, I said yes, with toast. This was exactly my or our standard order then (they offer it to the veterans I suppose). We absorb the atmosphere, a few foreign (White Caucasian) students with a Kinley water bottle on the table. Mahesh Rangarajan, the psephologist and political analyst immersed in finishing his Veg lunch plate of rajma and rice. More shaggy sweaters and mufflers. Some getting their order of chicken curry and rice. We get talking with Mr Varma, the college employee and manager of the Cafe. It's managed by the college and the hostel mess. No contractors here. Bhaiyyan brings in our order. Its two scrambled eggs each, three toasts each, two mince cutlets each and a nimbupani. All of this costs Rs 97/- for the two of us. Much below my Rs 100/- mark (for the Salesman's guide to eating out- Local exotica). This would have cost about under Rs 20/- in 1985.Its quite a large plate and helping.

The taste was just as I had left it 23 years ago, the brilliance in the mince and the quality of the nimbu pani. The mince was a potato cutlet with a keema embryo, nice. The toast and butter, as toast and butter is supposed to be. The scrambled egg had all the shortcomings it had even then, onions can never cook with the eggs and tomatoes, so you have crunchy onions, with a gooey, egg and tomatoes with a strong eggy smell, almost like a parsi home in the morning. And no, ketchup to dowse it. They served a feedble mint and tamarind chutney masquerading as a sauce. Listen how much can you talk and mince words and over analyse, a mere Rs 97/- lunch. However there is no price tag for these memories revisited.

When did the Stephens cafe slip in the lunch plate veg as well as non veg plate is something I forgot to ask. I would urge the more knowladgeable Stephanians and other children of a lesser God like me (visitors and guests to the cafe) to enlighten us. Well today i.e , December 03, 2008 the non veg plate was, chicken curry and rice at Rs 30/- and the veg plate rajma and rice was Rs 20/-. At seeing the punjabisation of the menu was almost like paradise lost. But, what the hell everything else was pretty much the same. The same waiters, Jadunath has been their since 1976, the rattan chairs have been there since I visited last. And more importantly the original menu of scrambled and mince was absolutely the same at the cost of repeating myself.

Filled to the gills we stepped out to the tea and nimbu pani stall in the memory of the two miles (3.2 km ) onSundays, so called cross country open to all students and ended here with free nimbu pani and a samosa. We had one each,what the heck.

Now for the parting questions,

Who is the owner of the Nimbu pani and Samosa stall, name please ?

Can someone also please tell when did the cross country stop and why ?

So Long !