Now, being a gourmet isn’t all that hard

Ten years ago, the ‘foreign’ food on the average middle class Indian’s menu included the bastardized version of Chinese cooking that Indians love (mainly consisting of noodles doused with Soy sauce), Kellogg’s corn flakes, the quintessential Maggi Noodles and the staple diet of millions across the world, Bread. Though bread has been in existence for centuries, it has always been looked down upon by Tamil Maamis and Punjabi aunties as being something the British inflicted upon India. South India mostly stuck with Rice, Sambar, Idli & Dosa while North India was content with Roti & Sabji. East & West settled for either.

The gourmet outings in those days were limited to a visit to Liu Hang’s Kitchen or a similarly named place which sold Gobi Manchurian & Hong Kong Noodles. The names were from China. The food was designed to satiate the Indian’s spice-craving palate.

Times have changed. Theme restaurants have opened by the dozen all over India, albeit mostly in the Metropolitan cities. One can choose from Lebanese, Thai, authentic Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Mediterranean and what-not. Even though steeply priced, an upper-middle class Indian can afford to venture into one of these once in a while.

An article in The Hindu recently mentioned the emergence of specialty stores selling gourmet food products, mainly imported ones. A few have sprung up in Chennai, Mercado in Besant Nagar & Maison Des Gourmet on Cenotaph Road being mentioned in the article.

But much before these two sprung up, Nuts & Spices opened up a few outlets and Five Star Classic on ECR has been around for a long time. Being interested in anything related with food, I have been a regular visitor at Five Star Classic. After reading the article, I decided to visit the others to see what a greenhorn gourmet can hope to buy in Chennai.

Five Star Classic has a fairly extensive inventory. They stock a variety of virgin olive oil, and several types of pasta. Their frozen meat section has a few varieties of chicken and fish. While the chicken products are indian, I have seen a Vietnamese variety of fish & Norwegian salmon there. They sell Perrier water, and ingredients that make up mocktails. They also have tortillas, jams, preserves and pickles. They sell different kinds of cheese including goat cheese, Dutch cheese & Brie. They even sell tubes of Wasabi.

Nuts & Spices mainly has chocolates and sweets. They also have Jalapenos & Olives and other preserves. Sun dried tomatoes and Pesto sauces also line their shelves. I picked up jalapenos & gherkins at this place.

Spencer’s Daily now offers a Focaccia bread, Salsa bread & Baguettes. They also sell olives, preserves and cocktail mixes, Dijon mustard & imported biscuits.

I hadn’t been to Mercado, and after reading the article, decided to pay it a visit. It is undoubtedly the most exotic of the lot I’ve been to so far. They have a splendid meat section offering different cuts of meat. Proscuitto from Italy, Salmon from Wales, sausages, Bockwurst are all lined up neatly in the freezer. They have a commendable collection of cheese. I spotted Haloumi, Brie, Camembert, Parmiggiano Reggiano, Emmental, and also a fondue-ready block of cheese. They have a selection of imported potato wafers (even Wasabi flavoured). They sell some exotic fruit & vegetables. I spotted Dragon Fruit. They have stuffed vine leaves. They have Shiitake mushrooms. They have everything a chef could wish for. But you have to be prepared to spend atleast Rs 2000 if you’re planning to buy any serious stuff here. Average price is Rs 200 for 100 gms.
The only down side is the place is quite small and a staff-member follows you like a shadow wherever you go. It got on my nerves.

I wanted to visit Maison des Gourmet, since the article seemed to focus on it. However I couldn’t make it. The article mentions they have a lot of bread. Apart from that, I guess it will offer more or less the same stuff that is on display at Mercado. I’m looking forward to a visit next weekend.

With the Internet more accessible now, recipes from all over the world are just a few mouse-clicks away. With raw-materials also on the market, it is much easier to be a gourmet these days. Hosts & Hostesses can offer guests Tempura Prawns, Moussaka, Pita bread and Chicken Parmesan – all home made.

I’m waiting for the day when King Crab, Maine Lobster, Peking Duck, Guinness and other famous delicacies from around the world also make their way into Indian kitchens.

Get your chef-hat on and start cooking.
Cheers!

P.S Gourmet cooking apart, I still enjoy Indian-Chinese.

God’s Own Country

You’ve met Raghu & Mahesh here and here. After our trip to Yercaud, we decided it was high time we went on another trip.

We chose Kumarakom. It is barely 2 hours away from where we’ve spent most our lives, but none of us had visited Kumarakom yet. We chose Jan 16th & 17th to visit. Mahesh claimed his friend practically owned all the hotels in Kumarakom, and would find us a decent place to stay dirt cheap. Turned out, he just pointed us to a website. But we are grateful to him. The resort was awesome and quite reasonable too. Mahesh booked the Bamboo cottage for us and with it, started an endless stream of complaints from Raghu. We had to endure this upto the point when the resort manager informed us that it would cost Raghu an extra grand to stay in an AC room. That shut him up.

Raghu came up with a brilliant idea. He had stubbed his toe a couple of days ago, but he had made it sound like they had amputated his left leg. Using this as an excuse, he suggested that Mahesh and I travel 10 KM in the wrong direction to board the bus at the bus stand near his house. We tried to reason that we could board the bus from Mahesh’s doorstep. But Mahesh made a mess out of the counter-arguments as usual, and we were forced to lug our bags there. We set off from the Ernakulam KSRTC bus stand at around 10.00 AM and were thankful when it started as Raghu had almost passed out from the stench of urine. Mahesh had observed that the bus must have been parked somewhere near the public toilet. Raghu who had a window seat and a better view (sniff) informed us solemnly that we were in fact parked on top of the toilet. The bus had been parked with its rear end jutting over a concrete path. The concrete path had been claimed by the citizens of Kochi, to be their own private loo. We were glad when the bus pushed off.

The bus sped off into a traffic jam. And our journey lasted 4 hours. We changed buses at Kottayam. Raghu, who is allergic to buses and walking, immediately started demanding that we take an auto and started reasoning that 14 KM wasn’t all that far for an auto.I managed to find a bus bound for Kumarakom at the last mintue, and we bundled him into it. The people who surveyed the road, weren’t very sober, and many times we found boards next to each other,one claiming Kumarakom was just 4 KM away, an with the other saying we still had 12KM to go. We finally reached Kumarakom around 2.00 PM. Luckily we managed to get off on the way (thanks to a mild accident) after spotting our resort nearby. We were tired and hungry and we walked into the nearest Toddy shop. Now this is no great achievement. You cannot fling a brick in Kumarakom without hitting a toddy shop.

There is a myth I had heard that toddy shops make the best food ever. I had to put it to the test a-la Mythbusters. Turns out, every word of it is true. I had decided long ago that I would order everything on the menu. Unfortunately, this chap’s menu turned out to be a bit too long. He offered Pothu, Muyal, Tharavu, Kaada, Chemmeen, Karimeen, Meen Curry, Kappa, Appam, Njandu (Beef, Rabbit, Duck, Quail, Prawns, Pearl Spot, Fish Curry, Boiled Tapioca, A flat rice cake and Crab respectively) and what not.
Now this was a bit too much for me. I ordered the Duck Roast, Prawns & the Karimeen Pollichathu (fish baked between banana leaves). Raghu settled for the famous Kappa-Meen Curry combo and poor Mahesh, the pure vegetarian, had to eat Kappa & Appam. We also ordered a pitcher of Kallu (Toddy), but it was very pungent, and we just had a taste. We were also put off by the sight of an unidentified object floating in the pitcher. I’m sticking to the dead ant theory though Raghu came up with more colourful ones.

I dug in and with the other two watching, managed to finish off everything. I have a photo with Mahesh staring in disbelief. We then took an Autorickshaw to Tharavadu Heritage, our resort. The friendly auto guy offered to take us for a boat ride for Rs 400. We told him we were happy with the ride he had already given us. While checking in, we had the pleasure of watching Raghu’s expression when he requested the above-mentioned AC room and got the manager’s reply. He had magnanimously promised us that we could take an AC room upgrade, and he’d pay the difference. After enjoying the Kathakali-esque play of emotions on his face while he scrutinized the tariff, we moved into the Bamboo Hut.

We relaxed for a while, Raghu wanted a beer, so we bought him a nice chilled one. The resort conveniently had a Bevco bang opposite. Unfortunately he mistook it for a football and gave it a kick that redecorated the floor of the room with beer and glass. Mahesh was mortified with this turn of events and didn’t speak for 5 whole minutes. Mahesh and I found the time to hold a discussion about the third member of our group and his history. He wasn’t available for comment as he was busy doing something he’s likely to be doing for the rest of his life (quote borrowed from Mahesh).

During this discussion, we heard a scratching sound on the roof. While Raghu and I assumed it was a Crow having Tea and biscuits, Mahesh, who considers himself Homer’s direct descendant, started contemplating Velociraptors. But something in his mind told him that Velociraptors were extinct and we’d never let him forget it if he mentioned his pet theory to us. So he watered it down to Alligators. A Caiman if you wish. But then again, his grey cells thought, Caimans aren’t found on roofs. So he finally settled on the next most preposterous thing he could think of. An Iguana! The poor mite didn’t know that Iguanas are hardly found in India. The thing jumped off the roof into the grass, sending Mahesh, the only one among us who is Marco, SEAL, CIA, SAS trained (as he constantly reminds us) , diving under the bed. Raghu & I had to sit down for a while since we were exhausted from all the laughing.

Around 5.30 PM, we hired a motor boat (for Rs 350. Autowallah! Sucks to you. ) and set out to sail the Vembanad Kayal. We had picked the perfect time. The sun was setting, and a gentle breeze played on our faces while we stretched out on the roof of the boat. We had fun clicking pictures on my Canon SX110. We saw some houseboats passing by. We returned by around 6.30. Mahesh was totally sozzled and managed to make a great effort to click some pictures. In truth, he just lolled over the roof of the boat. We got back after an hour and headed for our room where we split our sides watching some ‘News’ which was very concerned about the way some actress’ hair was combed or uncombed.

Raghu had recently come into some good fortune and insisted on buying us dinner. We chose Abad’s Whispering Palms resort to have our dinner and we enjoyed a buffet. Though there weren’t many items on the menu,( just three non-veg and a few veg dishes), we enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere and the poolside setting.We amused ourselves watching a very drunk American play weird games with the waiters.

We got back, and while Raghu watched his Manchester United game, Mahesh & I split our sides laughing at Russel Peter’s jokes. We did some file transfers, much needed movies and songs. Finally we fell asleep around 1.30 AM.

We woke up lazily around 8.30 AM only because the phone jangled and startled the life out of Mahesh who was next to it. It was the page calling us to know if we wanted coffee. We ordered coffee and breakfast. Puttu, Kadala, Appam & Stew ( Steamed Rice cake, chickpea, Flat rice cake, Stew). We had a leisurely breakfast and then realized we had to get packing to check out by 11 AM. We managed to wangle an extra half hour grace time from the manager.

Mahesh went out and bought beer. I had demanded pork. I was damned if I was leaving Kumarakom without eating Toddy-shop food again. Mahesh finished the beer and I finished the pork, and Raghu still hadn’t finished his bath. I’ve seen pregnant mothers finish bathing quicker. Finally he was out, we packed our bags, looked around one last time and went and settled the bill. We then went around clicking pictures of the resort (Its a 100 year old building).

Finally, we boarded a bus to Cherthala ( great tip from the hotel manager). We reached Ernakulam in about 2 hours. We parted ways at Vytilla. It had been a brief trip, but a memorable one. We’re planning the next one.

Cheers!

Old Blog, New Content

Righto!
I know I haven’t updated the blog for more than 2 months, and I apologize to my readers for this shortcoming on my part. Fact is, I’ve been very busy and I’ve been released from my toils only today evening, and here I am back on my Blog!

I’ll start of wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. Its a new year, and new years demand changes. I’ve decided to diversify the content on this blog and introduce a little more variety. It will no longer be ONLY about food. I will also be posting matter about travel and anything else that catches my fancy. I’ve discovered the joys of travelling and I am keen to share my experiences with you. I trust my travels will both be humourous as well as informative.

In short, this blog is going to be about Life. And how to live it. Of course, we know that the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42. This blog will be my attempt to arrive at the answer 42.

Live to Eat henceforth stands changed to Six by Seven.

Forrest Gump’s Mom said life is a box of Chocolates. And when I get a box of chocolates, I don’t wonder about what I’m going to get. I eat it. With great relish.
Join me on this wonderful journey called Life.

Cheers!
Apologies to Douglas Adams

Taste of Medicine

I am sick. Yet again. And that brings me to this post. Sickness brings with it memories of long queues at the Doctor’s, endless doses of medicine, and a chance to stay at home, though not under circumstances you would have preferred.

As a child, I used to suffer from regular bouts of wheezing, and this guaranteed me 2-3 days off from school every month. This would begin with a visit to Dr. Subhash who had a clinic near Tiruvanmayur. Even earlier, there was Dr.Alate in Pune. A man who has contributed significantly to my upbringing, considering I used to be a regular visitor at his clinic. He was the man who first introduced me to Asthalin, a drug I continue to turn to whenever I’m sick. Dr.Alate, I wish you very well, and thank you for all you have done for me.

Back to what I was talking about, there would be the interminable wait for my turn, and it would be hell, considering I would be in pretty bad shape. Visit done, Mom would take me back home armed with tonnes of medicines.

One of the simple home-made recipes Mom made to make me feel better was hot milk flavoured with turmeric, pepper & a dash of sugar. This simple and easy to make drink was a great relief to a throat ravaged by incessant cough. I was reminded of this just a few minutes ago, when similar circumstances forced me to make this brew myself. It is after a long time that I’m having this, though I would have preferred a healthier outlook to indulge in this bit of nostalgia. (Though the colour of my concoction sowed a seed of doubt in my mind, the taste was exactly as I remember.)

I also remember having trouble with tablets as a kid. I could not quite master the trick of putting the tablet on my tongue, and holding it there till I could take a sip of water to wash it down. I have spat out several tablets due to the bitter taste. I really do not understand why tablets cannot be sugar coated (except for the ones that diabetics take). As an alternative to this, Mom used to powder the tablet, mix it in a spoonful of honey and make me have it. However, my problem was solved when, one day my Uncle suggested that I first have a sip of water, hold it in my mouth,toss the pill in, and swallow both. This avoids the hassle of the tasting the bitter pill. A simple solution, that I continue to follow to this day.

Over the years, these bouts of wheezing have become more sporadic and less intense. I am able to walk about, while previously I used to be confined to bed. However, they do attack me now and then, and now is one such occasion.

More recently, my sister-in-law has soothed my throat with steaming chukku-kaapi which is made from crushed dry ginger. A hot mug of this brew gives my throat a rest for a while.

I am also reminded of dinners with rice (half the amount I usually eat) , dal and a small piece of pickle which would be eaten half heartedly only to welcome the next tablet. Now these have been replaced with bread and ready-to-make soups.

Being sick is an unpleasant experience. One I do not like. And I’m sure everybody else shares the same opinion. However, it is a part of life and must be endured. The shorter the illness, the better.

Hopefully I will be back to my old self in a day or two.

(A little less) Cheers!

Note: I am not a medical practitioner. Please consult a Doctor before you attempt to try out any of the remedies/medicines mentioned in this post. These are only my experiences. I do not prescribe them to any one.

The Festival Of Lights

Its here again. Its the time of the year when the air smells of gun powder, the flies in Mambalam market fly to Saidapet because there is no room for them in T Nagar with the shopping rush, and when you get to eat all the sweets you want. Its Diwali!

According to a very long email sent by a colleague, Diwali was celebrated for the first time when Lord Rama returned victorious to Ayodhya after vanquishing Ravana. Since the people then didn’t have Xbox-es & TVs for entertainment, apparently they had fun by bursting crackers to welcome their returning King. It also had a detailed step by step manual to perform Lakshmi Puja – Light 6 ‘diyas’ made of Pillsbury atta and what not. Interestingly, about 10 recipes followed, starting with sweets you can prepare for Diwali and ending with a pulao made by a lady for her diabetic husband with a vegetable found in Peru. I fail to understand how its relevant to Diwali. Apparently, the one who composed the email trawled various blogs for recipes, and when he got to No.10, he really didn’t care if it was a sweet, or if it could be made in India. It ended with a brief lecture on how not to burst crackers. Other emails I received included one in which a rocket zoomed around my desktop.

Well, enough about emails. Its the festive season. Arguably the most awaited festival & the one celebrated almost all over India (except in Kerala where it has a rather small fan following). Diwali appeals to people of all ages. It is the festival of lights. Deriving from this, is an expression regularly used in my family when somebody forgets to turn off the lights when they leave the room – “What do you think this is? Diwali?”.
I came home from work today to find all the lights on, and I was at a loss for words.

It IS Diwali!

When I was a kid, Diwali was all about getting 4-5 days off from school,bursting loads of crackers, eating tonnes of sweets, wearing new clothes, and tearing around the neighbourhood with other kids. Now it has come to mean a brief one day holiday from work but it is anticipated with no less interest. The charm of buying new clothes has waned, as has the thrill of bursting crackers. But the appetite to eat sweets remains as strong as ever!

Mom & Dad are home for Diwali this time round, and it has saved me a dash to the station through the mother of all traffic jams. Mom has made some Besan Laddus already and has hidden them somewhere. She’s planning to make Nankatai. Nankatais were a mainstay of our Diwali menu about 15 years ago. Sadly, none have been made for the past 15 years.

Diwali is the time when the house is cleaned, painted & made to look good. The household rises at dawn on Diwali day and the children are made to eat Neem leaves with sugar. Atleast I was. It is supposed to signify that life is bittersweet. After the puja, the kids run off to finish off the crackers before breakfast is served.

The firecrackers when I used to be a kid had imaginative names like Lakshmi Vedi, Saraswathi Vedi, Kuruvi (sparrow) vedi, hydrogen bomb, atom bomb and what not. Apparently the nomenclature is still the same as I confirmed with my nephew. So much fuss about India’s thermonuclear capability when ‘hydrogen bombs’ were hawked on the streets as far back as 20 years ago!

Diwali is also the time when everyone gets new clothes. Hence, T Nagar resembles a can of sardines for about a month preceding the festival. Shopkeepers try to outdo their competitors with discounts. Kids proudly wear new clothes on Diwali day. But most of them are too impatient to wait so long and try it out at least three times when Mom isn’t looking.

Apart from the food, the new clothes & the crackers, Diwali is about sharing. It is the time when kids first compete and then share crackers, mothers share sweets and there is a general feeling of camaraderie around.
It is this which makes it so eagerly awaited. (Ofcourse, there are the sweets too).

There is a lot to be said about Diwali, but right now, Mom is beside me wanting to use the computer.Perhaps you can read the mail my colleague had sent if somebody has forwarded it to you.

Wish you all a very happy and safe Diwali.

Cheers!

Tagged!

I’ve been tagged by manchitra. Actually I was tagged a long while ago, but I haven’t had the time to acknowledge it yet.

Sorry for that Ma..

She has passed on to me the Lemonade Blog Award and the International Blogger’s Community Award. Frankly, I’ve not heard on them before, but since I’ve received them, I’d like to think that its the Oscar or the Bafta of the Blogging world.

Here goes:

I’d like to pass it on to Chuck, Nara and to Nitya . Three wonderful bloggers I know.

Here’s to you Three.

Cheers!

Weekend at Pondy – 2

Continued from Weekend at Pondy – 1

We woke up by around 8:00 AM the next day, and after the customary ‘freshening up’, we got dressed and headed out for breakast. Out-voted 2-1 for a Vegetarian breakfast, we went to a Udupi restaurant next to our hotel and had Masala Dosas and Vadas. I didn’t particularly like the food, nor the service, but the other two seemed to think it was great. After breakfast, we decided to visit Auroville, a spiritual retreat, about 20 km from Pondy. Buses don’t go that way, so we had to take an auto. After haggling with an auto driver, he agreed to bring us back for a princely Rs.400.

We reached the place, and took our tickets. After a long walk through the woods, enjoying Nature’s beauty, and Raghu establishing his GreenPeace membership periodically, we finally made it to the heart of Auroville. There is a huge golden globe at the centre of a very large lawn. We posed for a few pics, walked back to a small tea-stall in the premises,and had Hibiscus Juice. It was sweet, and refreshing. We found our auto, and he took us back to Pondy.

Raghu had spotted a decent looking restaurant the previous day and we agreed to go there. We were exhausted after the trip and glad to sit in air-conditioned comfort. We ordered soup, Tandoori Chicken, and fried rice. We then decided to walk to the bus stand, paying no heed to Raghu’s protests. But halfway through, we gave up, and settled for a bus. We headed over to the ‘Palace’ and proceeded to fill our bags with Budweiser, Carlsberg, Tiger, Hayward’s Black, Smirnoff Orange & Green Apple. We then hurried back to our room to sample our loot. We spent a few hours getting mellow, and watching Federer cry after losing to Nadal in the Australian Open final.

We were tipsy,and we decided to go to the Promenade. We took an auto and found a couple of guys singing popular songs on the terrace of ‘Le Cafe’. A crowd had gathered to watch them perform and we happily joined in. After a few snaps, I managed the convince the other two about the urgent need to taste some French Cuisine (I’m sure Raghu would’ve been happy with Chicken Biryani). We looked around for a while, and managed to find Madame Shante’s which advertised French food. Prices were steep, but we decided to go ahead. We had an annoying fellow who wanted to sit beside our table and smoke, and then he wanted to place his beer mug on our table. Thankfully, the management found him a table and he was off. We ended up having Poulet Cordon Bleu which was Crumb fried chicken stuffed with cheese, Poisson belle Meuniere which was fish fried and topped with lemon butter sauce and Pates au Champignons et tomatoes which was Spaghetti with mushroom & tomato sauce. Raghu, predictably had Chicken biryani. The crumb fried chicken was good, the fish reminded us of Thilakan’s classic comment in Kilukkam when he’s presented with fish (He asks for a stick so he can beat the fish to death). All were served with bland boiled vegetables. We helped ourselves to Raghu’s biryani to have a change of taste. We then went back home (in an auto of course) and then proceeded to work on the Orange Smirnoff. After suffering more of Raghu’s choices in Tamil movies, we went to sleep.

We lazed in bed the next morning, not particularly keen to go anywhere. We had already exhausted our sight-seeing options the previous day. After breakfast at the same Udupi hotel, after which the other two finally admitted it to being not that great. Mahesh and I went over to the Palace and stocked up on some more supplies, mostly stuff we had found tasty the previous day, and we spent the day at the room sipping our drinks and chatting. We had lunch at the dingy place, and caught a bus back to Chennai. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the one which came to Tiruvanmayur, and we had to get down at Tambaram, and change buses.

Raghu then left for Coimbatore that night and Mahesh went over to his place. It was the second of our guys-only trips (not that we’ve been on any trips with girls) and was memorable, as was the first.

More recently, we went to Yercaud. Lets see if Mahesh writes about that.

To us mates. To us!

Cheers!

Weekend at Pondy – 1

This post is long overdue, and it was Mahesh’s job to do it, but still, since he is too lazy or forgetful, I thought I would do it. Raghu, Mahesh & I decided to visit the erstwhile French colony of Pondicherry for the Republic day weekend.It was a three day weekend and Raghu agreed to come over to Chennai from Coimbatore. Mahesh came over to my place the previous day. Raghu arrived at around 8, and he had brought breakfast. Unfortunately, he bought just ONE Masala dosa from the Saravana Bhavan counter at Chennai Central. I marvel at his foresight. I suppose he expected two hungry chaps, too lazy to cook breakfast, to watch him eat his single Masala Dosa. It would suffice to say that we assisted him in polishing it off, in spite of his persistent protests. Of course, all this happened after his mandatory ‘Status Call’.

Well, One Masala Dosa (especially from Saravana Bhavan) isn’t enough for one guy,let alone three, so we were still hungry and I was forced to scramble a few eggs and toast bread. We all got ready,and were out of the house by 10:00AM. We didn’t want to go up to Koyambedu and waste an hour, so we decided to take our chances at Tiruvanmayur bus stand. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to have the same idea and all the buses were packed. Just as we were getting ready for the hour long commute to Koyambedu, a bus arrived with just three seats, and we managed to get in. The seats were in the very last row, and so we were in for a bumpy ride, but it was all we had. The 3 hour journey passed uneventfully, with the exception of Raghu throwing around barf threats, and moaning about how he hadn’t slept a wink the previous night. We also proceeded to lighten his bag of a pack of Goodday biscuits on the way.

Our delusions of a quaint French Colony with stone paved streets & European architecture (courtesy several blogs written with flowery language) were dashed when we saw the bus-stand at around 2:00 PM. It looked just like any other bus-stand in Tamil Nadu with the customary beggars, and the spit-hitting-the-road-every-thirty-seconds. Being Indians, we got over this shock quite fast, and proceeded to our Hotel, which was just across the road. Raghu had managed to book it through some contact. We checked in, and freshened up (a loose term that is used to describe a whole range of activities conducted in the bathroom).

Since we were ravenous, we set out in search of a place serving lunch, and managed to find a rather dingy place about 100m down the road. Since our other options turned out to be a Star hotel and a chap selling beef probably fried in Castrol, we decided to go ahead. After a brief lunch of Chicken Biryani and Chettinad Chicken, along with some Gobi Manchurian Mahesh had ordered,we were back in the room.On the way back, we encountered a shop selling liquor (Which is not a great thing. Pondy being a Union Territory, has tax-free liquor and any stone thrown in Pondy is likely to hit a liquor bottle). After picking up a Fosters and a Kingfisher’s Draught can and a Bacardi Breezer (for Raghu) , we walked over to our room and made ourselves comfortable. It is taken for granted that during all this, Raghu kept the cash registers ringing at Airtel. We lazed about on the bed, with Mahesh doing some more ‘freshening up’ and then we decided to go for a stroll with some shopping in mind.

We had read about a stunning beach (Paradise Beach) about 8km from Pondy which advertised boating in a placid lagoon. We reached there by around 5.00 and found out that the last boat for the day had left. After a few photographs to establish our presence at the place, we went to a small restaurant on the premises and ordered a Royal Challenge Beer and a Masala Omelette & some Chicken Manchurian. After that, after convincing Raghu about the benefits of taking a bus back, we got back to the bus-stand for about Rs.10, having paid a 100 bucks on the way to the beach.

Mahesh and I wanted to sample the local specialty and Raghu wanted, of all things, glass bangles. We came across a store which we ended up christening ‘The Palace’ and came out with a small bottle of Tequila (which we had not tasted before).

I was stuck between Raghu, who would prefer to use an auto to go to the bus-stand (It was across the road) and Mahesh, who would walk back to Chennai given half a chance. On this occasion, I sided with Mahesh, and we set out to walk the streets of Pondy. After about half an hour, punctuated by Raghu’s persistent complaints, we reached the bazaar, where Raghu finally got to buy his glass bangles. We came across an Ice cream vendor, and bought 3 cones to help us navigate the maze of streets in Pondy. The streets had begun to transition from being Tamil Nadu-ey to being French-ey. We clicked random snaps, and after encountering an old Church and a fancy supermarket which charged the earth for everything, manged to find our way to the French Colony. Since it was dark, we couldn’t really see the French Architecture (It is actually a bunch of plain houses painted yellow. Ordinary, but colourful). We clicked a few snaps in front of the Governor’s mansion and walked over to the Promenade. After watching a few people dine at ‘La Promenade’ and calculating the damage it would do to our wallets if we dined there, we decided to have dinner. Raghu, in between his steady stream of complaints, had suggested Anjappar, a Chettinad Cuisine hotel we had seen on our way, while I wanted to try some French Cuisine.

We came across ‘Le Cafe’, an ancient Cafe on the promenade. It advertised Quiches, Pizzas, and herbal tea, so we decided to give it a try. After being left alone at the table for half an hour, a waiter came and informed us that they were out of everything, except Tea. I decided to order a Chamomille Tisane, and when it came, it smelt rather nice, but tasted like boiling water. Since it came in a mug large enough to bathe with, and since I couldn’t convince the other two how great it actually tasted, I had to finish it off myself. It was past 9:00PM and Pondy had started going to bed. This time,we gave in to Raghu’s request and took an auto back to the dingy place where we had a dinner. Since I was full of Chamomile Tea, Omelette & Chicken Manchurian, I opted for just One Parotta with chicken curry while the other two dug in.

After buying some snacks to help us with the Tequila and another Breezer for Raghu, we reached the room and settled in with the drinks.I experimented with a Tequila shot, while Mahesh passed. Since it was a small bottle, it got over in about half an hour. We had to endure Raghu’s choice of flop- Tamil movies on the telly for that half-hour. After a brief tussle for the AC Remote, (I wanted it on, the other two said it was too cold), we settled in for the night.

More to come.

Cheers!

Campari On Ice

My fascination for Campari started sometime when I was in XIth or XIIth standard and had plenty of time to read all the novels in the world. And I almost did! I came across this drink in a novel. But try as I might, I’m unable to remember its name. I remember it by being written by a famous author, and it involved the protagonist being shipped to Italy with a face subjected to plastic surgery and a new identity to protect him from the bad guys. He’s made to learn Italian and made to pass off as a local. If someone has read this novel and can remember the name, please do leave me a comment. I’ve been cracking my head over it for a long time now.

One interesting tidbit of information I came across in this book is that no self respecting Italian drinks Cappuccino after 11AM! This should be news to folks in India who stroll into Cafe Coffee Days and Baristas and order a Cappuccino in the evening just to look cool.

Well, I digress. The protagonist in the story always ordered the same drink whenever he dined – A Campari on Ice. That started my fascination with this drink.
I was intrigued by the name, and wanted to know what it was. A couple of weeks back, I got my chance. I’d visited High Time at the GRT Grand a couple of weeks back with my best pal, and to my surprise, I found Campari on the menu under Apertifs. An Apertif is something to whet your appetite as opposed to a Digestif, which helps digest your food.

While,I wasn’t looking to whet my appetite,I wasn’t about to leave an opportunity to taste the drink I had only dreamed about, slip through my hands just because of a technicality. In my opinion, if you have an apertif after dinner, it automatically becomes a digestif. If it has to make you hungry, it ought to digest what you’ve already eaten. Right?

Well, I ordered without hesitation (though not on ice) and it arrived in a quaint little shot glass, sort of shaped like a distorted hourglass sawed in half. It was dark red. Eye candy. It smelt wonderful. Nose candy. It tasted awful!

Campari is an alcoholic apertif obtained by infusing bitter herbs, aromatic plants and fruits in alcohol and water (this is according to Wikipedia). It hails from Italy and its composition has been kept a secret by the Campari family for almost 150 years. I agree wholeheartedly. Its aromatic, smells of fruit, and is more bitter than anything I’ve tasted in my life.

But having set out on a mission to taste anything and everything possible (If I haven’t told you about this before, here it is) sipping on Campari was a privilege as seen by my buddy & I. While we manged the first few sips with straight faces, we needed plenty of potato wafers to finish the last few sips with distorted faces.

But, its the experience that counts. I’ve tasted Campari. Though I wouldn’t recommend it to any bete-noir of mine, its still one item off my bucket list.

Well, as for you readers, if you’re dying to have a sip of Campari, after reading about it in some book or watching it in a movie, or after watching Jessica Alba pout seductively with a bottle, well, I would advise you to take someone along. Someone who is absolutely in love with this stuff. So he/she can finish the rest after you’ve had your sip. Alternatively you can take 10 similarly-interested people along, and order one tiny glass, so that everyone has their experience, and doesn’t have to go through it again.

Cheers!

Mocha Mojo & Tasty Jones

I’ve just got back from a visit to Mocha Mojo. They have found a great location, just near Adyar depot. Quite near Java Green & Cafe Coffee Day. The place is tastefully decorated, with lots of funky colours and trendy interiors. The seating is semi-comfortable, by which I mean that some of the chairs are really comfortable, but the sofa-seating is not all that great. Only the ones sitting near the walls get to really relax.

The waiters are dressed in blue, but their aprons are pink & hilarious. The place gets quite crowded by around 6pm on a weekend. We had to wait for about 20 minutes to get a seat.

We were all suffering from sore throats and opted to go for hot drinks & sat in the no smoking zone. So I’m not able to comment on the Sheeshas & Hookahs.

The menu is rather comprehensive and has so many options that it sets your head spinning. The shiny colours and funky fonts are not very helpful either. We spent about 20 minutes trying to decide what to have. Finally, we decided on a Mocha Float – which turned out to be chocolate ice cream floating in coffee (also available with Vanilla Ice cream), Con Panna – a shot of espresso topped with cream, and Irish Coffee. The Con Panna turned out to be disgusting and my friend had to use around 6 packets of sugar to make it moderately drinkable and even then it tasted disgusting.

I strongly advise visitors to abstain from ordering Con Panna. The Irish coffee was good and was served in an authentic Irish Coffee Mug. Obviously it is served non-alcoholic.

The coffees left us quite full, but we had already ordered a Yin-Yang chocolate fondue. A fondue is basically molten chocolate, this one with equal amounts of white and dark chocolate. Marshmallows are dipped into the chocolate and eaten.

The fondue was served with a tiny candle under a ceramic bowl to keep the chocolate molten, and soon it started boiling. Apart from the marshmallows, apple slices, sponge cakes and biscuits were also provided as dips. This was quite good, but after eating so much sweet stuff, we were dying for something spicy.

We settled the bill and set out to find something spicy. The bill came to around Rs 500. On an average, the stuff is over priced. It is alright for a one time visit, but I sure wouldn’t go there a second time.

We moved to Besant Nagar for the spicy stuff, and after rejecting Galloping Gooseberries, we walked over to the row of food stalls near the beach. After finding Dhaba Express too crowded, we finally settled on Tasty Jones. We found a seat near the entrance, with plants jutting on to the table, however it was the only one we found. In the balmy heat,we were soon sweating, but the AC seating was full.

We weren’t looking for a meal, as we had filled our stomachs with coffee and chocolate. We wanted the Achari Kebab, but it wasn’t available. So we settled for a half Tandoori Chicken (2 pieces) and a Chicken Sheekh Kebab (5 pieces). The service was pathetic with the waiter serving us water only after we were through half our meal, and that too after we asked for it. Paper napkins were provided after the bill and that too on request.

The meal was good, with the chicken being accompanied with mint chutney and onion. The Chicken Sheekh kebab was delicious and spicy and hit the spot. We had got what we were searching for. The Tandoori chicken was typical. Meat was succulent though.

The bill came to around Rs.200. The location is good, near the beach, but it gets too hot if you choose to sit outside. You are also besieged by beggars. They also offer steaks, burgers, sandwiches, and Indian breads like naan, roti and curries. Worth a visit, but the portions are not very large. So I wouldn’t make a habit of going there regularly. The service is pathetic.

For the rating:

Mocha Mojo
Ambiance: 5/5
Service: 3/5
Taste: 3/5
Value for Money: 2/5

Rating: 3.25
Verdict: You can try it once, and if you like to smoke hookahs, maybe more than once. Just don’t make the mistake of ordering too many sweets.

Tasty Jones
Ambiance: 3/5
Service: 2/5
Taste: 4/5
Value for Money:3/5

Rating: 3/5

Verdict: Good to try if you’ve spent an evening at the beach. Can get crowded. Have to wait a long time for the food.

Cheers!