Veni, Vidi, Scribo !

Navu Project...back with a bang!

2023-07-23T22:51:00.007+05:30

My wife and I distinctly remember our very first meal at Navu Project, when it was at its previous location, being one of our very early meals outside after the lock down of the pandemic years. I vividly recall telling my wife after the first few bites of the Cauliflower Creme Brulee that food like this makes me want to write again and share my experiences. While I never did get around to writing about that meal, and the many others that we had in the months to follow, here's our experience of a lovely dinner from two weeks ago at Navu Project's new location.

Having moved to a smaller, more cozy location in Domlur, the kitchen continues to put up brilliant food. We started with our forever-favourite- the Cauliflower Creme Brulee. I've lost count of the number of times I've recommended this to anyone going there for dinner. The balance of texture and flavour has always brought a smile to my face. When we ordered the Jackfruit and Litchi salad, expecting it to be similar to a sweet and spicy Thai papaya salad. What arrived was this spice-forward Asian-inspired salad with pops of sweetness from the litchi, wonderfully balanced with the flavours of jackfruit and pops of garlic. Nothing like what we had in mind, but enjoyable nonetheless. The house special Moo Bresaola was another dish whose eight-month aged meat in wine I thoroughly enjoyed, although the portion size was a tad much for one person.

Cauliflower Creme Brulee

Jackfruit and Litchee Salad

In an evening where every dish was a belter, the first stand-out dish was the Spinach Agnolotti. It's been ages since I've thoroughly enjoyed a pasta so much. The wonderful hand-made pasta with delicious spinach filling was a vibrant green colour with a delectable aroma that was perfectly balanced with the slightly earthy flavour and creamy texture of the celeriac fondue, topped off with parsnip crisps for a nice crunchy element.We were quite tempted to order a second, but chose to try more dishes off the new menu... which brings us to the second highlight of the evening, the Mustard Ice Cream with Tomato Salad. The wildest flavour of ice cream I've had till date has been a wasabi-flavoured ice cream; the mustard ice cream comes in at a close second. The ice cream had a robust flavour to it with the pungent and sharp notes of the mustard perfectly balanced out with sweet notes, leaving your palate craving for the next spoon. The salad with the cherry tomatoes brought a nice fresh element to complete this dish. Although, I am happy to have just the ice cream by itself.

Spinach Agnolotti

Mustard Ice Cream with Tomato Salad

For the main course, my wife chose the Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter and Mushrooms from the special menu while I chose a more traditional Lamb Chops with Roast Carrots and Pistachio Pesto. The perfectly cooked gnocchi was elevated with the roasted notes and aroma of the sage brown butter and mushrooms. Perfect food for the soul. With Navu Project, perfectly cooked lamb chops is a given. What stood out for me was the pistachio pesto and the carrot puree that took a classic lamb chop to a whole new level. I decided abandon the fine-dine decencies of the fork and knife and used my hand to clean up the lamb chops with dipping every bite in the pesto and puree.

Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter and Mushrooms

Lamb Chops with Roast Carrots and Pistachio Pesto

We all know that the stomach has a separate compartment for dessert. (wink wink). That coupled with the fact we could not agree on a single dessert, we ordered two. Navu Project's re imagination of the classic Baklava with a very airy custard in a paper thin pastry was something else altogether. Besides bursting with all the right flavours, the lightness of the dessert was such that one could almost inhale it. We closed dinner with the Navu Chocolate Bar..

Navu Baklava

Navu Chocolate Bar

I'm delighted that Navu Project is open again. A farcry from the loud ( interior decor and noise) places that one has come to expect with every second restaurant that opens in Bengaluru, the ambiance of the new space of Navu Project is intimate and perfect for the kind of fare they serve. The focus is clearly on having the "biggest" flavor and not the real estate. At the moment, they're open for dinner with relatively limited seating. Make sure you block your seats in advance, I would recommend sitting by the high table near the kitchen for a more homely experience. The wife and I are eagerly looking forward to our next meal there to try everything else on the menu, before it changes for the season.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road!

2023-07-07T23:02:00.003+05:30

Those familiar with the Elton John - Bernie Taupin classic would have guessed the direction of this blog post.

In 2016, I decided to become a tad more fancy with my blog and set up a nice chic website to continue writing about all the wonderful ( and not so wonderful) food experiences I was privileged to be a part of. It was, in all honesty, a sincere attempt at becoming a proper full time writer focused on food and travel and maybe recreate a minuscule portion of what stalwarts like Anthony Bourdain, Julia Child, David Chang and even many India-based writers were doing, for myself.

Long story short, the world changed and I was not quite up to the task of changing with it. Social media has ruined my relationship with writing about food. I felt more pressure to put up posts daily, be a part of every new restaurant opening, take horrid pictures ( my wife says I'm being overly critical about my pictures here) and wax eloquent about what, in hindsight, was fairly repetitive and derivative food and drinks.

I had stopped enjoying food ...and worse, I stopped enjoying writing about it. (Who reads long form content anyway?) The darn pandemic didn't make things easier either. It's taken me a while to reignite the fire to write more than a handful of words followed by a barrage of food related hashtags on Instagram, but I think (and pray that this isn't yet another false start) that I am ready to do this once again.

Invoking the spirit of 'The Yellow Brick Road' song, I'm all set to go back to my plough and write about something that continues to be dear to me. I'm tired of waiting to design a fancy website, optimize it for SEO and all the bells and whistles. (This sort of thinking is unhealthy for a marketing bloke like me.) It's time to go back to the basics and just focus on the writing. I'll leave the reels, vlogs and threads to more determined folks. May the force (of the algorithm) be with you.

I've moved!

2016-09-13T21:08:00.002+05:30

Hello, I've move to a different address. Apologies if you didn't get the memo, but you can now read about all my experiences with food, music and travel at www.nikhileshmurthy.com

Bangalore Cocktail Week - Whisky Cocktail Masterclass with Jamie Walker

2016-08-31T08:26:00.000+05:30

After its successful run in Mumbai and Delhi, the ‘Cocktail Week’ property moves to Bangalore. Bangalore Cocktail week kicked off on the 27th of August. With a mix of bartending competitions, masterclasses by some of the best bartenders and a range of cocktails available at restaurants that have tied up with the team, the festival looks all set to make folks in the city fall in love with cocktails all over again.

Given my superficial expertise ( aka drinks a lot and reads Wikipedia) on whisky, I attended the Whisky Cocktail Masterclass at the Watsons pub in Bangalore, which featured Jamie Walker, Diageo's Reserve Brand Ambassador , along with Sebastian, from Watsons who kicked off the masterclass with a whisky 101 session. While I’ve attended a couple of these in the past, Jamie’s style of presenting was absolutely engaging. Successfully balancing the technical details with humorous anecdotes and history lessons, Jamie brought some excellent energy to what could have easily become a lazy post-Sunday lunch session.

After sampling a variety of whiskies including the Black & White, Vat 69, Black Dog and the Johnnie Walker Red and Black labels respectively, we moved on to the fun part of the session to make cocktails. Sebastian started off with a cocktail called the Black & White Fizz. This was a crisp summer cocktail made with Black & White Whisky, lemon and cucumber and was absolutely refreshing. This was probably everyone’s favourite cocktail of the session. Next up was the Vat 69 Sour, an attempt at modifying the classic Whisky Sour by pushing up the citrus flavour with blood orange essence and lemon. The final product wasn’t my cup of tea…. Or glass of cocktail. (Is that even a saying?). Folks who enjoy strong citrus flavours took a liking to this. The third cocktail, I’m unable to recollect the name, heroed the Black Dog whisky with the flavour of apricots. While I enjoyed the aroma of the cocktail, the sweetness of the drink was a bit too much for my taste buds.

Next up, running the bar, was Jamie Walker who kicked off with his own blend of Johnnie Walker Red Label, Angostura bitters, red and white vermouth, elder flower and green apple. A very aromatic cocktail with both citrus and earthy flavours coming through, I would have preferred Double Black instead of the relatively weaker Red Label, but that’s predominantly from a memory of another cocktail that I has tasted which heroed the Johnnie Walker Double Black and green apple.

The final cocktail for the evening had yours truly helping out behind the bar. The concoction contained a mixture of (a very generous amount of) Johnnie Walker Black Label, almond and cherry flavours with a Talisker and Black Label spray. For those who love the flavour of plums (not me), this is your cocktail of choice.

Picture Credit - Pravin Menon, at http://phenomenal-cuisines.throodalookingglass.com/

The masterclass set the pace for Bangalore Cocktail Week. With workshops focused on Gin, Beer and other alcohols, not to forget the Pub Crawl come Thursday; it looks like the Bangalore Cocktail Week is here to become an integral part of the city’s food and beverage landscape.

Sunday Brunch at My Place, at the Mövenpick Spa and Hotel

2016-08-30T00:03:00.000+05:30

This post has been sitting on my ‘must go live’ list for quite some months now. I was invited by the folks at the Mövenpick Spa and Hotel, on Father’s Day to bring the folks along and to try out their Sunday brunch. While I’ve had my fair share of brunches, this was the first time that I was taking my parents along to experience the same. Besides the high expectations from Movenpick, there was the added pressure to ensure the parents were impressed as well.

As we made our way through the reception to My Place, on the ground floor of the hotel, we were greeted with what can only be described as an 'arsenal of desserts'. Ranging from cake, to tarts, to ice cream (obviously), the mere sight was sufficient to get us salivating. I guess someone on the organizing committee took the phrase ‘life is short, have your dessert first’ a little too seriously. But more on the dessert later on. I began the meal by exploring the Asian section which had a variety of sushi and dimsums, with their respective dipping sauces up on display. I focused on the sushi, more specifically on the prawn and crab sushi. It was a satisfying start to the meal. While I didn’t try the dimsums, the outer skins did crumble when it was being served to the other folks.

The restaurant offers a variety of wines, beers and cocktails. The specialty that day was Martini. Mum ordered a Kiwi Martini, that she instantly fell in love with; and meekly asked for a second a bit later on. And here I thought we were celebrating Father’s Day. Not being in the mood for cocktails, Dad and I stuck to beer. I was there to focus on the food.

Continuing on my addiction to salads with every meal, I was sufficiently satisfied with the commendable spread of salads available. From Roasted Beetroot with Mustard Mayonnaise, to Cucumber with Garlic Yogurt to the Prawn Cocktail Salad, I soon found myself in a happy place and was all set to hit the meats sitting on the grills. The immediate attraction was the beautifully grilled red snapper (if I remember right) that was served with a spicy orange sauce. Seafood and citrus, that’s a classic combination that is tough to mess up. The fish was grilled perfectly with all the natural flavours coming through, complemented fabulously by the sauce (which also served as a dip for the perfectly grilled prawns). Needless to say, I did go back for seconds. While the fish and prawns were grilled perfectly, there were inconsistencies with some of the other meats which were slightly overcooked.

I soon spotted one of my favourite reasons to endure traffic to go to all the way to Movenpick, Chef Armando, was manning the Italian section. Chef was kind enough to make an all veg pasta from scratch for mum which she wasn’t too pleased to share with me. I served myself some of the cheese from the platter, and a couple of slices of the rich vegetarian pizza.

I honestly had very little space left for the main course, dessert beckoned. I took really small helpings of the biryani (which was cooked really well), the Murgh Patialia, the Palak Paneer and the Malabar Meen Curry. I didn’t do enough justice to the main course to pass judgement. A word of caution, do browse through what’s on the menu before you attack everything else so that you know what not to miss out on. And the main course does have a lavish spread.

Desserts - The crescendo of every brunch. From the extensive spread of thirty odd desserts, I still remember the Thyme Crème Caramel, the Alphonso Tart and the Raspberry Pina Colada Mousse. The only disappointing dish from the desserts I picked was the Caramel Profiterole which was heavy and hard. It’s the Movenpick, needless to say, Ice cream was a part of the menu.

We wound up a little after 4 in the evening. With two very satisfied parents, I can safely say that the Sunday Brunch at My Place at the Movenpick is among the best in town. With a wide variety of dishes and cuisines, each dish cooked perfectly, the trip was worth it. Priced at INR 1500 (plus taxes) for the brunch without alcohol, INR 2100 (plus taxes) for the brunch with IMFL and INR 2900 (plus taxes) if you want to get fancy and order champagne, the brunch delivers on all counts and more. They even have a separate rate of INR 750 (plus taxes) for kids.

A new world of coffee, courtesy the Classic Group

2016-08-22T23:40:00.000+05:30

For those who know me well, I’m a bit of a stubborn mule when it comes to my coffee. My undying love and devotion to the traditional South Indian coffee doesn’t allow me to appreciate the other flavours available. Putting a dent in that armour, are the folks from the Classic Group. Building on five generations of coffee growers, the group are trying to spread awareness about the intricacies of coffee and how it’s a lot more than the morning cup we have at a local eatery.

I was invited a couple of weeks ago to the groups office in Bangalore, where they have a slightly intimidating chemistry lab like setup, to understand some of the different styles of coffee, the different flavours and the aromas, as well as what food could be paired with the same. The workshop began with their Classic Mountain brand which is a 100% Arabica variant. We went through three different styles of brewing. The ‘Pour Over’ technique, which is a slightly longer procedure (and a bit intimidating for those who didn’t quite enjoy chemistry at school, thanks to the chemex filter) yielded a very light bodied coffee that was flavourful yet didn’t coat the mouth. The flavour of the coffee was complemented fabulously with the lemon curd and apples that were served. This particular brew makes for those looking for something ideal for the evening, where one can nibble on some fruits post work.

The ‘French Press’ technique was something a lot more familiar. Yielding a Medium bodied coffee, the brew was paired with madeleines. While I thoroughly enjoyed the latter, the coffee didn’t quite tick all the right boxes with me. While I tried complementing it with the lemon curd, it still didn’t hit any of the right spots. While I’m not for that brew personally, the recommended flavours that could be paired with it are soft cheeses and anything mildly citrus.

The final technique for the workshop was the ‘Aeropress’, a high pressure technique that extracted maximum flavour from the coffee powder. Given my bias towards stout beers, this particular technique was my favourite as the coffee was full-bodied and had the same feel and aromas of a good stout beer. Despite being paired with strong elements like caramel, chocolate and nuts, the coffee retained its original flavour and ticked all the right boxes in my book.

Drawing a parallel with beer, and how it is important for any brewery to have gateway beers that offer up familiar flavours to non-beer drinkers and bring them into the big bad world of beer, the coffee brewed in the aeropress is my gateway coffee. It also brought back fond memories of the nitro coffee I had had in the US. For most folks looking to appreciate coffee a lot better, the first technique would probably be a good place to start.

We concluded the session by bringing some order back into my universe with a South Indian filter coffee made from the Classic Pride variant, a mix of Robusta and Arabica. As much as it breaks my heart to defy thirty odd years of tradition, I just might have to start cheating on my regular filter coffee with the aeropressed Classic Mountain.

I’m quite delighted to have found another avenue, with coffee, to continue my exploration of the seemingly infinite world of food and all things good that go with it. Folks looking to discover new flavours ought to check out either variant of coffee from the Classic Group. More details can be found on their website.

A Taste of Israel, at the Aloft Cessna Business Park

2016-08-22T17:36:00.000+05:30

One of the countries that is sitting on my list of ‘Places to travel’, with the driving force being the food of the region, is Israel. Israeli cuisine brings together flavours from the Mediterranean cuisine, the middle-eastern cuisine and the Levantine cuisine. While I’ve had my fair share at restaurants abroad, there’s nothing like having a chef from the region put together a festival in one’s own backyard. The Nook, at Aloft Cessna Business Park is playing host to Chef Shachar Aschengrau, a culinary expert from the port city of Haifa, who is leveraging local produce to put together a feast that showcases contemporary Israeli flavours.

Chef Aschengrau (L) with Chef Sandeep (R)

Along with fellow food enthusiasts, I was invited on the opening day of the festival to sample the food and interact with the Chef. While dinner was being set up, we were served appetizers that included Vegetable Shashlik, Chickpea dumplings, Mushroom Kibbeh and Fish in Beer. The stand out dish was the Cinnamon Sheekh, succulent meat on sticks of cinnamon that offered a lovely spicy flavour, leaving the lovely taste of cinnamon to take over one’s mouth.

Cinnamon Sheekh

At the dinner table, we were served a variety of breads including the popular pita bread, the challah, the shabbat, and my favourite of the lot, the Jerusalem bagel; these were accompanied by an Israeli salad and a variety of dips each with a distinct flavour that covered everything from citrus, to mint, to spice. One of the stand-out dips was the Amba, a tangy mixture of mangoes, mustard, and spices. This popular middle-eastern condiment derives its name from the Sanskrit term for mango.

While most of us were occupied with polishing off the bread and dips, we were served a rather large and gnarly looking cauliflower that I was certain had been mutated and would come alive at any point. This Baked Cauliflower was a simple dish of, as the name indicates, a baked cauliflower with spices on top. Despite its appearance, the dish actually tasted nice with the flavour of the vegetable with the mild spices on top working well together. This was followed by a rather tasty combination of grilled aubergines with Tabbouleh.

When one thinks of food from Israel, traditional dishes that immediately come to mind would be the falafel and hummus. Looking to showcase how hummus is consumed very differently back home, as compared to how most folks have the dish, Chef Aschengrau had a small master class where he demonstrated how hummus is had back home. With a variety of toppings including whole boiled chickpeas, boiled egg, chilli, pine nuts, onions, lemon-spiked tahini and more, hummus has evolved to suit the more contemporary palate that seeks out more flavour and textures. Soon enough, everyone in the room was looking make their own versions of the dish.

Hummus

The main course featured traditional dishes like Tahini , Baba ghanoush, Fattoush and more. Accompanying the Shwarma and the Falafel were Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, Stuff Chicken, Baked Fish and the Israeli Rice Pilaf. Dessert included a platter of various tiny desserts and candies that made one feel like a kid in a candy store. A favourite of mine among the dessert was the relatively simple yet satisfying dish of figs and fresh cream. I should have stopped at two, but no one seemed too concerned, so I had about four. The team at Aloft put together a bit of a show with putting together various little sweet knick-knacks like cake, macaroons, chocolate and candy and sprinkling it with dry ice. I hadn’t any space left to try that out.

Chef Aschengrau has a relatively extensive arsenal of dishes that one can try out during the festival that runs till the 28th of the month. Dishes from this menu will be available for both lunch and dinner along with the regular buffet at Nook. This is a festival I do recommend to the vegetarians especially for the tasty spread of dips, hummus, salads and bread from Israel.

Fatty Bao Turns 2

2016-08-16T22:15:00.000+05:30

Fatty Bao turns 2, and to celebrate the occasion, the team has put together a special menu - the Fatty Travel Tales menu, that brings together some of the stand-out flavours from ten countries across South East and East Asia.

Chilli Eggplant and Tofu

Kimchi Fries

Carbon Tiger Prawn Tempura

Covering countries from Cambodia, to Japan, to Singapore to Indonesia, the festival offers an array of dishes, each with their own distinct flavours. Accompanying the dishes are six cocktails. The stand out dish from the menu, my favourite was the Sakura Winter dessert.

Cheng Fung

Marina Bay

Silk Route

Bicol Express

Raindrop Cake

Sakura Winter

The festival is on till the 28th of August. You could also win some tickets, courtesy Tigerair to allow you to head to Singapore to try out some of the fabulous food the city has to offer. A meal for two should work out to around INR 2500.

The Ska Vengers launch their second album, XX

2016-08-03T07:32:00.000+05:30

The 16th of July saw Delhi-based 'Ska' band , The Ska Vengers launch their second album, XX, at the Humming Tree in Bangalore. The evening started out with about two dozen people when Bass B'tards opened the gig, but the venue quickly filled up by the time Ska Vengers took the stage. Pumped up from the grooves of the opening band, the crowd was primed and set for Ska Vengers who kicked off the show with Vampire from their debut Lp.

Missing from vocal duties was front woman Samara Chopra, aka Begum X who was out with poor health. Accompanying frontman Taru Dalmia, aka Delhi Sultanate, on vocals were Talia Bentson and Meg Dsouza. The band's energy was at full throttle from the first song right to the end as they powered through songs like Frank Brazil, Shut your Mouth, Jail Mein, El Cumbanchero and other songs from XX. The band closed the evening with Badda from their debut self-titled Lp.

This was the second time I was seeing the band play live and they've gotten a lot tighter without compromising on the live performance or their sound. The album, which took 4 years to be put together, is a lot more mature in terms of sound, bringing together jazz and funk elements without compromising the overall politicking nature of Ska Vengers lyrics. If anything, that fire burns lot brighter and hotter now.

You can buy the album from oklisten.com.

The Soup and Dim sum festival, Hunan

2016-08-02T12:39:00.000+05:30

During the monsoons, there’s probably nothing more comforting than a cup of hot masala tea with fresh onion pakodas. Dishes that are apt for this kind of weather include samosas, fresh idlis, Maggi noodles and more. Adding to the usual suspects, keeping the emotions that a hot dish on a cold wet day should evoke, Hunan has put together a festival to celebrate soups and dim sums. I was invited along with fellow food enthusiasts to try out this menu.

That evening saw the city witness particularly intense rains (and the traffic jam that comes along with monsoons) that had me raring to go. Our evening began with the Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup, a Thai inspired vegetarian soup that hit the spot immediately. Strong flavours of carrot, coconut milk, spices with the crunchiness of peanuts made this an ideal soup to kick off the evening. I would have preferred if the carrot and sweet potato were a little crunchier to add some more texture to the soup.

The first dim sums we sampled was the Bok Choy and Mushroom Money Pouch followed by the Truffle Scented Edamame dumpling. I enjoyed the latter a lot more owing to the more subtle salty flavour of the edamame which with the dipping sauce was a lot closer to the flavours I enjoy.

Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

Bok Choy and Mushroom Money Pouch

Truffle Scented Edemame Dumpling

The Chicken Drumstick with Noodle Soup was my favourite from the evening. What hit the home run with the soup was the flavourful broth which was a chicken consommé with soya. The combination of that broth with the light noodles, the tender chicken leg and vegetables ticked all the boxes in my book. To balance out the meaty flavours of the broth, we were served the Vegan Vietnamese Spring Roll, a healthy and very sober option of crunchy vegetables wrapped in rice paper with a lovely spicy hoisin peanut sauce.

Chicken Drumstick with Noodle Soup

Vegan Vietnamese Spring Roll

The Sweet and Sour Tofu Soup with Crabmeat was a bit of a miss in my book, predominantly because the strong tangy flavours overpowered the natural flavours of the crab. The sampling session was back on track with the Chicken Meatballs with Prawn Wanton Soup, a light clear soup that highlighted the simple flavours of the chicken and prawn. This was my second favourite soup of the evening. I would have preferred to have started the evening with this soup rather than with the sweet potato and carrot.

Chicken Meatballs with Prawn Wonton Soup

Another big highlight of the evening was the Cocktail rolls with Chicken and Prawns. While by themselves, these crispy rolls offered good meaty flavours, it was the chilli and mango dipping sauce that accompanied the dish pushed it to a whole new level. It brought back fond memories of the Chilli Orange Marmalade dipping sauce from my New Orleans trip. Borrowing the tagline of a fast food brand, the rolls with the dipping sauce were ‘finger-licking-good’. Don’t miss ordering this one.

Cocktail Rolls with Chicken and Prawn

Some of the other dishes such as the Sesame Chicken Potstickers, the Chicken Steamed Bao and the Taro Puff with Chicken didn’t offer me flavours that made me sit up and take notice, and want to go back for seconds. We were also served a Khow Suey but I was too full to have more than a couple of spoons. An honourable runner up to the Cocktail rolls was the Crunchy Wanton Ribbon Prawns. The marinated prawns were served in a little wanton cage like package that allowed spicy honey mustard sauce to coat not just the outer wanton but the prawn as well, making this a strong flavoured dish.

Crunchy Wanton Ribbon Prawns

Khow Suey

The final dish of the main course, the best for last was the Pork Flower Dumplings. Rolled into the shape of a flower, with a pork filling in between the petals, a sweet soya sauce is poured over the dumpling. Eaten in one go, the flower dumpling held the sauce and was a perfect end to the meal. Definitely a ‘must-have’ in my books. Dessert was a relatively simple affair with chocolate spring rolls and ice cream.

Pork Flower Dumplings

Coming in at the right season, the Soup and Dim Sum Festival offers an excellent mix of subtle and strong flavours to suit every palate. Considering the fine dining experience that Hunan offers, I feel the prices are just right with soups and dumplings priced at an average of INR 300. The festival is on till the end of August, only at the Koramangala branch of Hunan. My top three picks for the evening would be the Chicken Drumstick with Noodle Soup, the Cocktail rolls with Chicken and Prawns and the Pork Flower Dumplings.

Fish Amok and Angkor Beer, Phnom Penh

2016-07-24T14:47:00.001+05:30

For all those of you who’ve been wondering why it’s taken me a month to post anything on the blog, I was backpacking through Cambodia, experiencing the beauty of their temples and culture, their gruesome history, meeting fellow backpackers and interesting residents…. And most importantly, experiencing food and ale. Over the next month or so, I’ll be sharing a lot of posts on my travels in the hope that it inspires you to get out of your homes and go see the world.

When I arrived in Phnom Penh, my first question to the tuk-tuk driver was regarding what the local ‘must-have’ dishes were. Something that he and a few other folks recommended was a dish called the Fish Amok. Needless to say, my first stop before going anywhere was to head to a restaurant to try this out.

Food doesn’t go without a decent ale for company. As I waited for my dish, I ordered a mug of the Angkor Beer. With a bright golden colour to it, this is a light bodied lager with no particular aroma, except that of the grain. The beer lost carbonation very easily, not much of a head and was quite bitter in taste. Except for the price point of 75 cents, the beer was a mere thirst quencher for the sultry weather of Phnom Penh. While the vacation wasn’t off to the greatest of starts with this beer, the food was yet to come. I had a lot of hope pinned on this dish.

Fish Amok is a classic dish from the Khmer region (now known as Angkor) and is probably the only prominent cuisine style in Cambodia. The cuisine is largely based around meat and ingredients found nearby lakes and rivers of the region. This would include fish, pork, snails, shrimp along with limes, lemongrass, coconut, mangoes and chilli. Beautifully capturing all these elements, the Fish Amok I had championed lemongrass spectacularly. Both the aroma and flavour of lemongrass put together made me salivate as I quickly clicked pictures before I gorged through the dish.

Served in a banana leaf, the bite-size pieces of fish (I wasn’t able to understand what fish it was when the waitress told me) had a lovely lemongrass, coconut and kaffir lime flavour on the outside with the natural flavours of the fish coming through on the inside. Dressed with a light chilli on top, I got a mild hit as the fish went down my throat. The flavours started to intensify as I went through the dish as the bottom had a higher concentration of the curry paste. Accompanied with plain boiled rice, this dish hit the spot immediately.

Here's a quick video review -

I tried out various versions spice of this dish throughout my stay, each with a slight difference in terms of more coconut, or gravy or spice. This version, at the On the Corner le resto du coin in Phnom Penh, located on the river front, was my favourite.

The Long Drink Festival at Social

2016-07-24T12:08:00.000+05:30

The latest season of Game of Thrones came and went by in almost an instant. By the time we got to the end of GoT, 10 weeks of our lives had passed and now there is this awkward void which will be filled with reruns of the season gone by or in my case, numerous failed starts to read the books. To keep you company while you find the next best TV series to fill up your days, the good folks at Social have taken the GoT theme and slapped onto their on-going ‘Long Drink Festival’ which heroes various flavours of everyone’s favourite , the Long Island Iced Tea (LIIT).

A few weekends ago, some of my fellow food and drink enthusiasts were invited on a Saturday afternoon to sample all the nine concoctions and partake in some drinking games. The nine versions of LIIT, with names like Winter is Coming, Blood of the Dragon, White Walker hero various flavours like cherries, Jim Beam, elder flower, absinthe and even jalapenos. What was evident from everyone’s choices that evening was that the cocktails have been designed to cater to a very wide variety of palates. For example, the relatively mild Sunspear includes whiskey, orange and apple juice, something too mild for my taste. At the other end of the spectrum is Ice & Fire, a drink that packs a sucker punch with Jim Beam, vodka, tequila, lavender tonic and jalapenos, a very strong drink and my favourite from the pack. A crowd favourite was the White Walker, a sweet tasting mix of Kahlua, vodka and fresh cream.

The festival is on till the 10th of August which gives everyone ample time to head over and discover what’s your pick. And for those of you who don’t watch GoT, just think of this as a LIIT cocktail festival, you won’t be quizzed on your knowledge of GoT to get a cocktail. In Bangalore, you can try these out at both the Church Street Social as well as the Whitefield Social. Aptly priced at INR 550 for 500 ml and INR 999 for 1000 ml (not inclusive of taxes), there’s no real excuse not to head over right after you read this post.

Guest Column - LBB - Music and Menus

2016-06-21T00:11:00.000+05:30

In this article (read here) , I talk about some of the venues in Bangalore that are great for live music (other than the usual suspects) and offer some good food and ale to make your gig experience even better.

Here's a transcript of the article -

When one thinks of the live music scene in Bangalore, there are certain popular names that come to almost everyone’s mind. The great thing about music is that you don’t need a great big stage with equipment to make it and share it. Get an ordinary acoustic guitar and a harmonica and you’re good to go. And that’s what we’re trying to get in sync with. We’re looking at a few places that probably won’t be among the first names that come to mind when you want to have some good food, ale and check out some great bands.

Church Street Social

Besides being one of the busiest places almost every day of the week, Church Street Social is quite the hub of fun and serious activities such as karaoke night, social offline, vinyl trading and much more. Naturally, music isn’t too far behind with the venue promoting numerous popular international and local electronic and hip hop acts such as Sarah Farina, MADBOY/MINK, Dualist Inquiry and others. With a slightly tight venue and music bouncing off the brick walls, you can’t help but get into the party mood. My favourite poison has been the Bira beer {which will be back in stock soon…fingers crossed} or the Two Lost Souls Swimming in a Fish Bowl cocktail with a plate of the Pork Belly Pops.

Cafe Mezzuna

While the restaurant is known for relatively inexpensive yet scrumptious Continental food such as their Grilled Prawns with Lemon and Basil Sauce, Chilled Watermelon Salad and my favourite, the Grilled Morrocan Lamb chops, the al fresco area sometimes features simple stripped down acoustic bands. The most recent band to have played there was the By2Blues. Throw in some nice cold beer, and you’re all set for the evening.

Toit

While Toit would definitely make to your list of microbreweries, it probably wouldn’t feature in the list of venues for live music. While it’s not exactly built for live acts, Toit has hosted a fair number of bands including namma Bengaluru’s Thermal And A Quarter, Suraj Mani and the Tattva Trip, Peter Cat Recording Company, One Girl Shy and many other bands from the indie scene. Make sure you get there early to grab a good seat, a tall glass of the Toit Tintin with either their chicken wings or any of their pizzas. I’m also a big fan of their Meatball Spaghetti.

Big Pitcher

This is another venue that probably won’t be among the top few when you think of live music, but the venue does offer patrons a healthy mix of DJs and live music from big bands such as the Baiju Dharmajan Syndicate and White Mug. Tuesday nights, known as the Big Jam, has bands fresh to the music scene play here. These include bands like Motorwide, Inception and Mother Root. The venue has also hosted pre-gigs for the hallowed Bangalore Open Air metal gig too. Irrespective of what you eat or drink, do try the Trio Chocolate Mousse for dessert.

The Beer Cafe

Bangalore now has not one, but two Beer Cafes. Newbies on the scene, both venues have not been very aggressive in promoting live acts, and have focussed most of their messaging and branding on beer. That being said, musical acts such as Tea for 2, Anish and Anisha, Mahesh and the Mix and Dirty Work have been some of the more prominent acts to have played at these venues. Beer Café offers you an array of familiar pub food that should please all palates.

Murphy’s Brewhouse

One of the more recent additions to the Bengaluru scene, besides having regular EDM nights over the weekend, Murphy’s has also played host to live music acts like White Mug, Thakara, Thermal Projekt and others. While EDM does seem to be the strongest musical brew in this venue, it’s still got what it takes to bring in live acts to accompany the beer. The Beer Battered Prawns with Carolina Sauce and the Chilli Cheese Finger Toast were my choices the last time I went here, to be paired with the Blackbeard from their beer menu.

Food for Seoul – The Korean Food Festival at The Square

2016-06-20T22:35:00.000+05:30

The Square at Novotel plays host to Chef Hee-Jin Park and Chef Jong-Man Kim, from Seoul who are bringing some of the traditional flavours of Korea to Bangalore. I was invited last week to try out the fare at The Square. The Korean section occupied a significant portion of the buffet at the restaurant. With numerous varieties of Kimchi (Where would any Korean food festival be without its Kimchi) and some delectable juices made from pumpkin and cranberry respectively, the evening looked promising.

Bibimbap

We kicked off the evening with the Beef in Soya Sauce with Noodles. Like a great opening partnership in cricket, this combination was luscious. The beef was cooked perfectly with just the right amount of gaminess and the combination of spice and soya flavours was perfect. This dish set the bar high for the rest of the evening.

Beef in Soya Sauce with Noodles

While we waited for the rest of the dishes, we were served various meats including calamari, chicken, prawns and fish from the barbeque. While I was honestly hoping for the real deal when it came to the barbeque, where the meats are roasted in a gas or charcoal grill, we had to make do with the regular barbeque. I’ll have to admit that the barbequed meats did not excite me as the marinade hadn’t gone through fully and there were a lot of over-cooked spots on the meat. While the prawns made it past the line in terms of flavour and texture, the rest went largely untouched post the first helping. I was told that there were certain technical problems with the grill which was causing the unevenness. That being said, I was served a rather mouth-watering fish towards the end of the meal. The fish flaked beautifully and had a perfect blend of flavours from the grill and that of the seafood. It flaked perfectly and offered redemption.

The rest of the meal was much more appetizing and flavourful. The simplicity and subtleness of the Fried Rice made this a dish that could be had all by itself and still perfectly complemented all the other sauce-based dishes that followed. It went especially well with the Stir Fried Seafood that was cooked with very familiar Asian flavours. A big tick-mark from the evening was the very comforting and familiar flavours of the Fried Chicken in Spicy Sauce. Very reminiscent of the popular American-Chinese dish - General Tso's chicken, the chicken had a perfect mix of sweet and spicy and made me go back for seconds (and thirds).

Stir Fried Seafood

Fried Chicken in a Spicy Sauce

No Korean meal is complete without Bibimbap. I shared a bowl of the Beef Bibimbap, which was the perfect crescendo to end the meal with. The yolk from the egg blended perfectly with all the vegetables, the meat, the chilli pepper paste and the rice to hit the ball out of the park for this festival.

Bibimbaap

While I was hoping for more Korean(ish) desserts, I grabbed a few little bites from the large dessert section. We were also served a Salted Caramel and a Praline Ice Cream; a thumbs up for the former. Priced at INR 1250 (plus taxes), the food festival is on till the 26th of the month and is offered as a part of both the lunch and dinner buffet. Despite the disappointment with the barbeque, the flavours of the Beef in Soya Sauce with Noodles, the Fried Chicken in Spicy Sauce and the Bibimbap make this a must try festival. I rate the festival 3.5/5.

Chef Park and Chef Kim

PS - Check out Monica with fellow food enthusiast Natasha and I, rocking some aprons Gangnam Style.

Coastal Adventures at Monkey Bar

2016-06-19T09:47:00.001+05:30

While I've been to the (now erstwhile) Monkey Bar on Wood Street for Sunday breakfast a fair number of times, my visit to the Indiranagar branch to review their on-going Coastal Adventures food festival was my first visit there. The food festival which started a couple of days ago features some of the big flavours from Udupi, Kundapur, Mangalore and Kerala. While keeping the main flavours intact, the chefs have put their own little spin on every dish with additions of bread or salad to ensure that the festival isn't an 'also ran' food festival.

The afternoon started off with the Southern Fry. This dish consists of batter fried calamari with coconut crusted prawns in a coconut and dried shrimp crumb and is the perfect pub-finger food. With a dash of lime on top, the dish was absolutely comforting and was polished off quite quickly at our table. What was missing for me was perhaps a chutney of some sort. The first cocktail I tried was the Chilli Puli, a spicy salty cocktail of tequila, tamarind paste and green chilli. Probably not the best choice for a relatively empty stomach.

The prawns were followed by a serving of the Kuttari Salad. Mimicking the flavours of Thai-raw papaya salad, this dish comprised of baby spinach, red rice, raw mango, coconut and peanuts, with a very prominent curd pickle on top. I'm not a big fan of red rice, but this salad made me go back for more. With the sourness of the raw mango and crunch of the peanuts with the red rice, this dish was not only texturally appetizing but quite refreshing to eat. The Udipi Beet Cutlets that followed was one of the dishes that didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While the individual elements of the dish, the rava crusted beet cutlet with peas filling, the Kerala paratha and the coconut tamarind ketchup, were good individually; combined together I wasn't able to relish the combination. The cutlets themselves are very similar in taste to the Veg Chop - a favourite of mine from Kolkata.

We were then served the Kundapur Wings, a dish that comprised of chicken wings tossed with Kundapur ghee roast masala served with sprouted moong kosambri salad. The wings were tender and quite spicy. One was expecting a bit of relief from the coconut, which could have been a bit more prominent, but that never stopped us from going back for more. While the kosambri salad seemed to have been put on the plate to offer relief from the spiciness of the masala, I wasn't too convinced. Call me a wings-purist, but the only accompaniment I like with my wings is a blue-cheese dipping sauce. That being said, lovers of spicy wings should give this one a spin. While we waited for the next dish, I ordered the Soulful Kadhee, a sweet cocktail made from gin, Kokum syrup, tender coconut, curry leaves and lime cordial.

Next up were the Monkee Eggs. Inspired by the more traditional Eggs Benedict, this dish consisted of coriander and black pepper crusted poached egg on puff pastry, with green chutney and a coconut cream hollandaise. The food snob in me was expecting a more runny poached egg, the kind that you cut into the dish and the yolk oozes out and everyone goes 'Aaaahhhh!', but that didn't hold back the dish from becoming my favourite from the afternoon. With the egg cooked almost perfectly, the light yet crunchy puff pastry, the contrasting flavours of the chutney and hollandaise, it was love at first bite. Needless to say, this is a 'must-try' dish.

The Kerela Bao Uttapam was another dish where the individual components of the Kerala-inspired Beef Fry and the Bao Uttapam worked well individually, but I wasn't able to appreciate the combination. We were served the Prawn Ghee Roast. Now don't let the name throw you off, the dish wasn't the traditional ghee roast that one would expect. However, cooked in the Kundapur style and served with garlic toast, the dish packs in quite a punch when it comes to bold spicy flavours. It's the kind of spice that make you want to go back for more (which we did). The fresh crunchy prawns and the gravy with the crunchy garlic toast brought a satisfied smile to my face.

While we waited for a second serving of the prawns, we tried the KP tacos. Replacing the crunchy taco shell with a flaky Kerala paratha, the filling was a Chettinad styled pulled chicken with black lychen, baby onion salan and garlic pickle, comforting flavours with a twist that worked well. The tacos look deceptively small and are actually quite filling, so keep this for last. We ended the meal with some delightful homely Mangalore buns.

The Coastal Adventures festival began on the 16th of June and goes on till the end of the month. If you're looking for strong flavours, fresh seafood and cocktails to pair with, do head over the Monkey Bar. As far as the price goes, a meal for two without alcohol excluding taxes would cost you INR 1200++, and with alcohol excluding taxes, INR 1800++. I give this festival a 4/5.

The Dragon Boat Festival at Yauatcha

2016-06-18T19:42:00.000+05:30

A little over a week ago, I was invited to Yauatcha at 1 MG mall in Bangalore (Nope, not the Michelin-starred one in London) to sample and review the fare from their on-going Dragon Boat Festival. The menu is built around Zongzi and is offered with a variety of fillings. For the uninitiated, Zongzi is more popularly known as the sticky rice dumpling - sticky rice stuffed with various fillings and wrapped in a leaf , it is then either steamed or boiled.

While I waited for the first dish to be served, I tried out the Citrus Spritz, a cocktail, on the menu. Combining the flavours of vodka, dry vermouth, lime and Chandon Brut, the cocktail wasn't particularly great. I've never been a big fan of spritzer(ish) cocktails in general; this one didn’t help change my mind. The cocktail was quite bitter, lacked the freshness that one would normally associate with a spritzer and wasn't good when paired with the food that was served.

I started off with the Lamb and Pine Nuts Dumpling, tender lamb with a sweet soya flavour was the plus point of this dish. The pine nuts were soft and offered nothing in terms of flavour or texture. The Pork Belly with Shiitake mushrooms had strong flavours of both ingredients, I do wish the pieces of the pork were larger in size, and would have pushed this dish to the top of my favourites. My favourite for the evening was the Chicken Dumpling that came with Cashew Nuts. While it may the familiarity of the flavours of chicken and cashew when it comes to an Asian meal, this particular dumpling stood out of the pack. I did go back for seconds on this one.

The Chicken and Prawn dumpling was a bit disappointing with the flavour and aroma of the prawn completely taking over the entire dumpling. I personally found this a tad too dry and had to dip it in some chilli sauce to make it a little more palpable. While the prawns themselves were nice and crunchy, the chicken didn’t add any value to the dish. The vegetarian section was a tad disappointing. I had heard great things about the edamame and vegetarian duck dumpling, but found the taste a bit too sweet and the texture quite soapy. The asparagus one wasn't something to write home about.

Post copious amounts of sticky rice, I was looking forward to some relief in terms of dessert, and that came in the form of the Wine-soaked water chestnut and mango cake with Sauvignon Sorbet. Great presentation on the dish with the sorbet standing out in terms of flavour. The mango cake with the crunchy chocolate base was blissful. While it wasn't something that pushed the boundaries in terms of flavour or innovation, the dessert was comforting and hit all the right places. It is without a doubt, the hero of the festival.

The festival is on till the end of June, and is offered along with the regular menu at Yauatcha. My recommendations would be the Chicken and Cashew Nut Dumpling, followed by the dessert. I give the festival a 2.5/5.

The Mango Mailbock at Arbor Brewing Company

2016-06-10T01:41:00.001+05:30

I had about 20 mins to spare while at Garuda Mall, so I popped into Arbor Brewing Company India to try out the Mango Mailbock.

My quick review - While the beer lacked the mango aroma of some of the other mango-beers I've had recently, the after taste of mango lingered for a fair bit.I was expecting this fairly malty beer to be on the sweeter side, but it seemed to be held back by the hops. Overall, enjoyed the body, had a lot more expectation of flavour.

Too bad the person behind the bar told me about the mango-themed menu after I had ordered some grub. Going through the menu, I felt the beer and the food might have paired off wonderfully and complemented one another. Look forward to the 'Smoked Summer' (Another mango flavoured beer) which should be out by next week.

Guest Column - Iheartblr.com - Get Healthy with Smoke House Deli

2016-06-10T01:39:00.000+05:30

I had written a guest column for iheartblr.com covering the new healthy menu at Smoke House Deli.

Read the entire post here

Picture Credits - Diarchy on the The Indian Music Diaries

2016-06-10T01:34:00.001+05:30

A picture of Diarchy that I had clicked at the IndieMarch 2016 was featured in The Indian Music Diaries.

Guest Column - Deccan Herald - Over a Cup of Tea

2016-06-10T01:30:00.002+05:30

Yours truly was quoted in the Deccan Herald Newspaper where I spoke about the new movement around tea and what some of the clubs I know are doing. This appeared on 8th June 2016.

Vh1 & The Humming Tree Present: Blackstratblues & By2Blues

2016-06-07T00:29:00.000+05:30

After inching through two and a half hours of traffic (why do I bother even talking about this problem any more in B'lore?), I finally made it to the Humming Tree to catch By2Blues opening the evening for one of my favourite bands from Mumbai, Blackstratblues. This is the third time I'm seeing By2Blues play live. This band is a classic example of how you don't need fancy electronics and (no pun intended) all that jazz to put up a good show. Keeping it simple the band had a healthy mix of covers from Eric Clapton, CCR and other crowd favourites along with some own compositions. The band had Shalini Mohan (from Lagori) accompany them on bass; and set the mood perfectly for Blackstrat Blues to take over the rest of the evening.

Starting off proceedings with The Happy Billy Song, Blackstrat Blues had the crowd screaming out requests from the first note. The audience were privy to some new material including a soft ballad titled Northstar which Warren dedicated to the missus; and a very trippy untitled number whose bass a drum riff were absolutely trippy and addictive. I could probably listen to just those two instruments playing that groove in isolation and not be bored. There was also a tribute to SRV and the band’s take on 12-bar blues (Check out my Instagram feed for a sneak peek)

The band powered through popular hits like Anuva's Sky, Folkish Three and The Universe has a Strange Sense of Humour. Having seen Blackstrat Blues perform for the seventh (or eighth ) time, it's very clear to see that the band have become really comfortable with one another, joking around between songs and having a good time playing with one another. Warren Mendonsa himself has become relatively verbose and spent a good amount of time between songs talking to the audience and sharing stories rather than rushing through the name of the song and the occasional thank you. That being said, he should never sing 'Sultans of Swing'. (An inside joke with the band that I didn't quite follow beyond the fact that it had something to do with a gig in Mumbai with Zero)

Talking about how he was inspired by The Beatles' song Here Comes the Sun, Warren moved into the penultimate song of the evening, Ode to a Sunny day followed by a very smooth transition into Renaissance Mission, the last song for the evening. This was yet another stellar gig from the band. Going by all the new material that was played, I’m looking forward to the next album whenever it’s out.

Smoke House Deli Goes the Healthy Way

2016-06-05T23:41:00.000+05:30

For most people, the term ‘eating out’ is associated with an unhealthy lifestyle (and now an expensive one too thanks to various taxes). More often than not, the term ‘health conscious’ brings up images of abstinence from good tasting food. My addiction to 'all things salad' from late last year has however shown me that eating healthy doesn’t have to mean ‘eating boring’. (PS: It’s a different story that I’ll gorge down an entire chicken after a rather large bowl of salad).

Bringing fun and flavour to the term ‘healthy’, the folks at Smoke House Deli ( on Lavelle Road) introduced a special, and fairly elaborate, menu of healthy yet scrumptious food that covers everything from vegan to vegetarian to diary free to paleo and more. I was invited to the launch in March, but owing to work and travel, never got around to writing about it. I have gone back twice since to satisfy my appetite with the healthy options. While the launch had us sample almost all the dishes off the menu, I’d like to describe some of my favourites and some of the healthier options whose flavour doesn’t have me quite convinced. The Paleo Coconut and Seafood Broth is one of my favourites on the menu. A Thai-inspired soup has been created for the lactose intolerant eater, without compromising on flavour. Strong flavours of lemongrass and coriander make this a favourite for almost any time of year. There was also a Millet and Spinach soup that a friend of mine fell in love with, but I’m yet to give that one a taste.

The menu also offers low glycemic sandwiches made from either gluten free bread or ragi, which despite the ominous sounding category were quite flavourful. I do recollect trying out the Soya Marinated Tofu and Spinach, whose filling I enjoyed thoroughly although the bread didn’t quite hit the spot as it got soggy fairly quickly and crumbled.

Salads! One of my current cooking obsessions! The Super Salads offer patrons numerous options to choose from including Grilled Peach and Papaya with Amaranth Granola, a Classic Watermelon with feta and arugula (another favourite of mine), smoke chicken and caper berries and more. The highlight for me was the apricot chilli dressing on the Kefir soaked Chicken with organic red rice and brown rice flakes salad. (PS – Not yet a fan of red rice).

SHD has also included gluten free pasta made from scratch with their signature non-wheat flour. We were served a plate of the Jowar Gnocchi and Mushroom Fricasse. I’ll admit that I’m a bit of a moody eater when it comes to regular Gnocchi. Unfortunately, the one made from jowar didn’t quite cut it for me. Everyone else at the table did seem to enjoy the flavours and go for seconds. My favourite from that course was the Grilled Vegetable Ravioli with Coconut and Soya Milk. Served with sunflower seeds, the sauce tasted fabulous with the ravioli that was cooked perfectly.

The main course (Yes, we’ve just gotten to the main course) kicked off with Pan Seared Rawas with Soya milk and Bhavnagri sauce, served with kidney beans, chickpeas and corn. Another diary free dish, the fish needed probably just a minute more of cooking as it the skin was a bit soft. Besides that, wonderful flaking and a strong blend of flavours from every element on the plate. Some of the other dishes we sampled were the Ras El Hanout grilled Chicken with Spicy Brown rice, something that found favour with everyone owing to the overall spicy flavour; and the Lean Tenderloin steak with Roasted Cauliflower.

I was looking forward to seeing what dessert would have in store, because, to me, the only healthy dessert in the world is a simple fruit salad. While the Banana Flour Cake with Carrot Pate wasn’t the most appetizing dish I’ve seen, the flavours were all there. While it ticked off all the boxes on what a dessert should be, it was missing the typical guilty pleasure of a dessert that one expects. It was a similar story with the Cacao Nib and Soya Milk Cheese Cake with a Nachini Crust. Ticked all the boxes, great presentation but I wasn’t feeling guilty. And it is that guilt that makes one love a dessert even more.

Despite staying away from all the good stuff like cheese, butter, oil and more, the meal at SHD was quite filling yet didn’t make me feel bloated such that I wanted to go back home and sleep for the rest of the day. As I had mentioned, I’ve been back to SHD on Lavelle Road twice since the inaugural lunch and have never missed ordering the Paleo Coconut and Seafood Broth and the classic Watermelon with feta and arugula salad, irrespective of what else I may order. Kudos to the chefs for going the extra mile to bring the terms ‘healthy food’ and ‘tasty food’ closer to one another. It won’t be love at first bite for many people, but do make your way through the extensive menu and find your favourites.

The Gumbo Shop, New Orleans

2016-06-05T10:21:00.000+05:30

It's been over two months since I've gotten back from an awesome few days in New Orleans, which is now one my most favourite cities in the world not only for the beautiful music but also for some of the fabulous food and ales I tried while I was there. It's about time I cleared out the backlog and shared some of my experiences of the city before I set off on another international adventure.

Renowned for its Creole and Cajun flavours that are a combination of the best of French, Spanish and African cuisines, I was eager to hit the streets and experience the same. My first stop after arriving in New Orleans was the renowned Gumbo Shop. Established in 1948, the Gumbo Shop claimed to offer some of the best flavours of New Orleans. Well, with over six decades of being in the scene, one would expect nothing less. The Gumbo Shop featured among the top two 'must try' places in almost every list I read. I arrived just a little past noon to find the place packed and had to stand in line for about twenty minutes before I got a table. Seated right opposite a large mural of the iconic Jackson Square from way back in the day, I instantly fell in love with the fairly rustic look of the place.

I started off by ordering a small bowl of Chicken Andouille Gumbo, which arrived sooner than expected. The moment it was placed on the table, I had a look and wasn't too sure about what emotion to process. At the risk of sounding uncouth, the gumbo looked like the New Orleans version of the Indian favourite Raajma-Chaawal (Kidney Beans and rice) with sausages thrown in. While I was disappointed by the appearance, the flavours were something else. The gravy was packed with strong spicy meaty flavours of the andouille, a cajun styled chicken sausage and the chicken broth. The okra seasoning brought some relief with its impactful herbal flavour. It's a good thing I ordered a small bowl because anything larger would have filled me up.

For the main course, I ordered the Jambalaya, another dish I've heard and read so much about with a side order of Alligator Sausages with a spicy orange marmalade dipping sauce. Yes, you read that correct - Alligator sausages. While the dish looked like any other regular sausage, the flavours of the meat with the spicy-sweet-citrus kick of the dipping sauce made me fall in love with the dish instantly. Alligator meat is a white meat that has a flavour that finds a place somewhere between chicken and fish. High in protein, with the right amount of gaminess, alligator is a staple dish in creole cuisine. The sausages were mildly spice with the cajun flavour and smoked perfectly. What took the sausages from a good dish to a great dish was undoubtedly the spicy orange marmalade dipping sauce. I shamelessly asked for another helping of the dipping sauce to polish off just by itself. The folks at the Gumbo Shop were kind enough not to charge me extra for that.

The Jambalaya, a rice-based dish cooked with smoked sausage, shrimp, and chicken was a bit of a disappointment in terms of appearance and in terms of flavour. Drawing parallels with saambar, the dish reminded me of the saambar-rice that would be packed into lunch boxes during school and would end up being completely dry by the time lunch came around. I did have to throw in the towel halfway through because the dish did nothing for me. I ordered a second plate of Alligator Sausages.

Dessert included a relatively simple Praline Sundae. Two scoops of vanilla ice cream with a lovely caramel sauce, topped with praline and pecan nuts was just what the doctor ordered after a meal packed with the mighty flavours of gumbo and alligator sausages.

While the meal worked out to a little over $40, it was completely worth it. The Gumbo Shop set the stage for all the lovely creole flavours I was going to experience in New Orleans. I returned to the Gumbo Shop three more times during my trip just to have a plate of the Alligator Sausages.

Leffe Blonde

2016-05-29T21:43:00.000+05:30

Sunday evening’s IPL final had me opening this bottle of Leffe Blonde, a Belgian-Style Blonde Ale ( also categorized as ‘Abbey Beer’ , as I read later on) from InBev Belgium. This smooth and medium bodied beer offered a lovely golden colour with a relatively light malty aroma. The head was a little over two fingers when I poured it into the glass. In terms of taste, I found this on the sweeter-fruity side with a mild bitter after taste, almost like a bitter orange, followed by spicy notes, probably cloves, as it went down. With an ABV of 6.6%, this was fairly easy to gulp down. While I didn’t have any food to pair this with, I’d probably pair it with some nice red meat, like lamb, from the barbeque. I’d definitely recommend you pick this up from your local store and give it a try. If I had to rate it, I’d give it a 7/10. Cheers!

The Choux Box

2016-05-29T09:56:00.000+05:30

A few weeks ago, I was invited to the opening of The Choux Box, a new venture by Natasha Patrao. Before you start looking for it on the map, I must point out that this isn’t your traditional bakery, but is more of a space that Natasha aims to use to teach kids and adults the joys of cooking and baking. Inspired by High Teas and bite-sized food from her internship with Conrad Singapore, Natasha looks to bring the experience to folks who don’t have to go all the way to a posh restaurant to experience the same. There is a menu of hor d'oeuvres, sandwiches and desserts that one can order from and pick up. Natasha also does personalized birthday cakes and wedding cakes on pre order basis. And if the blueberry cheesecake I had was anything to go by, the cakes should be simply sinful.

On the opening evening, Natasha had laid out a very impressive spread of sweet and savoury bites of food. The dessert section consisted of Walnut Brownies with Hazelnut ganache, Blueberry Cheesecake, Creme Caramel, Rose Macaroons and Lemon Macaroons, Duet Panna cotta, Dark chocolate mini cupcakes and Lemon cupcakes with Italian buttercream. I don’t know if it’s because of the summer, but my favourites in the dessert section were the Lemon Macaroons and the Lemon cupcakes with Italian buttercream. Topping them both was the blueberry cheesecake. I’m not the biggest fan of all things blueberry, but the texture and subtle flavours of everything in this cake made it the highlight of the evening. Unfortunately, since I arrived a late, I got a single piece that Natasha and Ruth (www.bangaloresrestaurants.com) saved for me.

I was little more impressed with the savoury section which had Cucumber Mayonnaise Sandwiches, Chicken Chipotle Sandwiches, Tuna with Cranberry and Fresh Herbs Sandwiches, Creamy Red Wine Mushroom canapes with fresh Parsley, Citrus Prawn Canapes and Tomato Basil Bruschetta. My pick for the evening was the Tuna with Cranberry and Fresh Herbs Sandwiches and the Citrus Prawn Canapes, whose lovely blend of prawn with bits of pomegranate made me sigh as I popped in a fair number of them. (Note to self – Order twenty Prawn Canapes and eat them all by yourself).

Located in Koramangala, the Choux Box is definitely one the more interesting additions to the growing bakery scene of Bangalore. Do check out the menu (attached below) and don’t forget to order blueberry cheesecake, along with the Citrus Prawn Canapes.