Weekend Wanderings

Machibele Dam.. A just like that drive

2011-04-30T23:18:00.001+05:30

Last Saturday, we got up at 7:30 am (mean feat), had some chai, changed, and left.

The car was fueled, the Mint Lounge picked up. The music was loud, the day, cloudy. A lot of music. And so the traffic jam of Mysore Road was braved.

At the last point of civilization as we know it, a little ahead of Kengeri and a little before Raja Rajeshwari Dental College, we stopped for some piping hot idlis, vada, upma, and filter coffee.

There was a little bakery right next to the restaurant, they had just baked fruit cake and smelled heavenly. So we did their bohni and drove on.

One turn and many nurseries/ farms later..

We have an unhealthy obsession for roads.

One turn in the long and winding road and then this.

The place was unbelievably quiet. It was a beautiful sight.

It seemed like an endless moment of quiet camaraderie.

The backwater was endless. And beautiful.

We explored some country roads and drove through the very narrow roads of a village.

And a railway track completed the journey.

If you live in Bangalore, really want to hit the road, but can't go out of town, drive to Machibele on a weekend morning. It's worth the trouble of an early Saturday.

4 months, 3 places, and everything else

2011-04-22T22:57:00.002+05:30

I think that is a good deal. Of all the places I have been to since I last updated this blog, (only) three places stood out. Calcutta rolls, The Only Place, and Ants Cafe.

Quick recap - If you are looking for a place far removed from air conditioned holes in the wall, try Chakum Chukum Calcutta on a Roll in Indiranagar. The best thing about this place is that it is not a restaurant. In a really quiet bylane of Indiranagar, amidst a lot of greenery and pretty houses, you see a tree big enough for some shade and to have a chabootra around. That is Calcutta on a Roll.They serve parathas (that we did not try), soft drinks, and hajaar different kinds of rolls. In all possible combinations that you can imagine. Double egg, double chicken, chicken double egg, egg double chicken, to name a few. Chakum has a reasonable collection of rolls for vegetarians too. Try it on a boring Saturday evening, walk around the place, sit on the chabootra, talk nineteen to the dozen, and eat a lot. Trust me, if you are anything like me (pity if you aren't), you will love this place. Because it is NOT a restaurant.

The Only Place - Another bylane restaurant that must have been around for a gazillion years. Perfect to catch up with friends on a Sunday afternoon, especially when you are nursing a hangover, the weather is to die for, and you can survive anything but alcohol. It is sort of al fresco, open on the sides, again very green, and serves some really, really good food. I had some fried prawn thing and dessert and fries and another entree. I am not sure if this post is helpful without any names, but let this post be just about the places and the overall awesomeness of food. And the food at The Only Place is just that - awesome. At very reasonable prices. Don't expect impeccable service. If the owner is in a good mood, he will be supremely sweet to you. If he is worked up about the rush, he will cut short your order and warn you about how long your food will take. Almost like dads :P Having said that, this place is worth more than 1 visits.

And Ants Cafe - perfect for rainy morning breakfast. The place is run in partnership with an Assamese NGO. The shop downstairs is worth a look. Great scarves and stoles and kurtas and shirts in cotton and silk, really pretty kitschy jewellery, and some beautiful lampshades and other bling for homes - all at prices way better than Fab India and Mother Earth. The restaurant upstairs serves all day breakfast - brilliant omelettes and sandwiches. I have heard the salads and pancakes are great too, but my breakfast was all cheese and chicken and eggs. The spanish omelette was just right. The chicken and cheese sandwich was quite likeable. But the coffee, well. Just ask them to make it really strong. Mine was, the husband'd was as tepid as every other place that is not an Udupi joint. But the show stopper here is definitely the ambience. Extremely interesting furniture - all bamboo and tree trunks and pretty, bright cushions. The terrace is almost in the middle of huge trees and there are broad leaves from indoor plants that fill in any space that is not green! The place is beautiful. Get a book or grab one from the shelf that has 15 books (yes, I counted. It was a matter of this little bet with the husband) and a lot of magazines, or bring some really good company. I opted for company and it was the nicest, laziest morning in months. Go there. Tomorrow. Picture this.

Ants Cafe

There have been other places like Hole In The Wall (stupidly small), Cafe Thulp (aaaargh!), Nizaams (err), King Bites (ya ok, my cook makes parathas), Biryanis (bloody misnomer of extremely spicy and HOT chicken pulao), Rajdhaniv(too much food, too little taste), Legends of Rock (everything tepid - the drinks, the music, the mood), Cream Center (ye cheating hai! Not even close to the mindblowing food that the chain serves in Bombay), and this paratha place (bad enough for me to not even remember the name!) and none of them stood out. Surprisingly most of them are much hyped places. I wonder why!

Also, I am almost embarrassed to tell you that I finally discovered Commercial Street last month. Glad I did! If you have been around for a while, love roadside shopping, chappals, and cotton, and if you happen to be one of the handful of people who have not been there yet, GO!

I have been reading quite a bit. I happen to be a late starter on Flipkart. And my life and the lives that have been running parallel to mine - all very good. A Fine Balance (now reading and loving it), Eat pray Love (I finally managed to finish it. Complete waste of loo minutes), By The Water Cooler (timepass, fun in parts), Catcher In The Rye (whatte classic. Love it every time I read it and I can't do it enough).

Movies. Tanu Weds Manu (AAAAAAAAARGH.), Turning 30 (Cliched turning 30 angst), Band Baaja Baarat (what was the hype about?) Break Ke Baad, Anjaana Anjani, Guzaarish, Sherlock Holmes (none of which I could sit through), My Sister's Keeper (cried buckets, loved loved loved it). So don't get me started on these. I will finally catch up on Ye Saali Zindagi and No one Killed Jessica this weekend - yes, I have been running really late here. More on this later.

I am off to Manchinbele Dam tomorrow, Kerala in July (yes, in monsoon. Yay me!), Coorg in August. I will hopefully post about the December road trip that has been a lot on my mind lately, if only because it was the happy place that helped me survive the March and April heat. Now it is raining and beautiful, the April showers. And suddenly there is so much to look forward to! Picture this.

Ah! Now I am done.

Monthly activity sheet - Food shakes head in disappointment

2010-11-28T23:06:00.004+05:30

There is a tonne of places/ things I have wanted to write about since the last time I open the editor for this blog. But everything that I held important over the last one year of jobless salary earning, suddenly seems to have taken a back seat. For the record, I am not one to give in so easily. So here we go, even if my opinion on all things important in life, comes in the form of a monthly report this time!

Daddy's Deli, the parsi restaurant, Off 100 feet road, Indiranagar - If the ordering in was good, eating at Daddy'd Deli is even better. Unbelievably quick service and steaming hot parsi fare make for a very interesting, gluttonous outing. And the prawns here were the freshest I have had in Bangalore. Absolutely brilliant!

Daddy's Deli, the cafe - quaint, and very aptly in one of the quietest lanes of Indiranagar, the Daddy's Deli cafe is absolutely mindblowing. Brilliant sandwiches, refreshingly "different" peas patties, fresh, awesome salads, and a Corner House to balance all the healthy eating. You can give the coffee a miss, or strictly order black. Like most other places, getting the right coffee is pretty difficult here. But having said that, I totally recommend this place and I am now waiting for the English breakfast trip to Daddy's Deli. It will happen the first Sunday I manage to wake up in time for breakfast.

New Punjabi Hotel, HAL 2nd Stage - It is really difficult to decide what the USP of this place is - price, taste, or the refreshingly "dilli waali feeling", complete with a Sardar ji asking you if the food is good and Biharis making you feel at home, serving you like you really are a guest and not a customer, and lassi! The food is absolutely brilliant, kaali daal is to die for, tandoori chicken is surprisingly succulent, and the naans and rotis are the best I have had in Bangalore. All this for less than Rs 200 for two people who generally overeat. The biryanis can be given a miss here, the lassi and naan, absolutely not! If you thought Kund (Indiranagar) was good, try New Punjabi Hotel. This is the closest you can get to the real dhaba experience, so far away from where the real dhabas are. +10.

Daily Bread, Wind Tunnel Road - Stupid coffee, dry-ish sandwiches, brilliant salads. For those who actually go to Daily Bread for anything else except cakes and pastries. I would say stick with what they are good at. The rest of the menu is plain incidental.

Starke's Chicken and Burgers, Indiranagar - It is a pity I will never go here again because the ambience is actually interesting, complete with verandah seating and fence and all. But you pay a huge price with the painfully slow service and the terrible bouts of indigestion that follow. I never really bothered about the "I puked after I ate there" reviews because, for the record, I have a stomach of steel. But hello, I am not invincible. Stupid service, stupider staff. But what takes the cake is the stupid feeling you get when you puke in the middle of the night. Best avoided.

Purple Haze - What can I say that has not been said before. It plays music I know, it has people who don't stare at women who smoke and scream songs tunelessly, and the staff is an amazingly happy bunch. One word - cult. In the last year and a half, my Purple Haze plans always went awry. Either replaced or completely dumped. But I was there for hours at a stretch last night, came home feeling very very happy, and I am glad today after I realized that youth is not completely lost on me. It's the kind of place where you have everything you need to destress. LOUD, good music. The real classic rock. And chilled beer (which is surprisingly rare these days!). And the prices and the music make sure all your other senses are numbed. Abso-freaking-brilliant. It is a pity I went to Purple Haze only now. It is the original cult pub. It is the Toons in Bangalore, which explains why I have been feeling so young! The HRC and Jimi's and Cirrus' of the world can go take a walk because I can say with absolute certainty that last night was the first of many, many visits to Purple Haze.

I have also been thinking that all the pretentious places around should take some customer service gyaan from smaller, even inexpensive places like Purple Haze and New Punjabi Hotel. The service is not fake respectful or annoyingly intruding. People look happy to serve you and that's all that matters!

More on the other side of the break, more to come on books and movies. Happy eating. In, out, wherever!

Urban Oasis

2010-10-23T12:26:00.002+05:30

5 minutes drive from my house in Airport Road, and this is where you get. This is in my backyard. God, you are a good man.

What to do on a Dussehra weekend in Bangalore - 2

2010-10-23T12:21:00.001+05:30

Anelaborate 4 course meal at Kolkata. To let the festivity sink in without screaming "Iliiiiiish" at the top of our voices. The place is festive through the year, that is what makes it more special during a festival. It is all about striking a balance.

What to do on a Dussehra weekend in Bangalore - 1

2010-10-16T16:46:00.002+05:30

Now that I can steer clear of auto brawls, and R can't make parking excuses, we finally made it to a puja pandal this year (Indiranagar, 6th Main). After a decade!

The sights and sounds brought back some great memories when year after year, I used to try hard to get out of pandal hopping and eventually used to get dragged along anyway. The best thing about religion is all the festivity that comes with it. So once I got religion out of the way, what else would I do but eat? So I ate.

Rasgullas.

And laung latas.

Among other things at the mela. And what a mela it was!

Whether or not you have ever lived in Calcutta, or have spent all your Dussehra vacations there, if you miss the sights and sounds of those 10 days of festivity, pick up your ride. And go!

More on Dussehra later. I am on a festival high!

The friendly homemade chicken kebab. Probably tandoori

2010-10-02T14:01:00.002+05:30

I have a new found confidence in myself. The one that screams out loud that now there is nothing I can't do. Why you ask? Because last night I made kebab from scratch and it turned out absolutely brilliant! No rookie mistakes, no burnt parts, no burnt hearts. They say you should not go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. Well. I did. And I got home a lot of extra Real Good. So I also picked up some extra masala thinking one day I will make kebabs and biryani to perfection. And I should not run out of masalas when I decide to do it. So a small carton of pav bhaaji masala here, some tandoori kebab masala there. And even as I was unpacking the grocery, I knew the day was here :P

It is the simplest kebab you can possibly make. Here is how -

Marinate the chicken for a couple of hours in a cup of curd, salt, ginger garlic paste, lots of Everest tandoori and garam masala, a dash of turmeric and some chilli powder. If you are feeling adventurous, add some coriander paste to the marinade.

Place the marinated pieces of chicken on a grilling tray, let the extra marinade drop off, brush some oil on the chicken, and microwave it on chicken cooking combination for about 5 minutes. Then turn over the pieces, brush some oil again, and grill for the next 30-45 minutes, checking once in a while on the colour to make sure the whole thing doesn't get thrown away like the last time. Turn over the pieces and brush some oil every 15 minutes or so. Once done, brush some lemon juice and hog it all with onion rings. Absolute bliss!

The friendly homemade chicken kebab. Probably tandoori.

The grocery store did not have boneless chicken yesterday. Just so you know.

Jimi's Beer Cafe - Misleading name for a place that plays everything but him

2010-09-26T11:49:00.006+05:30

We entrered with Floyd, and we thought we had got it all right. Except that the ground floor seemed a lot like Daily Bread. And here's how the evening turned out-

The beer seems flat.
Jimi's special fries. Chewy. Ho hum.
The smoking area is stuffier than usual.
Why are those kids dancing to rock music?
Blllaaah! Stop headbanging to just about anything!
It is 9 pm, will we get some breathing space at Purple Haze at this hour?
Beer cocktails. AAARGH! If I wanted Iced Tea, I'd not have come here!
You can hear me, I can hear me. The speakers aren't good enough!
GET ME MY TOOOOONS!
...
...
...
This place is awwwwesome!
We are awwwwesome!
This chicken tikka is awwwwesome!
Bangalore is awwwwesome!
Life's awwwwesome!

You get my point, don't you? If you are planning a sober evening with only music to bail you out, Jimi's (Indiranagar) is not the place to go. Because for all the classic rock charade outside, the closest they get to classic/ hard/ psychedelic is one Floyd, one Metallica, and that's it. The rest is just too much of the Linkin Park brigade. The place is good for cheap beer, some select starters, and for those times you want to get home without an iota of sobriety. 3 on 5 from me - 3 only for the awesome time we generally have, even if you make us sit on the roadside and not give us any beer.

What was Aisha thinking?

2010-09-18T21:08:00.002+05:30

So I saw Aisha. Or whatever of a movie one can see with half of it at twice the speed, and still leave it unfinished. My first reaction was that I have probably grown too old for a chick flick. Oh wait and minute, it is not a chick flick. Chick flicks are fun! Aisha is just a 3 hour long painful cliche. I can't even call it stereotypical, because Khosla Ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky were stereotypical Delhi. South, North. Whatever. It was dumb. Just that. D-U-M-B.

I know at least 10 girls from South Delhi who have 100 times more grey cells than the whimpering Sonam Kapoor and 150 times better clothes than Aisha. A hat, seriously? Why are the makers of the movie so hell bent on proving that girls, South Delhi or otherwise, don't like to be taken seriously? Oh wait. I don't think the makers of the movie could think that far, really. And no, Abhay Deol is not the saving grace Aisha. He gets a -1 for this movie. Because he really lowered his bar with this one. And no, he did NOT look cute. Far from it! He looked like his dumb cousin Bobby Deol. Beat that.

And what was so special about Aisha's wardrobe?! No, really. If you have to talk "hat ke", you talk Manish Malhotra and what he did to plain jane Rani Mukherjee in Kuch Kuch Hai. Or Urmila in Rangeela. Because that was "changing something". This is. Just. I don't know. Nothing? Of course I know nothing about dressing up. What can someone who owns only denims and cotton have to say about "fashionistas". But logic says if one has to see only the clothes, there are always shops to go to. Or Fashion TV. It still exists, doesn't it? Why make a whole movie for clothes when probably a flash presentation would do.

Aisha left me depressed at the collective stupidity of a bunch of people of my gender. Those that made this movie, those that acted in it, and those that liked it (and even had the audacity to tell everyone they would like it too). Even Sonam Kapoor's dad, whoever that actor is, depressed me. But who really broke my heart was Abhay Deol. It will take a revisit to Oye Lucky for me to believe in that stud (un)Deol again. He seems to have come a full circle, from trying to remove himself from the stereotypical Deol family picture, to just doing a Bobby Deol on us.

In my defense, I am not someone who believes in intelligent cinema. I love Bollywood, with all its cliches of the 80's and 90's to the jazzy Wake Up Sid to an Ishiqiya to everything Farhan Akhtar does on screen. And everything Govinda does on screen. Hell, give me Partner once again. But spare me the torture that was Aisha.

Udaan

2010-09-10T22:30:00.002+05:30

I saw Udaan in two shifts. The first time left me unimpressed because the acting seemed amateur. But for the lack of anything to do today, I decided to give it another try. And I am blown away. I haven't seen a Hindi movie that made me sob like a baby, in months. This one did. For sometime you even begin to forgive the fake Bihari accent, and the very amateur acting. This movie really touches a chord with everyone who has, at some point, felt weighed under the pressure of high expectations of having to study something they have little or no aptitude for, or interest in. The frustration, the desperation to run for life, really brought back memories of a 21 year old fighting to prove that writing could actually be a career. Now I thank my parents for not letting me follow my fancy, and making me finish getting educated first. They always told me I could do what I wanted to once I earn the degree. I did, I am doing, and I am glad. Having said that, I remember how suffocating it had been then, to live to prove a point. Mostly to myself.

Add to that parental pressure, some peer pressure, and an abusive parent, and you have this really beautiful movie called Udaan. Ronit Roy, although not completely convincing as a frustrated, drunkard father, does make you hate him for what he brings upon his children. At my age, I can probably try to find reason in his behavior, but I can never really justify it. Rajat Barmecha is the quintessential small town kid with aspirations of becoming a writer, one that not too many people understand, definitely not his father. He makes you fall in love with him only because of his innocence and sensitivity. I hope there really are more 17 year olds like him, ones that actually have a dream that goes beyond driving at 150 kmph or getting to drink for the first time. But the protagonist's 6 year old step brother was the one I cried for the most. A child at that age can get scarred for life if he has to see the things this child did. It was obvious in his sadness ridden smiles in the entire movie. Ram Kapoor, the cool chachu, was adorable. I guess we have all had that one grown up that always told us what the right thing to do is, without telling us what we were doing was wrong. And I guess we have all ran to these people with a lot of our growing up pangs.

Udaan reminds one of the decade gone by, when we were growing up. Parents these days seem to have become more open to the idea of their children following their dreams. Or I may have come too far from my roots to notice it around me now. I say every parent that has not spared the thrashing after a math exam, or has taken the child to IIT coaching without a second though to what the child really wants from his life, should see this movie. I will not speak of abusive parenting, because that is one thing I don't know about except the fact that it's ugly.

Surprisingly, for a low budget movie, this one is made beautifully. The cinematography is a class apart. It is like seeing beautiful photographs, only they are videos. Whatever that means. The music, although not memorable, is very apt. Something one would listen to, to forget the worries of adulthood for a while.

I must warn you though, that movie leaves you a little depressed in spite of seeing the protagonist run for his life, take his kid brother, and leave the father behind. I wish they could find common ground and put their troubles behind them. But what do I know of having to live with bad fathers. Mine rocks, in spite and because :-)

A walk in the clouds - Yercaud

2010-08-25T19:02:00.005+05:30

I am keeping my promise of a travelogue. It has been 2 days since I returned and the Yercaud trip high is beginning to wear out, but I am still going to do this.

Yercaud had been on my list ever since I saw all that mist in someone’s Facebook album last year. In fact a few days before the trip, the weather prediction for Yercaud did not look extremely exciting and I was beginning to worry if I should have done Coorg all over again. Thank God I didn’t. Because Yercaud was heavenly. Just what I needed during rains, and just what R needed after his incessant working over the last few months.

The road to Yercaud

And thus begins Tamilnadu

As usual, the plan started out with wondering if we should take the train, because of those rains and the much hyped hairpin bends on the way to Yercaud. But all plans to not take the road on weekend getaways don’t really materialize in our household. And I am glad, because the roads were impeccable. There is something about the TN part of the drive that makes you realize that the state really takes pride in its tourism. Because the road is not just pretty and lush, but very, very well maintained. I must warn you though that you should carry enough change for the many toll booths on the way, each of of them change not more than Rs 50.

We left from Bangalore a little after 7:30 am, and fortunately did not find much traffic at the Hosur Junction. It is after a few minutes from the junction that you see lush greens on both sides o NH 7. All you have to follow the road, till Salem. We wasted some time in Salem because of the road blocks due to some political rally in the town that day, and there were no easy road blocks too - even the GPS gave in after a few random twists and turns. But the yellows around town and the rain and the traffic jam that came with it didn't bother me, because I was on a holiday!

A very crowded Salem

The uphill climb

Finally we found our way in the crowded Salem and the uphill climb began. I don't know why the hairpin bends are so hyped, because it was a fairly easy drive in spite of the mist and the bends. In fact that is what made this experience so worthwhile! In all of 5.5 hours, including that whole round of Salem town centre, we were in Yercaud. I must tell you though that the place is as awesome as the journey one makes to this place. So make sure you enjoy the drive as much as you want to enjoy the place. After about 12 bends, there are these two stalls that sell tea, boiled corn, and the original bhutta. I highly recommend stopping there because it is blissful - rains outside, hot corn inside. I think that was a moment stashed in a dafe locker in my memory.

The last hair pin bend

Our cottage at Grange

We had our bookings in the Grange Resort. The cottages there are to die for. And the best thing about this resort is how quiet and secluded it is, unlike Lake Forest Resort which is just next door! Having said that, there is practically no service at Grange. Nobody offers to carry your luggage to the room, there is no room service, the pool is dry.

But you can take the car all the way to your cottage, the food is no good so you would end up eating out, and the weather, at least when I was there, was too cold for me to even want to picture a swimming pool in my head. If you planning to enjoy the weather, I would recommend Grange so that you don't spend all your time cooped up in the hotel with a hot cup of tea. Trust me with those plantations and sheer lushness of the property, staying cooped up inside wouldn't sound like a bad idea if the service and food were any good. My only grudge is that I should have opted for the cheapest accommodation there. Because there isn't much difference between the cottages except in the view, and the view of the plantation from the balcony of our cottage was not too different from the garden view in more inexpensive cottages at Grange. But then again, for Rs 3000 a night for the cottage, even the most expensive cottage in the place was not exorbitant, especially because it was very well kept. One doesn't see such sparkling window panes in touristy places! Anyway, we chucked our things in the cottage, freshened up, and we were on the road again!

Lunch was at Lake Forest. A full meal buffet for Rs 250 per person, I wouldn't call that a bad deal. But what is better than the food is their absolutely English style property. Quaint, pretty, but extremely crowded! The restaurant has the option of buffet and a la carte. More on their food later, because we returned to Lake Forest for all our meals.

The restaurant at Lake Forest Resort

Lunch was followed by a nice ride on the All Terrain Vehicle on the tracks owned by Grange. It was fun, because the terrain really was something I am not used to. Hell, I am not used to riding, driving, and rough terrain, so this was especially exciting for me. And a tad bit embarrassing to have the trainer and the husband around through the ride, because I don't think that ATV ride would be so challenging for anyone else!

View from the cottage - Orange and coffee plantation as far as you can see

We spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around in the cottage and left for the roads late evening. It was pretty cold by then, although I had been shivering through the afternoon. I would suggest carrying light warm clothes if you are travelling during monsoon. One thing that amazed me about Yercaud was the seclusion. You can drive on for 10 minutes thinking you are lost in wilderness, and then suddenly from nowhere you will see a house or a grand boarding school in the middle of nowhere. The night drive was especially exciting because of the number of times we almost got lost. When you are in the main market, don't forget to check out this really tiny tea stall in the middle of a 100 others, and ask for lemon tea there. It will drive away any monsoon laziness you may be feeling during your stay in Yercaud.

My favourite place in Grange

Later that night we returned to Lake Forest for a meal, but we were full from lunch, so we got sandwiches packed instead. And played Brainvita to remember schooldays while they worked on that sandwich. I must put in a word about their chicken sandwich - yummylicious! The lack of service was made up by the extremely warm, never-say-no reception we got at Lake Forest every time we went there.

We returned to the room with our food, talked for a long time, and somewhere in the middle of talking and exchanging silence, we dozed off and started early the next day. There is not much to do in Yercaud if you don't want to check out the view points. And I think that really is the best thing about the place. We randomly, and this time willingly, got lost a few more times in the many bye lanes of Yercaud, drove some more, walked some, clicked silly pictures, and then returned to Lake Forest for breakfast - the best thing about weekend getaways! Another brilliant buffet was waiting for us, for Rs 175 per person this time.

Something like that to look at during breakfast - words fail me!

Fortunately this was a one night trip, because 2 nights would have meant an overkill of doing nothing. I must point out the lack of service at Grange was by now beginning to irritate me - not getting warm water to bathe in a chilly touristy town does that to me. And to most other people I guess. We packed up and left the cottage at 11:30, checked out a view point for heck of it,and then we were on our way back. We were home by 5 pm, just in time to catch a few episodes of 24, and sleep in time for Monday morning. It is funny, just about surviving 5 days of a week for the 2 days or the occasional 10 days of awesomeness. But then, good things in life are never free.

Yercaud, in all its glory

I am glad I wrote this post, it brought back the pretty memories of Yercaud for me to chew on until R gets home!

Quick facts-

Distance from Bangalore - Approximately 235 kms.

How to get there - Route: NH7 - Bangalore >> Hosur >> Krishnagiri >> Dharmapuri >> Thoppur Ghat (Adayar Anand Bhavan) >> Omalur >> Salem >> Yercaud

Cost - Roughly Rs 7000 for a one night getaway for 2 people, including food, stay, and fuel.

Kolkata, Koramangala

2010-08-16T16:51:00.008+05:30

We had a mediocre movie marathon this weekend. To start with, Pathshala. I am not sure if Aamir Khan has seen the movie yet, but after wonders like Taare Zameen Par and 3 Idiots, if Bollywood still churns out total crap like Pathshala, I wonder where they are learning their ropes from, if not from Aamir Khan. Blatant exaggeration is what this movie is all about. I agree that with the recent spate of private and international schools, education like we knew it has taken a back seat, and not in a good way. With billboards of private schools, hefty fees and donation, and constant business in the name of facilities, and of course ambitious parents sending their kids to reality TV challenges, I can only wonder how long it takes for a child’s perspective to change completely. Some basics should not change. But what use are film makers ahead of their times that thought of making a movie out of a theme as contemporary as this, but only totally ruined it with terrible editing, bad acting, and blind, stupid exaggeration. What a waste of Shahid Kapoor and Nana Patekar! Pathshala is avoidable, I am glad I missed it in theatres when it first released.

Next in line was Analyze This. The movie has its moments. But with Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro, one expects the kind of impact that When Harry Met Sally had. Or at least the ROFLMAO moments like The Focker movies. Either the comedy was too refined for me to notice through the movie, or it didn’t really exist except in the moments. I did not enjoy it as much as I expected it to.

And then the icing on the cake. Inception. I FINALLY saw it, and I blame blogsville for raising my expectations. Inception was a movie I would have definitely caught on DVD, but with everyone from Twitter to Facebook to blogs raving and ranting about it, I thought this was theatre material. For one, Hollywood churns out stuff like this every other year. So why the hype? Secondly the movie was far from rocket science. It was easy to understand but difficult to take in. Give me a Crash or an Invictus over this dream-inside-a-dream-inside-a-dream fantasy play. It wasn’t even on the lines of Martix to evoke so much conversation. I am willing to give it a second chance though. I will watch it on blu ray as soon as I can find it.

I think PVR in Koramangala is, in a lot of ways, to blame for the movie seeming unbelievably mediocre. There was static in speakers. What more do I say? By the way I miss the days when I couldn’t tell the difference between 360 p and 780 p. I miss happily watching Friends on half screen on a small monitor without cribbing about picture quality. The new set up at home has taken away the fun from first weekend movies. Now I would rather really take in the movie in the set up at home or just drop it. I blame it on the husband!

But the lifesaver this weekend was Sunday lunch at Kolkata.Let the pictures first speak for themselves.

View from the window at Kolkata

Outside seating at Kolkata

We wanted to have a hearty meal before Inception and I read what Manuscrypts had to say about this place. The paragraph on desserts was what got us going. The food is brilliant, to say the least. Kolkata is in a narrow bylane in Koramangala 4th Block. The ambiance is very rural Bengal, the kind of décor you would see at the Isckon Gurukul in Mayapur. It is a little over the top in some parts of the restaurant, but the outside seating was well done. There are sunflowers and thatch umbrellas and graffiti on the walls. The overall effect was quite nice. R and I had decided to order the same things that we had read in the review, except the fish fries. We went for fish cutlet and it was a tad too dry for our liking. The aampora sharbat was really good. What followed was awesomeness! Authentic luchis, succulent kosha murgi with thick, spicy gravy, fish with mustard curry – very pungent and absolutely delicious, and ghee rice. Yes, I threw caution to wind, like I do every other day, and ate like there is no tomorrow. And for your information, I don’t regret it :D

Then came dessert. We stuck with rasgullas and mishti doi and it was like being transported to Sharma’s or Deshbandhu in Calcutta on a dashami morning. The doi had no sour flavour about, absolutely nothing out of place. It was the authentic sweetened curd that Bengal is famous for. The rasgullas were fluffy, soft, and unbelievably awesome. I really relished a dessert session with only mithai after a long time. Kolkata is a must visit for anyone who misses the Bengali food they make at home, or the Bong food they grew up eating during their summer sojourns to Calcutta to visit relatives. I belong to the second category :) The entire meal cost us Rs 777, so the place was not too hard on the pocket. A 5/5 it is for me.

The restaurant was empty during Sunday lunch, but a reservation will not harm. You can call them on 080 42555999.

Need some travel gyaan

2010-08-14T20:24:00.000+05:30

We are planning to do a 10 day road trip to Kerala in December. The ideal plan right now is to cover a beach, a houseboat, and a hill station off the beaten path. Any suggestions on the itinerary? Is this even doable?

Have gyaan, please dispense!

Woodstok - perfect for a lazy, rainy Sunday afternoon

2010-08-09T21:16:00.002+05:30

Gloat alert - This was one of the featured reviews of the week on Burrp.com. Right here!

Woodstok had been on my wishlist for a very long time. I am glad though that I went there only yesterday. The weather in Bangalore these days is just right for a place as pretty as this. Woodstok is cafe restaurant cum patisserie in a bungalow in the middle of a residential colony in Domlur. The location is perfect, easy to locate and yet in a quiet corner in the middle of lush greens.

We had booked a table on the terrace. But the rest of the restaurant seemed so pretty that we eventually ended up sitting inside, also because the music was great. Mainly pop rock. The decor is very contemporary with a little bit of bistro feel thrown in. What surprised me a lot was how a single restaurant had a little bit of alfresco, some inside seating, tables on the terrace - there is no lack of options. The menu is equally eclectic.

They have happy hours during lunch and it brought us a lot of happiness. Obvious pun intended. We started our meal with Fosters and Vegetarian Woodstok Platter - baked jacket potatoes with cheese, onion rings, and what they call cheesy soldiers, served with three different kinds of sauce. The platter was mindblowing, like most unhealthy things are. Am I complaining? Not really. For maincourse we ordered a chicken steak caroline sizzler (the order or words may not be accurate) and a smoked wood oven pizza. The sizzler came with the option of mushroom or pepper sauce, and French Fries or mashed potatoes. We chose pepper sauce and fries. The sizzler was brilliant. Every flavour stood out and how! I would suggest steering clear of the pizza, in spite of the hype. The base was not soft and had very little sauce on it. Avoidable, because it is definitely not worth the price.

We obviously couldn't even think of dessert after a meal as huge as this. But we did get some mud cake packed from the patisserie downstairs - Cream & Crust. And it was sinful. That says it all, doesn't it?

The restaurant needs to work on the speed of service and the quality of pizzas. But for most part, the place is perfect. There was not much I did not like about Woodstok, including the 'men' and 'women' sign on the loo - classy hats and shoes! And on my next shopping spree I am going to hunt for beer mugs like the one I saw in the restaurant today. On the left is the only picture I could click before I got extremely engrossed in the food.

The entire meal including mud cake set us back by Rs 1585. Well worth it, especially the ambiance, the location, and the Woodstok platter. And the happy hours. And the sizzler. And dessert. Woodstok gets a 4 on 5 from me. -1 for pizza. A word of advice to people going to this place for the first time - book your table in advance. The place was full even after 5 pm when we crossed that part of the city again on our way back from some shopping.

Dork

2010-08-07T22:54:00.001+05:30

I finished Sidin Vadukut's Dork - The Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Verghese two weeks back and I want the rest of the trilogy NOW. I chuckled through the book and not just because Sidin (I guess I can be on first name terms with him because I have been reading his blog ever since he started writing :P) really, really has a knack for humour, but also because there was a stark similarity between some of the people I have known in my workplace(s?) and college, and the characters in this book. Some downright stupid, some annoyingly naive, some cunning to the point of no return, and some just plain forgettable. And contrary to popular belief (probably Sidin's himself :P), I did not find Robin as naive as I found him shrewd. In a very humorous way though. An example - when the man thinks about a girl in a non-platonic way, he justifies it to his diary. Now the act of justification may be naive, but the justification itself was shrewd. I am not going into details here because I don't want to spoil the humour. But I have to say that if you have gone to college and/or work, read the book. The men - both Sidin and Robin - are hilarious.

While we are on the topic of books, I happened to buy a copy of Varsha Dixit's Right Fit Wrong Shoe. Now I can't mention the book without ranting full blow about how disgusting it is. Yes. Disgusting is the word. Here's why. I just have one suggestion for her. Before she touches a keyboard/ pen again, she should really learn where commas are needed and where they look like typos and how many commas are enough to make someone flush the book down the toilet. Also, it is enough to mention once that one of the characters in the book belonged to a filthy rich family. People remember. I promise! Implying it once on every page in not very subtle ways can get extremely annoying. Yes. So the book is annoying too. What is with Rupa? I am sure we have people who can churn out better stories. And let us face it. Not everyone can write.

And no sir, I still don't do book reviews. Please lower your expectations (in case you have any).

Of books. Movies. Easy Chicken curry. And other such banalities

2010-07-18T17:35:00.002+05:30

At long last, I finished reading Madhav Mathur's The Diary of an Unreasonable Man. Actually "at long last" is just for the added effect. This is one book I finished the fastest in the last couple of years. Why I have become a slow reader, is a story for another day. Back to this book, I was extremely skeptical about it, mainly because how far fetched, Rang De Basanti-ish the plot sounded. But I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed it. If you have been working for a couple of years, been wondering why you aren't making the kind of difference to the world that you once, at 21, associated with becoming "independent" and minting (ha!) money, this book is for you. Or not. You also need to be patient, believe in shallow revenge (cow dung on expensive cars is not my idea of a well thought, intense revolution, but it's fun!), and in the mood for "far fetched". Now don't get me wrong. My life revolves around shallowness and "far fetched" and often, revenge, so obviously in my dictionary, these are quintessentially good adjectives. It is a fun read, although I don't see myself quitting "real" work to bring in any kind of revolution. The book doesn't speak of anything that you and I don't speak of everyday, albeit in our cozy living rooms, and with no cow dung around to spoil the party. Consumerism, mall culture, why the cars we drive and the machines we own have become factors that guide whether or not we have arrived in life. Whatever happened to living simple. To the deserving making it big in life. What is "making it big in life" anyway? So yes, the book sure is close to our reality. But this is where the "reality" bit ends. But at least the book is not a documentary on the faults of urban living. Overall a fun read, mainly on flights and loos. What? You want a review? I am not qualified to give you one. Read it to find out! I liked it. At least 10 times more than Eat, Pray, Love. Now on to the next book about corporate rut - Sidin Vadukut's Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robert Einsein Verghese. At this rate, I am soon going to be on my way to the Himalayas. Away from MY corporate rut. Or so you would think. Sigh!

Anyway I did start watching Heroes after wondering what the fuss was about. In fact I finished a whole season. And no, I still don't know what the fuss was about. Just like I don't know why people love Harry Potter and Twilight so much. Heroes is way beyond imagination. And not in a good way. Too many superheroes, too much fantasy. The men are cute though. And no, I am not going to watch another season. Excuse me while I return to the 5th season of Frasier. It's real. I have always suffered the underdog syndrome, I like Frasier Crane more than any superhero. Krrrish included :P

I am back from a tragic-comic movie outing - I Hate Love Stories (I refuse to spell it incorrectly.) What on earth was it? I liked the movie, I haven't seen a love story I didn't like. But IHLS was extremely amusing, and not always intentionally. What can I say that hasn't been said before. Except don't believe all the reviews you read. The movie was actually fun. Shallow, almost stupid, but fun. But someone tell Sonam Kapoor she is not half as pretty as she thinks. So she can really, really drop the pretty damsel act and start being a little more.. I don't know.. Human? Imran Khan is the show stopper. Someday I want a son like him. Bah! I am getting old!

What's for dinner tonight? The Easy Chicken Curry. I don't think this recipe exists anywhere. It is some random things done to the very normal chicken curry recipe you read in most places, to make sure the cooking time doesn't exceed 15 minutes. And it is.. Err.. Healthier? Not a Bihari recipe by the way. Although it can pass off as Dehati Chicken. What? There actually is a chicken recipe that is called that. I found out only a couple of weeks ago. Coming back to my recipe, here you go..
Curd - 1 cup
Beans - 100 grams
Catch chicken masala
Ginger garlic paste
Chilli powder
Haldi
Onion
Coriander powder
Garam masala
Cumin powder
Dhaniya (to garnish.. Heh!)
And chicken of course. 500 grams. Serves two adults who like to overeat, this dish.

Whenever you have a few minutes during the day, marinate clean pieces of chicken in curd, ginger garlic paste, haldi, and chilli powder. Refrigerate the marinade. This recipe is pressure cooked, so make sure the pressure cooker is free and clean.

20 minutes before you sit down for the meal, saute jeera and small pieces of onion in mustard oil, add the beans and fry for a few minutes. Then add a little haldi, a teaspoon of chicken masala, some coriander powder, garam masala, and cumin powder. Pretend to fry the masala a little, just in case someone told you you weren't doing it right :P

Add the marinade, mix well. Cook the mixture for 4 seetis - the first one on high flame, the rest on low flame. Do NOT add water if watery chicken curry is not your idea of home cooked food and you liked it only during desperate hostel days. Of course I am speaking from experience!

Garnish the chicken curry with coriander (not the powder, the leaves) because trust me it will not look even half as nice as it will taste. Serve with steamed rice. This is Good food. Also because it hardly involves any effort. I might put a picture here later. Or maybe not!

Cafe Masala - once is not enough!

2010-07-04T20:37:00.001+05:30

My mum and sister are in town, and last night we frantically looked for a good buffet lunch option in town. My sister, for someone whose second visit to Bangalore is happening only now (the first one was when she was 2 and remembers only caramel popcorn at Kids Kemp - yes, our collective memory consists mainly of food and yes, it runs in the family!), knows enough about Bangalore to scare me a little. She mumbled Cafe Masala and we all agreed because I had read about it some time back and the name had stuck with me.

The 4 of us reached Cafe Masala 20 minutes later than the time we had made our reservations for, but we promptly got a table of four after we gave a few dirty looks to the slightly rude manager who almost rebuked us for being late (defence mechanism I guess, because he assumed that there were no free tables) and hence paid more attention to a customer (or someone else, for all I know) on the phone than he did to us. Unfortunately the tables in the sit out area were all taken and we had to make do with one in the airconditioned part of the restaurant. What followed was sheer pleasure, to put it mildly!

As a family, some of our biggest kicks come from good food and today was no different. We decided to go for the huge Sunday lunch buffet spread, but of course, and our starters were served on our table. I must mention here that I have had terrible luck with seafood, especially prawns, here in Bangalore. But the golden fried prawns served as one of the starters at Cafe Masala was mindblowing. Succulent, well cooked, and delicious. The chicken too was absolutely brilliant. The wide variety of salads and main course was to die for. I generally don't get anything above mediocre biryani at most North Indian buffet spreads and I was not expecting much from the mutton dum biryani here too. But I was wrong. Let me just put it this way - the food was really, really good.

The desserts were to die for. Chocolate was actually chocolatey and not just loaded with sugar, the pastries were very well made. I can't name a lot of the desserts I ate at Cafe Masala today, but for someone for whom dessert is the real main course, I can tell you I was "extremely satisfied". The jalebi could have been better, but I am not complaining. There was gajar halwa too, but sometimes, just sometimes, I get too full to not want to look at food too. Unfortunately, this happens only at buffet outings :-)

At Rs 375, the lunch outing today was worth every penny. Let me warn you that they charge both service tax and VAT, so please don't come running after me if you find the place a tad bit too expensive when the bill finally arrives. Happens. The feel good factor in this place was enough to leave me very happy with my Sunday! Perfect 10 for me!

By the way, has it ever happened to you that you spend years reminiscing about a certain sinful chocolatey delight but when you finally get to eat it, it leaves you wondering why you liked it so much in the first place? It happened to me yesterday. After 4 years of fantasizing about Mocha's Chocolate Avalanche, when I ate it again yesterday, I found it just plain brown, gooey sugar, no chocolate! Either Mocha at Koramangala didn't know how to make those brownies or I have grown up beyond Mocha's target group. I hated the place - tacky, dirty, and extremely pretensious. It left me very, very queasy!

Of good food and the cliché called "click of a button"

2010-06-28T00:00:00.003+05:30

You know how everyone has a friendly neighborhood home delivery restaurant for emergency meals at the end of a very hectic day at work, a friend coming over at meal time, or a lazy Sunday night with not much cash at home? Wang Chu (Indian Chinese cuisine, of course :-)) on Airport Road is one such place for us. I am sure not too many places in Bangalore make the kind of Bihari-Indian mish-mash Chinese food, that that us small town folks grew up on (a la Banjara Van, Maurya Lok, Patna), but if you live in Airport Road, get nostalgic about that Chinese food, and are tired of restaurants more often than not refusing to deliver, and are hungry for huge portions of food, call Wang Chu on 080 2523 8800, 99860 07588, 93431 11889. They never say no. And their food is really that Chinese.

Oh and Papa John's. I am surprised I hadn't tried them until last weekend. When they say fresh dough, they deliver fresh dough. Brilliant toppings. A little more expensive than the Pizza Huts and Domino's of the world, but not making tall claims of 30 minute delivery and still managing to deliver just in time and the sheer freshness is worth it.

Speaking of delivery, if you are just about venturing into ordering food online, please don't start with Hungryzone - they have the potential to put you off ordering online forever. They are extremely unprofessional, not committed, rude, and I can tell you they have cancelled/ screwed up my orders more often than I have patience for. Fortunately I discovered Webdhaba in time. Every order is followed up with a call from a very friendly Ajay. And the delivery is always on time and never incorrect. Try them for parties. I recently did. Webdhaba ne izzat rakh li.

And another recommendation for ordering in - Foodiebay, for the menu of nearly every restaurant in town. I have never been disappointed. They have updated numbers, updated menus, and their database is HUGE.

Ok. I am done :-) Sometimes I think I take my job too seriously :P

Movies, music, and all that jazz

2010-06-21T12:07:00.004+05:30

Disclaimer: I know zilch about movie making. These reviews are only my perspective. Why I think I am good enough to do this? Because I have spent truckloads of money religiously watching first day first shows/ the same movie many times over, hardly ever pirated (I don't steal Hindi movies), for as long as I can remember. This is not a review maybe, this is what I wanted to see and didn't and vice versa. Do yourself a favour, don't let my unaccounted for opinion change your mind about watching or not watching a movie.
If someone ever blamed me for supporting Bihari roots, I will not be able to say anything in rebuttal. And as things go with me, when I like a place/ person, I like everything about them. Not almost everything. Everything. And yet, I did not like Rajneeti. I had very high hopes from the movie - with Ajay Devgan and Ranbir Kapoor and Manoj Bajpai and Prakash Jha, I couldn't not have high hopes. But apart from the fact that every character had its shades of grey, I found the movie pretty much pointless.

One, the violence was over the top. It was way too far from reality, and from a movie like this I don't expect anything short of brutal reality. The dialogues were extremely corny at some places, e.g. when Arjun Rampal and Ranbir Kapoor's mother tells Ajay Devgan that he is her eldest son. Nobody in India uses words like "jeshth putra" any more. No, not in Bhopal, even less in Bihar. Apart from the shades of grey, there was nothing about the characters that was real or well thought out. I did not see any reason for Katrina to be in the movie, or Ranbir's American girlfriend. Manoj Bajpai constantly looked like he was trying too hard. To start with, a crisp white kurta and pyjama would have made him look a lot more like the party head's side kick son who was not getting the right deals in life. What he wore made him look like a pimp, or a Bihari/ Uttar Pradeshi/ Bhopali businessman's sidekick, and not exactly like a politician. Remember Sadhu Yadav?

Then of course is the whole mish mash of MP, UP, and Bihar. Stick with one state please, in spite of such stark similarity in these three states on so many counts. There was a lot of inconsistency in the theme, more in the acting. Let's just say the acting was bad.

Ajay Devgan looked every bit the character he played - the idealistic (?) minority leader who wanted to bring about change at all costs. I think he should have received a tad bit more screen time than the extremely annoying Manoj Bajpai. Ranbir Kapoor. Is. Good. Arjun Rampal is good poster material. Let me be harsh and just say it - he can't act for peanuts. He is repetitive, flat, and very, very good looking. Oh and I mean the last bit as a compliment. He looks like a dish, I just don't like to see him talk/ act. How he made magic in Rock On and failed misrably in this one all over again is beyond me. Who do I blame for this?

It was of course extremely annoying that every single woman in the movie got pregnant. And way too easily at that, if you know what I mean. Talk about coincidence, timing, sheer luck, or whatever!

For me Rajneeti was a very Madhur Bhandarkar-ish attempt at portraying reality - unnecessary violence, too many steamy scenes, a sufi/ classical Indian number, a couple of pretty, glamourous women, dressed down, and an item number or two here and there. Jha ji ne iss baar thoda disappoint kar diya.

2.5 on 5 for me - 0.5 each for the shades of grey, Ajay Devgan's character, Arjun Rampal's good looks, and Mora Piya. The fact that the seats in Fame Lido, Bangalore are grossly uncomfortable, didn't help the cause at all! And I still don't know whose side I am on - Ajay Devgan's team or Ranbir Kapoor's team - I guess that was the point. I generally don't dislike Hindi movies, but the last entire year has seen me disappointed a lot of times. Is someone listening?

In the spirit of Father's Day, I finally saw Well Done Abba. And considering how simple the theme was, how low budget the movie looked, and how none of the actors were of the big league, I couldn't help comparing it with the disastrous hype around Rajneeti. Well Done Abba was a refreshing change from morbid reality AND Karan Johar's NRI dreams. Boman Irani of course is a rockstar in his own right - Well Done Abba was a double dose of brilliance with him. I even liked Samir Dattani (in spite of a his fairly flat acting skills - the boy has the cutest smile!) and Minissha Lamba. It did seem like Shyam Benegal/ Ashok Mishra had a little bit of a problem with Biharis, if you see how Ravi Kishen's character is woven around marital sex (and not sleazily outside of it, mind you :D). But nobody can play a Bihari like a Bihari, and Ravi Kishen takes the cake. Bharbhara ke baawdi bhar gayi, and this is just a example. The real star of the movie, of course, is Boman Irani, his Hyderabadi lingo, his absolutely unassuming and endearing honestly and resolve. I even loved the music of the movie - unpretentious, real. Especially Hum toh apni bawadi lenge and the peppy Meri banno hoshiyaar. The latter had me wishing the music of this film had released before my wedding :-) The movie did seem to drag a little towards the end, with the political drama mish mash. But overall Well Done Abba was a refreshing change. Best watched on DVD though. For me!

I have been listening to the soundtrack of Raavan the last few days. I am not supremely excited about the movie - Aishwarya Rai and too much wildlife. Mani Rathnam not withstanding. But the music I quite like. Gulzar and A.R. Rehman - it sure doesn't get better than this. Especially Beera. The song has this zing that had been missing in movie sountracks for a while now, a one off Ishqiya not withstanding. I like how Beera makes me feel the song was written for me - chhede jo beera ko, dhama dham dham dham! I leave you with the video.

The salon story

2010-06-18T22:33:00.001+05:30

After 1 year of long aunty-like, plain, straight hair, I hunted online for good hair dressers in Bangalore. Don't start rattling off names like Loreal Salon. Because they have 3 standard hair cuts that they do, no matter what you ask for and what they say. That is true at least for people with hair like mine.

I managed to find a salon called Chrysolite (080 25592957, Commercial Street, Bangalore) , although more people know the place by the name of the owner, Tracy. There were brilliant reviews about this place from 2003 all the way to 2010. I went there for a hair cut today, and I have come home feeling absolutely ecstatic. And I don't often feel like this after a hair cut.

Tracy's place is small and basic, but their service is absolutely brilliant. Tracy really listens to what you want, makes her suggestions, and then goes completely scissor happy, all the while happily talking to you about everything under the sun. It is not just the brilliant hair style that makes you happy at the end of a session with Tracy. It is her liveliness, friendliness (and not the shrewd type that most salon owners have when they want to fleece you off a few extra hundreds) and absolutely perfect customer service. Watch out for the tips she gives you to keep the bounce in your hair (or whatever hair gyaan you may need I guess). My new hair cut is fairly easy to maintain too. So I am quite sure it won't be flat and plain all over again tomorrow.

If you are looking for a good hairdresser in Bangalore who will not charge you the moon and yet give you a hair style that is much better and more personalized than the plush international salons, I totally recommend Chrysolite. And you will come back generally happy and not just because of the hair cut.

Tracy, you get a 10 on 10 from me :-)

Liquid@Ista

2010-06-13T16:48:00.002+05:30

Gloat alert - This was one of the featured reviews of the week on Burrp.com. Right here!

We had gone to Ista for my birthday dinner in January, and had taken a quick look at Liquid@Ista from outside and we had decided to go back there for a few drinks some time. But we never got around to doing it. We finally went to Liquid yesterday, and I have come back absolutely in love with the place. I am not sure about others, but I had a picture of the "perfect eat out" in my head, and every place that I have ever gone to, even the ones I have loved, hasn't been as good as that imaginary restaurant/ lounge I had in my head. Liquid is that. And more. No wonder this place recently won the Times City award for the best lounge bar in 2010. (Or was a nominee, I am not sure. I can't seem to find any link on the net that says anything about the award but they had a certificate proudly on display at the entrance at Liquid, but I never really read it completely. I thought I would on my way out, but I had had way too many Iced teas already, which brings me to another recommendation - (*sophitstication anti thesis alert*) I am NOT a cocktails person, I don't get why people would drink Mojitos when they can just have a rum and coke or even beer, it's cheaper too after all. But nothing beats Long Island Iced Tea. 'nuff said.

Coming back to Liquid, if you are planning a romantic evening out, planning to celebrate a birthday/ anniversary, or a girls' night out and want to talk nineteen to the dozen and it is one of those nights when drinking is more important than what you eat, look no further. Here's why-

Food - Probably the ONLY not so great thing about Liquid is that they don't serve main course. You will only get a small list of finger food in the name of food menu. That said, the menu is pretty good. Multi cuisine, to say the least. We ordered chicken 65, some French Fries, and Lalbagh Ka Paneer, and they were all brilliant. The pieces of chicken were so succulent and soft that at first we were first afraid they had confused our order with sea food (R being allergic to sea food and all). Lalbagh ka Paneer was equally good. The fries, not so much.

Drinks - Pretty much the regular cocktails and drinks - Long Island Iced Tea, Mojitos etc. There was Belgian beer too, which I think I will try the next time I am there. The wine menu was one of the most elaborate ones that I have ever seen.

Service - fairly quick.

Value for money - Now that's a tricky one. It really depends on your perspective. If you are going out strictly for food, Liquid may not be the best choice. But if you talk about a pleasant evening, a few drinks, great conversation, and the feel good factor, Liquid really and completely takes the cake.

Ambiance - I was saving the best for the last. Liquid is apparently Bangalore's first alfresco. First or not, it was the best that I have seen. Dim lights, extremely comfortable understated seating - both couches and cane chairs, pretty white curtains, glass roof in parts, and the magical Bangalore weather - it was the perfect setting for a romantic evening. Even the smoking area, which was in one of the corners, open on one side like a balcony, was exquisite. If only the view had a little more to offer than a huge tree and the Lido Mall. But who asked me to hang outside the glass wall for the view? If you don't do that, you see clouds, trees, and the late evening lights of Bangalore. The music at the restaurant consisted of an amateur band singing unplugged versions of classic and alternative rock. The band wasn't the best - the guitarist was inconsistent, the singing was far from brilliant. But it somehow added to the rawness of the alfresco evening. I am not trying to justify any weaknesses in Liquid, because for me, last night, it had none. The crowd too was unbelievably good - nothing outlandish in terms of sophistication or the lack of it. Imagine. A glass of long island iced tea, the company of your favourite people/ person in the world, and a chilly monsoon evening in Bangalore - it was all there. It was a beautiful night.

Liquid was a complete 5 on 5 for me, just make sure you go there with the kind of company you really, really enjoy and you don't feel the need to feed your face because of sheer boredom. What? It happens with me all the time! Yesterday was different :)

Of Croma and materialistic pleasures..

2010-06-06T21:21:00.004+05:30

I have always loved Croma, but hadn't gone to any of their stores in Bangalore yet. Today I did. And the place impressed me all over again - literally! Service - perfect. Associates - perfect. Merchandising - perfect. Stock - perfect. Pricing - perfect perfect perfect! I absolutely love the place, it's good enough to give any other electronic retail chain a run for their money. E Zone and Sony exclusive stores included. But what really gives me a kick is that once upon in time, I had a part to play in how awesome Croma is today.

So a large part of our Sunday was spent... errr.. Spending. And we are now very proud owners of a digital photo album (my anniversary gift - more on this later) and a blu ray disc player. And guess what. I can actually figure out the difference between our old DVD player and this player. Listen up ladies and gentlemen, this is a HUGE step for me! Here's to many more nights spent watching Jack Bauer and Frasier Crane and Shah Rukh Khan and Morgan Freeman in action!

Coming now to the digital photo album. I am surprised at how much I am loving it, considering I am all for paper prints and the traditional way of storing pictures. But this small thing has extendable memory and can store nearly all of our holiday pictures. And videos. And a sexy screen to display it. It's super cool! I am going to have some fun with my little digital album that I can carry around, and no memory will ever be far from me.

Ha! Now if only someone bought me that SLR. And honest to God, I am really hoping this time I will be lucky and R will read this other blog too (and that's asking for a lot, because I am not so sure if he even reads Peaceful Easy Feeling :P)

P.S. R noticed I was blogging, and he wants me to recommend his new player on the blog because he is obviously madly in love with it. So if you are thinking of buying a blu ray disc player any time soon and you don't want to spend too much money (not more than approx 10K) and if you want a player that plays DVD formats too, consider this option - Sony BDB - S370. Edited to add - it plays internet content on Wifi. I have positively never seen anything cooler than this player. And this one comes from me, not R :D

Khatti Daal

2010-05-27T12:14:00.000+05:30

... And no, this is not about daal gone sour! At 11 am on a lot of days during my summer vacations back in school, Ma used to give me daal in a tea cup (yes, I did get a LOT of nutrition, and it shows :P). On some days this daal used to be khatti, and it was really one of my favourite things to drink while I watched Kuch Kuch Hota Hai/ Bawarchi/ Golmaal on cable TV for the nth time. The "small happinesses" of childhood!

So the other day I had this strange craving for that daal, I hadn't tasted it in 10 years. It's times like these that I am glad I have Ma's number on speed dial :P Putting down the recipe here for posterity, someday my great grandkids might chance upon it and discover the wonders of Bihari cuisine (which by that way is "cuisine" and way better than the pastas and pizzas of the world!). Great grandkids, if you are reading this, this is the easiest thing you will ever make in the kitchen. You will be proud of the legacy of easy-cooking legacy we are leaving behind for you :P

What you need-
Toor daal
Haldi powder
Salt
A drop of ghee
One raw mango (Kairi, tikola.. Whatever you call it.)

Pressure cook everything. One seeti on high flame and 3 on low flame. And it's done. Beat that!

Try this on a Sunday afternoon.. With rice and bhindi. You'll thank me forever!

Tunday Kebab... What's the fuss about?

2010-05-24T14:22:00.001+05:30

We went to Tunday Kebab on Saturday to find comfort in awadhi food. And I still don't get it. What's all the fuss around this place about?

The place looks worn out (already!), albeit a great deal cleaner than I had expected. The service is quick. And to think I was willing to give up on all this because I thought the food will be to die for. It is anything but that! Really. I can't qualify as a connoisseur when it comes to Mughlai or Awadhi or any other kind of food. And I still know the food was only average. The mutton roll tasted good, but was dripping with oil on all sides. I know this cuisine is generally rich and oily, but I still can't forgive oil dripping all over my hands and the paper wrapped around the roll. Gilawati kebab was good, although I couldn't really taste the meat. Seekh kebab was strictly average. And Biryani was B-A-D. The quality of rice was bad, the oil in the Biryani settled all around my mouth, and I couldn't even take a second helping. If there's one thing that really puts me off, it is bad Biryani. Something unprecedented happened this weekend. I STILL have left over Biryani in the fridge, and I can't get myself to eat it. And if you know me well, you would also know that this is enough to explain how mediocre the food was.

Tunday may have been heritage in the world where one had to go to Awadh to eat Awadhi food. But now with so many Biryani places in Bangalore, and dosa corners up north, I see no reason to go to Tunday. It's value for money. Actually make that just inexpensive. But saving a few hundred bucks when you can actually eat authentic AND delicious kebabs at Samarkand, why settle for less. And if price is a deciding factor, stick to Kund, Indiranagar. Or Lazeez.

Tunday Kebabs is a 1 on 5 for me. I see no reason to return!

Cirrus

2010-05-16T10:24:00.002+05:30

Last night was my second visit to Cirrus, Indiranagar. The place is just one step short of being on my top 5 list of cheap beer drinking places in Bangalore. It has everything going for itself - the ambience (rooftop on a quintessential Bangalore evening and not crowded beyond capacity), non-pretentious crowd for most part, prices, and food. Now if only they played some rock on Saturday nights.

But then again, I can't hold it against them. I may not be a part of their hip hop listening target group. But what the hell it was fun! If you are planning to go there, book a table on the terrace way in advance. It's a tad bit difficult to find a table of your choice even after the booking, and it doesn't help when the manager just chooses to look in the other direction when you speak to him about it. All you have to do is remind him that it's not great behaviour and then he will smile at you tirelessly all evening!

That said, the service is quick, the alcohol is not expensive, the food is quite good. And the ambience is quite simple and quite nice (I can't emphasize enough on booking a table on the terrace though). Just don't expect immaculate behaviour. And don't drink and drive. There are cops right outside the building!