I have a confession to make. I hate avial with a passion. Whenever I have had it, it has seemed to me to be the most pointless, tasteless dish in the panoply of that glorious mélange of Kerala’s deservedly famous cuisine. A bunch of vegetable batons in a yellow, coconut-based gravy has never cut the…
When Chef Irfan told his Lucknow-based parents that he wanted to join hotel school, they were happy enough. But when he decided to specialize in kitchen rather than front office or food and beverage service, his businessman father couldn’t understand it. “In our khandaan, we call cooks to our house to tickle our palates; nobody…
Sleek and glossy, Auma is the country cousin of interior store Oma next door, having the same owner. Quite as glamorous as Set’z, which has been, so far, the only restaurant in DLF Emporio. Auma may not have the grand scale of Set’z, but it does have classy interiors and surprisingly good food. It also…
There are not too many restaurants dedicated to Hyderabadi food anywhere in the country, and even fewer that are dedicated to royal Hyderabadi cuisine, which is so painstaking that it was more or less fated to wither into oblivion. All that remains in the city of its birth is a motley collection of unpretentious eateries…
The first trip I ever made to the olive growing world was to Andalusia in Southern Spain around five years ago. It was an eye opener. Along with 11 other media people from Canada, USA, Russia, Serbia, China and India, I visited olive groves, travelled through Andalusia’s trademark low hills covered with neat rows of…
Atmospherics: Most Gomantak/Mangalorean restaurants serving seafood are of the strictly no-nonsense variety. However, you cannot be in 1 Style Mile and still be no-nonsense, so the interiors (after a slightly grungy entrance) are stylish without being fussy. There’s an extremely popular terrace with gazebos, a small dining room and tables under the trees. Downstairs is…
Flavour is the motif of this brand new restaurant Set’z has a new sibling and it is at the Aman Hotel. On the Waterfront is centrally located; as well-appointed as the original with an identifiably different menu, with the same broad divisions. Atmospherics: You can opt to be seated in a different area every time…
No sooner than Chez Nini opened its doors, in another part of South Delhi is Rara Avis, with three partners, two of them French. Simple, fuss-free food without pretentious flourishes. Atmospherics: The second floor restaurant is approached by a typically Parisian lift with two grill doors that have to be opened and closed manually and…
There’s a certain X factor at work in restaurants. Some restaurants try hard and never achieve it; others are blessed with it from the day they open their doors. Set’z is an example of the latter category. It has good to great food, depending what cuisine you choose, it has good service and the décor…
