When you’re walking by a pastry shop, chances are that science and art are the last things on your mind. However, it’s the permutations and combinations of these two elements that go to make dream desserts, decadent cakes or eye-popping pastries, to say nothing of creamy confectionery. And ask the army of pastry chefs in…
If Jaipur is the Pink City and Udaipur the City of Lakes, how can Jaisalmer not be the Golden City? Every edifice, from its fort downwards is made of the same golden sandstone, known in the rest of the world as Jaisalmer stone. Perhaps it’s fortunate that Jaisalmer’s airport has little, if any, civilian traffic.…
Claridges Suraj Kund has a singular distinction: it is the only five star deluxe hotel in and around Faridabad. Far from being smug about it, the hotel tries hard to walk the fine balance between keeping its standards high and catering to the local palate. Oasis, the all-day dining area of the hotel is a…
Most restaurants are just that: commercial establishments, where a manager escorts you to your seat and a disinterested waiter takes you through the menu. Real estate in the NCR being what it is, no individual with a flair for cooking can ever hope to open a restaurant. There are very few exceptions to this rule:…
“Never change a winning formula” goes the conventional wisdom and certainly the current formula at Zanotta seems to be working well for the Leela Kempinski Gurgaon. It is billed as an Italian restaurant, has its own wine library, is open only for dinner and was crowded to capacity on a Monday evening. On the other…
It was a Sunday night, the elegant restaurant in Ashok Hotel was packed to capacity. There were at least half a dozen five year olds on the premises and they were all making a beeline for my table because I was sitting near the fish pond that runs the length of the restaurant. The kids…
A houseboat holiday As the setting sun turned the sky first golden and then rose, the waters of the Dal reflected the multitude of tints. Other shikaras were darkly silhouetted against the sun’s rays, and I supposed my own shikara was too. My shikarawallah sang a mournful ditty that made up in gloom what it…
It’s my pet theory that you can never really have explored a new destination till you’ve seen its market. It was with that in mind that I set off to the floor above the local taxi stand in Gangtok. Extreme pressure on real estate and not much in the way of flat land means that…
The best part about Delhi’s dining scene is the side of the road segment where you can dine like a king without leaving the comfort of your car. Usually two people can dine for a three figure sum. The Final Frontier is a take-off from that concept. It is on the side of a road:…
“Why don’t you use them in a raita?” That was Jan Bilton in New Zealand, giving me tips on how I could cook with kiwi fruits. And no, unlike the five percent of the Kiwi population that is of Indian origin, Jan Bilton has no desi blood. Neither, for the record, has she visited India.…