There’s a branch of desi food that has never received attention. Actually, it isn’t so surprising when you consider how much leg-work the research would involve: How Indian food has traveled beyond our shores. So if you go to Trinidad and Tobago, you’ll find buss up shut; go to Malaysia and every last food court…
To put it in a nutshell, the city of Bikaner was a destination waiting to happen. Quite apart from its position on the Jaipur-Jodhpur-Bikaner circuit, it has superb infrastructure for hotels, all the best ones being heritage homes, where real palaces have been converted. The oldest one is Lallgarh, followed by Laxmi Niwas and then…
Serving almost authentic Chinese An unpretentious dwarf in a giant’s playground Atmospherics: Chin Chin checks a few boxes simultaneously. It has been around ever since Sector 29 came into existence, but has always been resolutely under the radar, catering to loyalists. It does not have the authenticity of a China Club on the one hand,…
Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian and now Thai Serving Thai Atmospherics: The all-day dining at The Leela Ambience Gurgaon has a plethora of cuisines, all of which they manage to do with surprising panache. However, the pride of place must go to Chef Kanyaphat Faisai from Phuket. She is the latest chef to join the eclectic team…
First Number 8; now Number 31 Serving Breakfasts, Asian Atmospherics: The thin, long floor plan is a challenge for any interior designer and fortunately, Number 31 has concentrated on getting the nuts and bolts in place: comfortable chairs, adequately large tables and plug-points that are sprinkled generously around. Seating is on the first and second…
The first time I ever saw a saffron field, was in the autumn of 1987. It was a moonlit night and I was being driven back to Srinagar from Pahalgam. I had finished the last of my slide film in Pahalgam, and I sat back in the ageing Ambassador, smug that I had done a…
Gurgaon is in for a treat Serving: Peruvian inspired Atmospherics: In the spacious courtyard of One Horizon, a particular doorway buzzes incessantly with activity, and that is Whisky Samba. Maybe it is the name – an intriguing blend of an alcoholic beverage and a Latin American dance – or maybe it is the glorious sight…
Well-known chef, Michael Swamy blazes a new trail Serving: South American Atmospherics: At the heart of any restaurant is the menu, and at the heart of every menu is the novelty factor. Make it too exotic and you’ve lost the popular vote; keep it dumbed down and the cognoscenti stays away. Michael Swamy’s greatest achievement…
A feel (and taste) of Goa Serving: Goan (Catholic) Atmospherics: If there was a family-run restaurant anywhere in Goa, it would be a lot like Bernardo’s, now in its 14th year of operations! There are remarkably few eateries run by individuals in the NCR, perhaps because of the sheer tidal wave of paper work that…
Not a café, bar or restaurant. It’s a foodhall. Serving: Indian and western Atmospherics: Airy, bright with primary colours (the juice bar and dessert counter are positively radiant). Inside the main enclosure, cleverly broken up into open kitchens and seating spaces; chairs and sofas, you can order your entire meal at the table, or choose…