The days of eating like a pig and eating pretty much everything i wanted were slowly and cruelly coming to an end. Everyday i looked at my waistline and cringed, while my training shoes lay in a heap in the corner guiltily ignored. Tomorrow is another day, became my motto.

So on the last day that dawned in Bangalore, i forced Solo and Carol to come out with me for a continental dinner because i so desperately needed to eat cheese and pasta with loads of butter before time ran out! 

Actually i had been forcing them to do that pretty much from the day i arrived but they couldn't make time since they have an adorable nine month old son at home, Dylan who needs constant attention and Solo works long hours.However, i wasn't one for giving up. I pestered them every single day until they finally had to relent. They needed a break too for crissakes....I'm scrappy that way...yes, i am!

 my brother - solo, the turk

 love and light

So we went to this place called Benitos that Carol suggested which is just about five minutes from their home so that she could quickly drive back if needed. 

That's what i liked about Bangalore. There are so many places to go and so many places to eat without venturing too far. Your neighborhood has everything. I miss that in Darj but i guess that's how cities are and i haven't lived in one for a long, long time.

Needless to say, we ate like pigs!

 i could see many africans in blore and koreans, iranians etc - the more the merrier!

 solo explains his feelings about a good steak and caro listens 

creamy chicken and leek soup

mango smoothie

chicken stroganoff

beef steak with hot pepper gravy

farmhouse pie

penne in alfredo sauce - not that great but that's alright... i can always eat my own cooking some other time :) modesty...say what now?

the place

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Bangalore Bites - Part 2

An old friend and a Korean dinner 

Meeting Priscy in Bangalore brought back fond memories of the many, many years i have known her which dates right back to school until now. Although much has changed in our lives,nothing has changed between us. It was great to catch up over Korean food at Soo Ra Sang at Airport Road in Bangalore.

She chose the place because both of us wanted to try Korean food, me not owing to the sudden emergence of Korean pop culture in our parts or all over the world for that matter; her reasons are another matter altogether. She's a huge fan, i find out, of all things Korean ( read films, TV series, movie stars, even music, food - in that order)

 

View from the top

She chose this place due to its online reviews and a wise choice it was because we loved the food although we were a little apprehensive while riding the elevator to the rooftop where the restaurant is, which read ' don't open lift till land fully ' among other signs. We did not, of course.

Soo ra sang is small and family run and it looked to me almost like a pop up restaurant with decor and furniture that is quite simple, minimal and not too over the top. It could have been a hole in the wall but those are truly the best kind of places with the best kind of food, isn't it?

 and then some

Service is fast and friendly except for the Dragon Lady who did not let us click photographs of the place but was very gracious with the food. I hope she does not read this review. 

She did give us her best table which according to her, is their family table.

Our food was served with Oksusu Cha which is an authentic roasted corn drink. It tasted nice and reminded us of satua. Next came the Soju, a potent Korean drink which looked like Saki to me , and then the many, many accompaniments and side dishes which i can't remember the names of because the soju had already done its duty by me. But they were all delicious and exactly how i like my food to be - light, delicate and fresh.

The kimchi gets a special mention because it was quite tasty and extra points to the attendant for coming over to the table and personally shredding it for us.

   a shot of sparkling soju...

For the main course we had Kim Bob, Beef stir fry, Pork red stir fry and Dol Sot Bidimbap.

Kim Bob is like a vegetarian sushi filled with rice and veggies wrapped in nori and dol sot bidimbap is a stone pot rice served warm topped with vegetables and a chilli pepper paste, served with a fried egg.

 kimchi being administered at our table

 we hastily make a go for it

 pork red chilli stir fry

 kim bob - rice and veggies wrapped in nori

 bidimbap - stone pot rice

 beef, pork and accompaniments

priscy risks the dragon lady's wrath to pose for a picture for me so that i can give you guys a glimpse of the restaurant!!

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The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Cafe - Calcutta

It's always fun to explore a city, even if it is in the confines of a mall, when you have food on your mind. It was a surprisingly cool day in early August when I stepped into Forum, the Mall in Calcutta to grab a late light lunch for Zy and me. I went for the Veggie Lasagna and Zy, the Crusty Chicken Sandwich and we both dug into the Sticky Toffee Cheesecake with equal gusto at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Cafe. The food is tasty enough, more like grab-on-the-go fare but the best part about the place was this huge mug of coffee - dark, rich, aromatic, distinctive and Columbian, exactly what one needs after having spent an entire afternoon trying to meet the demands of a super energetic eight year old boy.

Of course, I forgot to photograph that one...

By the way, did i mention the slice of heaven?

half eaten toffee cheese cake

veggie lasagna

crusty chicken sandwich with coleslaw

The Coffee Bean &Tea Leaf Cafe is a Southern Californian coffee and tea retailer since 1963. It is the largest privately-held specialty coffee and tea outfit. Their coffee is always freshly roasted on a daily basis in small batches to meet the needs of the customer.

“Am I tough? Am I strong? Am I hard-core? Absolutely.
Did I whimper with pathetic delight when I sank my teeth into my hot fried-chicken sandwich? You betcha.”
― James Patterson

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Full Moon Cafe - Havelock

Island Vinnie's in the tiny island of Havelock in the Andamans, is where its at. I mean not just the Full Moon Cafe but the whole experience of a wild, hip, roughing it out, tropical,on the beach kind of life. This is the spot for divers in the island and people flock from all over the world to experience the secrets of the ocean with them. And this was where I had originally booked us into. But I changed my mind later on second thought and canceled it because I realized that although I was ready for the wild and hip tropical beach life, I still wasn't ready to rough it out. So eventually I decided that I would go to Island Vinnie's not to stay but only to eat at the Full Moon Cafe which delightfully came highly recommended.

And imagine more delight to this already delighted self when I heard that the head chef was from Nepal. It took me a moment of deep self-control to stop myself from clapping in further delight. And that is the story behind why I chose to eat a Thali on my first lunch at the Full Moon Cafe. I usually don't eat food that reminds me of home when I eat out because it just doesn't make any sense at all. I would stay at home if I want to eat home styled food,is my argument. But I couldn't resist the urge to know what a Thali prepared by a Nepali chef would taste like in Havelock. Would it have Nepali infused flavors was my curiosity.

It didn't but it was subtle and I think was a marked effort of delicate restrain from over-spicing and over-tempering the curries which was a welcome cry, far from the heavy and rich Indian Thalis that I have tasted so far. Which is why I went back and had it a second time the next day. 

The Full Moon Cafe became my favorite place to go, eat fresh, light food from around the world (Umm, I tried the Mediterranean Platter yet again which had Hummus and even Babaganoush), drink a couple of chilled and just relax with a book in the cafe or doze on the beach.


And I also really like them for the Anti - Plastic campaign which they have initiated in Havelock. Can we not pollute more beaches please? 

Fresh Papaya Juice - a daily staple

Fish n Chips

Silken Garlic Aioli

Falafels dripping with fresh Tahini

Part of the Mediterranean Platter - Babaganoush with roasted peanut garnish in the middle

Following my bliss...

My Hummus Recipe 


So today I am making hummus for you guys which was a huge hit in Petrichor (sniff!sniff!) and a daily staple to snack on for us. I still make it once in a while for Zy when he wants something 'tasty' to dip his carrots in. 


Ingredients
it sure is some of the best flavors in the world combined

cayenne pepper and roasted cumin powder

dry parsley( because fresh ones are not available in Darj) . boiled and strained chickpeas

lemon and garlic 

olive oil and natural plain yogurt

homemade tahini

and

salt 

Here's what i do :

Soak chickpeas overnight.

Boil them with salt and leave them aside with some remaining chickpea juice.

Dry roast the garlic and cumin seeds and grind the latter to a fine powder. You can use store bought cumin powder as well but i like to prepare it this way because the flavors are more rich to taste.

Next, i  make my homemade tahini. There's nothing much to it. Just dry roast your sesame seeds in a thick bottomed pan until it starts giving out its musky roasted aroma and turns slightly brown. Take it off the heat and blend it in a blender with a big splash of olive oil. You can add salt for flavor and some lemon juice if you want. But i keep it plain because i add the seasoning fresh when i'm actually making the main dish.

Now put the chickpeas with the juice, yogurt, roasted garlic and cumin in the blender and mix until a smooth and creamy texture is formed.

 Mix in the tahini and pour all contents in to a bowl. 

Add the cayenne pepper, lemon juice, salt, parsley and fold them in to the mixture. Top it with loads of flavorful extra virgin olive oil.

Serve the hummus with anything - it's healthy, it's light and will just about make anyone's day!!

Enjoy...

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