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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trippin on taste

the few shots of food that i found time to click with bini's new canon point and shoot which she bought exclusively for the trip because gatty took the camera with him to burma and missed me by a day when he got back :( hence, shooting food was not primary on my list of things to do this time.

until someone called me this morning about my food classes and i suddenly remembered that i did have a blog about food, no matter how lifeless it is at present.i also remembered that i did have some food pictures from the trip - old habits die hard, good camera or no. i also happen to have difficulty sleeping tonight so i thought what better way to keep myself entertained than give you guys a glimpse of the ... partay in our mouths!

a polished plate of spinach canneloni 

only at Magic Italy, which wouldn't have been so magical if it wasn't for the beautiful (yes, beautiful) Ricardo...but then my girlfriends would know more about that. 

remember i was in mommy mode so i just concentrated on the 'beautiful' food and behaved myself! :)

spaghetti pesto at h20 at agonda beach

what is it with me and italian food?

pan asian sauces

mini falafels at abc farms,pune

it's strange coming from a darj girl 

but i'm not a big fan of momos...it applies to both eating and cooking them

however, i still had to make some for my friend's friends in pune

which surprisingly i ate a lot because they turned out to be delish...:)

truth be told, i think it was because of my different and experimental (read totally awesome) stuffing !

golden fries - a lil bit o junk never hurteth anyone

piri piri chicken

masala prawns 
which i am told, did not hit the spot for my friend who ordered it.

top hats at malaka spice - very healthy. period.

the remnant insides of some frothy drink

a sauce with sauce - whoever said, an ounce of sauce covers a multitude of sins, is probably right ?

no unfinished business this

some gleaming mushroom dish which i cannot remember the name of - the after effects of too many mojitos!

choco chip muffin...airport snack

a nameless kiwi crush drink 
which looks harmless but is potentially potent - the sole reason why i can't give it a name!

  

my morning cuppa jo

potato satay

a very sweet chocolate drink at a wayward cafe in gokarna

a cottage cheese and tomato stuffed parota at mango tree.

the german couple beside me politely asked me about what i was eating 
because to them it looked gorgeous...(really ?)

i just had to ask them to dig in and take a bite...my way of letting them know that, ' it ain't that great!'

i think they went for the cashew curry like concoction after that

well, some things just have to be pointed out, albeit choice of means. :P

there is something incredibly wonderful about drinking in the afternoon with girlfriends - a bottle of valonne chenin blanc in this case - over fashion magazines, gossip and soul searching, in that order !

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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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Have you ever seen anything like this before?

You're wrong if you think this is a flower although it does not remotely resemble one.

It's the Great White Dalle from the plains of Nepal that my dad brought home from one of his trips.

Not as potent as what we are used to this side of the Himalayas but equally flavorsome and aromatic. 


Hell yea, i took a bite!

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