Last week I found myself in the land of the metal chopstick. I used to think of South Korea as Singapore-style city-state sandwiched between dimsum land and sushi heaven; it was somewhat of a surprise to discover a fairly big country stashed beneath the kimchi. The CIA (who tend to know these things) tells me... Continue Reading →
Bicycle Tales: Frostbite
I thought I'd covered all surprises in Mumbai, but distant Dahisar had more in store than I thought. After finishing off a particularly satisfying keema ghotala at Western Dhaba (next to the more famous but currently shuttered Dara) my eye fell on what looked like a howler of a misprint on the ice cream page... Continue Reading →
Bicycle Tales: A Belgian Bite
What would you say to a shop located on the blind side as you turn from Siddhi Vinayak to the more mundane parts of Prabhadevi? Cycling is a good cure to blindness; that's probably the only reason why I managed to stare at the completely unpronounceable name without killing anyone. Two minutes of stammering later... Continue Reading →
Bangalore Brunch
I landed in Bangalore starved from the early morning flight and a lack of breakfast, and was greeted straightaway with something I thought was uniquely Bangalore – a branded variant of filter coffee. Hatti Kaapi even did the whole meter coffee ritual, and handed me a perfectly acceptable filter kaapi; only the double steel containers... Continue Reading →
Cafe Cool
No one can accuse Cafe Zoe of being easy to locate. Embedded deep in the heart of Mathuradas Mills, the entrance tucked out of sight behind parked cars and the local omelette-pao place, Zoe tries very hard to be a 'find'. And succeeds. Push past the large door, and you are suddenly transported... Continue Reading →
Dalmore Dalliance
It was with some interest that I read the invitation Rushina had sent me. The text mentioned Dalmore, and I knew only two pieces of trivia about Dalmore. One was its owner - via Whyte and Mackay our very own Vijay Mallya – and second that someone had purchased in Singapore Duty Free a Dalmore... Continue Reading →
Bicycle Tales
Yesterday's ride, to a neighbourhood I had not visited in a while, threw up some interesting spots. Huffing away at my trusty bicycle, I ended up after a while at Yari Road, that part of Mumbai where Kolis still proudly live in villages and drying fish competes with filmstars for attention. Its also the new... Continue Reading →
Aunty Esme’s Potato Chop
Sunanda's mother Aunty Esme briefly tempted me off my diet with the most sinful combination of all that is not allowed; potatoes, meat and deep fry. With superhuman exercise of will, I restricted myself to just half but the drool covered the entire floor. The object of temptation was something that landed up from foreign... Continue Reading →
Indian Accents
Its always wonderful to find a hidden find, tucked away in hard to reach places but still worth reaching. One such was Indian Accent, a restaurant folded carefully into a nook in a gated community of quiet lanes and expensive bungalows. The Manor Hotel that houses the restaurant is itself a silent, comforting place with... Continue Reading →
Maratha Mandir
Back on the bicycle after ages (and still on my goodboy diet) I find myself speeding through the non-veg dens of Mahim towards safer vegetarian territory in the heart of Sena land - Dadar Shivaji Park - and a break at one of those rare places in Mumbai to serve Maharastrian food. Stuffed into a... Continue Reading →
The Well Fed Bong 