Tripping on coffee in Melbourne

For a South Indian who's grown up on a staple diet of filter coffee ('kapi' for those in the mood to nitpick), it's difficult to shake me from my preference for how it's made the traditional way. I can't stand the instant variety and my biggest peeve (come to think of it, probably my only peeve) about travelling is not getting my morning cuppa. But that's not to say I won't taste any other kind. In fact, I am quite enthusiastic about tasting and have even come to relish a few, though for sheer comfort, it's always the filter coffee. But I digress. So on a cloudy, slightly nippy Saturday morning, I went on a coffee tour in Melbourne with Maria Paoli of Evolving Success, gazing at quirky and unusual cafes, and came away fascinated and impressed. Not to mention of course that I was so loaded up on caffeine, I could bounce around for a whole week. Oh well...

Padre Coffee which leads Melbourne's new wave coffee movement and their beautifully creamy, rich and invigorating coffee below.

The Hardware Societe, a yuppie hangout where the queue usually goes round the block, especially during weekends.

Krimper, (above) located in a warehouse kind of place banked on the place's history as a cabinet factory, was utterly cool and their 10 hour cold drip brew (below) served with a large blob of ice had the finesse of vintage liquor.

I got a glimpse of the cold brew process at the quirky Little Mule Cafe.

It was also quite a surprise to stumble across a cafe called Brother Baba Budan; the lush, green slopes of Bababudangiri and Chickmagalur came to mind.

But the most endearing experience was a day later at Heronswood Garden, just outside Melbourne, where the coffee was nice and rich, served in a set of bright mismatched cup and saucer and came with that most English of things - fluffy scones with clotted cream and blueberry jam. This is the stuff of complete bliss!

High on food at The Fatty Bao

One of the most funky places to open in Bangalore in recent times, The Fatty Bao epitomises the city in a way. My review in the September issue of India Today Travel Plus. 

Four days of food and wine revelry in Noosa

Courtesy: Tourism and Events Queensland 

Any Masterchef Australia fan will tell you one of the most enduring images from the series has been the incredible and fantastic creations of the endearing Adriano Zumbo. So one of the first things that caught my eye was the chef list at the 11th Noosa International Food and Wine Festival this year (May 15-18) where Zumbo along with the suave Neil Perry will be the stars among an equally long list of acclaimed chefs.

Courtesy: Tourism and Events Queensland 

 For four days, this little resort and beach town North of Brisbane will be the cynosure of all eyes, or at least those who have a thing for their food and wine. Charming and pretty, Noosa can easily pass for one of those picture-postcard scenes, but it has much more going for it. Over the last decade it has gathered the most discerning gourmet and gourmand and evolved into the Sunshine Coast’s food capital with fantastic restaurants. 

Courtesy: Tourism and Events Queensland 

At the helm of this reputation is the four-day festival, where over 250 chefs, producers and winemakers will gather. What makes this festival a bit different is the fact that music and entertainment is an integral part and renowned entertainers also form an important part of the line-up for the festival. So much so that the festival will open with Foodie Fandango, the opening concert where food will be served to the accompaniment of music performed by the inimitable Queensland Virtuosi Orchestra. From there, it is one whirlwind of delectable food, wine and mind-blowing entertainment. 

Visitors can choose to pack their days with a number of things such as river and hinterland food trails which include such eclectic items as strawberries, cheese and even nougat, lifestyle lunches, riverside high-teas, picnics and wine masterclasses among other things.

For a break in the festival, visitors can also choose to head out to the scenic mountain villages of Montville and Maleny, colourful markets or stretch out on one of the many beaches and let the sun and sea work their magic. It’s a combo that is potent and alluring and I can hardly wait for it to get underway. 

Dining with the ghosts of Bach, Mendelssohn and Goethe

Leipzig in Germany's Saxony is both trendy and rich in history, especially the musical kind. Underneath one of the trendiest shopping areas is a huge basement restaurant, Auerbach's Keller, which has been in existence in some form for over 400 years and was once a watering hole frequented by musical geniuses Bach, Mendelssohn, Wagner and where Goethe was inspired to create Faustus. All about it in the November issue of India Today Travel Plus. 

Getting high on Japanese food and whisky

Two hours, four courses of delectable Japanese food, whisky cocktails and smooth whiskys at the elegantly simple Edo in ITC Gardenia.  What’s not to like about that? 

Chilean sea bass 

Whimsically titled Japan Debate on a Plate, diners are offered two sets of menus – a traditional set by resident masterchef Sensei Kikuta San and a contemporary take on Japanese food by Masterchef Vikramjit Roy from Pan Asian, ITC Grand Chola, Chennai.

Both menus have veg and non-veg options for each course. But here’s the thing: you don’t have to stick to one menu for the entire meal but can switch back and forth between the courses. And then there’s the pairing of Johnnie Walker whisky with each course. Priced at Rs 4000 plus taxes the feast is on till Sunday for dinner. 

Salmon with melon confit - science experiment?

Sashimi and nigiri sushi

The presentation is elegant, whimsical and even a bit overwhelming at times, like the salmon with confit melon with miso cheese, bubuarare and corn mash. Mouthful as that sounds, it came to the table in a long, narrow plate like a science experiement complete with ink-dropper. Or the edamame soup which burst on the tongue with its accompaniment of truffle foam. A slew of sashimi and nigiri sushi lay on a thick bed of ice crystals, with fresh and clean flavours. Simple and elegant, black cod with sweet miso was endearing with its flavours while the Chilean sea bass did the same with its complexity.

 The cocktails

Accompanying these were a seaweed based cocktail that was mild, but a melon-coloured one was deliciously deceptive as the wasabi it was laced with left a spicy high in aftermath. Among the others, the Platinum was so smooth, I could understand why its fans go in raptures. 

Both desserts, Johnnie Walker XR 21 poached pear and dora yaki with matcha ice cream, were good but a surprise platter of ice cream and 60 per cent single origin chocolate brought about a sinfully indulgent end to the meal.       

BACK FROM HIBERNATION
After a long, long hiatus, this blog is trying to take on a new life. I have tasted so many different things in so many different places and it seems tragic that only a minuscule part of it gets into print. So this effort is to not only to put what's printed out there but also to write about the many little and large experiences.

Pigging out in Spain 

Restaurant Duque in Segovia (left) and its famous dish

There was hushed silence in the room. Very few things can induce such perfect silence amongst a dozen,
normally boisterous diners, but before them was one of such few things. A bit to the side was a smaller table and this is what held the diners in thrall. On it sat a roasted suckling pig in a large platter. That alone should not have been much of a spectacle, since it is a common enough dish in Spain, but this was in Segovia, at the Restaurante Duque, a restaurant founded in 1895, which adhered to certain traditions that ruled the carving of the pig. And hence the silence. Armed with a prettily decorated ceramic dinner plate, the Chef stood for a moment and then expertly used the plate as a carving instrument, strategically thrusting it into the pig and cutting it into segments. But that was not all: once done, he flung the plate onto the floor where it shattered into tiny pieces. “And that is how it is done in Segovia,” he said with a flourish.

Blood sausage with fava beans




                                     


                                                

I stood mesmerised by the drama and theatrics that went with what would have otherwise been just roast pork.I thought I would be queasy, but the panache, elegance and flair with which it was done put me more in the mind of an artist than anything else. Moreover, having just seen Segovia’s biggest attractions – the imposing Roman Aquaduct and the Alcazar, which became the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Cinderella castle and subsequently the company’s logo, I was not sure which was more fascinating. Not such a great pork fan myself, I preferred the other famous dish of the region, roast lamb, served in large ceramic shallow bowl, the tender meat accompanied by a fragrant gravy.

    Drinking wine, porron-style       

Earlier, I had tasted some of the unique sausages of the region, jamon, accompanied by red wine drunk in a unique vessel called porron, a cross between a jug and a watering can, which is shared among all those around the table. It made for an interesting exercise, with lots of hits and many more misses. For safety, we were advised to tuck table napkins tucked into the collars, to avoid the spectacle to having to explain the deep red stains down the shirt front. At the end of it, I came away with another culinary experience that promised to stay for long. 

Ummm....molecular gastronomy in Sydney!

Foie gras

This has been a long time coming. But the experience was too great to pass up. It’s the beautiful Four Seasons hotel in Sydney overlooking the lovely Sydney Harbour bridge and the stunning pearly white Opera House. And the restaurant is Kables, their signature restaurant. It was my first introduction to ‘molecular gastronomy.’ For me molecular gastronomy conjured up images of Anthony Bourdain’s show ‘No Reservations’ and it was an episode, I think, on Ferran Adria (of El Bulli fame) and carrot foam. (His famous words: “For the first time in my life, I am inhaling my food,” or something to that effect, but I chortled). Back to Kables. The meal lasted more than three hours. Course after course (don’t ask me what they were: each was so good to look at and to eat, and I was going ‘Ummm’ to many times that I promptly forgot their names) arrived at the table, was admired and quickly imbibed.

Sorbet

But some things really stick out in memory. Like the pasta made of chicken stock, champagne sorbet and light as rain foie gras. I can go ‘ummmm’ all over again. I can’t remember dessert, but the pre-dessert thingy sticks out: served on a little ceramic tile, it looked like a perfect bulls’ eye, but was in fact a clever assemblage of beaten yogurt and mango pulp. Oh yes, ummm.

Pre-dessert

But the highlight: the chef coming over to the table and demonstrating cooking with liquid nitrogen – it turned bread pieces crumbly, and they just melted on the tongue. The things chefs do !!

Cooking with liquid nitrogen !

When a restaurant runs out of gas......

This has got to be the most hilarious restaurant story, though at that time, it was anything but hilarious. I am a big Chinese food fan and I recently dragged hubby to a place that I insisted was fantastic. For some reason, perhaps because it was a weekday, the restaurant was deserted. And we were glad to have it to ourselves. A smiling waiter took our order: a starter and main course and left us alone in an already deserted restaurant. Meanwhile, we drank thirstily from the mineral water bottle he had supplied. For almost 15-20 minutes, there was no sign of anybody. And then the waiter came back, a very sheepish look on his face. “Sorry, but we can give you only the starter,” he said. We were confused. “The main course we ordered is not available?” we asked. “It’s not that: there’s enough gas to cook only the starter,” he supplied. For a moment, the two of us resembled gold fish in an aquarium: mouths opening and closing in stupefaction. While anger and amazement fought to overpower each other, we decided to just leave and asked for a bill for the water. And we got it: a Rs 50 bill for a Rs 12 bottle of water ! Hungry and furious, we offered to pay only the price on the bottle. Finally, a hassled manager decided to put in an appearance and offered to waive the bill; we did better and just left behind the half-full bottle. A few weeks later, I happened to go back to the restaurant, having ascertained that it had all the supplies. Sadly, both food and service have gone down the tube. And no, my previous experience did not colour my views!

Cuisine from the land of Genghis Khan and Tamburlaine

I had heard so much about Samarkand, on Infantry Road, that I was beginning to fear the expectation would outstrip the reality. But I am glad to say that was not the case. Hidden towards the back of a huge building, Samarkan’s location could be a classic case of blink-and-miss, if not for wide-eyed vigilance. At first glance, the restaurant seemed to be a poky place, and my spirits started to dip. But I quickly realised the initial feeling was probably because the subdued lighting inside was in complete contrast to the bright daylight outside. The restaurant is quite spacious, and done up in a quaint Northwest frontier sytle with faux torches and ambience.

The menu, (pix above) in the form of tabloid newspaper sheets, has interesting tid-bits of information about the name, the region and the cuisine. I was a little amused with the long, coloured breadsticks served at the table as soon as we were seated, but the food was lip-smackingly delicious. We tried tandoori salad, an Afghani fish starter, lamb biriyani, Dal Afghani, rotis and saffron rice. And I must say, every dish was lovely. I loved both the rice dishes – the biriyani was full of the gentle aromas of the spices and the tender lamb; the saffron rice was so delicately flavoured that it could be eaten without any accompaniment. The rotis were soft and fluffy and the dal, flavourful. I quite enjoyed the experience – do check it out.

A new convert to Sushi

I have never been a fan of Sushi. Well, that’s until The Sushi Book turned up in my post over the weekend. Published by ThingsAsian and written by Celeste Heiter, with some delicious photography by Marc Schultz, the book disabused me of some of the misconceptions I have harboured about Japanese food. I now know that Sushi does not mean raw fish and there’s really no need for chopsticks (my biggest challenge !!) to eat Sushi; that there’s Sushi with cooked meat and even vegetarian Sushi ! (Oh yes, you are permitted to roll your eyes at my ignorance).

I loved the book, and not just for the mouthwatering pictures (a couple are reproduced here). It is lucid, informative and almost makes you head to the nearest Japanese restaurant. I am guessing that’s the intention of the book, and does achieve its goal. Any cuisine is so much a statement about the culture it originates from, and the book provides really good insights into various aspects of Japanese tradition and culture. Next on my agenda is checking out all that’s in the book. There’s Dahlia and Harima in Bangalore – await my feedback from one them in a short while!

Fries for all seasons

Goa is like one big party – I know that’s as clichéd as they come. But it surely is, especially as it begins to get dark. And it doesn’t really end till the wee hours. I had heard a lot about Tito’s, but could not go this time as well. However, I was introduced to another lovely place, called Britto’s, which is also in Baga. More a trendy restaurant, than a partying place, it is extremely popular. With candlelit tables stretching almost to the water’s edge and lovely music in the background, Britto’s is the place for a romantic dinner for twosome or for a boisterous group to chill after a hectic day. What’s more, the service is quite quick, which is more than what I can say of most other places in Goa !! The food is yummy – superb steaks, continental, Chinese and Indian food. I especially liked the fries, which were more like the American homemade variety rather than Mac – chunky, golden, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Verrrrrrry nice !!

Kid in a candy store !!

‘Like a kid in a candy store’ had never done anything to my imagination. Partly because, I did not have much of a sweet tooth. But that was until I went to a candy store on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. And then I understood why the phrase, and why even sane, normal human beings can go ga-ga. It’s not as if I hadn’t been to one before. A cute one on Champs de Elysees in Paris and one in Berlin had opened my eyes to this fascinating world, but it was just that – fascination. The one in SF however, catapulted me altogether to a different level. The store itself was designed artistically, a rather retro-look, with barrels of overflowing goodies. But it was sheer mind-numbing variety, of candies and chocolates of every size, shape and colour that boggled the mind. I came away with so many even though I had no idea what I would do with them, but I just could not help myself. Like a kid in a candy store, alright !!

Soul food at Quilon, the Queen's neighbour

To me, London is always a fascinating place. And the only place I never tire of going back to. It is also the place where one never gets homesick. One of the things that keep homesickness at bay is the lovely Quilon restaurant, a stone’s throw from the Queen’s residence, the Buckingham Palace. A Taj property, Quilon is elegant and unostentatious. But it is the food that scores. It specialises in Indian coastal food, but with a Continental twist where presentation is concerned. The mini dosa comes on a narrow place with a conical little dosa in the middle flanked by chutney and curry; the seafood combo appetiser is delicately flavoured and brings back memories of cool, coastal evenings; and the humble kesari bhath is transformed by its elegant setting. Fish and chicken combos, with parathas or appams, mildly flavoured lemon and tamarind rice – all constitute the main course. An enduring favourite is the mango curry, eaten with plain rice.

Quilon is not pretentious about its recipes and will gladly give printouts to anybody who’s interested. Chef Sriram Aylur (pic below), a Taj veteran, has done a fantastic job and the results are there for all to see. Quilon is packed most days and patrons include many Bond protagonists, tennis star Roger Federer, British celebrities, visiting Indian VIPs and the like.

Chocolate ahoy! World's tallest chocolate fountain

There’s decadence and then there’s mind numbing decadence. And there’s only one place for the latter – Las Vegas. And yet, there’s nothing gross about it. Paradox, did you say ? Well, that’s Las Vegas. Take the magnificently designed and built Hotel Bellagio. Apart from the beautiful umbrella chandelier at the entrance, the glittering mirror-work horse in the lobby, the Oriental-styled garden in the middle and water curtained Sensi restaurant, Bellagio is home to the world’s largest chocolate fountain. That’s right, a chocolate fountain. Forget the teeny-weeny ones you might have seen in candy stores. This one, designed by the Bellagio’s executive pastry chef Jean-Phillippe Maury, is a whopping 27 feet tall and is made up of gooey liquid chocolate ranging in colour from the luscious white to the richest dark and a few shades in between. Sadly, it is all encased in glass, so no chocoholic can have a swipe at it. To stand in front of it and watch the thick liquid making its way from top to bottom is a mesmerising experience and provides the same high as downing the sinful stuff !!

Sizzlers galore

Tangerine on 100 ft road, Indiranagar, has always been a favourite place. It is a dedicated sizzler place and lays out a spread that is decidedly the best. I went there recently, and the place only reinforced my bias towards it. The staff is most courteous, but it would be nothing without the lipsmacking food that Tangerine dishes out. Though it serves starters, soups, salads and even north Indian food, the sizzlers are what you should have here.

Mixed seafood grill

Skewered vegetables

What always gives me the kicks are the dips which have unique ingredients like red wine and spiked cocktail. Batter-fried prawns are heavenly and potato skins give potatoes a whole new meaning. As for the sizzlers, they are pure bliss. Check out the skewered vegetables, mixed seafood grill, Cajun chicken and many many more. To round off a great meal (if you can handle it, that is) try the chocolate mousse, which is sinfully rich, smooth and deeply satisfying. Yummy!!

A gastronomic welcome to foodies !

People say they can remember what they wanted to do or become ever since they can remember. I don't know about that, but this much I can say with confidence - I was a foodie ever since I can remember. And tried out new recipes ever since I was given permission to use the kitchen. Oh, and not to forget, my enormous appetite for collecting cook and food books !! It was always a given that friends asked for suggestions on where to eat or for recipes, especially quick fixes. But being a journalist and writer, writing on food was something I did not want to get into, since I did lots of writing anyway. But now, my passion for writing on food is as strong as the food itself. So here I am, sharing notes on places I eat, new cuisines I try, unusual dishes and eateries and even the occasional recipe. I am making no tall claims, have no illusions or pretensions - just a fun thing that I want to share. I hope you enjoy reading what I write as much as I enjoy eating and cooking.