Posts in Events/Reviews
The Man from Mylapore
For connoisseurs of South Indian food, and that definitely excludes the typical idli-dosa mindset, Dakhsin, the speciality south Indian restaurant across ITC properties in India, to me, defines excellence and the diversity that can be the hallmark of food in the states south of the Vindhyas. Dakshin has traditional home-style... more
Read moreBas Jalsaa!
I spent the first five years of this new (and current) millennium at Ahmedabad in Gujarat. It took us (me & my husband) a while to get used to the sweet and spicy mostly-vegetarian cuisine, but when we did, we took to it like a fish to water. Simple, understated... more
Read moreGlorious Repast from the Past
‘Culinary Retreat Afore 1947’ said the invite from Trident Hyderabad and I was initially a bit baffled by the Shakespearean English, especially the ‘afore’ bit. Not that I was ever in doubt about the food because Kanak, (Trident’s Indian speciality restaurant and which the executive chef Manik Magotra holds very... more
Read moreA Sublime Pouring & Pairing!
Sheraton Hyderabad, located in the swish Financial District of Gachibowli, celebrated its first anniversary very recently, so its pretty much still the new kid on the block, as far as the growing community of five star hotels in the city is concerned. While Sheraton’s unique F&B offering is their pan-Asian... more
Read moreAn Assamese Awakening
Assamese cuisine has been an vastly unexplored entity on my palate, apart from the one meal which I had been invited to by my journalist friend Purba Kalita years ago, which had a couple of Assamese specials, including one of its best-known dishes, Maasor Tenga, a sour fish curry. What... more
Read moreRome Meets Paris
Tuscany, the Italian speciality restaurant at Trident Hyderabad, is one of those seriously elegant and yet warm, well-lit and cosy dining destinations in Hyderabad, which manage to cap your dining experience with an unique feel-good quotient. An ongoing food promotion, titled Rome Meets Paris, showcased two of the most splendid... more
Read moreThai Me Up!
Oriental Bar & Kitchen at Park Hyatt Hyderabad, for me, sets the benchmark for pan Asian fine dining in the city, so when there is an ongoing Pop Up series with chefs visiting from Hyatt properties across the globe, and you have an invite to an interactive session with the... more
Read more“Malaysia, Truly Asia”
Malaysian cuisine is considered a melting pot of various influences, Thai, Indian and Chinese, not to forget Indonesian, Dutch, Portugese and British. My tryst with it had been the occasional visit to Awana and New Town Cafe, two Malay restaurants in Hyderabad (both unfortunately cease to exist, thanks to this... more
Read moreGuftagu Dobaara
The year 2002 was path-breaking for the ITC group of hotels, with the “Guftagu” (conversation in Urdu) workshop held at ITC Maurya, New Delhi. Master chefs from across pan Indian ITC properties did some brainstorming for four days focussing attention on some legendary kebabs from Lashkari (Lal Qila) Peshawri and... more
Read moreCrouching Tiger, (No) Hidden Dragon
Chinese food in India, largely a legacy of Chinatown in Kolkata, goes by the moniker of Tangra Chinese and is one of the most popular comfort foods, being high in flavour and lighter on the palate (and the digestive system!) than most Indian foods. Since the Chinese community is Hakka... more
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