UNO – Pondy !!!

It’s been a long time since we had an all boys day(s) out.  And Pondicherry seemed like a great option. With lots of ins and outs, before the final list of members could be finalized. The final list counted six and there it was.  At least something was decided on .. Next up the vehicle. All along we had decided that we take a different vehicle to the ones we own. And after a few calls to the car folks , we were able to get a nice red Toyota Innova 2.5G for ourselves from Carzonrent.**
 

 On second thoughts, six were just right for the car, given the increased waist sizes of all folks over the past few years.

At 7 am on the morning of 20^th August , we started off with Deepak and  I. Pavan and Ravi were picked up next and finally ended up at Prathap’s house.  All had a great cup of tea at his place and went ahead to get out of town, but not before finally picking up Mithun from somewhere in South Bangalore.

It was a nice sunny morning and we were all settled in the car and were cruising at top speed, looking forward to a great three days ahead. We had to stop at the Tamil Nadu check post for a permit. It’s a pretty hassle free process unless you choose to listen the other white-uniform clad chauffeurs, who think no yellow board cars will be given permits unless the driver is clad in white!

Driving for about an hour, suddenly  the only thing on everyone’s mind was FOOD!

 Breakfast – some idli-vadas, dosas and stuff .. Finally we reached a Kamat Hotel on the highway, thanks to Mithun’s somewhat weary memory .. Once there everyone just got busy doing what they do best – STUFF yourself !! At the end when we finally got up, the bill was a cool ~600 ruppees, that’s 100 rs of bfast per head at a mere highway hotel ..

The first stop was Krishnagiri, approx 90 kms from Bangalore. At this Pondicherryint you need to take a detour to the right and go through some really bad patch of road for some 20kms before you hit a better patch of road. This is a more like a state highway and remains so for the next 200 kms, before getting  extremely  well for the last 30kms before Pondicherry.

Unfortunately Mithun gets to drive for the worst stretch and then Pavan and me alternatively drive all the way till Pondicherry.

Chinni's lime pickle - A life saver!

Nothing spectacular about the drive except a few things : (may not be in chronological order)

•                 People play a lot of the ‘UNO’ card game. Deepak and Ravi never win and Prathap cheats a lot and wins !( but of course as usual no one can figure out how he is cheating)
•                 We stop to get small sachets of lime pickle and some sprite. We already have a Black and white in the car and the rest of the story is left to the imagination of the readers and those well versed in what this kind of combination usually means.
•                 Pavan is declared as a not so Dr****** friendly driver because of his ever so stylish, swerving and swaying driving style. Prathap takes the lead for this problem and announces when is a great time to take a SIP, as soon as Pavan hits a straight patch of road.
•                 We pass through many small towns inside Tamil Nadu. And all of them look equally dirty and dusty with the people having absolute zero road sense.. This made the folks from North Karnataka very nostalgic!! (if you know what I mean !!)

                Then comes lunch.. We pass all the so called Dhabas, with some having names as ‘Sri Manjunatha Thaba and hotel’ , which did not sound quite authentic for a Dhaba, did they ? But then we would be fools to expect a proper Dhaba in the middle of TamilNadu. Anyway we eventually stop at a eatery, which served only rice and red water. Varieties of red water and rice.  Atleast one person among the group was happy. So happy that in fact he took it on to himself to finish all the rice that all the other guys could not finish. Say whatever, I have real respect for the guy, since he does not let any food go waste when there is so much food crisis in the world ..  But on second thoughts .. if he would generally eats less, the food problem would not be a problem at all !! J

The last stretch of road is great. About 35 kms of excellent 6 lane, with mimimum traffic. It is here that we try and push the limits of the 2.4 litre Toyota diesel engine. And it did good. With all of us in our prime of health and weight(may I say), reaching a speed of 155kms was commendable.

                Then we finally reach Pondicherry at around 4:30pm. It’s a good 8 hours drive, with all of our stops and all. Overall not a bad drive, given the fun activities involved for those not in the front row of the car. For the drivers and the navigator, it was fun too, since that is what they like to do. Drive and navigate ..

Next up thanks to our great planning, (or lack of it), we keep looking for rooms to stay and all. Here is a little piece of advice. The  guys who have been to GOA and have stayed at the beach huts in palolem, and know how much fun those are, please do not look for anything similar here. That’s where our expectations went horribly wrong. This ain’t no GOA and there in not gonna be anything similar..

So, good knowledge prevails and we decide what the heck, let’s just enjoy what is to be enjoyed here best .. The French colony and the nice upbeat pubs. It takes a good three hours, since all hotels opposite to the beach are all booked but find we did, and boy was it GOOD! Its was called LeClub and we got two huge rooms for ourselves at 6000 per night for both of them. A tad high but it was well worth it, since the rooms had this old retro look and feel.

They just had this old world charm to it. Very high ceilings, old wooden cupboards,  and old huge ceiling fans, which were more ornamental, since the rooms were air-conditioned. The bathroom had red-oxide flooring and the mirror and all were wooden framed, old paintings and equally apt lighting gave the room an old and relaxed look but with all modern amenities..

After everyone has taken a nice shower and gotten into some fresh clothes, PONDICHERRY starts looking more livelier and we start looking out for a place where we could chill .. Unfortunately we do not find anything interesting and decide to get back to the rooms and enjoy it there in the nice arm chairs at the backyard.. We pack all the food and drinks and settle down for an enjoyable evening ..

And fun it was.. the rain started coming in and continued well into the night .. the pitter patter of the rain and the armchairs and the food and stuff made it a nice little evening .. I retired early, coz was tired but looks like the other continued till quite sometime ..

Le Cafe

Next morning .. we all get up in sequence and go to have bfast into the town in batches .. first Deepak, then me and Prathap and then Ravi and Mithun .. Pavan had nothing to do with bfast .. sleep is more important  for him.. We left him at that since he needs his beauty sleep .. to keep his skin young and glowing ..

 Apart from him, all of  us spend some time walking up and down the beach road and enjoying a cup of nice coffee (cappuccino, espresso, café latte, earl tea etc.)  at LeCafe

Taking no Chances!

Then we go wake up Pavan and head for the Paradise Island. It’s a small island 8kms from Pondicherry. We get there by car and then there is a small ferry that takes you to the island. We were told that there is a restaurant and bar at the island and that it was great ..  Well we should have known great is relative.. coz the so called restaurant and bar was a dingy shack serving useless food and a couple of cans of beer at exorbitant prices ..

We decide to get out of there as soon as we can .. Back in the city we look for a chettinad restaurant for lunch.. but fail to get anything good and since its so late in the day we just get into one of these hotels in the MG road .. The most interesting thing I see in their menu is the parota chilli .. what’s that ?? Well the waiter explains ..  mushroom chilli, babycorn chilli and so is parota chilli .. you  get drift ..

Well it was not so good after all ..

After this , as it was getting darker, and evening was setting in, I and Prathap go out for a little bit of shopping  .. We bought some gifts for our wives and family .. But what was great was the flea market, that was there, that evening .. lots of vendors on the roads selling everything from knives to shoes to conches/shells to old keyboards/monitors .. and equally overwhelming was the crowd .. lots and lots of people .. Hawkers calling out prices .. Children crying to get their parents to buy them the toy they have their sights on .. Ladies bargaining over the prices .. and the occasional  We kept walking through these roads for well over an hour soaking in this beautiful and exciting experience ..

After nearly two hours of walking around .. we were back in the room … freshening up, it was time to rock and roll .. we walked over to the Asian grill house .. A nice little place which serves good food and more importantly -- nice cocktails .. We tried almost everything they had to offer .. and most of them were pretty decent ..

The highlight of this dinner however was the beautiful red snapper .. it was just beautifully cooked and tasted wonderful . I have to say, that was the best part of the meal for me ..  Everyone had a good time and Ravi in particular was on like there was no tomorrow .. tons and tons of  food and tons of liquids to wash it down .. Just a casual mention here that he is actually trying to be on a diet and slim himself down !!

Before and After

After a great 3 hours, we emerge triumphant at a job well done and take a nice long walk on the beach road .. with the nice sea breeze in our faces .. its feels rejuvenating .. feels life’s worth living and enjoying .. missed my wife very much at that very moment .. walking down that road holding her hand would have been wonderful .. But that will have to wait till another time ..

Back in the rooms .. we all go in for a game of UNO .. as Deepak coined this trip aptly and hence the title --  UNO – Pondicherry .. cause of the sheer amount of time spent in playing this card game ..

So there we were all huddled up and playing the best UNO game .. It was lot of fun .. Prathap and I were made to sit away from each other given our reputation for cheating !! But cheat we did .. and win we did .. .. After the game ended I pulled out all the cards that I had slipped into the pillow covers and prathap showed what his tricks were !!

We played well into the night .. and the best part was watching Ravi get to a winning position then begin to lose just because he kept forgetting to say UNO, when playing his hand at the penultimate card  ..

Next day morning, we all got up lazily and bid goodbye to the good old Pondicherry and started homeward to Bangalore .. Nothing much spectacular on the way back except that Pavan and I drove again .. and the guys at the back played UNO – AGAIN !!
Oh!! and the paper dosas that we devoured for bfast !! :-)

Only thing worth mentioning was the fort Gingee on the way back .. This fort was considered among the best and was termed 'impregnable' by none other than the great Shivaji ( who I am sure, all will agree knew stuff about forts!). The British called it the 'Troy of the East' !
It’s a beautiful place, rocks all around and on one of the highest cliffs stood a fort .. There were two huge lakes and a temple and it was all so silent and peaceful .. But just being a group of boys, this is not something that could keep the group interested for long .. So we head back !!

After a good 7 hours drive .. we reach Bangalore as the sun is just setting and its getting darker and  we are all looking forward to meeting our wives after three days .. (Except of course Ravi, who first needs to get married to have a wife to get back to ..)

This was a great trip with great company and a great drive too to top it off .. Three days of fun and frolic and relaxation … It just reminded of the good old college days and the first few years at karmic ..

Times spent like these help you make friends .. Friends who you will have for life !!

(**  This is a piece of info for folks wanting to rent a car without the chauffeur. All you need is a local address proof like a house agreement, a copy of the passport, a valid Indian driving license and of course a credit card with lot of limit. Since they bill you the total amount first up and also block an amount as security.)

Barbeque Nation - Live Grill !

Eat your fill .. Drink whatever is given .. then eat some more and go home happy !!
This is the simple mantra for a visit to the Barbeque Nation..
Well, I just go there with a single, sacred and pure intention .. to stuff myself !! :-)

BN is a great place for a relaxed meal. As the name suggests, they serve a lot of grilled(tandoor) food. And the best part are the starters.
What makes this experience unique is that once you are seated comfortably and decided if you are going to have non-vegetarian or vegetarian, the fun starts !!
They place a grill box with red hot charcoals in it. Yes, this is a live grill place.

You get a complimentary drink. You have a choice of cocktails and mocktails and soft drinks.

Next up, the waiter just gets you all the nice stuff in skewers, and places them on the grill on your table.
You could wait for them to get a bit more cooked/charred or just dive into it straightaway.
You also have a choice of sauces and a brush to add some more seasoning on the  kebabs or veggies and let them grill some more.
There is also a variety of dips, to go with the starters. (curd, mango chutney, pudina chutney, oriental sauce etc.)

The following is generally a choice of starters:

• Chicken tikka
• Mutton Sheekh kabab
• Prawns tandoor
• Tangdi kabab
• Fish tikka/ fish fillets in mustard sauce
• Mushrooms
• Pineapples
• Paneer tikka
• Corn on the cob
• Tandoor veggies (cauliflower,capsicum,onions,tomatoes in tandoori masala and on a skewer)
• Cajun spiced potato ( this is a personal favorite -- baby potatoes, deep fried with skin, slightly mashed and tossed in cream and spicy cajun sauce)

Well, if you are vegetarian, you get to enjoy only the lower half of the above items and if you are a non-veg guy, then .. :-)
well you know what I mean ...

There is a small flag on your table. The starters just keep coming until your flag is up. Once you are done with the starters, by which I mean, when you have stuffed yourself enough and are kind of thinking about the main course or desserts, jut lower the flag.

 You can now move to main course, which is a well spread buffet, complete with soups and salads.
The rotis are made to order and served hot at your table.

I generally skip this part. Or I take just a little bit of biryani, if I am in mood for it, and move to the next interesting part -- DESSERTS!!

Here too, they have a lot of options.
I will list them out for your convenience.

• chocolate-chip/walnut brownie
• lemon tarts
• phirni
• pineapple cake
• cut fruits
• gulab jamoon
• ice-cream with various sauces - chocolate,strawberry,orange and mint.

So, thats about it.

Go there on a lazy afternoon, and spend a couple of hours atleast (nothing less!!), chatting and enjoying the food with your friends or family and you would return home, with a happy and content smile.

A word of warning, please make prior reservations, since it could get pretty crowed.
And one irritating, peculiarity I saw with this place is they will let you seat at the exact time of booking.
Good in a sense, but when you end up a few minutes earlier with the tables being empty, I thought, it kind of makes common sense to let you seated, rather than make you wait till the moment of truth arrives!!

Apart from that, its a very enjoyable experience. Do try it, and you would love it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The vegetarian costs around 425+Taxes and the Non-vegetarian costs 475+taxes.
There are two places, one in Koramangala and the other in Indira nagar. Have tried at both and there is nothing to differentiate between the two, except that the one in KM has an open terrace.

The Italian job !

Italian food is wonderful!
Italians cook their food with love and take immense pride in it.
They use simple/fresh ingredients and turn it into something magical.
Inspired by the numerous cooking shows on TV and all the cooking blogs I read on the Internet, I decided, enough was enough.. I should get down and 'get my hands dirty'.(If you know what I mean!)

So, here is what we had for lunch, on that lazy Sunday........

• Pasta in red Sauce with mushrooms, black olives and bacon.

• Garlic bread with cheese, olives and chillies

FIRST, we went shopping for the ingredients, and NO, we did not end up in buying a pack of Maggi pazzta and adding boiling water to it !!

We looked about, asked questions, and read carefully all the ingredients and instruction on numerous bottles of goodies, before buying what we did.

This is what we ended up buying :

• Delmonte spiral pasta
• A bottle of red pasta sauce (basically a thick paste of tomato,oregano,onions,garlic and mixed spices/herbs)
• A pack of Italian seasoning which included Basil,oregano,thyme and rosemary
• Pitted black olives
• Roasted crushed garlic flakes
• Crushed chilli flakes
• Olive oil
• Mozarella cheese
• Bread and 
• Bacon (against my wife's wishes!!)

• Parmesan cheese -- Unfortunately we could not find it even after roaming in the three biggest stores nearby
• Also, what we would have loved would be some sun dried tomatoes, but again no luck there.

First the Pasta ::

To boil the pasta, boil 1 litre of water and add some salt.
Next add the pasta with a little oil and let it boil for 15 minutes, until tender.

For the sauce, which is the most important ingredient, we need to chop up one small onion very finely, so that it melts into the sauce and not be visible.
Next chop up a few mushrooms, but ensure you do not chop them too small, else they will just melt. I love to be able to bite into my mushrooms.
Remove a few black olives from the bottle and wash them to remove the brine off it, and chop them to form small rings.

Now, heat some olive oil in a thick bottom pan, and add the onions and saute them. Next in, add generous amount of the pasta sauce. Toss in the mushrooms and the olives. Dust in some of the great Italian seasoning and some roasted garlic flakes.
Add the crushed chilli flakes and some ground pepper for hotness.
Add a little bit of water and let it simmer.
The beautiful sauce is now ready!!
Toss in the strained pasta and mix well.
Pour in some cream and sprinkle parmesan cheese. If you do not get hold of parmesan cheese, you can also add a dollop of butter.
Stir well and cover the lid and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

This is the absolute optional part --
I had bought some smoked bacon, which I stir fried on a frying pan and added a few strips to my pasta..  My wife was just happy that I used a different vessel to cook it and added it only in my plate and spared her !
You can also try to add some boiled chicken or a few slices of sausages, as an alternative, or just forget all of this and enjoy a nice vegetarian pasta ..



In the 5 minutes, while the pasta is cooking slowly, we can quickly prepare the Cheese Garlic Bread.
Slice up the bread, apply some butter.
Grate some mozarella/processed cheese onto these slices.
Add a few rings of black olives, roasted garlic flakes, sprinkle some salt+pepper and add some green chillies (if you want! - optional. Chillies kind of make it indianised )
Put this into an oven or grill and let it sit there for 3/5 minutes, till the cheese melts and gets brownish on the outside.


Well, thats it about the cooking! Time to get down to business.

Pour the pasta into a deep dish (deep! coz you need to hold the sauce in it, for you to slurp it later) and keep a piece of that soft garlic bread handy in case you get the urge to bite into one, in between mouthfuls of pasta !!!

Mast Kalandar :: More Funk, Less Substance !!

Monday evenings - rare days when I am vegetarian - by choice ( or by force )

This was perfect for trying out the all veg joint -  Mast Kalandar !

Had heard a lot about this place and had actually been waiting for a long time to check it out ..
We went to the one on Old airport road just before you hit the Domlur cross. (There are quite a few of them in Bangalore)

Its a bright and cheerful little place. Nice bright colors, modern, funky and kinda nice ..
Its almost self service, much like at the food courts, where in you place your order at the counter and they give you a cute little signpost with a number on it. (Mine was 10 !!! Sachin wears a 10 !!! .. and thats where the similarity ends !!)
Then the guy gets your food whenever its ready. The signpost with the number on it is his guide, so that he knows what to serve to whom .. They also give you a glass of water each at your table ..

I personally like this kind of arrangement when I am out for a quick dinner, since it gives you a lot of personal space. You do not have any waiters all over you, trying to make you feel important.
And without having to worry about what is a good tip for all that hospitality.
Its simple and effective ..

I had been to their website and had looked up the dishes on offer prior to the visit, and they had these nice pictures of the various options out there. So, I had made up my mind to go for HP3 (halka-phulka3) and my wife decided to have the aloo-piyaz parantha, after looking at the menu ..


The paratha was served with a cup of dal-makhni
and a cup of raita and a tiny portion of Salad.
 
My thali consisted of :
Dal
Dry aloo sabji
Paneer curry
3 phulkas
Raita
A cup of pulav
Gulab jamun and a glass of Chaas ..



But guess what, the thali that I got served was nowhere close to the picture that was on the website..

(www.mastkalandar.com)

The dal was too plain. Aloo subzi too dry.
Pulav was cold and the phulkas had been done hours before they landed on my plate.
The saving grace - the raita and the gulab jamun .. very nice and flavourful and of high quality..
I mention quality coz, I really did not like the quality of anything else that was there ..

But when you have paid 119+14% tax i.e. a total of 135.66/- (rounded off to 2 places of decimal), raita and gulab jamun can hardly make you feel good about the whole experience ..

My wife's parathas were better comparatively, since they were prepared fresh. It was good but nothing spectacular.
It cost around 90+ with taxes. The Dal makhni was average and she got some of that great raita too ..

So, overall it was not such a great experience. I had probably expected too much after all that hype about it, and it fell short of my expectations..
It was much like watching Dhoom 2 after watching the trailers ..
You expected too much from the movie, which ended up being a big bore eventually..

I would probably skip going there the next time if I had a choice ..
But If my very life depended on it, I would not miss it !!

For the records, there is quite a variety of things on offer there for a vegetarian ..
You have a lot of varities of paranthas ..
More of the HP(halka-phulka) stuff -- HP1, HP2 etc.
Rice combos - rajma-chawal, dal-rice, pindi-chola-rice etc.
variety of chats
lassi,sweets etc ..

So, it is not an awful place at all ..


Okae!! Now my overall ratings :
----------------------------------------------
Taste : ***
Portion size : Paranthas are wholesome, but the thali was not so fulfilling
Ambiance : ***(1/2)
Service : n/a
Value for Money : **(1/2)

Over All Experience : **(1/2)

Close Encounters of the Tasty Kind !

Hello World !!         (In beginner's Perl style)


I am now finally settled in Bangalore and am glad to be back to my writing habits.
Bangalore - a place where you can get more choices of restaurants than any other place in India. (barring Mumbai maybe !!)
Looks like I am in the right place then. :-)


Recently, I had a chance to go the 'Mainland China' restaurant on Church Street.
Its a nice 8 minutes walk from the office, skirting the Chinnaswamy stadium.

Once there and settled down comfortably, we decided to opt for the Lunch Buffet .
You get soups and starters served at your table with a 'complimentary' drink(you can choose between a soft drink or a fresh lime soda or even an iced tea) and later on, can help yourselves to the lunch  and dessert spread.

To begin with, soups were served. I had the chicken hot and sour soup. It was not exactly great tasting . But not horrible either . Please note that, there is no choice. There is one veg soup and one non-veg soup.

For Starters :

Crispy fried potatoes in some soy sauce with red chillies and sesame. It was OK.
Then we had some Tofu in a hot and sweet sauce .. Not bad either ..
For Non-veg starters we had something in chicken . It was good to taste but seriously indianised.
Eventually came the veg dumplings.. Wow !! They were awesome .. and with the mustard sauce they tasted heavenly.

The Main Course:

After having a couple of rounds of the above starters, we moved on to the main course.

There were two broad divisions  .. vegetarian and non-vegetarian !!

Being a non-vegetarian, I could potentially choose the best of both worlds ..
But being the staunch non-vegetarian, that I am, following is what I decided to have ..

Chicken Hakka noodles
Roasted Lamb Fried rice
Fish in Schezwan-Basil sauce
Prawns in White Garlic sauce and
The customized stir-fry dish ..

This last item above, was a nice unique experience ..
You choose your veggies (mushroom, broccoli, carrots, shallots etc.) at the salad bar and the chef there just stir fries it for you with your choice of sauce and spices, which is served to you hot off the Wok.
The fish in the schezwan basil sauce was my personal favorite.

For the record - On the vegetarian side, there was stuff and some more stuff !!
If you need more info, you may have to just go and find out for yourself. Sorry, if I am not of much help there.

Next DESSERTS !!!

Desserts are not something I look forward to at Chinese buffets as much as I do in an American buffet or an Indian buffet for that case.
But what I like in Chinese buffet desserts are the jelly , the biscuits and the rice pudding, which sadly were all missing at this one.

But having said that below is what was on offer :
Pineapple wantons
Fresh fruits
Fruit-custard
Cakes
Choice of Ice-creams with a choice of assorted toppings and
Mousse
etc.
etc.

Someone with a right frame of mind would say,
"What the heck are you complaining about ?? Isn't the above list comprehensive enough?"
Well.. Its true .. But guess I complain a lot and expect too much from life!! ;-)
I eventually picked up a couple of things for dessert and nibbled at them, finally, before calling it a day!!


Overall, it was a nice experience, especially when someone is giving a treat.
It was Mukesh this time.
Congrats to him on his engagement and all the very best for his marriage!

At 500/- per person, its good value for money. And the best part was they charged us for 4 with the 5th being complimentary.
We did not happen to find out if it was a regular offer there or something for that day alone.
Who cares !! We got a savings of 500/- and we were happy for that ..

So, here are my ratings: (out of 5)
-----------------------------------------------------

Taste : ***

Portion size : N/A since it was an unlimited buffet

Ambiance : ****

Service : ***(1/2)

Over All Experience : ***(1/2)

Anda Bharta !!

The simplest yet kinda interesting side dish when you are looking for some quick fix dinner ..
As the name suggests its mashed boiled eggs ..

But you could glamorize it a bit and add some zing and zest to it ..

All Stuff In - Waiting to be mashed !!

• Boil two eggs .. (I prefer them soft boiled rather than hard boiled since I like to see the yolk still moist and yellow)

• Finely .. In fact very finely chop up some onions, green chillies, tomato, a few sprigs of coriander and a couple of mint leaves ..

• Add some freshly crushed pepper ..

• A pinch of chaat masala

• Red chilli powder ..

• A squeeze of lime ..

• A pinch of powdered sugar and salt to taste ..

• Last but important ingredient - pour in a tablespoon of mustard oil

• Olive oil or even vegetable oil will do, but mustard oil gives it a character which the other two may not be able to .. :-)

Now mash all the above ingredients together into a nice bharta .. and you are done !!!

This could go really well with some hot white rice and dal-fry , or even some chappati and dal-fry ..

Saffron - Re-defining taste !!

There are very rare occasions in my life when I have complained less about the food in a group dinner outing ..
Today was one of those days!
Since, I will be leaving Manipal in a few days, Pavan and me, with our better halves decided to go out for a good dinner.

Last time around we had seen this new place called "SAFFRON" on the way to malpe.
Its on the left hand side midway between Udupi bus-stand and Karavali cross.

Well, so we reach there all dressed up and smelling nice.
Its on the third floor and the building is nice and posh. even the elevator plays Kenny G's music !!
When we were ushered in, the restaurant looked all chic and the ambiance was very good.
Nice seating arrangement, nice curtains, good music, TV and stuff ..
Even the menu book said Multi-cuisine, although Indian and Chinese were the only stuff .. Well technically more than one cuisine is called multi-cuisine, ain't it ??
The tag line said : Saffron- redefining taste !! Ironic, very very ironic ..

But thats where all the good things ended, because when after a good hard look at the menu we decided to order, we found that most, if not all things in the menu were really not meant to be served .. :-) They were there for literary purposes only ..
I hate it when the waiter suggests alternatives based on what he thinks we should have and not what I would want to ..
But he suggested and we chose - Baby Corn chilli and Hara Bhara kabab for starters .
The Chilli stuff was not bad, but the kababs were horrible. Big mounds of flour - green coloured and uncooked and sticky .. Yuck !!

For main course, the veggies ordered tawa paneer and dal fry and me a mutton roast masala, with some rotis and kulchas ..
Guess what ..
When the food arrived, panner tawa turned out to be 5 pieces of panner lightly fried on a tawa with some salt and pepper .. and the best part, its cost - 109 rupees.
What on earth was that doing in the main course section of the menu ?

So, to do damage control, we ordered a veg kadai ( again a waiter suggestion !! ) .. Did not turn out to be good either ..
The rotis/kulchas were very tough ..

The only saving grace was the mutton roast masala ..
I was lucky I guess, coz the kulcha and the mutton made for a good and wholesome combination !!

So, all in all, we were just too happy to get out of there .. but not before coughing up 700 odd rupees for some bad bad food !!!

CottonCandy

To improve our mood and our taste buds, we hit the baskin robbins ice cream parlor in Manipal..
Man, are the ice-creams here good ?? I took the cotton candy flavour .. It was amazing !! see pic ..
My wife chose the sitaphal(custard apple) one ..
Pavan chose the bubblegum flavor, and his wife a safe vanilla and chocolate ..

That completed the evening's adventures, but not before we packed ourselves some more ice-cream from the Natural's ice-cream parlor in front of CCD ..

Moral of the story :: If you are feeling adventurous, may I say reckless, you may want to try the place .. SAFFRON ..
Else, if you want some real privacy and a nice ambiance with food being the last thing on your mind (during the whole evening, we were the only ones in the place!!) ,
This is the place for you ..

Else, in plain English - "Just stay away!"

Thai Red Curry !!

The secret ingredient !

This is a very simple yet authentic thai dish, provided you get your hands on to the right ingredients here ..


What you need ::

• A pack of the Thai red curry paste from Manipal stores in TC or from any store that sells spices of the south-east Asia.

• Some basil leaves -- Can be substituted for Coriander and mint leaves (I like to have fresh leaves in there and these are the best I can get!)

• A packet of Coconut milk

• Some diced vegetables like Carrots/green peas/mushroom and capsicum. If you have a couple of small pieces of pineapple, then it would be great ..

• Chicken(with skin) or prawns ..

• And a few cloves of Garlic

• Salt,sugar and chilli to taste ..

How to do ::

Boil the chicken to a semi-tender state, meaning do not boil it completely since it is going to simmer for sometime in the pan later too. Keep the stock. You are gonna need it later !

In a pan, add a bit of vegetable oil, heat it and add the diced vegetables. Saute them, but they need not be cooked till tender .. Remove and keep aside ..

In the same pan, add some more oil ..
Add the crushed garlic, and the Thai Red curry paste ..
Fry them for 2 minutes, till they turn slightly brown and add the chicken stock .
Bring it to a boil and add the vegetables and pineapple pieces (if you have them)

Thai Red Curry !!

Next add all the contents of the pack of  coconut milk Add the fresh green leaves .. (basil or coriander or pudina or all)
Finally, add some salt and sugar and some extra chilli powder as per taste ..


Allow it to boil on low flame for quite sometime, till the gravy has been reduced to a medium consistency ..

There you are done !! Simple enough ..

Now make yourself some fluffy steamed white rice and sit down to enjoy a great meal with your loved ones..




(Note :: You may substitute chicken with prawns, but they need not be pre-boiled. Just add them along with the vegetables before adding the water )