CaLDRON January 2014

CaLdron

Jan 2014

Monthly Blogazine

there’s always something cooking

Diners
from hell
Page 32

Reviews

Cockails & Dreams
The Canton Spice Company
Turquoise Cottage
Dhaba
Plan B Loaded
Malgudi Tiffin Centre
Spaghetti Kitchen
Pronto
CaLDRON January 2014

Events

A Splendalicious Tea Afternoon
Asia’s 50 Best Round Table
Who Said Real Men Can’t Cook?
Going Stir Crazy with Yellow Chili

Kitchen Kin

Chef Emiliano, Chef Kunal Kapur
Roaming Rover in Aloft, Chennai

Spirit-ual

Wine & Food at the Taj
Schloss Gobelsburg
19 food and drink recipes,
Including recipes from Chef
Kunal Kapur and award
winning Bangalore blogger,
Farrukh Shadab!
1

YOUR TAKE ON

Frozen, Ready to Fry Snacks
Our poll this month is about the rapidly growing frozen, ready-to-cook segment. We
asked Chef at Large members their opinion and here’s what happened. Interestingly, apart
from the two major choices made by members, i.e. Pre-dinner cocktail snack (42%) and
Random Snacking (20%), an overwhelming 29% said they wouldn’t use such products,
citing reasons such as mechanical separation of meat and overuse of chemicals in these
products, among others. What’s your take? Write to editor@chefatlarge.in.

Random
snacking
20%

Pre-dinner
cocktail snack
42%

Wouldn't use it
29%

Pre-dinner cocktail snack

Wouldn't use it

Random snacking

Lunch box option

Taking a break from cooking

What are Godrej Yummiez?

Regular tea-time snack

Original question: How would you use a frozen, ready-to-fry product such as Godrej Yummiez?
Respondents: Ninety Seven (97)
Link to Poll: http://bit.ly/frozenpoll
2


EDITORIAL & CREDITS

The success of the December issue of CaLDRON, featuring
(Indian) Chinese surprised and shocked us all. At the time
of writing, it has accumulated 1,47,539 reads and continues
to grow by thousands of reads everyday. Yes, I check it with
bated breath every single day. From an infant of an idea for
a monthly newsletter, CaLDRON is fast turning into a far more ambitious
project.

THE CHEF AT LARGE TEAM
MANAGING EDITOR
SID KHULLAR
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
NATASHA ALI
CONSULTING EDITOR
VINITA BHATIA

As you might have noticed, we’re forever experimenting with the content
mix in the e-zine, in our quest to find a combination that works for you as
well as fits into the overall scheme of things at Chef at Large. Do we have
too much text, or too many photos? Are there enough reviews or too many
recipes? There are so many questions to be answered and we’re having a
load of fun in the process.

EVENTS EDITOR
PARUL PRATAP SHIRAZI

In an attempt to showcase a new cuisine every month, we have Vietnamese
this month. This series will not only include foreign cuisines, but also Indian
cuisines, where we’ll try to include regional dialects too, apart from the
mainstream.

SPECIAL PROJECTS
RITUPARNA MUKERJI
SHRUTI ARORA
CHARIS ALFRED BHAGIANTHAN

As always, please do write in with feedback and suggestions. I’m listening.
Stay well.
Sid

RECIPE CURATOR
NADEEM KHAN
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS
SANDEEP SRINIVASA (COFFEE)
JASWINDER SINGH (WINE & SPIRITS)

REVIEW TEAM
DELHI
PARUL PRATAP SHIRAZI
SID KHULLAR
MUMBAI
VINITA BHATIA

OTHER CREDITS
Cover photo courtesy, Farrukh Shadab Ansari
All other recipe photos used are from the
sources mentioned in the article.

CHEF AT LARGE WEBSITE
http://chefatlarge.in

JOIN THE CHATTER ON OUR FACEBOOK GROUP
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DOWNLOAD THE ANDROID APP
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MEMBER ART

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Created by Rumi Domadia. Cute huh?


3

CONTENTS
A dinner where we replicated the meal from the movie, “The Hobbit”
4


CONTENTS

Snippets
Poll: Your Take on Frozen Ready-to-Fry Products, 2
Born this Month: Paula Deen, 6
Reviews
Winter Hugs are Made of These, 8
Delight in Every Bite, 10
Turquoise Cottage Goes Uber Asian, 12
The Dhaba’s Full-on Kitsch Experience, 14
Pasta Expedition at Spaghetti Kitchen, 16
Cold Comfort, 18
There’s No Better Plan Than Plan B Loaded, 20
Not Your Usual Airport Fare: Malgudi Tiffin Centre, 22
Holy Grail of Chinese Food, 24
Specials
Cover Story: Diners from Hell, 32
Spa Scape: A Day Playing Truant at Renaissance’s Spa, 78
Ask the Experts, 80
Photo Feature: A Weekend in Hanoi, 82
Featured Members, 99

Recipes

Fattoush Salad, 43
Murgh Malai Kabab, 44
Kafta Bel Laban, 45
Chicken Spinoccoli, 46
Double Mushrooms, 47
Tiramisu, 48
Fig Almond Shake, 50
Malai Makai Paneer, 52
Roasted Bell Pepper Suppli, 54
Khubani Murgh Korma, 56
Anaar ke Kalakand, 58
Grilled Aubergine in Mint Cinnamon Sauce, 75
Fish in White Wine and Fennel Sauce, 76
Sauteed Vegetables with Chermoula, 48
Gosht Ka Korma, 38
Pinni Srikhand Granola, 39

Mix Up

Strawberry Eggnog, 66
Winter Punch, 67
Lalune Jaune, 68
Sidekick, 69

Kitchen Kin
Prego is Please and Please it Does - Chef Emiliano, 34
The Showman Chef, 36
Events
Asia’s 50 Best Round Table Luncheon, Delhi/NCR, 70
A Splendalicious Tea Afternoon, Delhi/NCR, 72
Who Said Real Men Can’t Cook, Mumbai, 74
Going Stir Crazy with Yellow Chili, Mumbai, 77
Spirit-ual
A Trail of Wine and Food at Taj Palace, 60
History Steeped Austrian Wine Schloss Gobelsburg, 62
Roaming Rover
Style at a Steal - Aloft, Chennai, 26


5

BORN THIS MONTH

Paula Ann Hiers Deen (born January 19, 1947) is an American
celebrity chef and cooking show television host. Deen resides in
Savannah, Georgia, where she owns and operates The Lady & Sons
restaurant with her sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen. She has published
fourteen cookbooks. Though married in 2004 to Michael Groover,
she uses the surname Deen, from her first marriage.
Information courtesy: Wikipedia, Photo Courtesy: PaulaDeen.com

6


PHOTO RELIEF

Grab a
Coke and
start
reading

Photo: Sid Khullar Venue: The One, Le Meridien, New Delhi

7

REVIEWS - GURGAON

WINTER HUGS
are made of these

T

Want to chill out at a fun place that offers good food and generous sized
drinks? Check out ‘Cocktails & Dreams Speakeasy’ at Gurgaon, which
invites you to sit back, unwind and enjoy the music!

hat Gurgaon can’t seem to get enough
of the Cocktails & Dreams Speakeasy
is pretty much evident! This watering hole
is full up on most evenings. Since the food
is good too, there is plenty of action around
lunch time as well.
Aside from the delicious food, another thing
that separates Cocktails & Dreams Speakeasy
from other pubs in the city is their choice of
music; live and piped, this is a classic place for
anyone over 30 years! This place with a killer
combo of ambiance, food and music is owned
and run by two passionate people – master
mixologist Yangdup Lama and his friend Minakshi. They are usually around at Cocktails &
Dreams Speakeasy, chatting with their guests
and suggesting drinks that will go well with
their mood and their food. The easy camaraderie they share with their patrons reminds
you of ‘Cheers’, another place where the staff
know the regulars by their name.
Twice as Lucky
our last visit to Cocktails & Dreams Speakeasy
was exceptionally fantastic because it was then
it had launched the winter beverage menu.
Since I am a huge fan of warm, boozy drinks
with either coffee or fruity notes of apple,
tinged with cinnamon, that menu was sheer
bliss to me. On another Friday, I was lucky to
find bar stools. But then again, that is part of
the joy of being at a bar – even though there
are tables everywhere, perching on a bar stool
is so much cooler!

8


REVIEWS - GURGAON
I started with a mug (read: beer
mug) of Mexican Coffee (Rs
395), a hot coffee cocktail with
coffee liqueur, strong black
coffee and single cream. It was
exceptionally good. Seriously,
down two of these and you can
sashay back home in a slinky
LBD, with the withering cold
unable to touch you. I loved
how strong the individual flavours of liqueur and coffee were
in that drink. If I wasn’t so keen
on tasting the Toddy, I would
have chugged another one of
these for sure.

menu is fantastic and has dishes
things like the ‘Anaheim Pepper
Halves’ (Rs 200), which are herb
cheese stuffed Anaheim peppers
halves with some lemon paprika
aioli. If you are a vegetarian, this
dish will have you hooked.

The ‘Pork Steamers’ (Rs 250)
are popper sized spiced mantis
steamed with tomato peanut
dip and coriander dip. The
dumplings are so fine that I
could have had a dozen of just
these. From Monday to Thursday, the bar also includes pulled
pork sandwiches in its menu.
I chose the Hot Ginger Toddy
It had me wishing that I had
(Rs 395) next – a hot, rumnot visited Cocktails & Dreams
based toddy with ginger juliSpeakeasy on a Friday night,
ennes and ginger bread infused and the chef graciously made us
in hot water that is balanced
a batch of pulled pork sliders,
with lime. It was like the tears of which were stellar. We completan angel and I mean that in the ed our meal with a portion of
comforting sense (if you missed ‘Squid Rings’ (Rs 250), which
the drift, then yes, it was amaz- were perfect. I only wish we had
ingly good).
some space left in our tummies
for the ‘Pork Chops’, because
Drinks to Soothe the Soul the last time we had them, they
My company for the evening
were delightful.
was the designated driver so
he had a virgin version of the
Cocktails & Dreams Speakeasy
drinks. He agreed with me that has completed a year and having
it was super stuff. The sheer size visited this place almost every
of the drinks gives one such a
month, I can safely say they are
long window to sit, chat and
only getting better and cozier.
unwind. The drinks served at
All in all, this is a great place to
Cocktails & Dreams Speakeasy be! ■
are meant to mellow the harby Parul Pratap Shirazi
rowed soul, and they definitely
manage to do just that. Visit
this pub on the kind of evenings
when you need to put your
phone away and just relax.
Because my guest wasn’t drinking alcohol, food played a large
role during this evening. Now,
here’s the thing about Cocktails
& Dreams Speakeasy – even the

Rating: 4 out of 5
Price: INR 1500++ (meal for two)

Address: Cocktails & Dreams, Speakeasy, Sector 15, Part II Market, Gurgaon
- 122001
Phones: 9810 999086

The drinks at Cocktails
& Dreams Speakeasy
are meant to mellow
the harrowed soul, and
they definitely manage
to do just that.
9

REVIEWS - GURGAON

DELIGHT

in every bite

The Canton Spice Company is a cross between a tearoom and a Mexican cantina. And the
food served here is such a delight that it will have you returning for more.

Chinese Style, Spicy Spare Ribs

T

here are times when I
would like to thank the
God of restaurants for Cyberhub
in Gurgaon. This is probably the
only concrete monstrosity in the
hell; but it manages to redeem itself
since it is a hub of some of Gurgaon’s best restaurants. We’ve already
established that ‘Made in Punjab’
and ‘Pita Pit’ are great, ‘Nando’s’ is
as Nando’s is, ‘The Wine Company’
needs to work hard on its menu and
10

‘Soda Bottleopener Wala’ has good
potential. That leaves the regular
joints like ‘Dunkin’ Donuts’, ‘Starbucks’ and ‘Red Mango’ that are way
too standardized to be affected by
the location.
And then there is the ‘Canton Spice
Company’, a darling Chinese restaurant, a cross between a tearoom and
a rustic Mexican cantina. It is probably the bar stools and the metal
grid work that gave this impression.
We walked in to this place because

we had eaten everywhere else in
Cybercity and were surprised to
find it packed on a weekday despite
a cover size of 80+.The staff is very
polite, except for one feisty young
man, who spoke too loudly for an
urbane place like The Canton Spice
Company.
A Menu Filled with Happiness
The menu of the restaurant had
enough items to make us sigh in
happiness: pork, duck, seafood, and

REVIEWS - GURGAON

Char Siu Bao

more. We started our meal with the
‘Char Siu Bao’ (Rs 300), which wasv
like pillows of air with some sweet
sticky pork filling. These reminded

slurpy bite. On our next visit, we
are definitely going to try the ‘Lotus Root’ (Rs 225), sweet and spicy
crispy wafers made of lotus stem
and the ‘Onion Pancake’ (Rs 200).
For the main course, we ordered the
For its price points
‘Chef ’s Roast Pork’ (Rs 350), a house
and the upscale ambi- special that was done very well. The
ance of Cyberhub, The perfectly cooked juicy pork slices
were darkened by simmering in
Canton Spice Comrich, dark soy, which gave it a lovely
sweet and savoury kick. We had
pany certainly has a
this with the ‘Kung Pao Prawns’ (Rs
good thing going.
675), which were very much like the
usual sweet and sour variety. However, the inclusion of peanuts (Kung
us of Bao, a Chinese immigrant lady Pao) gave the dish a different twist.
who used to make these same buns The prawns were nice sized and
when we were in college. Bao did
fresh too.
not speak any English or Hindi and
we always wondered how she man- All this went down with a good poraged to get by in the small town of tion of ‘Mixed Fried Rice’ (Rs 200),
Manipal. Guess it was her cooking complete with lamb, pork, chicken
that got her by!
and prawns and none of the unnecessary carrots and peas! For me the
We decided to indulge in the ‘Spare true sign of good Chinese food is
when you can eat the fried rice with
Ribs’ (Rs 300), especially since the
description read “slow cooked, chill just a few drops of dark soy, and I
garlic or honey pepper glaze”. We
loved the flavour this one had!
chose chilli garlic and loved every
Since no meal of mine is complete

without noodles, we went in for
the ‘Crispy Duck Noodle Bowl’ (Rs
600), which was awesome. The duck
was perfectly done – very much
like Peking Duck – slivers of which
adorned the top of sauce tossed flat
noodles, a bit like ‘Kway Teow’ and
completely delicious at that.
For its price points and the upscale
ambiance of Cyberhub, The Canton
Spice Company certainly has a good
thing going. We loved the interiors,
the hardwood furniture, the glimpse
of the kitchen from the open kitchen window and of course the food,
most of all the food! ■
by Parul Pratap Shirazi

Rating: 4 out of 5
Address: Cyber Hub, DLF Cyber City,
DLF Phase II, Gurgaon - 122002
Phones: 8527954466, 8527964466

11

REVIEWS - DELHI

Turquoise Cottage
goes
UBER ASIAN
When a bar known for live music serves up excellent food, it is a win all
around. That is what makes Turquoise Cottage a winner all the way.

T

for the lunch we partook in
the restaurant, we can tell you
hose people who have
from previous experiences
been in the Delhi or
that if you are looking for old
NCR region long enough will
classics like Long Island Iced
deeply associate ‘Turquoise
Tea or a darned good Bloody
Cottage’ with rock music. This
Mary, this is the place for it.
place played classic rock, had
some of the best line-ups even
Urban Charm
for open mic nights, and was
of its Own
popular amongst 30-someOnce you
thing executives who thronged
have
it for after-work drinks. It is
soaked in
still pretty much the same,
the rustic
except the new Turquoise
garage
Cottage at DLF Place is much
and funk
cooler looking (retro chic in a
vibes of
‘60s biker bar sort of way) and
Turserves much better food.
quoise
Cottage
The establishment is still
while
steeped in its principles of
downing
music first, followed by booze
a couple
and then food, which is obviof drinks,
ous in its decor and layout. The
don’t forget to
dramatically lit corner stage is
dig into Chef
the first thing you notice when
Marshel Lepcha’s
you enter the restaurant. The
Asian menu, combar is built like a DJ’s console;
plete with sushi and a
it is raised, beautifully lit and
bit of Thai and Indonesian
is very well stocked. Since
regulars too. We started our
drinks were not on the cards
12

meal with ‘Smoked Chicken
Noodle Soup’ (Rs 195), which
had spam flavoured cured
chicken bits. It went well with
the Thai chilli


REVIEWS - DELHI
spiced soup stock. I like spicy soups
and not only because they reportedly perk up your appetite!
We had two kinds of Dim Sum,
though an entire page of the menu
is dedicated to these dumplings. We
had the ‘Prawn Hargao’ (Rs 465),
which thankfully had translucent
coating and were stuffed with fresh
and sweet prawns. The Chef recommended ‘General Tso’s Chicken
Dim Sum’ (Rs 275), a fun take on
General Tso’s Chicken gravy. The
enveloped and steamed Dim Sum
were a nice surprise. Don’t miss the
crispy greens topping, which is a
lovely texture to go with the softness
of the Dim Sum. This by the way is a
‘Dieters Special’ and the menu here
is speckled with such dishes, which
we must say is a nice touch.
We tried three of the sushi rolls, all
of which were good and I say this
is the nicest way, mainly because
good sushi is hard to come by in
standalone restaurants. We ate the
‘Tempura Prawn Rolls’ (Rs 275) and
the ‘Salmon California Rolls’ (Rs
275) and the ‘Vegetarian California
Roll’ (Rs 225). Though fantastically
priced, these were beautifully presented and as good as American
sushi gets.


We tried three of
the sushi rolls, all of
which were good and
I say this is the nicest
way, mainly because
good sushi is hard to
come by in standalone
restaurants.

ate that afternoon, maybe after the
sushi. The other dishes on the menu
that seemed interesting were the
‘Nyonya Lime Curry’ (a sauce from
the Singaporean Peranakan cuisine,
tangy, spicy and very aromatic),
‘Lotus Stem Honey Chili’ and the
‘Khao Suey’.

With over 80 covers, Turquoise
Cottage is nice, big and pretty happening on weekend nights. Remember to grab the right music gig to
The ‘Vegetarian California Roll’ is
enjoy this place to the fullest; else
ideal for those of you who would
you could now drop in for a pretty
like to try sushi and cultivate a taste
extensive Asian lunch as well. It is
for it. After the Tempura Rolls we
heartening to see typical bar-like
were inspired to try the ‘Prawn Temestablishments giving deep thought
pura’ (Rs 475). These fresh prawns
to the food and bringing both value
were crisp and accompanied with
and variety to the experience. ■
a lovely plum sauce, but since they
were also a bit oily, we couldn’t consume as many as we’d have liked to.
Stick to the Chef’s
Recommendations
For the main course, we ordered
the ‘Chilli Pork’ (Rs 425) which was
nicely done, even though the pork
was most certainly twice cooked.
The ‘King Prawns in XO sauce’ (Rs
525) were very typically Delhi Chinese, but good nonetheless.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Chef asked us to taste the ‘Lamb
Rendang’ and when I think back,
it was one of the best dishes we

Address: MA 03, Restaurant Block,
District Centre, DLF Place, Saket, New
Delhi - 110016
Phones: 011-30146033, 9818182812

13

The DHABA’s
Full On

KITSCH EXPERIENCE

14


REVIEWS - DELHI

I

vour of vegetables. Then came one of
their originals, the ‘Amritsari Tawa
f you had the chance to dine
Chaap; (Rs 445); crispy and meaty,
at the ‘Dhaba’ at the erstwhile
good sized mutton chops, which
Claridges in Surajkund, you might
are crumbed and then folded in
recollect its chic interiors and quaint
masala – very good stuff. The chaap
kitschy accents. This establishment
has now moved to DLF Place, but
The food at Dhaba,
the management has managed to up
DLF Place remains
the ante on funky interiors.
The placards along the way will have top-class on the qualyou chuckling your way to your
ity front, and with a
table, from ‘No Guts, No Galouti’
to ‘Child Water Served here’ to the
bar called ‘Theka’,
even more elaborate and hilarious
their quirkiness will
ones! The ubiquitous truck too has
made its way into this restaurant,
only add to the experibut this time you can enjoy ‘Mock
ence of full on Punjabi
Tharra’ in the truck itself, which
is open from the side and is well
khaana.
stocked to seat over 16 guests. Don’t
miss the ceiling lights shaped like
reminded me of my childhood,
light bulbs and the wall fixtures
because it had the perfect balance of
shaped like ‘nimboo mirchi’ that
spice like I had savored when young
adorn many a shop across the counand you could still taste the meat.
try.
Despite the likes of ‘Dhaba Prawns’
and ‘Highway Chicken Tikka’, I deThe restaurant is nice and spacious
cided to opt for the ‘Bun Omelette’
with a typical counter for ‘handis’,
(Rs 145). It was like a blast from the
while each table has the adorable
past. Bun and omlette was my staple
little pickle martabans with condimeal in the town I studied in, when
ments. At a whopping 115 covers,
being at culinary school meant
the Dhaba was still half full on a
spending so much time around food
weekday afternoon. Despite being
that the simple things mattered the
a fine dining standalone restaurant,
most.
the service standards are at par with
the original Dhaba at the Aurangzeb
property. The management was in
the Dhaba standard, ‘Balti Meat’ (Rs
the process of getting the restau445)and ‘Brain Masala’ (Rs 325),
rant’s liquor license at the time of
both of which are lovely dishes from
going to press, and thankfully they
the seasoned kitchen. The ‘Balti
will also have their own washrooms
Meat’ has one marrow bone that I
soon, so that guests don’t have to use
eyed through the meal and this is
the ones in the mall.
probably one of the few places where
I will order it again.
Asli Indian
We started with the Chef recomJust the Way it Should Be
mended ‘Vegetarian Galouti’ (Rs
Chef Saxena recommended the
195) and they were really good;al‘Tawa Mutton Pulao’ (Rs 325), a
most buttery and with a lovely fladelightful rice preparation with what


tasted like mutton boti kebabs and a
good dose of tawa masala. I strongly recommend that you have some
raita along with this fiery pulao.
The good chef also asked us to try
the ‘Dhaba Murgh Roast’ (Rs 325),
which is their take on Tandoori
Chicken and way better than the
orange atrocity served in the name
of all things tandoori. You can taste
the rich, creamy marinade of hung
curd with deep flavours of ginger
and garlic.
This meal is best enjoyed with a
kadak ‘Tandoori Roti’, served piping hot and is awesome to sop up
the last bits of meat and gravy on
your plate. For vegetarians, the fare
is straight out of any dhaba on the
Delhi-Chandigarh highway: ‘Chilli
Paneer’, ‘Kadhi Pakora’, ‘Rajmah’ and
the heart warming ‘Yellow Tadka
Dal’. The ‘Phirni’ for dessert was
lighter than expected and actually
quite comforting after a hot and
heavy meal like this one. However, I
do wish we had ordered the Bailey’s
Kulfi instead. Incidentally, you can
enjoy Panditji’s paan here as well!
The food at Dhaba, DLF Place
remains top-class on the quality
front, and with a bar called ‘Theka’,
their quirkiness will only add to
the experience of full on Punjabi
khaana. If you prefer Indian food
when you eat out, then the Dhaba is
a good choice. Throw in a couple of
hours of retail therapy and you have
a packed day of family, fun, friends
and food! ■
Rating: 4 out of 5
Address: Second Floor, DLF Place,
Saket, New Delhi - 110017
Phones: 011-30146033

15

REVIEWS - MUMBAI

Pasta Expedition at

SPAGHETTI KITCHEN

E

Spaghetti Kitchen created a special menu for ‘Pasta Expedition’. We
would, however, stick to its exhaustive main menu with its thin crust
pizza, lasagna and risotto any day.

nter the threshold of Spaghetti Kitchen and you feel
as if you have entered the bright
and cozy home of an old friend. The
walls are painted in lively colors,
bottles of spices and condiments line
shelves on the walls and wrought
iron plaques hang from hooks in the
ceiling. The décor is part rustic, part
contemporary; but entirely welcoming. This ambience just wants you to
sit down and dig into some hearty
Italian fare. We recently visited Spaghetti Kitchen at Inorbit Mall, when
the restaurant had the ‘Pasta Expedition’ festival. Our first question
to the Chef Russell D’Souza was,
“Why have a ‘Pasta Expedition’ in
an Italian restaurant where the most
ordered dishes are pasta and pizza
anyway?” He replied, “Why not?”
Why not, indeed!

16

Time to Get Adventurous
Sadly, majority of the people who
frequent Spaghetti Kitchen hardly go
beyond their pizzas and pasta. Chef
Russell said that the idea behind the
‘Pasta Expedition’ festival was to
get people to try different variants
of pasta, which are not part of the
regular menu. Unconvinced about
that logic, we nonetheless decided to
check out the woefully limited ‘Pasta
Expedition’ menu. It had a salad,
three vegetarian dishes and four
non-vegetarian options. That’s more
of a short jaunt than an expedition,
if you ask us!

the ‘Pomegranate and Basil Martini’
(450) that we chose were both a little
on the sweeter side for us.

What however made our dining
experience remarkable was when
Chef Russell rolled out a portable
cooking station to our table to cook
the ‘Tomato Flavored Ravioli’ (435).
Suddenly our table was the cynosure
of all eyes in the restaurant. Some
kids rushed with their smartphones
to click photos of whatever miracle
they expected the Chef to whip up.
While the feta and asparagus stuffed
beetroot ravioli was being blanched
in the kitchen, the chef made a
We began with the ‘Warm Gnocchi flambé of red wine with flourish and
then cooked a sauce of sun-dried
Salad’ (295), which was not warm
but tepid when it reached us, though tomato paste. He added the ravioli,
cooked it for a couple of minutes
the papaya slices and red lettuce
more and then served it to us with
leaves did lend this mildly spiced
salad a colorful and pleasant look.
The ‘Classic Red Sangria’ (450) and


REVIEWS - MUMBAI

some rocket salad and thin slivers
of Parmesan. We still had a gaggle
of gaping kids waiting to see if we
would magically turn to toads or
keel over after biting into the pasta.

Spaghetti Kitchen probably had the
right intention when it added ‘Corn
Ravioli’ (350) to the ‘Pasta Expedition’ menu and then proceeded to
make it gluten-free. This American
corn ravioli is stuffed with garlic,

Sadly for them, and fortunately for
us, neither happened, though we
We expected the Pasta
saw some patrons approach the chef
and ask for a similar service at their Expedition at Spatable! in the kitchen, the chef made a
ghetti Kitchen to have
flambé of red wine with flourish and
a lengthy menu filled
then cooked a sauce of sun-dried
tomato paste. He added the ravioli,
with unusual, and
cooked it for a couple of minutes
perhaps even outlandmore and then served it to us with
some rocket salad and thin slivers
ish, pasta creations
of Parmesan. We still had a gaggle
just to give it a touch
of gaping kids waiting to see if we
would magically turn to toads or
of kitsch. Thankfully,
keel over after biting into the pasta.
that was not the case.
Sadly for them, and fortunately for
us, neither happened, though we
saw some patrons approach the chef blanched spinach, and crushed pine
and ask for a similar service at their nuts – a nice, nutty mix. The corn
table!
pasta however does not do justice to
this stuffing, because it was too thick
A Bit of This,
and doughy. If you must have pasta,
A Bit of That
and you must have it gluten-free,
The ‘Herbed Pappardelle with Ham’ then give this dish a shot. But, we
(Rs 525) was slightly sweet, courtesy doubt anyone will end up doing
the orange glazed ham. The pappar- cartwheels after eating it.
delle was cooked al dente and because of its width, it held its own in The ‘Porcini Flavored Fettuccine
the strong brown sauce that would Lamb’ (545) is cooked in a brown
otherwise have smothered a delicate sauce that makes you forget that this
pasta like spaghetti or capellini. We dish is supposed to prop the pasta
were surprised at the very generous as the hero. The sauce, instead, plays
accompaniment of ham and also
a stellar performance, courtesy the
appreciative of it.
woody flavor of the porcini, which

is ground into a fine paste and then
cooked with the gravy. The confit
lamb is equally rich and succulent,
which makes you wonder why did
the dish need any pasta at all – a
chunk of nice bread would have
done well too!
The ‘Baked Pasta Shells with Chicken’ (450) seems to have been created
keeping kids in mind. The pasta
shells are laced with rich Taleggio
cheese and are served in a creamy
white sauce with small pieces of
smoked roast chicken.
We expected the Pasta Expedition at Spaghetti Kitchen to have a
lengthy menu filled with unusual,
and perhaps even outlandish, pasta
creations just to give it a touch of
kitsch. Thankfully, that was not the
case. While still unclear about the
objective behind the pasta festival in an Italian restaurant, we are
grateful that most dishes from the
special menu did what good food is
supposed to do – sit prettily on your
plate and give your taste buds a great
experience. What more can we say,
but ‘Buon appetito’! ■
by Vinita Bhatia
Rating: 2 out of 5
Address: Inorbit Mall, Inorbit Rd,
Mindspace, Goregaon, Malad West,
Mumbai, Maharashtra 400104
Phones: 022-30932030
17

REVIEWS - MUMBAI

COLD COMFORT
Revenge is a dish best served cold, they say. However, when you are
served cold food at Pronto Pizza and Pasta, it makes you wonder
why the restaurant is so vengeful!

I

magine entering a small diner
on a busy street that promises
to offer you a quick meal, which
is value for money. Of course, you
would be interested in sampling it.
Now imagine you got decent portions for the items you ordered and
are served within 15 minutes of you
placing the order. Of course, you
would be happy. Now, imagine that a
few of the dishes you ordered arrive
absolutely cold, especially on a cool
winter evening when you want a hot
meal. Of course, you will be disappointed.
We went through this range of emotions when we dined at Pronto’s diner in Bandra. At the end of our meal,
the overwhelming feeling was one of
dejection – of a promise unkept.
Stick to the Obvious
We started our meal with something
that would put Pronto’s claims of
fresh produce to test –the salads.
The ‘Pronto’s Special Salad’ (Rs 160)
has chicken ham and salami, iceberg
lettuce, rocket leaves and red onions with the spicy Thousand Island
dressing. It was definitely fresh and
the croutons added to the crunchi-

18

ness of the lettuce. However, the red
onions were replaced with pieces of
regular onions, while the dressing
was a long way from being spicy. We
were however grateful that our salad
had not been doused with dressing –
as many eateries are apt to do.

We went through this
range of emotions
when we dined at
Pronto’s diner in
Bandra. At the end
of our meal, the overwhelming feeling was
one of dejection – of a
promise unkept.

pizza – and ordered ‘Zorba The
Greek’ (Rs 190 for 8”) and ‘Roast
Beef ’ (Rs 210 for 8”) thin crust pizza. The interestingly named ‘Zorba
The Greek’ had us visualizing a well
layered pizza with lot of greens,
black olives and crumbled cottage
cheese. However, we got a regular
vegetarian pizza with onions, capsicum and cottage cheese – not bad,
but nothing out of the ordinary
either.

The look of the ‘Roast Beef ’ was
actually a turnoff. The pizza was
covered with a dark jumble of thin
slivers of roast beef, and on first
look, one felt that the chef had
probably forgotten to take the pizza
out of the oven, letting it char. The
caramelized onions seemed to have
vaporized because we could not
discern it, though the roast beef had
The ‘Broccoli, Cob and Pasta Salad’ a very homely taste to it. What really
(Rs 150) can best be termed as insip- put us off about the pizza was that
id. The fusilli was tasteless, while the they reached our tables cold and
herbed balsamic vinaigrette lacked a with the centers of the base being
punch. We tried to make the saltoo chewy for comfort.
ad palatable by adding some chilli
flakes, salt and pepper, but realized Tried, Tested, Yet Failed
that it was beyond redemption.
We decided to try some more popWe figured that we had best stick
ular dishes at Pronto thinking that
to what Pronto was known for – its these would be tried and tested

REVIEWS - MUMBAI

enough to taste good. We took the
name of Pollo Arrosto (Rs 240)
literally and expected roasted chicken, but what we got was wedges of
chicken breast stuffed with a filling
of spinach and ricotta cheese, served
with thick brown sauce, mashed potatoes and stir-fried vegetables. The
portions are liberal, and there was
a hearty amount of button mushrooms used in the brown sauce,
which we appreciated.
However, yet again the dish was
served cold. We pointed out about
our vegetables were cold enough to
be unpalatable, but were told that
this is how the dish is usually presented!

The couscous in the ‘Pan Fried
Vegetables and Couscous’ (Rs 220)
was cooked with spring onions and
carrots; it was light, fluffy subtly
flavored. The pan-fried vegetables
were mixed in a bland and creamy
white sauce and served on the side.
Had these been cooked in a spicier
and heavier tomato-based sauce,
the veggies would have lent better
contrast to the mildly flavored couscous. Predictably, even this dish was
served cold.
If we were to sum up our meal at
Pronto, then three things comes to
mind. Firstly, the service is prompt
and helpful. Secondly, the portions
are generous. Thirdly, the restaurant

delivers what it promises – everyday
affordable food, which is probably
their biggest USP right now. The
prices on the menu are tempting
enough to make you want to order
in from Pronto at least twice a week.
If the restaurant manages to improve
on the quality and presentation of
its food, then chances are that more
people in Bandra will give in to this
temptation. ■
by Vinita Bhatia
Rating: 1 out of 5
Address: 98, Shams Palace, Hill Road,
Bandra West, Mumbai - 400050
Phones: 022-30932039

19

REVIEWS - BANGALORE

there’s no better plan than

PLAN B LOADED

Plan B Loaded is of the few places in Bangalore that scores on almost
all fronts. It offers good food, great drinks and more importantly,
prompt and polite service.

V

feel; the kind of music you get on
classic rock stations; the fabulous
isualize a place that prococktails, some of which are served
claims ‘Bacon is the new
in mason jars; and of course, some
vegetarian’. Then add one more
darn fine burgers and fries that are
picture to this fantasy – one of a
crisp perfection! Yes, these are the
restaurant where there is no dearth
memories I had carried back from
of pork or beef on the menu. Yes,
my previous visits. And these were
these images make me a very happy
the memories I wanted to revisit
girl indeed. Moreover, this is what
once more.
‘Plan B Loaded’ promised to be.
So enthused was I by this promise
that I managed to convince a few
friends to drive all the way from
Hebbal, so we could meet up at Plan
B Loaded in Shanti Nagar. Located
right across from the hockey stadium, this place is hard to miss. I have
visited it a couple times and had
liked the chilled out atmosphere.
The semi-open, grungy garage-like
20

Bespoke Cocktails, Anyone?
My two favorite cocktails on the
menu of Plan B Loaded are ‘Rude
Cosmo’ (Rs 400) and ‘Dirty Mary’
(Rs 400). And luckily for us, the
bartender here has been known to
whip up a special based on a patron’s
preference of alcohol. The range of
appetizers one can opt for is vast.
We strongly recommend that you

try the ‘Loaded Fries’ or ‘the Nachos’ (Rs 225), which has options in
vegetarian, chicken, and delicious
pulled pork. Then there is the ‘Fiery
Beef ’ (Rs 220), which is spicy and
tangy. This is also available in chicken for those who like their meat to
be white in color. Even though I am
eulogizing the red meat here, vegetarians will also find plenty of choice
– fear not!
Each time we visited Plan B Loaded,
we have loaded up on the starters
and then ordered the irresistible
gigantic burgers topped with caramelized onion slivers and fried egg.
It has been a rare occasion that one
of us has managed to polish off these
burgers. The menu does warn you
that these are a ‘meal by itself ’!

REVIEWS - BANGALORE

Speaking of the menu, it is a huge
wood framed two-sided affair, one
featuring drinks and the other giving all the details about the food. I
also took a bite of the ‘Pulled Pork
Burger’ (Rs 380) which has a sweetish BBQ sauce that I liked. However,
it was not such a hit with the person
who ordered it, showing that not
everyone might dig its taste. Speaking about myself, I can never resist
the lure of the blue cheese sauced
beef patty burger, but some of the
pork sandwiches this time had me
reconsidering ordering the same for
the future.
Dessert is not something that we always make a point of ordering, especially if we are imbibing our favorite
drinks and have already gorged ourselves on some delicious food. After
all, we do have our respective waistlines to think about on the morrow.
But, we saw that the management of
Plan B Loaded had written the sweet
specials on a chalkboard and having spied Caramel Cheesecake we
could not leave without a taste. So
we threw caution to the winds and
ordered dessert. It helped that there
were five of us to finish it, and it was
quite good – cheesecake as it should
be, with the base and consistency
appearing to be just right.
Plan B Loaded has become one of
my happy places – someplace to

Dessert is not something that we always make a point of ordering, especially if we are imbibing our favorite
drinks and have already gorged ourselves on some delicious food. After
all, we do have our respective waistlines to think about on the morrow.
But, we saw that the management of
Plan B Loaded had written the sweet
specials on a chalkboard and having spied Caramel Cheesecake we
could not leave without a taste. So
we threw caution to the winds and
ordered dessert. It helped that there
were five of us to finish it, and it was
quite good – cheesecake as it should
spend a few hours lounging while
listening to great music, gorging on be, with the base and consistency
artery clogging foods and sipping on appearing to be just right.
my kinda cocktails and chilled beer.
‘Twas but a hog heaven Sunday the Plan B Loaded has become one of
my happy places – someplace to
day I visited this place, and here is
hoping for many more such Sundays spend a few hours lounging while
to come in the future. wood framed listening to great music, gorging on
artery clogging foods and sipping on
two-sided affair, one featuring
my kinda cocktails and chilled beer.
drinks and the other giving all the
‘Twas but a hog heaven Sunday the
details about the food. I also took
day I visited this place, and here is
a bite of the ‘Pulled Pork Burger’
(Rs 380) which has a sweetish BBQ hoping for many more such Sundays
to come in the future. ■
sauce that I liked. However, it was
by Natasha Ali
not such a hit with the person who
ordered it, showing that not everyone might dig its taste. Speaking
Rating: 4 out of 5
about myself, I can never resist the
lure of the blue cheese sauced beef
Address: 13, Rhenius Street, Opposite
patty burger, but some of the pork
sandwiches this time had me recon- Hockey Stadium, Shanti Nagar, Bangalore
sidering ordering the same for the
Phones: 9739902745
future.

Plan B Loaded has
become one of my happy places – someplace
to spend a few hours
lounging while listening to great music,
gorging on artery clogging foods and sipping
on my kinda cocktails
and chilled beer.

21

REVIEWS - BANGALORE

not your usual airport fare

MalgudiTiffinCentre
The time, effort, research and thought that has gone into Malgudi Tiffin Centre has elevated
the airport experience for any traveler coming through to Bangalore.

A

special invite to check out
the food offerings at Bangalore International Airport Ltd’s
(BIAL) new terminal had me curious. Since when did airports start
organizing exclusive food previews,
inviting food bloggers and media
to attend? Since December 2013, it
would appear!
Given the distance to BIAL, one
often arrives two hours after leaving
home, with the objective of reaching
two hours before boarding the flight.
And if like me, one is travelling to
faraway destinations, this is followed
by a four to five hour flight.
With so much time on hand, the
usual fast food choices of Indian
and American fare available at the
airport certainly holds no excitement. Can you imagine thinking, “I
am really looking forward to getting
to BIAL early so I can eat well?”
The answer so far, has always been a
strong “No!” That is likely to change,
however, because 14th December,
2013 saw the opening of BIAL’s
22

newly expanded T1 terminal, and
with it, a host of new dining options,
including the Southern specialty
restaurant ‘Malgudi TIffin Centre’.

tion to restaurants, there is a south
India-oriented shopping section, but
that is more likely for an airport.
The time, effort, research and
thought that has gone into Malgudi
Tiffin Centre (including the use of
the name Malgudi, taken from auThe side dish of
thor RK Narayan’s collection of short
‘Murungakai’ was ab- stories that were later made into
a TV series called Malgudi Days)
solutely delicious, and has elevated the airport experience
for any traveler coming through. It
we were happy to see
is evident that someone has paid a
the homely drumsticks close eye to details, if you take one
presented in a fashion look at the pillars, burnished copper
pots or colonial-era ceiling fans!
other than in a samRene Baumann, VP-Commercial,
BIAL, explained that they wanted
bar, with the ‘Malguto make Bangalore the gateway to
di Mango Drumstick
South India, given that for many a
traveler, this is their first stop. The
Curry’.
upcoming specialty stores will soon
have handcrafted wooden toys from
Flying High on Food and More Channapatna and other local wares,
and one can get South Indian coffee
Despite have a captive audience
beans and spices too.
on hand in an airport setting, it is
impressive that the powers-that-be
And that brings us to the food. Is it
at BIAL have chosen to create an
all hoopla or is the fare on offer truly
interesting dining space. In addiCaLDRON January 2014

REVIEWS - BANGALORE

good? Trust us when we say that
it is damn good! You get to enjoy
fine-dining service and cuisine, with
a mind boggling range of dishes.
South India has a whole lot more to
offer than the ubiquitous idli, dosa
or sambar. The style of cooking and
the range of spices differs not just
from state to state, but even within.
Spoilt for Choice
So get set to enjoy Kerala and Mangalore-style fish preparations, typical
‘Andhra Gongura Chicken’, the
famed, fiery ‘Chicken Ghee Roast’,
the ‘colored’ rice like ‘Lemon Rice’
aka ‘Chitranna’ and tamarind rice or
‘Puliogare’, which is typically found
in most local eateries of Bangalore.
Your meal will be served in an oldschool tiffin carrier, and your appetite and group size can determine
how many dishes you order.
We were outfitted with hard hats
and neon vests in the work-in-progCaLDRON January 2014

ress space, so we did look a bit like
construction workers on their lunch
break! The ‘Malabar Parotta’ we ate
was as flaky and delicious as any
I have had, as was the ‘Allepy Fish
Curry’ with green mango. The side
dish of ‘Murungakai’ was absolutely
delicious, and we were happy to see
the homely drumsticks presented
in a fashion other than in a sambar,
with the ‘Malgudi Mango Drumstick
Curry’.
Malgudi Tiffin Centre’s Executive
Chef, Murali started us off with
‘Pepper Rasam’ and ended the meal
with a flourish, serving two fantastic desserts – ‘Palada Payasam’,
a special Kerala porridge served in
temples that takes hours to cook;
and an innovative ‘Coconut Custard’,
which is essentially caramel custard
with a coconut base. We polished
off both, despite generally not being
into payasams and having eaten a

huge meal. We failed to mention the
bhajjis and ‘Kané Rava Fry’ and curry leaves marinated prawn starters,
didn’t we?
We had a beautiful meal and got
to see first-hand the enthusiasm
with which the BIAL and HMSHost
teams are putting the dining area
together in the airport. Hats-off to
them for this latest offering, and
come January, give yourself that
extra hour at the airport to soak in
the new sights.
by Natasha Ali

Rating: 4 out of 5
Address: Bangalore International Airport, BIAL Road, Devanahalli, Bangalore,
Karnataka 560300
Phones: 080-66784444
23

REVIEWS - KOLKATA

Holy Grail of
Chinese Food

Two reputed Chinese restaurants in Kolkata with their impressive legacies come
up short when it comes to satiating the craving for authentic Chinese fare.

A

China Garden
I chose ‘China Garden’ restaurant
fter spending almost two
over ‘Beijing’, though the latter is
decades in Kolkata and
the most popular eatery in Tangra,
six years away from it, I decided it
for a quiet family dinner. I figured
was time I paid my first visit to the
this would be a good way to avoid
heart of Chinese food in the city –
the Pujo rush and suffer from bad
Tangra or China Town, as it is better
service due to more people visitknown. And what better time to
ing ‘Beijing’. I had always pictured
explore this area than at a time when
‘China Garden’ as a humble but
the entire city is agog with excitecozy restaurant and that was exactly
ment – Durga Pujo?
how it turned out to be, putting me
Set in the eastern part of the city,
at ease the moment we walked in.
Tangra was established some time in
Though the place was packed, we
1830s, as a home to Chinese mihad called in advance to make our
grants. Given its Chinese heritage,
reservations and managed to get
Tangra promises to offer authentic
ourselves a table.
Chinese cuisine at extremely modest
prices.
24

What catches one’s immediate attention at ‘China Garden’ is the price
on the food menu – it is cheaper
than any modest Chinese restaurant
I have visited in the last three years.
We ordered ‘Butter Chilli Garlic
Fish’ and ‘Fried Prawn Balls’. We
were served fresh Pabda fish instead
of the more commonly used Basa;
and it was soft and perfectly cooked.
The prawn balls, however, were a
disappointment. It tasted more like
chewing gum wrapped in a thick
batter of flour and cornflour, and
then deep fried in gallons of oil.
some common Chinese fare like
‘Kung Pao Chicken’, ‘Fish in Hot

REVIEWS - KOLKATA

Garlic Sauce’ and ‘Chicken Hakka
Noodles’. We thought that it would
be difficult for a popular Chinese
restaurant to go wrong with these
three dishes, but we were proved
wrong. The waiter apologized for
not using cashew nuts in the ‘Kung
Pao Chicken’ (which isn’t right to
begin with since the original recipe
uses peanuts), and proceeded to
serve us sufficient quantities of the
three dishes. The noodle dish had
very little veggies and chicken. It
was just about rather blah to a noodle freak like me.

Eaw Chew
If I were to compare my earlier
memories of the food from China
Town to what we experienced, I
think it is a result of the establish-

The restaurants are
still economical, with
a meal for two costing
around Rs 600 to Rs
800, but the quality
and taste of the food
has deteriorated.

research about the restaurant, which
is also known as ‘Josephine’s Kitchen’ and hoped this time I would be
successful in tasting some authentic
homemade Chinese food. After all,
according to various sources, this
eatery is known for its simple dining
room like set-up, secret recipes,
loyal customers, welcoming environment and food that promises to
be nothing less than a treat.
I decided to treat my father to
a relaxed weekday lunch at Eau
Chew and bond with him over
some home-style Chinese food. We
opted for ‘Eau Chew Special Soup’
and ‘Dry Chilly Fish’. The soup and
appetizer arrived sooner than we
imagined, but unfortunately not as
tasty as we hoped. The soup had too
much going on without any distinct
flavour for a so-called ‘special soup’
and the fish, in one word, was forgettable.
For the main course we went with
the highly recommended ‘Cantonese Soft Noodles’ and ‘Schezwan
Fish’. I can assure you that my mom
cooks better Cantonese noodles
and Schezwan Fish than what we
was served to us. Once more, I was
let down by an authentic restaurant
with a promising legacy.

It is unfortunate that both ‘China
Garden’ and ‘Eau Chew’ dish up
a fascinating heritage and history,
which are interesting enough to
The ‘Hot Garlic Fish’ was salty bekeep you engaged. But history is not
yond measure and inedible. The fish
what guests are looking for when
still had a taste of its own, if you ate ments not moving with the times.
they visit an eatery – they would init sans the gravy, but the chicken was The restaurants are still economical, stead settle for tasty food with good
nothing less than a disaster. After a with a meal for two costing around service, anytime. ■
Rs 600 to Rs 800, but the quality and
not so great dining experience, we
decided to stay away from ordering taste of the food has deteriorated.
by Gaurav Singh
further, including desserts. The food, I decided to try my luck at the oldest
family-owned Chinese restaurant in
most definitely left a bad taste in
our mouth and the extremely slow India, ‘Eau Chew’, located at Ganesh Chandra Avenue. I did a bit of
service added to our frustration.

25

ROAMING ROVER

STYLE AT A STEAL

ALOFT, CHENNAI
As far as business hotels go Aloft Chennai is definitely intent on raising the bar. Leisure or
business, we suggest you pay a visit.

F

to be feeling at as soon as you walk
into any hotel. The check-in proresh. Funky. Fun: The first 3
cess was short and painless and the
words that sprung to mind
staff friendly and efficient. The fact
as I walked through the glass doors
that the service-staff were dressed
and into the Lobby (aka Re:mix) of
for comfort and style in open-neck
Aloft, Chennai! For a hotel located
T-shirts and pants was in keeping
on the IT expressway and catering
with the casual-chic feel of the hotel
mostly to business travellers and
and was not only attractive, but
long-stay visitors , Aloft-Chennai
practical. A refreshing change from
definitely breaks the mould of the
the formal and elaborate (read hot
typical no-frills business hotel. There
and uncomfortable) uniforms that
were so many visual and sensory
you often see hotel staff in, tropical
inputs that I stopped short for a
climate notwithstanding.
second. The lay-out, the colours,
the music, the smell (a signature
The Fun Begins
scent created for Aloft ), the stack
As I waited to take my neon-pinkof brightly lit coloured-cubes, the
lit lift to the 3rd floor, I spotted an
Art on the walls, and was that a Pool
old but beautiful Lambretta scooter
table in the far corner?! There was
parked at the far-corner of the lifts.
so much to take in; less than a few
As I walked over to it curiously, I
minutes in and I liked it already!
was informed that one of the Directors of Aloft is a vintage-scooter
Checking-in at the circular
afficionado and so different levels
Front-Office Desk (Aloha Desk
of the hotel have different shining
in Aloft-ese), I noticed a sense
examples of two-wheeler technology
of casual comfort setting in, and
from the yester-years. A Maroon
whether it was the un-conventional
Lambretta on the ground floor, a
wraparound desk, the smiling faces
military-green James ML 125 cc
of the staff or the mix of essential
beauty from 1945 on the 1st floor,
oils in the scented air, the resuland a Cream-coloured NSU Prima
tant mood within a few minutes of
D Scooter from 1956 on the 3rd
arrival was one of ease, welcome and
floor. All in a superb state of mainwarmth – definitely what you want
tenance and kept in running-condi-

26

tion, but sadly no, not available to be
taken for a spin.
A long walk down a stripey corridor (striped carpet, striped lights
– standard décor common to all
Aloft hotels worldwide) led me to
my pool-facing room. Now here I
was again pleasantly surprised! Very
rarely, especially for hotel rooms,
does reality turn out to be better
than pictures on the Net! I was
expecting a smaller, more compact,
no-frills room and so, it was a pleasure to find a spacious, well-appointed, cheerful room with a King-sized
platform bed, 2 pool-facing desks, a
large 42” flat-screen television and
a well-stocked mini-bar (no alcohol
but a variety of drinks and nibbles).
A complimentary tea-tray complete with choice of signature teas
and coffee was on offer, but what
immediately caught my eye was an
unusual device on the desk called
Plug ‘n’ play. On closer inspection,
this turned out to be a communications-port that allows one to
hook-up any electronic gadget you
might have (laptop, PDA, MP3 , cellphone, you-name-it), to the large 42
inch flat-screen and navigate it from
the comfort of your bed. Is this a big
advantage for business people on the

ROAMING ROVER
go? I don’t know, but certainly, having the option of working or playing
your music/videos/movies from the
comfort of that amazingly plush bed
could only be good.
The Discovery of
Toothsome Food
A quick peek through the In-room
dining Menu revealed quite a few
tempting options, but I decided
to keep that for later and go check
out what else the hotel had to offer.
Heading down to lunch, I passed an
interesting looking Grab ‘n’ go station called Re:fuel that was stocked
with Fresh juices, milkshakes,
sandwiches, assorted muffins, salads,
snacks and tea/coffee/hot chocolate
dispensers. This would be a boon
to busy executives rushing to work,
with no time to sit down to a proper
meal. I felt plenty of thought and
attention to detail had been put into
that particular feature. For example,
snacks and juices were dated and
signed by the Chef who had prepared them, healthy options were
aplenty, and brown bags were kept
ready for one to just throw their
choices in a bag and bill it at the
Aloha Desk. The concept may not
have caught on fully in India, but is
very popular at Aloft hotels abroad,
I was informed by the GM. I could
easily see why.
Aloft, one of the Starwood group’s
nine brands of Hotels and Resorts,
decided to step away from its Select-Service avatar and do things a
bit differently in India. Aloft-India
has not one but three F & B Venues (4 counting Re:fuel) on offer.
Not bad, considering a Select-Service hotel usually has no on-site
restaurant! Dot.Yum is the 24 hour
multi-cuisine Coffee Shop that offers
buffets as well as a la carte for all its
meals. Estia is the Mediterranean
28

speciality restaurant and W xyz is
the Bar offering Signature Cocktails
and bar-snacks from around the
world. The Dot.Yum lunch buffet
is large and priced reasonably at Rs
650 plus tax pp, (dinner at Rs 700
plus tax pp.) The starters plentiful,
off-beat, and delicious. The Nuts
and Dukka Spice crusted Chicken
Supreme is a dish I would make a
special trip back to the hotel for- it
was succulent, flavourful and paired
with an excellent Tzatziki sauce.
The Cheese Boreks, vegetable and
cheese-stuffed spring-rolls, were
crisp outside, gooey inside and
served with a tomato salsa, an ideal
way to whet the appetite. I was spoilt
for choice when it came to the Main
Course selections but decided Less
is More and of the few dishes that
I sampled, the Arabian tenderloin
Shistawook on a skewer was outstanding – char-grilled to perfection, tender and flavoursome, the
Moo Goo Gai Pan (Chicken w/sliced
mushrooms) fairly tasty but not too
authentic and the Paruppu Urandai
Kozhambu (lentil dumplings in a
tangy gravy) – simply delicious! If
you are a dessert person (as I am!),
you might find the Dessert section
of the Buffet somewhat lacking.
Apart from the mini plum-tart and
omni-present Gulab Jamun, there
wasn’t much else to justify its existence that afternoon.
One step up from Dot.yum and
segregated partially by vertical
wooden slats, is Estia, the signature
Mediterranean Restaurant. With the
sights, sounds and smells from the
coffee-shop buffet spilling into it, Estia seemed more like an extension of
the Coffee-shop than a stand-alone
Mediterranean Restaurant, which
is pity because the food I sampled
from its Menu that evening was
outstanding. The Sambusaks (phyllo

cigars stuffed with Spinach and Nuts
and served w/tomato jam) melted in
the mouth and the Gambas al Ajillo
– Prawns sautéed with garlic, were
fresh and flavourful and paired with
the perfect accompaniment – Chilli
mayonnaise.
The Sambusaks were more likely
Sigara as Sambusaks must be triangular in shape. Made with a variety
of pastry and fillings, both can taste
the same but must adhere to shape
norms – triangular for Sambusaks
and tubular for Sigara.
The main course, a Charmoula-crusted Sea Bass with Dijon
mashed potatoes and grilled Vegetables was delicious. The fish–
grilled and crisp outside, tender
inside, went perfectly with the
subtly flavoured, creamy mashed
potatoes and grilled zucchini. But
the surprise of the evening and
the show-stopper IMHO, was the
Vegetarian main course! I know….
what a surprise! Innocuously named
Moroccan Vegetable Couscous, the
dish was presented with a flourish
and looked and tasted so good, I
am going to have to go back for it.
The cous-cous was light and very
flavourful, surrounded by a moat of
delicious, Moroccan-spiced tomato
gravy and topped with a tender, buttered stem of asparagus. A dish fit
for a King, or Queen in this case. ;)
Last up was one of two most famous
desserts of the Mediterranean coast,
Tiramisu. Layers of Coffee soaked
sponge, interspersed with mascarpone enhanced whipped cream and
dusted with cocoa, served chilled.
It was a beautiful end to a fabulous
meal. I would definitely go back to
Estia for a good meal, and can only
hope that future meals meet the
high standards that were set that
evening. A meal for 2 would set you
back around Rs 1800/- approximate

ROAMING ROVER
ly, which is quite reasonable.
Last but certainly not the least is
W xyz – the Lobby Bar situated at
Ground level with glass walls on two
sides and glass windows on the third.
All that glass gives one a slight goldfish-in-a-bowl feeling, but in a good
way. There is a light and spacious feel
to the bar, and being able to see the
world go by as you sip on one of the
bar’s excellent Signature cocktails is
an added bonus. The Snack Menu is
extensive, with options for a light bite
(e.g. Herbed Fish Fingers/Chicken
Satay) or a Big-bite (Chettinad Chicken Paratha Wrap/Beer-battered Fish
& Chips). The staff are friendly and
the Manager of the bar, an avid mixologist, loves a chance to display his
skills. That evening, he mixed up an
Aloft signature cocktail, The Year of
the Dragon, a delicious combination
of Peach Absolut vodka with fresh
strawberries muddled with lemon
juice, sugar syrup, a little strawberry
crush and topped with club soda…
to make the perfect cocktail for a hot
summer night – refreshing and light.
Thoughtful Design
Despite its F&B offerings, Aloft’s
equal if not stronger focus, is on the
tech-savvy and business traveller.
This is evident from the plug ‘n’ play
comm-port in the room, the free
Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and also
other such thoughtful offerings like
the twin iPads near the main entrance – helpful if you want to make a
quick search without pulling out your
device, or perhaps print your ticket
before you head out to the airport.
Away from the main entrance is a
quiet corner called In Touch, where
full-size computers and office facilities await; a mini business-centre at
your disposal. If you need to host a
meeting, Tactic could be the perfect
place to do it with state-of-the art
AV equipment and an ability to host

upto 45 people at a time. For larger
corporate functions or parties there
is Hub, almost 3000 square feet of
space and an excellent kitchen to back
it up. Whether on business or leisure, everyone needs some R&R and
Aloft has a few options you would be
hard-pressed to find even at a 5-star
hotel. At Re:mix you have comfortable seats to catch up on your reading,
a high-table and chairs with a choice
of board games and… a pool table!
If that’s too indoors-ey, head up to
the first-floor where you could either
lounge in the open-air backyard with
a book, catch up with friends with
some cool music playing in the background, laze in one of the cabanas by
the pool or take a dip in its cool, blue
waters. Alternatively, head to The Spa
where the Buddha-statue, fragrant air,
dim-lighting and vedic-chant music
will lull you into a peaceful trance
in minutes. A short walk away from
The Spa is Re:charge, the compact but
fully-equipped gymnasium open 24
hours a day for in-house guests.
‘Style at a Steal’ they say? I agree.
Aloft- OMR, Chennai gets two
thumbs up for service, style, comfort,
and great food. ■

by Kuki Ravindran

31

COVER STORY

S

ometime in June 2013, a blog
post accused Lemp Brewpub
in Gurgaon of mistreating a group of
customers who visited the restaurant
for the Sunday brunch. It alleged
that the restaurant’s high-on-testosterone staff and owner misbehaved
with the patrons and even hauled
them to a police station for non-payment of a bill. This blog post went
viral, sending the Twitterati into a
tizzy. The issue snowballed in no
time as opinions started flying thick
and fast about the high-handedness
of the restaurant’s officials.
While the jury is still out, and we are
noncommittal, about what actually
transpired and who was at fault to
what degree, there is one simple
learning from this entire episode –
the fiasco could have been avoided if
the restaurant’s officials had handled
it with tact and diplomacy.
Close on the heels of this incident,
many other people on social media
networks spewed their own ire of
wrongdoing they encountered in
various eateries across the country.
Jaya Khanna, 32, an entrepreneur
who frequents 5-star establishments
says that these places often lack
basic courtesy extended to a guest.
“The buffets are the worst. You place
your request at the live counter,
expecting warm food to reach your

table. But you end up getting cold,
undercooked food; despite paying
a hefty price for the buffet. It makes
your blood boil,” she fumes.
Sethuraman N, 25, a sales manager
in an IT firm in Bangalore, recalls
another incident where he visited a
famous coffee chain and was seated
at a table that was not cleared of the
remnants of the previous guest’s
food – for 20 minutes and despite
several reminders to the staff to clear
the table! “That day, a lot did happen
over coffee,” he quips.
Most of us would have similar horror stories to share about occurrences in restaurants that left us seething
and some of us use social media
platforms to rant about it. But are
any of us willing to cut the restaurant’s team some slack and understand their perspective at times?
From the Other Side
Take this case for instance. A group
of corporate staffers decides to have
a working lunch at an open kitchen
restaurant. Now an open kitchen means that there will be some
sounds emanating from the cooking
area especially when vegetables were
stir-fried. One of the men from the
group was upset because the noise
was disturbing their conversation.
He summoned the chef, who politely apologized for the inconvenience,

diners from

HELL

32

Empathy usually works when you put
yourself in the guest’s shoes and relate
to his ire” – Chef Ajay Chopra, Executive
Chef of Westin Mumbai Garden City

but pointed out that there was little
he could do other than accommodate the group to a table some distance away from the open kitchen.
However, the guest was not placated
and insisted on speaking to the owner of the restaurant.
“Thankfully, the owner understood
my dilemma and tried to make the
guest understand that little could
be done about the noise and smell
originating from the kitchen. But
the guest left as a unhappy customer,” recalls Chef Ajay Chopra, currently the Executive Chef of Westin
Mumbai Garden City, while reminiscing about this story from one of
his previous assignments. Nityanand
Shetty, Director of Melting Pot,

Every restaurant owner dreads them. Every chef has encountered them. Every hotel’s employee wishes to avoid them. Ladies
and gentlemen, meet the ‘Difficult Diners’,
for whom the food is never perfect, the
ambience always lacks something and the
meal experience is always short of ideal.


COVER STORY
Pebbles and 49 Grills in Mumbai
talks about an incident at one of
his restaurants. “A celebrity, who
is a regular at our restaurant, had
booked two tables on a busy night.
Another trio of guests was waiting
for a while since the restaurant was
filled to capacity. We seated them in
a smaller table for two with an extra
seat, after taking their permission.
But when one of the trio saw that
the celebrity had booked two tables
and a couple of seats were unoccupied he took umbrage to this and
accused us of being star-struck and
partial to celebrities,” Nityanand
remembers.

that a guest expects from a Starwoods property, be it their hotel,
restaurant or spa.
Another trick of dealing with difficult diners is asking them to suggest
a solution to their issue. So, if they
feel that they are uncomfortable
where they have been seated, ask
them where they would prefer to be
Nityanand Shetty, Director - Melting Pot moved to do and try to shift them
at the earliest. “The reason is simple
patient hearing so that they feel that – a nagging customer will spoil the
their concern is taken seriously, if
dining experience of other guests,
not addressed, and that their com- which is something no restaurant
plaint was taken seriously. Sadly, not can afford,” adds Chef Deepak Balmany establishments know how to laney of International Wings Factory
handle such situations, which leads in New York.
to a sticky state of affairs. We spoke
The guest kept his diatribe on for 10 to a few chefs and restaurant owners The easiest way out that some
minutes, during which time the ce- who shared their tricks of the trade restaurants take to mute demanding
lebrity and his friends finished their for dealing with tough customers.
patrons is to offer them a comp dish.
meal and left. But the guest was still
Though this is not the ideal solution,
far from happy. Nityanand claims
it does help in making amends. Chef
Dealing with Tough
that his staff listened to this tirade
Deepak recommends that a restauCustomers
patiently and assured the guest they
rant owner should teach his staff to
The first and most important habwould not charge him for the food.
listen, be polite, be reasonable, but
it that any person associated with
“At the end of his meal the guest
also know when to stop bending
the hospitality sector has to imbibe over backwards. “Just because we are
refused to avail of the free food and
just accepted a token of free dessert, is one of patience and extreme
there to give people a good dining
restraint. Unless the guest gets
because he felt that we had adexperience, but we are also there to
physically violent or excessively
dressed his issue,” he adds.
run a business. We can’t be expected
abusive, the staff of the restaurant is to comp a meal every time a diner
Difficult diners are a regular facet
obliged to understand why the guest disagrees with our food or policies,”
of every restaurant’s life. The trick
to deal with them is to lend them a is upset. “Empathy usually works
he points out.
when you put yourself in the guest’s
shoes and relate to his ire,” says Chef In short, empathy, patience and the
Chopra.
willingness to go the extra mile to
This is where professionalism saves
the day. Many hotels have started investing in training their staff on the
right way to welcome, seat, interact
and listen to a guest. Starwood, for
instance, has even initiated a Guest
Experience Index (GEI) where each
Starwood staffer’s incentives are tied
to the rating they receive in the GEI
“A nagging customer will spoil the
dining experience of other guests, which filled in by guests. This is to ensure
is something no restaurant can afford” that every member of the team can
– Chef Deepak Ballaney, International
deliver the expected level of service
Wings Factory, New York

ensure that the guest has a good
time are the cornerstones of any
hospitality venture. If these tenets
had been followed by Lemp Brewpub then chances are that establishment would not have been in the
news for all the wrong reasons. Let
us just hope other restaurant owners
learn from this unfortunate episode
and give their patrons a reason to
keep coming back for more. ■

by Vinita Bhatia
33

KITCHEN KIN

Chef Emiliano De Stefano

Chef De Excellence

The youthfulness of Italian Chef Emiliano Di Stefano belies his eight years of experience in
creating Italian dishes across Asia and the Middle East. As Chef de Cuisine, he is now overseeing the kitchen of Prego, the California style restaurant at Westin Gurgaon.
My fascination for Italian food is
legendary. Whether you have graced
my table, cooked my recipes or
read my opinions, you will notice
that I involuntarily veer towards
the flavor-filled warmth of Italian
food ever so often. It has the familiar – tomatoes and garlic; the not so
familiar – porcini and sardines; the
comforting – red wine and olive oil;
34

and the extraordinary – prosciutto
and chestnuts. So, whichever way
you approach it, Italian cuisine will
deliver.
This versatile cuisine goes beyond
pizza and pasta, which thankfully we
now know. It encompasses the entire
realm of vegetarian cooking too. But
for me, Italian food is beautiful beef,

plump tomatoes, sweet balsamic,
aromatic herbs, calamari, tart olives
and creamy, milky desserts.
This is the mindset I took with me
when I met Chef Emiliano Di Stefano, the new Italian Chef de Cuisine
at Prego, Westin Gurgaon’s Californian style Italian restaurant. My first
question to Chef Emiliano was,

KITCHEN KIN
“Why Californian style?” He replied how wonderfully challenging every
that this was because Prego is sunny new destination is for him.
and playful, al fresco yet private,
beautifully upscale but inclusive.
Well, I can vouch that it certainly
felt that way. Having eaten at Prego
I am a food aficionado
several times before, I was keen to
see what Chef Emiliano would do
and I love to see new
differently. I started with a tête-àcountries, new cultête about him and his past.
Passion for Food Supersedes
Geographies
Chef Emiliano has over eight years
of experience as an Italian chef in
countries as diverse as China, the
Middle East and now India. Needless to say, I was intrigued by his
choice of appointments. To which he
impishly said, “I am a food aficionado and I love to see new countries,
new cultures and make people in
those countries try what they haven’t
tried before!”
His career so far includes stints at
the Venice Hotel in China, Intercontinental Hotel in Muscat and Hotel
Executive in Italy. He also worked
as a Pastry Chef at Ghigo, a 200year old patisserie in Torino, Italy,
for several years. Later, he served as
Sous Chef at The Atlantic Hotel in
Italy, under renowned Italian Chef
Lucio Antonietti. In addition to his
expertise in Italian cuisine, Chef
Emiliano also good knowledge of
Mediterranean and European cooking.
Chef Emiliano seemed to be excited
about being in India, especially because of the vast palates Indians are
known to have. He spoke of guests
who wanted more sauce and then
regretted asking for it, simply because the dish was perfect as it was
served. He talked about diners who
asked for dishes he was thrilled to
serve up and most of all, he spoke of

Tournedos’ (Rs 2300). The ‘Affettati
Gnocco Fritto’ was an array of Italian cured meats served with a fried
Emilian bread puff; of this, the puff
and the prosciutto were stellar.
The ‘Open Ravioli’ was a very picturesque dish. The yellow saffron
sauce was well contrasted by the
dark and mysterious seafood ragout
tinted with squid ink – all-in-all it
tures and make people was creamy heaven! This dish is so
wonderfully Italian it makes you
in those countries try
wonder why you bother with any
what they haven’t tried other cuisine. I could taste the sea,
the ravioli was perfectly rolled and
before!” – Chef Emilia- so very fresh and I loved every last
slurp of the saffron sauce. In fact,
no De Stefano
that evening I attempted the saffron
sauce at home, though it was nowhere as close to Chef Emiliano’s
Considering his young age, I won- presentation. But yes, his dishes
dered how big a challenge it must
spark inspiration in the diner.
be to reign as Chef de Cuisine. But However, what stole the show were
Chef Emiliano says that he loves the the ‘Tournedos’, medallions of beaustaff at Westin and is especially in
tiful tenderloin, pink and juicy in
love with the knowledge they bring the center, spiked with the tartness
with them. These days he is busy
of a balsamic reduction. I had to
learning more about Indian food
stop myself from using my fingers to
and what he calls our ‘wonderful
lick it off the plate. It is accompanied
spices’!
by what you least expect – a chocolate biscotti. I loved the sweet, tart,
Wondrous Food,
meaty combination so much, that I
Lovely Company
plan to go back just for this.
Chef Emiliano is an avid reader.
When he is not creating new dishes Prego is lucky to have the youthful
in the kitchen, he takes time out to spirit of Chef Emiliano, a man who
concentrate on his fitness regime,
doesn’t just understand the nuances
and boy, is he fit! He is also keen
of ingredients, he senses them, he
on learning different languages and feels them. Halfway through our
is well versed in Italian, French,
chat I realized his mind and heart
English and Spanish. After an hour- were in the kitchen and it wasn’t just
long friendly banter about family,
about appeasing me; he had his eye
Italy, India and food, we came down on each and every guest that packed
to business, the menu for the day.
the restaurant on a warm Tuesday
That afternoon Chef Emiliano had afternoon. Pretty darned good for a
cooked up ‘Affettati Gnocco Fritto’ city like Gurgaon! ■
(Rs 900), ‘Open Ravioli with Crusby Parul Pratap Shirazi
tacean Ragout and Saffron Cream’
(Rs 1400) and the absolutely fantastic ‘Chef Special Veal Tenderloin
35

KITCHEN KIN
Anyone who has watched MasterChef India would instantly recognize
Chef Kunal Kapur, and their first
recollection about him would be his
stern demeanor and blunt feedback,
which has many contestants on the
TV reality show in tears. But Chef
Kunal prefers to call a spade by that
name, rather than sugarcoating it.
In a freewheeling discussion, he tells
Vinita Bhatia how MasterChef India
changed his life for the better and
how he often ended up learning from
the contestants than the other way
around.
Vinita Bhatia (VB): Most men in
your family belonged to the finance sector. So how did you land
up in the culinary world?

took an educational loan for my
hospitality course. I started my career at Taj Group of Hotels, and later
had the chance to work at Made in
India at Radisson Hotel in Noida,
Dhaba at the Claridges and Diya at
the Leela Kempinski Gurgaon. Today, my parents are very happy with
the decision I had taken back then.

the contestants. It is important to
showcase the contestant is and also
show why he is part of the contest.
In India people always connect with
emotions. Given a chance, I would
love to have a show that focused
completely on food. However, one
can’t hide emotions even in that.
Coming to MasterChef India And
Junior MasterChef being over-draVB: What are your earliest memo- matized, well, it is a reality show
ries about food and cooking?
where no one is told what to do. At
KK: I vividly recall our short week- the same time, people in India are
end trips to India Gate in New Delhi very emotional about whatever they
with three or four other families
do, even cooking.
where each family carried a home
cooked dish. Back then, we would
VB: But was MasterChef India as
also carry a sigdi with us. I remem- popular as the Australian series?
ber sitting by the sigdi to help my
KK: If you look popularity point of
uncle barbecue kebabs. Even toview of both the shows in India, the

the

SHOWMAN CHEF
“One has to be a showman on TV besides being a good cook, especially in a country like India
where we idolize anyone we see on TV”- Chef Kunal Kapur
Chef Kunal Kapur (KK): I can
tell you it was not an easy journey.
My family expected me to join the
banking industry, but unfortunately,
I was very bad with numbers. After
I completed my school, somebody
suggested a course in hotel management as a career option. On further
inquiry, I learnt I would land a
job in a hotel after completing the
course. I saw hotel management as
an escape from the clichéd tag of a
banker. I had to work hard at convincing my family why I wanted to
take up hotel management. Finally,
they relented and my father even

day, I prefer intimate dinners with
my family, eating home cooked
food, over ostentatious parties.
The amount of love, care and affection that goes into making a home
cooked meal is incomparable and is
all about emotional attachment.

ratings for MasterChef India was
much higher as compared to the
Australian series in India. MasterChef India became a household
name and a huge economic driver
for the food business.

VB: Suddenly, the Indian hospiVB: Talking about emotions, many tality scene is cluttered with masfelt that the Indian MasterChef
ter chefs and celebrity chefs. Do
series was over-dramatized and
you think these chefs deserve this
it was more about the emotions
elevated status, given that most of
of the contestants than about the
them are of showmen than cooks?
food. Do you agree?
KK: Master chefs and celebrity chefs
KK: For any show to become
are names given by the media. I
popular, it has to revolve around
think MasterChef India TV
37

KITCHEN KIN
at Diya, the Indian restaurant at
Leela Kempinski Gurgaon?
KK: I already do that at Diya, because I use the essence of basic recipes and give it my different touch
from my travel experiences. One of
Diya’s strengths is using fresh and
seasonally available produce for its
Punjabi and Awadi cuisine.

Gosht ka Korma

series made the word ‘Master Chef ’
a commonly used term. Television
has the capacity to make anything
and anyone glamorous. One has to
be a showman on TV besides being
a good cook, especially in a country
like India where we idolize anyone
we see on TV. So what is wrong if a
chef is appreciated or glamorized?
This trade has been looked down
upon for a long time and finally is
on the progressive track. That makes
me feel happy.
VB: Trends keep coming and
fading in the culinary world. What
food fad, do you think, will gain
ground in Indian in 2014?
KK: Between 2012 and 2013, many
restaurants tried their hand at molecular gastronomy, leading to a lot
of fusion and confusion. This year,
I think going seasonal and combining local flavours with international
taste will become more popular. I
also foresee restaurants using locally
available produce and merging that
with international techniques of
cooking, with the onus of keeping
the flavours simple and fresh.
VB: Is that what you will be doing
38

VB: How would you compare
running a standalone restaurant
to managing one in a 5-star restaurant?
KK: Running a restaurant is no joke.
It takes the collective efforts of the
team to pull of a successful restaurant. In many ways, a restaurant in a
hotel has multiple advantages. It has
an existing support structure, right
from extra hands to the uniform
department to systematized stores to
round-the-clock maintenance and
guests who stay at the hotel invariably patronizing the restaurant. But
this advantage can become a disadvantage where the responsibility to
meet the budget takes precedence
at all times. On the other hand, a
standalone restaurant has to do everything by itself. The manager and
the chef play the role of parents and
need to keep a 24/7 watch on their
baby. This means lots of responsibility for the duo without the liberty
of sharing most of this with their
rest of the staff. While this makes
them competitive, it can also lead to
stress. While I am happier managing a restaurant in a hotel currently,
I would definitely like to have a
restaurant of my own sometime in
the future.

Gosht Ka Korma
Ingredients:
• 500gm mutton on
the bone
• 250g oil
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 black cardamom
• 5 green cardamoms
• 1-inch cinnamon
• 4 cloves
• 5 black pepper corns
• 125g ginger garlic
paste
• Salt, to taste

• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp coriander
powder
• 1 tbsp red chilly
powder (adjust as
per taste)
• 4 cups yogurt
• ½ cup cashewnut
paste
• ½ cup coriander,
chopped

Method:
1. Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Add all the
whole spices and allow them to crackle.
2. Now add the mutton and cook it on medium
heat for 5 minutes.
3. Dissolve ginger garlic paste in 1 cup of water
and add to the mutton. Continue cooking for
another seven minutes.
4. Add salt, turmeric, red chilly powder and coriander powder. Cook on low heat, till the lamb
leaves the oil.
5. Whisk the yogurt and add to the mutton.
Increase the heat and keep stirring, till yogurt
comes to a boil.
6. Lower the heat and cook the mutton covered on
low heat for another 10 minutes.
7. Add two cups water and mix in the cashewnut
paste. Stir and then cover and cook till the
mutton is soft.
8. Check for seasoning and garnish with chopped
coriander.
9. Serve hot with roti, naan or paratha.

Lufthansa to help them upgrade
their menu for first and business
class. And in the past, I have been
associated with the New Zealand
Tourism Board.

VB: Wasn’t your name included
in the Limca Book of Records a
couple of years ago for creating a
chocolate tower?
KK: Frankly, I alone did not achieve
this feat. The Leela Ambience Hotel
staff, Chef Ajay Chopra of Westin
Garden City Mumbai, contestants
of MasterChef India Season 1 and I
together put together India’s tallest
VB: There was talk about a cookery chocolate tower inside Ambience
book that you were authoring.
Mall in Gurgaon. The tower was
KK: Yes, I am working on my new
made of around 20,000 chocolate
cookery book with the idea of mak- éclair buns, 800kg chocolate and
ing cooking an easy task for anyone 12000 eggs. The height of this tower
and everyone. I also work with
was 26 feet and 8 inches. I

Pinni Srikhand Granola
Ingredients:
• 250gm Pinni
• 250gm hung yogurt
• 4 tbsp powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp rolled oats
• 2 tbsp pista, chopped
• 2 tbsp corn flakes
Method:
1. Mix pinni, rolled oats, pista chopped and corn
flakes together. Rub the mixture with hands to
make into a crumbly texture.
2. Mix sugar and hung yogurt. In a glass layer
alternately with yogurt and pinni granola. Serve
immediately

remember we worked all through
the night to have this huge tower
ready by noon the next day. But the
sense of satisfaction on seeing it up
was second to none.

Chef Kunal Kapur is a big movie buff. He
also loves traveling and exploring new places. On a typical day off, you are most likely to find him cooking for his friends and
spending time with his son.

VB: Is your two-year old a fussy
eater? As a parent and a chef, how
do you get him excited about eating different types of healthy food?
KK: Ironically, Ranbir, my son,
resents food! He eats only when my
wife or I give him lot of hugs and
spend time with him. He has a fixed
list of things he likes to eat and he
wants them cooked in a particular
way. I make a point to feed him at
least one meal daily, which takes lot
of time, but I look forward to it all
the same. ■
by Vinita Bhatia


39

DROOL SPREAD

Photo: Sid Khullar Venue: Infinity, Crowne Plaza, Mayur Vihar, New Delhi
40


To celebrate DSF 2014, CaLDRON brings you
recipes of the signature dishes of some of
the popular restaurants in Dubai. So go on,
have fun!
'The 19th edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is underway from 2nd
January to 2nd February, 2014. Since it was launched in 1996, the mega-shopping fest has attracted around 51 million participants, who have spent just
around $35 billion. And while shopping is the major draw to this event, visitors are equally excited about hospitality and entertainment.

42


RECIPES - GLOBAL FUSION

Fattoush Salad

Bursting with fresh vegetables this Middle Eastern salad is served with pieces of crisp pita bread. This recipe from
Mirdif City Centre in Dubai is easy to prepare, light on the stomach, and yet filling enough.
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
• 300ml olive oil
• 2 lemons, juice and zest only
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 4 tbsp sumac
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
• 1 pita bread, torn into small pieces
• 8 plum tomatoes, seeds removed, quartered
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut into 5cm batons
• 1/2 green pepper, cut into strips
• 8 radishes, sliced
• 1 shallot, sliced
• Small handful rocket leaves
• Small Little gem lettuce
• Handful fresh mint leaves
Method:
1. For the dressing, place the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, crushed garlic and sumac into a bowl and whisk
together to combine.
2. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. For the salad, place the torn pita, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, radishes, shallot, rocket leaves, Little Gem lettuce leaves and mint leaves into a large bowl and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. To serve, pour the dressing, to taste, over the salad and gently mix together to coat the salad evenly.
You may not need all the dressing for this recipe, so set the remainder aside in the fridge for up to a week.

43

RECIPES - LOCAL PALATE

Murgh Malai Kabab

Savour the royal flavours of the Murg Malai Kabab and tuck into its mild spices. This recipe from from Gazebo
Restaurant in Dubai will transport you to the courts of Lucknow and the North-Western frontier of India.
Ingredients:
• 500g boneless chicken cubes
• 1/2 cup hung curd (thick curd)
• 1/2 cup fresh cream
• 1/2 cup grated processed cheese
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp green cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tsp butter
• Salt to taste
Method:
1. Pierce the boneless chicken cubes with a fork and keep aside.
2. In a bowl and mix together hung curd, cream, cheese, salt, pepper powder, cardamom powder, ginger paste
and garlic paste.
3. Dip the chicken pieces and rub the marinade on them and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.
4. Skewer the marinated chicken pieces and cook on a charcoal grill turning occasionally and basting with butter
until they are evenly cooked.
5. Serve hot with mint chutney and onion rings.

44



Kafta Bel Laban

Who can resist the authentic flavours of a traditional homecooked Kafta Bel Laban. This recipe from Leila Restaurant in Dubai shows how to cook this healthy Lebanese dish.
Ingredients:
• 450g ground beef
• 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 2 pieces Lebanese bread
Method:
1. Preheat grill to high heat.
2. Mix beef, parsley, onion, garlic, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, salt, breadcrumbs and egg in a large
bowl.
3. Wet fingers and hands and mold meat mixture around skewers in a long log shape.
4. Grill until meat is no longer pink.
5. Coat Lebanese bread with olive oil using pastry brush and place on baking tray. Bake in oven until golden and
toasted. Let cool and break it up into medium pieces.
6. Cover bottom of dish with toasted Lebanese bread.
7. Top with meat and generous amount of yogurt on top.
8. Sprinkle with pine nuts.
9. Garnish with slices of tomato and mint leaves (if desired).

45


Chicken Spinoccoli

UNO Chicago Grill uses Italy’s old authentic recipes and combining it with the finest meats, fresh cheeses, ripe
vegetables and flavourful spices to make pizza and pasta the heartiest meal of all. Here is a recipe from this American-cuisine restaurant in Dubai.
Ingredients:
• 1 chicken spinoccoli roulade each
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 slices mozzarella
• 1 tbsp pesto sauce
• 7 fluid oz alfredo sauce
• 11oz penne pasta
• 2 fluid oz UNO pizza sauce
• 1 tsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp parmesan, shredded
• 1 piece garnish bread
Method:
1. Spray a regular sized pizza pan with pan release.
2. Unwrap the chicken spinoccoli roulade and place into the pizza pan with 1/2 cup water. Place the cut side
down. Cover the roulade with 2 slices of mozzarella. Place the chicken spinoccoli into the bottom oven.
3. When chicken is cooked, prepare the pasta. Pre-heat sauce pan, add pesto and alfredo sauce. Stir and bring to
a simmer. Place the pasta into the salted boiling water and cook until ready. Drain well.
4. Place the pasta into the simmering sauce and toss. Place pasta in a pre-heated pasta bowl.
5. Place the UNO pizza sauce in a strip down the center of the pasta.
6. Remove the chicken spinoccoli roulade from the pan and place onto a clean cutting board.
7. Slice the chicken into 5 slices – cut on a bias. Layer the sliced chicken spinoccoli down the center of the appropriate preheated bowl.
8. Take end slice and rotate it to the opposite end so that on both sides the colorful filling is visible.
9. Sprinkle chopped parsley and parmesan on pasta and place bread on the side of the bowl.

46



Double Mushrooms

This recipe from Zafran Restaurant in Dubai offers a contemporary take to a simple mushroom recipe.
Ingredients:
• 180g button mushroom (cleaned 6 pieces)
• 90g panko crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1 tsp red bell pepper, chopped finely
• 2 tsps onion, chopped finely
• 1 pinch black pepper, crushed
• 2 tbsps plain flour
• 1 tsp corn flour
• 2 pinches salt
• 3 tbsps Amul cheese
• Oil to fry
Method:
1. Clean mushrooms by scooping out from the centre.
2. Mix grated cheese with red pepper, onion and black pepper.
3. Stuff cheese mixture into each mushroom and club 2 pieces each from the filling side.
4. Make batter with flour, corn flour and water (not too thick).
5. Dip stuffed mushrooms in the batter and coat with panko crumbs (2 times) and deep fry until they are a golden brown colour.
6. Serve with a dipping sauce of your choice.


47


Tiramisu

Nothing can work wonders for your appetite than Tiramisu, an authentic Italian dessert. Carluccio’s, an all day Italian café in Dubai, shares the recipe for making this light any-time dish.
Ingredients:
• 200g mascarpone cheese
• 160g savoiardi biscuits, sometimes called lady fingers
• 200ml espresso coffee
• 200ml double cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 70g castor sugar
• 3 gelatin leaves
Method:
1. Whisk together the mascarpone cheese and double cream in an electric mixer until slightly stiff, keep aside. In
another bowl add the egg yolks and whisk slowly.
2. Mix the sugar with a small amount of water in a pan and bring to boil, boiling for a few minutes.
3. Soak the gelatin leaves in iced water until soft. Drain the gelatin leaves and squeeze out any excess water, then
add the gelatin leaves to the sugar syrup. Stir gently until the gelatin has dissolved. Add the sugar and gelatin
to the egg yolks, whisk using the electric mixer on high speed. Put the egg yolk mixture in a bowl and gently
fold in the mascarpone and cream using a spatula.
4. Once everything is combined, place in the fridge to set.
5. Heat up the coffee adding a little bit of water and pour into a shallow bowl or tray. Soak the savoiardi biscuits
in the coffee and line them in a dessert bowl.
6. Spoon the mascarpone mix on top of the savoiardi biscuits making sure it is spread evenly. Add another layer
of coffee soaked savoiardi biscuits on top of the mascarpone. Do not press the biscuits. Finish with a final layer
of the mascarpone mix.
7. Keep refrigerated until serving and sprinkle with cocoa powder.

48


PHOTO RELIEF

Coffee, after dessert?

Photo: Sid Khullar Venue: Nero, Le Meridien, New Delhi

49


T

hat she is passionate about cooking is evident the moment one opens Farrukh
Shadab Ansari’s blog page on http://cubesnjuliennes.blogspot.in/. You will
be excused if you immediately slip a into food coma after seeing the spectacular photos of food that has been lovingly cooked and endearingly presented.
Bangalore-based Farrukh is a microbiologist and naturopath. However, after her
marriage she chose to become a home maker, caring for her family comprising her
husband and two children. She started experimenting with different types of cuisines and styles of cooking because of her family, especially her husband who loves
variety while dining. What started as amateur dabbling in the kitchen soon became
a full-fledged passion and she decided to start compiling her recipes and blogging
about it. The food photos of her well-followed blog can easily be compared to art
on a digital canvas. In October 2013, the Food Bloggers Association of India bestowed Farrukh with the ‘The Best Recipe Blog’ award.

Fig Almond Shake
Farrukh Shadab likes this recipe for the high iron content, fibre and vitamins figs contribute and also because it can
be consumed during fasts.
Ingredients:
• 8 nos figs, dried
• 2 tbsp almonds, roughly chopped
• 400 ml low fat milk
• 1 tbsp honey (increase or decrease if preferred)
• A few ice cubes
Method:
1. Soak the chopped fig in ¼ cup of hot water for 15 minutes to soften them.
2. In a blender, blend together figs, almonds and a little milk to form a smooth paste.
3. Add milk, honey and ice cubes, blend well.
Serve as required.


51


Malai Makai Paneer
Farrukh Shadab, an award winning blogger who blogs at Cubes n Juliennes (http://cubesnjuliennes.blogspot.in),
shares her recipe or Malai Makai Paneer with us. Farrukh is also a talented photographer, as illustrated by her photo
s accompanying all her recipes.
Ingredients:
• 200gm Paneer (cottage cheese)
• 1 cup Corn, boiled
• 1 Bay leaf
• 5 Green cardamoms
• 2 inches Cinnamon stick
• 1 Onion (medium, finely chopped)
• 1 tsp Green chili paste
• 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp Black pepper powder
• ½ tsp White pepper powder
• 1 tsp Garam masala powder
• ¼ cup Yoghurt, thick
• 1 tbsp Almond paste
• 2 tbsp Mawa/khoya (optional)
• ½ cup Cream
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Sugar
• ¾ cup Water, warm
• 2 tbsp Oil
Method:
1. In a pan, heat oil, add cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon. Fry for 15 seconds.
2. Add chopped onion, fry till translucent.
3. Add boiled corn, ginger-garlic paste, green chili paste, black and white pepper powder, almond paste and sauté
well on high heat for minute stirring continuously.
4. Add khoya, mix well. Lower the heat, add whisked yoghurt, stir until combined well.
5. Add warm water and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
6. Add salt, sugar, garam masala powder, and cream, mix well.
7. Add paneer cubes and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Serve with hot naan, roti, pulao or rice.


53


Roasted Bell Pepper
Suppli
Farrukh Shadab shares her recipes for Italian Supplis. These are snacks made from cooked rice and usually have
a piece of mozzarella in the center. Though traditionally made using Arborio rice, other forms of plain cooked rice
work too.
Ingredients:
• 2 cups rice, plain cooked
• 1 small or half of large red bell pepper
• 1 small or half of large yellow bell pepper
• 4 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 tbsp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 nos green chili, chopped (you can add more for hotness)
• 3/4 tsp red chili flakes
• 5-6 nos basil leaves or 1 ½ tsp of dried basil
• 1/3 cup + extra for coating bread crumbs
• 75 gms mozzarella cheese, cut in 1.5 cm cube
• 3/4 cup milk for coating
• Salt as per taste
• Oil for frying preferably olive oil
Method:
1. Clean and wipe the bell peppers. Apply some oil to the bell pepper’s skin and roast on a gas stove or oven (180
degrees) till its skin turns black and it has a smoky aroma.
2. Remove the skin of the roasted peppers, deseed and chop finely.
3. Put the rice in a bowl and mash it coarsely. Add 1/3 cup bread crumbs, parmesan, cheddar, green chili, red
chili flakes, basil, and salt.
4. Mix well. If you feel the rice mixture is too dry, sprinkle a few drops of water and mix.
5. Divide the rice mixture equally , depending upon the size of the suppli you prefer. I divided it into 9 portions
from the abovementioned proportions.
6. Take one portion of the mixture, make an indentation and place one cube of mozzarella within. Seal it by
forming the rice dough into a ball, oblong or a flat patty. I preferred to make it a flat patty.
7. Repeat the same for all the portions. Refrigerate the patties for 30mins.
8. Dip the patty in the milk and coat it with bread crumbs. Once again dip it in milk and coat it with crumbs
again. Repeat this procedure for all the patties.
9. Heat the oil in a pan (not to smoke point as it is olive oil), shallow fry the prepared patties till golden brown.
Serve hot with the sauce or dip of your choice.


55

CaLDRON January 2014

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