Lost recipes of the royals and a gastronomic leap towards immortality
There is more than just a fine line between tasty dishes and tasty dishes from the kitchens of the Royals of India. The royal chefs did not just cook but cooked with a lot of energetic ideation thrown in. This is exactly what Chef Arun Sundararaj and the culinary experts of Varq, a part of...
Eat your problems with breakfast
The first thing I asked the cab driver as we were going from Changi Airport to our hotel on Bencoolen street, the business district of Singapore, was, ‘What is the best Singaporean food according to you?’ He said, ‘We eat our problems with breakfast.’ And then maintained a silence but then after a while he...
The good, bad, and ugly of hunger
‘Stay hungry, stay foolish’ said Steve Jobs and the world applauded. Yes, this is the desirable side of hunger… so we know there is some good in hunger. It makes the world’s imaginative folk with a lot of vision do what must be done in a perpetual state of yearning. The bad and the ugly...
Ideas that work
It is often said that where MBAs are known to strut around with strategies that fail, an ordinary man on the street is replete with ideas that are workable… and often work. So it is with the mighty writers and food specialists telling us of what can be subtle and what is too raucous for...
A foodilicious kingdom
The invite said: ‘You’re invited to the Kingdom of Dreams.’ My first reaction was to run to a mirror and see if I was still my old self or had there been some magical transformation during the night. ‘Well, I’m still the same,’ I said to my wife, ‘so why would I want to go...
Tarami – cuisine from Kashmir
What will one look at when reviewing a restaurant and what it serves? Will the interiors matter? Will the food served be more important than the décor? Will the presence of a genuine Waza make all the difference? Will the willingness of the staff to explain the intricacies of Kashmiri cuisine tilt the balance? Will...
Olive Qutub @ Chef Saby
Someone asked me recently, ‘Which place is great for eating and just being there.’ I replied, ‘Olive Qutub at Chef Saby.’ This fellow looked at me as if trying to see if it was Vodka in the afternoon that was the reason for my seemingly topsy-turvy reply. However, I certified my soberness when I added,...
A fantasy and a reality
One of things I do well is eat like one who understands everything about food. The truth is a bit away from this though… I am learning new facets of food every day. But then I am also learning new facets of so many things – things that I was not aware of just a...
