Cappuccino and Hotcakes

I'm standing in the queue at McD's for an early brekkie. It's a little after 6.30AM. Allow me to explain.

I've been out since 5.45AM and that was three quarters of an hour after I woke up this morning. I have just taken a bus to the city from a girlfriend's place, where I had a girls' night out and sleepover, leaving her a note that I'd see her later today. Everyone else around me look like they're heading home from a hard night out. Except for the handful who are arriving into the city, to work on a Saturday. McDonald's, being one of the only few places open that early, has a long queue at the counter. I'm one of those people in the queue, not looking very different from the rest of those who are heading home too.

Guy before me has a cappuccino in hand, says to the kid behind the counter, "I'm waiting for my hotcakes". Kid says, "But you haven't ordered hotcakes, sir. You only ordered cappuccino". Guy storms out, "Alright, don't give me hotcakes. I'll go to work another day without food". You can't help feeling sorry for the crazy nutter. Everyone else is too busy to notice. Can't wait to get home the morning after! 

"Next please!"

My turn. I order a cappuccino and hotcakes. It looks yum in the pictures, can't wait to dig into it. I settle down in a seat, reading my book and gulping large sips of hot cappuccino. "I'll eat the pancakes when I get home", I think. Ten minutes later, my alarm goes off. The railway announcer announces my train. I pick up my coffee and book. I'm already wearing my bag. I walk slowly down the stairs, finish my coffee and trash the cup as I hit the platform. My train arrives. I'm one of the first to get in. The train waits a good 4 minutes before chugging out of the station. I'm still reading my book. I get off at my station, still reading the book, until I hit the road. If nothing else, my addiction to reading will kill me! As I cross the road, I am excited. I can't wait to get home and eat my... Hang on, where's my...? I can see a picture in my mind's eye. A brown paper bag with red logo, delicious smelling hotcakes, those little tubs of butter... sitting on the black, shiny granite-top table at McDonald's at the Central Station. I can't help but think of the guy before me in the queue...

Just Amazing!

I met the most amazing auto driver today! 

He had forgotten to turn on the meter. I reminded him when I noticed it, about a kilometer later and he turned it on. He did not say a word about me having to pay for the distance covered without the meter on. I was so surprised. I couldn't help wondering if he'll pull something later, when we stop. I'd decided to pay him the extra 10 bucks anyway. When he stopped where I had to get off, still nothing. He did not even mention the missed kilometer. I paid him 10 bucks more than the meter and told him so. I almost expected him to protest and ask for more. Still nothing. Wow!

Also, I had not much trouble getting an auto when I went out this afternoon. Both ways. Both drivers did not know the way to my destination. Is that why they agreed to go? Probably.

My Lucky is the most amazing dog ever!

She's been angry with my brother for 4 days now. Initially, we thought it was because he had scared her back then. After 4 days, we were convinced it had to be something else. No one knew what it was but she refused to even acknowledge him. He would be talking to her and she would walk right past him. Now, she responds to him every morning and night. Right after he gives her chicken. Finally, bro figures it out! It was because he has been forgetting to share his chicken with her every night! Bravo Lucky! Bro kept asking, in the last few days, why she was annoyed with him after he's been sharing his chicken diet with her. If she could think aloud, we might have heard her say, "Yeah, right!"

I had the most amazing lunch in a long time!

It had been a really long time since I had a meal like that. We used to do that in our college days. We used to go to a darshini near our college. It was less than half a kilometer away but we were too lazy to even walk that distance. We called it UK - a silly pun to mean it was so far away and an acronym for Upahara Kendra (the name of the place). We started going there once somebody tried their awesome roti-curry for 10 bucks! Some boys would even have 2 plates of those and show off. I walked into an Adigas darshini today, intending to order a Rava-Idly. I did not find it on the board behind the counter and almost ordered the Rava Idly. I just turned to look around as I waited for the guy before me to finish, when I noticed the menu board on the wall. I quickly scanned it, hoping to be able to try something 'different' from normal and my eyes fell upon naan-curry. I ordered that. Of course, it did not cost 10 bucks like the days of yore. A good 25 rupees but total value for money. It instantly transported me back to the good old days. I enjoyed every bite of my naan-curry. I nearly ordered another plate, even though I was almost full. The only thing that stopped me was remembering that I am trying to fit into a single seat on my flight to Australia! I must go back there. So many more things on the menu to try out!

I made an amazing discovery today!

No matter how old men get, no matter which part of the world or culture they come from, no matter how wonderful they may be or what genius may reside in their brains, no matter what else, there is one thing that is common to ALL men. They are the world's best excuse-masters! You nag them and you nag them and you nag them. They will give you one excuse after another after another. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Must be because of all those silly women wanting equality with men and shit. Why couldn't we just be the queens and reign over the world?

PS. I hate exclamations in titles. Yuck!

Daddy's Deli

One of the houses on 12th Main Road, Indiranagar was converted into Daddy's Deli a while ago. Initially, I assumed it must be one of those obscenely expensive restaurants that serve miniscule portions, so it was never on my list of places to visit. That was until I saw quite a bit of a crowd there a couple of times and I wondered if I should try it out. Then, it slipped my mind. While searching for Corner House on Friday night, a friend of the husband suggested we try out Daddy's Deli (they share the building) and recommended a mutton dish.

On Saturday night, we went to Corner House again (the husband's craving for ice-cream). After the husband gobbled up a couple of ice-creams, we headed upstairs to the Parsi restaurant for dinner. Don't be alarmed by the fact that we had dessert first and then dinner. I married a weirdo. As the cliche goes, love is blind.

It is a small place, with about 8 or 10 tables. There was one couple other than us, in the restaurant and I can't remember if there was music. I felt a little claustrophobic initially but the lights were good and the tables were well-spaced out that I got over it in seconds. The husband loved the private-party feeling. Except for a couple of paintings on the wall and the neatly arranged tables, there isn't much by way of an ambience but whatever is there, is pleasant. There is a book-shelf with old magazines one could pick up while waiting for the order, which arrived in reasonably good time anyway.

The place claims that they are "also a Wine Tavern" and urges us to try out their wine. There is a bottle of Kinvah Shiraz, from their own Nandi Wines, at the centre of every table. The cute napkins with dual coloured edges tickled my fancy.

When you say "wine place", I try wine. I did not go for their in-house wine but tried another of the Shiraz on their menu instead. The husband's suggestion. I think I might have finally acquired a taste to wine. I love the smell of it before the start of my meal. Mmmmm. The husband had beer with his pre-dinner snacks back home and had to ride, so he ordered the lassi and lemonade (no comments). A bowl of Fryums were complimentary.

I had walked into the restaurant knowing exactly what I wanted to eat, so my main course was pre-decided. It would be the dish made up of several dals and mutton. Before that, the entree. We ordered the chicken cutlet platter, which came with about 8 pieces of soft cutlet with a green chutney. The combination was heavenly. It was a little too greasy for my comfort but one bite into the minced meat dipped in the chutney was enough to help me decide that I had to come back here with the rest of the family!

I ordered the Dhansakh that was recommended by the husband's friend. It consisted of a rice dish cooked with 9 different types of dals, a bowl of the best mutton curry I have tasted in a long time with a side of onions and lemon slices. We would have ordered another rice dish (the goan Curry Chawal sounded yumm) but the waiter indicated that it might be too heavy for two people.

When I looked at the bowl of rice (Dhan), I knew he was right. I could never finish it without the husband's help!

The Sakh was the thick mutton gravy (which probably also had some of the dals or all, I am not sure), with 2 large mutton pieces cooked to perfection.

And the side dish of onions...

If I had any hopes that the husband would help me finish the dish, I was wrong. He barely managed to have a few spoons of the rice, mixed with his Vindaloo Murgh. All that dessert before dinner seemed to have filled him up. The Dhansakh was so good that I had no guilty feelings about over-eating. I promised myself a long ride the next morning and wolfed down the entire dish in my most greedy moment ever!

The Vindaloo murgh with 2 large pieces of chicken and the same of potatoes was as tasty as it looked. It was less spicy than we had anticipated but it tasted so good that we had to be whiners to complain about it. We are not, so we ate it with relish.

The order was served in good time, the food was awesome and the waiter who served us was such a very pleasant man that he was enough reason to go back to the restaurant. While we were seated there, one or two other couples arrived. It may be that the food is too rich for the diet-conscious or it could be that Parsi food isn't for all. Whatever the reasons are, the restaurant not being crowded was not a sign that it was not good. Without doubt, the husband and I are going back there and hopefully the next time, the husband will be in a better position to eat (i.e. no pre-dessert).

We did not order dessert for we had already covered that aspect at Corner House downstairs. As a result of Lucky's wrath that I had to face the last time I went home without a doggie bag and partly to salvage the guilt in having left her home alone all day, we ordered some mutton cutlets (Sali Boti?) for her too. At a price of 200 bucks, it was the best dish I'd ordered that night, I realized when I got home. Being the nice dog that she is, she shared it with me. Slurp, slurp, slurp...

The picture shows one piece less. She doesn't have the patience to let me click while she waits on her meal, so the 3rd piece is in her stomach while I shoot this.

Medici

One of the many restaurants on 100 Feet Road, at Indiranagar, Medici is a wee inconspicuous. I read about it one Burrp and wanted to try it out because it said French cuisine and gave me the option of a back-up plan in the form of Italian (which I love) too. The directions on the website and on Google Maps were so bad that we went looking for it in a completely wrong location and ended up going elsewhere the first time. One day, on my way to work by auto, I saw a big board that said Maharaja Furniture. Medici was supposed to be on the same building, so I looked up and there it was, on the second floor. I called my husband immediately.

Last week, after an initial attempt at French cuisine at The French Quarter Bistro and loving it, we headed out to Medici. It wasn't as I had envisaged. It was neither French cuisine nor Italian. It was a blend of both! The menu has a little story of how a French princess fell in love with an Italian and moved to Medici after marriage. There, she introduced her French culinary skills into the Italian cuisine, creating a unique blend of both varieties. It is that flavour that the restaurant Medici tries to serve it's customers.

The restaurant is divided into 3 sections, separated by a wall with square open windows like this one. This picture is my view of the inside of the restaurant (the biggest section) from the narrow section that we had chosen. We wanted a seat next to the real window, where we could see the road on the other side.

The ambience is pleasant and the music stays in the background. The table was set with a candle in a translucent candle-holder on a narrow strip of B&W table-cloth that stretched across the table.

Since it was French, I decided to try wine again, the Big Banyan Red. No regrets. The husband settled for beer. 

From the Appetisers menu, I ordered the Poulet et de Bacon Quiche - A traditional French quiche with chicken and bacon. It is the yummiest quiche I have ever tried!

The husband decided to try the French Onion Soup (veg) - A traditional French soup topped with parmesan and gruyere croute. It is nothing like the regular soups I am used to and took me a couple of sips to get used to the flavour but I liked it. A bit watery but the onions blend in well with the soup. The bread with parmesan adds to the taste.

Then, we hit the main course. I would have loved to try the beef but now that it has been banned in Bangalore, I had to settle for Grilled Pork Cops (well-done). Pork chop marinated with anchovy and basil, served with brown jus and garlic mash. The portions were large enough and I was grateful for not having to share with the husband. 

Off late the husband has begun to try sea-food on occasions. He ordered the Prawn Risotto. Italian aroborio rice gently cooked with prawn, finished with cream and parmesan. Like me, he was happy not to share. I had to make do with one prawn and one spoon of rice off his plate, which he held against me for the rest of the meal! The portion looks small but it was sufficient.

We had decided to try a couple of items on the Dessert menu but my pork was too filling for me to attempt anything else. So, we decided to share The Chocolate Fondant. It was a terrible decision because we ended up quarrelling like kids, dragging the plate from side to side, trying to gobble as much as we each could. Warm, soft-centered chocolate pudding. It had a thin crust and as we sliced it off with our spoons, thick warm chocolate flowed out. It was the best way to end our dinner and I complained for a long time later that the portion was not enough. 

It turned out to be more expensive than the other restaurants we have been to in the past but the food is so great I don't think the bill will stop me from going back there again. Mmm... just thinking of the chocolate fondant makes my mouth water again!

We would normally bring a doggie bag for Lucky from our dinners. Today, we did not. Maybe we forgot. Maybe we thought it would be too expensive. Not sure. She smelled pork on my hands as soon as I got home. She sniffed my bags and when she found nothing, she marched into the library and dragged one of the wrappers that my bike came in and brought it to the room where I was changing. And she did this!

Moral of the story: Always bring home a doggie bag or be prepared to face the wrath of a four-legged, 10 year old baby!

The French Quarter Bistro

The French Quarter Bistro is located on the 100 feet road, after the signal at the junction with CMH Road, next door to Cake Walk. I'd seen reviews for bistro in the papers and on websites like Burrp, so it was on my list of places to try out some day. The reviews seemed to indicate that it was a good place for breakfast. Given as there aren't too many breakfast places in Bangalore (that I know of), it sounded exciting. 

On the morning of my birthday, my husband decided to take me to TFB for breakfast. We reached there at 10AM, only to find the place closed and fret that we were too late! The watchman told us that the place only opens at noon. I am still confused as to how I thought it was a breakfast place, from the reviews.

The place looks open and airy, thanks to the high ceiling and glass walls on two sides. There is nothing fancy about the decor but the arrangement of tables looks neat. A couple of paintings and a big black board with the day's special adorn the wall. The glass entrance had paintings of fishes in colours. While it was not in bad taste, it made me curious as to the idea behind it. 

It was our first go at French cuisine and we were was pretty clueless as to what to pick. We were discussing the options on the wine menu and uttered "white wine", at which point, the friendly waiter, who was filling our glasses with water, gently intervened in the conversation. He pointed to the black display board and said he would recommend the excellent white wine with cheese platter, on offer, at Rs. 399. Given that a bottle of wine was not only expensive but the husband had to ride a mo-bike back home and I am not a regular wine-drinker, it sounded like a good option to us. We ordered an extra glass of the same wine for the husband at Rs. 300. The small complimentary basket of bread was not the best part of dinner. The crust was too hard and we struggled to break it off (I had to use both my hands).

The cheese platter had a few slices of 2 kinds of cheese, some crackers, some pieces of fruit and greens. It worked out just fine, between the two of us, for the husband and I took a liking to different kinds of cheese while hating the other kind. As for the rest, I enjoyed the fruit, he preferred the leaves.

For the main course, I ordered a rice and fish dish, which was yummy! It's as tasty as it looks in the picture. And more! In fact, I was forced to share it with the husband because he fell in love with the dish too. I wish I could remember the name but it has been over a week now and that is too long for me to remember what I ate!

The husband ordered a dish of tuna and potatoes. It came with a few cubes of cheese and more greenery. He did not enjoy the fish so much, so I had most of it. It was good. Not as out-of-this-world as my rice and fish dish above, but pretty good. I love fish and this one did not disappoint me. The potatoes were small and round, fried with the skin. The inside was soft and tasty but my palate did not agree with the feel of the hard, dry skin of the potatoes. I refused to eat it and he was happy to have the entire lot to himself.

The French Quarter Bistro is definitely worth visiting. Ambience. Alright. Music. Too soft. Food. Very good. In our case, the husband and I liked different portions of the dishes, which served us very well for we enjoyed the food without having to pull our plates away from each other. Price. Slightly expensive. It cost us a couple of thousands for our dinner, with no repeats on the wine. 

Next on my list of restaurant to visit is Medici - French & Italian cuisine. I've tried both by now but I'm keen to try the same at another place.

Claytopia Bistro

For the last week or so, I've been wanting to try out French cuisine. For an even longer time, I've been wanting to visit The French Bistro for breakfast. At 10.30AM on the morning of one weekend, we landed at their door, only to find it closed. They open only at 12.30PM. So much for French breakfast!

I googled for 'Breakfast places in Bangalore' and we decided upon Claytopia Bistro as that was the closest. A friend of mine had mentioned it last week and said it was a good place. She had explained that it was a combination of Claytopia (who sell artefacts made of clay) and Bistro (the restaurant/coffee-shop). We reached there a little past 11 and it was still open for breakfast. 

The weather was mildly pleasant and it helped that the cafe was open-air. We sat down and ordered a rather heavy breakfast of Pancakes with Maple/Honey Syrup and Bistro Omelette (chicken, bacon, tomato and cheese omellete) for me, French Toast and Masala Omelette for the husband. 

The French Toast was not bad but the husband insisted that he liked the ones I make better. Ahoy! 

The Masala Omelette was succulent and the Bistro Omelette is a must eat, if you are ever there. 

The Pancakes were yummy even without the maple syrup but add the syrup and you will be licking the plate in the end (no, I did not do that). 

I also ordered a cold Hazelnut Frappe (Espresso with cream and chocolate). 

The husband went for a hot Cafe Latte.

The ambience was neither too fancy nor too tacky. There were displays from Claytopia on the walls, posters on a notice board at the entrance and neatly arranged wooden tables with chairs. Everything seemed to blend quietly in the background while we enjoyed the outdoors. 

The table we chose had a white concrete bench against the wall and the table was large enough that we could both sit next to each other on the marble bench. This way, we could share food (one of the pleasant changes I have noticed in the husband off late, he shares his food) and enjoy reading Lucky's guest post together, on my mobile. 

The order arrived in good time and the food was of the right temperature. The waiter was very efficient and cordial, without being obnoxious. When I got up to peep indoors at their display of clay pots, he showed me where the entrance was and informed me that we could eat there if we wished. We chose to eat outside and check the indoors later.

While I took a call from a friend, the husband polished the French Toast and Omelette off his plate and proceeded to hog my Pancakes too. If I hadn't hung up when I did, I may have just made it in time to watch the last pieces of my yummy breakfast and my cold coffee disappear. I wish I could eat like him and never put on weight. Sigh!

Once done, we paid the bill (Rs. 450, including tips), thanked the friendly waiter and went in. The amicable lady at the reception asked if it was our first time there and explained the concept of the place to us. She pointed to an array of white clay pots (I say pots but it includes mugs, bowls, plates, trays, magnets, face-masks, etc made of clay) and said we could pick any of those for the price quoted on the shelves and paint them. 

They would provide us paint, water, brushes and stencils. She explained to us how to obtain dark and light shades of the colours. I couldn't help noticing that the mug holding the brushes and the water bowls were all clay-pots painted and glazed by them. Advertising and cost-cutting in a happy marriage?

We had to paint our article of choice right there and return it to them for heating and glazing. We could pick it up 10 days later. The ingredients used to make the items, including paint and heating instruments were all non-toxic, so we could use them in our daily lives (e.g mugs could be used to drink and were not just show pieces). We decided to give it a shot and picked up a tray for our house. The husband did some quick research on his mobile and proceeded to draw lines as he would like to paint them on the front of the tray. Soon after, he picked up the brush.

When he finished, it was a beautiful looking tray, simply done in pastel shades with a red star on the left bottom corner. Each pointed end of the star had one letter of my name, in blue, with a heart in the centre. I got a better deal in this marriage, I admit. We went crazy with the bottom of the tray where, thanks to yours truly's moment of madness and brilliance, we decided to have a splash and partied with all the colours in a wild frenzy. 

We both haven't painted in years and thoroughly enjoyed the hour we spent unleashing our creativity. Of course, when we later looked at the design book, our products felt like children's work. No kidding! It doesn't matter. I am glad we didn't find the picture book earlier. It was more fun going bonkers with the colours on the white canvas. Everytime I use the tray to serve someone, I'll remember and cherish the afternoon hour we spent together. The end result looked like this (pre-heating and glazing).

The clay articles are highly over-priced, no doubt, but we felt that the time we spent painting like kids was priceless. We paid Rs. 500 for the tray. The price included the glazing too but it was still very expensive. Totally worth it, though. We would never be able to spare an hour to do something like that, at home. 

They also have parties for kids, the cheapest package being Rs. 350 per kid. The place is fairly small and can accomodate about 9 to a maximum of 15 kids (and that is when you push the limit). The package includes painting an article of choice (small ones like the tortoise/fish magnets), the glazing & all that it involves, a burger and probably a drink too. There are more expensive packages with tweaks to suit your needs. The place seemed quite popular, with quite a few young parents painting for and with their little girls. I did not notice any little boys there, so I'm guessing that if I have a son later, I cannot take him there. Wouldn't interest him, would it? 

Apart from the young families, there was one other couple like us. The girl was extremely loud and kept complaining that her boyfriend was too loud. During the little time she painted a bowl and he watched, she grumbled about another girl (possibly the boy's ex) who was playing games and messing with their "relationship", knowing fully well that there was "a connection" between them. Don't judge me, she was begging to be heard, we simply couldn't tune her out.

I'd love to go there again but considering that it's a little high on the budget, maybe I'll wait for another special occasion. Price forgotten, definitely a place to visit. It's easy to find, bang on the main road, with the huge boards. It's to the right side when coming from Indiranagar towards Thippasandra on the 6th Main Road (where the Renaissance Church is, on the left). 

Chowka

I pass by this restaurant on my way back from work and everyday I tell myself I must try it sometime. Someone said it served Rajasthani cuisine and I was eager to try it out. The last time I went there, I wasn't hungry. Since they only served a thali on a non-sharing basis, I had to return without eating anything.

The husband and I decided to try the place, for dinner, last night. We ordered the only available 'Unlimited Thali' for Rs. 120. Half a dozen waiters, dressed in Rajasthani traditional wear, walk around with pots & spoons, serving the tables.

We were first served thanda, which tasted like a mild version of badam-milk. It was not exactly thanda (i.e. cold) but had a cooling feel.

The entrees started off with very tasty dal bhatiya and dahi vada. One after another, the curry bowls started filling up with items, some of which I could catch the names of and some not.

 

Whereas the items served started off with a yummy taste, as we cleared one bowl after another, the quality of food seemed to degrade in taste. Maybe it did not match our food preferences.

The first picture shows Gobi Mutter (cauliflower and peas) and some vegetable we just couldn't figure. After the waiter repeated it's name thrice, in his strong Rajasthani accent, we decided to save him & us from embarrassment by pretending to understand what he was saying. The second shows a dish that was bitter and had something that looked like black peas but was something else. The other dish in the second picture is Baigan Bartha (a brinjal dish). In the third picture, we have Kadi, a spicy dish made of buttermilk.

  

The sweets and breads were too oily. The Malpoa tasted like a less sweet version of jalebi, the way I like it. The Rabri (pronounced raab-di) was a surprise. I mean, it was good, no doubt. I'd always thought rabri was a solid round sweet ball dunked in a liquid... turns out it is only liquid. Wheeee!

 

By the time, we finished, the husband and I felt the urge to expel the food from different exits. Since I woke up this morning, my stomach's been tumbling and the fart-machine's been running full steam.

The waiters were pleasant and friendly. They were probably extremely uncomfortable in their costume but went about their business without complaint, encouraging the customer to eat well. There is nothing nice about the ambience. If you take the corridor near the glass window, there is a view of the Thippasandra Main Road. If not, I would feel claustrophobic.

The dinner was not a terrible experience but not very satisfying. I wouldn't go back there.