Go Goa - 1

A write up on my Goa trip doesn’t seem to be happening so let me just paste a picture here that will summarize the entire experience....

Grasshopper, Bangalore - What a dinner that was!!

There are these special occasions which you truly want to make unforgettable. I wanted to do something very special for Aman and after much deliberations and considerations it was Grasshopper where I decided to treat him on his birthday. The idea was to bring in his birthday a la mode!!!

Grasshopper is a Chic European fine dinning restaurant cuddled in a farmhouse. It is at a comfortable distance off city limits. They do not entertain walk in guests. Entry is strictly by reservations at least a day prior where the owner promptly asks you for preferences of vegetarian, non-vegetarian meal and type of meat.
Nestled in a quaint farmhouse, there is calmness about the place that is almost opaque.
We reached the place a few minutes past 8 all set for a leisurely and a relaxed dinner. The entrance itself is quite placid, a graveled path lined with rows of trees with minimal lightning.

We choose the table right in the center of the lawn and well ours was the only table there with 3 candles and a vase full of sunflowers. Moon was playing hide n seek and the Bangalore weather was at its best. Couldn’t have asked for a better evening!!!

Now for the food it is a 7 course affair and they don’t have a menu to choose from, the servings are all predefined based on the preferences. This saves one the trouble of choice and brings in the element of surprise. Our culinary journey started with freshly baked home made breads served with vinegar oil and olive oil which was promptly followed by slices of Zucchini and Spinach in a dressing of Olive oil. A few minutes after we were done with that we were served with a preparation of beetroot with blue cheese and almonds.
This was then unhurriedly followed by prawns cooked with sesame seeds and flavored with ginger.
After we had relished the prawns, we were served with leafy salad made out of cherry tomatoes, raspberry, pears, plums, walnuts and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. The freshness of the fruits combined with the crunchy walnuts was a very interesting combination.
This was promptly followed by Salmon Fish cooked in orange juice and garnished with a slice of orange. It was amazingly tender and the flavor of orange was very prominent. This was one combination I was having for the first time in my life and I can’t wait to have it again.
After fish it was stir fried chicken with loads of herbs and a splash of garlic and olives both back and green. The chicken was perfectly cooked, again with a very little oil.
Desserts were an exotic mix of almond fig and honey ice cream, a lemon cheese cake, lemon grass ice cream and chocolate truffle served with fresh strawberries and kiwi.
One thing that you ought to taste is their Ginger Vodka with a hint of mint in it.
Yes we did eat all of that and finished it with a cup of English coffee and a walk around the farmhouse.

And finally it was time for the cute little chocolate cake. What an amazing start it had been to Aman’s birthday.

Priced at Rs 1200 per person excluding drinks it is a little steep but is surely a value for the experience. This place is a must for all those who love playing with cuisines and flavors. The ingredients, the smack, the aroma and the texture were each clearly distinct. But yes save it for those special moments. Lunch is an equally good idea to enjoy to greens. I have my distinguished favorite and I am not sure if I owe it to the company or the occasion or the food or the place and frankly I don’t care either.

Unanswered questions ....

It’s a busy day at work and I absolutely have no time to write but after hearing this particular comment from a colleague I just had to vent it out. So I’ll keep this short and sour.

So India did manage to pull out a victory in a complete dilly dally match, thanks to the grit of Zaheer, the resistance of Murli Karthik and the persistence shown by Robin. Yes it was a team play and INDIA won. This morning as soon as I entered office, this colleague of mine happily exclaimed “finally a Tamil Nadu guy is getting recognition”.

I was shocked. Why do states, regions, religion always always do find their way in all our small and big achievements???
Why can’t we take victory as a nation?? Why is it always bifurcated by some superficial factors that have now become so deep-rooted?? How does it matter if the bowler how devastated the Oz line up belongs to XYZ state??? Why can’t we rejoice the nation we are all a part of??
Lots more questions and blurred answers.. Maybe I am over reacting but that’s because I am seriously bothered....

60 and Counting

60 years of –
Broken promises
Lost trust
Things gone haywire
Wrong priorities
Shattered hopes

Yes all that has happened. We have enough and more people talking about what could have been done. Enough individuals lambasting what all didn’t happen. They say 60 years is a long time. Yes it is.

So I dedicate this series to the other side. Moving forward I’ll bring out those aspects and happenings that bring a smile to my face. India is not amiss. There is a lot going in our favor. 60 years have not been wasted.

Watch this space for more!!!

Procrastination is good...

I have been contemplating sorting our letters, documents, bills and notes for quite some time. Out of sheer laziness both Aman and I have been putting this activity off for another day for indecent amount of time now. Old credit card bills, phone bills, shopping receipt, warranty documents, insurance papers, bank statements, wedding invites, tickets, electricity bills, you name it and it was there.
Finally, it was last weekend that after much motivation from my mom and some coaxing from Aman did I finally plunge into that darkness of trying to figure out what I should keep and what should have long adorned the rubbish bin.

And then while rummaging through that mountain of half useful and half worthless stuff, I stumble upon an envelope. It was addressed to Aman and was no doubt my handwriting. The flicker of a sweet memory took the better off me and knowing what I was about to do would halt my task eternally I nevertheless went ahead and opened it.

Oh wow, was my first reaction. This was the letter I had written to Aman on completing a year of “being in love”. Well, calling it a letter wouldn’t do justice to it. It was a memoir, almost 30 pages of it, our journey through the most eventful year of our lives.

Clutching the pages I rushed to show it to Aman and he too abandoned the India Australia ODI and sat with me to read it. Oh what a pleasure it was, going through those pages. We were transformed back to those wonderful days. Page by page we read through it, the smile on our faces widening. It was like traveling back in time, reliving those moments again.

We had almost forgotten about this piece of writing and I guess that was why reading it gave us so much joy. Elated at the discovery, I rearranged the pages and tucked it safely back in the envelope, and this time I kept it in my cupboard, neatly where I keep all my old photographs and letters.

By then I realized it was almost lunch time and the aroma from the kitchen took the better off me. I abandoned the task for another day.

There was a smile on my face through the day and Aman too was beamish. Our day had been made.

This is when we have been married for only a year and half. Imagine the magic this letter will create when we read it, holding hands after 25 years????

Yes, You Have A Say

What do you think about the little Prince being in the Ditch or about the Indian team winning the T20 or about the Indian team loosing the ODI or about Taj being one among the 7 wonders and about this and that?

Finally the democratic India is truly democratic (sigh sigh). You have the power of the SMS!!!! Phone uthao and SMS karo. Be it choosing your Indian Idol or the Voice Of India or the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Champ or the favorite Jodi or the Celebes in Jhalak Dikhla Ja!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yes how can I forget the very important opinion of the viewers that can now change the twists and turns in Ekta Kapoor’s soaps???? Should Parvati take revenge, should Tulsi forgive (my my).

And then yes our very own radio jockeys. SMS if stuck in a jam, or if your job sucks or if you missed the breakfast. Worse still, caught Vasanthi (ignorance??? Well she was rated the best RJ in apni country) asking people to SMS if they had missed their bath (eergh!!!!)

And the party is where the News Channels are.
Will the government fall?
Should Aish marry Abhishek?
Is Kareena seeing Saif?
Should Ambani do this?
Will the sensex cross the mark? This list is non ending.

Huh. Now what do I say... It happens only in India.

Oh and can I see the Airtels and the Vodafones running to the bank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let the democracy prevail... amen....