Since the inception of this blog, I have on multiple occasions waxed lyrical about our tendency to “Indian-ise” cuisines back home. And while I reserve a special fondness for the ever-present Indo-Chinese stalls offering a variety of noodle and rice dishes with the generous addition of ginger, garlic, B grade soy sauce and corn-starch and…
Tag: Eating Out
Reviews: Seven Stars Hotpot, Al Barsha
For the first 24 years of my life, my knowledge of Chinese food was painfully limited to orders of fried rice, chowmein and chunks of chicken served in the obscure but ubiquitous red and brown gravies every Indo-Chinese restaurant seems to rest their laurels on. But a short visit to Singapore in 2017 introduced me…
Reviews: Harat Al Sham, Al Barsha
As I write this review, I am about five days into my second stint in Dubai; my first stint being the 14 years spent here for my schooling. A lot has changed about the city in the 9 years I’ve been away- the skyline boasts of a few more skyscrapers, the roads seem busier, and…
Reviews: Somilan Steakhouse, Church Street
Have you ever discovered a gem hiding in plain sight? Because I’m fairly certain I just did, walking into Somilan’s unassuming entrance two months back. It also plays a part in why I’ve taken so long to write about this place. To put it quite simply, I wasn’t ready to share my experience just yet;…
Reviews: Byblos, Indiranagar
Bangalore, in my mind, has already established itself as a veritable culinary treasure chest of Mediterranean finds. Be it the sophisticated mezze samplers at Fava that pleasantly surprise on more than one occasion or the hearty, traditional offerings at our local favourite, Saara’s (review here), all my foodventures for Middle Eastern fare in this city…
Reviews: Vembanad, Domlur
What would you want your last meal to be? I always thought the more I experienced food around the world, the more I’d want to stray from my South Indian roots while describing my favourite food of all time. But my ties to traditional Keralite food seem to get deeper as I get older, and…
Reviews: Phobidden Fruit, Indiranagar
One of the best meals I’ve had (barring my grandmother’s consistently amazing cooking) is at The Slanted Door, a lovely modern Vietnamese spot at San Francisco’s ferry building. I still largely credit The Slanted Door for my growing interest in Viet food, because every dish out of their kitchen drew focus on the seamless confluence…
Reviews: Arirang, Kammanahalli
Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, or Bangalore in my case, are preceded by a host of stereotypes. It is perhaps this tendency to stereotype and generalise that encouraged me to narrow down Bangalore’s population to a group of IT engineers and start up enthusiasts with a penchant for beards, bikes and beers. However, a recent discovery…
Reviews: Chianti, Koramangala
I can speak for most, if not all 90s Indian kids when I say our introduction to Italian food was pretty basic. Italian food was our little peephole to the wonderful world of “Western” or “Continental” food back then- and it quickly became one of the only non Indian cuisines our mothers would dabble in…
Reviews: Saara’s Grill, Koramangala
After spending a little over a month in Bangalore, I wouldn’t go so far to say I’m fully exposed to the vast food scene this city has to offer. In fact, Saara’s was the second restaurant I visited after making the big move- so I don’t have a lot of dining experiences to compare this…
Reviews: China Pearl, Koramangala
Chinese food, as loved and lauded as it may be globally, manages to taste completely different depending on the country you’re in. And while the incredible diversity in authentic Chinese cuisine itself may have a role to play, a lot of these differences can be credited to the tendency to “adapt” Chinese food to suit…
Reviews: Bayroute, Cuffe Parade
Serving up Middle Eastern Staples in a fine dine setting isn’t a concept I find all too appealing I would attribute most of my skepticism to the fact that small plates of hummus and tabouleh or a hearty chicken shawarma are dishes you’d generally find in street carts, bakeries and cafeterias all over the Gulf….
The Culinary Colloquy 