Food and Love

It was almost twilight. The rains had slowed down a bit by then. I was jostled with apprehensions and was juggling myriads of thoughts and emotions until I reached the cottage hotel. On reaching the hotel, the host and his team welcomed us with the warmest of smiles, some amazing home-baked cookies, and a comforting cup of hot Kashmiri Qahwa.

The warm reception by the team and the steaming cup of Qahwa melted all my apprehensions and worries. That was the first food that welcomed me to Kashmir. And what a beginning it was! Splendid, in every sense! In true way, it set the tone for the rest of my stay in the valley.

After the quick snack, we retreated to our room. After an hour or so, one of the staff members came to ask for our choice for dinner. There was no menu to choose from, just like we do not have in our homes. We could request for anything as long as the requisite grocery is available in the kitchen pantry. On further discussions, we got to know that Kashmiri rajma (kidney beans), unlike other rajmas, need not be soaked before cooking. That sounded interesting to us; ergo we chose it as one of our options for dinner. The dinner was delectable, to say the least. It had the comfort of dinner at home. What started with the cookies and Qahwa was cemented further by the dinner and I was finally at home, completely.

Food truly is an emotion. Good food, cooked with love and served with care, can establish an unfathomably strong bond, and can connect memories and emotions.

The next day I walked into the dining room for breakfast with the same feeling as I would have at my home. I knew whatever will be served will be something that I would definitely connect to- something that would have the solace of some happy, and amiable memories. And it was. Aloo ke paratha was just the way I would have liked. What better way to start your day! Normally, when on a trip, we prefer to visit other restaurants for lunch and/or dinner. However, this time it was different. We lived there for five days and we chose to have food there whenever chance favored.

We never missed any dinner there except once when we went out to a restaurant which I had in my bucket list for that trip. That restaurant was somewhere near Lal chowk area, which apparently was a place for protests and not as safe (as per some news media). Our host offered to drop us to the restaurant. Such warming gesture- who does that now-a-days! We did not want to be of inconvenience to him, but he insisted.

So, that evening, he accompanied us in his car till the restaurant. On our way there, we discussed about a lot of fun things. The songs in his playlist were some of the jewels of 70s and 80s music, which also happened to be one of our topics of discussion. He even sang few of the songs in his soulful voice. It never felt even for a moment that he was not a part of our family or we were there as part of for our trip. It felt as if we are just going out for dinner in our hometown. We halted for a few minutes near Lal Chowk. The place itself spoke about its magnificence and beauty.

On reaching the restaurant, he told us that he will not be joining us for the dinner. We insisted him to join us. He was an amazing company and a warm person. Insisting him to join was never out of question. However, he wanted to have dinner back at home, which we understood and did not force further. Further, he told us to give him a call when we are done with our dinner, so that he can come and pick us back. On listening to this, we were just out of words. I felt gratitude to a level that I never knew before could exist. We went to the restaurant, had Kashmiri Wazwan and some other dishes, which no doubt were scrumptious and brilliant.

During our dinner, we decided that we would not bother him again and we will go back by ourselves. But he, being the chivalrous person that he is, called us to tell that he is reaching to pick us back in 5 minutes. We were just finishing our desserts then. The sweetness of the dessert was nothing compared to the gesture our host showed us. It has been the best family trip we ever have had till date… all thanks to our host, his team, and the people of Kashmir. (You might have noticed that I never mentioned anything about the sightseeing places.) Food, which connects our mortal and immortal forms in some inexplicable way, and the love and warmth of the people made the trip what it was. Soulful!

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L'inoui, Phoenix Market City, Bengaluru

The name of the place enticed me to visit it. The menu added on to the expectations. I was waiting to have one of the best dark hot chocolates I have ever had. The wait was not long. I was instantly served the dark hot chocolate with a French cookie as an accompaniment. The presentation was simple and elegant.

By this time, I had made up my mind to try some of their truffles. When I tasted the hot chocolate, it was not at all what I had expected it to be. The hot chocolate was good but there was nothing “inoui” about it. I liked the cookie better. 

Though the outlet is in the perennially crowded Phoenix Market City, still it had managed to have an individualistic layout. The setting can be called cute. The staff at the outlet counter were sweet. The food is in the range of okay-ish to good. May be visited, if in a mood of just some normal snacking-out.

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Bliss- The Chocolate Lounge, Bengaluru

It was a lazy afternoon. There were things for which my attention was more needed, but at that moment the only thing I could think of is to let everything just be! I thought of stepping out of my house and exploring the afternoon in its full splendor. I started walking, sans a destination. But, then again, why think of a destination when you can have a beautiful journey. I witnessed the warm breeze melting with the fragrance of the flowers, mused over the clouds forming and reforming, and beheld the afternoon folding its crease to a beautiful twilight.

Roving, I reached near the Forum Value mall. I had no intentions of going inside the mall, probably because I did not have any rationale to be there. Nonetheless, I still moved in. There were no activities going on in the mall, which otherwise is a quite regular thing in the Forum Value. There, standing in all its glory, was Bliss, the chocolate lounge. The sight of so many varieties of chocolates at one place was reason enough for me to walk in. I had never been to Bliss before (every time I visited the mall prior to this specific visit, was for some work. And by work, I mean for only getting/purchasing essentials, and never for leisure stroll). However, this was a different jaunt.

Bliss’s appearance theme was chocolate; no surprises there. The seating area had comfortable couches. I was given the menu as soon as I seated myself. I certainly needed more time to zero in on the flavor of the chocolates. Hence, I opted for a spiced hot chocolate and a mushroom sandwich to start with. The hot chocolate arrived before I could decide on a single chocolate flavor. The sandwich arrived immediately after. I gave my decision-making forces some rest and immersed in the delicacy. The sandwich bread was wonderfully soft. The cheese melted into the mushroom slices, giving it a rich, creamy texture and a slight nutty zing. The show stealer, however, was the spiced hot chocolate. The amalgamation of the rich dark chocolate with the hot milk was lip-smacking. The subtle hint of the cinnamon aroma and its sweet-spicy taste elevated the experience of the beverage to a whole another level. The purple twilight, the amazing sandwich and the heavenly hot chocolate was a perfect combination one could ask for. That defined the word ‘Bliss’. How aptly named!

If I would not have been so full, I would have had another of the hot chocolates without a single thought. I had to get some of their chocolates too. The staff at the counter helped me in choosing the flavors of the chocolate, which I packed for home. They were equally delightful. That entire journey, if I may call it so, was sort of serendipitous. Every subsequent time I visited Bliss, hot chocolate (spiced, simple dark, and white being the different varieties) became my usual order. Though it was not a first of a kind of my “journey”s, and certainly not my only visit to Bliss, it definitely was a memorable one.

Memories are enigmatic. They can make us relieve cherished moments time and again. Life is all about treasuring old memories, venturing into new journeys, making new memories there, and then cherishing them forever. Let life be redolent with memories. After all, it’s One Life To Live!

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P.S. : The chronicled experience here entails for my visit to Bliss-the Chocolate Lounge years back (2012-2013-ish).

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The Lantern, RitzCarlton, Bengaluru

Distance or effort doesn’t count when it comes to have good food. I knew, my flight would reach Bangalore well past lunch time and I might have to eat the in-flight lunch. However, my plans are made and modified around food, not the other way around. I skipped the in-flight lunch, and settled for a can of juice instead. It was year-end and I do not even need that as a reason to celebrate. As soon as my flight landed in Bangalore, I called The Lantern to reserve a table for me. By the time, I reached Ritz Carlton, it was almost 3 o’clock in the afternoon. 

There was no body in the restaurant when I walked in. I was warmly escorted to my seat. I was told, as other tables were available I could choose any one, though that place is reserved for me/ Nevertheless, I chose to be seated there, as I liked that place the most. 

The menu was wonderfully designed, it was neither too extensive nor too limited. The variety and range in each category was nicely thought out. I chose Granny Smith mock-tail and Crystal Prawn Dumplings to start with. The dumpling skin was velvety soft. The prawn filling was extremely delicious. The Granny Smith was refreshing. The hint of cinnamon and a tang of mint complemented the freshness of the green apples perfectly. If anyone can relate, just imagine the feeling of having a sip (or morsel) of something; and after you gulp it down, you immediately want to reach for the next sip - just because the taste was so wonderful, you just cannot imagine living without it, even for a moment, but then again hesitate thinking that it will end sooner, if you take immediate sips. Granny Smith was exactly that. 

I had Chilli Chcken for main course. I would not have Chilli Chicken in any restaurant unless there is no other choice. However, this time I made an exception, just hoping to get a good surprise. And it really was. The sauce had a very nice fragrance. The dish was really good. I was satiated after having the Chilli Chicken. 

Dessert- To have or not to have, that was the question. I could have done without having a dessert. Then again, every meal could be done without a dessert. It’s not an option, it’s a choice! Finally, I made that choice. And what a choice it was! Warm Ginger and Lemongrass Soufflé with Raspberry Chilli Sorbet. It looked like a marvel. The sorbet was placed in a caramelized sugar shaped in a flower cup. The simplicity of presentation enhanced the grandeur of the dish. I got completely immersed in admiring the beauty of it. On being asked by the waiting staff about the taste of the dessert, I realized that it’s been ten minutes and I have not even tasted it. I just touched the Soufflé with my spoon. I literally just touched it and warm gooey goodness oozed out of it. The sight was a splendor. It was like magic. It had a nice rich creamy texture yet it was so light. It just melted in my mouth. The sorbet had that slight sour-sweetness of raspberry and a zing of chilli which elevated the dish to a whole different level. A dash of the lemongrass flavor was doing wonders to the taste of the soufflé. And when you taste a bit of soufflé and a bit of sorbet together, it’s like a burst of magical explosions happening in your taste buds. It felt like time has taken a pause to relish the moment. By far, that’s best dessert I ever had. 

I was happy to have made that choice to go to The Lantern for a rather late lunch. To sum up the experience, the restaurant had a nice ambiance, be it the inside seating area or even the outside layout. The décor was reminiscent of the oriental setting. The staff was great. They were keen on making everything go perfect. The food was fantastic, both in taste and presentation. I might as well take the liberty of saying that it looked wonderful, but it tasted better (as opposed to the reverse in most of the places). I had a wonderful experience.

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Links for The Lantern:

https://www.zomato.com/bangalore/the-lantern-restaurant-bar-the-ritz-carlton-bangalore-residency-road

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/india/bangalore/dining/the-lantern

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Sigree Global Grill, Whitefield, Bangalore

Whenever I used to travel by this route, I used to see this place and always thought of visiting that the next weekend. However, it always got postponed for some reason or the other. Finally, on a Wednesday, I visited Sigree for a lunch buffet. Its located in the same building as Mainland China. Nice location, but might pose as a teeny tiny hindrance if you choose to use public transport (its in between 2 bus stops). 

For starters, they had some 4 veg and 4 non veg varieties. Since I don't eat mutton, they offered me yet another variety of fish. The continental starters, however, served as the high point. Nachos, the superb dips and the breads were amazing.

The live pasta counter was fantastic. I have a simple test for identifying great pasta - order pasta with tomato salsa and choose it to be dressed in tomato sauce. If it still has the continental authenticity to the taste, its great pasta. Even the specific pasta joints do not serve such great pasta. The white cream sauce pasta is easier but they had such authenticity to the red sauce, I just loved it.

The dishes in main course were mostly Indian. Anyways, I was full and did hardly taste it. Desserts were decent and okay-ish. They had jalebi, gajar ka halwa, icecream, pastries and a pudding. I didn't taste the pastries and the pudding. The gajar ka halwa was good.

They have a very dedicated and nice staff. The service was excellent, always ready and attentive. They welcome suggestions with utter modesty. I loved this place.

I would definitely like to visit this place again.

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