Café Un-Kind!

At best a place that placates those mid-movie munchies, Café Unwind at the newly renovated Metro INOX offers up a ho-hum selection of food and drinks

By Raul Dias

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” Now, that’s one maxim we wish we had chanted repeatedly to ourselves before building up our great expectations from the newly refurbished Metro cinema that now has the ‘INOX’ brand attached to its name. Not very much is different from its previous avatar. Not its gleaming, faux modern art deco interiors which seem to be just the same, save for a bit of additions here and there in the form of a glittering new chandelier and mirrored murals. Not it’s former 5-screen layout. Same. And certainly not its four, lobby-level snack counters which are clubbed under the name Café Unwind. Sure, a big plus point is that one needn’t be in purchase of a movie ticket to enter the lobby and grab a bite at Café Unwind. But still, there was something about the space that didn’t quite spell out ‘café’ to us!
Expecting a ‘proper’ cordoned off café area, with a full-fledged menu, table service et al, we were rather disappointed to see a couple of tables and chairs haphazardly strewn about the lobby with movie goers winding their way between to reach their screens. The all-vegetarian food and mostly fountain-dispensed drinks, we were told rather brusquely, cannot be ordered or delivered table side and that we would have to place and pick up our order from the counter, just like it is in the gazillion cinema multiplexes the city over.
Again, disappointment raised its ugly head when we were told that our first choices of loaded nachos (Rs 240)—or any kind of nachos for that matter—weren’t available. Ditto for the apple pie (Rs 140) and carrot cake (Rs 140). But what we did try was a well-made, superlative Mumbai style masala toast (Rs 172) that was slathered with spicy potato mash and cheddar cheese gratings and served open faced. Introducing us to a wonderful desi popcorn alternative was the medium sized box of chunky chaat dusted makhana or puffed lotus seeds also called fox nuts (Rs 190).
Ne’er too far away, popcorn found itself in the unlikeliest of places—in a milkshake. Thick, flavourful and utterly more-ish the popcorn milkshake (Rs 152) was a creamy treat with the comforting aroma and taste of caramel popcorn in its every sip. Putting the ‘dough’ in doughnut was the stodgy chocolate doughnut (Rs 142) that we had to coax down our throats thanks to its dry, mealy texture and off-putting taste.
We’d probably go back to Café Unwind only if we needed to grab some mid-movie sustenance and only if it is delivered to our seats and leave the lounging about at a proper café for afters.          

TIME: All day

AT: Metro INOX, M.G. Road, Dhobitalao Junction, Marine Lines.

CALL: 8080211111

(An edited version of this review appeared in the 30th November 2017 issue of the Mid-Day newspaper, India http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-food-why-this-cafe-inside-a-sobo-multiplex-fails-to-impress/18785155)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Surströmming

By Raul Dias

The much-bandied around phrase “appearances can be deceptive” was probably coined for and by the Swedes. For one, the restrained, almost icy veneer that they are infamous for is demolished within minutes, when a group of Swedes come together for a traditional summer feast like a surströmming party, for instance. Hesitant smiles morph into full-throated laughs as toasts are raised and a can of surströmming cracked opened.
Now, this seemingly innocuous-looking, slightly puffed up can of fish holds within it a rather curious little secret that’s not for the faint-hearted! A super stinky preparation, surströmming or fermented Baltic herring has been a staple in traditional northern Swedish cuisine since at least the 16th century, originating in the Höga Kusten region of Sweden. There’s even a museum called the Fiskevistet Surströmmingsmuseet located in the small fishing village of Skeppsmaln along Sweden’s High Coast, that’s dedicated to this delicacy.
Just enough salt is used to prevent the raw herring from rotting and a fermentation process of at least six months gives the lightly-salted fish its characteristic strong smell and somewhat acidic taste. A challenge for the olfactory senses if there ever was one, when opened, the contents of a can of surströmming release a strong, overwhelming odour. In fact, according to a Japanese study, a newly opened can of surströmming has one of the most putrid food smells in the world, rivalling even that of other notorious fermented fish dishes such as the Korean hongeohoe and the Japanese kusaya.
Always eaten outdoors for obvious reasons, the ceremony behind opening and serving a can of surströmming has its own set of protocol. Understandably, the direction of the wind is most important, as no one wants a blast of the pungent fish odour fogging them up. It is also never served up on its own, as the taste—however milder than its smell—still needs a few ‘back-up acts’. These take the form of the typically Swedish circular hard bread called tunnbröd, atop which a little bit of the herring and the sour cream-like gräddfil spread is placed, along with a garnish of dill, Spanish red onion rings and slices of boiled potato. And as a chaser, a shot of aquavit an alcohol made from potatoes takes the edge off things!

(This column first appeared in the 26th November 2017 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/surstrmming/article20942770.ece)

Hollywood in Your Glass?

Taking India’s love for films to a whole other level are these seven cocktails—each inspired by an iconic Hollywood movie. Each distilling the glamour, wonder and magic of the world of cinema in every drop  

By Raul Dias

Vesper Martini (inspired by Casino Royale, 1967)
This one’s for the James Bond loyalist who likes it, to use the much-bandied about one liner, “shaken, not stirred!” An amalgamation of gin, vodka and the Lillet Blanc brand of French vermouth, garnished with not one, not two, but three olives, Estella’s take on the dirty martini is the perfect ultra-dry drink for a pleasant November evening in Mumbai. “Every man somewhere secretly wants to be James Bond with fast cars, lovely ladies and a life full of passion and adventure. The Vesper Martini is James Bond’s poison as seen in the film Casino Royale. Other than being a huge fan of this classic legendary character, I am personally enamoured by his swag and just had to make room for a clean, mean martini on our cocktail menu. Estella dedicates this to the man himself and of course to his fans,” says Nixon D’Souza, Bar and Beverage Head, Estella.
At Nichani Kutir, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu
Call 7999998232/7999998212
Cost Rs 650

Sherlock in a Pickle (inspired by Sherlock Holmes, 2009 and 2011)
​A sour and savoury cocktail, served with a lot of crushed ice, this blood-red cocktail available at London Taxi pays homage to the murder mystery-saturated Sherlock Holmes books and movies. Tea-infused vodka and gherkin brine is the base for this cocktail, as Sherlock was often found either with a cup of tea or a glass of wine (thus the beetroot wine reduction) in his hands. “While curating the London Taxi cocktail menu, the concept was very clear: to draw inspiration from some of the iconic elements of UK pop culture. Sherlock Holmes is the most popular literary character and very, very British and so the ingredients used in this cocktail have been inspired from his story,” explains, Ami Shroff, Head Mixologist, London Taxi.
At London Taxi, Kamala Mills, A-Wing, Trade World, Lower Parel
Call 9029990454
Cost Rs 700

Willy Wonka (inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005)
Here’s another cocktail that’s thoroughly inspired by not just an iconic literary character, but also by the film based on that same wacky character—Willy Wonka! This seemingly innocuous blend of whiskey, creme de cacao, dark chocolate, may seem like child’s play, but it packs a mighty punch. “Given the quirkiness of Willy Wonka, and the way they portray chocolate and candy in the movie; this cocktail adds a little tipsy twist to the way we consume chocolate. The idea behind this cocktail was to not only make us feel good with our all-time favourite indulgence—chocolate—but also add a little buzz. The oak-y hint from the whiskey and the creme de cacao helps change the whole composition,” says Pranav Mody, Mixologist, The Sassy Spoon.
At The Sassy Spoon, Ground Floor, Express Towers, Nariman Point
Call 9920003500
Cost Rs 399

Smokin Cosmo (inspired by Sex and the City, 2008 and 2010)
Though we hate to give our cocktails a gender stereotype, this blushing hot pink drink is one for the ladies, just like the fabulous SATC quartet! Go puff, puff on this drink that’s a mix of vodka, Cointreau and lemon juice, all served up in a glass smoking pipe. For, as the name suggests, the Smoking Cosmo is supposed to give the drinker the feeling of smoking a pipe whilst sipping on a classic Cosmopolitan. It gives the traditional Cosmo a fun, quirky twist, making it that much more pleasurable. “To be perfectly honest, the cocktail wasn’t made keeping any specific film in mind. A Cosmo is a classic drink made popular by films like Sex and the City. At Joss, we’ve taken the already sassy drink up a notch and given it our own spin,” says Chef Farrokh Khambata, Proprietor, Joss.
At Joss, Ground Floor, Savoy Chambers, Linking Road, Santacruz (w)
Call 26617771/2
Cost Rs 495

Hawaiian (inspired by Blue Crush, 2002)
The azure waters of Hawaii as depicted in the 2002 surfer flick Blue Crush are the inspiration behind this Tiki-style cocktail that’s a deceptively potent one. It’s also deceptive as the colour is a sunset orange and not a deep blue one would expect. “A Hawaiian cocktail is the ultimate pool-side drink one could wish for. This one’s inspired by the movie Blue Crush which was shot in Hawaii. This cocktail is a perfect balance of vodka, pineapple juice, cardamom and Red Bull, just like how the character of Anne Marie balances her life’s challenges while training for the Hawaii surf event,” says Darren Alvares, Mixologist, Bar Bar.
At Bar Bar, First Floor, Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla
Call 61801501
Cost Rs 225 for 250ml and Rs 399 for 500ml

Moulin Rouge (inspired by Moulin Rouge, 2001)
Baz Luhrmann’s magnum opus Moulin Rouge was a larger-than-life extravaganza that many likened to a Bollywood production thanks to its songs, drama and elaborate sets. This eponymous cocktail seeks to capture the sizzling, passion-filled chemistry that Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor shared in the film with its spicy vodka, cinnamon, basil, passionfruit and apple-infused tea parts. “I was inspired by the Moulin Rouge which involves cabaret, a dance form high on music, song, recitation and drama, which I personally think fits in with a place like The Daily Bar and Kitchen,” says Rohit Hegde, Head Mixologist, The Daily Bar and Kitchen.
At The Daily Bar and Kitchen, Ground Floor Behind Shoppers Stop, SV Road, Bandra (w)
Call 9920446633
Cost Rs 400

Churchill Downs (inspired by Secretariat, 2010)
There’s certainly no horsing around this cocktail that’s named after a legendary horse racing track as featured in the 2010 movie Secretariat. Made from a host of ingredients like the banana dominated Dutch liqueur Pisang Ambon, Stolichnaya vodka, charred lemon, wheatgrass, homemade mint and ginger balm syrup, this lurid green cocktail tastes better than it looks! “We recently celebrated one year in the F&B industry and celebrated it over a Kentucky Derby Brunch setting with derby hats, decor and a special set menu around the same theme. The cocktail Churchill Downs is named after the main historic race track at the Kentucky Derby and the cocktail is dedicated to the American thoroughbred racehorse named Secretariat depicted in the movie of the same name,” says the developer of this cocktail, Chef Siddharth Kashyap, The Boston Butt.
At The Boston Butt, 1st floor Rampart Row, Kalaghoda, Fort,
Call 9892447669
Cost Rs 699

(An edited version of this article appeared in the 13th November 2017 issue of the evening edition of Mid-Day newspaper, India)

India’s Sweet Somethings!

With a range of delicacies that are as diverse as the nation itself, the Indian sweets’ platter truly runneth over with myriad varieties and regional interpretations ready to be savoured. And all this means one thing—it’s always celebration time, no matter what time of the year it is...

By Raul Dias

Cutting a swathe across India’s vast geographical, cultural, and most importantly, culinary landscape, it is the country’s mind-boggling cornucopia of sweets—some well-documented, while others delicious little edible secrets—that references this rich diversity in myriad ways and forms. From the unexpected lusciousness of a creamy palkova from Srivilliputhur in Tamil Nadu and the hitherto unsung wonders of a cloud-like nimish from Varanasi and from the coconut-y brilliance of Goa’s pinag to the sonorous crunch of an Arunachali khapse, we celebrate India’s hidden heroes of the world of sweets.
By no means is this an exhaustive list. Not even close. But what we’ve attempted, is to chronicle the most fascinating of them all. A few with neat little back stories to add to their appeal. And there truly is no better time than the onslaught of the festive season to bring these ‘barometers of celebration’ to the fore. While no wedding, birth announcement or festival is ever complete without a ‘sweet something’, we Indians don’t really need any excuse to partake in a sweet-fueled feast. So, go on. Indulge!

Northern Delights
“Aaj meethe mein kya hai?” or “what’s for afters, today?” is a heavily loaded, almost rhetorical question up in North India. For, there can never be a meal that’s not followed up with some kind of sweet preparation or the other. Offering up a mind-boggling range of sweets, many of which are dairy-centric, from the dominant barfis and pedas to the creamy kheers and shahi tukdas, there’s no dearth of options here.
If there’s one, ultra-finicky seasonal treat, then it would have to be nimish. Also known as makkhan
malai, and mainly found in Varanasi and Lucknow, both in the state Uttar Pradesh (UP), this winter
dessert is a delicate preparation that sees the froth from early morning dew-exposed milk scooped off and sweetened with sugar and flavoured with saffron or cardamom and served atop thickened sweet milk. This edible wonder is also known as daulat ki chaat in Delhi alluding to the expensive, hard-to-procure creamy layer!
One of the Hindu religion’s most sacred towns of Mathura beholds another delicious little treat-the
Mathure ka peda. Believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna, this town also in UP has been the
purveyor of these delectable morsels of heaven (pun intended!) for centuries that are made by cooking together fresh mawa (reduced milk solids), milk, sugar and ghee (clarified butter) with cardamom powder.
Resembling a bowl-shaped honeycomb, ghevar is one of Rajasthan’s greatest calling cards. Usually
prepared during the teej or raksha bandhan festival times, the filigreed delicacy is made by deep frying a slurry of oil, flour and sugar syrup and then dunking the whole sweet in more kewra (screw pine) essence-scented sugar syrup and served alongside a bowl of rabdi (reduced, almond and sugar milk).
With a rather curious name like matrimony, this sweet is an Anglo-Indian must have when a wedding in the family is to take place. Made usually by the mother of the bride-to-be, the sweet is a mixture of desiccated coconut, roasted semolina, condensed milk and yes, the very desi—ghee!
No list of North Indian sweets, however inexhaustive, can be complete without a mention of gujjias.
These crimp-edged, crescent-shaped fried dumplings are made by stuffing grated and roasted dry fruits, mawa and coconut powder into a pocket made from a mixture of semolina and wheat flour that are then deep fried and dunked in sugar syrup, but of course.

Southern Comfort
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a major chunk of the South Indian sweets’ repertoire is in some way or form influenced by the all-pervasive coconut. Take for instance Kerala’s delicious sweets that range from the cake-meets-halwa-meets-pancake, the coconut milk-redolent orappam to the Syrian Christian avalose podi made from a dry powder of roasted rice flour and ground coconut, eaten with a banana.
Carrying on the coconut leitmotif is the tati pandu kudumu from Andhra Pradesh (AP). This thick pancake is made from rice flour, coconut, jaggery and the pulp of the tadgola (palm fruit). Still in AP, the bobbatlu is similar to what is known as meethi roti in the North or puran poli in the West. This iteration is made with refined flour and is stuffed with a mix of gram lentils, jaggery and oodles of ghee.
Speaking of ghee and moving away from the ubiquity of the coconut, Karnataka’s Mysore pak is a
calorific treat where lashings of the clarified butter are introduced to sugar, gram flour, and cardamom powder and combined till a silken, melt-in-the-mouth texture is achieved. The creamy palkova from Srivilliputhur in Tamil Nadu made during the festival of Gokulashtami is a simple yet
luscious preparation made up of just two main ingredients—milk and sugar with a sprinkling of ghee and a dust of cardamom.
Dark, dense and delectable—is the best triple alliteration we could come up with to describe Tamil
Nadu’s Tirunelveli halwa laboriously made by stirring samba wheat and frothy, fermented milk along
with sugar and ghee all night long. It is widely believed that the halwa gets its great taste because it is cooked in the water from the river Thamirabharani.

Best of the West!
While not as ghee-laden as the Northern sweets, but pretty much as coconut-y as the South’s, the West of India has its fair share of sweet treats that are just as scrumptious. Made from colostrum milk, sugar and cardamom the wobbly kharvas is a treat from Maharashtra, as are the spicy dinkache ladoo that are made with dink an edible resin from the axle-wood tree, dried coconut flakes, ghee and dried fruits in their recipe. These strength-giving caloric bombs are specially fed to women who have just delivered a baby.
The East Indian community of Mumbai are legendary for their Christmas sweets particularly the thali
sweet that’s made from a whopping one kilogram of butter and half that quantity of semolina and sugar. Not for the faint hearted this one!
One of Gujarat’s most beloved sweets is the ghari from Surat. Stuffed with mawa and nuts, these deep-fried wheat flour puffs are mostly prepared during festivals like Chandani Padva or Diwali. Harnessing the goodness of whole milk, the Gujarati doodhpak is a rich pudding made with rice, milk, saffron and dry fruits and enjoyed at any old time one feels like it.
With its curious blend of colonial Portuguese and Indian influences, Goa’s sweets are a bite apart. A
version of the barfi, kokad made with desiccated coconut cooked with toasted semolina and sugar syrup is also found in Portugal’s other erstwhile colonies like Brazil. Similarly, pinag (also called pinaca) is a dense, dry, cocktail sausage-shaped confection that’s not overtly sweet made from coarsely ground rice flour, dried coconut and jaggery.
But the queen of all Goan sweets has got to be the seven layered bibinca. The egg yolk-butter-sugar-nutmeg-coconut milk concoction came about when a group of inventive 16th century Franciscan nuns in Goa used the leftover yolks—once the egg whites were used to stiffen their wimples—to make this sweet that’s baked with seven successive layers representing the seven hillocks that they had to ascend and descend every day in order to reach the church from their hilltop convent in Old Goa.

Feast from the East
While it is the milky, soft-textured Bengali sweets like sondesh, rasmalai and kheer kodom that dominate this Eastern ‘sweetscape’ with their legendary popularity, there are others that deserves a mention.
Criminally simple to made, but very more-ish are the narikolor naru from Assam that are rolled balls
made with just grated coconut and sugar. The nutty taste and mouth feel of the chakhao kheer from
Manipur made with black rice may be acquired sensations, but the taste of this creamy preparation is worth it. Served during the Losar festival in February-March each year, the crunchy khapse from Arunachal Pradesh is made from dried and roasted bundangmo (amaranth) flour that’s mixed with hot water and the resulting batter deep fried into crisp fritters. Speaking of fried, Odisha’s banana malpuas are worth every calorie. A batter made from milk, wheat flour, semolina and mashed bananas is deep fried into disks that then get coated in a sugar syrup and are always served at breakfast time.
Perhaps one of the healthiest sweets we can find in India is the chhangban leh kurtai from the state of Mizoram. This one sees rice flour mixed with jaggery and water to a paste that’s steamed after being enclosed within turmeric leaves that perfume and flavour the sweet. Very similar to this one is Tripura’s awan bangwi. Only here, ghee, cashews, raisins and ginger are added to the rice flour mix for heft and all this is steamed in cone-shaped lairu (turmeric) leaves.


Into the Drink
Why limit yourself to merely munching on something sweet? India’s wide repertoire of drinkable treats is no less legendary. Here’s a glimpse at four such examples:
* Piyush-this summer cooler popular both in Maharashtra and neighbouring Gujarat is a creamy treat that sees shrikhand (sweetened strained yogurt) churned into a frothy concoction along with buttermilk and spiced up with saffron strands, sugar and cardamom and nutmeg powder.
* Vonn-is a traditional Goan drinkable porridge made with coconut milk, jaggery and chana dal (gram lentils) along with bibbe (raw cashewnuts) all boiled together till thick and creamy.
* Thandai-also known as sardai this drink is made from sweetened milk and a paste of almonds, fennel seeds, watermelon seeds, rose petals, pepper, khus (vetiver) seeds, cardamom and saffron. It is super popular in the north of India and is generally served during the festivals of Holi and Maha Shivratri.
* Jigarthanda-literally translated into English as “heart cooling”, this drink originates in the South Indian city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu and is made up of a rather curious mix of sweetened reduced milk, badam pisin (gum tragacanth) and nannari (sarsaparilla) syrup. All this is topped up with a scoop of ice-cream.


The Savoury Quest
For those craving a bit of a savoury crunch after all that sweet talk, we have just the specimens for you!
* Kuzhalappam-these deep-fried tubular snacks from Kerala are made from bits of rice flour dough to which finely chopped onions and whole cumin are added.
* Saria-generally served as an accompaniment to the Parsi wedding feast these long, white wafers are made with sago flour and are simply irresistible!
* Til Nimki-these traditional Bengali snacks are made from wheat flour, sesame seeds and crushed
peppercorns and rolled into long, rectangular pieces before being deep fried.
* Drann-usually prepared on Maha Shivratri as bhog (offering) and served along with kehwa tea, these fried snacks from Kashmir are made from rice flour, boiled walnuts, red chilli powder and aromatic spices like cumin seeds, carom seeds and asafoetida water.
* Sel Roti-though Nepalese in origin, these fried, bangle-sized circular snacks are also made in Sikkim during the festival of Tihar and are a yummy preparation made from rice flour, salt and ghee. The sweet version eschews salt in favour of sugar and cardamom.


(An edited version of this article first appeared in the November 2017 issue of Jetwings International in-flight magazine of Jet Airways https://www.jetairways.com/EN/DE/JetExperience/magazines.aspx)