Andy Allen Interview

 

(This article first appeared online on 14th May 2024 on Live Mint, India https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/food/chef-andy-allen-interview-o-pedro-pop-up-menu-11715662433414.html)

The World's Greatest Dish Duels!

 

(This article first appeared online on 31st January 2024 on Live Mint, India https://lifestyle.livemint.com/food/discover/biggest-food-wars-who-invented-butter-chicken-111706683881090.html)

Interview with Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris of MasterChef Australia

 

(This article first appeared online on 22nd November 2023 on Live Mint, India and in print on 23rd November on page 14 https://lifestyle.livemint.com/food/discover/masterchef-australia-george-calombaris-gary-mehigan-matt-preston-india-111700588773451.html)

7 Of Sydney's Hottest Restaurants and Bars

 

This article was first published in print in the September-October issue of India Outbound magazine

Snacking in Sydney

 

(This article first appeared in the 9th July 2023 issue of The New Indian Express newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 and online here https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/food/2023/jul/09/snacking-in-sydney-2592080.html)

All is Wine at Hunter Valley

 

(This article first appeared in the 9th July 2023 issue of Deccan Herald newspaper's Sunday Herald section both in print and online here... https://www.deccanherald.com/amp/sunday-herald/sh-top-stories/all-is-wine-at-hunter-valley-1234427.html)

The Regenerative Switch (Sustainable Restaurants)

 

(This article first appeared online and in print in the 9th July 2023 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/zero-waste-dining-sustainable-regenerative-bar-restaurant-re-silo-edible-archives/article67014317.ece)

Restaurant Review: Cottage Point Inn, Sydney, Australia

 

(This review first appeared online on 24th June 2023 in Opening Doorz, India https://openingdoorz.com/cottage-point-inn-a-true-blue-flight-of-fancy/)

Restaurant Review: D’Arenberg Cube, McLaren Vale In South Australia

 

This article was first published online on 4th August 2020 in Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, UK https://www.luxurylifestylemag.co.uk/food-and-drink/restaurant-review-darenberg-cube-mclaren-vale-in-south-australia/

The Magical Christmas Quintet!

From a traditional white Christmas in Finland to an Aussie one where having a beach barbeque is the norm and a whole lot more exotic experiences in between, Raul Dias celebrates the diversity in Yuletide festivities from five unique parts of the world. 

By Raul Dias 

Celebrating with Santa
Rovaniemi in Finland
There is probably no other place in the world than Rovaniemi, Finland to spend the ultimate Christmas Day of your life. For it is this snow-blanketed, tiny town, neatly tucked away in the far north of the country’s Lapland that is considered the ‘Official Hometown of Santa Claus’. A month before Christmas, the festivities are put into full throttle here as Santa Claus declares the Christmas season open in Santa Claus Village. Another highlight of the year is December 23rd, when Santa departs on his mission to hand out presents to children all around the globe. And not to forget good old Rudolf, for Rovaniemi is also home to countless reindeer that one can interact with and even go on a sledge ride with. For those travelling with children, SantaPark is a must visit. It is at this underground toy factory where Santa’s elves create all the presents for children around the world. It’s a wonderful place for children to explore and a fantastic place to get in the spirit of Christmas in Lapland.

Tacos, Tamales, Tequila, anyone?
Mexico City in Mexico
It is in mid-November each year, when the Christmas festivities are kickstarted in bustling, colourful Mexico City. This takes place with the lighting of the Christmas tree in the Liverpool Insurgentes mega store on the third Saturday in November. It is THE most visited store during Yuletide season by Mexican families, for its Christmas village is one of the most spectacular and entertaining of the city. Besides the impressive Christmas tree, it features an ice slide and activities for children to write their letters to the Three Wise Men. From then on, families begin to prepare for the holidays where plenty of food, fun and colour define the fiesta. Think copious amounts of traditional Christmas delicacies like a large fritter known as a buñuelo, ponche navideño (a Christmas fruit punch) along with the usual Mexican cuisine staples of tacos and tamales stuffed with turkey—all washed down with some tequila. Christmas markets like the one organised in the Coyoacan Market or the Grand Christmas Bazaar in the Lázaro Cardenas Market are also wonderful places to get the festive vibe going. Another magical place in Mexico City during Christmas is the Zocalo square in the heart of the city where a giant ice rink is set up for people to skate and make merry.

Christmas in January
Lalibela in Ethiopia
Probably the most unique Christmas celebrations, and not just on this list, but in the world, Lalibela in Ethiopia does its version of the festivities very, very differently. For starters, Ethiopia celebrates Christmas on January 7th, not December 25th. Called Ganna, Christmas here is preceded by a special Advent fast for 43 days before Christmas. It starts on 25th November and is known as the ‘Fast of the Prophets’ or Tsome Nebiyat. During this time, traditionally only one vegan meal is eaten each day. On the day of Ganna, people get dressed in white, wearing a traditional shawl-like garment called a netela. It is a thin white cotton piece of cloth with brightly coloured stripes across the ends. People go to mass on Christmas Eve (called the Gahad of Christmas) at 6.00 pm and the service finishes about 3.00 am on Christmas Day, making it one of the longest and yes, most fascinating Christmas services! This is followed by a traditional Christmas feast that includes a thick stew called wat which can be made with meat, vegetables and eggs. The stew is eaten with roll of injera which is a flat fermented bread made from an indigenous Ethiopian grain called teff.

Joyeaux Noël
Montreal in Canada
Infused with a deliciously French flavour, given the city’s deep French conection, Christmas in Montreal is celebrated very differently than it is in other parts of Canada. Simply called ‘Noël’, it begins with the Défilé du Père Noël, aka the Montreal Santa Claus Parade that has been a tradition since 1925 with about 15 to 20 floats proceeding along the downtown artery and top shopping destination, Ste. Catherine Street, from Fort to St. Urbain. Another beautiful way that Christmas is celebrated here is with the Montreal Christmas Parade (Marche de Noël aux flambeaux) where one can join in the candlelight procession with over 10,000 other people to celebrate the season along with Christmas carolers who walk along the route from the city’s L’Avenue du Mont-Royal. As for those all-important Yuletide treats, you can indulge in an array of goodies like the ‘Bûche de Noël’ Yule log, pork pies called tourtières and yummy gruyère gougères, bursting with the goodness of cheese.

Beaches, BBQs and Bikinis
Sydney in Australia
Surprising as it may sound, but some of the best Christmas Day feasts in Sydney involve going to the city’s many beaches, donning bikinis, board shorts, thongs (as flip-flops are called in Australia) and indulging in a grand barbeque feast with family and friends, where plenty of grilled turkey, burgers and ice-cold beer take center stage. Iconic beaches like Bondi, Tamarama and Manly are the most popular ones to hang out at and enjoy the blazing Christmas summer sun while working on that festive tan. But this is not to say that some of the more typical trappings of a ‘traditional’ Christmas are totally ignored by our friends down under. In fact, the Yuletide festivities are kicked off on the last Saturday of November when Santa Claus and Sydney’s Lord Mayor light the giant Christmas Tree at a family concert in Martin Place. Another popular thing to do during the season is to check out the beautifully decorated Christmas window display dioramas at the David Jones store opposite St James Station, which each year tell a different Yuletide story.

(A shorter, edited version of this article first appeared in the Oct-Nov-Dec 2019 issue of HDFC Imperia magazine)

Mandu via Madagascar

With its impressive cache of baobab trees, the ancient, fortified city of Mandu in the southwest of Madhya Pradesh seems the unlikeliest of places to find the tree of African origins thriving and thus becoming a part of the rich, local folklore.    

By Raul Dias

It’s just been a couple of hours since our minibus—having climbed the long, winding road etched onto the Madhya Pradesh section of central India’s Vindhya Range—has deposited my friends and I into the ancient, fortified city of Mandu. Here, from our basecamp in Indore, to participate in the 2019 edition of the 10km Go Heritage Run Mandu, we quickly realise something thanks to our rather loquacious driver. And that is, that myths and Mandu seem to enjoy a ‘conscious coupling’ made in folkloric heaven! It wouldn’t be an exaggeration on my part to say that everything in this city that sits precariously perched on the Malwa plateau has some sort of phantasmagorical legend ascribed to it. A fact we bear witness to almost everywhere we go…

Heads and Tales
At the city center located Ashrafi Mahal, my 14-year-old de facto ‘guide’ Khayyum sidles up to me to tell me how one of Mandu’s earlier rulers, Mahmud Shah Khilji used the now-crumbling edifice as a gym in the15^th century for some of the portly concubines in his harem. Apparently, said concubines would be rewarded with gold coins that Khilji had placed on each of the Mahal’s steps they would climb as part of their exercise regimen. And hence the name ashrafi which means “coin” in old Persian.
One is also told tales of the great love of the poetess queen of Malwa Rani Roopmati and Sultan Baz Bahadur—who built her the rather vertiginous Roopmati’s Pavilion at his Rewa Kund Palace in the early 16^th century, so that she could gaze at her beloved Narmada river. All this, of course, before she poisoned herself upon hearing of Baz Bahadur’s death and the ensuing fall of Mandu. Then there is the famous myth of the headless soldier who till this day is said to guard the Tripolia Darvaza, one of the 12 gates along the city’s stone walls that serve as portals to Mandu.   

Trunk Call
However, one Mandu-specific phenomenon defies all logic and comprehension, leaving me both bewildered and fascinated as I sprint past a few of them en route the early morning heritage run. I’m speaking of the rather bulbous trunked, leaf-bereft baobab tree that make their unusual presence felt all over the city. Native to Madagascar, some parts of mainland, sub Saharan Africa and Australia, the baobab tree is known not just for its towering height (up to 98 ft), but girth (up to 36 ft) and age (3,000 years) as well. The rather succulent trunk of the baobab is also said to hold as much as 100,000 liters of water—perfect to soak up Mandu’s aqueous bounty of the monsoon—while its fruit bat-pollinated flowers hang upside down and bloom only at night. Their otherwise mild fragrance, intensifies even more when it mingles with the musky petrichor brought on by the cooling rain that hydrates the parched, arid summer soil, making Mandu one of the India’s most idyllic monsoon getaways.  
Found almost everywhere in the city for sale and called Mandu ki Imli, the elongated, rugby ball-like shaped baobab fruit when cracked open is a cluster of white pulp-coated seeds that resemble giant custard apple segments. Both the seeds and the dried pulp when powdered and mixed with chilled water are used to make a delightful sour, Vitamin C-rich drink that I relish at a hawker stall after a sweltering trek up Baz Bahadur’s palace. I even take back a few packets of the powder for friends and family.

Disputed Origins?
Back to Mandu and its myths. This time with regards to the ubiquitous baobab tree’s origins. I grapple with three different explanations for their presence here—each more fascinating than the other. Though one of them seems to have the empirical backing that only a precise science like geology can provide. But more on that one in a while as I lose myself in the miasma of myths!
A local shopkeeper selling the fuzz-coated fruit outside the gates of Ashrafi Mahal calls it ‘Khorasani imli’. When I probe further, he tells me that it was a group of spice route traders en route from Khorasan (which was what Central Asia used to be called earlier) to the orient, who brought along a few baobab seeds from their earlier travels to Africa which they then exchanged for food and shelter in Mandu.        
Later in the day, as I take in the ship-like silhouette of the Jahaz Mahal complex built as a harem in the second half of the 15^th century by Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din-Khalji and situated between two artificial lakes, my attention is once again drawn to a row of baobab trees standing guard at the east side of the complex. My guide tells me that the Sultan had a great fascination for exotic, foreign visitors. And that it was one such visitor to his court from Madagascar who presented him with a few baobab seeds that he had planted first at Jahaz Mahal then at other spots in Mandu.

P.S. Back home in Mumbai, my geologist friend Tanya shines some light on another baobab facet I had gravely ignored while busy romancing myths. Apparently, more than a 100 million years ago, India, Madagascar and Australia were all part of the mother continent called Gondwanaland and with the ensuing continental split, it created the three distinct paths taken by the baobab.
But that still begs the question; why Mandu and not Mumbai or Madurai?
   

Travel log

Getting There
Mandu can be reached from most Indian cities via Indore (2 hours) or Bhopal (5.5 hours) by road. The nearest railhead for Mandu is Ratlam on the Delhi-Mumbai main line which is just under a three-hour drive away.

Stay
The super clean rooms, tasty food options and efficient service make the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Department Corporation (MPSTDC)-run Malwa Retreat Mandu (Rs.1,900 approx. for two with breakfast, olrs.mpstdc.com) a good option. Another property worth checking out is the three-star Mandu Sarai Hotel (Rs.2,200 approx. for two with breakfast, sarai-mandu.booked.net).

Tip
* Plan a visit to the ancient Buddhist Bagh Caves and to the Bagh Village famous for its artisans who practice the art of block printing fabrics using herb-based dyes. Both the caves and the village can be found in the Dhar District on the banks of the river Baghini en route from Bhopal and Indore to Mandu. 


(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 8th June 2019 issue of The Hindu Business Line newspaper's BLink section on page 21 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/cover/the-baobab-tree-madagascars-gift-to-mandu/article27609709.ece)

Christmas with a Difference

Christmas isn’t always about genial Santas, mistletoes and mugs of mulled wine. Raul Dias introduces you to a few alternative and decidedly wacky Christmas traditions around the world.   

By Raul Dias

In a little under two days’ time, most of the world will celebrate Christmas Day as we know it. Replete with all the Advent accoutrements pat in place. Read: carol singing, steaming mugs of mulled wine, nativity pageants and portly, white-bearded Santas frolicking about the place. But before we get carried away with all the above mentioned—and dare-we-say, cliched—merriment montages, it is pertinent to note that that’s not necessarily how the season’s festivities are represented everywhere. Remember we said ‘most’ and not ‘all over’ the world!

Here are a few such interesting, out-of-the-box and downright bizarre ways in which the world celebrates the birthday of Lord Jesus:  

The ‘anti-Santa’

This scary Austrian version of Santa, aka. Krampus really knows how to show those kids who’ve been bad, his…well, bad side! The ghoulish, hooved and horned creature that stems from Alpine folklore is believed to be the evil accomplice of St Nicholas and is said to wander the streets in search of badly-behaved children. During the month of December, you can expect to see terrifying masked figures out and about scaring kids and adults alike with ghastly pranks. The Krampus myth is so popular in Austria that there is even an annual Krampus parade in the capital Vienna. 

In a finger lickin’ mood, anyone?

Forget the Japanese language version of the “Merry Christmas!” greeting. For nearly five decades the refrain on Christmas Eve in Japan has been “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” (Kentucky for Christmas!). Yes, eating Colonel Sanders’ fried poultry pieces have become a sort of ritual for a true-blue Japanese Christmas Eve. Back in 1974, the American fast-food restaurant giant released a festive marketing campaign in Japan that spawned this rather strange national tradition that still thrives to this day. Families from all over the country head to their local KFC for a special Christmas Eve meal with table reservations being made weeks in advance.

Get, set…skate

There’s a very unique tradition that takes place in Caracas, Venezuela from the 16th to the 24th of December every year, where the city’s streets are closed off for heavy traffic before 8am so that people can go skating. And come Christmas Eve, the streets are closed off the whole day. Local residents then roller skate to church to attend the early morning mass called misa de aguinaldo, shooting off fireworks and shouting out “Jesus is born!” as they skate way.

In a mighty pickle! 

Forget those shiny buntings and kiss those cute turtle doves goodbye. In Germany, the must-have Christmas tree ornament has got to be a big green dill pickle. Confused? Well, in this Teutonic nation—where many believe the Christmas tree originated—it is customary to hide a pickle shaped ornament somewhere within the branches of the tree and give a gift to whichever child in the household finds it. According to a legend, two young boys were held captive inside a pickle barrel when the jolly St Nicholas rescued them, bringing them back (and a new tradition) to life.

Barbie and thongs

Do pardon the above sub-header, but this unique Christmas tradition maintained by our antipodean friends from down under in Australia has got nothing whatsoever to do with dolls or underwear! With Australia enjoying sunny Christmas days—what with December being peak summer time—the festivities here are kicked off with family-style barbecues that are affectionately called ‘barbies’ where people come dressed ultra-casually in shorts and sporting ‘thongs’ or flip flops on their feet. Very often, after a typically Aussie Christmas barbie, the action shifts to the local beach for a swim in the waters or simply to lounge about on the sand.  

Duck off!

We’ve probably saved the wackiest (and cutest!) of all Christmas traditions for the last, all the way from Sweden. The story goes back to the 1960s when televisions which were relatively new in Sweden aired only two channels. Now, one of these played Disney cartoons at Christmas, and in particular a 1958 Christmas special called “Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul” or “Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas”. Very soon the tradition of watching this particular special took root. So much so that till this day, every Christmas, families around Sweden gather in front of the television set at 3pm sharp, all to watch the antics of a duck named Donald. Interestingly, everything on Christmas Day is planned around the television special that enjoys a viewership of more than 40 per cent of Sweden’s population.

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 23rd December 2018 issue of The Free Press Journal newspaper's Weekend section on page 3 https://www.freepressjournal.in/travel/christmas-2018-wacky-christmas-traditions-you-may-not-know-about/1420469)

Hop in to Kangaroo Island!

Almost literally a hop, skip and a jump away from the city of Adelaide, the flora- and fauna-rich Kangaroo Island is South Australia’s best kept little secret, offering a range of things to see and do.

By Raul Dias

Honest confession: I don’t do very well ensconced in the confines of a tiny plane. It’s just something about being cooped up like sardines in a tin can that gets to me. Sadly, at just under half an hour, that’s the fastest—and most logical way—to get to the stunning Kangaroo Island from Adelaide. What with the sea journey between the Cape Jervis Port (two hours south of Adelaide) and the Penneshaw Port on Kangaroo Island raking up a good four hours in total, along with driving time to and from the two ports.
Suspended from the mainland of South Australia like a dusty ruby, thanks to its red mud, the island always held great sway to a traveller like myself who had only read about it in other travel tales, thus far. And so, braving the short flight aboard the tiny Regional Express plane, I soldiered on as the twin-propeller aircraft swooped its way down towards terra firma…
With 541 km of coastline and 155 km long by 55 km wide, Kangaroo Island is Australia’s third largest island, but the minuscule size of its one and only airport at Kingscote, the island’s capital town, belies this distinction. Waiting for my group of three friends and I outside the small terminal building was our guide for the next two days Nikki Redman with her jazzed up mini bus, ready to show us the island where she’s spent all her life and which she loves with a fierce passion.

All ‘Seal’ed Up!
Our first stop on the island was Seal Bay. Nestled along the island’s southern coast, Seal Bay is a playground for over 600 Australian sea-lions (neophoca cinerea) that seem to spend all day in the pursuit of their beauty sleep. Taking the weathered wooden pathway from the astonishingly well-equipped visitor’s centre down the white sanded beach, we made our way past clusters of plump mum and baby pairs of sea-lions in various stages of their seasonal moulting, some with soft tufts of new white fur, while others, like fashion-conscious ladies, still shedding their brownish-black ‘last season togs’. But the benign giants aren’t the only residents that call this fecund paradise home, we were lucky to get a glimpse of a group of elusive Hooded Plovers as well as some white-bellied Sea-Eagles taking flight. All I truly wanted to do there right then and there was to plonk myself on the beach and commune with nature at its purest, undiluted best. But that was sadly not to be.

Nature’s Grotto
Lured away with the threat of abandonment, we reluctantly headed back to the bus, so that we could savour more of Kangaroo Island’s bounty. Looming in the horizon like an erect beacon of hope, the Cape du Couedic Lighthouse is like a sentinel guarding the eerie, almost subterranean grotto of Admirals Arch. A truly fascinating wild sculpture of nature, formed by an old coastal dune being cemented together, then eroded, Admirals Arch is a place where time comes to a grinding halt. A place where one’s reverie is punctured time and again by the bellowing of the New Zealand seals that bask on the jagged rocks that jut out angrily into the sea as though proving a point. Taking the boardwalk that runs around the cliff face down into the bowels of the spectacular natural grotto, we got to the viewing platform that made for a perfect photo-op with the brutal waves doing their very own number down below. The howling wind caressed us into submission as the pungent odour of seal excrement hit our nostrils, signalling that our time was up in the cave that was beginning to look like the devil’s living room of my nightmares.

Meeting the Namesakes
Leaving my nightmares where they belonged, at the bottom of Admirals Arch, something (or rather someone) more soothing and docile beckoned. One of the things on my ‘To Do’ list when I first decided to take a trip to the land down under was just about to be struck off – tea with kangaroos for whom this beautiful island is named after!
And so, we made our way to Grassdale in the Kelly Hill Conservation Park after a tryst with some pesky pelicans at the beautiful Stokes Bay. Once a farm run by Lucy Edwards, who sold it off when it got too much to manage on her own, Grassdale is now a place for rambunctious kangaroos with tiny little joeys in their pouches to frolic about in. Sipping freshly brewed tea and tucking into shortbread biscuits, we watched as the marsupials went about their business picking at tender shoots that were beginning to emerge from the red soil.

To Bee or not to Bee!
Next day, up bright and early, we made our way to our first stop of the day—Clifford’s Honey Farm in the island’s MacGillivray neighbourhood. This family-run honey farm produces high quality honeys from various native plants—each with a distinctive flavour. I particularly enjoyed the cup gum variety.
The strain of the placid Ligurian bee, that was brought to Kangaroo Island from Italy, is disease free and high yielding, and in great demand worldwide. Clifford let us know that Kangaroo Island is the only place in the world with a wild population of the bees and has been designated as a bee sanctuary. The fine, pure honey produced by these bees is made into a variety of honey products at the farm, including honeycomb, honey ice-cream and even honey beer. The latter being a spur of the moment, unusual invention by Clifford’s son-in-law that works surprisingly well, I might add.

Hic, Hic Hurrah
And speaking of a drink, a tasting selection of gins including a yummy Thai-style chilli gin was what we tried next at the rustic chic-looking Kangaroo Island Spirits straight off the Playford Highway in Cygnet River. Located within a rather ramshackle exterior, the distillery is where liqueurs, gins and vodkas are all handmade in small batches using hand crafted copper pot stills. These high-quality spirits are additive and preservative free and where possible are made using native Australian botanicals and locally grown or sourced ingredients, including the Island favourite...you guessed it, Ligurian honey!

Rock and Roll
And buzzing we all were once again as the otherworldly Remarkable Rocks began to play a game of hide and go seek with our eyes, darting in and out of focus as we drove through a thicket of Tate’s grass tress towards the rock formation. A huge cluster of weather-beaten granite boulders perched on a large granite dome that drops 75 metres to the sea, these numinous icons of Kangaroo Island appear to be the creation of an extra territorial being… or perhaps it was just Mother Nature playing abstractionist sculptor for the day.

But then again, that’s just what Kangaroo Island does to you. It makes you imagine things you’d never imagined before and see things from a whole other perspective.

FACT FILE

Getting there
There is a daily 30-minute flight to Kingscote on Regional Express from Adelaide on the mainland of South Australia. For travelling within Kangaroo Island, it is advisable to either hire out the services of a tour company such as Kangaroo Island Odysseys (www.kiodysseys.com.au ) or perhaps self-drive a hired car, as there is virtually no public transport on the island.
Visas

Indian passport holders need a visa to enter Australia, which is easy to procure with the introduction of the very efficient e-visa facility.

When to visit
With Kangaroo Island enjoying pleasant climate during the autumn and spring seasons, the best months to travel are from March to May and from September to early November. Summers from December to February can get a bit hot.

Accommodation
Kangaroo Island has an excellent selection of hotels to choose from to suit all budgets and tastes. Some of the best options are:
* Aurora Ozone Hotel (www.ozonehotelki.com.au)
* Kangaroo Island Seafront (www.seafront.com.au)
* Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge (www.www.kilodge.com.au)

For more information, visit www.southaustralia.com

(A differently edited version of this piece was first published in the October 2018 issue of The Week's Smart Life magazine)

The Rubik's Cube Redux

(This piece appeared in the June-July-August 2018 issue of the Eat Stay Love magazine, India)

Simply, Truly South Australia!

As one of Australia’s most beautiful states, South Australia has a lot to offer in terms of world-class attractions, nature and yes, superb food and wine. Raul Dias shows you five ways to get the most out of your trip to the state capital Adelaide and its surrounding regions.

I simply have got to say this. I have never been a big fan of Adelaide. Having visited the city—that I remember as being the sleepy and lacklustre capital of the state of South Australia—on two occasions a few years ago, I was not very impressed. But last month, all that changed, and I did a complete volte-face, crazy in my new-found love for Adelaide.
But then again, I’ve always believed in second… or in this case, third chances. Having been made amply aware by a few local friends of how much Adelaide has changed in the past six years since my last trip, I decided to check it out with renewed interest all over again.
And so, I packed my bags and winged it all the way Down Under for a week in Adelaide and its neighbouring areas. Here are five ways that helped me fall in love with the city by the River Torrens:

1.      Roof Climb at Adelaide Oval
Widely regarded as the most picturesque test cricket ground in the world, with the St. Peter’s Cathedral rising behind an old, wooden Edwardian-style scoreboard and Moreton Bay fig trees at the northern end, the Adelaide Oval is a city icon. Established in 1871, the historic stadium underwent a massive overhaul in 2014 and a few years later in 2016 one the most fun things to do in Adelaide was started here. The Roof Climb is a guided tour that runs for about two hours and covers a distance of 1.2km in total, climbing up and down ladders and multiple flights of stairs, walking on open metal grate walkways and a stepped bridge. Climbers are harnessed and attached to the railing at all times, but you’ll still need to overcome a fear of heights, especially at the peak of the climb on the Riverbank stand where you’re meant to ‘hang out’ quite literally all for a keepsake photo! (www.roofclimb.com.au)

2.      Riding the coffee circuit with Eco Caddy
Adelaide loves its coffee and the many hip new coffee places that have mushroomed up recently are testament to this sudden surge. The guys at Eco Caddy offer a perfect way to get acquainted with this coffee fad. Revolutionising the rickshaw by providing the most cost-effective city transport, Eco Caddy offer rides for a fee in their eco-friendly cycle rickshaws with a buggy at the back with enough space for two passengers. They also do specialised tours that boast an unrivalled ability to ride the footpaths, cycleways, parkways and laneways of Adelaide. The coffee experience takes you on a ride to four interesting coffee places where you can get a real pulse of the city. What’s more is that during special events and festivals like the world music festival WOMADelaide (which was on when I was visiting!), the Eco Caddy drivers offer free trips to all those desirous of going for a short spin. I strongly recommend this one. (www.eco-caddy.com)

3.      Adelaide Central Market Tour
For the last couple of years, Australia and more specifically South Australia has been at the vanguard for some serious foodie action with a number of celebrity chefs like TV superstar Poh Ling Yeow and Chef Sean Connolly calling Adelaide home. The best way to get a little sliver of all that foodie action is to get yourselves booked onto a food tour. And top of the list is the Adelaide Central Market Tour. But first a little about the market that it operates out of. Since 1869, the Central Market has been a haven of premium food and wine products, and second home to chefs and food lovers. In fact, Poh even has her popular restaurant Jamface housed inside the market. The tours are sensory and interactive gourmet walking tours with a local food expert. Participants enjoy a range of delicious samples that represent the multicultural community of South Australia and the clean and green produce harvested from surrounding farms and oceans. (www.centralmarkettour.com.au)

4.      The Cube at Mc Laren Vale
Take the food thing a few notches higher at an experience of a lifetime at Mc Laren Vale, an hour out of Adeliade. The family owned d’Arenberg Wines is a winery on top of a hill and is well-known for its robust wines. But since December 2017 it has another ace up its sleeve. The Rubik’s Cube-esque, five-levelled d’Arenberg Cube that’s inspired by the complexities and puzzles of winemaking, has been carefully designed to entice and excite the senses. The top level houses the d’Arenberg cellar door and private tasting areas, offering the opportunity to blend and bottle your own wine. And for those serious about their food, try the 10- or 16-course degustation meals, paired with some of the yummiest wine you will ever taste. (www.darenberg.com.au)

5.      Wine, wine and more wine at The Barossa
Enjoy the bucolic charms of the Barossa Valley an hour away from Adelaide—where vineyards abound in a fecund landscape that will give Tuscany a serious complex. The Barossa truly is akin to an adult’s wine wonderland with world class wineries and cellar doors like Jacob’s Creek, Penfolds and Seppeltsfield Wines. The Barossa thrives on a living heritage, food markets, quality wines, old preserved buildings, and a wealth of culinary pleasures. A great experience to have here is the ‘Taste Your Birth Year Tour’ at Seppeltsfield Wines where you will join one of the wine educators in the renowned Centennial Cellar and sip on a wine as old (or young...) as you are directly from the barrel. (www.seppeltsfield.com.au)

FACT FILE

Getting there
Although there are no direct flights from Mumbai to Adelaide, the best way to get there is via Singapore on Singapore Airlines. Travelling within the city of Adelaide and to the neighbouring areas of The Barossa and McLaren Vale is easy, given its small size, and most places are under an hour away from each other. Adelaide’s super-efficient buses, taxis, hired cars, eco caddy cabs and trams make travelling a treat! Indian passport holders need a visa to enter Australia, which is easy to procure with the introduction of the very efficient e-visa facility.

When to visit
With South Australia enjoying pleasant climate during the autumn and spring seasons, the best months to travel are from March to May and from September to early November. Summers from December to February can get a bit hot.

Accommodation
Adelaide has an excellent selection of hotels to choose from to suit all budgets and tastes. Some of the best options are:
* Hilton Adelaide
* Pullman Adelaide
* Intercontinental Adelaide

For more information, visit www.southaustralia.com

(An edited version of this article appeared in the 30th March 2018 issue of the Afternoon Despatch & Courier newspaper, India on page 16 http://www.afternoondc.in/48-hrs/simply-truly-south-australia/article_219514)

Notes from Adelaide

By Raul Dias

If the city of Adelaide, perched on the banks of South Australia’s River Torrens were to be a person, then it would most surely be accused of having a split personality disorder! How else does one come to grips with its colonial architecture—all red brick walls and iron trellis-clad verandas—melding almost seamlessly with startlingly modern glass and steel buildings and public spaces.
A perfect example of this unlikely coupling of old and new is reflected in the hallowed Adelaide Oval. This multi-utility sports stadium, that sees everything from Australian Rules football to soccer and yes, of course—cricket played in it, is testament to how comfortable Adelaide is with keeping up with the times yet clinging on precariously to its heritage.

All About The Numbers
Established in 1871, the historic Oval underwent a massive overhaul in 2014, retaining very little of its past in the form of the original redbrick, arched western wall and a few other minor heritage details. In keeping with its snazzy new image, a few years later in 2016, it threw open its doors …. or perhaps I should say its roof, to adrenaline junkies to climb all over, much in the same fashion as Sydney’s Harbour Bridge did a decade or so ago.
50,083 is the overall seating capacity of the stadium now. 535 million is the cost in Australian dollars of the mammoth 2014 overhaul of the Oval. But that’s not inclusive of the 40 million dollars it took to construct the pedestrian bridge fording the River Torrens, linking the Adelaide railway station precinct with the Adelaide Oval precinct.
Speaking of which, one of the most beautiful parts of the stadium complex has got to be the Edwardian style scoreboard with its scorecards that need to be manually changed to this very day. First used in 1911, the wooden scoreboard is listed on the City of Adelaide Heritage Register, helping to maintain the charm of the ground. There is even a bar located under the scoreboard, for nervous climbers to unwind at post climb.

Taking On An Icon
Now, to a non-cricket fan and an occasional sufferer of vertigo like myself, the prospect of indulging in a roof climb at the Oval was akin to getting my molars pulled out at the dentist, sans anaesthesia! But as the saying goes “when in Australia, do as the adventure sports loving Aussies do”. Egged on by my motely posse of pals, I signed the two-page indemnity sheet and put my life in the hands of Katie our guide and roof climb instructor for the day.
Believe me when I say that the pre-climb briefing and donning the safety harness were infinitely scarier than the actual roof climb itself. The guided climb runs for about two hours and covers a distance of 1.2 kilometres in total, climbing up and down ladders and multiple flights of stairs, walking on open metal grate walkways and a stepped bridge.
Kitted out to the hilt as though preparing for a trip to outer space, wearing a special shell suit, an audio system with an over-ear piece, and with various cords, buckles and hooks preventing us from plummeting to the soft (?) Astro Turf below, we trudged along a gangway to the very apex of the roof. Although fastened at all times to the moving guide rail, the sheer 50 metres drop took a wee bit of getting used to, especially at the peak of the climb on the Riverbank stand.

Say Cheese!
Curving outwards, the overhanging lip of the roof at this stand is the spot for all those cheesy, arms wide open photo ops as you lean back and hope to God your harness does what you’ve prayed its meant to do. Biting the bait of pure, undiluted adrenaline, I did just that, ending it all with a perfunctory keepsake picture snapped by a friend.
And while I’ve obviously lived to tell the tale, I don’t think an encore is something that I’d necessarily consider in the near future. Now, did I hear someone say bungee?

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 25th March 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 7 http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/travel/adelaide-an-unlikely-coupling-of-old-and-new/article23334249.ece)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Lavender and blueberry Viennese shortbread with rose petal panna cotta

By Raul Dias

Western Australia’s Swan Valley in the bucolic Margaret River region—a mere half hour’s drive from the urbs primus that is Perth—is one place that will be etched onto my foodie memory forever. For it was here, a few years ago, that I first encountered lavender in all its edible form and glory.
With everything from lavender scones slathered with butter and lavender-speckled clotted cream, to a restorative tepid lavender tea, the Lavender Bistro’s high tea service introduced me to the wonders of this fragrant flower. Once an indispensable part of the boudoirs and toilette routines of Victorian ladies, in the form of lavender-perfumed talcum powder, scented oils and other beautifying unguents, this member of the mint family is enjoying an outing like never before!
It was only late last year, when during the final course of a meal at the newly opened Australian fine dining restaurant Estella in Mumbai, did I revisit the floral brilliance of lavender. Probably paying homage to his stint in Australia, Chef Rohan D’Souza carefully crafts this lavender-redolent piece de resistance.
The lavender and blueberry Viennese shortbread with rose petal panna cotta is a simple construction of two lavender shortbread fingers sandwiching whipped cream and blueberry jam, and topped with more cream and jam, with a sprig of lavender and rosemary as the garnish. Accompanying this, is a delicate panna cotta that does the requisite ‘wobbly jig’ on the powdered sugar-dusted, ebony-hued plate.  

(This column first appeared in the 26th February 2017 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/lavender-and-blueberry-viennese-shortbread-with-rose-petal-panna-cotta/article17361291.ece)