Asia's Wonderful DIY Dishes

 

This article first appeared in print and online on 14th July in the Sunday Magazine section of The New Indian Express newspaper https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/food/2024/Jul/13/diy-on-asian-griddles

Savoury Desserts Across India

 

(This article first appeared online on 9th July 2024 on Live Mint, India https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/food/sweet-savoury-desserts-delhi-mumbai-goa-chennai-11720515056221.html)

'Ginfused' Dishes

(This article first appeared in print online on 27th April 2024 on Live Mint, India & Mint Lounge newspaper https://lifestyle.livemint.com/food/discover/cooking-gin-mains-appetisers-desserts-111714050994736.html)

Miso In Desserts and Cocktails

 

(This article first appeared online on 27th September 2023 in Mint Lounge, India and in print on page 14 on 28th September https://lifestyle.livemint.com/food/discover/miso-dessert-cake-cookies-cocktails-111695748993558.html)

Tried a Smashburger, yet?

 

(This article first appeared in print and online on 27th October 2022 in Mint Lounge, India https://lifestyle.livemint.com/food/discover/why-smashburgers-rule-and-where-you-can-find-them-111666850246070.html)

The Hemp Food Movement

 

(This article first appeared in the 28th August 2022 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/fssai-nod-hemp-newest-indian-superfood-restaurants-cafes-india-food-finding/article65802685.ece)

Turkish Eggs: An eggs-cellent idea

 

(This article appeared in the 18th February 2022 issue of the Mid-Day newspaper, India on page 21 https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/mumbai-food/article/an-eggs-cellent-idea-23214831)

The Viral 'Spread'

Poised to be the 'New Nutella’ of this brand new year is a cookie butter spread that has social media all agog.

By Raul Dias

On my last attempt at a tally, there were at least a hundred accounts and millions of hashtags on Instagram solely dedicated to Biscoff. Almost every second YouTube video tutorial these days seems to be showing me myriad ways to use the product. Cashing in on the new 'plant-based' foods craze, the vegan cookie butter spread has amassed a cult-like following.

From Kenya to Melaka in Malaysia, the spread has well and truly spread far and wide in the lockdown-paused world. A time when the home baking frenzy is at its peak, with trends of all kinds jostling for table-top space.

And social media trend-savvy India is no exception. Nipping close at the heels of dalgona coffee, focaccia art and the perennial favourite aka. sourdough bread baking, the spread that many are calling the 'New Nutella' is finding a firm-footing in India and all set to be the buzzword of 2021!

Past Perfect

So, what exactly is Biscoff? Interestingly, the spread is far from being the nubile 2021 debutante it seems to be. A portmanteau of the words 'biscuit' and 'coffee', the original caramelised Lotus Biscoff cookie was first produced in 1932 by a Belgian baker named Jan Boone Sr. Also known as 'speculoos' (which is what all thin, spiced biscuits in Belgium and the neighbouring Netherlands are called), the biscuit found itself crushed up into an all new product—the spreadable cookie butter decades later. 

It would be in 2007, when inventor Els Scheppers took part in a Belgian TV inventor show, called De Bedenkers ("The Inventors"), that she would come up with a spreadable product made out of the original speculoos cookies. It was then that Lotus bought her idea and produced it under the original brand. 

Soon the US got in on the action and co-opted the idea. With several brands like Trader Joe's coming out with their own versions of what they call ‘speculoos cookie butter'. All deceptively similar in both taste and texture to the original Belgian one.

Desi does it too!

Right now, it would be hard to scroll through the social media feeds of any confectioner or home baker in India and not find a dessert that highlights cookie butter in some iteration or the other. Be they cakes, pies, brownies or anything else one can think of using the caramel-tinged spread. A few months ago, during the pujo festivities, I even encountered a Biscoff sandesh of all things.

Swheta Mutreja Aggarwal, who owns Kookie Cake Crumble, a confectionery business, first came across Biscoff-based desserts a few years ago on a family vacation to Europe. “The slightly spicy, cinnamon flavour appealed to me and that's when I decided I could incorporate it into my desserts too,” says Agarwal who came out with her version of a spiced pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving late last year using the spread.

Speaking of pies, the newly launched Pie & co in Mumbai too has a Biscoff pie on their festive menu. “We added Biscoff to our baked cheesecake and it soon became one of our top selling items for the festive season,” says Chef Aditi Goel, the brand’s founder. However, she does warn of its potential drawbacks. “When baked for too long, the spread losses its flavour, and we did have a few rounds of errors before we could come to our final Biscoff pie recipe.”

 

Cookie Vs Nut Butter

Putting it down to the ingredient's versatility, home baker Anjali Mirchandani of online baking company Brownie by the Bay feels confident in incorporating it in several of her recipes be they cheesecakes, dessert jars or her specialty—brownies. All three that would earlier have had Nutella in them. “Take a cheesecake for instance. Biscoff and cream cheese work superbly together given their similar creamy profile. It most definitely is the new Nutella and has taken everyone's taste buds by storm,” believes Mirchandani.

Despite the fact that the brand new Silver Beach Café in Mumbai has a Biscoff milkshake on their menu, its executive VP, Twinkle Keswani still believes in the unshakable popularity of Nutella in India. “While Biscoff is definitely popular, Nutella, according to me, is iconic with its bottle and taste of course. It is much ahead of Biscoff in the race of sweet spreads”.

Almost gives the phrase “war against the spread” a whole other meaning!

RECIPE

Biscofff Milkshake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cold milk

2 tsp Biscoff spread

2 scoops vanilla ice cream

2 Biscoff cookies

Method:

• Blend milk, Biscoff spread, vanilla ice cream and one cookie in a mixer. 

• Drizzle a little melted spread into a tall milkshake glass, swirling it around to coat the sides.

• Pour blended milkshake into the glass and garnish with a whole cookie.

(An edited version of this article first appeared online in The Hindu Business Line newspaper's BLink section on 2nd January 2021 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/takeaway/belgian-biscoff-is-the-new-nutella/article33479939.ece)

A serving of 2020

From cakes made of sushi to frog bread and other wacky additions, the food and beverage trends that defined 2020 were as interesting as they could possibly get.

By Raul Dias

With barely a couple of days left for the year to end, I think that it is high time for us to move past the very obvious fact that 2020 was an unmitigated catastrophe of a year. But then, there was that proverbial ‘silver lining’ too. If we were to reach deep down into the depths of our remaining dregs of optimism, we would come to the realisation that there was perhaps no other year in our recollection, when creativity in all aspects of our lives was at its optimal best, as we navigated our way around the new normal. 

Thanks in large part to the social media blitzkrieg that seems to amplify things beyond control, trends abounded in the food and beverage space. A realm that somehow always manages to take a “sow's ear” of a situation and transform it into a “silk purse”. 

So, here’s my list of the most popular food and beverage trends that tried their best to take the edge off those pandemic blues.

Cloudy with a chance of frogs!

Baking bread in its myriad iterations was truly the big ticket trend of 2020. With the first half of the year dominated by an overwhelming amount of sourdough, banana and focaccia art breads holding sway in almost every home baker’s kitchen and social media accounts. However, things got a tad outré in the latter part of 2020 with the emergence of two very interesting bakery items. Resembling a fluffy, egg white meringue, no points for guessing how cloud bread got its name. Keeping the keto crowd happy, this low-carbohydrate 'bread' is a flourless confection made with stiffly beaten egg whites and cream cheese that results in a white bread-like, light-n-airy flat bun that can be coloured and flavoured either sweet (with vanilla or almond extract) or left savoury. Frog bread, on the other hand is exactly as it sounds: a bread roll fashioned in the likeness of the monsoon-loving amphibian.

Better butters?

While other nut butters like almond and cashew have become almost as passé as boring old peanut butter, 2020 saw the invasion of other, more unique preparations like watermelon seed, macadamia, soy nut and hemp seed butters that one cloud slather upon sourdough toast. But perhaps none more significant than the phenomenal rise of cookie butter—Lotus Biscoff to be more precise. Easily the 'new Nutella' this Belgian invention--that’s also known as speculoos spread--found itself in every kind of confectionery item be it cheesecakes or brownies from Mumbai to Madurai.

Sushi cakes

With over 100,000 posts on Instagram and Pinterest combined, there was no way the visually attractive sushi cake wouldn’t make this list. These quirky cakes are basically upturned versions of a rare-to-find-outside-Japan type of sushi called chirashi zushi. Roughly translated as “scattered sushi”, chirashi zushi is served in a bowl wherein a base of vinegared sushi rice is layered with raw seafood or vegetables along with the sweeter, creamier Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise and topped with blobs of wasabi, pickled gari (pink ginger) and dusted with furikake seasoning along with strips of nori seaweed. Besides home chefs, several restaurants in both Mumbai and Delhi have cottoned onto this trend with their own colourful versions (even Jain!) of the sushi cake.

Ghosting galore

Cloud kitchens, ghost kitchens or virtual restaurants—call them what you may, the lockdown showed us that in 2020, these specimens could easily replace their brick and mortar counterparts. A whole slew of delivery- and pick up-only restaurants sprung up across the country, offering diners everything from boxed, gourmet meals to DIY food and cocktail kits sent over to be enjoyed in the comfort of one’s home. What this also resulted in is the much-needed democratisation of 'fancy' food. We saw upmarket, five star hotels willing to send their chefs over to cook up a feast in your home’s kitchen. While snooty, fine dining restaurants didn’t think twice before hosting American tailgate-style, weekend only dining experiences in their parking lots. These entailing diners enjoying a multi-course, socially distant meal laid out in the boot of their own vehicles.

Foods that heal

Riding on the coattails of 2019’s biggest food and beverage trend of fermentation and probiotics--that saw the dominance of the 'triple threat' of kombucha, kefir and kimchi—is 2020’s ‘food as medicine' trend aimed at promoting digestive wellness. Ubiquitous turmeric-imbued drinks like golden lattes (a fancy term for good old haldi doodh!) and herbal teas laced with ashwagandha (Indian ginseng) and mulethi (liquorice root) upped their status as alleged immunity boosters in the war against Covid-19.

Plant milk

To put it in millennialspeak, the ‘takedown’ of milk as we know it, has been going on for a while now in hipster circles with the rise of plant-based substitutes like soy, oat, almond, rice and coconut milks. But speaking of coconut milk, 2020 saw not one, but three Indian companies launch their own brands of coconut milk yogurt that’s a boon to the lactose intolerant and vegans among us. However, the latest salvo comes to us in the form of the nutrient-rich milk derived from the split yellow pea. Yes, pea milk, anyone?

(A differently edited version of this article first appeared in the 27th December issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/food-and-beverage-trends-of-2020/article33411350.ece)

Notes from Hanoi

By Raul Dias

In the future, if pop culture historians were to ever dredge up the top social media trends that defined the ensuing Covid-19 worldwide lockdown, I can bet my last coffee bean that dalgona coffee would be right up there riding the crest. The creamy-headed beverage, itself, jostling for space with everything from banana bread and bad home haircuts to auto-tuned renditions of bella ciao.
And while the genesis of dalgona coffee is (erroneously!) attributed to both, a popular Korean caramel-coffee candy of the same name and to our very own, beaten to submission desi “phheti hui” coffee, its true origins lie in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi in the guise of ca phe trung. Something I discovered on a trip to Vietnam a year ago. This, back in the good old days when I believed social distancing to be my private idiosyncrasy and when ‘Corona’ was still just another brand of beer! 

Egged On
Lending a certain gravitas to the “necessity is the mother of invention” proverb, dalgona coffee’s egg-enriched predecessor ca phe trung was the canny invention of a Hanoian barista named Nguyen Van Giang in 1946 at his coffee shop called Café Giang. Relishing the thick, creamy and surprisingly non-eggy tasting hot coffee seated in the legendary café perched along Hanoi’s ‘Coffee Street’ aka. Trieu Viet Vuong in the historic Hai Ba Trung District, I got a crash course in all things ca phe trung, thanks to the chatty manager.
Apparently, a post WWII shortage of tinned condensed milk that went into the then-popular iced ca pe sua da, steered Giang in the direction of stiffly beaten egg yolks to provide a creamy heft and rich taste to the coffee beverage that he decided to serve hot. Thus, imbuing his brand-new coffee concoction with a sort of rich, Tiramisu-esque texture and taste. But unlike dalgona that has just the creamy layer sitting atop hot or cold milk, ca phe trung has a thick body all the way through, making it more of a hybrid hot dessert than drink. One that is best tackled with a spoon, not sipped.

Back Story
Akin to the coffee beverage version of a set of nesting Russian dolls, I was soon to learn that there was yet another story within the story related to how Vietnam’s obsession with condensed milk—both as the dairy and sweetener component—in regards to its coffee drinking experience came about. And it was the French colonialists that set the course.
After producing the easy to cultivate robusta variety of coffee beans in Da Lat in climatically suitable central Vietnam in the early 1900s, the French realised that milk was hard to come by. This was bacecause milk and other dairy products had never been a part of the Vietnamese diet. And still are not, to this day. To fill in this deficit, the French started to import tinned condensed milk which was first used in traditional French coffee preparations like café au lait and then in the more localised Vietnamese iterations that sprung forth.

Chain Reaction
Over my one week in the country, as I dove further into Vietnam’s coffee culture, I soon came to some interesting realisations. There is no ‘grab-and-go’ coffee shop concept here. People prefer to sit down at cafés and have leisurely, conversation-enhanced coffee drinking sessions. Despite being second only to the Brazilians in terms of coffee bean (both arabica and robusta) exports at an annual turnover of about $3.10 billion, the Vietnamese prefer the sharper, bitter flavour and higher caffeine content of the less popular robusta coffee beans for their personal consumption. And this is why the big international coffee chains like Starbucks and Gloria Jean’s Coffee—both of whom primarily use the milder arabica beans in their beverages—have failed miserably in the local market that is dominated by cheaper, more artisanal cafés.
And why not? It is in places like these, that are literally on every street corner in the big cities and small towns of Vietnam, that one can get a taste of even more experimental versions of coffee beverages. From a yogurt coffee to a hipster-chic avocado and banana smoothie-meets-frappe called sinh to ca phe chuoi bo, the variety on offer boggles the mid. Maybe even a dalgona, someday. If not already.     


(This article first appeared in the 28th June 2020 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/travel/notes-from-hanoi/article31922421.ece)

Bowled Over!

Known for its wholesome appeal and colourful components, the meal-in-one bowl is fast becoming one of the hottest international food trends—from its savoury to sweet avatars. Smart Life brings you a few such bowls from across the country.  

By Raul Dias

Almost instantly spelling out the words ‘Comfort Food’ in big, bold alphabets, the one bowl meal has a certain easy-going, pretence-free vibe about it and one that has achieved popularity and hipster-chic credence over the last couple of years. Not only are they a convenient and clever way to mix all of your favourite ingredients together, but for whatever reason food just seems more interesting when served from a bowl!
Be it an Asian-style Buddha bowl, a Korean bibimbap-influenced bowl or a fruit and oats-laden breakfast bowl topped with the very fashionable and au courant sliced avocado and chia seeds, the bowl meal is here to stay.
We’ve compiled a list of a few such bowls here in India that have left us, well…bowled over with their brilliance.

Hot Pot Bowl
At Pra Pra Prank, Gurugram
A hot pot is a classic Mongolian rice dish that is served with various vegetable and meat toppings which come sizzling hot in a stone pot. One gets fantastically browned brunt rice at the bottom of the pot, making this dish extra delicious. In this version of the one bowl meal, wok tossed Schezwan-sauced rice is topped with chicken, water chestnuts, roasted peanuts, sweet corn kernels, chives, mushrooms and fried garlic. What makes this dish even more special is that it gives the diner the unique experience of eating from a sizzling stone bowl into which all the ingredients are mixed in front of them. “I came up with this idea because when we were preparing for our new menu, winter was approaching. And so, I thought that I should present my guests with a memorable experience,” says Chef Aryav, the Executive Chef at Pra Pra Prank. “And I thought that there can be nothing better than a sizzling hot meat and rice dish which stays hot till the last bite!”

Morning Glory Bowl and Tokyo Pork Bowl
At Shibuii, Mumbai
Offering two distinct bowls—one vegetarian and one pork-based—this new Pan-Asian restaurant champions this food trend. To begin with, the morning glory bowl is composed of a serving of morning glory leaves tossed in garlic and chilly and then bathed in yellow bean sauce. This is complimented with steamed aromatic jasmine rice. To complete the meal, the bowl also consists of delicately hand rolled vegetable spring rolls drizzled with a tangy hoisin sauce, which gives the meal that extra something. To add to it, the bowl also includes some starch in the form of finger potatoes in a sweet and spicy sauce.
On the other hand, the Tokyo pork bowl is made up of delicious and succulent chargrilled pork belly slices glazed in a spiced curry broth made with the stock of pork, herbs and vegetables. All this is perfectly paired with steamed jasmine rice with prawn crackers and a hand-rolled spring roll adding some crunch to your meal-in-one bowl.

Chilli Tossed Tuna Poké Bowl
At Toast & Tonic  Bengaluru
Generally, this Hawaiian-origin one bowl wonder is a delicious concoction where soy- and sesame oil-marinated raw tuna cubes are served atop vinegared sushi rice. Predominantly a lunch dish, poké (pronounced poh-kay) has taken over the world as a healthy, highly nutritious and fun way to eat fish and rice. Dishing out one of the yummiest iterations of the dish in India we’ve had the pleasure of eating, Toast & Tonic in Bengaluru’s Ashok Nagar does things a little differently with their Chilli Tossed Tuna Poké Bowl. Here the traditional sushi rice is substituted for the short-grained and sticky Gobindobhog variety from Bengal, with the bowl topped off with a passion fruit and pineapple vinaigrette, a halved, beetroot-pickled boiled egg and fresh avocado cubes. All of this is then sprinkled with micro mustard greens, shards of nori (dried Japanese seaweed), fried onions and a sprinkling of the very fashionable chia seeds.

Hot Stone Bowl
At Molecule Air Bar, New Delhi
Drawing in great inspiration from the classic Korean dish called bibimbap, the super colourful hot stone bowl served here consists of warm jasmine rice accompanied by various ingredients like water chestnuts, broccoli, peanuts, sprouts, tofu, spring onion, peppers, chicken, with a fried egg sitting atop it. One also gets to choose a sauce of your liking. Here all the ingredients are mixed in a heated stone bowl in front of the guest at their table and served piping hot. “This dish has very warm flavours which are just right for the winter season,” says Mohammed Anas Qureshi, the Brand Chef. “And as it is served in a hot bowl, the dish stays warm for a longer period of time. The whole idea of this dish is to serve our guest something which brings warmth to their dining experience this season.”

Kiwi Banana Smoothie Bowl
At The Daily Bar & Kitchen, Mumbai
We’ve truly saved the ‘sweetest’ bowl on this list for last with the fruity, all-day breakfast treat that is the yummy kiwi banana smoothie bowl at Mumbai’s The Daily Bar & Kitchen. This bowl is made by blending fresh kiwis and chopped bananas with yogurt that is perfect for people following a healthy diet. Coconut powder is incorporated into this mixture for added flavour, post which it is kept in the refrigerator to chill for a couple of hours. The dish is then served in a bowl and topped with slices of both fruits, delicious toasted granola and some chia seeds to add the right amount of texture. “Banana and Kiwi are my favourite fruits and I usually choose these when I am on the go. Being my staples, I decided to incorporate these two in a smoothie bowl allowing my breakfasts to be super healthy and easy to make,” says Liton Bhakta, Head Chef, The Daily Bar & Kitchen. “Since it worked so well, I decided to add this to The Daily’s menu and ever since it has been the most ordered smoothie bowl!”

(A differently edited version of this piece was first published in the March 2020 issue of The Week's Smart Life magazine)

Themed Bites!

Cashing in on the recent international trend of the ‘Themed Restaurant’ are a host of interesting eateries across India where everything from a vintage train-themed restaurant to one where you can buy the plate you’re eating on are drawing in those seeking to dine with a difference.

By Raul Dias

Who amongst us doesn’t like an evening peppered with loads of fun, laughs and great food and drink thrown into the mix? Enter the themed restaurant where dining out is coupled with some true-blue innovation. All this, in a setting that is almost phantasmagorical and deliciously thematic. A worldwide phenomenon for the last few years, India is finally witnessing a mighty surge in the themed restaurant.
The latest to come knocking on India’s doors is the robot restaurant that has become a sort of mainstay in places like Tokyo and Seoul. Staffed by a posse of humanoids with names like Arya, Ramya and Zoey, and simply called ‘Robot Restaurant’, this eatery in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar neighbourhood is drawing in diners by the drove since it opened in August this year.
We take a look at a few other such themed restaurants across the country. Places where there sure is a lot of dining room drama—both on and off the plate!    

Frontier Mail
Turbaned servers dressed like train attendants help you climb onto your designated carriage from the mock ‘railway station’ recreated below, as they stack your coats and bags onto the overhead shelves. Said carriage is an exact replica—if a tad larger—of an actual train dining car, embellished with all the grandeur and glamour that was associated with train travel in the early 1900s. Yes, providing a unique dining experience, Frontier Mail at the majestic Noor Mahal Hotel in Karnal has been designed recreating the legendry Frontier Mail train that operated between Mumbai and Peshawar during pre-independence days. Wood panelled walls gleam in the light of crystal sconces, while you sit on richly-upholstered chairs facing a polished wooden table. Interestingly, the wooden planks one sees under the mock train compartment are the actual ones over which the Frontier Mail once used to run. Even the menu at Frontier Mail comprises of dishes from the regions through which the train made its initial journey. Here is where you get to indulge in everything from fragrant biryanis of the erstwhile North West Frontier Province to Indo-Western fusion dishes like blue cheese stuffed fish kebabs to even a Mumbai-style prawn curry. For afters, make sure to end your meal with a serving of the sublime paan-flavoured ice cream.

Noor Mahal Hotel, NH1, Sector-32, Karnal (NCR).
Tel: 09996787884 / 891 / 892

Plum by Bentchair
This new Mumbai restaurants takes the whole themed restaurant idea to another stratosphere with its sheer innovative brilliance. The result of the coupling between a hospitality and a furniture brand, Plum by Bentchair, which along with its sister restaurant of the same name in New Delhi’s plush Aerocity enclave, bills itself as India’s first true ‘retail restaurant’. Here the diner has the option of buying whatever catches their fancy in the breathtakingly beautiful and eclectic space nestled in city’s Kamala Mills restaurant super hub. From the furniture to the lights to the plates, everything is on sale. From the design aspect, the entire restaurant is a display area of different collections and is all about the minute details, which are colourful, kitsch and eye-catching. Every dimension is well-kept and blends into each other rather than being distinctive. As for the food, the Pan-Asian cuisine menu is composed of signature dishes like the black fungus and bamboo shoot salad, edamame truffle wontons and the divine East Asian curry pot, among scores of other yummies like their extensive range of sushi. Speaking of which, upping the ante as far as innovation in food is concerned, Plum sends out the wacky-yet-yum Nutella banana sushi for dessert.

3^rd Floor Trade View Building, Kamala Mills Compound, Lower Parel, Mumbai.
Tel: 022-61344237

The Bedroom at The Flying Elephant
With an oddly incongruous name like ‘The Bedroom’, this themed section at the even more strangely named multi-leveled The Flying Elephant restaurant in Chennai revels in its rather playful nature. We’re informed that the reason it is called The Bedroom is because it is the most private portion of the otherwise high-energy restaurant. Precariously perched at the topmost level with a vertigo-inducing view of the rest of the gargantuan restaurant down below, this section seats up to 20 diners and is kitted out with silver-gold accents on the luxuriant upholstery and a bright red table. The space exudes a quiet luxury and makes a sophisticated style statement with a sparkling chandelier that is its focal point. Menus at The Bedroom are specially curated for the space. So that one can expect everything from succulent andana kebabs or hot pizzas from the wood-fired pizza oven to the decadent pork belly—a signature dish at The Flying Elephant. Some of the other creature comforts diners can indulge in here include both a private butler and a private bar dispensing yummy ‘Prohibition Era’ cocktails that hark back to America’s swinging 1920s.

Park Hyatt Chennai, 39 Velachery Main Rd, Guindy, Chennai.
Tel: 044-71771655

Prankster
Calling itself India’s first food and brewery campus—all inspired by the collegiate way of life—the rather playful and whimsical Prankster in Gurugram packs a mighty punch with an unbridled feeling of youthful energy, all thanks to its campus-like theme. The cuisine at this cool-n-casual first-storied restaurant can best be described as ‘progressive nostalgic’ where the chefs attempt to fuse numerous indigenous dishes with contemporary techniques and a twist. The extensive menu is peppered with innovative dishes like the choley kulche doughnut which is served with a gaajar achaar mousse, sambhar cappuccino and the nitro dahi bhalla savoury ice cream that not only evoke childhood memories but gives the diner of today a creative and innovative experience which one won’t forget in a hurry. Choose to spend your evening seated at one of the many campus zones like the library, the mixology lab, the amphitheatre or perhaps at the hostel room that is perfect for a private party with its bunk beds and study tables.

8-9-10, Sector 29, Main Market, Gurugram (NCR).
Tel: 0124-4266653

(A differently edited version of this piece was first published in the November 2019 issue of The Week's Smart Life magazine)

Mumbai’s Parsi-Irani Restaurant Redux!

Cashing in on the newfound nostalgia generated by Mumbai’s legendary old Parsi-Irani Downtown joints are a whole new wave of ‘homage’ restaurants in the city. Each of them hoping to recreate the magic of a bygone era with their inspired cuisine and ambience.  

By Raul Dias

It’s sad, but true. The original South Mumbai Parsi-Irani restaurant is dying a slow death in the city of its birth, with stalwarts like Dhobi Talao’s Bastani & Co. and Colaba’s Paradise already downing shutters and others like Kyani and Sassasian barely limping along. But elsewhere around the city, slick faux-Parsi-Irani-style restaurants have sprung up, paying homage to their predecessors and giving a new twist to Parsi-Irani cuisine mainstays like berry pulao and patra-ni-machchi among others, all in a setting that’s dripping with nostalgia and mock old-world charm. 

SodaBottleOpenerWala
at BKC, Lower Parel, Thane and Powai
At SodaBottleOpenerWala (SBOW) there is no shortage of typically Parsi-Irani tropes that take you back to an era that will soon be relegated to old history tomes. Think bottles of ice-cold raspberry soda and a menu peppered with Parsi-Irani dishes like bun maska and Parsi choi and you’ll get our drift. And so popular is this all-day dining Parsi-Irani café style restaurant that it has multiplied from one outpost in Mumbai to four in the last few years, like some sort of culinary virus! Yes, besides its flagship branch in the glitzy suburban commercial super hub of BKC, SBOW’s Lower Parel, Thane and Powai branches are just as well-visited, dishing out delectable, nostalgia-inducing wonders like the bheeda par eeda, chicken farcha and mutton dhansak that sit pretty atop the red and white checked cloth-draped tables. And while diners perch themselves on those typically Irani café style Bentwood chairs, they can marvel at the toy train that zooms past them on rails suspended from the walls. Speaking of walls, the ‘No smoking/spitting/sleeping in toilet etc. etc.’ sign is hilarity at its genuine best and an ode to the legendary, now defunct Bastani & Co. restaurant, in Dhobi Talao, Mumbai. Cocktails like the zanily named brandy-based brandied bawa and the ripe mango-spiked rustom buntawala take the spicy edge off other dishes like the eggs kejriwal and aloo aunty’s vegetable cutlets.

Bombay Coffee House
at Ballard Estate
A chain of vintage cafés spread across the city, Bombay Coffee House’s Ballard Estate outpost is all about nostalgia, art deco and delicious Parsi fare. The interiors of the restaurant—that’s itself housed in a wing of an art deco-style petrol pump—tell tales of erstwhile Bombay with black and white photo frames and flooring, rustic furniture and interesting elements like vintage telephones, Tintin comics, and a floor to ceiling bookshelf. One can spend their entire day at Bombay Coffee House as the café offers plug-points on each table, ambient music and a comfortable and friendly environment, making it easy for the city’s professionals to work out of. But it makes it to this list thanks to its ultra-authentic Parsi-Irani food on offer like the sublime kid gosht with pav and the crunchy potato straws-topped salli murgh, that more than make up for the fact that no alcohol is served here. But besides the aforementioned a la carte options, patrons can opt for more authentic Parsi favourites like the mutton cutless, the frilly, egg-coated murgh na farcha, dhansak with brown rice and the lagan nu custard as part of a set, 3-course Parsi celebratory feast called a bhonu.

Gymkhana 91
At Lower Parel
This one’s slightly different from the others on this list, in that—as its name suggests—it pays homage to another Parsi mainstay—the gymkhana. Once, ultra-exclusive havens of relaxation and leisure, where affluent Parsis went to socialise and indulge in something they love best—eat, the gymkhana today has morphed into the club, losing a bit of its prized exclusivity. And Gymkhana 91 seeks to bring that sophistication back. Located in the center of Mumbai’s de facto restaurant super hub of Lower Parel, Gymkhana 91 has an ‘Old Boys Club’ look and feel without being stuffy. A loft-like mezzanine area has as its focal point a large, circular, porthole-like stained glass sky light window. Neo-gothic architectural styled walls and windows, colonial designed furniture and lights, green terracotta tiled roof reflect the old-world charm of gymkhanas, while the façade of the building houses an 8-foot clock keeping with the old times when gymkhanas had a clock tower in the vicinity to tell them of the time. Inside, one can sip on a vodka-based rustom nu soda or a bourbon-spiked Mumbai presidency beneath wrought iron chandeliers that hang from a dark-lacquered oak pitched roof and snack on the whimsically named Parsi-style appetisers like rati aunty’s chutney eda pattice or an order of Byculla’s chicken Russian cutlets. For mains, the berry pulao and the old school Parsi akuri hit that nostalgic spot perfectly, as does the clichéd, yet yummy classic caramel custard for afters.

CAFÉ IRANI CHAII
at Mahim
Grabbing headlines a few years ago as the first new Irani restaurant to open in Mumbai in 50 years, Café Irani Chaii (yes, quirky double ‘i’ pat in place!) is an inexpensive and modest little café that sits along a tiny lane in central Mumbai’s Mahim neighbourhood. What makes this place stand out as being radically different from the others in this piece is that it is not paying homage to the restaurants of yore as a modern day faux Irani joint, but it is actually a bona fide Irani café that’s bringing in the nostalgists and even a whole new lot of younger patrons by the drove. And it truly is like a shiny, new portal into a moth-eaten era, with its glass countertop bearing egg trays and glass jars of bull’s eye peppermint candy and Parle-G biscuits. Besides an entire section dedicated to various scrumptious confections like the fresh off the oven buns served with jam, honey and yes, dollops of salted butter, it is the savoury egg dishes that gets us all excited. Given the great love of the Parsi-Irani community for the humble eedu (egg), Café Irani Chaii pulls out all the stops offering everything from the famed spicy scrambled eggs akuri to the unmissable kheema ghotala that is made up of spicy lamb mince with a sunny side egg sitting jauntily atop it. Its single page menu is also peppered with iconic Parsi-Irani dishes like the Irani zereshk polow and mutton paya soup that are best washed down with a Pallonji brand ginger or masala soda, or better still, a piping hot (chipped) mug of its namesake—Irani chai!

A li'l extra...

London’s very own Parsi-Irani homage
The nostalgia for the Mumbai-style Parsi-Irani restaurant has long crossed continents and landed in balmy London with homage restaurants like the many outposts of the Dishoom chain of Parsi-Irani eateries across the city and the celebrated Parsi restaurant Cafe Spice Namaste at Whitechapel by famous British-Parsi celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala.  

Chai or Choi? That’s the question!
While it may be a distant cousin of the good old Mumbai-style masala chai, Parsi choi is a whole other kettle (pun intended!) of tea. The main difference between regular chai and choi is that the Parsis add mint leaves and lemon grass to their iteration with a whole lot of sugar and milk. In the winter months, or on cold rainy days, it is not uncommon to have black pepper powder added to the tea for some soothing warmth.

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the September 2019 issue of Travel 360, the in-flight magazine of Air Asia India)

Conceptually Yours!

Cashing in on the latest international trend of the ‘Concept Restaurant’ are a host of interesting eateries in the Delhi NCR where everything from themed restaurants to ones where you can buy the furniture are drawing in those seeking to dine with a difference. 

By Raul Dias

Plum by Bentchair
The idea behind the inception of this unique conceptual restaurant is truly an interesting one! The product of a collaboration between a hospitality and a furniture brand, Plum, India’s first true ‘retail restaurant’ offers people the option of buying whatever catches their fancy in the breathtakingly beautiful and eclectic space nestled in city’s plush Aerocity super hub. From the furniture to the lights to the plates, everything is on sale. From the design aspect, the entire restaurant is a display area of different collections and is all about the small details, which are colourful, kitsch (in a good way!) and eye-catching. Every dimension is well-kept and blends into each other rather than being distinctive. As for the food, the Pan-Asian cuisine menu is replete with everything from the smoked eel nigiri to the crispy Thai lotus root and the spicy Cantonese barbeque chicken bao. With the striking, blue butterfly pea flower as the newest rage on the Indian dining scene, here too one can find the Thai ingredient in Plum’s iteration of crispy garlic fried rice with edamame. And for those still craving some sushi, the very innovative Nutella banana sushi seeks to remedy that.
The Walk, Worldmark 2, Aerocity, New Delhi-110037
Tel: 091-7303156444

Nueva
As Delhi’s first Peruvian cuisine restaurant, Nueva which means “new” in Spanish is pushing the boundaries as far as the city’s burgeoning concept restaurant scene is concerned. It does this to enormous success with both its stylish look and with its rather unfamiliar and exotic food offerings. The restaurant’s sophisticated, dark toned interiors and art deco accents are well-distributed between its three zones of the downstairs bar, the main dining hall and the angular 12-person private dining room on the first floor. Besides the strong presence of the expected Pervuian classics like shrimp and scallop ceviches and sushis—that reference the unique Japanese-Peruvian blend that’s known as Nikkei cuisine—there are also plenty of other Latin American dishes and drinks on the menu. From assados to dishes like the castila and saltado de carne, all bring that Latino flare to the experimental diner. Nueva even does a 12-course degustation menu where you can sample small portions of its menu’s top dishes.
Ground floor, Sangam Courtyard, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-110022
Tel: 011-65568382/9266668382
 

Unplugged Courtyard
Channelling the chilled-out vibe that transports you straight to the climes of Goa right in the heart of Gurgaon’s precinct of Udyog Vihar, this conceptual restaurant is welcoming, intimate and quite effortlessly dramatic. All that’s missing is the feel of the waves lapping at your toes! The space is understatedly elegant and generously spaced over 15,000 square feet spanning two levels, boasting of a terrace area, a secret garden and a quirky full-scale mock double decker bus that give the place a distinctly ‘comfy’ feel, without ever seeming over-designed. One of the few restaurants in this part of the NCR to offer daily, live acoustic music, Unplugged Courtyard truly lives up to its ‘unplugged’ concept. Offering up an eclectic mix of Indian, pan-Asian and Italian cuisine, the menu is designed and executed by ex-Noma, Copenhagen chef, Akshay Bhardwaj. Here, one can expect to experimental creations like duck kulchas and the atta chicken that’s baked whole covered by banana leave and a sealed with dough along with some beautifully presented drinks to sip on. 
No 9 Convenience Shopping Complex, Phase II, Udyog Vihar, Sector 20, Gurgaon-122012
Tel: 091-9319892965

Le Cirque 
Literally meaning ‘The Circus’, the concept-driven Le Cirque is all about the fun and the whimsical set in a chic and sophisticated atmosphere. From the beautifully-appointed bar lounge and the three spacious dining rooms to the alfresco seating with breath-taking views of New Delhi’s majestic Diplomatic Enclave, the 144-seat restaurant is drama personified. Even the exquisite porcelain Bernardaud tableware with its balloon motif mirror the restaurant’s playful side. As for the food, each of the items offered remain true to the Le Cirque vision of classic, yet innovative French-Italian cuisine. Signature dishes include seafood classics like the turbot àla grenoblaise where the fish is served with cauliflower, lemon, capers and almonds and the paupiette of black cod. For afters indulge in the two must-haves—cannoli and the floating island ‘Le Cirque’.           
The Leela Palace New Delhi, Chanakyapuri, Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi-110023
Tel: 011-39331220

Swad
Bringing an interesting desi twist to the NCR’s new-found conceptual dining scene is this all-vegetarian multicuisine restaurant that serves dishes with a quirky spin to them. Imbued with plenty of kitschy elements, the contemporary-meets-Irani cafe inspired décor of the restaurant gives it a casual and relaxed vibe. Here you can tuck into interestingly presented dishes like the masala paneer slider that is injected with makhani gravy, the aloo-wadi curry that comes to the table in a small red pressure cooker or the kulhad wale palak chole chawal that’s served upside down. From the menu’s western and Asian sections, you can pick from Indianised renditions of everything from Mexican chimichanga rolls to the spicy Bangkok Manchurian bowl—never mind the geographical inaccuracies of the words ‘Bangkok’ and ‘Manchurian’ put together in the same sentence!
43, Ground Floor, Chiranjivi Tower, Nehru Place, New Delhi-110019
Tel: 091-9821524232


Enter, the concept nightclub!
Toy Room 
Riding the coattails of the concept restaurant boom in the Delhi NCR is this very unique ‘concept nightclub’. With a cuddly teddy bear named ‘Frank’ as its mascot, this 400-seater place is filled with children’s toys and other fun imagery—all in an entertaining, high-octane setting, bringing a subtle innocence to some hardcore partying. The interiors of Toy Room are chic, yet vibrant and quirky. The grand entrance lobby housed with a special merchandise area is dominated by a whimsical rendition of the classic last supper painting. Meander through the narrow passage leading to the main hall which is a L-shaped space with a huge curvilinear island bar serving a range of libations. Interestingly, for a nightclub, the food on offer here is an excellent selection of tapas style, small plates of sushis, dimsum and one of the best iterations of a simple pizza margherita you’ll ever have in the NCR.               
ALOFT Hotel Aerocity, Aerocity, New Delhi- 110037
Tel: 091-9953137673

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the April 2019 issue of Jetwings in-flight magazine of Jet Airways http://www.jetairways.com/EN/IN/jetexperience/magazines.aspx)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Ruby Chocolate

By Raul Dias

Exactly a year ago, in September 2017, the holy trinity of dark, milk and white chocolate saw an interloper called ruby chocolate disrupting their unchallenged hegemony for its own piece of the chocolate pie (pun intended!). All this, a good 80 years after white chocolate was first inducted into the hallowed ‘chocolate hall of fame’, much to the horror of the chocolate cognoscenti, who, at that time, swore by their traditional dark—and to a lesser extent—milk iterations of chocolate.
With a countenance that can best be described as ‘hot pink’ and a taste that has a hint of fruity notes coupled with a tart finish, ruby chocolate made its brazen presence felt as the ‘fourth’ and newest kind of chocolate. Introduced by Barry Callebaut, a Belgian-Swiss cocoa company, the chocolate is made from the ruby cocoa bean. Found in Brazil, Ecuador and the Ivory Coast, ruby beans are existing botanical cocoa bean varieties that have been identified as having the right attributes to be processed into ruby chocolate. And these attributes include an all-natural darkish pink colour and a unique berry-like taste, sans any added artificial colouring or flavouring agents. 
Interestingly, ruby chocolate was only made available for sale to consumers in January this year, when it was introduced in Japan and South Korea with the limited-edition ruby Kit Kat bar. Similarly, in India, Fabelle, the luxury chocolate brand from ITC has recently announced a limited run of just 1,800 boxes of its ruby gianduja where the pink-hued chocolate is combined with a ganache made with Turkish hazelnuts. 

(This column first appeared in the 18th November 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae

By Raul Dias

Cutting a swathe of anticipation through the elegantly appointed room, the palpable sense of impending drama was laying itself thick. Seeing other tourists with camera phones poised and awestruck expressions pat in place, there was little doubt that we were going to be in for a treat. It was sheer happenstance at play as I found myself at the hallowed New York City café cum patisserie Serendipity 3 in the chi-chi Upper East Side neighbourhood of Manhattan. That’s the same place with the rather oxymoronic (and divine!) frozen hot chocolate that has put them on every hipster “foodstagrammer’s” top list.
There with three other friends to get my quarter share of the world’s most expensive $214 grilled cheese sandwich, little did I realise that I’d soon be a spectator to an extravaganza that would make our shared sandwich seem as cheap as chips! With an average of just one order of the $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae placed every month, its rather public assemblage is pure theater.
Three scoops of rare Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream—that are further flecked with Madagascar vanilla drawn straight from the pod—are placed in a Baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet that’s lined with 23k gold leaf, or what we in India know as varq. Alternating each ice cream scoop is the ladling of a luscious sauce made from melted Amedei Porcelana, which is one of the world’s most expensive chocolate. The sundae is then given a shower of goodies like truffles of rare Chuao chocolate made from cocoa beans cultivated off the coast of Venezuela, golden almond dragées and glacé candied fruit from Fauchon in Paris.
Topping it all off is a dusting of actual American Golden caviar harvested from the whitefish which lives in the Northern Great Lakes. But here, a salt-free version of the caviar is used that’s macerated in fresh passion fruit and orange juices along with a splash of Armagnac. And if all that’s not enough for you, more gold leaf is added. And a final garnish of an edible, gold paint-dipped sugar orchid crowns it, as it is placed in front of you with a 18k solid gold sundae spoon.
And yes, you can keep the goblet. But it’s an emphatic “NO” to the golden spoon! 

(This column first appeared in the 7th October 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8)

Dessert 2.0

Once relegated to being merely functional, end of the main meal sweet closing acts, desserts today have upped their ante. And how! Be it with their unusual ingredients or totally outré presentation styles, they truly are out there. We’ve curated a list of six of Mumbai’s most fantastical desserts that have been elevated from the depth of being “just desserts” to edible pieces of art. 

 

By Raul Dias

Zen Pebbles at Typhoon Shelter
Designed to befuddle the diner—what with it being served together with a few real pebbles—this faux pebble dish is pure, undiluted drama on a platter. Accompanied to the table by a burning sage leaf bouquet, this dessert is conceived by dessert chef Solanki Roy and is available at Mumbai’s brand-new Sichuan-Cantonese cuisine restaurant, Typhoon Shelter. With her training in the weird-n-wacky approach to food at the über-experimental Gaggan Bangkok where she worked earlier, Chef Roy merged traditional flavours with a refreshingly contemporary approach to bring out this brilliant dessert. So, here we find two distinctly flavoured ‘pebbles’: one filled with a creamy caramel-vanilla mousse and the other with a hazelnut crunch. Both are then coated in a melted white chocolate exterior. The marble-like swirls on the pebbles are courtesy of a colour bath that they are dipped into and left to dry. And voila! You have in front of you one of Mumbai’s, nay, India’s most bizarre, yet yummy desserts.
At S-3, Second floor, Skyzone, Phoenix Mill Compound, Lower Parel, Mumbai-400013
Call 022-49193100
Cost Rs 1,195

The Levitating Dacquoise at Izaya
Literally gliding all the way to your table, this totally wacky dessert at Mumbai’s hip-n-happening Thai-Robata restaurant Izaya, makes a dramatic entry alright. Enough to have the whole restaurant stop in its tracks and gawp! The Levitating Dacquoise—sitting pretty in a glass bowl—hovers gently above a black plastic base, all thanks to the quantum mechanical effect called diamagnetism. Here, an applied magnetic field, both, at the base of the specially made glass bowl, and atop the black base stand, creates an induced magnetic field in the opposite direction, causing a repulsive force which makes the bowl levitate. The dacquoise itself is a super light confection that is made up of Belgian Callebaut chocolate, Normandy Chantilly cream and Mahabaleshwar strawberries (when in season). A garnish of small almond meringues, edible nasturtium flowers, micro greens and gold leaf finishes off this almost-theatrical production with a flourish.   
At NCPA, Gate No. 2, Nariman Point, Mumbai-400021
Call 022-22821212
Cost Price on request

The Godfather at The Runway Project
A signature of the menu at the super stylish The Runway Project restaurant, the equally stylish The Godfather dessert is a great trick on the senses. Inspired by the cult classic movie The Godfather that left an inedible mark and made an iconic fashion statement in the man’s world of style with slicked back hair and dark suits, the look continues to create a stir even today and, on your plate, too! So, what you have here is a dark Madagascar chocolate edible cigar-like shell that’s filled with a coffee cremeux and almond brittle tiramisu-center that opens with a waft of hickory smoke. The dessert comes with a real label of a cigar customised for The Runway Project to be carefully removed before indulging into it. The pleasure of smoking a ‘cigar’ while indulging in your dessert, now that’s The Godfather for you.
At 462 High Street Phoenix, Phoenix Mill Compound, Lower Parel, Mumbai-400013
Call 022-49151000
Cost Rs 575

Black Marble Sesame Cheese Cake at Foo
Cottoning onto the black coloured food craze that has gripped the world of fine dining across the globe, this brand-new, Asian-style tapas restaurant—Foo—shows off its experimental side with this dramatic-looking, blackish-grey dessert made using a very traditional Asian and Indian sweet ingredient—sesame. Giving a fillip to the classic cheesecake, the black marble sesame cheese cake is the sum of its cream cheese, black sesame paste, and sour cream parts. Keeping the presentation simple, to let the rather non-conformist colours of this dessert show up, it is served atop a stone platter, with almond crumbs, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a seasons sauce made out of mascarpone, sugar, cream and sesame paste drizzled all over it.   
At Phoenix Mill Compound, High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel, Mumbai-400013
Call +91-8657407773
Cost Rs 350

Zen Forest at The Fatty Bao
Images of a moss-covered forest floor—gnarly twigs, et al—in autumn come to mind the minute this beautifully presented dish is put in front of you. Reflective of nature in all its pristine beauty, Zen Forest, a hot favourite at the pan-Asian restaurant The Fatty Bao, is a rather complex creation. As beautiful as it is to look at, the dessert takes even better. An amalgamation of multiple elements that come together perfectly on a platter, here, each element offers something special. The green tea moss and chocolate give a bit of sweet and bitterness, the yuzu parfait imparts a refreshing citrus favour, black sesame sponge and white sesame nougatine give the nuttiness and crunch element to the dessert. Whereas the bright pink-coloured beetroot sorbet along with the black pepper sorbet give it an earthy taste. Micro-greens round the dessert off, giving it a fresh herb-y taste.
At 2A, Trade View Building, Kamala Mills Compound, Lower Parel, Mumbai-400013
Call 022-62371500
Cost Rs 265

Tres Leches With Goat Milk Panna Cotta at Luna
This pretty-looking deconstructed version of the traditional Latin American, three-milk dessert of tres leches served at Luna, the European fine dining restaurant at The St. Regis has plenty of dramatic twists to it. To begin with, as mentioned before it is a deconstructed iteration which means that its butter cake-base is soaked in three kinds of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream and scattered all over the platter and not grouped together as in the traditional version. But here’s the most interesting twist, the milk that we’re alluding to is not any ordinary milk, but the tangy, much-acquired taste of goat’s milk. This takes the form of a wobbly panna cotta that is accompanied by granules of dehydrated 6% fat milk, a milk espuma and a milk micro sponge. The garnish is that of a shard of crystallised sugar, berries and micro greens.
At The St. Regis Mumbai, 462, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai-400013
Call 022- 61628422
Cost Rs 950

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the September 2018 issue of  Go-Getter, the in-flight magazine of Go Airways)