Poker Caca's Soap Box

Bombay Post...

2006-06-20T10:52:00.000+05:30

This restaurant was highly recommended by some good friends. My first impression after entering the place was that it needs a fresh coat of paint. Dont get me wrong, my expectations of a restaurant run by BJN Group is on the higher side.

It was just two of us who went out for dinner on a friday evening. The Paya Shorba was good. The Lamb Kebabs were nothing out of the ordinary. The Biriyani was good. It was the wet kind that is made on a griddle than the Dum cooked one. The Lamb Beliram was decent.

In the end, we walked out thinking that we either ordered the wrong dishes or the place was overrated. My friends still stand behind their ratings. I would go there another time. And may be, I will stick to the Mumbaikar dishes.. Now, I have to convince my wife to join me one more time. I also fervently hope that they do up the place.

Ghufa - eating kebabs in Jaya Nagar

2006-04-28T22:53:00.000+05:30

I was intrigued when a good friend of mine spoke about a new Afghan/Frontier restaurant in Jaya Nagar. No offense to the folks from that part of town, there were hardly any choice for meat eaters for long.

We had two choices - a continental and Ghufa. We chose the latter. I must admit that I was really glad to have found this place.

We landed up in Ghufa at the Hotel President during lunch time. The place was pretty free. The first thing that strikes you is the decor. They have recreated a cave. The staff wear Raj era outfits. I guess our server found it a little comical to wear the outfit. He had an amused look most of the time.

The food on the menu was interesting and different from the standard fare. Especially vegetarian stuff. I would not recommend the Afghan meat samosas. They were too oily for my taste. But the soup was nice and spicy!

We decided to stick with the starters. A few more vegetarian kebab platters kept us going. For a change they were tasty.

We sped to the dessert. Tried Ghufani ka Meetha and Gulab Jamoon with litchies in them. I liked to former. Of course, both were incredibly sweet, just like I love them.

Road Trip in Bangalore...

2006-04-25T11:42:00.000+05:30

I am returning to Roadtrip after a few years.

For those of you who dont know, Roadtrip is a biker themed restaurant serving Italian and Continental food in Domlur.

The service was nice and unpretentious. And that is all that was good about our outing. Food was mediocre. We ordered Bruschetta. In my opnion it was a joke! The chicken, beer & cheese soup was good. But was served slightly hotter than luke warm. I love my soups at a much higher temperature. The bread that was served along with it was okay.

The biggest disappointment was the main course. I ordered Moussaka ( minced lamb, aubergine and cheese which has been baked )... The end result on my plate was mediocre at best. My partner in crime ordered Ratatouille. He was not pleased either. I think he was more disappointed than I was.

Another sad news was that they no longer have a liquor license. So, no wine either.

It will take a lot of convincing to get me visit Roadtrip again. I would classify it - avoidable for now.

Empress of China @ Intercontinental Grand, New Delhi

2006-04-22T16:41:00.000+05:30

I also got a chance to check out the Empress of China restaurant at the Intercontinental Grand in New Delhi. I love to eat in Chinese restaurants. The chance of moving away from cutlery or your fingers to two bamboo sticks always excites me. I have a tendency to eat very fast. Chopsticks make me slow down.

It was dinner time. We dropped in without a reservation. The welcome was okay. It was definitely not of the levels I received at the Cilantro, Trident Hilton. But, I guess that is fine.

It was still lent. So, I did not get a chance to try the meat and fish dishes on offer. Honestly, I was not impressed with the food. It was definitely not bad. But, definitely not the aha kind as well.

Surprisingly for a 5 star restaurant the mocktails did not seem to be expensive. I tried something that I dont remember, but was decent. If my memory is correct the glass the a tiny one. :)

This is definitely one restaurant which did not impress me. Might give it one more chance. But, only if another exciting choice is not available.

Kamat Bugle Rock, Bangalore

2006-04-15T15:11:00.000+05:30

I am always on the lookout for places which dont bite my wallet, but gives a unique dining experience. I have had a few chances to check out other Kamat Restaurants. I have always thought the cleaniness was something that was left to be desired of late in Kamat restaurants. When I heard that Kamat opened a new place in near Bugle Rock Park, I wanted to give it a try. Plus, my team wanted me to take them out for our monthly ritualistic lunch.

As always stick to the tried and tested. We went in for the special meals with Jowar bhakri. Kamat folks have mastered the art of making these stuff - the softest and fluffiest that I have ever come across.

Their trademark aubergine dish is also amazing.

The desert is pretty pedestrian - a simple fruit salad.

If you get to this place in the evening make sure you find a place on the terrace. They have live classical music on weekends. Should be interesting.

The place is new. So, it is all very clean and inviting. The service is decent. And they take credit cards.

Highly VFM (Value for money) place. Must try if you are a fan of Jowar Bhakri.

12 more hours and counting...

2006-04-15T15:04:00.000+05:30

There is something about the last day of Lent. I cant wait to try all the meat and fish that I have been away for the last 40 days.

I guess the waiting is worth it. To think of it, the last week was especially tough. I was travelling to New Delhi and the temptation almost got the better of me. I had to confine myself to the veggies at four different superb hotels!

Tomorrow morning, I will be with my parents for breakfast! We have the traditional Kerala style breakfast on Appam and Chicken Curry. My dad's the best! Never really like Chicken Stew. I could never stand it.

Lunch is more meat and fish. I am looking forward to eating Pork. Dad makes it the most wonderful way. Mine is good as well. Spicy and fatty.. with the skin in the curry makes it just wonderful.

By the end of lunch, it will be hard to drag myself from the lunch table to the bed. Most of the times, I will be too full to try dinner. :)

Ah.... it is just 12 more hours to go before I can start to dig in. ;-)

Sahib, Singh, Sulthan @ The Forum Mall, Bangalore

2006-04-14T21:00:00.000+05:30

Interestingly the name stands for three steam locomotives the ushered in the age of steam in India. The restaurant is themed on a railway station in the Raj India. The food is definitely the Burra Sahib kind.

If you are a fan of the hot, spicy raj food, this is the place. I would recommend sitting inside the railway car.

It has been some time since I visited the restaurant. I dont even remember what I ate. But the food was definitely tasty. I cant wait for my next visit.

Though on the slightly expensive side, this is a place to visit.

Cilantro @ The Trident Hilton, Gurgaon

2006-04-14T19:47:00.000+05:30

I fell in love with this place, the wine and the food. We turned up at the hotel after sundown. The place acquires a magical atmosphere with the pink stone walls, the pool with flames in it and the beautiful lighting. The lobby and the white floors (marble?) are just too good. The maitre'd was really nice. Her choice of wine - Pinot Grigonzio was nice. Even for my non-oenphile tongue, it tasted good. :)

We went for the buffet, I would call it more of a set menu. It was good!

The bread was okay. I have seen better specimens. The soup, Minestrone, should have been served hotter. Well, I like my soup this way.

It was still the season of lent, and I was staying away from meat and seafood. This meant that the only pizza I could eat was vegetarian. We ordered one fresh from the oven, and it tasted heavenly.

The desserts were out of the world. I had my fill of them. We polished it all off with some port wine. For some reason, I always like my port a little chilled. May be, my taste for wine is pedestrian. :)

Somewhere along the line, the waiters disappeared. Probably because it was past midnight and no longer considered regular working hours. In all, it was a great experience. I will go to Cilantro again. It is well worth the experience.

Karaikudi in Chennai...

2006-02-11T21:04:00.000+05:30

I was in Chennai last week. Could not resist the chance to check out the food scene. Heard of Karaikudi, a Chettinad restaurant. It was five of us who decided to give it a try.

Ambience - Okay
Food - Okay
Service - Tardy

We tried the Kothu Parotta which was decent. And keema dosa - which was good. Paniyaram was good. Chettinad Chicken dry was avoidable. Same for Prawn Varuval. Maybe, we did not know what to order. But the overall experience did not match the hype about the place.

Celebrating Thanksgiving in New England

2005-12-08T01:06:00.000+05:30

As always, our friends in New England, invited us over for thanksgiving with their family. My wife and I were honored and made our plans to get there. I had to find a way to get from Toronto to New Hampshire.

I even surprised my wife by getting to her apartment a day before she was expecting me. I was glad that she did not scream when she saw me inside the apartment.

Getting to Warner was fun. Contrary to our nightmares of driving on the evening before thanksgiving the traffic was almost absent on our drive from Hartford, CT to Warner, NH. We were confident of eating Pizza at our regular place in Warner. At 7:30 pm in the evening, we had the great luck of being told by the restaurant that they had run out of food! I guess people in Warner were really hungry. So, we had to get to our friend's place hungry when we had told them not to expect us for supper.

We walked in to see our friends, Kimberely & Georg and Kimberley's parents at the table having their supper. It was Lobster, now my wife's favorites. Don asked us if we had eaten. We confessed that we had not. So, we are at the table in a jiffy and finishing off what was left of the lobster. It was the start of a great three days!

Don got the turkey into the oven. Quite a bit of chat around the supper table and we hit the sack past midnight.

Lahore Tikka

2005-12-03T10:08:00.000+05:30

What used to be a hole in the wall is now in the process of getting transformed into something better and larger. Lahore Tikka on Gerrard Street in Toronto's Little India is a place to visit for good Indian/Pakistani Food. Well, if you definition of good food includes a liberal use of oil. I must thank my friends who invited me to this place pretty late into the night. I was starving after a late night class and we decided to drive down for a hearty Indian meal.

Lahore Tikka serves extremely good naans and fiery lamb curries. We tried Lamb Karahi. Butter Chicken was not recommended by my friend. Kulfis were recommended, but we decided to skip it.

If you are fan of rice dishes, there are a few for you to choose from.

The place now exists out of a shamiana with decorations you would normally see on a Indian wedding shamiana. But the service is good and I hear that the place is full during peak hours.

Highly recommended, though I would not call the price as cheap...

Roti Chicken...

2005-11-18T07:28:00.000+05:30

I was taking the Greyhound to Ottawa. It had become a custom for me to catch a bite in one of the small restaurants that line Dundas St. In fact, I skip the lunch and look forward to an early evening snack before getting into the bus. Last week, I had almost decided on the Biriyani from the Bengali Restaurant when I noticed a sign for 'Roti Chicken'. And place called itself Caribbean. My curiosity ignited, I followed the smell through the door. Roti Chicken is a large roomali roti stuffed with your choice of chicken and dal. Yes, I asked for extra hot sauce on it. Chicken and dal is wrapped and microwaved. It turned out to be delicious. And pretty filling too. All for 4 CND. I am definitely going to try it next week when I take the Grey Hound to Hartford. And will be trying out the rotis again. May be another restaurant to satiate my taste buds.

Living in the countryside and commuting to work..

2005-11-18T07:18:00.000+05:30

The last few months gave me the chance to visit a few friends who live in the countryside and commute to work. The first were the dear Old Ponds' who live in Osgoode a quiet village about 30 kms from Ottawa. Their house is on a 1 acre lot with some woods bordering their property. I must admit that I was smitten by the charm of it. For some reason neighbours seem to get nicer when you move away from the bustle of the city. Everyone knows everyone and seem to genuinely care.

The following week Marisa and I visited the Edelmann farmhouse in New Hampshire. If Osgoode was good, Kearsarge Meadows was divine. Forty acres of pasture and woods. A four hundred year old farm house. A handful of barns. In all sizes. They have horses as well. The Edelmanns' work from home. Since they live two hours from Marisa's house, we make it a point to visit as often as we can. The place is great. It gives us a chance to work out some sweat, cook some curry and the best feel the pure air of the mountains.

I wish, I could live and work in such surroundings. As I joked with Marisa on my last trip to Osgoode, the real cost of the trip is about half a million US dollars. That is what I need to satisfy her dream of a house and a farm.

Until next time..

Cooking curry in New England

2005-10-20T06:34:00.000+05:30

We were visiting our friends in New England. The Edelmann's have a fine horse farm - Kearsarge Meadows in Warner, NH. Check out www.kearsarge-meadows.com. Besides getting our first experience of cleaning stables and being around horses, we had a chance to check out the town. Their fall festival. They even have a cute covered bridge. Reminded me of 'Bridges of Madison County'. Warner is a great place.

The best part of our trip was our attempts to cook curry for our hosts. Warner is small town. But, we managed to find all the spices in the local super market. If I remember correctly, it was called Market Basket. I am sure someone analyzing the sales for that store suddenly saw a whole bunch of non moving Indian spices fly off the racks. I managed to get everything but curry leaves and Poker Caca's secret masala powder. And we had two friend's of our hosts join us for supper. Made chappathis, ghee rice and pork curry. It was a blast.

We like being in Warner so much, my wife and I plan to go back as much as possible. Our next trip will most likely be for Thanksgiving. We have one of the best hosts - feel like family now.

Pork curry...

2005-07-04T09:46:00.000+05:30

And for a change, figured I will write about a dish that is not very commonly available in a restaurant. Pork Ulathiyathu - made the nadan Kerala ishtyle.

What you need:

Some guts to go out and find a butcher selling good Pork.
A pressure cooker ( a must in my opinion mostly from the safety factor)
A kilo of Pork. I like my meat with bones. I leave it to your choice
A small pearly onion.
Some thenga kothu ( coconut flesh cut into thin sliced squares)
Curry leaves
A few cloves of garlic
A piece of ginger
Some garam masala
Salt to taste
ONions - thinly sliced.

Cook the meat and thenga kothu in a pressure cooker with weight on. Pork needs to be cooked well. I cook mine close to 20 minutes. Take it off the stove and let it cool for 15 minutes.

Start by sauteeing pearl onions (thinly sliced) with mustard seeds in a kadai. Add curry leaves. Saute for a minute or so. Add the onions, green chillies, garam masala, ginger and garlic paste. Fry until the oil separates from the masala. Add your cooked pork. BTW, you might want to drain the fat from the cooked pork if you are one of the health conscious kind. Add a dash of pepper powder at this point. Let this conconction simmer for a while. The more it simmers the tastier it gets.

Bon appetit!

If you know of any places in Bangalore which serve good Pork let me know.

The places I have dared to eat Pork this style have been Koshy's, Mangalore Pearl and Padippura (closed now).

Ponnuswamy's .... Chettinad et al.

2005-06-23T10:20:00.000+05:30

Back to blogging after a hiatus. Managed to check out Ponnuswamy's in Koramangala. We decided on this restaurant because we thought that parking would be an issue at their Residency Road branch. It finally turned out not to be easier in Koramangala either. Being a Bangalorean - I should not be coomplaining. Do note that the road this restaurant is on, is in a pretty dilapidated condition also.

Well, well, well.... My thoughts are wavering to all and sundry items other than food. So, what about it in Ponnuswamys's. I would say - so, so... Nothing worth a trip all the way from Banaswadi to Koramangala on a friday evening. I am definitely not impressed. We tried the Idlis, Dosas with Chicken Chettinad. And the Parottas and Prawn Fry. Again the food was decent. But, for the price, I would not recommend it. I hear that Chicken Biriyani is good. But, did not have a chance to try it. I would give this restaurant another chance to prove itself to me, but that is going to wait. I know for sure that I cannot convince my wife to check this out one more time.

I hear that there is one more Chettinad joint in Koramangala now. Something called Legend. Got to check it out and see. Of all the Chettinad places that I have checked out, Annachi on Indira Nagar 100 Feet Road turns out to be the best. Though pricey, it has never been a disappointment.

Mangalore Pearl - Food from the Konkan coast...

2005-06-03T22:45:00.000+05:30

Mangalore Pearl is situated at the first junction after Thoms Bakery when you move towards Cox Town on Coles Road.

I must say that the seafood is priced at value for money rates. Not exactly on the same league as Kudla, definitely more down market. But clean and presentable.

The restaurant serves all kinds of sea food. I like their Kane Naked Fry - a Mangalore delicacy. Of course, you can get Squid, Mussells and the general mish mash of seafood. Appam, Neer Dosa et al are good.

Ahh.. just remembered their Sol Kadi - out of the world. And their Cocum Juice. If you have never tried either of these coastal delicacies - please do. I was hooked to Sol Kadi - a drink - it has some kind of punch!

Pork is available in different forms. I liked it in the fry format. With pepper and all. Lip smacking...

The place could get a little warm with no airconditioning. But, with the rains on, it should be pleasant.

Kalpaka ... Kerala Food

2005-06-03T22:37:00.000+05:30

And it was a friday evening when I craved for the fluffy Kerala Parottas... Decided to try out Kalpaka on Kammanahalli Main Road. A block or so away from Sena/Jal Vayu Vihar. Had noticed the sign which declared Kerala food a number of times when I drove past. It took a while to convince my wife that the place was worth checking out. But, finally she relented, and off we went.

It was with a bit of trepidation that I approached the place. The looks were not that inviting. But, it was a surprise. You want through a small corridor and enter a small garden with thatched huts that were pretty clean and ethnic.

Coming to the main part - food... We ordered Parottas, Beef Olathiyathu, Ney Meen Curry, Egg Biriyani and Mutton Biriyani. A grand total of Rs 165/-. Parottas were the best - soft and fluffy, with very little oil showing. Beef was soft and well cooked. Sis and Wife liked their Biriyanis. Overall, a decent experience at down to earth prices.

Weekend menu is definitely more appealing - Kappa, Rabbit, Quail, Duck and a plethora of other meats that only Mallus can fathom. I would definitely like to come back on a sunday to check it all out.

Spiga .....

2005-05-27T00:23:00.000+05:30

An old house on Vittal Mallya Road gets a make over to be an Italian, Meditteranean joint. It has a casual atmosphere and good service. I would even call it enthusiastic, friendly - a bunch of youngsters work here.

Minestrone soup is one of the better specimens I have come across. I would especially recommend the Peppered Lamb Chops. Very good. So is the Meditteranean Sandwiches. A friend of mine loves the Oriental Salad. Quite different and interesting from the ones I have tasted before.

Toffee Walnut here is the best I have tasted. I love it. Tiramisu is another long time favorite.

Tip: Get here early. It tends to get crowded as the lunch or dinner hour progresses.

Location: On Vittal Mallya Road, Next to FFolio. Or between St. Marks Junction and KPMG, even opposite to Mantri House. That should be quite some directions. I would say - just smell your way to this place.

Caribbean Food in Bangalore

2005-05-27T00:12:00.000+05:30

Sue's Kitchen - One of the best kept secrets of Indira Nagar....

This place is a delight. I have been a fan for almost 6 years. Sue, the owner and Chef prepares great food and always strikes up a banter with customers. I remember the day she offered to make me Chicken Soup since I had a cold. Or, when she offered to get me something different for the curry of the day was Crab, which I happened to mention to her was not my favorite.

I would recommend her lunch buffets... At close Rs 160, I might be off by a few tens now, it is good value for money. There is always a great range of salads. The soup is different. Her okra is crispy fried - just the way I like it. :).... Fish Cutlets are very very good. Sunday Barbequed Spare Ribs and Crab Curry are legendary amongst the fans of this restaurant.

Always save space for the dessert - the Pineapple upside-downs and what not. Just mark my words - save space for dessert.

And I have spent quite some new years' eve here. It is never over priced. But if you are looking forward to a quiet dinner and great food - this is the place. I can think of the times I have had a hearty meal - and proceeded for a Mid Night mass. Staying up through it was a difficult proposition.

Location: Off Krishna Temple Road in Indira Nagar and close to CMH Rd, 100 Ft Rd Junction. If you enter from the 100 ft rd, proceed until the Maruti/Kinetic Workshop, take a left into the small lane adjacent to the workshop. First building on your left is Sue's Kitchen. There is some reserved parking at the end of the lane.

My pet peeve...

2005-05-18T17:03:00.000+05:30

I must confess that I hate restaurants who over charge their patrons for rotis. My "hate list" includes places like Tamarind and Bhagini. Cant believe that a squalid, roach infested place can charge Rs 15 for a humble roti. I have to be out of my mind to pay such charges. Some of these places are nothing more than hype. Food is run of the mill Ludhianvi Chinese, but the charges are definitely upmarket.

Recently, Cafe Piri Piri impressed me. Their menu card reads - " Soft drinks at MRP " .. hallelujah! And finally a chef who is confident on making his moolah from the food he cooks and not the packaged stuff that folks order on the side.

For Portuguese food in the boon doocks!

2005-05-18T16:53:00.000+05:30

For Portuguese food in the boon doocks try Cafe Piri Piri.

The Kalyan Nagar / HRBR Layout Area always puzzled me. There is no decent restaurant. The few that exist are BAD and at best avoided. And then someone decides to open a Cafe, that too a Portuguese one.

Cafe Piri Piri - named after the Piri Piri chillies which is used extensively in Portuguese cooking. And boy, they make it spicy as well. This place is a true value for money. There are few pads in this town which serve anything continental at affordable prices. For the uninitiated this means that food at Piri Piri is cheaper than a Casa Piccola. Now that is something.

The restaurant's self proclaimed raison d'etre is Roast Chicken. And they do a good job. Ask for it with Wild Piri sauce. And for those of us who like it hot, this is mild. :) Prices are great - this dish will set you back by Rs 75.

Once you have tried their chicken - you can graduate to the Beef Stroganoff and such.

Save some serious space for the desserts - pretty cheap. A slice of fruit cake or pastry is Rs 30. Their Tiramisu in a cup is novel as well. I am no great fan of that dessert. But, my wife loved it.

Overall, a steal if you fancy continental food, and do not like to burn a hole in your pocket. Of course, you have to drive into the boon doocks

A Perfect Glass of 'Naranga Vellam' ....

2005-05-16T15:48:00.000+05:30

... in Bangalore - Savoury on Mosque Road, Cox Town.

For the Malayalees - Naranga Vellam is the best thirst quencher that has ever been. And I was introduced to this Arabian joint run by a Keralite in Cox Town. A glass of this elixir can be had for 5 rupees. And boy - it is perfect. A dash of honey, ginger and something else.. I was amazed.

You get take away as well, with a cello tape to hold the lid in place. I must admit that the contraption held well on Bangalore roads until I got home.

Now to get back into the kitchen and experiment until I get that perfect glass of Naranga Vellam.