When the Wine was Out of Place

This Friday I had the opportunity of being part of a very special dinner. Masala Bay (at Taj Land’s End, Bandra) hosted a food tasting and an interactive session with Chef Abida Rashid, who had specially cooked what could only be described as a royal feast. Hailing from Calicut, Chef Abida’s culinary expertise lies in Moplah cuisine, of north Kerala. The food she served was rich in spice, coconut and history.

The Taj aims to share these food traditions with it’s customers, and with Chef Abida’s help has tried to elevate Moplah cuisine to what is conventionally thought of as a ‘fine dining’. Though I commend the effort, I cannot but question popular notions of what fine dining really is. It didn’t sit well with me, that what should have been an Indian thali style meal, was restructured and served in multiple courses with wine as an accompaniment. Since I was eating Indian food, I was hoping for an Indian fine dining experience. Why not eat the way Indian royalty eats, with heavy thalis, ornate bartans and silver katoris? Would that not be the way to do justice to the food and culture that it comes from? The way food is eaten is as relevant to a fine dining experience as the food itself, and am strongly against such westernization Indian cuisine.

I would very willingly trade in my wine glass for a class of cool Roohafsa, Kokam sharbat or Jal Jeera, which would have eased the spices in my meal. I felt absurd trying to eat a fish Biryani with a fork. I felt like my cutlery kept getting in my way and my food quite literally turned cold in yearning for the the touch of warm hands. I am not being Nationalist, I have nothing against the poor wine, I’d gladly drink wine while eating a steak. But when I have pappadums on my plate, I think wine is out of place.

Sernyaa ( Oshiwara, Andheri West )

Meaty mouthfuls ***

In the sea of cheap Chinese joints that dot the Oshiwara landscape, one may easily miss this tiny Tibetan treasure. Had it not been for some recent twitter buzz about Sernyaa, I may have never ventured there. (thank god for tweeple!)  What I discovered was a low lit, little hole with a lot of soul and an underground appeal. It was packed, I had to wait for a table. Every one waiting had a knowing air;  like they were all a part of a secret that I had only just been let in on.

Luckily I was famished, so my appetite that day allowed me to really indulge. The pork momos were gorgeous, and a great start to the meal. The accompanying sauces perfectly complemented the dumplings. Based on many a recommendation, we had the Pork spare ribs and Tibetan chicken sausages. Both gloriously meaty mouthfuls. The tender peppery meat on the ribs, fell right off the bone. The sausages were spicy and with perfectly crisp outsides. I didn’t mind that they were made with chicken, as opposed to the more traditional pork variety.

The main course is not worth a mention. The dishes are essentially Indian Chinese-ish with tongue twisting Tibetan names. Next time I visit I will definitely stick to the starter selection, and if the weather permits try the soups. I highly recommend Sernyaa to all meat lovers; I was too distracted by the pork and lamb to try any of the vegetarian food. Don’t judge me; it was melt-away meat that fell right about the bone. I would unabashedly and unapologetically eat all that meat again.

Damages – Rs. 250-300 / head. (They do not serve any desert and only packaged sodas )

Location – Link Road Oshiwara, soon after the HP Petrol pump

Of hats, pearls, butter and words

Even as I watched the movie Julie and Julia, I was possessed by an urge to create, to write, to cook, to photograph, to go buy a string of pearls and maybe make a hat. I was filled with a new faith, in unaffectedly doing what gives me joy without questioning the purpose of my actions. Does it really matter why we do what we do ? What matters is that we do, and do with conviction.

I think all artists and writers are perpetually plagued by the questions like Julia was; “Am I writing into a void?” Who reads what I write. Yes, the written word is obsolete without a reader. But I suppose a singer starts by singing to himself, and will be driven to sing even without someone to sing to.

Coming back to the movie; I could go on about how brilliant Meryl Streep is and how charming Amy Adams is, but those two have time and again proven their mastery of the craft. The less conspicuous stars of the movie were the clothes, the pots’n'pans, the butter, the fancy hats and the pearls. Every prop used was after my own heart, I wanted every enamel casserole, every porcelain tea cup and every handsome headdress. Right now, like Julia, I too live in a small house with a boy and a cat and a kitchen not larger than a tub. But if the movie gave me one thing, it was hope, that when the time comes I too will have my string of pearls.

Dumplings of Duck

Spicy tender chunks of duck encased in sweet sticky rice: a harmonious melange of flavors that had me cooing, drooling and gurgling like a mindlessly excited infant. My fondness for Dim sum began when I traveled in China, where I ate innumerable variants of this snack made quite literally to ‘touch the heart’, as the word translates from Cantonese. Though designed to be mundane street side food, the dish is pretty open to interpretation and often gets elevated to gourmet status. There was certainly nothing mundane about this particular steaming dish I chanced upon at Trikaya, Andheri W, Mumbai. They were sweet with a spicy edge, tender yet packed a meaty bite and light yet very satiating !

photographs © Salonee Gadgil  / Bellyfirst

The Tasty Tangles

Set right ! ***

Tasty Tangles has a rather enthusiastic twitter presence, where their set menu lunch was frequently mentioned. I like set menus; they offer little choice, so there’s no pussyfooting around what to order. The dark cloud of the impending bill doesn’t loom over the meal; ones goes in pleasantly aware of the damages.

Coming to this particular set menu, I was offered a concise list of items, and I all but had to check the corresponding boxes to make my choice.  I ordered Aromatic Spicy Chicken Dumplings to start. I’m a sucker for dumplings and if they got this one wrong, I would have written off Tasty Tangles completely. However, they triumphed. The dumplings displayed some very refined hand skills, and the spicy flavor was well balanced. Two just quickly melted away, and I was compelled to ask for another round.

The Char Kway Teow Beef noodles were also good, made particularly special by the tender well marinated chunks of meat. Something about the Steamed fish in XO sauce reminded me of my stay in China. The dish had a home-made charm, but the strong fishy smell is probably an acquired taste for most.

Asian restaurants usually fail when it comes to dessert. So my skepticism was warranted when I reluctantly ordered Cinnamon Honey fried wonton with Ice Cream. I’ve had countless renditions of this dish, but I finally found a place that got it right. I would go back for those fried strips of wonton drizzled with cinnamon powder and honey. I also sampled the fruit pudding, which was summery and fresh.

The ambience is boring, even borders on cheap. But the staff is polite and the food itself is well presented. Something about it fits all Asian restaurant stereo types, with Chinese paper lanterns and odd looking plastic pens. But I’d readily ignore all of that for this lunch. i

Damages : Rs.499 per head

Location : Khar west, in the lane next to Nike show room, above Sancho’s