The Delhi elections are over. The exit polls predict that AAP is set to win. And liberals are disdainfully admitting that they voted Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP despite their disappointment in him and his party! Disappointment in what? That AAP fought the elections only on issues of development. That they did not win fighting fascism. They made statements against fascism but did not come out on the streets. They voted against CAA in the Parliament and fulfilled their parliamentary duty but did not come to Shaheen…Continue Reading “Why do liberals expect the world from AAP but will never credit them”
I have done cafe and lounge bashing for years. Came out as this angry bitter person who had nothing good say. Found a place I can say good things about. After Thomas Fenn and Zachariah Jacob, Sharmistha Mukherjee-Cheema has decided to feed the north Indians some good food. This time from Andhra. First, it is a bold decision to open such a restaurant in that dying Green Park market. But I was surprised to see that the market has transformed with wide footpath and benches…Continue Reading “Tenali Junction, Green Park, Delhi”
Jeff Arnett is the Master Distiller at Jack Daniel’s. He is only the 7th Master Distiller of Jack Daniel’s in over 150 years of the brand’s existence, the first one being Jack Daniel himself. So, attending the masterclass was a serious matter for me. Here are the notes: • Jack Daniels is made from corn and grains. Earlier all whiskey was made from rye, so having a large component of corn was a novelty during the early years of JD. • Rye tastes of pepper…Continue Reading “Notes from Masterclass by Jeff Arnett, Master Distiller, Jack Daniel’s”
The Mumbai spirit is they go to office and carry on as usual even when the city is under 3 feet of sewage water. The Chennai spirit is they will take a boat and give food to some old person who has gone hungry for three days in due to flood. The Bangalore spirit they can drive past toxic foam from lakes, take photos and upload on Facebook and carry on as usual. The Delhi spirit is when the air is poison at 999, children…Continue Reading “Hoping Delhi does not have the Mumbai spirit”
Every time, we go out of Delhi, I feel rich. Other Indian cities don’t compare. Bombay, Bangalore, Chennai, Pondicherry etc are way cheaper. No expensive restaurant there would shock you. In Bangkok, Vertigo, which is on 62nd floor and is ranked one of the best bars in the world had dishes and drinks priced around 900 rupees (450 baht). The drinks came with 2 chips and wasabi peanuts. Then with food, we got a bag of chips and prawn and mayo complimentary. We ate at…Continue Reading “Something shady about Delhi restaurant prices”
I have become a tree spotter now. Living 50 kilometers from office in Delhi has only one upside – look at the trees on both sides and talk about the greening drives, compare delhi and noida and bitch about the diminishing diversity that horticulture depts should be blamed for. When I was a child, the village had the mandatory temple as the hanging out spot. On one side was a irrigation canal, on another a river as wide as my little finger, there was my…Continue Reading “Banyan tree and urban planning”
Okay, I don’t think I have been so wowed by a place lately, the last I can remember was Guppy. There were three of us, three hardcore, best of the world, eaten pluto out of planethood foodies. And, all three agreed on the same. Jom Jom Malay in Ansal Plaza is how those serious about food should go about their job. In the city of Priyank Sukhijas, there is someone who is sincere. The place is small, there is no fuss, staff is courteous and…Continue Reading “Jom Jom Malay – Malaysian food in Delhi”
I said this when I came back from Pondicherry and Chennai. I am saying the same after Bangalore. The Delhi food scene needs to crash and burn before anything comes out it. In Pondicherry, the lanes around promenade have restaurants that are known for something – creole food, French food in an old villa, drinks with a view of the sea etc etc. In Bangalore, I ate 4 meals a day for 4 days in order to just cover as many places as I can….Continue Reading “What’s killing Delhi food scene?”
Moradabadi biryani. As someone on twitter said when I posted one of these photos – there are more people selling moradabadi biryani in Delhi than there are people in Moradabad. Now, that is a little exaggerated, but just a little. Suddenly, there are so many of them in Delhi that it seems less like a trend and more like a conspiracy. Anyway, the distinct markers of a Moradabadi biryani are shah jeera, yellow chilli and lemon. I always had some confusion about saunf but that…Continue Reading “Moradabadi Biryani, Nizamuddin”
There is a term in English – whine. It is a senseless, irrational white noise that grabs your attention and keeps you off more important stuff. Whiners are attention seekers who employ it as a strategy. The upperclass, elite, cool cats – or whatever they call themselves in Delhi – are masters of the art. In a metropolis of nearly ten million, you would hardly hear other voices. Just a few dominate all discussion, all perspectives, all city planning – without any value addition. The…Continue Reading “In support of car free zones and rooftop ban in CP”
PVR Anupam is. It’s still the old theater with no legroom, the size of a drawing room. Just that the sounds is too loud for a small room and that is good at some times. The loos are clean and the food counters are decent too. But, more than the theater, I thought the PVR Anupam complex was dead, way past its glory days. I expected a crematorium type of scene there. But on a weekday, at 11 in the night, it was more like…Continue Reading “PVR Anupam complex is not dead”
In all these years, I had never been to Social, until this weekend. The place has always been the cards but seemed too cafe-ish for a full meal. Good thing is it is not. There are items on the menu that will do well even in a proper restaurant. Though there was loads to order from, I went for the laska curry. The curry was too mild for a laska, was more like a Thai green curry with noodles. But I did not mind because…Continue Reading “Social, Defence Colony”
The place is supposed to be haunted, I have no idea. Went there in mid day and the sum total of all the horror movies I have seen tell me that ghosts come out only at night. So, if you are looking for an account of it as a haunted place, please carry on. Or you can head to the Rajon ki Baoli or Adham Khan tomb and Gandhak Baoli nearby. My experience of Jamali Kamali was one of intrigue and beauty. There are two structures…Continue Reading “Jamali kamali mosque and tomb, Mehrauli”
I have not been to many food events so can’t say much as an authority. But I remember writing about the street food festival which was a disaster and a few others which were restaurant driven and a little too templatized. Against that background, the food fest Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav looks like seriously good work. There is food from many states, many of which were never seen before. Who knows of a Mising cuisine that has dishes like porog adin, purang apin and also rice…Continue Reading “Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav, IGNCA”
Aaj ka bawal wala mudda – national anthem pe dharti pe bojh daalna The newspaper had a report that they want the same implemented in Delhi. Some lunatic has gone to the courts asking them for speedy implementation. But both central and Delhi govt have not responded for months. They know better, this is not Mumbai. There are no Shivaji offsprings here. Delhi would stand up and dance for Honey Singh and Badshah but a 70 year old track which has not even been remixed!!…Continue Reading “Standing for national anthem: The secret revealed”
Dhunuchi is the Bengali term for the whole set of jhuna or dhuna – jhuna being the plant resin of sal tree. First, let me explain what a whole set means. It includes the resin, dried coconut husk and an earthen receptacle to hold the fire. When you set fire to the husk and throw the resin on top, it sets off fragrant smoke. And, that is the point of the whole exercise – fragrance. Actually, that’s not the whole point. Jhuna is offered during…Continue Reading “Dhaak & Dhunuchi naach, Durga Puja Pandal”
In my fifteen years in Delhi, Nizamuddin is one locality that I was never really interested in exploring. The food scene seemed like a lesser cousin of Old Delhi and I was antagonized to the dargah as it forbids women from entering the inner sanctum. So, I have refrained from venturing there time and again. I finally did, and as it mostly happens, for no significant reason at all. I guess time had eaten through the wall of resistance. Anyway, what I found is a…Continue Reading “Kit Care Kebab Corner, Nizamuddin”
For someone who has had so many kebabs, I was always stumped by the shammi one. Is that a hard galouti? Is there some other difference ? Why is it hard at times? Should not all kebabs be soft? Ghalib kebab corner in Nizamuddin probably has a few lessons to teach to morons like me. The shammi holds its shape, is made from beaten meat that is stringy than tender and tastes of chana dal and spice too. They also have some other amazing looking…Continue Reading “Ghalib Kebab Corner, Nizamuddin”
Most of the times, I spot temples when I am looking for flowers. In this instance too, we spotted the heaps of flowers and then spotted the temple. There are no photography prohibited signs but a pot bellied, sandal tattooed priest moved towards us, shaking his head and waving his arms, even though we were far outside the temple premises. But if one thing I have learnt about priests from all my temple visits is that these guys can turn to goons in a moment….Continue Reading “Devi Kamakshi Mandir, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg”
Northern ridge If you have good company and pleasant weather, a day just swooshes you by here. Apart from the greenery and paths inside, there is the infamous khooni jheel to find, a few ruins to spot and photograph, fallen tree trunks to walk on and much more. Never take the same route back and see how hours pass by while you try to find a way out. There are loads of monkeys but they keep to themselves. If you can just tell yourself that…Continue Reading “3 places in Delhi for day tripping during monsoons”