When food is not just about the food...

She'd first invited me to dinner in 97. I was fresh to Mumbai. Homesick. Living in a PG. My first Durga Pujo alone. Oh Calcutta was Only Fish. She'd invited me to Shorshe Ilsish (Hilsa in mustard sauce) from Only Calcutta at their place on the last day of the Pujos. Exhaustion. A bad stomach. I could not make it to the invite.

Years went by. We changed jobs. Moved into different worlds. Lives changed. And then we connected again through Facebook. This time as friends and not as office colleagues.

To say that she is not 'into' food would be an understatement. She doesn't share our passion for red meat, carbs, cheese, chocolates, spirits and everything that bad boys like. She is a Bong who wakes up and jumps onto a treadmill, loves South Indian vegetarian food, detoxes, eats her fruits, vegetables and whole grains and does everything we don't.

And yet we connect on food! Especially on our pet theory that food is not just about the food. So we have dined together, eaten out together, exchanged stories and books on food...one who loves to eat, another who loves the world of food.

So what do we get when we go to dinner at such a person's house?

Our non food 'eater' travels all the way from Bhakti Park to Bandra to shop for us. Pork momos are made knowing our love for pork. Even though she doesn't touch the meat herself. Chicken momos which pork lovers like Kainaz and me tripped over. Cheese platter to break the taste. A remarkable spread of very different cheeses. Rohu roe fry or 'caviare' as our posse of Bongs put it.

And then when you thought dinner is over, when you have stuffed yourself with more momos than even the Dalai Lama could possibly eat, out comes the Ilish, a bit like Amitabh Bachchan who made an entry in the second half of Geraftar. Rice and posto baata. Some like Kainaz fell by the wayside but others like Soumik and I batted on.For me it was a tryst with Ilish which was fulfilled after thirteen years.

Topped by an amazing tomato chutney which Shunanda Mashi made and sent through Happy Fork. Each bite reminding me of the heady days of Durga Puja of my growing up years and the community lunches in our building. If food can bring alive memories then this chutney or chaatnee was right up there. And tasted fantastic too.

And when we were rolling on the floor whimpering in joy (figuratively), out came Mumbaiyya mangoes in cream as a fitting finale.

Yes all this by a lady who is not 'into eating'. But who kept spinning from plate to plate refilling them earnestly and meticulously. You know you are with a great host when the food keeps flowing. As do the conversations. When guests make connections. And discover old connections. When everyone is happy. Smiling. Content and full. A dazed smile on our faces. Relaxed and stretched. Completely at home.

Thank you Madhumita for the wonderful night and the wonderful time. I doubt if Archies Cards can ever beat this.

Note: There are no photos yet but my Cyber Shot would seem like a humble Walther PPK versus Rana's Bazooka like camera. Happy Fork took some snaps too and lent them to me.

Thirty six chopsticks of Shaolin ... San Qi, Four Seasons, Mumbai

We don't do five stars too often. For obvious reasons. We still have to pay for what we eat. We haven't sold out to commerce. Our writing's our own ... er because no one's offered to buy us. Till then I can dream of signing autographs while all I actually get to sign are credit card charge slips.  I also find five star reviews boring to read as five stars are supposed to be good to begin with. That's what you are paying a king's ransom for after all. The joy for me comes in discovering little places.

But there are moments in life when you feel special. Want to go to a place which makes you feel special. A place which has an aura about it. Where the ambience, food, service, mood blend in to create a regal mix. San Qi at Four Seasons fit the bill perfectly last night.


We had thought that San Qi, pronounced 'Saan Chee' according to our well informed and helpful waiter, was a heavy duty Oriental place. I was a bit apprehensive to see papads on someone's plate when I entered. We were escorted to the first floor where Kainaz threw a fit when she saw gulaoti and biriyani on the menu.

Order was soon restored as we soaked in the atmosphere. There was a sense of space around which gave a sense of privacy. A Zen illusion as there were people in the table beside us and a cooking section with chefs tossing around promises of a great evening next to us. The decor was minimalistic, light shades of wood. The light diffused and yet not dark. You could see what you were eating. And 'shoot' it too (the blogger in me jumped up in joy). Yet it was serene, calm. Romantic despite no candlesticks.

The service was prompt and efficient and yet unhurried. The waiter patiently and efficiently answered our questions which is important with an unfamiliar menu.

I had a Sake based Mojito which was nice and cooling. They had a Sake based Martini too. This Japanese rice wine was available by itself. At Rs 2500 (50 USD)! Like I said, I sign charge slips and not autographs. But if you can afford it then it's there.

We decided to go with samplers for our meal.

The pork sampler was personally put together in heaven and sent down to us. It was a Chinese sampler. The Honey roasted pork consisted of thin slivers of ethereal pork which flapped playfully in your mouth. Each bite was special and you knew that you were privileged to enjoy it. One of those moments in life where everything stops still and you gaze happily around you. No cares. No worries. For a few moments you are the 'King of the World'.

The Honey roasted pork was paired with a very efficient Char Siew. I had had this red preparation of roasted pork earlier in the year at Singapore's Chinatown. Barring the absence of sticky rice, the Char Siew here was authentic. Top quality. With each bite you felt like serenading 'love me tender'. It was a very pliant and malleable cut of heaven. It was so good that I stopped mid meal to update about it on the Finely Chopped Facebook page.

We had this with a Japanese sampler meal. The problem was that they had only one combination here so we couldn't go for more variety between the two of us. There was a Thai and a Chinese sampler too but K said Sayonara to them. She wanted Japanese. Though she was flexible when it came to the pork sampler. And, tauba tauba, there was an Indian (!) sampler too. Guess they sold out to the 'multi cuisine' temptation at Four Seasons.

We started with a Sashimi platter which they substituted the sushi with on our request. And explained the presence of Wasabi sauce. While we didn't need it. I did feel irritated when they didn't do the same at Tetsuma. The folks at San Qi obviously cared. The minuscule bites of Sashimi that I got were very fresh.

I was bent on trying Chopsticks. Did succeed after a few swear words, cheating with fingers and many a slip betwixt the chopsticks and the lips.

The Tempura platter was pretty good with two large yet delectable prawns and an Okra which had lost its way into our plate.

Dutch pork loins followed with sprouts, sticky rice and Miso soup. I did not like Miso soup when I had it in a Singapore breakfast buffet. Still don't. The pork had an elegant, faint flavour to it, mildly salty. It was a good cut of meat but was a bit dry after the melt in your mouth blockbusters in the Pork Platter.

Green tea ice cream followed. K looked away after a bite. I had a bit as I was not entirely full. Taking a Bourdain allegory forward, I felt like a big brown ape, tickled but tantalised by the delicate portions which honestly weren't meant to be shared as I told Kainaz 101 times later. Well, the green tea ice cream tasted off, well ... tea!

Kainaz took hold of the menu, dropped her Japanese fixation and went for a chocolate fondant. This was chocolate baked in a chocolate cake, a scoop of hazelnut ice cream and a bit of Martian Jelly. Tasted even more heavenly than it sounds. I braved marital discord to get you a few pictures of it.

We went to to San Qi to feel special. We did.



If you want to have the same stuff barring the pork. Lot's more of it. At a a cheaper price. Then head to Global Fusion at Bandra..

Update: This is what a reader wrote in after reading this post:

"It was actually your review that made me take the decision (to go to San Qi)

We started off with Spicy Wasabi Prawns & Red Cabbage. it was great, with mellow pungent wasabi. Next came the Black Pomfret Tepanyaki, i didnot like the fish much (not a fish fan), followed by Sansho Pepper Chicken, Yuzu Potato, Cherry Tomatoes (ohh the chicken was brilliantly tender) and Tempura Soba – Buckwheat Noodles Soup, Prawns, Greens.

Your pictures of green tea ice-cream did not appeal me much and I opted for the safest Crème Brûlée.

The experience was good enough." 


Thanks Karjori. Glad you had a good time. And thanks for the feedback on the dishes. 

Goatherd's Couscous and Chicken Mince Salad

This post is long due. Last night was one of those rare times when I lost the battle to sleep. Thankfully. Sat than for an hour and a half in front of the screen this evening. MTNL braodband wouldn't connect. So back to the Graveyard Shift now.

I got the idea of using couscous in my mission to improve my lunch at work. The idea struck me when I was at the Olio Mediterranean workshop and learned that they used packaged couscous to serve in the restaurant. I don't mind cous cous and thought it was worth trying out. If a five star used ready made stuff then why not me? Not that I approved of what I heard. If I am paying good money then I don't want to them take stuff out of a bag, heat it and serve it. But that's another story.

I stepped into Sante the other day. Picked up a pack of Couscous. That's when I met Milanda, the director of Sante, for the first time. We chatted about various things and I asked her if she thought that couscous would work well for an office lunch. She suggested putting vegetables in it and even offered to escort me to the vegetable shop when I said I was herbivorically challenged. My plan was to make the couscous and have it on the side with something. This is the story of what actually followed.

Banu, my maid cum sous chef, called me at work. I asked her to saute the chicken mince which was in the fridge with onions, tomatoes, salt and pepper. I had no plan. Inspiration dawned next morning.

I heated water for my coffee after I woke up. Begun to make the couscous and take some rather early calls from work. The full pack (Rs 120/ 2.2 USD) of couscous was supposed to serve 2. So I used half. Put half the mix in a lunch container. Heated water in the micro and poured it over the couscous. Just a couple of cm above the couscous. Added half a teaspoon of olive oil as directed. I waited for about 5 minutes as the preserved couscous began to form. I made my coffee. That's when it all came to me.

I took out the sauteed chicken mince from the fridge, heated it for a minute, and added it to the cous cous. Same quantity. About 100 g. I then added a bit of boiled sweet corn and a few basil leaves from last night's liver salad base. About two tablespoons of chopped feta. A few pine nuts. As an after thought, half a finely chopped tomato. And, as another afterthought, a couple of teaspoons of pesto mix which they gave us at Olio. I soon left for work. Couldn't wait for lunch time.

Turned out to be a wonderful office lunch. It was everything I want in an office lunch. Tasty. Different. Light on the stomach. Not oily. Subtle spices. Not a overdose of masala. It had a nice texture. Was not gelatinous. Fast to make. Coffee was ready before I begun mixing it all. Was hot even when the lunch was packed and tucked in.

White meat mince. Olive oil. Pine nuts. Herbs ... basil. Veggies...tomato. Feta ... low cholesterol. Cous cous...roughage. I think I ended up making something healthy too.

Caveat:. This is quite filling and difficult to finish by one person. I had the company of two lovely ladies, colleagues and food lovers who helped me finish it. I have named it Goatherd's Salad as I felt it was quite Moroccan in theme and in a way we did take goatherd-like break in the middle of the day to have this.

I quite liked the salad and made it again the next day. Couldn't finish it as I ate it in the car on the way to a meeting. Alone.  Had the remaining in the evening. Turned out a bit soggy today. Water was a bit too much. Plus was multi tasking and added half a cup of green tea instead of water! Thankfully that didn't mar things. So remember to be miserly with water. It's a dessert dish after all.

I was quite encouraged by my overall Couscous experience. Was further intrigued and enthused by the Sunayana's comment on the Finely Chopped Facebook page.

Sunayana Sarkar

I make cous cous for lunch very often... one of the versatile dishes that can go with anything and very easy to make... try with chicken curry... sauteed shrimp &/ sausage... veggies... and even yogurt or Tzatziki... chickpeas with spinach, bell pepper, sundried tomatoes and parsley... anything really. 

Yes, I plan to toss up more stuff with cous cous after reading this.

I often refer to Banu as my 'Sous Chef' '. I have taught her a number of Bengali dishes. Plus she often helps put together the base for the stuff I cook. Most of these dishes are alien to her. She doesn't know the names. Alu posto is 'khus khus wala alu'. Rui kaali is 'kanda wala machhi'. You get the drift.


Well this is what Anthony Bourdain writes about his Sous Chef in 'A Cook's Tour' after the latter joins a cooking school:


"A newly enrolled student in the French Culinary Institute.... he's learning where all the French food he's been making brilliantly for years really comes from - any why. Eddie knows how to make a gastrite, he just didn't know what to call that. I wish I could watch him in class, when they show him glacage or how to make a liaison, or explain the principles of deglacier. He'll say, 'oh that'! No problem. Same like for the ravioli at Les Halles"


That sounds familiar.

Trivia: The picture below is of a cous cous that I had at Istanbul

Nomad's Salad ...Chicken liver, Feta and a dream

I was home today with a bad back.

I lay in bed and read Anthony Bourdain's 'A Cook's Tour'. My mind begun to wonder to the fridge and to some of its contents - chicken liver, Feta which I bought from Sante yesterday, Sundried tomato pesto from Olio - soon steamy images begun to conjure themselves in my mind as I whipped up some rice, microwave mooshuri daal and Eelish fry for a convalescent lunch.

I stepped out in the evening. First to Candies. There was the usual 8 PM '25 pc off' rush. Teeming multitudes. The counter seemed miles away. I caught Ashish of the cash counter's eye and soon walked off with a smile and baguette. Then went down to Pali Naka and picked some red roses for the Missus and for the house. Back to the chirpy bhaji wali at Pali Market. Basil. Sweet corn. Smiled when she took back the apparently stale ones I picked and gave me a fresh set. Popped into Sante's. Said hi to Milanda. Discussed my plans to make a salad with chicken liver and feta. She voiced her concern about two sharp tastes in the same dish. We talked a bit more and then I took the alley home after picking some litchis for Kainaz. I know that this sounded like Julia Child in drag. Remember when she goes skipping down the French markets in the film? But still, the little walk made me happy and left me with a pleasant buzz.

I know that I have written about Sante's before but the place is growing on me. And not just because of the great cheeses and meats. Picked up an amazing red hot Edam this time. A couple of visits back I noticed a lovely lady there telling someone about different cooking creams and how they should be added to the end of a tomato based sauce and not at the beginning. I was enthralled. And intrigued. I bumped into her yesterday too. She turned out to be Mrs Milanda Jagtiani, the Director of Sante. We got talking and I begun to trip on her love for, and knowledge of, food. The sort of person I can spend hours talking with. I learnt that the best way to judge the quality of meat in a shop is through the pinkness and freshness of its cooked meats viz. the hams. Apparently 'cured' meats - Chorrizo, Serrano, Bacon - taste fine even after their sell by dates. I wanted to buy their Melba toasts. She insisted that I try them first as they were home made and thicker according to her. They were heavenly and went well with the chicken pesto pate that K & I made later last night. I asked her about cous and cous as an option for office lunches. She suggested that I add vegetables to it and was even willing to come with me to the vegetable shop when I professed my veggie challenged state. I was impressed to learn that they make the dips and desserts fresh at her house close by. The chocolate brownie cheesecakes and chocolate éclairs (thanks Menaka for introducing us to these) at Sante are to die for. And as Milanda and I agreed, brownie cheesecakes are intense and you don't really need large portions of these unlike what you tend to get elsewhere. I sampled a French Feta before leaving. Loved it as it was nice and creamy and different from the one I picked at KL recently. Milanda pointed out the crumbly feta that I bought at KL was the original  one. The French feta was faux according to her and customised to our urban palates. I picked it up in any case and feasted on the Feta with Melba Toas latert.  I am not surprised that  I went back to say hello today.

And here's how my afternoon dreams took the shape of the Nomad's Salad. A Karmakar original. 'Nomad', because I used feta, pesto, basil and olive oil favoured by those in the arid lands of the Mediterranean. Plus it is a tribute to Bandra. Home to all. From all over. A place where you get everything at your arms reach. As Milanda and I agreed, we are really blessed to be in Bandra.

 Here's the recipe:

• 250 g chicken liver, chopped into pieces and sautéed in olive oil, salt and pepper
• 250 g baby corn put in  water and boiled in the micro for 7 minutes
• Put together in a salad bowl with around 10 basil leaves, a tablespoon of sun-dried tomato pesto, half a finely chopped tomato, a handful of Feta cubes. The mix is lightly tossed/ stirred/ folded
• We had this with baguettes and Mamma's sautéed potatoes

It tasted amazing. Light, ethereal, slightly sweet, backed by the resounding solidity of the chicken liver. The sweetness of the  sweet corn and sun-dried tomato pesto coupled with the minty freshness of basil counter balanced the sharpness of feta and liver to fuse into homogeneous bliss. A Karmakar Original. Very easy to make and guaranteed to impress your dinner mates. Feta is supposed to be a low cholesterol cheese.

Into every life some Zucchini must fall

I am usually stumped when I go to a vegetable shop. My confidence and candour in meat shops and fish markets desert me here. This is a problem. Especially, since I try to have vegetarian lunches at office to balance out the meat in my life. Plus I am currently on a drive to improve the quality of the packed lunches that I get to work. So I headed to Lalu’s at Pali Market to buy stuff to make a ‘roasted vegetable and pasta dish’ suggested by Miri of Peppermill Recipes.



Bought the stuff she suggested. Then was stumped. What does one do with zucchini? Do you peel them? And baby corn? Do you chop them? Would the ‘Mummy Corn’ be fine with that? Banu, my often disappearing sous chef and maid, had come to work that day. She had no idea either. So she peeled the zucchinis! I put up the question on The Finely Chopped Facebook page.  In case you are wondering, ‘don’t peel’ is the verdict.


Here’s what we did, inspired as I said, by Miri’s suggestion. Here's her other blog, Peppermill.


Peeled and chopped one zucchini, a few cloves of garlic, half a chopped onion, chop a dozen odd baby corns, one tomato, 250 g button mushrooms, one colourful bell pepper and put all of this in a micro bowl. Added two tablespoon of olive oil and toss. Slip in a couple of slices of slim cheese. Add salt, crushed pepper, two teaspoons of Tabasco Sauce and a few cm’s of rosemary. Basil would work good. And some slit chillies. We had bird’s eye chillies. I added them.


We did this in the afternoon when Banu was there so that the chopping was taken care of. Some benefits of living in a ‘developing economy’. Don’t get J, she bunked the next day

Put the mix in the micro at night for about ten minutes in two rounds of five minutes. Finito. I love ‘press of the button’ cooking.

Here’s what we did with it:

• I had some with two slices of toast for breakfast
• K took a bowl as salad for work
• I tossed some in pasta boiled a la dente (firm) with olive oil and took to work


The verdict?


K loved it. As did her art partner H who eats salads for lunch everyday. Ips had some of my pasta version in pasta without heating. She seemed to like it quite a bit too.


What about me? I heated the pasta in the micro at work and ate it.


Well, let’s say that it was better than most of the other lunch options around me. As Forrest Gump would say “and that’s all I have to say about that”

By the way this is what Miri had suggested:

"Do you like roasted vegetables? If you do, then you could load a pan of chopped veggies (1" pieces of bell peppers, pumpkin,zucchini,tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, babycorn)into the oven the previous night and roast with one tbsp olive oil, herbs,salt and chilli flakes for 25 minutes. Remove and mix into some boiled pasta. Season according to taste (tabasco sauce/grated parmesan/crushed pepper/balsamic vinegar)and pack for lunch the next day! "



Here's the riveting discussion on what to do with Zucchini from the Finely Chopped Facebook page.

Me: bought zuchhini as recommended by a reader. What on earth do u do with them? Peel or not peel? Babycorn? Chop? Not chop? Banu and i are flummoxed. Went to poultry for therapySunday at 13:00 · Comment ·LikeUnlike · View feedback (14)Hide feedback (14) · Flag



Veera Bhacka Zuchhini can be had like cucumber...baby corn, just boil and eat!


Sunday at 13:03 · · Finely Chopped toss in olive oil and micro roast was the suggestion for office lunch. How do you eat cucumbers?



Sunday at 13:39 · Veera Bhacka I usually eat cucumbers peeled, raw with salt and red chilli powder on thema, unless they are in a salad...baby corn just boil


Sunday at 13:41 · ·  Regina George Zaleski Try this..cook 250 gms of penne pasta for about 7 mins..I prefer it al dente, then heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan, add thinly sliced zucchini, cook over a gentle heat until soft, add two tbsp of chopped mixed herbs, 1 tsp of chilli flakes freshly ground pepper and grated cheese, ( i use Parmesan), stir the zuchini into the penne and serve..as simple as that!..lemme know how it goes!..i cook Zuchhini almost three times a week and have loads of recipes..gimme a shout if you need more :)


Sunday at 13:48 · ·  Veera Bhacka I am trying to create my own Finely Chopped inspired pasta....garlic, turkey bacon, mushroom, corn, olives, capers, herbs, sauted in olive oil with a dash of Nando's hot peri-peri....now to add the sauce, pasta and some other stuff....pray for me!!!!!:)


Sunday at 14:25 · ·  Jyotika Purwar where do you get turkey bacon and nando's peri peri in Mumbai?


Sunday at 19:33 · · Sunayana Sarkar I love zucchini... great for grilling. And I have been making baked zucchini fritters coated in breadcrumbs with italian spices and herbs (if you fry, it's even better). Sautee with pasta too... it was a more robust taste than cucumber... don't peel (at least we don't need to here... we don't peel cucumber either... not so bitter as in India)... ...


See more


and gets a smoky taste when grilled or sauteed. Try epicurious.com for inspirations. I am not fond of zucchini bread... but it's quite popular in the southern states in US.


Sunday at 19:36 · ·  Arjun Roychowdhury zuchhini is best eaten grilled. I love zuchini with steamed and pan fried brussel sprouts with a bit of parmesan cheese topping


Sunday at 22:12 · ·  Finely Chopped @Regina...thanks for writing in. I've made something similar today. Will post it once I eat it tomorrow and approve of it :) Do you peel the skin of the zuchini. I prefer pasta to be a la dente too


@Vee, may the force be with you


@Sunayana: all this is for my office lunch. Fritter sounds tasty but sauteed with pasta more practical


@Arjun...will try that


Sunday at 23:50 · Jyotika Purwar Dont peel the zucchini... all the nutrients are in the peel... slice them cut them in quarters.. EVOO, garlic, chili flakes, salt and pepper ... Simple and delcious.. with a simple pasta or a white sauce topped with fresh basil... i know you have already cooked it.. but just throwing some future suggestions... you could flavor the oil by frying ...


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some bacon bits in it to add some crispy texture (pasta is soft so is zuch once cooked) and of course then your house smells like BACON!


where do you guys get turkey bacon in mumbai?


Sunday at 23:55 · ·  Regina George Zaleski Hehehe it has taken me 4 months to muster up the courage to actually say something!..i stumbled upon your blog by sheer chance and im so glad I did!..with regards to Zucchini, dont peel it as most of the nutrients are in the skin..do let me know how your lunch fares tomm :)


Yesterday at 01:48 · · Finely Chopped @Regina: 4 months!!! Do I sound that intimidating. I am not a bad guy to know. When I am not hungry at least :)


@Jyotika, Regina... most restaurants serve zucchini unpeeled. Neither my maid, nor I, knew what to do. Won't strip the zuchhini next time


@Jyotika: I know that you get Turkey Ham and Chicken bacon. Don't know if you get Turkey Bacon. Try Nature's basket, Hyper City or Sante (Bandra)

An evening with the ladies.... Novotel Cooking Workshop

Don't know if you know but Finely Chopped has a Facebook page now. Read this post on another of my blogs, Mumbai Coffee House, which explains why I opened the FB page. Here you will get frequent updates on what I am reading and thinking in the context of food. What I am cooking, eating. And can connect with other fellow food lovers too.

I was at Olio, Novotel, the other evening invited by my friend and first editor, Kirti of Feastguru. The lovely Rumni, Mrs Feastguru, was there too at Novotel covering this.

It was a European and Mediterranean Cooking workshop. Chef Ashutosh of Olio hosted it. He was extremely patient to the say the least. The audience included a number of ladies from the local neighbourhood of Juhu. I was one of the only two men around. Something which studying Sociology, and working in Qualitative Market Research, had prepared me for. There were a few in the audience who were extremely 'participative' to put it politely. They would keep asking questions which made them seem extremely culinarily challenged. Or very keen to get attention of 'teachers'.

Ashutosh very patiently and animatedly answered each question.

My favourite was "what is the best vegetable to put into Tagine?" And his answer, 'lamb'.

Other questions included "How long do you need to marinate the vegetables?"

"You don't need to"


As Rumni pointed out there were quite a few vegetarians.

"Should we put breast pieces of chicken or leg?"


"Either but leg pieces taste better"


"Where can we buy canned tomato paste from?" "What brand do you use?" "What brand of cooking cream do you use? "What do you do with pesto sauce"

For someone who just made Pollo Pesto Pate, this was a nail biting experience in patience. But Chef Ashutosh had a job to do and he did it well. Gordon Ramsey would have had a coronary attack by the end of the evening. At times even I was almost there.

They had handed out printed recipes and what Ashutosh did was bring this alive through his stories and practical tips and answering of questions and doubts. After all Tagines, Haloumi, Risottos and Cous cous, to be fair, are not part of everyday Hindi and Gujarati.

For me the high points were Ashuotosh's talking about Tagines just after I read the chapter in 'A Cook's Tour' about Bourdain going to Morocco and his Tagine and Cous Cous days. Seeing the Rs 47,000 (1,000 USD) worth Grana Pranado cheese barrel in which they infuse risottos was a special delight for a cheese addict like me. The risotto which they made screamed cheese with every bite.

The Tagine was made with succulent chicken in a rather sharp coriander, garlic sauce. Which as Ashutosh and I discussed was different from the core Tagine base of lamb, prunes and apricots. I always enjoy talking with people who know their food and it was good fun connecting with Ashutosh.

At times the sessions were a bit too candid for my tastes though. As someone who makes his sauces zero base... I didn't really need to know that they buy canned tomato sauce, packaged cream, readymade pasta and cous cous (showed in the the rather insipid cous cous which was served) at Olio. I prefer a bit of awe and mystery and distinctiveness when I go out to an expensive place. I need to be convinced that they can make dishes better than I can. After all who would want to know the silicon content of the swimsuit pin up model? Like I said, transparency is fine up to a point.

Still an evening with folks who love and know food is always well spent. Especially when embellished by a fresh chocolate (!) pizza.

Free gifts they screamed at the end and we got an apron, pesto dip and sunrise tomato dip. The latter two have been hunger busters on crackers for me for the past few days. Still it was an experience which showed that I don't have a career as a cooking teacher. Don't have the patience for it.