Lemon & Ice

The Sweet Life

Being born in Jamshedpur makes one a near Bengali and so one ‘sweet’ positive of moving back to India was the easy access to the best that Indian ‘mithaiwalas’ have to offer.

Having said that I’ve had to up the gym attendance so as to keep fitting into my wardrobe.

But the occasional Rashogullla binge is just too wonderful to give up!! At times like that the Swiss can keep their chocolates, the Americans can keep their cheesecakes and the Aussies can keep their pavlovas. There is nothing quite as satisfying as the sensory (and sugary) overload of a ‘Mouchak’, not available in any non-bengali sweet shops, exploding in your mouth with the power to bestow at least 32 cavities!

  An ‘immarti’, ‘jalebi’ or ‘halwa’ has its own joy, and I am really enjoying introducing these treats to my firangi kids.

Ganne ka ras evokes memories of innocent and idyllic days growing up in a much simpler time.

Aloo tikki chaat, Paani poori, Papri chaat, Rajkachori, Bhel poori………..the list goes on and on. All with extra green chilli chutney and extra imli / khatta! The hotter and more sour the better!! Haldiram and Bikanerwala both offer hygienic options for the recently returned prodigals. But watch out for the Dahi wada with sweet Dahi!! In fact watch out all the chaat with dahi in it coz it comes with sweet dahi.

Tea Tasting in Darjeeling

No visit to Darjeeling is complete without a visit to Nathmull's, the best tea shop in the city. I learnt that the family that owned Nathmull had split up and the two brothers were both selling tea under the same name. I strolled into this store which had in stock a nice variety of the 2nd flush (2nd picking ) from the neighboring tea estates. Darjeeling tea is considered to be the finest tea in the world by tea connosieurs and I decided to spend the afternoon to find out exactly why. I spent the next three hours on a memorable tea tasting journey. The store clerk started me off with the low end Darjeeling teas which were so much better than the gravel I had been drinking all these years. By the time, I got to their finest teas, I had already had 10 cups of teas and was literally bouncing off the walls! Instead of just sipping and sampling each individual tea, I had been drinking entire cups since the teas were so good. The thing about Darjeeling tea is that it begins to taste better as it cools down so it's hard to leave a cup half empty!

I also learnt for the first time the real technique to preparing Darjeeling tea, which is also outlined on their website. I bought 100gm to 250 gm samples of three different types of  tea that I liked the most to see how they would taste with the water in Mumbai. I must say that I like all of them!! If you are into fine Darjeeling tea, you can order them online from the website above and they will deliver anywhere in the world. My picks: Gumtee 2nd flush 2006 & Castleton 2nd flush 2006.

Reliance Dhabas on the Highway

There's a new competitor on the block for the traditional dhaba* (truck stops) on India's highways. Reliance Industries has launched 'Reliance Dhabas' along side Reliance gas stations as the group's initial step towards their giant retail plans. I went to Kurnool for a day trip and we stopped at a Reliance Dhaba on the way. This was my first experience at a Reliance Dhaba, although I had heard about them via online Indian newspapers, while I was in NYC. We pulled into a clean well-maintained parking lot. The Dhaba itself was large and clean, like an Indian Mc Donalds. The menu was surprisingly extensive complete with traditional south Indian fare like Idlis, Dosas, Vadas as well as kebabs, curries and Biryani. We ordered idlis and coffee for breakfast. The service was prompt and courteous and we didn’t have to wait longer than 5 minutes for our order. I must say the idlis were top notch. The rest-rooms were surprisingly clean by Indian standards. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Reliance Dhabas on my road trips in India.

* See previous post in dhabas.

Visit to Hyderabad

I spent the last week of July in Hyderabad on a business trip. This was my first trip to Hyderabad after 30 years. I went there once as a six year old with my parents and have faint memories of the Golconda fort. Hyderabad is a dynamic city and is evolving as a major IT hub in India. Over the week I spent here, the city really grew on me. The people are nice and courteous and the food while a bit spicy, is to die for. The quality of life in Hyderabad is probably amongst the top cities in India now, with its improved infrastructure and relatively low cost of living. Mr. Chandrabab Naidu, the previous Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh transformed this sleepy town into one of the fastest growing cities India in less than a decade by pushing through key infrastructure changes and laying the foundation for a major IT township called Hitec city. Mr. Naidu opened up the congested arteries of Hyderabad by forcibly widening major streets against political and civilian opposition. It's a pleasure to drive down these streets, especially around the Husain Sagar Lake and through the tony locales of Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills. Real estate prices here have run up a lot in the last few years, although they are still reasonably priced in most parts of the city.