Year: 2010

  • The Grill House

    Okay, so we’ve been fans of Tangerine and have thus managed to avoid The Grill House in Indiranagar, despite its reputation. But now that The Grill House had opened a new outlet in Ulsoor, we thought we could get away with a lesser sense of betrayal. 🙂

    The new place is on Bhaskaran/Gurudwara Road, right after the Ulsoor Road- Bazaar Street junction after The Park Hotel, when coming from MG Road/Old Madras Road. This map should help you. Parking is quite easy for 2 wheelers, the more well wheeled kind might find it a tad more difficult.

    The restaurant is on the busy main road, but manages very well to keep the noise out. That helped when the live gig was happening. Though the lighting is dim, the ambiance is still pleasant, with comfortable seating options and a  Tex Mex decor, including a few cacti, and cowboy hats. (though ahem, they did seem the kind that is sold at traffic junctions) Before the live music started, there was some decent music playing too. We got in by around 7.30 and by 8, the place seemed to have filled up, but they have two floors, though we were informed that the ground floor had to be full before they opened up the top floor. Hmm. But hey, food, that’s what matters. You can take a look at the menu here – 1, 2 ,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Watch out for the very interesting quotes.

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    We decided to give the ‘cream’ a break and started with a Jamaican Chicken soup, that was supposed to “remind you of your grand mother’s cooking”. Strangely in spite of the name and the description, the soup reminded me of Chinese gravies. But its still a good thin soup, especially if you like it spicy and peppery.

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    Next up was the BBQ Chicken Wings, “crispy fried chicken wings served with BBQ sauce”. This was strictly okay, and I had much higher hopes for the sauce. There are plenty of choices, so you might want to try something else.

    For the main course, since there were many more red meat options than I usually encounter, I decided on a ‘Steak Mardigras’, “Grilled steak topped with black and white mushrooms, sauteed onion, bell pepper and mashed potatoes” and D asked for a Mexican Hot Chicken, “Chicken Breast grilled and served with hot mexican sauce and tex-mex rice”. We both asked for sizzler versions.

    CIMG1284 All steaks are served with rice and mashed potatoes and you can trade one for an extra portion of the other, in case you have a preference. And that, on the left is the ‘mardigras’, and it was thankfully ‘well done’, just as I had asked. The sauce was very unique – tangy, with loads of mushrooms, and complemented the taste of the meat very well. The bell pepper presentation seemed to be a tribute to the FIFA champions, but never mind. 🙂

    CIMG1282D’s dish, as usual, turned out to be more photogenic, and you can see me going green in the background. The sauce in this one too proved to be very tasty – spicy and tangy, with the gherkin giving it a nice ‘kick’, though D did borrow my extra helping of mushroom sauce.

    The portions sizes are quite deceptive, they don’t look like they’ll give you a full tummy, but you end up with exactly that. They bring around the dessert options on a plate, and though the mousse looked very good, and the ‘Better than sex’ chocolate seemed rich enough and out to prove a point, we had to pass.

    All of the above cost us Rs.950. The service is decent, though there was an inordinate delay for the billing – apparently the credit card line wasn’t working. In essence, its definitely worth a visit when you’re in the mood for a good steak, and especially if you’re a red meat fan. Its an even battle with Tangerine, one that in my mind, it only narrowly loses, simply because of the more exciting choices at Tangerine. 🙂

    Menu at Zomato

  • Purpose Purporting

    Purpose. I remember bringing this up earlier in ‘Coincide‘ and mentioning that different life stages manage to give us short term purposes which leave little time for this line of questioning – a larger purpose of life itself.  Like I told a friend recently, as though we took a life API and churned out all these fancy apps that now distract us from the purpose. What happens when you take those out of life? And when I say ‘those’, I also mean the alternate rat race that we convince ourselves is not one.

    Turn out the light
    And what are you left with?
    Open up my hands
    And find out they’re empty.
    Press my face to the ground
    I’ve gotta find a reason.
    Just scratching around
    For something to believe in:
    Something to believe in.

    I’ve wondered, even if one loves the work one does, does that become a purpose in itself? Is it really possible to be a karmayogi. Is that what makes a Tendulkar or a Yesudas? A larger sense of purpose? Doing the thing that they were meant to do? But even if that were so, what motivates them,  for a karmayogi should not feel any attachment towards the fruit of his actions. Indifference and detachment. There’s obviously a difference, yet to realise it fully.

    I have also wondered, actually worried, if its the lack of a larger purpose that drives one to (try to) leave a legacy? Creating something that will perhaps outlive us, in whatever scale ? Does the potential future of a creation give a sense of purpose to the present?

    On twitter, @Bhuto asked me whether anyone had asked me if my handle meant “hand in the crypt” (manus being Latin for hand). No one had, the handle actually came into being because I couldn’t get the original spelling as an ICQ handle. 🙂  I answered that I’d always thought of a grimmer version – of this being an online crypt. I think I’ve mentioned this here earlier. So years down the line if someone discovers this, the lifestream will perhaps convey a life.

    You talk too much.
    Maybe that’s your way
    Of breaking up the silence
    That fills you up.
    But it doesn’t sound the same
    When no one’s really listening

    If you think that’s weird, there’s actually a site that has the same idea – 1000 Memories. Or how about a wireless headstone that will share its owner’s story with future generations? 🙂 Or there’s also the Howard Stark version (when he speaks to his son) ” What is, and always will be, my greatest creation, is you, Tony.” Yep, that’s quite a popular way too. 😀

    For those who follow Malayalam movies, as is his wont these days, Mohanlal has already given the answers to ‘purpose’, in Aaram Thampuran, though the question was put differently. 🙂

    But it is somehow difficult to even consider that life, in whatever way it is lived, is its own purpose.

    You’re spending all your time
    Collecting and discovering
    It’s not enough.

    until next time, multipurpose lives?

    (Lyrics: Something to believe in, Aqualung)

  • 2 States: The Story of My Marriage

    Chetan Bhagat

    When Khanna & Iyer met Ek Duje ke Liye. Chetan Bhagat’s works have never been literary classics, relying more on a racy story, wit, and an interesting enough plot. Sadly, this one works only the first count.

    The plot is an oft repeated one – the love story of a Punjabi guy and a Chennai girl, who meet each other at IIM, and whose parents are opposed to their relationship. I found the depiction of the stereotypes obnoxious, and I’m neither Punjabi nor Tamilian. Making sure that there are digs aimed at both sides and having a disclaimer at the start that you only take digs at your own, doesn’t change the godawful way of depicting the ways of life of two communities. It definitely isn’t a substitute for wit. If the idea was to change the North-South relationship’s status quo, really sorry, but it only strengthens the stereotypes, and adds a few ones too. Sample this

    “They sounded like long wails, as if someone was being slowly strangled” on Carnatic Music.

    I finished the book, because I hate leaving books halfway, and thanks to a perverse wish to see the new depths being explored. I was extremely disappointed with the book, more so because I have always defended the author, and asked why books always have to be literary masterpieces, and can’t be just good entertainers. Chetan Bhagat had so far ensured that his books were entertainers, perhaps this one would deliver too, if you can say goodbye to your sensibilities and sensitivity for 267 pages.

  • The brand your brand could be like

    The world seems to have loved the Old Spice guy horsing around. Even though the campaign had been around for a while, (via Surekha) the last couple of weeks took it to a completely different level, with the Old Spice guy (actor Isaiah Mustafa) sending unique video responses to people who had blogged/tweeted/written to him  – not just celebrities like Kevin Rose, Alyssa Milano, Mrs and Mr Demi More, Ellen DeGeneres etc but regular people too. He even made a marriage proposal on behalf of one @Jsbeals. You can see all his work at the channel here. Mashable has some statistics, which are quite amazing, and yet unsurprising – 180+ videos, 22500 comments, and more than 6 million views, when I last saw it. But more than the stats, it is the amount of interest that it has generated. The Google CFO mentioned it during an earnings call, and closer home, my eminent blogger friends – Bhat and Karthik have been gushing about it, understandably so. The Old Spice Guy even managed to charm 4chan, (this one is the 3rd most viewed in the series) and that I don’t think has a precedent! Meanwhile, after some really hard work (the making of), he has now wrapped up with one final video, thanking the internet.

    There are many lessons from what is quite obviously a case study – an idea, its amazing execution, the co ordination between creative, social media and tech to get near real time responses done, the confidence/bravery/trust of P&G to allow this team the liberty to make the responses with minimal supervision and as Karthik wrote, the importance of creating some really kick a$$ content. And thus the point of the post – an example of brands being media.

    When one way distribution platforms dominated, things were relatively simple – print ads, billboards, radio spots, TVCs, and even internet banners. But then came the tools of self publishing, the acknowledged game changer, with several possibilities.

    It meant that brands, not unlike us common people, could create their own channels using multiple tools and services available. Some brands used it just as they would use the channels of an earlier era, and pushed until no one was interested.

    When they were done with understanding that questioning the veracity of the content appearing online wouldn’t get them anywhere, some brands figured that the only difference that had been made was that a new breed of influencers and opinion makers/breakers/changers had been created. So, they formed alliances, sometimes transparent and sometimes not so. The thick line is now represented by multiple shades of grey. But that just seems to be the way the world in general works now, the Cisco-CNBC case, for example.

    And then there were brands that went deeper and figured out that creating things that would spawn positive content would be a better idea, even if it meant that they had to rework everything. It could mean that they came out with a great product/service which created or mobilised legions of fanboys/girls. They could involve their consumers by asking for ideas. Or they could take on a cause honestly and contributed to the larger society. Not every brand has a CEO who sets a gold standard (here’s an excellent example of Anand Mahindra’s Twitter magic), but it definitely can create an environment that will make ambassadors of employees. It could create such great content or offer so much reward that  others generated excellent content for them (users created an Old Spice voicemail message) , or at least link to them. And if these aren’t possible, a brand could at least ensure that you offered a little value to consumers on the platforms they preferred. And these are by no means the master set.

    When brands and their fan boys and girls become media in themselves, it raises many challenges too. What happens when a brand goofs up on a product and makes its vocal supporters seem like losers?  (you got that signal, I hope) How much of ownership can the brand take for the fans and how will their action or inaction affect those common consumers who are watching it all? What happens when there’s random malice that uses your brand name? (the recent Coke Facebook scam) Even for the star of the moment – Old Spice, what do they do, when a celebrity retorts in the same vein, and asks them to donate to a cause, that’s creating erm, waves all over the world. I, for one, am waiting for a response.

    But despite all that, I believe that the opportunities make the challenges worthwhile. The work is definitely different – doing an eyewash research, releasing an ad, and adopting vague measurement techniques like reach won’t really cut it. With technology that discovers newer and newer contexts for consumers to express themselves, and their intent, brands have to learn to react, if not be proactive, in real time. So, since the web has successfully bottomed the costs of distribution, it is perhaps time that brands started investing the savings into creating good content, finding their way on platforms and with the people using the platforms.

    until next time, content. is. marketing. too.

    PS. next post, in a fortnight 🙂

  • Alibaba

    The name conjures up the vision of a medieval Arabic story, and its indeed a restaurant that (also) serves Arabic cuisine. And just like the treasure, it makes itself very hard to find. Since we knew the rough location, we asked around until we reached there. Here’s a map for you. When coming from Coles road on Mosque road, take a left at the junction where Mosque Road meets MM Road (immediately after Empire Hotel). Then, Alibaba is at the corner of the first road to the left, on the first floor. The Charminar Kabab Centre opposite it is easier to notice. Parking is not much of a problem.

    We got there late, well after 8, and were worried that we wouldn’t find a place. But the place started filling up only around 9. Its dimly lit, but the decor has a certain charm that deserves a special mention. There are red curtains,  lots of dark wood – right from the main door, sheeshas, and Moroccan lamps. I read somewhere that the seating capacity is exactly 40, and that some of the furniture  pieces are actually renovated bits and pieces from Navayathi furniture, including window frames, wooden chests and sewing machines! The seating is quite comfortable, but try not to take the stools without a backrest. Or maybe I was just wondering what exactly I was sitting on 😉

    CIMG1250Alibaba serves Bhatkali, Arabian and Persian cuisines. The link to the menu is right here. But that really doesn’t do justice to the extremely unique menu ‘card’. Its a bit like holding history in your hands, literally. Click on it, and read it, before you start reading the actual menu. It will tell you about Bhatkal, the Navayaths, their culture, their dialect and the evolution of their cuisine. Its not as though as i require a special reason to like food, but I’ve always liked the idea of giving a historical and cultural context to the food quite fascinating.

    What it also does, is add to the desire of trying out as many samples as is possible from the different cuisines that makes up the fusion. With limited numbers – two to be precise, that is quite a difficult task. But try we did.

    CIMG1251We chose the Joo soup, “Chicken cubes, carrot, oats, garnished with parsley”, from the Persian cuisine. Little did we know that it was an old acquaintance. I not-so-fondly remembered the ‘sambar’ from Sufi – Soup-e-Jo! We also missed the chicken cubes. Not really a great start, but we’d traveled quite a bit to get here and refused to be easily let down.

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    Next up was the Alibaba Special kebab “Chef’s special grilled chunks of boneless chicken and lamb”. That took quite a while and after a lot of fidgeting, we were told that it would be delayed. We were worried whether this was turning into a Arabian-Persian tragedy, but thankfully we got the chicken skewer in a couple of minutes. Very succulent stuff, but we were left to wonder whether the lamb had met with some alternate unfortunate fate. But just as we were about to enquire, the lamb skewer arrived. The vegetables in this were a bit burnt, but really, who cared, because the lamb was fine. Actually very good. Usually, this is served together, but apparently the lamb takes a while longer than the chicken to be convinced, so be prepared to wait a bit if you’re ordering this. The dish is a bit on the bland side, but tasty enough to give a try. If you’re a larger group, it might be a good idea to order other kababs too while you’re waiting for it, ones that will require less time. The service is very helpful and will help you with the choices.

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    We decided to start the main course with Bhatkali cuisine – the Sharwa Maas, “Chicken/Mutton pieces cooked with authentic green chilli masala”. We chose the chicken version after a longish debate on whether to go for the Sharwa Maas or the Laun Miriya Maas (the red chilli version). Glad that we did. If you like spicy food, this dish is a must have. Its really tasty and while the green chilli masala does make a solid presence, it actually goes well beyond that and makes an excellent combination with the Gawa Poli, “Traditional Bhatkally Roti prepared with Wheat”. Actually the khubus too, which we’d ordered just to check it out.

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    Up next was the Dajaj Machboos, “Middle Eastern Spiced Chicken served with Basmati Rice”. We asked for a half plate, but the guy who took our order told us that it would be too much and suggested two small portions. It turned out strange because the two ‘portions’ cost us more than the half plate (?!) But that doesn’t take away from the awesome rice. The masala was good too, and not really greasy, just like the rice, but it preferred the rice’ company over the chicken. Well, so long as we’re having it all together. D quite liked the tomato chutney provided with the dish, but i still hadn’t gotten over the earlier chicken dish. I think it’ll go with anything, it was that good!!!!

    CIMG1265I was quite stuffed, but the desserts section did a mind-over-matter trick and I ordered a Shaufa Pana Pudding, “An exotic Bhatkali Pudding flavoured with Dil leaf Syrup”. The greenish color did scare me a little, but that vanished as soon as i tasted it. Excellent pudding with a very unique flavour, almost like a subtle mouth freshener. Must try.

    CIMG1264Meanwhile D ordered a Saudi Champagne, which is a mocktail made mostly of apple soda, but with a twist of lime. It also has tiny apple bits floating on top. from the little I was allowed to have, great stuff.

    All of the above cost us, including a 5% service charge, just over Rs.900. The service is quite good, and helpful, despite a few communication lapses. This place is a must visit, for a distinctly unique cuisine, decor and value-for-money fare that won’t cost you a treasure. 😉

    Alibaba, #69, 1st Floor, MM Road, Frazer Town Ph:40917163

    PS. This week, the blog takes a break 🙂

    Menu and Photos at Zomato