Author: manuscrypts

  • Master Classes

    The last few episodes of Masterchef Australia Season 2, especially after it came down to the final four, were quite awesome. For me, it went beyond the cooking or even the amazing camaraderie between the participants and the judges. The final two turned out to be Adam and Callum, separated in age by more than a decade.

    Adam, I thought, (thou shalt not dare to bring up the fact that I know zilch about cooking) was quite a genius. Though he was a bit too arrogant in the mid-episodes to be my favourite, his range and the thinking and creativity he brought into his cooking were nothing short of phenomenal. Meanwhile Callum’s level of cooking sometimes made you forget the age (and experience) difference between the two.

    But something more than that made me identify with Callum. A very smart friend recently gave me a Master Class and pointed out to me a classification of personalities – askers and guessers. I belong to the latter, I do tons of calculations and thinking before I can ask something of someone, and I still wonder if I’m being presumptuous or inconveniencing them. The worse part, I’ve noticed that the shyness is mistaken for arrogance!!

    In one episode, when Callum’s dish earns special praise from an external judge, he mumbles a ‘thank you’. Matt Preston admonishes him and reminds him of what he’s supposed to say when he’s praised. Callum then asks the judge whether he can do a stage, (“Staging is when a cook or chef works briefly, for free, in another chef’s kitchen to learn and be exposed to new techniques and cuisines”), and is promptly rewarded. I wonder how much ‘asking’ has to do with confidence and passion. Callum is fortunate to have discovered a passion early in life. I’m sure that his experiences will make him more confident.

    I read this excerpt from a book, which talked about “young adults in America choosing to slow down their path to adulthood”. Probably a good move. (Generalising) By the time we go through the motions of education and work, the baggage and constraints start accumulating. The passion practically disappears, and the experience possibly does more harm than good. Rediscovering all of it is no easy process.

    Perhaps, if we had an ‘education system’ that could help identify what we wanted+were good at+ could earn money with, we’d have more askers than guessers. Because then, we’d know our passion, and with that knowing would come a direction to seek our experience, with that would come confidence, and then all the world would actually be a stage – to learn and to perform.

    until next time, youthopia indeed

    Related Read: A toast to common genius

  • Elements Heritage

    In terms of heritage, Elements used to be quite liked for its continental menu, while on Nandidurga Road. I was looking at the photos on their site, and wondered how I managed to miss it. 😐 All’s not lost though, as the new Elements Heritage, on Mosque Road, (just after Savoury, diagonally opposite Empire, just before Mosque Road meets MM Road – map) scores heavily on ambiance, and only differs in cuisine focus. Parking shouldn’t be a big problem, more so because there are enough side lanes around.

    Apparently, this was a really old Raj bungalow which has been revamped. As soon as we got there, we were shown a table, but also encouraged to take a little tour to see more seating options. That included a section upstairs with a live counter, but apparently, that was for the buffet diners. So we got back to our ground floor table, which was neat enough. The ambiance is really super, and the spread out table groups, not visible to each other, ensure that you feel the restaurant buzz, but still retain the exclusive dining experience. The lighting is dim, but the only discomfort that caused was in the photography.

    The menu is below, the last one was the buffet menu for the day, priced at Rs.550 + tax. (click to enlarge) While I was struggling to take the photos, the owner, presumably, who was taking another set of guests on the restaurant tour, offered to send me the menu by mail. I was almost through though, so I didn’t take up the offer. (seeing that quenchers page, I should have :\ ) That only adds to my feeling that the guys who run the place want to add a personal touch and make the dining experience really good.

    From that large selection, which included many many things we wanted to try, we skipped the shorbas and went for a “Seekh ‘e’ Elements” and a Bheja Fry. The former  consists of 4 seekh kebabs, each with an idiappam. Quite good, but the winner was clearly the Bheja fry, spicy and cooked superbly.  This was the part where I was caught between getting a good photo and devouring the food. The latter won out, as is obvious.

    For the main course, we ordered a ‘Meen appam’, and a ‘Kozhi Mulagh Ittathe’. Most of the dishes come with neer dosa/rice, so ask before you order naans/ appam/ rice separately. The meen appam actually turned out more like an ada than appam, with fish stuffed in it and cooked in a banana leaf. It comes with a sauce that seemed to have a jeera flavour, which worked well to complement the taste. Though we felt that the ada overpowered the fish filling, its still a dish you could try. The chicken dish came with two kinds of rice (one of which was the Kerala style boiled rice) and 4 neer dosas. We expected this to be really spicy, but it was actually more flavoursome, despite me eating up one of the large chillies.

    We debated a biriyani, but then decided to behave in a more un-glutton manner and  debated whether we should ask for a halwa of the day or a Shahi Tukda. The former wasn’t available (thankfully, on hindsight). The Shahi Tukda was really good – less heavy (ghee) than usual, and is highly recommended. All of the above cost us a little less than Rs.1000. The service is brilliant, offers to help and the place probably has the promptest delivery time I’ve seen  recently.

    Elements gets into our favourites list for many reasons – a menu that’s not very common, an ambiance that’s really awesome, excellent service and overall, a wonderful dining experience.

    Elements Heritage, #55, Mosque Road, Frazer Town, Ph: 41144146/8

  • When you’ve no business doing it…

    Sometime back, I read this amazing piece titled ‘The Night I met Einstein‘ – how Albert Einstein helped Jerome Weidman discover his ear for music, step by step. I put that very simply, but the story has to be read fully to understand its depth and context, perhaps best summarised by its ending, Einstein’s words – “Opening up yet another fragment of the frontier of beauty.”

    I wonder if amidst prioritising our lives, we have lost the  ability to experience for the sake of experiencing, and to help others discover that magic. We have an entire web to discover content on any interest we might have, and yet even an Instant search does not mean that we can do something without an agenda, a purpose that goes beyond the sheer thrill of a new experience. Yes, I include the vacation – Facebook photos nexus (para 7) in this. 🙂

    When I watched the participants getting eliminated on MasterChef Australia, week after week, I felt sad for most of them. (there are perhaps only a couple towards whom I had taken a strange dislike) I felt sadder when they showed the ‘what do they do now’ and I realised that many had gotten back to their lives, and different lines of work that has nothing to do with the love for food. While the show gave them an experience they would cherish, it was also perhaps the best push they’d get to realising what they’re really meant to do.

    And that is perhaps a rare opportunity, especially when I look around and increasingly feel that the business of living has become the meaning of life.

    until next time, lifejacking

    PS: An insightful read in the same context “What does it mean to work hard?” via Mahendra

  • NE Diner

    The original plan was Zingron (NE cuisine), but a sudden burst of laziness, and the possibility of many birds with one stone, ensured that the plans changed and we ended up in NE Diner, for the promised ‘authentic North-East Multi Cuisine’. The place is easy to find, near Forum, on the first floor of a building opposite Raheja Arcade or the Vodafone store, depending on where you’re looking from. In the days of  yore, I think this used to be a mobile accessories store – the one where we went to get a ‘condom’ for the Nokia phones. Yep, that’s what it was known as, that rubbery sheath meant to protect the phone! 🙂

    Park at Forum and attempt the pedestrian crossing fear factor challenge or try one of the side lanes nearer the place. In terms of access, it is easy to draw a parallel with the North East in general. The place seems easy enough to find on the map, but don’t attempt that staircase if you have a problem with heights or narrow spaces. And if you expect a fine dining place as the light at the end of the climb, my condolences. This is a no-frills place, and you’re as comfortable as you make yourself. In what I took to be a hat tip to the old mobile story, the chairs still have their plastic covers on! Awesome! 🙂

    When we got there, we seemed like tourists, because everyone else seemed to be from the North East, but by the time we left, there were more tourists! 🙂 One thing I constantly envy about the kids (and actually older people too) from that side of the country is their superb sense of style. The service staff here are no different! Ok, I’ve digressed enough, let’s quickly get to the food. Here’s the menu (click to enlarge)

    Communication is a bit of a problem. Let me clarify that its not anything to do with the accent, its more to do with our lack of understanding of the menu items and their inability to express fully what the above were. Anyway, with some effort, it becomes a non issue. That, of course, didn’t help us access the Chicken Safale or its pork version. Ditto for chicken momos, all of which we were told, would take a long time. So we settled for pork momos, which thankfully, turned out to be the best item of the meal. The chutney and the ‘soup’ that comes with it complemented it beautifully.

    We had ordered a soup too, but that came long after the main course dishes were kept at the table. We should have known that we were probably the first to order a Chicken-Mushroom soup, because we were asked if it was actually on the menu, and we had to point it out. Meanwhile, with all the other items on the table, we waited for the mysterious soup. And when it did arrived, it proved to be a complete waste of time, so do avoid at all costs.

    For the main course, we ordered a NE Special chicken, which we were told could be as dry/gravy as we wished. So we chose the middle path- semi gravy. Also asked for was the Naga Dry Fried pork, and to help it all down, the NE special mixed chowmein – chicken/pork, veg and egg. We asked for the chicken version. We couldn’t resist asking for the King Chilly + fermented fish + herb chutney. The pork was too salty for our liking. The chowmein was pretty decent, though I wondered what oil was being used. The chicken dish, though with an inconsistent gravy, is also worth a try. The chutney, I think, is quite an acquired taste. Its perhaps the fermented (in bamboo shoot?) fish that gives it a sort-of pungent smell and taste.The overall theme that dominated though was chillies!! That, I loved. 😀

    All of that cost us just below Rs.600. Not a bad trip, considering that my sinus blocks were forced to vanish for a while. You should drop in if you’re in the mood to experiment, and if you have friends from Nagaland/Manipur, take them along for guidance and authenticity tests. 🙂

    #404, Opp Raheja Arcade, near Forum Mall, 7th block Koramangala Tel: 8861446753

    Trivia: One of the restaurant’s owners is Nelson (read Genesis here), and this is restaurant review #111. Get it? 😉

    PS: If you’re prepared to shell out some more, Zingron is indeed a better option. One of my favourites now!

  • Id+entity

    There was this experiment suggested in ‘Tomorrow’s God‘ – to look in the mirror and stare into your eyes. If you concentrate and hold your gaze long enough you’ll begin to ‘step outside yourself’ and ironically, have a more objective view. Its a bit similar to some meditation techniques, I think, and though I read (and tried) this about 6-7 years back, I remember having thought of things (about myself) that don’t usually surface. But it does lead to a very interesting question – who are you? 🙂

    Is it the job you do or the designation you hold? Or do you define yourself by your nationality or religion? Or the perception you have created among your friends, family, extended family etc? Or a persona you have created among those who you deal with, only virtually? Or the things you consume and the thoughts that arise in your mind? The beliefs, the notions, the perceptions, the likes and dislikes that are created in you over time? The things you say and the things you do? The person you see in the mirror, the physical manifestation of you? All of these are transient, in varying degrees. Even nationality and religion because for me, they are notional. The fun part is, this ‘you’ is the way you see it, the moment you change the point of view, it all changes. So, who do you think you are?

    until next time, identify yourselves in the comments 😉