• Naushad Big Chef

    The review first appeared in Bangalore Mirror.

    Until a few months back, the domain after Barista on 1st A Cross could very well have been called Keramangala, thanks to the proliferation of Kerala food joints. But when Paramount shut shop, after finding that it really could not be true to its name as long as Empire was around, and the spot immediately after Barista turned into Coconut Grave, courtesy the deep pit that appeared in place of the similar-sounding restaurant, Kerala was beginning to lose its gastronomic hold over Koramangala. But a new hope soon arrived in the form of NBC – not the television network- but Naushad, the Big Chef. For those in the habit of watching Malayalam channels, Naushad would be a familiar figure, rattling off easy-to-make recipes from across the world into the airwaves, for about seven years now. He has a Bangalore connection too – he did a hotel management course here. From a catering origin, NBC now has branches across many cities in India and plans to expand in the Mallu homeland across the waters too – the Gulf. I have been to one of the restaurants in Cochin. Though the menu does vary a bit across the outlets, keeping in mind local tastes, the biryani, which has found great favour in Kerala, is a common factor.

    The restaurant is just before Empire, (map) on the right. Parking is on the street, but the parking lot next to Empire is a short walk away too.

    The starters section is predominantly North Indian and Chinese and the one item that caught our attention – the Chilli Fish NBC style was still in its natural habitat, and therefore unavailable. We took this opportunity to test out the North Indian representatives in the menu and asked for a Chakori Kabab and a Nilgiri Kabab. The former was a chicken kabab with a mutton mince filling but was a bit too sour for our liking. The Nilgiri Kabab –chicken again, was much better – tangy and mildly spicy. The Prawns Pepper Fry was the best of the starters, with juicy, succulent prawns and a very spicy masala.

    Just like the starter section, this one too has quite a lot of North Indian and Chinese items, but we were quite focused. The fish continued to give us the slip even when it came to the biryani. The Chicken Biryani, NBC’s signature dish arrived first and was very good – flavourful, non sticky rice, just the right amount of masala, and well cooked chicken. It seemed more Travancore style than Malabar, in terms of taste as well as the conspicuous absence of the boiled egg. The other dish that gave it good competition for the top spot was the Chicken Ulathiyathu, a dry dish with some excellent spicy masala. Try it with the soft and fluffy appams. The (Mutton) Brain Roast is quite unlike the versions you’d find elsewhere, both in texture and taste. But it lost its impact thanks to the oily aftertaste. We finally got the fish in the curries – Alleppey and Malabar – both coconut based, and if you like a sharp tang, you should try the former. Watch out for the fish with a swollen head though – mostly bone.

    The Meen Pollichathu though, was quite a disappointment with an uncharacteristic bordering-on-bland masala and a pomfret that seemed to have extra bones in its body. The Dosas and Kerala Porottas performed their role reasonably well. The latter was quite crisp but lacked that hint of butter that has now become a characteristic of the Dosa based combination.

    In addition to the various items listed on the menu – mostly standard fare, they also have a juice and ice cream counter. We thought it was very unfortunate that they had chosen not to have any Kerala representation in this section. But we decided to try out the Date Pancake, which unfortunately, not only had an overdose of sesame, but was deep fried enough to be called a Date Poori! The Rasgullas turned out to be overly rubbery and rather insipid in terms of flavour. The Gulab Jamoon were probably the only item that we were not totally disappointed with, though it would be wise to check its temperature before swallowing it whole, since one of us was ready to spew smoke after this stunt.

    For Rs.550, you could share a non-veg starter, a biryani, a couple of Kerala Porotas and a non veg dish for the main course, and a gulab jamun for dessert.

    Many dishes were unavailable and the service swung from helpful to chaotic, the excuse being that there was some party in another section of the restaurant. In essence, the signature dish was the only redeeming factor in what turned out to be an otherwise botched experience. Unless there is a significant improvement in the quality of the dishes, especially the Kerala cuisine, and the overall levels of service, the Empire need not bother striking back.

    Naushad Big Chef, #125/A, KHB Colony, 5th Block, Koramangala,  Ph: 080-41465252

  • Ciafo

    Wayr, from Ciafo, which focuses on building consumer-friendly products, is a location-sharing app which can work without internet or GPS. In conversation with co-founder Amarpreet Kalkat.

    [scribd id=89191243 key=key-1bq5fb06uh4aixfaqiog mode=list]

  • Life After Like

    That was the title of my presentation at Indian Social 2012, where I was one of the speakers (row 3, column 1) at a panel whose topic was ‘Measurement beyond Fans, Likes and Comments’. It was quite an amazing experience with some excellent speakers and panels. Ours was a power panel with a ’10 slides in 10 minutes’ guideline. (see the  presentations from other panelists here) Thanks to that, I was told by Dina, Surekha and Gautam, who were present during my talk, that an x/2 speed version of my presentation would really help. 😀 The slideshare embed and the scribd doc talk flow should help it move at whatever speed you are comfortable with. 🙂

    [scribd id=88357603 key=key-h1mc44428jwd4rafyu0 mode=list]

    So, that’s how it went – the wonderful experience of putting faces to names I’ve virtually known for a long time, meeting new people whom I’d like to stay connected with, and most importantly, being part of something that in my view will be (if it isn’t already) THE gold standard for social media events in this part of the world within the next couple of years. A big thanks to Rajesh Lalwani and the entire India Social gang for making it all happen.

    until next time, real socialising 🙂

    PS: Coverage on Exchange4Media

  • Once upon a place…

    Travel used to be something I looked forward to – I can still remember train journeys  – from Cochin to Bombay, Chennai to Kolkata and shorter ones, from packed home-cooked food and getting Amar Chitra Katha bought for me at Railway bookstores to bringing books I couldn’t find in railway stores and getting down at stations and sampling local specialty food, the first rides in the Rajdhani and Shatabdi in ’93, from traveling in a group to traveling alone, and from listening to a walkman to listening on a mobile phone, the stories are endless.

    Travel then became an escape from the mundane existence with known favourite destinations that would guarantee rejuvenation if only for a few days. Then travel became something I completely avoided, until slowly I began to unravel that mystery in my head, and here.

    These days I look forward to my vacations, planning months ahead and carefully choosing destinations. Meticulous planning and research that even D has now gained a knack for. 🙂 The idea of a mass of humanity that vastly differs from me in many ways, and yet connected to me by that sometimes intangible human chord. The sense of possibilities, the immense perspectives that one gathers just by observing a different way of life, and the comforting knowledge that I am not alone in matters of the human condition.

    until next time, we’re busy getting Balistic next week 🙂

  • Lunatic in My Head

    Anjum Hasan

    Though this is the author’s debut, I happened to read it after I read the second work – Neti Neti, which can arguably be seen as a sequel of sorts to this book, not just because its protagonist happens to be Sophie Das, a character introduced in this book, but also because both the books seem to have a common theme of a search for belonging.

    ‘Lunatic In My Head’ has four principal characters. Firdaus Ansari, who teaches English literature to an apathetic class, pursues an elusive PhD, finds it diffuclt to connect to the authors she’s dealing with, fights staff room battles, suffers from near OCD and tries desperately to remain in love, as she lives with her grandfather, both of them conscious of a fragile balance that allows them to endure each other.

    Aman Moondy, Civil Services aspirant, obsessed with Pink Floyd with a bunch of friends, each fighting their own battles with parents, siblings, lovers and representing the life of youth stuck in a small town.

    Sophie Das, eight year old daughter of an English professor who refuses to be realistic and his wife who feels her husband has stopped caring for the family.

    And Shillong, for this book is also about the place, its people, its gossip, its idiosyncrasies, and its clearly visible lines of separation between the natives and dkhar (Khasi word for non tribal person)

    Each of them also live in their own fantasy world too- Sophie, who cooks up a story of being adopted, and Aman, who thinks Roger Waters makes songs based on the letters he sent him. The smallness of the town is perhaps emphasised by the degrees of connection between the characters, how their paths cross, and how intertwined their lives are.

    Divided into chapters such as ‘Wonder’, ‘Sadness’, ‘Love’, ‘Courage’, ‘Disgust’, ‘Fear’, ‘Anger’, ‘Joy’ and finally ‘Peace’, the book passes through what can be seen as a cycle, and uses the mundane occurrences in a small town to reflect mindset and the paradoxical static and dynamic nature of the place and the people there. What takes it to a higher level is the moodiness that seems to reflect rainy and misty Shillong itself.