Bite into great Desi Chinese cuisine - Beijing Bites, Jayanagar

Food - Bite into great Desi Chinese cuisine - Beijing Bites, Jayanagar

K, V and S giving a great colgate moment.
Bachelorhood. Married guys envy, bachelors pride. Yet another weekend spent postponing studying for the imminent competency exam. But no regrets. Yesterday, 29th, was one of the most enjoyable nights I have had in Bangalore. Dinner with good friends always ranks among top of my favorite activities.

So it was me, Ashu, Sandhya, Victor, Sandy and Kavita trying something other than loitering at BTM or Forum; we decided we would loiter around Jayanagar , except for Kavita who had better things to do, and then end it with dinner at Beijing Bites.

We first hit another avatar of Cafe coffee day, Kalamane koffee ( or something similarly named) to sample some fresh brewed south Indian coffee while waiting for Sandy to grace us with his ever delayed presence. Great place to chill with some really interesting kaapis. Worth checking out for its uniqueness and the price. The crowd was as usual youthful but I did notice an elderly gent with I guess more discerning taste present there. I wouldn’t mind visiting Kalmane kofee to seriously try some more.

After some more dilly dallying and delaying Kavita further, we managed to move into Beijing Bites a full hour later than schedule. No need for reservation, there was enough place for many diners. The décor was great. Grades better than the Beijing Bites at Banshankari which looks like an over glorified Chinese tapri compared to this place. The crowd was a good mixture of young and sophisticated. Again scoring above the Banshankari place.

Victor, luckily or un luckily, for him was seated between Sandhya and Kavita causing the young couple seated next table much pain. The gentleman then, I guess was forced to shield his ladyship from Victor’s charm by sticking real close to her. We provided them further engagement in their uncomfort by gesturing and speaking in obvious hushed tones at them. The entertainment was superb.

Trying to reform back to vegetarianism, albeit for a full 10 minutes, I made Kavita agree to Veg Koithio , a Malaysian noodle dish, and crispy chili vegetables. Veg Koithio I should mention is a must try at B B’s because of the unique flat noodle make and the spice. It’s a great welcome break from the usual fare. The veggies were great, better than some of the non veg stuff. Well that’s what I can say about the veg.

Many more fowls lost their lives when we asked for Manchow soup and Hot and sour Chicken soup. The Manchow was reliably good, but the hot and sour was just too bad. Sandhya and Ashu had a hard time gulping it down. Then we asked for the all time favorite at BB - lemon basil chicken which did not disappoint us. Must mention another connoisseur friend Samrat whose extensive research in non veg dishes at many eateries results in reliable recommendations. One more dish was passable. For the main course was noodles and fried rice. The spice was provided by pickle chicken curry. Frankly the main course wasn’t a great experience, it was just as expected. I was expecting a surprise. It seems the food dosent change much between branches of the same chain of restaurants.

The bill for such a big quantity of food came to INR 750. Shared among six that’s a great deal! The service was better than average similarly the food. Much better than the Banshankari outlet.

We continued chatting till we reached our steeds, strolling in the beautiful Bangalore night. For a guy from Bombay, which I love, the weather was simply wonderful. Bidding everyone a safe ride back home, I ended yet another enjoyable Bangalore experience.

Banjara

Food - Banjara

Bit difficult to write after what has happened in Bombay.

Chandu finally decided to generously host us for lunch for his belated Birthday at Banjara at Jayanagar 4th block after repeated reminders on Sunday 23rd Nov. At 253 INR for the buffet, yeah those 3 rupees are for the toothpicks, we intended to attack the buffet table for every last paise that Chandu paid. Me and Advait know that there is a similar financial ‘correction’ in store at our Birthdays.

Kavita had tipped me off about this place and I have to really appreciate her choice. The décor was surprisingly very good inside. Huge dining hall with capacity to seat almost 250 people comfortably I guess. We were led to a comfy corner by a hostess, waited by a head waiter and served with the usual cutlery and stuff by another guy. Great presentation must say.

After Chandu confirmed his financial situation and the fact that they do take tax saving meal cards, we voted for the buffet. Not a very wide spread, we started with three kinds of salads and pasta salads. But it’s the starters we made a bee line for. The vegetable manchuri ( mind you they call it manchuri intentionally ) , chicken ajwain, peanut chicken and tawa chicken were good. Ok the peanut chicken was great. Almost full, we were determined not to give up at this instant.

Next up main course of some really fancy phulkas made on a unique wire framed roti maker which made for a nice show every time the phulkas went into the flames naked. I went for my healthy compensate of palak paneer, dal fry, spl gujurathi sabzi –actually undhhio ,dakshin fish curry and chicken labadar. Full points for the veggies. But the non vegetarian fare was passable. I didn’t care , it was very difficult eating anything after the starters. I managed to try few more grains of pulao of the rice varieties offered which was pretty decently spiced, just for formality sake.

I strangled the last breath out of my attempt at eating healthy that weekend by the next onslaught. Gulab jamoon, gajar halwa, vanilla mousse, ice cream and some dish I don’t know what to call. I had it all. Gajar halwa was toooooo good. The mousse was excellent. Gulab Jamoon was ok. Ice cream..ho hum. Please call for a fork lift.

How was it? Totally totally worth the money. The extra 3 rupees too.

Mumbai, 26th Nov 2008

Event - Mumbai, 26th Nov 2008

At last count 125 dead and 330+ injured. Among the dead are 14 policemen. Unknown number of terrorists attacked Mumbai on 26th and as I write this post at 27th 10.17 pm in front of the TV, it seems the night that started yesterday hasn’t gotten over yet for many. I stare at the TV screen cumulatively adding to more than 6 hours of watching the news channel. I see the menacing picture of a young dark guy carrying an AK-47 with what seems a sardonic smile. I see news channel showing fat head opportunistic politicians and Bombay ‘celebrities’ like the idiot Prahlad Kakkar and the assorted bunch of morons. The ‘leadership’ has to show up at the hospital to pain the survivors further. Please appreciate my patience in using parliamentary language here.

Seems like the same story which has been happening in Bombay ever since I can remember. I called up Mom to assure myself about her and Manish my brother like before today morning, and as before both Mom and Manish go to office. They shall attend office albeit a little relaxed with all the excitement. Come back home, answer calls from relatives; update themselves with more news and go to sleep as usual to attend office tomorrow. Like the other many millions.
But many will not attend office tomorrow. I realize again that misfortune also affects the affluent. Stalwart policemen fell prey to bad luck when they entered a hospital, unexpectedly falling prey to bullets. Retribution is of no concern for the perpetrators. I guess they have achieved what they wanted to. The stock exchange was closed today. The mood among the industry isn’t good and there is going to be a further impact to the already reeling economy.

I hope retribution will follow. But vengeance is too personal a feeling to be taken seriously by the

‘leadership’.

My respects to the departed.

Movie - Dostana

Movie - Donstana

Finally a Karan Johar movie which I was able to laugh throughout and not choke on senti - baazi. The movie starts with the usual plastic perfect location of Miami (really?) with picture perfect bods throughout the movie ( except for Boman Irani). The overall theme was - as you can guess pretend 'Happy' guys are in love with the very very lovely Priyanka Chopra. So who ends up winning her heart? In the process losing a lot of other things. Aishwarya just in case, I am there for you .....

Quite awkward watching it with 5 guys and 1 sporting girl in a theatre which was attended by almost everyone younger than me! My first tryst with mid - young adulthood crisis. Just for the record, our group out classed any college kid in that hall who could whistle, cat call or pass colorful comments whenever Ms.Chopra did something worth commentable. The screen was too far away, or I was sure we would have danced in front of it when 'Ma da Ladla' played - exaggeration OK, but sure did that in our seats!

It was great letting my hair down like this, quite a memorable movie ! Enjoy, without your parents of course. And just for the record, I am totally behind baby log ha...

Yo Andhra! - Dinner at Mandara

Food - Yo Andhra!- Dinner at Mandaara

After a day of hard work (sic) four of us decided to have dinner at a place we had dined at recently. Mandaara’s which lies upslope of Katriguppe Junction towards Mysore road, is another miss if you blink eatery on the first floor. More visible on the exterior is the billboard announcing the Bar on the second level. Enter the decent well lit dining hall and you will find a sparse crowd of family and young diners. I am to be puzzled why. Not yet though.

We sit on very comfortable sofas seating 3 at a time and six on the marble table with folded plantain leaves. All this looks very inviting. The whole atmosphere is just right. Not posh not bad just decent and comfortable.

My fellow diners were Jason, Samrat and Ashutosh. All seasoned non vegetarians. And today Jason and Ashu are gonna test the Biryani. So shall we. Although we ordered the mini meal – which is not mini in any sense. “And we shall also have the kalmi kabab” says Jason matter of factly. One thing to mention is Jason is a thin guy for an Indian software engineer who eats meat twice a day, skips most of the veggies and feels chapathis are no match for parathas which he religiously eats with ofcourse chicken curry and lots of it while at it. Ashu agrees to the kababs, though a little doubtful whether he will be able to eat that much.

Me and Samrat wash the plantain leaves with water and the waiter ladles delicious thick dal, spicy brinjal and the unique chutney (what is its? Gram dal or peanuts or a combination?) .Then comes a plate of white rice, small bowls of rasam, curry, kadi and thick creamy curd. A sad excuse for a papad is also provided. The fragrant biryani comes in a brass serving kadhai. The Kalmi Kabab will take time. We start with the rice in front of us which is the main course of an Andhra Dinner. The dal is just right. The spicy brinjal is surprisingly well made, cause I detest brinjals. The chutney as usual is great but what took the cake was the kadi.I don’t know if what we had was kadi, but similar to that – it was just great.

Jason and Ashu seemed to applaud as soon as they had the biryani. The taste was well balanced, the spices and the flavors not overpowering, giving each other just space on the palate. The chicken portions seemed scant , but were tender and tasted great with the spice thoroughly mingling with it. The kalmi kabab appeared finally – it is a kabab made from chicken legs and is a favorite amongst chicken . So Mr.Kalmi arrived super tender and wonderfully spiced. The accompanying pudina chutney was unnecessary , the kabab tasted awesome and as Ashu said, we were just afraid of finishing it off soon.

All of this was finished off over a healthy discussion involving Multimedia. We didn’t bother with deserts cause we were just too full.

The bill came which was a very reasonable Rs.356.

Mini Meal – Rice with various curries and chutneys Rs 34 --------Great and superb value for money.
Chicken Biryani Rs84 ------------------------------------- Good but the price was above the wow zone
Kalmi Kabab Rs120 ---------------------------------------------Good and price seemed on the high side.

Bottomline – great place to have a meal. I had it the second time and will go back again.

Now bring your spreadsheet to the beach and make your friends to also work on it!

Tech - Now bring your spreadsheet to the beach and make your friends to also work on it!

I was surprised when I came to know that many of my friends dont use/know of office suites and applications like notebook.google, reader.google and google apps and OpenOffice.org . Understandable. We have had access to Microsoft Office all the time ( I am making a point here if you understand what I mean ;) ).

Now I buy a new laptop. I need an office suite. So what do I do? Financially drained from buying the lappy and unable to buy an MS Office suite, I am left with 2 choices now:

1. Get a net connection and start using docs.google apps


2. Get OpenOffice suite.

docs.google is really simple and quite convenient - you dont need to have it installed in your pc. You just need an internet connection and start using it a regular speadsheet/document application. Your data is on the net and can be shared for collaboration and such - this might also be a negative point. You are placing your data on the net. So most probably you would avoid using the service for official purposes. But consider the following use : - I am placement coordinator for my college. I need data of my batchmates such as semester scores and company preferences. I simply upload a template and share it with my friends. They fill in the required data. This can be tailored and further shared with recruiters and linked in many ways possible. Simple and sweet!

OpenOffice.org gives a neat package of fully functional Office tools like the Word equivalent - Writer. Pretty much the same functionalites, you can enhance it with further Open add Ons like EuroOffice Dictionary. You end up saving tons in money buying a set of Office tools and come on now its high time we started getting into the Open movement. The only thing that kept us from doing this is we never bought much of the software. Issues like compromising security and Microsoft blanking off your screens if you buy its pirated stuff ( yes now it can ...Huhuhuhahahahaha..) has turned many away from the lure of pirated software.

Well two points I needed to drive home so that my friends can start using the best stuff the net has to offer out and try some reliable FOSS ( Free and Open Source Software ) . Bottomline - we need to start exploring the net better.

Anyone heading for the beach? I will get my laptop...

Tech Post 1.0 - boring new stuff

Tech - Tech post 1.0 - boring new stuff

I might as well jump onto the tech blog that are as common as mosquitoes in a swamp, but try to make it relate to us..us being of a large definition.

A new bird ( Media player ) worth checking out: This is songbird 1.0 . From the makers of Mozilla, this looks like a cool player worth checking out. It comes across as highly customizable as with the likes of Firefox. Pretty cool if you are bored with Win Media Playa or iTunes and want something refreshing, to read more hit the link.

3D display - Shaktiman comes alive!! Yikes, looks like Star Wars isnt too far away. One of my favorite "Thing of the future" ..3D display technology I feel is long overdue. Might not be surprised if the next iPod pops up with a small version..hello Shakira!

Crapgadget at Engadget - Vote for you favorite crap gadget Engadget churnes up a list of the really bad gifts to give, now wheres my credit card..

Start your own e-commerce portal: follow the link. This site tells you how you can set up your thela on the net. Whats that coconut guy? you need a nice background for your e-store?

Namaste to the first person to suggest me a better name than "Tech Post 1.0" :)

Solutions to improper usage of meeting rooms (MRs).

( I was going to post this in my intranet blogosphere but I dont think this suits the forum)

Now I am gonna do something taboo! write about the office........

Office - Solutions to improper usage of meeting rooms (MRs).

Another meeting, another booking and yet again somebody other than your team occupying the room. They seem pretty busy to bother checking the availability of the room. Quite understandable. Hence occurs the idea – something to tell people that this room has been booked from so and so time. It is really rude if you occupy the room in someone else’s slot and going on a break while the team which has booked the room stands outside wondering whom to inform to take away their laptops and their papers from the room.

Ok, the last incident was a personal experience, true though. This prompted me to shoot some ideas to my team mate “What if there was a big LCD displaying the occupancy schedule for the meeting room”. He responded “Hey, great idea. Why don’t you put that up on intranet?”

What followed was my email to some of my friends with some genuine ideas and some humorous ones to solve to problem of ‘Solutions to improper usage of Meeting Rooms (MRs) ’ but to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Here some of the collective ideas, with some pitfalls mentioned:

1. An application which pops up on the system screen inside the room which displays the details – basically the above idea without the Hardware and it requires the system in the room to be kept switched on all the time.


2. A scrolling LED display board which displays the time, who has booked the room and the event/meeting. – Hardware cost and the interfacing of any scheduling software with the display (a project all in itself ! )


3. A printout posted with the details and stuck on the venue by the person booking the room. – wastes paper, will required the person to come in advance and is pretty messy.


4. A poster stuck inside the meeting room which says “Please adhere to the official schedule to avoid disturbing the booking schedules” – creates a bad impression.

And some really interesting ones by the more disgruntled than usual:

1. Keep a Doberman in all the meeting rooms and wire their brain to a central server which attacks all unauthorized users of the room. The dogs can also attack in case the meeting gets very boring – Dobermans require a lot of room, so can be implemented in larger board rooms only. Suggest replacing them with Pomerians.


2. Automate the doors of the MR such that they shut close whenever there is any unauthorised usage, quite useful if co needs to add resources like Dungeons - have to recruit dungeon keeper and costumed prison guards, rather can be replaced by harrowing hours of 'training'.


3. Finally, Use the (favorite disruptive political outfit) approach. Start pelting stones in case there are some ‘non native’ users of the MR – stones are not easily available.

Now I wonder where I can find some Pomerians…

Gymtertainment!!!

Remember those beautiful days when your mom hit you to get your lazy posterior off the floor cause you been playing the darn video game without blinking , eating-drinking , no pee pee, no homework, mind numbing five hours straight. Well now the kids and the older versions of them can rejoice they can do all this while buffing up their muscle mass. So say good bye to juvenile or early Spondylosis and allied bone altering ailments cause here come the video games incorporated with workout gear such as treadmills http://www.phillymag.com/articles/health_The_Greatest_Workout_for_Gamers/ and
http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/goods/gadgets/2008/10/19/Video-Games-and-Gyms . The most well known perhaps is the Wii Fit. In May, Nintendo introduced the Wii Fit—a wireless balance board used for yoga and pilates and even snowboarding—to wide acclaim and sales. Nintendo 1.1 million units in its first two months alone!

Pretty soon I guess we will be heading to a Gym for some great video games and a great workout. But this isn’t new, Dance revolution. Its that dance game you find in the better arcades where you have to tap on the four direction arrows on the floor which light up according to a rhythm on the screen. You have music and characters grinding along to the grooves. Played 2 players usually, I do it in the usual competition mode, its great fun to goof up and just manage to save paying another load of money to continue the game whose pace just increases relentlessly

Pictured here are my two teammates R and Y at Amoebas Arcade at a Team Outing, who refuse to be identified with this blog, but at the same time enjoying the game with the usual IT infused muscular dystrophy. Just like Rocky said “I cant sing or dance, that’s why I joined IT :) “.

Hats Off Mumbai Police

Hats off Mumbai Police

In the last week of October, a young man looking for a job in Mumbai suddenly took a double decker bus under his control by the force of a revolver. He positioned himself on the top deck and held many people of the bus hostage. He shot a man in the thigh, injuring him, and tried to strangle the bus conductor. He fired several times from his revolver. The police gave him warnings and ultimatums, finally had to shoot him dead. The police had entered the top deck via the small stairwell.

My only thoughts besides the title; pray tell what the police should have done alternatively, risking minimal human lives and using prudence.

The paragraph again:
In the last week of October, a young man from Bihar looking for a job in Mumbai suddenly took a double decker bus under his control by the force of a revolver. He positioned himself on the top deck and held many people of the bus hostage. He said he wanted to kill Raj Thackray. He shot a man in the thigh, injuring him, and tried to strangle the bus conductor. He fired several times from his revolver. The police gave him warnings and ultimatums, finally had to shoot him dead. The police had entered the top deck via the small stairwell.

And the Mumbai police was condemned by people and media for the 'heinous' act.

The muslim flower seller.

People - The Muslim Flower Seller

My home is in Parla, Mumbai. There is a street close to its railway station simply called 'parla market'. Market hosts many hawkers who over the years have sold some of the best produce in Mumbai. In front of a vey usual readymade clothes shop, a crowd is the usual sight. And the crowd is buying the best flowers in Parla; or for many the best till Dadar along the rail line, at the most proper price, sold by perhaps a very honorable seller.

And Mom always buys all the flowers from her, so does half of Parla, I guess by the ever present crowd. Come festive season and its a mini Dadar in a few square feet ( Dadar is one of the biggest flower marts in asia, belive me it is huge and to the word wholesale ) . Her establishment has everything a Hindu festival can ask for. Usually everything comes fresh and at a price which is lower than most ( personally verified ). Staffed by a bunch of what seems like her male relatives who look like thugs, and act likely while transacting when the lady of the shop remains away, seldom though. If at all she happens to notice that the guys have managed to rip some money off someone, she promptly makes it up in cash or quantity. Once she told my mom in fluent marathi "What to do, these men are always looking to cheat at the shop and at the house".

So I can declare easily it’s a good establishment run by a good manager which attracts repeat business with the guarantee of a good product at a good price.

So whats the big deal?a lot of small shops impart the warmth and guarantees that this lady has to offer. But there she said something special that compelled me to mention her.

Evening, Diwali in October 2008. I am home after many days and have accompanied mom as usual to the market to buy the usual tons of fruit and veggies she always buys (which I noticed do get over, Ok I am lazy to nourish myself I know). And since its festival time we have to go to the flower shop. There is only one. There are many, but only one that we will buy from.

A crowd is present, as usual. Mom asks for the 5 rupees bunch, she starts wrapping up many different varieties of flowers and leaves which will eventually be used in a pooja back home. “10” she says. “Why?” asks mom back . “Prices have increased” says the seasoned lady. She wears the usual salwar suit which distinctly identifies her faith. She is visibly tired and still glances at mom as if she knew mom or the many moms and aunts and dads or the hundreds of people who visit her shop. Mom asks her why she was looking so tired, didn’t she have anything to eat? (That’s classic mom, she is always enquiring about ‘her’ people ) And the reply “I have been standing here since morning, and when your customers are fasting, it is does not feel good to eat” she says nonchalantly, I might be suspect but mom believes it. I believe it later.

She had nothing more to sell than the usual bunch which cannot be bargained from her. She never fires the no good helpers who I guess are family. She keeps her shop respectfully unobtrusive to the shop in front of which she encroaches; which I suspect has let her flourish symbiotically, she dosent have to not eat. She does not fast this time of the year. She is a good seller. That’s it. The Muslim flower lady that’s the identity I have created for her. Do I come across such people everyday? Not many. Worth a mention though, read? I need feedback for…

The lunch group ....call us the MTW lunchies!

I dont know how it started but I am glad it did.

It now gives me a reason to go back to work. Not that works bad ( hey dont fire me, I havent said anything..... yet :D ). Life can be measured by its memorable moments, happy ones moreso - nothing too senti, just plain truth. I literally felt a new beginning in my work all over when things changed, changed a whole lot recently.

I moved into a new project, a new team, new house, new roomie and a new set of people; People who take their lunch time seriously. It has to be fun. Noisy, irritating to by standers, waste fuel and generate pollution. Hey this is not me. But I likes, I likes a lot.

So now I eat my food for a minimum of an hour, laugh at least a couple of times, ride my bike with my friends - exhibiting a sense of abandon when I zoom my bike past many a people looking at the horde of bikes pass. The horde interspersed with the female IT kind, glamorous in IT metrics. We eat fresh and full, not the usual bucketed variety and sometimes indulge in the wayward Heart clogging roll ( heart attack in 2 hand fulls - yeah that big! ) .

The roar of bikes ( ok I am exaggerating ) makes the stall owner eager to clear the biggest of his 4 tables and arrange for some 3 legged plastic stools for us to balance on. We sit below the blue - blue plastic sheet supported by 4 posts to save us from the rain and seldom from the heat. I am sure an extra ' paratha' guy gets commissioned at this time, cause the orders come next. Appetites so large, I mean they are IT workers after all, not wood cutters man! How can a guy eat 10 parathas and chicken curry every day and stay sub 65 KG! And the ladies sometimes display equal enthusiasm. A word about my Hindu veg non-veg perspective here. Veg is when I am not eating in a place where you get awesome non veg. Other wise I am pure veg, pass me the egg curry please. All the while contributing to the unorganized food industry.

We finish in good pace, not too slow not too fast. But sometimes we have to be pleaded when other lunchies come for their lunch ( notice my superb vocabulary ). Back to the bikes, zoom past people, park together, crack some more jokes, give someone some bumps if possible, finally back to desk for some caffeine. And I am refreshed.

Best lunch I ever had. Many more come and I pray will keep coming. The food, the people, the ambience, the bikes, the commotion...

This continued beyond the lunch hour. An outing, another outing ..more in stow I guess. All truly memorable, joyous and perhaps the only few times I have come out of my shell.

We can be named the Guddu's lunch group, MTW roadies better call us the MTW lunchies....
and we did in true roadies style have some more fun ahead!!

Not biryani for a change..

Say Andhra and there was only one option, Hyderabadi Biryani. Yup, the royal rice and meat preparation is synonymous for Andhra and Hyderabad, nourishing the Nizam ,Nizamettes and people who are looking for a complete meal in one dish for centuries, this dish is truly my favourite; as true as my excellant grasp of history.

I will give it a pass this time though....

Friday night , not exactly weekend cause mostly I work weekends too, was another impromptu 'Jashn' . This time ,people of this world, there will be no order of Biryani or pulav or some boring dish for flat 305, gangotri apartments, next to venkateshwara stores, close to K something something petrol bunk, down the slope ( notice the extra 'down' and 'up' dimension in addition to right and left in bangalore ) after the upslope near Canara bank...whew. We would personally go and feast..again.

This time to a glorious Andhra 'restaurant' called Nandini. This over glorified mess...sorry restaurant is locally well known for its Andhra cuisine and its high prices :( Right off Kathriguppe circle in Banashankari 3rd stage, if not for Nandini, you have to come here for the dozen other food joints and cool places here.

For Friday night, the place was quite packed,no waiting though. Beware people looking for an ambience or even a lamp shade, the atmosphere was similar to a railway station, a very clean and delicious smelling railawy station at that. I wish the lights were a bit dimmed down, but I guess people were really into eating the even last grain of rice with the last milligram of the fiesty Andhra curry. The crowd was totally family, households were dining on sumptious rice dishes, great apetities in tow. Although I was a bit full.. the whole atmosphere was very encouraging. Over all the restaurant came off as a very well made up mess hall with long row of tables and seatees for comfortably packing in eating machines. I have always been a fan for functionality over vanity..this place me likes :)

The menu came very swiftly, after a prompted brush of rice from the last meals off our to be seats. Vast would be a nice word for the menu. Very full of descriptions and images, my salivary glands kicked in just looking at the menu.

I yearned to eat meat. Chicken being the usual victim, I did as always, ask the waiter what would be a good chicken gravy dish, chicken chettinad it is; to be shared with Lord Chandu. His tallness Ayush went for a very vegetarian egg curry. And obviously, all of us went for plain rice.

The spice was explosive! I mean I did tell the waiter medium spicy...its ok though I have taken similar hits,cant feel my tongue though. NOT the best place for foreign client lunches or dinners ;unless you want to kill them. Trust me, milligrams will do. Then it is perfecto. The cutlery were some fine fingers of mine, best way to get the right quantity of killer gravy right with the rice and chicken. Best Chicken in a long long long long long time.

Is that it, rice and chicken curry. And plain rice at that too. Hell yeah. Beats a lot of stately meals and fancy food outs in a long long time. Thats the beauty I say. They dont need to serve me anything else . A simple chettinad chicken, correctly tender, well balanced with the spice other than the chilly, the chilly is very very challenging with the intensity. Very unique. The rice is no silent bystander, very fresh, perfect timing out of the cooker and the body very full. Fulfilment.

Desert was something my roomies looked ahead to. I expected the usual faire which was available in much more quantities outside for less than half the ammount. Friday, was the wrong day to have dinner, the waiter says, they dont have desserts, ditto for Saturday and Sunday!! Urge to kill.....rising......

There was nothing much eaten to rate, but still, in keeping with the traditions of this fine blog..

Chicken Chettinad.......Very Very Nice

rice( plain and white ) .....Nice

Terrible Strawberry Ice cream.......Horrible

Bottomline, go to this place its nice.

Pre Placement prep 1

Apologies to my long lost readership of my friends who are to appear for their placments, for the absense of any articles that relate specifically to the recent placement scene. My job has kept me more than occupied to set time aside for these articles which cannot be handled leisurely.

This is the extract of a recent mail I had sent to one of my friends who is due to appear for placements in a few weeks and he had the following usual queries:

The current IT scene,

Anxieties of placements,

Tips on leveraging the best result out of a placement programme. Of course, its not the original :) mail.

"Settle down, its a long long mail.


I was in etrx so I had all the etrx cos like ####### and the likes. Software cos were the usual . For the comps, IT ppl , there were more like ( specific cos) and many I dont recollect.

I have a fairly good idea about this time's scene .This time around, be prepared for Finance cos along with the sofwtare bunch. Rest assured there are enough to take you in , as long as you are deserving.

If an #or# or # is enough, I would advise against setting your targets low, they will take a big number in indiscriminately. This time around some very high paying and powerfuly branded cos are coming in and I want you, and all of your friends, to get the big ones. So start your career with a good co, mind you a good co can also mean a small co which can give you superior exposure and experience to technologies, and you will never have to worry about many things.

I had made my resume long before my exams had started (6th sem), anyways its not that difficult, make one after your exams. For now, you have your exams to worry about. Placements will happen when they happen. So give a good 6th sem to get a good post grad ( I am sure you are looking forward for that).

I know I am not a guru, but the following Gyaan can't be too wrong.The current scenario, is not that great, as profits are down on SOME fronts not all. Software will always have work, something or the other as long as you have perseverance. The companies come to recruit almost a year and half in advance when analysts say things will get better, I dont believe analysts though :) Placements will happen when they happen, again, you give your best. The slowdown period is actually the most exciting, and I am glad I am on the scene at this time. The action heats up, companies go on a buying spree due to low valuations and people have to stretch and prove themselves, and after the slowdown there is a decent rise always in IT. People also might lose their jobs, but as my Project manager says " if you are good , nothings goining to happen to you".

Another piece of important advice, start getting friendly with all the nerds, and the software gurus, who you might have despised, cause they will be immensely resourcefull during the placements. If required for the time being, be a good pal and get all the techie knowledge off them, it will help far more than reading books and solving prep papers. Along the long way too, their network will help you get opportunities and relations.

Best of luck for 6th sem!"

rajasthani delights in bengalooru

Almost every weekend we have a ‘Jashan’ (celebration). Usually not for any reason. This one was for my allocation to a project, which by the way is a BIG issue.

So Roomie Ayush suggested Buffet at Dal Tadka, a rajasthani-north Indian cuisine restaurant.

“Buffet eating is an art” quotes Roomie. True. Its an artistic whim which makes you to pay for one, unlike the ones we enjoy at weddings and such food fests. You have to make good every rupee that you shell out. The more you shell out, the more the vengeance with which you attack the food. It’s a task at hand, not a meal. It requires strategy. Most importantly you have to be hungry, very hungry. Considering Rs.150 to be made accounted for.

Dal tadka, is as Indian as it sounds and rajasthani to boot. Enter into a sort of rajasthani mehfil, with the expected fabrics, paintings and seating. Not very over the top rajasthani, just right. One glance at the higher than average prices a la’ carte, we headed for the Buffet, which was gloriously waiting for us.

I guess we were the first ones to tuck in. And the first ones to be subjected to the terrible tasting fluid served in a very very ‘chindi’ plastic glass called JalJeera. If I were a gujju, trust me I would have killed someone. Plus floating dead insects. Hurrah!

But that’s where torture ends.

Starter alu tikkis were superb(4.5/5), the accompanying sauces made them interesting, best we had had.
The Naans were superbly flaky and so were the Phulkas (4/5).
Paneer sabzi ,Alu Gobi and Peas Pulav were usual(3.5/5)
Raitha was just curd blended with Hajmola anar daan, lame (2.3/5)

Dal Fry, thumbs up (4/5)

Gulab Jamoon, tired and tasted (3.5/5)

Over all, I felt it was overpriced at 150. We felt we didn’t give a tough fight since we gave up in between. Man it takes some guts to fight a Buffet.

China Pearl. No shes not my GF..unfortunately :(

China pearl, koramangala:

The occasion was a casual dinner party thrown by my roomie and some common friends. If you might have read my previous blog post, company really matters.

I don’t really fancy fancy places like this one, obviously they are supposed to be good, given that people who were hosting the party had tried or had been reccommended about it. Hence the notch goes higher this time.

My first night time in Koramangala, enjoying the sights and more sights (I was wearing a helmet) of Bangalore, the glam city. Hey this is what I came for. My earliest memories of Bangalore were a place where you could enjoy ‘american’ style food way back when there was none in Bombay and a hi tech, clean and functional city. Seems it still has it!

On a road full of similar joints, China pearl strikes no amazement into you. Enter and the décor is a bit crowded and usual. The staff were crisp ( hey I havent started tasting yet!) and very much in the ‘theme’ ! Not bad. The crowd seemed upmarket, except for us J had a good sprinkling of youngsters although it didn’t seemed like a very hip place (considering the fact that at one point they told us to pipe down, but we had our usual kind of fun). All this points to some serious dining. And. It’s Indian Chinese, not authentic.

We were 11 hungry people all from the same company. 11 different points of view, 10 great companions,7 states represented on a table and for sure 5 different languages spoken in a span of roughly 2.15 hours. I love my country.

So let’s eat.

What? The menu was huge. The sea food section was also well populated, which surprised me. The vegetarians definitely don’t lose out in this restaurant.
Heres what we ate, with an attempt at pro star rating, mind you this rating was done by 3 guys, hence I can say , this rating does good justice. Tabloids, please contact my agent.

Shaolin sticks (veg seekh Chinese style) – * * * * .5
Crispy paneer – * * * *
Momos – * * *
Lung fung soup – * * * .5
Chicken manchow soup – * * .5
Red Dragon chicken – * * *.5
Veg balls in hot garlic sauce – * * * *.5
Veg Chowmein - * * * *
Veg Schezwan fried rice (peas!) - * *
Chilly fish - * * * *
Kum Fa lamb - * * * .5
Chocolate mousse - * * * .5
Sweet lime soda - * * * *

Overall I can give it a * * * *. Lack s a full 5 because it seems a bit on the expensive side.

A meal I shall remember, for the food and the people.

Hey, I just did what many foodie columnists do; impose their judgement on the readers in metrics like numbers and stars. That’s the last thing I want to do.

Go to this place. It’s good.

The 'Good Food Guide' guide

I like food. A lot. I like to write , moderately though. Hence you will find articles religiously dedicated to food.(aneeshksh.blogspot.com). I have been blogging for more than a year. Intermittently though, every time I wrote, I was left with a feeling of satisfaction for putting my thoughts into words and for the ability to express one of lifes pleasures into letters, that of taste. My inspiration, presenter of ‘The Cook’s tour’ –Anthony Bourdain. It’s a bad practise to get inspired by TV, but his curt style and his love of food made not in a 5 star hotel, but of the kind enjoyed daily by Billions around the world. I however started on a small scale, exploring food that was served in my home in Mumbai, Vile Parle – the home of Parle-G biscuits and I was hooked.

I never tasted food like I used to before. I tasted for my readers, whoever they may be. Every taste and flavor, no matter how subtle was noticed, appreciated or taunted. I realised that the texture of food, aroma and the ambience could make or break a meal. Probably this is what my mother wants of me. To eat, enjoy and share. And what better way than blogging.

So how do you start? Assuming you do know how to start a blog of your own, the following guidelines can start you off with your own foodie page.
1:Like food, all kinds: You have to be impartial, like in a cricket match, an umpire who allows the usual sporting sledges and watches out for the no balls. You should be able to appreciate not just one cuisince but must be eager to try exotic ones. At the end of the day, the umpire likes the game, or gets paid well.
2:Know food: here you need a bit of research. This is the case with acquired tastes and local varieties. Better ask someone who is from the region to give you their opinion which will matter more. And most of all, you will know what to look out for and appreciate.
3:Company matters: Sharing a meal adds to the experience immensely. Talking statistically, it normalises any imbalances in judgement and a conversation always completes a meal. Plus it benefits you monetarily, obviously. Parties are good. Especially when you are not paying :) .
4:Keep a note: what you had, where you had and how much did you pay. These factors are fast forgotten when you eat something else! Remember, you are using taste and experience as metrics, which are not standard and tend to be forgotten easily.
5:Have an iron stomach: Don’t go anywhere without it! It took me years of digestive condtioning to be ready to brace almost any kind of food. It dosent mean we compromise on hygiene, we never do. But someone, somewhere always forgets to follow procedure.

I guess with this bit, we could start appreciating food and writing about it. But I shall tell you the place to get the truly best food in the world: home.

Battle of Bangalore: hunting for food. Intro

Battle of Bangalore: hunting for food. Intro.

Leaving Bombay was like leaving a Nice juicy, crunchy bhelpuri on the table after taking a bit and digging into a fresh plate of karela salad. Its healthy for me, I don’t like it but I have to eat it.

So as before, I explore new gastronomical frontiers with my roomies, let me remind you this blog isn’t a food blog, I write what I like to.

Let me start of by saying I hate Bangalore, for now. I am part Kannadiga so I am acquainted with Kannadiga food ( if that’s what it is called). And things are not Ok for a hog like me as I have to hunt. For food which is not the same as the last meal and which you might not get bored with within 3 cycles of iterations. For places where you don’t have to consume food like horses, standing up.For a place that is not run like a military canteen cause there is no other fodder station for miles to come . For a decent functional and affordable meal.

It dosent end with Dosa and idly, it starts with it. Best so far will be MTR which I haven’t tried but with all my techie brethen swearing by it, I can give it thumbs up.
But who has time to go and eat at all these fancy places when subsitence is the matter of hour. So you eat what you get. But all along in Bangalore you will discover gems of Dosa and Idly all along. Be it the canteen of the office or some small darshini you happen to try the accompanying chutney and sambhar are unqiue and interesting. Northies and I personally like the dry chutney which they put in the parcels, be sure to get it when you eat there also. But these occasions are rare where you are delighted by the food. Far and Few. So eat the next as it might be your first.

Gobi Manchurian. How these natives like it. How the Chinese might consider this a blasphemy. These spheres of nutritionally deficient califlowers tortured with vinegar, sauces and heaps of MSG potentially cancerous, how good they are! Best place to eat, my auntys place. Commercially I can say so far I have had it best at SLV swadishta, Banshankari. Banashakari by the way is my stomping ground for my adventures. Look out for Gobi manchurian with gravy, it can just make this dish or break it completely. NOT RECCOMENDED FOR PEOPLE WITH BAD THROATS, STOMACHS, INTESTINES….

Good North indian food, dosent come cheap here. If it comes so tell my dear flatmate who happens to be such a harried Northie affected by acute deficiency of good northie food. Already angered by lack of the national language, the final straw was the ‘north indian’ meals. This is Chinese food all over again. Local versions of North Indian fare are deluding the locals, or probably easing the transition I guess. Hey who am I to say. I am from the land of cocktail foods.

So run along to Shree Sagar(jayanagar 4th block). Our new found haven for Bombayya style Northie Food which my aforesaid Punjabi flatmate gave his thumbs up. Trust me that finger dosent come up as easily as one of its neighbours when it comes to food joints. Observe- food joints. Cause there usually are no chairs to sit and the consumption happens in a standing position, not this place. Thank you.
The roti, kulcha, naan run along the expensive side (Rs12+ !!) , but are well turned out. Sabzi, yes sir. Palak Paneer and Makhanwala are better than many of the ones I tried in Bombay. Priced similarly. Great Pulav. The service was quite mentionably fast and good. The Mushroom gets a 4.5/5! Schezwan rice sucks :( Gobi MC :( North indian meal :):):):) hehe, they had ice cream in that meal :). Its in Jayanagar :) , next to Cool joint :)

Cool joint, :) I cant stop doing that. This place definitely takes the ice cream cake. Screw Baskin robins 52 times over man! Great prices, great dishes , sandwiches, sundaes, shakes , juices. Thank god for this piece of holy land. You have to experience this place. Try amazing ice cream combos like Honey crunch, my darling, spider man…… innovative, very delightful and cheap(25+) !! what more. I want my salary paid this way. Womenfolk, you will love this place, men escorting the lady, this is your lucky cheap break.

Finally for this article, the one thing that made us happy, kept our energy and morale up, juices. Omnipotent. Omnipresent. Mega size, Mini price. Max satisfaction. Since I stepped into bangalore I have been drinking like a fish, purely non alcoholic in nature. Man, water is for washing, juice is for drinking! All the prices are low and juice is made fresh. The water so far has always been clean and best way to get vitamins awfully low in bachelor food that we eat. I always ask for mice without sugar and filter. Which makes the juice dude wonder, why bother drink a juice? Just eat a fruit and drink water. But I am too lazy for that. Highly reccomended, bangalore reads fresh good cheap juice for me.

Further I invite my friends who are fighting valiantly the battle to conquer new tastes and experiences in food land. Together we shall make this world a better place to eat :) forgive my pjs :P.