FRIDAY 24 AUGUST 2012
WHAT’S HOT, THE TIMES OF INDIA
WINE & DINE, TV MOVIES
Restaurant Review
Mumbai by the sea. Pune by the river.
Chennai under the trees. I serve up a
slice of nature from the three cities
which I’ve been zooming in and out of,
in the past week
CORNICHE… Mumbai
I love the sea. Just to sit within airkissing distance of the sea in
Bandra’s new Corniche is a treat. The
very white furniture and décor and
fact that it’s the only restaurant on
the Bandra seafront with a liquor
licence immediately sets it apart. I
Rashmi Uday Singh
catch up with my long time friend
Ashlesha Shirodkar and Gunjan Gupta here. Chef
Amit Chaudhary (ex Olive) serves up pizzas, pastas, risottos, Thai curry and shawarma, too.
Surprisingly, the Burmese Kaukswe, served
with the perfect crunchy and tangy accompaniments
came up tops. Flavoursome. Filling and well priced (`
395). While the spaghetti was overcooked, the stuffed
chicken with pesto cream and olive mash was well
made but not the greatest.
Ditto for the Thai curry and thin crust pizza. Plenty
CORNICHE
Gagangiri Society, Carter Road,
Bandra (W)
Tel: 2646 0147
Open 12:00 pm–12:00 am
Meal for two `1400
RATING: FOOD 3 SERVICE 3.5
DÉCOR 3.5
STONEWATER GRILL
Koregaon Park
7:30 pm–11:30 pm
Meal for two `1200
Tel: 020-4103 0303
RAINTREE
Vivanta by Taj – Connemara,
Binny Road, Chennai
Meal for two ` 2000 open lunch
and dinner.
Here it is. A taste of the authentic Chettinad thali
beneath the ancient trees, located in my most
favourite legendary hotel of Chennai. Here, the
finest from the kitchens of the Chettiar community (dishes influenced by South-east Asian recipes,
tastes and spices) hot and pungent with fresh
ground masalas, sun-dried meats, salted vegetables explode with taste and exuberance. Chef
Chandrassekaran excels himself and a thali meal
here under the trees is an experience.
STONE WATER GRILL…Pune
FOODLINE
READERS RECOMMEND
Turkey beckons. As I write this, I’m
munching on the worlds best Turkish
Baklava (1820) brought for me by Emin
Cakmak, chairman of the Turkish Tourism
Council. It’s fabulous to be connected to
you. Thanks for your Twitter, FB and e-mail
feedback. Mail
([email protected],
FB, Twitter @rashmiudaysingh)
or sms (77380 22873) to be listed here.
● @Salilicious Dosa on the cart
CHEF’S CORNER
Food Fun
Bring out the Master
Chef in you with Ajay
Chopra, Executive Chef
What is an essential
quality of a Master Chef?
Our country has got so
much talent and there is a
Master Chef in each home.
Somebody who creates
something tasty with
immense passion and does
that consistently
every time is a
Master Chef. You
need persistence,
passion and
commitment to
create master
dishes every time.
Your take on the
food industry in
India.
There’s an evolution in the
food industry now. People
are exposed to varied
cuisines more than ever
before. World cuisine is
taking its well-deserved
place in India. molecular
gastronomy is a culinary
trends as of now, but the
focus is on chef-crafted
food presented beautifully
and filled with flavour.
What inspires you to
create innovative dishes?
Creating new dishes is
exactly like creating a new
painting. You imagine a new
combination of flavours,
various textures start
playing on your mind, you
brush strokes of creativity
and finally get a new dish.
But having said it so
melodramatically, it doesn’t
just happen! The science
behind the food comes into
play, trials need to be done
and recipes standardised,
before a new masterpiece
is launched for the
discerning palate.
Top five must-haves in
the kitchen.
Love, passion, commitment,
ingredients and obviously
(pots, pan, fire) to cook.
Your advice to
Master Chefs
who wish to
take up
cooking as a
profession.
My advice is
simple: ‘All that
glitters is not
gold.’ There is
relentless hard work,
commitment and sweat
involved for anybody to
reach up there. When the
whole world enjoys, you will
have to work. These are
hard facts but the fruit of
this labour is sweet. If you
have the passion,
commitment, drive and love
for food then nothing can
hold you back from shining.
To experience Chef Ajay
Chopra’s innovative menu,
visit the Dilli Khaas food
festival at Kangan from
Aug 24 to Sep 9, 2012.
Where: Kangan, The Westin
Mumbai Garden City,
international Business Park,
Oberoi Garden City,
Goregaon (E)
For reservation, please
call: 022 6736 1830
opp. Mithibai
● @sanju855 Sanjivani Bhide
takes orders cream and chocolate truffle cakes and all other
desserts, chocolate and theme
cakes. Eggless too. Ph: 98706
36303
● @vivek_haladi Kulfi Falooda at
Cahudhary ice cream in Bellard
Chandu Halwai is known
for its pure ghee sweets
like Karachi Halwa, Ice
Halwa, Motichoor and
Besan Laddoos and
delights like Kaju Katli,
Rassogulla and more. The
sweets available are
perfect for gifting and indulgence and are 100 per cent
Vegetarian Tosita bakery products. They take bulk and
corporate orders and offer home/office delivery on request.
Where: Teenbatti/ Colaba/ Dadar/ Bandra Call: 022-2369
4795 (Teenbatti)/022-2284 0073 (Colaba)/
022-2414 3312 (Dadar)/022-2642 6970 (Bandra)
RATING: FOOD 4 SERVICE 4
DÉCOR 4
RAIN TREE... Chennai
It’s by the river, serene yet rocking. Its thanks
to the dapper, stylish Vispy Patel and the gourmet
maestro of a caterer Shirin Adenwala that I dined
in Pune’s finest, contemporary European Cuisine
restaurant powered by a wood fired oven, charcoal grill and great talent. Lounge by the 50 foot
bar by the river, dance to music or opt to sit within the elegant, dimly lit, handsome restaurant.
Here Chef Shailendra Kekade spins magic. We
love the warm and freshly baked bread, hot and
cold asparagus soup, perfect balance of textures
and flavours of the smoked duck, the melon and
feta cheese stack and sinfully luscious chocolate
dessert. Thin crust pizza was okayish. SlowBraised Rabbit and dark chocolate. Himalayan
Trout and the Vermicelli-Crusted Basa and more.
Sadly, the cheesecake and the chicken dish are
not as good as the rest… but what a creative
menu and there’s elegance and sophistication on
the plate and in the décor, too.
Tasty Sweets @ Chandu Halwai Outlets
TIMES FOOD GUIDE
of choice of seafood; tamarind glazed basa, chilli garlic prawns with wasabi and more. Plenty for vegetarians (okayish vegetarian platter spinach corn roesti,
hummus et al). We ended with the luscious though
oversweet gooey chocolate. Go for a cup of coffee
(great choice) or a drink. It’s open through the day, go
feast on the view.
9
RATING FOOD 4
SERVICE 4 DÉCOR 4
Do you agree? Write your own
review and give it a rating at
(5) Excellent (4) Very good (3) Good (2) Average (1) Poor
Estate and Bisibele Bhath (a
South Indian rice dish) at National
Hindu restaurant, Ballard EstateVivek Shenoy
● @ShaaqT recommends Idli
House at Kings Circle offers every
variety of idli, great filter coffee,
khottu idlis, with melgapudi.
● @rikisuch recommends great
Mexican take away in Colaba
called Salsa Wraps. Should try it
Onam Special Thali @ Banana Leaf , Andheri (W)
Banana Leaf is one place
where you can expect Kerala
delights under one roof. On the
auspicious occasion of Onam
there’s a special Onam Thali.
The platter will include mix Veg
Soup, Sharkara Varatti, Uperi,
Pazham Boli, Kuttu Curry, Pachadi, Sambar, Paripu Curry,
Olani, Thoran, Rasam, Kerala Rice, Paratha or Dosa, Chapati
and Paripu Payasam. When: Aug 29, 2012
Where: Banana Leaf, Shubham CHS, Juhu-Versova Link
Road, Andheri (W) Call: 022-267 09999/2628 9090/
2623 9999 and 6561 2791 (Korum Mall Thane)
Tex Mex made fresh.
● @madhursethi recommends
Temptations at Vile Parle for
mouth-watering ice creams.
● Conducting Classes for Hot
Snacks, Hand Moulded Dry Fruit
Sweets, Easy Method of preparing Bengali Sweets to Sizzlers
Vegetables and Fruit Carving,
Calligraphy and more. MEENA on
2646 0936.
Almond Cakes @ Ovenfresh
Outlets, Dadar (W)
Widespread Buffet @
Balthazar, Juhu
International Lunch Buffet @
Saffron Eatery & Bar, Andheri (E)
Made with unsalted butter, finely
chopped and ground almonds, this
super simple, classic French almond
cake from Ovenfresh, has a moist, not
very sweet, decadently almondy, taste
and texture. Have this cake which is a
perfect reunion with the teatime cake.
This cake contains eggs in it.
Where: Ovenfresh, Shivaji Park,
Dadar (W)
Call: 022-6760 0000
Balthazar serves you multi cuisine
delicacies from a range of cuisines be
it Chinese, Indian or Coastal. There’s
Prawn Gassi, Squid Reshad and highly
palatable Kebabs. Also, a big buffet
with more than 250 Chinese dishes to
choose from. So be there at Balthazar
to eat all you want. Price: The buffet
for ` 499 (without seafood) and with
seafood ` 699. Where: Balthazar, Near
SNDT College, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu
Call: 99309 99930
Saffron Eatery & Bar is the only place
downtown which offers a variety of
international cuisines. The international
lunch buffet has an exquisite spread of
Indian, Tandoor, Chinese, Continental,
Italian, Thai and Mexican Cuisine.
Price: International lunch buffet for
` 275; Sunday International Lunch
Buffet for ` 375. Where: Saffron Eatery
& Bar, The Supremo Activity Centre and
Matoshri Sport’s Complex, JogeshwariVikhroli Link Road, Andheri (E) Call:
022-6551 5400/2835 2727/2836 2727
Tasty Food @ Joy’s
Gourmet Kitchen
Delicious Treats @
Temptations Outlets
For parties, contact Joy’s
Kitchen. They deliver
dishes and set up live
counters for small parties
and have provision for
trained cooks and
undertake orders for up
to 5,000 people.
Timings: 11 am to
midnight. For picnics,
delivery starts at
6:30 am. Where: Areas
covered; Mahim, Bandra,
Khar, Santacruz, Vile
Parle, Andheri, Juhu,
Sion, Chembur,
Ghatkopar. Call: Contact
Abhijit at 93221 78696.
022-3192 5373/74
(Bandra, Khar, Santacruz),
022-6555 5011/12/13
(Parle, Andheri, Juhu,
Mahim) and
022-2557 5402/
2550 3808/2551 8651
(Sion, Chembur,
Ghatkopar)
The Temptations Ice
Cream Lounge has three
outlets in Mumbai were
also awarded Times Food
Guide Award for 2012.
Choose from Choco Chips,
Vertigo, Berry Bonanza,
Browny Delight, Choco
Heaven, California Delight
and more. The special
addition includes Cold
Stone Chocolate Ice
Creams like Belgium Hot
Waffles, Sinful Chocolate,
Fresh Fruit Exotica, Melting
Browney among others.
Call:
93247 72857 (Vile Parle)/
93239 08007 (Borivali)/
93224 79773 (Andheri).
Where: Temptations
Outlets at Vile Parle (W),
Borivali (W) and
Andheri (W)
RESTAURANT WATCH
Contemporary Menu @
Grain and Bagel, Malad (W)
What: Grain and Bagel, Ground
Floor, Interface 11, Raheja Complex,
Behind New Infinity Mall, Off Link
Road, Malad (W) is a new world
bakery café that has opened its first
outlet in Malad.
Features: A contemporary and
relaxed ambience complemented by
a delectable menu that includes a
superb breakfast menu to ensure a
healthy start to your morning. A variety of comfort foods such as soup,
salad and also a sandwich station is
located at the centre of the restaurant and helps prepare your meal, your way. The café also
offers free home delivery.
Cuisines: An exotic selection of breads, bagels, spreads,
meats, veggies, sauces and dressings that will ensure you
can construct a new sandwich every time. Also, on offer
frIETRO
SHOES
are an eclectic mix of classic and modern European
entrees (Polenta, Tapas, Roesti, Sage roasted chicken in
charcutière sauce) and desserts that are delicious and
mouth-watering.
Timings: 8 am to midnight
For reservations call: 022-6561 0291/2881 0153
To feature here, please call 90229 92477 or send an email to [email protected]
TV MOVIES
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25
SUNDAY, AUGUST 26
*
Movies Now
Movies Now
Movies Now
RoboCop 3, 7 pm; Cast:
Robert John Burke, Mario
Machado; Action/Drama;
★★★
Tango & Cash, 9 pm; Cast:
Sylvester Stallone, Kurt
Russell; Action/Comedy;
Conan the Destroyer
★★★½
Conan the Destroyer, 11
pm; Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Grace Jones;
Action/Fantasy; ★★★
The Grudge,
4.15 pm; Cast: Sarah
Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr;
Horror; ★★★½
The Great Dictator, 6.15 pm;
Cast: Charles Chaplin, Paulette
Goddard;
Avatar
Comedy/Drama; ★★★★
Avatar, 11.15 pm; Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe
Saldana, Sigourney Weaver;
Adventure/Fantasy; ★★★★★
Ip Man 2, 6.45 pm; Cast: Donnie Yen,
Lynn Hung;
Action/Biography; ★★★½
Die Hard 4.0, 9 pm, Cast: Bruce Willis,
Justin Long; Action/Thriller; ★★★½
Return to the 36th Chamber, 11.45 pm;
Cast: Chia Hui Liu, Lung Wei Wang;
Action/Comedy; ★★★½
Sex and the City 2, HBO, 6.05 pm;
Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall;
Drama/ Romance: While dealing with the pressures
of life, Samantha and her friends decide to make a
trip to Abu Dhabi. Whom do they run into? ★★★
The Favor, MGM, 9 pm;
Cast:
Harley Jane Kozak, Bill Pullman;
Comedy/Romance: Kathy (Kozak) is married to
Peter (Pullman). But that doesn’t stop her from imagining a life with her ex! ★★★
The Doors, Zee Studio, 9 pm;
Cast: Van Kilmer, Meg Ryan; Biography: The story
of the famous rock band of the 60s and its leader Jim
Morrison. It traces his life from his student days until
his death at the age of 27. ★★★½
Ocean’s Thirteen, HBO, 9 pm;
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt; Thriller: Danny
Ocean (Clooney) rounds up his crew for yet another
heist. This time they are up against a casino owner
who is double-crossing one of the members of
Ocean’s team! ★★★½
Cool Runnings, Zee Studio, 5 pm; Cast: Leon,
Doug E Doug, John Candy; Adventure/
Comedy: The first Jamaican bobsledding team
is all set for the Winter Olympics under a disgraced trainer. Can they pull off a few surprises
in the face of contempt and ridicule? ★★★
After the Sunset, HBO, 7 pm; Cast: Pierce
Brosnan, Salma Hayek; Action/Comedy:
Master thief Max Burdett (Brosnan) and his
lover Lola (Hayek) claim to have given up crime.
Should we believe them? ★★★
Underworld, WB, 9 pm; Cast: Kate Beckinsale,
Scott Speedman; Action/ Fantasy: Selene
(Beckinsale), a vampire warrior is in love with
Michael (Speedman), a werewolf. Can the two be
united? ★★★
Hackers, MGM, 9 pm; Cast: Johnny Lee Miller,
Angelina Jolie; Thriller: A young boy is arrested for unleashing a computer virus. Years later
he finds the evil computer genius behind the
virus. ★★★
shcp www.metroshoes.net
Ccndiuons
Revenge of the Pink Panther, MGM, 7
pm; Cast: Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom;
Comedy: Former inspector Charles
Dreyfus is released from hospital once
(Lom) inspector Clouseau’s (Sellers) ‘death’
is announced. Now Clouseau goes undercover to find out what’s happening! ★★★
Final Destination 2, HBO, 9 pm; Cast: AJ
Cook, Ali Carter; Horror: When Kimberly
(Cook) has a premonition of a highway pileup, she manages to warn people of certain
death. But why are the survivors dying?
★★★
Deep Blue Sea, WB, 9 pm; Cast: Thomas
Jane Saffron Burrows; Action/Sci-fi:
Biologist Susan McCallister (Burrows) and
her team are looking for a cure for
Alzheimer’s from shark brains in the midst
of the sea. ★★★½
Tekken, HBO, 10.50 pm; Cast: John Foo,
Kelly Overton; Action: Jin has been waiting to avenge his mother’s death. But he
will need to fight a deadly combat tournament. ★★★
All programmes are subject to change
★ Poor ★★ Average ★★★ Watchable ★★★½ Good ★★★★ Very Good ★★★★½ Very Good+ ★★★★★ Outstanding
Die Hard 4.0
apply
Colaba . Tel: 22040969/228 12531 • DadarT.T. . TeI: 24144651
• Bandra (WI, Linking Road. Tel: 26492899 • Andheri (WI, Opp.
Shoppers Stop. Tel: 26250512 • Malad (W I, Opp. Malad
Shopping Centre. Tel: 28800987