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From Dubai, with love
Avatara opened in Dubai in early 2022 and bagged a Michelin star within a year, the only vegetarian Indian restaurant in the world to do it in style. It has now opened in Mumbai with an updated tasting menu that is an ode to its new home. And it is a winner. Food: The 14-course tasting menu turns Indian vegetarian fine-dining on its head. The usual suspects—paneer and mushroom—are nowhere in sight nor do any of the dishes have onion or garlic. Instead, unassuming vegetables like turnip and bitter gourd take centrestage. There is Grinjanah: t…
DIY on Asian griddles
Going out to eat in Japan is a pantomime. Visit an authentic Japanese okonomiyaki restaurant; here actions speak more than words. An okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) course begins with asssorted bowls of ingredients like shredded cabbage (the Hiroshima version has par-boiled soba noodles), chopped up bits of raw seafood, juliennes of gari (pickled pink ginger) and katsuobushi (dried skipjack tuna) flakes aka bonito being placed next to you by a courteous server. In front is a stainless-steel teppan grill sizzling away producing aromas more compl…
Calm in a teacup
Sri Lanka is slowly becoming the traveller’s cup of tea again. After Covid-19 hit tourism, it is banking on its signature teas to bring travellers back. The Pekoe Trail, a 300-km walk through the central highlands is the enticement. The introduction to the 22-stage trail, which can also be customised to suit time demands, is the brainchild of adventurer Miguel Cunat says “The trail combinees history and nature. The villages are alive with living heritage. From the plains, a minutes later you cross into a forest, where the feel is completely di…
A rum affair with tiki cocktails
Cocktails are not really riding on the coat tails of their original base. Everything edible or drinkable has to be intriguing with legacy hints; tiki cocktails fit the bill. Hallmarked by summery and fresh ingredients, Polynesian-inspired libations channel island vibes like no other. Now Indian bars and restaurants are going tiki tock across the country. Tiki cocktails are having their moment, “due to their vibrant flavours,” says Mohit Badh, head mixologist at New Delhi’s KhiKhi—a restobar famous for its tiki cocktail simply named ‘TIKI Styl…
Don’t say just cheesesteak
Insta cuisine is eccentric at best and downright ridiculous at its worst. The ‘Everything is Cake’ trend is a beguiling social media trick of fantasy and reality: imagine you’re looking at a flower pot packed with mud and blooms in the middle. A hand with a knife appears. Flower pot murder isn’t even Agatha Christie’s domain. It is epicurean legerdemain: the knife plunges into its clay victim which isn’t clay, mind you. It is chocolate. And the metaphorical blood is coffee mousse, coffee ganache, espresso chocolate cake, buttercream and vanill…
India's gourmet pet food market booms as owners splurge on exotic treats
Google, Zigly, Emoji, and Zoom, two of whom are adorable Cavalier King Charles’ and two are Shih Tzus, are the apple of their owner Yamini Jaipuria’s eyes. While Google and Zoom love curated pizzas and peanut butter; Emoji and Zigly have a yen for anything with sweet potatoes and also exotic stews. “All four of my babies love different kinds of gourmet food. I prepare separate meals for each one, but only after consulting the vet to ensure these gourmet foods don’t upset their tummy,” she declares. Jaipuria, the managing trustee of pet-care r…
Dozens hospitalised in Moscow with rare food poisoning after eating salads ordered online
MOSCOW: A suspected outbreak of a rare and extremely dangerous food poisoning in Moscow left more than 120 people seeking medical help and at least 30 in intensive care, health officials said on Monday. The patients were admitted to hospital with suspected food-borne botulism, a life-threatening condition that attacks the nervous system and can cause respiratory failure and paralysis. Russian authorities said the toxic outbreak came from salads distributed by a popular online delivery service, which on Sunday temporarily suspended its operat…
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