Mundane Musings

So we in Chennai have almost completed our lockdown 5.0 and we have received news that it is going to be extended strictly until July 5 after which it will be a relaxed lockdown. Oh ho here we go. If the number of cases had come down courtesy this lockdown, at least we would feel a bit better, but that doesn't seem to be the case as of now. The numbers are as high as 3900+ cases in Tamil Nadu and above 2000+ in Chennai today. People we know are talking about people they know who are getting affected by covid virus. It is a scary situation...yes; and the best possible step would seem to be to sit tight at home and wait for the worst to blow over. My biggest concern presently is the non-availability of beds and ventillators in hospitals and hence not a great time to fall sick with corona virus. God save us all from this pandemic. Sitting tight at home might not be a viable option for many. Concerns over finances, work, regular chores etc could be eating us up. But this seems to ...

War turned out to be one of the very few Hindi movies that I got to catch within the first week of its realease. It is also one of the very few movies that I have watched without reading the reviews. And it was truly the only one Hindi movie that I have watched in a night show: the movie started at 10:40pm and got over at 2:00 am. It tells a lot about a movie that could keep me awake through out without even a yawn. The only times I opened my mouth was when my jaw dropped. That happened on many occasions I confess, what with the incredible single shot fights on land, in water, in the air and on ice alongwith the minor detail of these jaw dropping stunts being performed by a grizzled, muscled, chiseled, sculpted, edible, incredibly high on testosterone Hrithik Roshan and his puppy cute counterpart Tiger Shroff. Be still my heart This post is not a review of the movie. Nope, you have probably seen the two, two and a half starred reviews online. There are reviews that have thrashed...

S and I, who have had helped improve business of many establishments during our dating days, are finding it very difficult to ease into the dining scene after the brief hiatus brought in by our little Anakutti. Eating out has yielded pretty unsatisfactory results with very few restaurants deeming a second visit. I can't help but wonder if it has become the norm for restaurants to dish out mediocre stuff and make the diner feel privileged to part with his hard earned money that may have not been worth the dining experience. Take the case of Double Roti in Anna Nagar East. This restaurant chain has been touted as the best sandwich/burger joint to have happened to Chennaiites and we were expected to feel happy that they had graced us with their presence. (Oh how I miss good ol Mash, this side of town).This Delhi based restaurant has earned rave reviews on Zomato, which is soon proving to be a not so trustworthy review site for a 40 year old foodie. People have been raving abou...

The new cafe on the block (Anna Nagar East), Tea Trails is un-apologetically tea-centric. I don't think I have come across a menu book just for tea in a long while. Though it is a boon to tea drinkers, this may put off quite a few of the non-tea drinkers or the non-tea aficionados, but only until they come to the 'chai' page. What a selection! Rubbing shoulders with the delicate green teas and black tea choices was this intriguing list of milky tea (chai). I don't enjoy tea if it doesn't have proper milk and masala in it, as I can't for the life of me deduce the delicate differences in the aroma/ flavour of these brewed beverages. And since I can make a mean chai myself, I make do with the various hot and cold coffee options offered across cafes in the city. There are very few joints however that do serve the obsequious milk tea with masala, but that is about the one option. Here, there is a whole page dedicated to 'chai' - a whole page. There is adhra...

This is my second visit to this much talked about, gone so-many-times-that-people-don't-even-want-to- talk-about-it place :-D. But what has given me the confidence to write about it is the relative ignorance of my friends living abroad to good eating joints in Chennai when they come down for a visit. Perhaps this post will help them narrow down their eating options. Bombay Brasserie (BB) is a part of M Mahadevan's long list of restaurants. He is the man behind Hot Breads and subsequently of other successful restaurants which he partnered with others in order to diversify and thereby create job opportunities to people. Oriental cuisines will resonate with people as it has all fabulous eateries under its umbrella - Zara, Benjarong, Ente Keralam, French Loaf, Wang's Kitchen, Teppan, Planet Yumm. His latest endeavour, The Writer's Cafe which I have not yet got the opportunity to visit, employs burn victims. The man is known for his Midas touch, and not all of it seems ...

2017 is underway and I am in a jolly land of books. I can sincerely say that books make me feel the way I do when S and Ana kutti are around – make my heart beat faster, in case you were wondering. I love the whole idea of meticulously reading book reviews and coming up with a list of books that I’d like to read or own, and then the wait to hold them in my hands and if it is a new book then to smell the pages and admire the covers and the fonts, and then to actually sit and read them. The last part has become pretty challenging with Ana kutti zooming around seeking attention. But my nights are for my books...at least that minuscule time frame I have between checking social media and almost dropping off to sleep. When you have an active, naughty 20 month old, you’ll be surprised how innovative you get to find ways to do things you like. That’s another post anyway. 2016 was a good year considering I surprised myself by reading quite a few books and enjoying many. In orde...

A few minutes into Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (ADHM), and I wondered if this was a real portrayal of an urban Indian youth? Since I was seeing this movie on the heels of the very watchable web series Bang Baaja Baraat where the principal characters’ first date actually starts with a quickie, yes a quickie... in a bar (yes, this happens in insanely populated India where people can’t pee without being seen) and only then followed by any exchange of information, I had to quickly come to terms with what was unfolding before my eyes in ADHM. If you are wondering that this was surely a lift off from some Western movie, then like me you are probably of the other - older generation. This my friends is how the rich, urban youth of India are presumably dating these days. So here too, Alizeh and Ayan meet in a London bar where she is grooving rather prettily to techno music and minutes after she notices him, they get physical, or at least attempt to get physical. No worries that he is a co...

One could probably stumble over Al Maza restaurant on a chance browsing of Zomato for restaurants in Anna Nagar (E) to satisfy a weekend high calorie crave or while walking through or driving through the shady roads of the quiet colony where it resides and even then would find it difficult to complete their intention as the entry to the restaurant is very ambiguous. Not until recently, when the husband made a visit to pick up a large order, did he demystify it for me. The restaurant sits on the first floor of a building and the entrance is from the side through a flight of steps. Ok, go ahead and judge me, but wait till you find yourself there and cast about for those very stairs. Since Ana's entry into our lives, we have really not gone out to eat much and that meant missing out on a lot of good places to eat...I mean it, a lot of restaurants that would otherwise had been ticked off with serious diligence have gone unnoticed. And before you ask? We find it comfortable and ea...

Did the chicken come first or the egg? Similar existential questions were asked in our Food Service Management class back in college. Will you patronize a restaurant regularly , because the food is good or because the service is good? There was always a possibility of a good debate when this question was thrown to us. Since we were in college and since budgets were virtually non-existent, our arguments had to be largely based on our experience of the college canteen food or of one of the affordable eateries dotting the road. It’s anyone’s guess that these places are notorious for repeat visits mainly due to lack of other options better suited to the pocket and…let’s face it… the rather unique experience. In other words, the ambiance and the ‘superlative’ service we were accorded.   I can’t forget the number of times we have sat in the sweltering heat of our college canteen, sharing one Pepsi and soggy bhelpuri among half a dozen of us. Our taste buds had not yet progressed fr...