Chef at Large

The world over, Indian food is largely perceived as curries. While this isn’t strictly true—considering the large amounts of spices and their quantities and types used—it is really quite inevitable, unless one is aware of the cooking styles in this country.
India is a land of abundant cultures and sub cultures, each having their own unique [...]

If you love sea food and if you like Goan beaches, then you should visit Colva beach alone. I had to go with a bore who wanted to eat at a Punjabi style chicken dominated restaurant in the mainland. Ugh.
In Colva, you should dig your toes into the warm sand and twenty minutes later put [...]

The tourist district in Bangkok is well removed from the residential district. In fact, the residential area is just like any other deserted street in New Delhi or Calcutta with tired looking friendly middle class people going about their business and trying to help you if you ask for directions. Talking to anybody about anything [...]

A hectic day ended with a visit to Pind Balluchi. I wasn’t very enthusiastic about it as more often than not, places serving Indian food tend to smother everything in thick, over-spiced gravies. Also, when you see a ‘rustic’ ambience being offered, it’s probably their way of saying ‘our waiters are monosyllabic morons and our [...]

Thought I’d pop in for a quick bite and read while the family shopped at the Great India Place. I’m gradually getting over my aversion to trying new places and Pizzaria Express looked as good as any other. It’s a new place started by a chap named Raghuvir Sahai. According to Mr. Sahai, he has [...]

Ashwin (of MentorLink fame) took us out to an Afghani restaurant yesterday.A foodie himself, Ashwin likes finding restaurants and places to eat in little known places. “Before they start dishing out commercial crap”, are his words on the subject.
Anyhow, more of an eating house than a restaurant the way we all expect it, Afghan is [...]

Like the title says, most of us like salads in some form or another. No red blooded Punjabi would be caught eating mutton curry or any other meal without sliced onions, fresh breath be damned. Then we have those crisp crunchy salads in restaurants, dressed with yummy thousand island or perhaps a mayonnaise concoction.
Love them, [...]

My mother in law spent the week end with us. Ignoring the traditionally spouted disadvantages of having MIL in the house, the most obvious advantage is her cooking. Good, old fashioned, hearty Punjabi / North Indian food at its best. She took on the job of making breakfast and she made what she calls ‘Makki [...]

Centrestage Mall, Sector 18, NOIDA
We had people coming over and needed to take them out for lunch. One of the guests insisted on Indian food, as that was all she liked. Fair enough. Each one to his/her own. So, instead of a quick Chinese (american?) meal at Mark Pi, we went to the restaurant opposite [...]