The best of Italy, in Cologne.

Based in the famous German city, Cologne on the Rhine, lies a fascinating Italian restauraunt in the heart of the student population.

Comprising a blend of outdoor and indoor seating the areas opens up to a lovely view of the neighboring garden. With the sun shining with it's full might, i opted to sit outside. I was approched swiftly by a friendly waitress and saluted in German. I quickly confirmed i could not speak the language and the lady helped me with the English translations. I flicked through a simple menu, scanning through the various categories of dishes on offer comprising: pastas, lasagnas, risottos and also Italian gelatos.

Having feasted on a meat heavy diet the previous night, i opted for the spinach and tomato pasta. The lady took my order and swiftly brought me some freshly baked Italian bread accompanied by a seasoned buttery spread and parmesan cheese. To sooth a hungry stomach this made a brilliant appetizer. The porous bread was light and made a humble entry into my stomach.

After the bread cam the colourful and aromatic pasta. Well presented in the centre of an Italian bowl with paprika sprinkled round the plate for added flavour and parsely adding the finishing touches to the dish. The pasta had been freshly cooked and served as was evindent by the fragrances and the heat of the dish. The paprika added a profound spice and kick to the tangy tomato based pasta. A hint of mozarella cheese added to the creaminess of the sauce, ensuring every mouthful presented both a wholesome and spicy/tangy flavour. The servings also were large and every mouthful was sumptously devoured.

My only criticism would be the quality of the menu. It lacked the presentation of a quality Italian restaurant, and looked shabby and tacky, not really doing justice to the real delights which lay beyond.

Overall, the experience was great, good food, wholesome and appetising, and served with a smile by an overworked waitress. Combined with the German sunshine this was a hearty and healthy afternoon dish to aid a tired traveller.

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Steak and chips, desi style - 'Steak Out'

Situated in Tooting, South London, lies a unique desified steak house. Prior to arriving into the area, my understanding was that Tooting was a predominately British area, however was pleasently surprised by the sheer volume of desi shops, restauraunts, wedding services etc.... The area really felt like Southall or Wembley.

After the initial surprise of the Asian culture in the area, we made headway and arrived at the 'Steak Out' restauraunt. Being a non-beef eater myself, i was nervous as to the menu, hoping some veg or chicken options would be available. Upon arrival it was evident that this certainly was no high end swanky fine dining restauraunt, but as it is said, 'never judge a book by its cover', and this place certainly held true to that.

A waiter came, swifly cleaned up a table and sat us down, presenting us with the menu. The options covered the range of meats, chicken and fish; however it was clear the focus here was on the 'Steak' menu. After scanning through the options we opted for the mixed grill. The dish arriving on a sizzling plate within 10 minutes and 4 hungry gentlemen tucked into the plethora of meat on offer. The chicken and lamb was well cooked, although i would say slightly overcooked, but certainly adequately spiced and seasoned. Served on a bed of fried onions, this was a good accompaniment to the meat. On each table there was a bowl with chilli sauce and tomato ketchup which served as a good accompaniment to the starter.

For the main course, after narrowing down the non-beef options, i opted for the chicken steak in a tangy chilli tomato gravy. This again arrived on a sizzling plate with a side accompaniment of seasoned garlic mash. The potato mash was buttery and creamy, but smooth in texture and was a tasty and filling side dish to accompany the chicken. The chicken was flavored well, although perhaps slightly overcooked. The tomato gravy added a tangy and citrusy flavor to the chicken which was well mellowed down by the potato mash.

The portion size was good and given that the dish was served piping hot, on a sizzling plate this certainly added a special touch.

To cover some of the other areas, this certainly was in no way fine dining. However given the location, and local population the restaurant is aiming to cater for the desi community. The service was okay, although the friendliness of the staff could definately have been improved. The decor was adequate for a restaurant of its size opting for a modern touch in the interior, and the styling of the menu certainly reflected that theme also.

All in all, a decent experience. Would i go there again, probably not.., but an overall okay experience.

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My experiment with cooking

My experiment with cooking

‘No, just don’t teach her how to switch it on’, my mom said. I put my entire energy to it,but the gas knob refused to turn. As a kid of 11 yrs i didn’t know how to switch on the gas, each time i would try hard to turn it on unaware that the knob needs to be pressed. Since i would be alone in the house (my parents were working that time) my mom was very reluctant to teach me how the kitchen basics work fearing it might lead to some accident, as i was too young to operate the gas without any supervision. But curiosity just cannot be killed, and during one of my desperate attempts to turn the gas knob on, i accidentally pressed it. 
And wallah- what a discovery!!! 
I quickly practiced it a couple of times and there i was an expert knob turner. :)

Future Chef

Now that i knew how it worked, I was in for some more experiment .My mom had made chapattis, now i knew it had to be something with this (as i wasn't still trained in cutting, chopping, dicing etc) so it had to be something which required no knife, no fancy cuts, no technique involved. 

I don’t know what went through my mind ,i quickly poured some pure desi ghee in the pan, and added chapatti broken down to pieces with my hand, i saw a lump of jaggery in a jar and added a few pieces to the pan. The jaggery melted to a nice gooey consistency coupled with the aroma of desi ghee – it smelled truly divine. I stirred it a little and there it was- my first own creation.

And now was the moment of truth, i took a spoonful- ummm...the chapatti was nicely coated with jiggery and the sweet smell of desi ghee- i just loveddd it!! 

After 25 yrs this dish still brings on fond memories to me and takes me back to where it all had once started....
Though most basic i would still want to share my special recipe:

Still unnamed lets call this- The magic potion

What you need-

2-3 rotis

A small lump of jagery

1 tsp desi ghee

What you do-

Heat the pan

Add the desi ghee in the pan

Add jagerry and remove off the flame(to avoid it from burning)

Add pieces of roti

Stir fry till crisp (but not burnt)

Enjoy it while its hot.

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