Never too late...

As we bid adieu to 2011, I take this opportunity to share a few thoughts , a few photographs and a travel concept that I am eager to explore. The thoughts that keep coming to my mind are :

• NEVER TOO LATE to START
• NEVER TOO LATE to TRAVEL.

Let me begin by dwelling on the first thought. As someone who is really fond of good food, I never thought I could bring in any discipline in this aspect, which was so close to my heart (not the stomach)!.

For many years, I had fought a constant 'battle of the bulge' and had always given up after innumerable trysts with destiny. Now, after many such unsuccessful attempts and being in my 40's, I had almost given up the thought of losing weight through dietary discipline.

In the past, diets for me meant abstinence and then invariably I would return  back to normal(indulgence)with a vengeance. I realised what I needed is a change in approach and a change in lifestyle. I decided to give this changed approach a shot and I was delighted with the results. For the first time, I could see signs of victory and that was good enough for me to get charged up. The 11 kgs that I lost in the first few months ( of which I gained back 3 kgs) has spurred me to enter the coming year with renewed vigour.  So, if there is something which you have always wanted to do, have either never tried it or not been successful, try it again with a fresh outlook. Never too late to start, isn't it.? If you need an excuse to start it, make that excuse a new year's resolution.

In the last decade of our travel, the one thing that is very apparent is that us, Indians have taken up to travelling as a passion. You can see Indian tourists in every nook and cranny of the world. The global tourism industry has recognised this potential and what more do you want as evidence to that, you can get Indian Masala Chai and an Indian buffet at freezing Jungfrau, Switzerland or chaat at Niagara Falls, Buffalo.! Coincidentally, both restaurants  had 'Bollywood' in their names!!

Menu @ Bollywood Bistro - Niagara Falls, Buffalo.

Niagara Falls, don't need to say more !

While one sees Indians in all age groups travelling with their families, one also notices a lot of Europeans and Americans who are senior citizens who have set out to explore the world after working for 40 odd years. They are a source of inspiration for me as I would love to continue travelling even when we get old or should we say older.! Never too late to travel.!

Very often, while  all of us want to travel, some of us cannot, due to circumstances not in our control. Some of us keep re-prioritising travel for some other commitments. We constantly keep juggling our priorities and remain so engrossed in the daily struggles that we don't realise that time flies by with such amazing alacrity. The best reward for all the juggling in life is to you give yourself and your family is a holiday, isn't it?  So pause, take a deep breath and include travel as a MUST DO in your things to do in 2012 and beyond. There is a so much to see and so little time....

Jefferson Memorial, Washington DC

In Las Vegas...Rao's - a restaurant, a wish come true for another Rao!

En route to Bellagio Island, Italy

Travel does not only mean travelling overseas, it also means exploring the country where one lives in. We have had some wonderful holidays within India itself. There are so many unpublicised and pristine locations within India itself, if you are willing to rough it out a bit, travel within India by trains is really cheap. We usually take the Konkan railway passenger train to travel from Mangalore to Kumta near Karwar. The four hour journey through the lush green Konkan landscapes, are visual ambrosia and all for a princely sum of around Rs 100 per ticket.

Konkan visual ambrosia-clicked on board Konkan railway train

On the way to Kumta, North Canara (Karnataka)

This gets me down finally to sharing with you a travel concept that I would love to try out in the next few years. Frugal Travel. While we all try to get the best deals for the tickets, best deals from hotels etc by looking out for some good bargains, we usually restrict our search to those which suit our lifestyles.

The best deals are usually in getting air tickets, within that maybe cheaper business class tickets or getting a room much lower than the usual at the Holiday Inn or the Marriott's and why not, after slogging your backside you deserve to pamper yourself isn't it.?

However there is an emerging segment of travellers who want to take longer holidays, spend lesser if not the same amount that you would spend for a week's holiday and soak in the sights and sounds of the places that they holiday in. This is something I would really want to explore. Service apartments, home stays, travel as the locals do, avoid air travel, use trains and buses where possible, stretch your dollar or rupee to the most. Bang for the buck!

Thailand is a country which offers great value for money options and I would love to start off testing this concept in this country. I am familiar with the local transport there, love Thai food but hitherto been always staying at 4* hotels for short 7 days holidays. I would love to go there for may be a fortnight and spend the same amount that I would have spent in a week. As a creature of comfort myself, I know it will be a challenge but if you are going to so by compromising on the brands but not the quality, why not? I will keep you posted on this concept in my forthcoming updates as well.

On this note, would like to wish all of you and your families A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR with good health and lots of travelling! Remember -never too late to start and never too late to travel....

Sea Food in Riyadh

While the city of Riyadh is in the centre of Saudi Arabia with no sea or ocean around it, we get an amazing choice of sea-food here, thanks to the advanced high tech temperature controlled transport & logistics. The Carrefour, Geant, Panda and Lulu Hyper markets spoil us with so much choice that one often wonders whether we are in the midst of a desert? There are also some sea food markets in the city which gets fresh catch daily and  great places to buy.

Over the last 6-1/2 years that we have been living here, whenever we go out to eat sea- food, it is at sea food restaurants offering Middle Eastern sea food i.e. Grilled. 

Grilled seafood is healthy, fresh and coupled with the Middle Eastern appetizers it leaves us content without feeling stuffed. The Indian restaurants offer the regular choice of fried and curried fish/crab options. The North Indian restaurants offer the tandoori sea food option but one is hesitant to try it out as we don't know how fresh the sea food would be.

The best sea-food restaurant that we have been to is called Al-Nafoura Seafood, where the buffet was mind blowing to say the least. Priced over 100 SAR, it does not come cheap but worth every riyal as there is fish, shrimps, lobsters, squids, crabs in so many varieties that it gets difficult to choose. The last time we visited it was a year back and hence I would want to cover this restaurant on my blog sometime when we visit there again.

A few days back, a couple of colleagues decided to step out for lunch. After a quick run down of options available, we chose the AMO HAMZA. With my limited knowledge of Arabic, I think it stands for 'Uncle Hamza'.This restaurant offers sea food and is known for its grilled sea food and has quite a few branches across the city of Riyadh. We decided to go to the one closest to office, which was less than a 3 minutes drive. From what I have read elsewhere earlier, Amo Hamza has 5 branches in Riyadh. The branches that I know are at:-

 -  Khurais Road, en route to Geant after Carrefour ( Recommended to visit with family)

 -  Below the Batha Flyover when you turn in from King Fahd Road, to your right.

 -  Road going from the Old Airport roundabout towards King Abdullah Road

Entrance to the Amo Hamza

Most AMO HAMZA restaurants are really spacious and recently after some renovations, the 'Family Section' now seems worth visiting with the family.

In Saudi Arabia, all restaurants have a 'Singles" and " Family" section. If I were to go alone for a meal or with some colleagues, we need to go to the Singles Section of the restaurant and when visiting with family/ies one is entitled to go to the Family section.

Amo Hamza offers a variety of sea food including different varieties of fish, shrimps, squids either as grilled or as a clay pot dish with some gravy. I usually go only for the grilled fish. There are some chicken options available as well.

Riyadh has the best weather from November to March every year, December usually is the coldest month and hence a soup is mandatory to warm the insides! I usually go in for the fish soup but this time, I chose to go in for the Shrimp Soup at the behest of a colleague's choice. The Fish soup is a thick white soup, delicately flavoured and really nice. The shrimp soup is thick, red and perhaps some fresh tomato puree added to the preparation. It is delicately spiced and with my liking for spice, I added a generous portion of Tabasco to it. Both are nice, my choice remains the Fish Soup. The soup is priced at SAR 10.

Shrimp Soup

The Soup is served with steaming hot complimentary bread or roti's. We usually order a plate of Mixed Appetizers comprising of hummous ( a chick pea paste with olive oil), muttabal( made from aubergine) , tabbouleh ( made from fresh Parsley), muhammara (red spicy paste) and coleslaw( cabbage and mayonnaise). For those of you who are not familiar with these dishes, some of them have been referred  to in my earlier post  on Middle Eastern Breakfast in this blog.

This mixed appetizer plate is available in small, medium and large sizes. We chose the small plate as we were just 3 of us and costs SAR 15.

Mixed Appetizer Plate.

The hot bread and the appetizers helps us cool(!) down the appetite while the fish gets grilled. With the food, Amo Hamza also serves a variety of sauces. One is made from fresh squeezed garlic, one made with tahina and one is a spicy sauce. This is served with onions and green chillies and hence for those of us who like our food spiced up, this should be good enough isn't it?

Sauces and accompaniments.

The frilled fish fillet that I had ordered finally was served and was excellent. We just squeezed the lemon wedges on to it and tucked in. The grilled fish is usually served with french fries. While the menu card shows a grilled chilly along with the fish in its picture, the actual dish did not have it. We could not comprehend what the waiter was telling us as an explanation. The fish was fresh and done well, we had asked it to be spicy, by Indian standards it wasn't that spicy but good enough to relish it.The dish is priced at SAR 30

Grilled Fish Fillet Steak

While AMO HAMZA offers dessert, we have never tried it. They display some cheesecakes and pastries which do look good but we had to get back to work quickly and with desserts in our stomach, would have been difficult to keep our eyes open.!!

So the next time you want to try out some grilled sea food and if you are in Riyadh, this would be a good change isn't it?

Goa - The Ultimate Utopia ?

Goa, for those who have been there before- don't you want to be there  again and yet again?For those who are still making plans to visit Goa, you are missing visiting the ultimate utopia. Pack your bags and set out to the hedonist's haven.!

There is something in Goa that brings down the jumping adrenalin and the blood pressure every time we cross the borders of either Karnataka or Maharashtra to enter the state of Goa.

The swaying palms, the colourful Portuguese styled villas and the whiff of the sea just get into you as you drive by. You will see the local hoi polloi at ease with no sense of urgency, for them life is meant to be enjoyed, unlike us city dwellers who are just in a rush always. The sheer pace of life needs to be re-calibrated once you land in Goa and believe me it is effortless, the place does it for you.

Goa a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. The 3 main cities in Goa are Panaji or Panjim which is the capital and lies in North Goa, Vasco Da Gama where the Dabolim airport is located and the historic Margao or Madgaon which still exhibits the cultural influence of the Portuguese who landed in the 16th century as merchants and conquered it for almost 450 years until it was annexed by India in 1961. Madgaon and Vasco are a part of South Goa.The Dabolim Airport is an international airport and is very popular destination for chartered flights from Europe.

I have been visiting Goa from my childhood and over the years , is now  place of annual pilgrimage. The temple of our kuldevi " Shantadurga" is in an area called Kavlem in Ponda, South Goa and going there is an absolute must every time we go to Goa. Goa has two distinct flavours based on its districts- North and Goa. In one district you can see the strong influence of Christianity with its ancient and famous churches, the other is a strong Hindu influence with famous temples like Shantadurga, Mangueshi and Mahalsa to name a few. The cuisine also has these influences though the common thread remains sea food!

North Goa has been historically more visited by tourists as the first few beach resorts were set up there. It is more commercial, has a lot of late night hangouts and perhaps a better choice who like some action or first time tourists. South Goa is absolutely relaxing, pristine beaches with hardly any night life and hence people like me prefer South Goa. My agenda in Goa after visiting the temple is just being at the beach side, enjoying the glorious sunset's, reading books and off course the great Goan food.

Glorious sunset's in South Goa

There are two distinct sight seeing bus tours available- one for North Goa and the other for South Goa. A lot of people also take the evening cruise with dinner on the river Mandovi. If you would love to stay in North Goa- The Taj Holiday Village and Fort Aguada which now is under their Vivanta category maybe considered, if you don't have budget constraints or plan to stay for 2 nights -3 days like most people do. I personally prefer staying in Goa for a longer time i.e. 4-5 nights at least if possible. If you do have plans to stay longer then perhaps the Ronil Resort in Calangute is a good place with value for money. We have also stayed at the Cavala Resort once for almost a week,some 9 years back. No razzmatazz, but functional rooms at reasonable prices which don't hurt your wallet. The beach is across the street and a 2 minute walk. If you want to enjoy the hotel property then you need to pay big money and stay at the resorts.

While there are some great restaurants in Goa, some of the shacks serve delicious food. St Anthony's at the Baga Beach, just ahead of Calangute is highly recommended. A great place for sun downers with their lip smacking food.

In South Goa, there are now a huge number of resorts available and you can choose the one that suits your budget. We have tried the Leela Palace, Majorda and Nanu Resorts to name a few. Leela Palace is all grandeur and opulence but comes to you at a great cost while the other 2 quoted are relatively cheaper.

Pristine beaches of South Goa, not crowded.

Let me now come down to the Goan cuisine. . Goan cuisine is for those who enjoy their sea food. Seafood, coconut milk, rice, kokum and vinegar are main ingredients of Goan cuisine.

Kokum is actually  a plant in the mangosteen family and its outer cover is dried in the sun and is used as a preferred substitute for tamarind in curries mainly in the Konkan region. Kokum is also used for making the famous 'sol kadi' along with coconut milk, usually had after your spicy Goan meal to cool down the tummy and help digestion. Kokum sherbet is usually used in the summers as a coolant in Goa.

The Hindu food of Goa has its own place and the food of Goan Christians has a strong Portuguese influence i.e use of vinegar and spice. Goan Hindu food has its own distinct taste as they use asafoetida, curry leaves, mustard and urad dal. It is not very spicy and abundant garlic or onion is not used. Hindus in Goa eat fish and sea-food. Curry is called 'humman' or 'kadi'. 'Fish udad methi' is one popular dish along with fried fish and kismur. 'Khatkhate' is another popular Hindu Goan dish.

Some of the most popular Portuguese influenced Goan dishes are Vindaloo- a spicy curry usually made with pork, Balchao usually made with prawns or shrimps, Sorpotel- a curry made only with pork, Xacuti - a curry made with roasted grated coconut with pieces of chicken and Ambot Tik - a red spicy, tangy curry usually made with fish.

The two places that I never fail to visit in Goa are the Shantadurga temple and Martin's Corner in Betalbetim. Martin's Corner, to my mind serves the best Goan food in the whole of Goa especially South Goa. When I first visited this restaurant almost 15 years back, it was a small restaurant but very popular. Over the years, it has gained so much popularity that one can perhaps bump into celebrities dining there. Mrs Carafina, the person behind this restaurant has with her family recipes, hospitality and acumen made this place into what it is today. A divine mecca for foodies like me !! I INSIST that you have at least one meal there to truly enjoy Goan cuisine.

Their website is http://www.martinscornergoa.com/index.html

 

Martin's Corner, a MUST to try out Goan food.

While some people enjoy the local brew called 'Feni' made from cashew, I don't enjoy it due to the strong smell. I continue to stick to my favorite Mojito's and the bartender mixes them really well here with lemon wedges, mint and ice..

Mojito

To go with the drink, one has to enjoy the two best appetisers in Martin's the 'Prawn Stuffed Pappads' and the spicy 'Chilli Goan sausages' served with the Goan pau or bread. I don't think any further description is needed once you see the pictures below.

Chili Goan Sausages served with steam hot pau or bread

Prawn Stuffed Pappad's

The tangy and spicy prawn filling inside the pappad is sheer bliss and I sometimes wonder how they roll the pappads. You need to forget the calories once you get to Martin's ! In the last few visits to Martin's we have been concentrating more on the appetisers and usually take only a few main course items. By the time one is through with the appetisers, we are stuffed to the gills. The Fish Caldin or the Goan fish curry with steamed rice is a favorite very often. This time, we ordered for the King Fish Rechad Masala and the Shrimp Balchao. Both were just simply divine. The masalas, I believe are a family hand down and closely guarded here at Martin's. Every bite a sheer delight !!

King Fish Rechad Masala

Shrimp Balchao

The above dishes can be eaten with steamed rice or plain bread as an accompaniment or can be just enjoyed as it is.

Groan, if you still have some space the only Goan dessert worth trying is the 'Bebinca' which is is a type of pudding and a traditional Goan dessert. The ingredients include plain flour, sugar, ghee (clarified butter) and coconut milk. The dessert has to be baked in layers and traditionally has 16 layers. This again is an acquired taste and after a spicy meal, I usually prefer something cooling like an ice-cream. The other traditional Goan dessert is the 'Dodol'  which is made of  rice flour, coconut milk, jaggery and cashew nuts.

After a meal like this is Martin's, one just comes back to the hotel room for a nice afternoon nap and join the Goans who call it 'susegad'. Don't even think of dinner and take a 2 km walk on the beach in the evening, watching the sun go down and the golden glow in the azure Arabian Sea.

So until the next post, "Au revoir" or as they say in Portuguese "Até a vista ".

Tastes of Europe- Part 3- Turkey

I finally come down to the concluding part of "Tastes of Europe" series with this write-up on Istanbul,Turkey.

We landed at the Kamal Ataturk Airport, Istanbul by the late night flight from Zurich. I was travelling to Istanbul after 10 long years and was as eager as a beaver to re-visit the only city in the world present in two continents i.e. Asia and Europe. Istanbul is historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople and is rich in history.

We landed in Istanbul in the last few days of the Holy month of Ramadan/Ramzan and were skeptical as to whether the tourist attractions, restaurants etc will remain open during daytime. To our pleasant surprise, the city was a humdrum of activity and bustling with life. All the restaurants were open and many of them were also serving spirits in good spirits!. The locals continue with their fasting and prayers but keep life for tourists as usual.

The evenings during Ramadan are festive like in Istanbul, the whole city is lit up and at the time of breaking the fast, families gather together in public plazas and gardens with their picnic baskets and enjoy their first day time meal. Surprisingly the weather in Istanbul was astounding, a few degrees cooler than Zurich !

 

Hagia Sophia in the background. Families gather to break their fast.

Festive like atmosphere in the city.

A stall serving sorbets/ sherbets made from dates, tamarinds, berries etc.

We stayed in the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul which is on the Asian side. In my earlier visit, I had stayed at Taksim Square which is on the European side. Sultanahmet is actually the heart of Istanbul, walking distance from most attractions in the city and with its cobbled streets offers tourists a great eclectic mix of culture, cuisine and chutzpah!

View of the city from the Bosphorus River

The Dolmabahçe Palace as seen from the Bosphorus river

The magnificent glimpse of Dolmabahçe Palace 

While we were soaking in the sights and sounds of Istanbul, we were also fortunate to discover some wonderful restaurants and some new dishes to tickle our epicurean instincts.

After 2 weeks in Italy and Switzerland, we thought of visiting an Indian restaurant in Istanbul which was in Sultanahmet restaurant called "Dubb". The service put us off, my drink was served without ice, when I asked to be served some, the waiter had conveniently forgotten and this despite the restaurant being practically empty. We ordered their set meal/thali. The Paneer Mutter ( cottage cheese with green peas in a gravy) was the only dish which we thought was good, rest of the food was nothing to write home about. So unless you have a really strong craving for Indian food, I don't suggest  visiting this restaurant. Perhaps we were unfortunate to visit them on one of their bad days.!

On the first night in Istanbul, we tried the famed "Doner Kebab" at one of the roadside cafes along with the usual hummous and salads. Good beginning but the best was yet to come...

We visited the Amedros Restaurant opposite the McDonald's in Sultanahmet after it was recommended by the Manager of our hotel where we were staying. The experience was so good that we went there thrice to enjoy the service, ambiance and the lip smacking food to say the least. The bartender was so good at mixing the Mojito's that I had to visit the place again and again. I learnt how to mix a Mojito from the bartender and in fact he was delighted with the attention he got.

Amedros- great experience! Cant wait to go there again..

Mojito at the Amedros with the ever smiling bartender

Since we visited the restaurant thrice, we were confused whether to eat what we had ordered earlier or to try something new. Every dish that we ordered and tried was enough to satisfy our otherwise untrammelled gustatory demands. What did we try there?

• Mezze Platter- which has seven different appetisers including hummous. Rating 4*
• Chicken Salad- Grilled chicken with lettuce, salad leaves, tomatoes, walnuts and orange. Rating 5*
• Rocket Salad- Rocket or Roca leaves with cherry tomatoes, sweetcorn and topped with some grilled halloumi cheese and pomegranate sauce  Rating 5*
• Stuffed Mushrooms- Mushrooms stuffed with halloumi cheese on a bed of sautéed spinach with peanuts, red peppers with a soya sauce dressing. Rating 5*
• Vegetable Kebab-Grilled seasonal vegetables served with yogurt and rice.Rating 4*
• Sultan Chicken- Grilled chicken breast topped with mushrooms, red peppers, saffron mustard sauce and cheddar cheese, served with rice.Rating 5*
• Grilled Sea Bass- served with potatoes, salad leaves and butter.Rating 5*

The presentation of food, the cutlery, soothing music in the background added to the overall experience. The portions were generous and the prices were surprisingly moderate for the overall package. They offered a complimentary after dinner ' in house aperitif  or liqueur' to us and for our son a nice colorful version, which won him over. The tables were full especially in the evening and people would be waiting patiently for their turns. If you want to try this place out, be the early bird or else be patient.

The kid's after dinner potion at Amedros..

While walking on the streets of Istanbul, we came across this unique dish called " Kumpir" served at the roadside cafes. This is a huge local potato which is baked and stuffed with all the goodies. Looked adventurous and exciting enough for us to give it a shot.

Kumpir is a popular fast food in Turkey.The potatoes are wrapped with foil and baked in special ovens. The potatoes are cut straight down the middle and the insides are mixed with unsalted butter. Thereafter depending on your choice it can be stuffed with mushrooms, sausages, Russian salad, olives, pickles, sweetcorn, carrots and topped with mayonnaise, ketchup etc. Yummy but a real challenge for 2 people to finish it.!!

Fillings for the Kumpir

Kumpir in its final form

Since I am partial to sea-food and I had heard a lot about the famed fish sandwich in Istanbul, I wanted to give it a shot after dis-embarking from the Bosphorus Cruise on the Tur Yol Boat. The fish sandwich is called " Balık ekmek " or simply put 'fish in bread'.  I would like to share some background to this dish which I overheard from one of the locals.

Apparently fisherfolk brought their catch from the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara to Istanbul's Galata Bridge over the Golden Horn for sale. A few of them had an idea of cooking the fish right on the boat and offer it - absolutely fresh and piping hot. 

  

They installed the grills and fryers in their boats, grilled fish fillets, stuffed them in half a loaf of bread and lo behold, this dish became popular overnight.

Boats selling Balik Ekmek

The tourist books sing paeans of praise for its flavor, nutrition, tradition and it comes cheap. The balik ekmek is served with salata or salad. My experience - over-rated, maybe due to the hype created around it.

We were fortunate enough to notice this cafe called "Hafiz Mustafa" which was established in 1864 . The owner with whom I chatted with proudly claimed that its history was older than Canada itself. The exemplary dessert spread, the old Gothic atmosphere and its superb coffee choice pulled us to that place twice.  Not to miss this one. Two minutes walk from the Amedros and near the Hagia Sophia.

Desserts at Hafiz Mustafa

Desserts and chocolates at Hafiz Mustafa

Shops in Turkey display their desserts really well and their merchandising efforts are something to admire. Lokum (Turkish Delight) and Baklava are the first names that come to mind when one thinks of Turkish sweets. Some of the other sweets are Künefe (made of very fine vermicelli-like pastry), Pestil (a Turkish dessert made by dried layers of fruit pulps) etc.

Desserts displayed at the shops



The Turkish version of ice-cream is called Dondurma.Two qualities distinguish the Turkish ice cream i.e.texture and resistance to melting due to some local thickening ingredients. You can see handcarts or stores decorated colorfully and the vendors in traditional dresses beckoning you with this.Vendors often tease the customer by serving the ice cream cone on a stick, and then taking away the Dondurma with the stick and rotating it around, before finally giving it to the customer.



Cotton Candy cart in Istanbul. Notice the lamps!

I am unfortunately not able to upload the photo of the dondurma cart that we had clicked as I kept getting an error message. However none of us enjoyed the dondurma and we did not try it again elsewhere.

With this, I conclude this update on Tastes of Europe and will soon come with a detailed travelogue of the holiday. Until then, bon appetit!



Tastes of Europe -Part 2- Switzerland

                                                

After a wonderful week in Italy, which included stays in Como and Milan, we moved on to Switzerland. In our earlier visit to Switzerland, we had visited Lucerne, Mount Titlis etc but during this visit we wanted to stay away from the crowd and I had decided to stay in Wengen for a week. Wengen is in the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland and is a quaint motor less village which gives commanding views of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrauch mountain ranges.

We boarded the  ICE (Inter City Express) train at the Stazione Centrale, Milan and to reach Wengen, we changed trains at Spiez, Interlaken OST and Lauterbrunnen. The walk to our chalet was around 10 minutes and downhill.

After settling in at Wengen on the day of arrival, the next day we left for Mannlichen on a gondola (cable car).

Mannlichen Bahn-station

View of Wengen as we go up the gondola to Mannlichen.

We reached Mannlichen in about 7 minutes and from there the plan was to use a trek route to walk down to Kleine Scheidegg which is a high mountain pass below and between the Eiger and Lauberhorn peaks in the Bernese Oberland area.It is also the base point to the train ride to the 'Top of Europe' Jungfrau. The trek was about 2 hours amidst pristine nature, carpets of flowers, melted glacier ponds and grazing cattle with their tingling bells. Divine !

Trek path to Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland

Carpets of flowers on the trek route

  

On reaching Kleine Scheidegg, I was eager to eat at the restaurant at the train station (Restaurant Bahnhof) itself. Through prior research on the net, I had homed in on some items which I wanted to try there.  We tried the 'Half Pipe Salad". The portions were good enough for two of us. The vegetables and fruits were absolutely farm fresh, the dressing so refreshing and just right to keep the crunchiness of the salad and the nuts in it. Certainly recommended. We also tried the Wurst and Rosti. While Wurst is a German sausage, Rosti is made with roughly grated potato, either cooked or raw. Depending on the frying technique, butter or oil is used for frying it. It is most often pan fried, but can also be baked in the oven. High on calories but after a 2 hour trek, one does not mind the calories. We were told that the most famous desert was their Apfelkucheb mit Rahm ( Apple pie with cream) and we ordered for it. The portion was so huge that it needed some effort to devour half of it. What we did not try was the Nussini which are cookies loaded with pecan and hazelnuts and we gave that a rain check!

Our next culinary experience was in the restaurant in a small village called Murren on the way to Schilthorn. The restaurant 'Alpenruh' is just outside the cable car station Schilthornbahn and offers wonderful views of the mountains. Murren itself is so pretty that post lunch at the restaurant we walked to the other end of the village in about 20 minutes.  We tried their Soup of the day, some salads and ice-creams. The overall experience of absorbing the views, fresh food and some delectable ice-cream was indeed something to remember.

In front of the Alpenruh Restaurant, Murren, Switzerland

View from the table at the Alpenruh restaurant

While we were staying in Wengen, we did travel to Jungfrau, Trummelbach Falls, Interlaken, Rothorn etc and finally bid a tearful adieu to Wengen after a week in the chalet. While most afternoon meals would be outside at some restaurant in the town that we would visit, evening dinners were in the chalet. We bought some local produce ( fruits and vegetables from the Coop), some olive oil, pasta, sandwiches would be our dinner. Some days we had daal, rice and Gits ready to eat paneer makhani which we carried from Riyadh. This helped us get our fix of Indian food.

From Wengen we had to change trains 4 times to reach Kloten, Zurich -where our dear friends Gunthard and Meena had agreed to drive down from Germany to meet with us. We enjoyed Zurich in their wonderful company and also stopped by at one of the 'chocolateries' which sell the famous Swiss Chocolates and enjoyed some mind blowing liqueur chocolates. Wish we could enjoy such options in other parts of the world!! We also had a lunch at one of the beer gardens in Zurich by the Lake.

Inside the Chocolaterie in Zurich

While I had thought of concluding the Tastes of Europe in Part 2 itself, I have to admit that there will be a Part 3 now with Istanbul and its delights. The one thing that I must apologize is I did not click the photos of the items that we ate as we were just over-awed by the nature and its views in Switzerland.

Tastes of Europe - Part 1- Italy

I have not been updating my blog for many months now. Call it inertia, blame it on the television, personal commitments and what not.! It is easy to find a reason for not having done something, I am now back to writing it and hopeful with some gusto !

I had made up my mind to shed some kilos off my growing waistline and restaurant visits had been few and when I did go, it was all about eating the right things, which don't taste the best always. Did I succeed, yes- I did. Am I am able to hold on to the dietary regimen? Almost!

In August this year, we went on a 3 week holiday to Italy ( Milan & Como), Switzerland(Bernese Oberland area) and Turkey(Istanbul). While I am in the process of writing a detailed travelogue which I hope to finish soon and publish on this blog, I decided to begin by writing on our culinary experience during this holiday first.

Italy, the land of divine food and wine, was our first destination. A country that I was fortunate to live in during the mid-nineties. I was excited to go to Lake Como and Milan after a decade. Italian cuisine has a rich and tempting history just like the wide array of dishes that form a part of its offering. The main secret behind Italian cuisine is its simplicity. Most dishes have only four to eight ingredients. The Italian cooks rely on the quality of the ingredients. The ingredients that one usually finds in most Italian dishes are tomatoes, bell peppers, olives/olive oil, garlic and cheese.  

Italians meals go course by course. This is one cuisine which believes in diners spending a lot of time( and money !) at the table. Most Italian elaborate meals begin with 'Apertivo'- an apéritif like Campari, Cinzano or Vermouth, followed by "Antipasto" or the appetizers;" Primo" - First hot dish like a soup or pasta; " Secondo" - main dish consisting of the fish or meat;"Formaggio e frutta" -"cheese and fruits", the first dessert; "Dolce"- main mouth watering desserts like the tiramisu. Finally they have the caffe or/and " Digestivo" -digestives like liquors/liqueurs. Now, never did we once go through the entire meal protocol with all the courses. After all, we also want to see the country while we enjoy the food...

We ate the best Italian food in the restaurant in Hotel Marcos, Lake Como. The balcony of our hotel room gave us some spectacular lake views and also some fragrance of the food that was being cooked at the restaurant. We began the meal with some hot bread which was served with some fresh virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I decided to stay off the wine as I had enjoyed my Margarita cocktails elsewhere. The "penne arrabiata"- a simple pasta dish made with fresh tomato sauce, garlic and red chillies are worth dying for.I could not resist myself from ordering a thin crust sea food pizza - "frutti di mare" made in the classic wooden oven. Simply the best ever. The restaurant was fully packed from 6 pm onwards till midnight and the reasons are obvious. If you do happen to visit Lake Como don't miss eating here. I also ate their grilled fish for lunch one of the days  that we were there, par excellence. "Bellisimo" as the Italians would have said !!

Como is famous for its olive oil and while it was possible to enjoy it while we were there , we wanted to carry a small bottle with us back home. We enjoy olive oil in our salads, spaghetti's, with bread and grills. Also on the list was some pasta which we wanted to carry home. After some walking around, we soon walked into a shop which was a paradise for olive oil and pasta lovers like me. The picture says it all.

The finest choice of olive oils; colorful array of pasta i.e. Penne, Tagliatelle, Fusili, Linguine, Fettucine, Capellini etc on its shelves. We picked up an assorted colorful pasta packet. Since we were travelling to different parts of Europe, I did not have the luxury of buying more as it meant carrying the luggage around ! I was really tempted to buy lots of olive oil but did not. For those who would want to include olive oil as a part of their food (and I certainly think one should ) as not only is it yummy but also good for health unlike other vegetable oils. Some tips:-

There are three basic types of olive oil:

• The Extra Virgin olive oil is classed as the highest grade of the olive oils. The oil has less than 1% acidity, meaning that the olives have been picked and pressed the same day.It is the sweetest and purest of the oils.
• Virgin olive oil is a grade below 'extra virgin olive oil'. It has less than 2% acidity and also has a good colour and smell.
• Pure olive oil is the lowest grade. It is much lighter in colour with little or no smell.

When buying olive oil, it is better to buy it in small quantities (unless you know that you will be using it a lot), as olive oil continues to oxidize. Do not store olive oil in plastic bottles because olive oil is reactive. Cold pressed or Cold extraction means "that the oil was not heated over a certain temperature during processing, thus retaining more nutrients and undergoing less degradation. First cold pressed means "that the olive was crushed exactly one time-i.e., the first press. The cold refers to the temperature range of the fruit at the time it is crushed.

We had reached Como early in the morning and went to a family run cafe, just 2-3 minutes down the road. We had our first authentic Italian cappuccino and 'panini of our holiday here. The Panini is a simple Italian sandwich, the one that I loved was - toasted ciabata bread, some ham, camembert cheese with a dash of grilled lemon! We went there almost daily for eating some panini. The pastas and salads were nothing to write about.

From Lake Como, we headed off to Milan. Milan, the fashion capital. The city that has the world's most beautiful Duomo (Church) and off course the famous Painting- The Last Supper.

Our hotel was a minute from the Duomo and hence we ended up eating in the vicinity usually. We tried eating dinner at Ciao Restaurant near the Rina Cente. Average food, nothing to really write about.  This place has lost its earlier glory. It used to be a functional restaurant with great value for money.  One of the other restaurants which I used to visit very regularly when I was living in Milan was the Pizzeria Dogana. It was right opposite the Hotel where we were staying this time and hence we went there one afternoon for lunch. The food was superb. Particularly the Pizza Marinara, a pizza without cheese - was mouth watering. For those of you who get sick of cheese or like to avoid the calories this is the pizza for you.It is made with tomato, garlic, oregano and extra virgin olive oil and you can actually taste all of these in a more pure form in this pizza, in the absence of the over-powering taste of cheese. Top it with chilli flakes and have some chilled cocktail to go with it. We tried some dolce here too. They have a dessert trolley which we walked up to and chose the one that looked the best. The tiramisu.! It was sinful.

The details of this restaurant are as follows : Via Dogana,3 Angolo Piazza del Duomo, Milan. www.pizzeriadogana.it.

In my next post I shall cover the rest of our trip.