May 14, 2007
Food has always been a passion for me. So i am also starting this new blog where i will be posting some of recipes and culinary experiments !!
So now you can also find me at itsallaboutfood.wordpress.com
Simi Mathew
Disclaimer: All the recipes post on the blog has been tried and experimented by my husband 
May 13, 2007
It was not a pre-planned visit and hence i had to wait almost an hour to be seated. Thanks to the Shopping mall i could keep myself amused.
Copper Chimney, the Mumbai based chain is now here in “Namma Bengaloooru”. I went there after hearing a lot of good stuff about it from my friends from Mumbai and it was definitely a good experience. Neither the food menu or the drinks menu would disappoint you- it is quite extensive !! The restaurant caters to Punjabi and north-Indian cuisine.
The best thing i liked about copper chimney was that the portions of the starters was quite big, actually it could well leave your stomach full with no space for the main-course. The Dum Biryani is must have and was one of the best i have ever had. The Firni’s reminded me of the one i used to have at the Kareem’s in Purani Dilli- which is absolutely heavenly.
I should also mention that the glass windows gives you a beautiful view of Bangalore.
The parking is 50 INR but can be redeemed with your restaurant bill or the shopping bill. So it is better that you eat or shop there or else a good 50 bucks is gone for no reason !!
Copper Chimney is a must visit even though it is slightly heavy on the pockets but not so exorbitant too.
May 12, 2007
I have been waiting eagerly to watch this movie- Provoked and finally when I watched it – I was honestly disappointed and disguested.
The task before the director was not Herculean because the story was has been told many times before so therefore he knew what the challenges were. No cheers for Aishwairya Rai who has done a very mediocre job in this movie. The character she portrays in this movie was supposed to be strong-willed and determined but she has portrayed it more like a “damsel in distress”. It is sad to see that just because this actress agreed to act a part without make-up, movie critics and audiences are applauding her for her great acting which I failed to see in this movie. Watching this movie was like eating a cold meal. There was absolutely nothing to rave. I am only sad that the brave story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia has been told in the most deplorable way it could have been. The Southall Black Sisters (portrayed by Nandita Das) who helped the real-life Kiranjit Ahluwalia, have criticized the film for being riddled with “factual and legal inaccuracies”. Two members from the group Pragna Patel and Rahila Gupta, whose characters have been merged to create one person, played by the Indian actress Nandita Das, said it took “a lot of artistic license”. She told, The Observer that, ““I cringe a bit because I was so closely involved. Sometimes I think people should rise to the challenge of reflecting real life better. My view is that the reality is far more interesting.” I cannot agree with her more in this. It makes me even sicker when I read about the director’s reaction-”Even if you tell a true story, a true story is never really a true story. How do you define the truth? None of us were really there and obviously the recollections of people who were there have changed now. Ultimately I do have to tell an engaging story. If I can’t tell an engaging story no matter what cause is at stake, nobody will see it.” I cannot stop myself from thinking that this movie was not intended for an educated audience or the least to fuel the egos of feminist thinkers but for the housewives who spend the better part of their lives crying at the “K” enigma of Ekta Kapoor.
This movie has absolutely nothing to offer anyone but only offends the real-life hero they attempted to portray in this movie by depicting her as a “damsel in distress”.
But hats down to the real-life heroine- Kiranjit Ahluwalia who life has been portrayed in this movie or rather a very futile attempt was made by the director to portray. Her story is nothing new in our society. We wake up everyday to read stories of how men has tortured and raped women in India. But what is new is the strength Kiranjit Ahluwalia has portrayed in her life and gives hope to the entire womankind. She teaches us to raise voice against the crimes that are being committed on us. We should all take cue from this woman, not to kill our husband’s when they lay hands on us but to stand up strong against such atrocities.
April 17, 2007
“A woman is half the body of her husband and when her husband dies she becomes half his corpse and then for the rest of her life she has to live like a corpse.”
Water is one of Deepa Mehta’s exquisite masterpieces that will push you in to this strange world which seems so real and would hurt you so much that it will take your breath away. It is one of those movies which has redefined and realigned the purpose and function of Cinema in our society. This movie has risen above the death threats and arson that the Hindu extremists had waged to stop of production of this movie. It was nothing but a well manipulated campaign by the extremists to incite yet another massacre in the name of religion.
As the final episode to elemental trilogy that was preceded by Fire and Earth, Water raises questions about the Hindu custom of shunning and sequestering widows and how the Vedas and Shastras have been misinterpreted over the ages to suit the whims of the affluent.
Water, set in the late 1930’s, features the stigma faced by the Hindu widows in Varanasi The movie shares with us the dirty secret of Varanasi that will leave us guilty considering that nothing much has still changed in the independent India. But inspite of the guilt that you are left with after watching the movie, Deepa Mehta also leaves us with a glimmer of hope- the silent is no longer silent, they have started raising their voice against injustice and the last scene is the perfect example of this.
Water is an exquisite drama brimming with life and laughter and great tenderness and wrenching tragedy and is one of the finest movies of this year. Hats off to Deepa Mehta, to have made this movie against all odds.
To know more about the movie, click here.To read reviews about the movie, click here.To watch the trailer of the movie, click here.
April 14, 2007
For me the “ABCD” movies were always a trip back to the memory lane. Most the movies of this genre reflect the kind of insecurities and identity crisis the foreign-raised Indians face while growing up. Till 3 years back, i was one of those cofused foriegn-retunred Indian.
Another ABCD movie, was that I had prepared myself for when I went to watch, “The Namesake” with my husband the other day. The movie was not just about Gogol’s (Kal Penn) ethnocentric identity struggle but also the story of a women- a wife, a mother, in a foreign land, caught in ethnic identity dilemma but still manages to stubbornly hold on the values that she bought with her, from her homeland a decade back, it is the story of a father who hoped that his son would someday understand the legacy of his name.
The movie does not limit itself to just one vision, it is but a journey that takes us through most of life’s aspects in just 2 hours. The movie would definitely leave you sad and with lot of unanswered questions but then that is only because somewhere in the movie you saw yourself.
Namesake is a journey which we should all take and sit back while it takes us through life’s those forgotten paths where we might find ourselves again. It shows us hope beyond all pains suffered.
To know more about the movie, you can click here…
To know more about the book, you can click here…
April 9, 2007
One fine afternoon i had a craving for brownies and guess what, with just a phone call and after a couple of hours, i had a sweet lady at my doorsteps delivering my brownies.
Naked Desserts is definitely worth the money in your wallet. The brownies are chocolatiest and most gooey ones, i have ever tasted in my life.
The prices are a bit high for the quantity you get, but this sinful indulgence is worth every penny.
Now the best part about Naked Desserts is not just the brownies, you have the creator herself- “Malini” at your doorsteps to deliver the goodies. So this business is a total one-man-show !!
Go Bangalore- Try it out !!!
April 2, 2007
My usual trotting across “www” bought to my notice something quite splendid.
There is now a web-site by the name of “Naked Desserts” where you can place your orders to have some delicious desserts delivered at your door step (for chocaholics in Bangalore only).
A quick reading of the description can have you carving for them right away.I havent tried it yet but i am going to do it tomorrow ( I hope i am not disappointed and hope to do it before my husband realises that there is money missing from his wallet) !!
This great concept belongs to Malini Suryanaryanan who happens to be a passionate baker, or who else can come up with such a great idea. The prices seem to be on the higher side and i am assuming it is because the goodies are exceptionally good.
The reason why i posted about Naked Desserts even before i tried it, is because i get really excited when i read about chocolates and this concept is one of the first of its kind in Bangalore (that’s what i think) so i really admire Malini for bringing Naked Desserts to our doorsteps !!!
April 2, 2007
Finally for bad customer service Pizza Hut had to pay the price.
After having a bad experience with Pizza Hut for 3 consecutive times in a span of 3 weeks, the manager invited me for a free meal with my family.
I was greeted and treated well and the pizza was done to the perfection !!
My husband and I had a portion of garlic bread exotica, 1/2 mushroom soup, family size freshiza pepperoni pizza and choclate fudge sundae (i was disappointed at the quantity of the sundae 
), all for FREE !!!
Anyways I had a good time and i hope they keep their promise this time….
Cheers to Pizza Hut !!!!!!!!
April 2, 2007
A food chain that is facing stiff competition from the likes of it, better brush up their act and play their cards well. Pizza Hut, the largest pizza restaurants chain in the world cares less about the new-age mantra, “Customer Service”, at least not in my case.
Ever since I have moved to Bangalore, all 3 of my attempts to have a pizza delivered at my doorstep has been a nightmare.Apparently I live in the Bangalore suburbs (1 job and 1 wife- my husband can’t afford a flat in the city) so the joy of having a piping hot pizza comes with a price (Pizza Hut has comparatively less offers and more expensive pizzas in India). I have to wait an hour o to enjoy my pizza. I don’t mind that and totally understand about the distance part but what I don’t understand is that why they forgot to brush up their customer service when they just increased the price of their pizza by 5%-10% !!!The first time I tried to order a pizza, a lady calls me after around 30 minutes I placed my order that the family size Freshiza was not available and she would send me 2 medium size freshiza for the price of 1 family size. I was pretty happy that I was going to make a profit because I was going to save around 100 INR. But I, “a mathematically challenged temporarily unemployed lawyer” was shocked to learn from my “always correct husband” that I was going to get less pizza this way.
This how the calculation goes:
Area of 12″ Pizza
= Pi X r X r = 3.14 X 6 X 6 = 113.04 sq inches
Area of two 8″ Pizza
= 2 X Pi X r X r = 2 X 3.14 X 4 X 4 = 100.48 sq inches
Anyways the delivery boy was well over an hour late. He was very apologetic; actually he was a bit too apologetic. He made the mistake of showing me the pizza which I find to my horror was burnt. Each time a customer places an order, the order goes to the kitchen and while the pizza is being made, a delivery boy is assigned for the delivery. He has then the onus to check the order the right when taking it from the kitchen. Anyways I send it back and I had the manager call me up to say how sorry they were and I had them literally begging me for another chance ( I wish my husband said that to me once in a while). They vowed that this will never happen again and finally I get my pizza well after my dinner time.
Second time the same story and they also get the wrong order this time. Again the same lament from the same manager, this time he has a new dialogue- that he is embarassed!! Anyways long story, cut short- I finally get my pizza well after 11:00 pm.
Today, when I was placing my order that you now place your order with the Pizza Hut call centre, which will take your order and place the order on your behalf to the respective Pizza Hut in your area. This system is already in place in NCR but the irony is that the call centre is in Gurgaon so a Delhi resident pays the STD charges for placing an order. Anyways the agent who took my order assures me that I will have my order in 30 minutes. Ahem!! I didn’t believe that but after 1 hour and 15 minutes I lose my patience and after talking to 3 different people at the call centre who lamented the same script to me, the floor manager offers the pizza to me for 50% less. I made it a point to express how dissatisfied I was after 3 consecutive bad experiences. But when the pizza finally arrived- it was cold and burnt and I just refused to accept the pizza and tired of all this, I informed the delivery boy that I would place an order with Pizza Hut again. In the meantime, I guess my case my escalated to the manager. She calls me and goes on and on about how sorry she was and then that it would never happen again. She finally offered me a free meal at Pizza Hut and she allegedly claimed that she was ready to do anything to get me back as their customer!!
The point is throughout their clichéd script, I don’t think Pizza Hut cares a damn about customer service. They fall well below the mark of even a satisfactory service because they make the same mistakes again and again!!
April 2, 2007
After reading a lot about Indijoe and hearing that it was the favorites of many, I finally got the opportunity to try it out. To be very honest, I was not very impressed. If you have ever been to the “All American Diner” in
Delhi, you would understand why I am saying that. The ambience was pretty decent even though your mood could be easily spoiled by loud and senseless music (which i noticed, no one was even hearing) unless you are in the company of very good friends.
Making reservations well in advance did not work to my advantage because we still had to wait for 15 minutes before we were seated. We did get interesting seats though, we were seated right in front of the huge Frankenstein statue (I found that to be very interesting).
We started off with the vegetable combo for the starters, a glass of strawberry iced tea, lime soda and a bottle of beer. Before that let me tell you that it took us 25 minutes and the collective effort of 3 people to catch the attention of a waiter to take our order, PHEW !!! Interestingly the strawberry iced arrived first but a bottle of beer took more than 2o minutes to reach our table. I was disappointed with the strawberry iced tea- it was just a red looking sweet juice !!! The vegetable combo was not disappointing except for the mini samosa !!! We also ordered a portion of pita bread with hummus and now where the hell would you expect that the pita bread would be deep fried in vegetable oil. Finally we got the real pita bread- the normal soft and light bread!!! For main course we ordered an Indijoe salad, a Cajun fried chicken salad and a steak satellite. Now the steak satellite was pretty yummylicious and a generous serving but no marks for the Cajun fried chicken salad. To start with, the vegetables were not fresh and then the fried chicken was too soggy. But the biggest mistake they made was that they gave me vinegrette dressing for my salad, but isn’t honey mustard dressing the best for this ??? Didn’t wait to try the desserts, the corner house round the corner was more tempting.
To be fair, i enjoyed my time in Indijoe even though the food was not great!! I wish the lighting was more subtle. Full marks to the waiters- though they took there own sweet time to serve our orders (let us blame this one on the chef), they were very courteous. And the best part was that the food was rightly priced !!!
I will definitely go there again but won’t be as excited as I was this time.
