Between sips: Stay in and explore

At the time of writing this, I admit that I am no more a ‘covirgin’. While I now possess more antibodies than a vial of the vaccine, it wasn’t an easy two weeks, what with fever and back pain. I mean, if you already know how much worse a man flu is compared to a regular flu, imagine a cis-gender male Covid-positive patient versus any other gender, binary or otherwise. But more than Dolo 650, thank heavens, there was good food and drink always at hand to help cope.

The sign of a good eatery is that they create a signature recognisable brand of food that goes beyond the representative cuisine or region. Mahabelly has managed to do that well and although, there have been the odd consistency glitch, few places I know pay that much attention to customer feedback. In their case, this high level of dedication to the art of perfection leads to consistently good food every time. Among the handful of outlets that have taught us largely ignorant north Indians about the cuisines of south India (and how it’s much, much more than just idli-dosa), Mahabelly remains a big contributor to that pedagogic cause.

I love good coffee but it’s only with tea do I feel a connection that can be termed worthy of greatness. If a good coffee bean can be likened to a great Bordeaux claret, then fine tea is more (white) Burgundian in nature—subtle, nuanced, and so delicate that even a few degrees of temperature (while growing or even while brewing) can make or break the experience. Now I get that people can get very obsessed with the estate, the picking time and so on but frankly all great beverages involve that level of involvement and indulgence. Some teas that I recently tried from Golden Tips who package them by estate and picking times were truly great. I wish they came with some more explanation and tasting notes that didn’t read as vague (but hey, tasting notes always sound vague and I am a sommelier saying that!) but safe to say that any tea you try from them delivers an authentic experience of the type of tea and its provenance.

I am yet to try Local Ferment Co’s ware but this outfit out of Bangalore seems to know what they are up to. Bangalore peeps can try their Sunday randoms which all sound like an absolutely decadent yet delicious way to ring in the weekend. I am personally looking forward to their Kimchi, cheeses and cocktail-ready shrubs. Some of this can be shipped nationally but the rest will need us to be in the same city. If you are lucky enough, let me know how it goes.

Pro Dough, a start-up in the NCR, comes from an acclaimed chef (who also happens to be a college batch mate) and shall soon be delivering to other cities once, I imagine, they figure out the logistics. Because instead of sending an assortment of pre-cooked Indian breads, they send you basically pre-rolled dough portions. Some need to be rolled out but in all cases, the one thing which I found unique and appreciated was the freshness of the final product. Most other such forms of convenience often sacrifice some percentage of quality, not so much here. Find them online and hope they deliver to your PIN code.

Cannabis is the next big movement that people will get after once they are done obsessing over natural indigo dyed jeans and sneaker collabs. Trost is one brand which is trying to stay ahead in the game with CBD oils and tobacco-free cigarettes (they claim it’s ayurvedic, if you can believe it!) I am not doubting there legitimacy, but smoking has never worked for me. The oils, however, did. I was in my post-Covid phase, so it helped with the pains and the sleep. They claim different ones for different purposes. So, maybe it’s CBD-plus-something that makes them so specific. Either way, if strong concoctions is your only bet, I’d suggest giving alternative therapies like this a shot (with proper consultation of course).

Meanwhile, The Crossing is for those who are Dubai bound. I was privy to a pre-opening tasting and all I can say is that this is one of the most intricate food and beverage programmes I have seen in a long time. What makes it special is that the chef here goes beyond the ‘usual suspect’ list of Indian dishes and aims to showcase authentic regional subcontinental fare. The wine list will be one to go toe to toe with a French fine dining so one has enough of a gastronomic extravaganza to explore here. Mark the name and make sure you reserve before you touch down in the Emirate city.

The writer is a sommelier