As the exclusive New York brand Megu opens its first outpost in India, will it redefine luxury dining – and service– in India?
Last week saw the opening of what is certainly going to be one of the most high-profile restaurants in the country for a while.
Posted in Hotels, Luxury 
Tags: Amp, Barons, Brand Name, Casual Dining, Cousins, Debut, Distinct Charm, Eager Beavers, Hype, Ilk, Injustice, Launch, Launches, Leela Group, Megu, Monogram, Multiplex, Notches, One Per Cent, Outpost, Rare Exception 
Comments OffI love fish, but let me confess: I am scared to death, like a good, land-bound north Indian, of the bones. So, I always opt for sea fish over fresh water, shell fish over any fish and fillet over a jhol.
But the trout mmm, the trout, when it arrived on the table, did away with all my reservations and fears.
Posted in Destinations, Hotels Tags: Afternoon Sun, Better Time, Chandigarh, Colonial Town, Early Winter, Fillet, French Fries, Hordes, Indulgence, Lemon Butter Sauce, Mountain Enthusiasts, Northern India, Pine Cones, Sea Fish, Shawls, Shell Fish, Simple Joys, Trout Fish, Water Shell, Winter Enthusiasts 1 Comment »… but it’s strictly average—except for the staff
By Anoothi Vishal
The determined onslaught by foreign hospitality chains into the Indian market means that the industry is currently abuzz with who is moving where. Amongst the biggest players to have entered Delhi this year is the Hilton—the US-based brand founded by Conrad Hilton (whose great granddaughter Paris Hilton is someone you may be more familiar with) and it is in news not just because of the famous surname but because of the unlikely location it has chosen for itself: Janakpuri.
Posted in Luxury Tags: Bling, Blown Glass Chandelier, Business Hotel, Coffee Shop, Conrad Hilton, Fortunes, Great Granddaughter, Impressive Space, Interior Design, Led Lights, Marble, Metro Line, No Doubt, Onslaught, Paris Hilton, Profitable Venture, Residential Locality, Rich Areas, Speciality Restaurants, West Delhi Comments OffCurating a monsoon food and art festival at The Park New Delhi has been fun and a good learning experience. I discovered the importance of seasonal foods in our cooking traditions…
Seasonal diets have always been an intrinsic part of Indian regional cuisine(s). While we may not have had codified “kitchen literature”, and recipes and methods of cooking may have been passed down generations simply through word of mouth, Ayurveda, the “science of medicine” and food, undoubtedly played a significant role in how Indian families across the country cooked and ate.
Posted in Cuisines, Culture in India, Eat Healthy, Luxury Tags: Agrarian World, Art Festival, Art Literature, Climactic Conditions, Cuisines Of India, Curating, Family Recipes, Food Community, Ganpati, Golen, Indian Families, Methods Of Cooking, Monsoons In India, Odd Shower, Onam, Rakshabandhan, Regional Cuisine, Savouries, Seasonal Foods, Teej Comments OffAn old Delhi restaurant gets a spanking new makeover— successfully
By Anoothi Vishal
Growing up in Delhi, one restaurant that I frequented more than any other was Baluchi at the then hotel Intercontinental. Part of an older genre of “Indian” restaurants, this was a family favourite, as much for its tikkas and curries as for live musical performances; more Bollywood than ghazals.
Posted in Anoothi's Ratings, Hotels Tags: Argentinan, Baluchistan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Curries, Delhi Restaurant, Dips, Fenugreek, Indian Food, Indian Restaurants, Kashmir, Mals, Massis, Musical Performances, Old Delhi, Radish, Roti, Sauvignon Blancs, Tikkas, Vishal, Wine Bar 1 Comment »Delhi’s preparation for the Commonwealth Games may be sorely behind schedule but some projects have got completed. The sprawling, government-owned Ashoka Hotel, occupying prime real estate in Chanakyapuri, was scheduled to get a makeover from its smelly, dingy ways to designer-fitted look and some designers had already been booked to do up each of the rooms.
Posted in Commonwealth, Hotels, Luxury Tags: Anjali, Ashoka Hotel Delhi, Commonwealth Games, Designers, Goel, Hotel Asia, Hotel Deals, Luxury Hotel, Makeover, Prime Real Estate, Sneak Peek, Travel Intelligence Comments OffIf you don’t want to do the usual touristy trail in India—Agra, Jaipur, Delhi in the north; or then again Mumbai and Pune, or Kerala and Goa – an interesting region to explore is north-eastern India. Usually considered cut off from mainstream culture and society — even within India – the region’s pristine beauty, mountains, deeps waterfalls, the mighty Brahmaputra river cutting through it is unmatched.
Posted in Heritage, Hotels Tags: Brahmaputra River, Burman, Common Man, Culture And Society, Darjeeling, Deeps, Dream University, Dynasties, Earth Man, Eastern India, Heritage Hotel, Heritage Tourism, Kishore, Mainstream Culture, Nobel Prize Winner, Pristine Beauty, Rabindranath Tagore, Royal Heritage, Shantiniketan, Tripura 1 Comment »For as long as I can remember, Suraj Kund (“the sun’s pool”), on the outskirts of Delhi, has been known for its crafts fair every February. Sponsored by the tourism authority of India, this is when regional craftsmen from all corners of the country gather to sell art and furniture, embroidered fabric, hand-made fans, marble pick-me-ups, painted shell “animals” and so forth, everything culminating in a colourful extravaganza of folk dance and puppetry and so forth.
Posted in Hotels Tags: Banqueting Facilities, Business Hotel, Charming Property, Claridges Hotel, Conferencing Space, Fabric Hand, Flatscreen Tvs, Folding Mirror, Folk Dance, Glass Wall, Private Balconies, Puppetry, Shell Animals, Spacious Bath, Sun God, Sundowner, Suraj Kund, Tourism Authority, Ups, Walk In Closet Comments OffDespite the prevalence of “Jain” Chinese and Thai (particularly in Mumbai), Udupi restaurants, Gujarati thalis and Vaishnav Bhojanalays, it is a truth universally acknowledged that vegetarians do get a raw deal when eating out. The easy availability of more exotic vegetables and ingredients today — morels and truffles, for instance are much more expensive than the choicest of imported fish and meats – have eased the pain somewhat but most restaurant menus are fairly lopsided.
Posted in Hotels, Restaurants Tags: Biryanis, Business Communities, Business Travelers, Commonwealth Games, Country Inn And Suites, Experience Country, International Travelers, Latest Fad, Meat Eaters, Morels, Oriental Section, Paneer, Restaurant Menus, Soya Products, Star Property, Thalis, Vaishnav, Vegetarian Hotel, Vegetarian Restaurant, World Cuisine 1 Comment »We asked the country’s top chefs to rate their top chefs (excluding themselves).
Manjit Gill, Corporate Chef, ITC
1. Rahul Akerkar, Indigo, Mumbai
2. Ananda Solomon
3. Imtiaz Quereshi
Criteria: A chef’s primary job is to cook.
