A cup of Assam Tea

I heard the buzz and rave reviews of Zoonskaya from my family and friends in Sivasagar  When we visited Sivasagar  in our recent Assam trip I wanted to visit Zoonskaya. Sadly the night was already occupied as they are supposed to have a wedding party and I had no choice but to visit for lunch. A few miles from the hustle of the city, Zonnskaya is nested in a most gorgeous natural setting encompass with pond, trees, fields and emerged into modern esthetics.         I thank my stars for coming for lunch, as I was awed by the beautiful vistas in the daylight. A stunning, open-air space with a fireplace feels like one gorgeous restaurant, but if you step outside, which you eventually will, the wonder awaits you: a beautiful pond with green mountains on the horizon, offering a Caribbean resort-like experience in Assamese aesthetics.  I was amused by the morals on the walls and cherry on top, the tree of mango to jackfruit, fe...

      Every time I visit NYC my expectation gets higher and higher whether people watching, exploring a new restaurant or new entertainment , the city amazed me with a new zeal and zest. Not a new restaurant in the city but for me exploring Tamarind Tribeca, NYC was a new experience. A fine Indian Dining, located in the most bustling location in the city with an understated yet elegant interior makes one of the best choices in the city when it comes to Indian fine dining.       We opted for early dinner and entered around 5.30 pm and we were gladly greeted that made us instantly comfortable. As you might guess "Tamarind" has a huge influence in Indian culinary the tangy, sweet and flavorsome, we obviously expected the same character in the dishes too. A great part of Tamarind is when it comes to cocktail menu you can choose anything you like and if you are sober they can omit the alcohol, this gives you more option to explore all the cocktails...

      Do you ever wonder what the taste of country-style cooking or village inspired cooking in southern India is? Even though I come from India, I have never visited the southern part of India yet. If I imagine southern Indian village style cooking, my mind instantly clicks a picture of earthy rustic flavorful cooking, a good dose of spices and of course all natural ingredients served in banana leaves, ah solace.       A few weeks back one of my friend mentioned about Kumar's the newly open Indian restaurant in Manchester, CT  with inspiration from Southern Indian village style cooking. I couldn't resist but to visit soon. Entering Kumar's I discover a hut in Kumar at the entrance felt good at the little effort to bring southern India to Connecticut USA, as huts are an integral part of an Indian village. It was busy Saturday night at Kumar's, it would be great if you can call ahead and ask for a reservation, otherwise, the wait is super long. As w...

      The famous who visited, the awards and the showstopper dal, I was little nervous to write about Bukhara.  The visit itself, you experience the warmth and high hospitality the Indian culture stands for with rhythm of rustic interior keeping rendition with yesteryears of Mughal inspiration.      We were hit by the usual Delhi traffic that got us little late for lunch. Consider ourselves lucky, 5 minutes passed lunch, and we were greeted with the most gracious welcome.       As we already felt little guilty about getting late, so started our day with the main and how would it be without the iconic dal Bukhara. And then pudina paratha, Murg malai kabab, and Kastoori kabab.       Dal Bukhara: cooked for 24 hours in the earthen oven (tandoor)  with tomato and ginger garlic was indeed a show stopper and signature. Thick whippy black gram dal comes with a generous dollop of butter on top. If you haven't...

I have a great fascination for filling breakfasts as it serves you longer, I mean, if you have a great breakfast your day will start with more energy more zest. I love Indian breakfasts as it is very filling and satisfying at the same time. When it comes to southern Indian food, I always love to have breakfast or brunch. Just recently, I had a scrumptious breakfast at Saravanaa Bhavan in Edison, New Jersey. My southern Indian friends always make fun of me, since I haven’t had a chance to visit Saravanaa Bhavan yet if you haven't been to Saravanaa Bhavan than you really have not tasted great south Indian food. As I entered, my expectations were more traditional interior and space, but it was quite the opposite of my expectation. Saravanaa Bhavan owned me over at the very first sight by its beautiful modern interior with bright crimson red and opulent orange looks and attentive and humble service. We started our day with Madras filtered coffee that something you need for...

When you move from one country to another country you probably carry your food memories along with all the other memories. After moving from India to the US, we visited many Indian restaurants from East coast to West coast. Most of the time, I failed to get that authentic Indian taste. Most restaurants had the same taste and same color whether its chicken Tikka or vegetable Korma. Somewhere, I lost interest in visiting Indian restaurants. But, there are a couple of times when you get that taste you are looking for. We recently heard that a new Indian restaurant had opened nearby to our city. I was hopeful to visit because it is the Thali brand, it is popular for its incredible Indian taste. India , West Hartford was a good find. We were there for lunch. Modern contemporary, clean set up was great with Indian touch like displaying framed saree and using colors like scarlet red and jet black which you rarely see in an Indian restaurant in the US. We recently visited India . F...