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Friday, May 31, 2024

OOTA BANGALORE and a Reunion


The Heaving Table at OOTA hosted by Shibanee Sagar

Show off mode on! Don’t say I did not warn you 😃


Many years ago there was a video that was viral on social media when it was limited to FB. It was a video of 2 chefs and their epic journey across Karnataka researching, tasting and learning about it’s hyper local cuisine. I was totally mesmerised. I had returned to Mumbai and so did not get a chance to check out the restaurant immediately. It was named Oota. Pictures floated across social media from patrons. I shared all the links on my school group on WhatsApp. It was just the beginning of WhatsApp too. Shibanee hadn’t mentioned it to us classmates until then. Several times I drooled over the pictures on the internet and told my classmates that I was dreaming to eat there. 

Left to Right me, Chanda, Shibanee and Vidya


This time when I visited BLR I planned to meet up the Annites who lived there. I hadn’t met Shibanee and Anaheeta after school at all. It was a long gap since I had met Vidya and Chanda too. My only condition was that we meet at Oota and that too with Shibanee.


Well Oota Bangalore is a hospitality venture a passion project by Shibanee’s husband Kamal Sagar. Together they run the architecture and design company Total Environment. If you are a Bangalorean you know how amazing their work is! 


At Oota that passion reflects in its menu and ambiance. A huge space of wood and metal furnishings and decor. Ethnic in character. A wonderful space to hold the theme of hyper local Karnataka menu. 


So when we met after 38yrs we exchanged euphoric hugs. Shibanee and Vidya were already there. Chanda joined in after sometime. I was given the privilege to order knowing that I was so passionate about food. For an ethnic fine dine Oota menu is designed to impress the technocratic crowd of Bangalore. So I chose from the tablet screen. The attendant helped and recommended that I choose from the ongoing Mango Habba menu. Shibanee 
generously instructed that I should taste everything😁 


So you see the first picture. The table was heaving under all that food. While She herself ate a simpler thali before she rushed to a construction site. I was thrilled that she could give us atleast an hour together. 


Anaheeta missed meeting Shibanee but we stayed longer and caught up on all those 38yrs. 

What we ate: 


1. Started with a A unique raw mango cooler from Havyaka Brahmin cuisine, Malnad which looked like mango Panha yet it was different sound and taste too. Trroiin! the drink gets its name from the act of downing it in one gulp. Made with raw mango, green chilies and salt, and seasoned with mustard seeds, jeera or cumin seeds, hing (asafoetida) and curry leaves. Decorated with a slice of mango with salt n red chili. 


2. Goli Baje, Coastal Karnataka. Deep fried spiced flour dumplings flavoured with cumin, coriander and yoghurt

3. Sabbakki Vade, Coastal Karnataka. Deep fried sago pearl cakes flavoured with fragrant dill leaves and peanuts

4. Maddur Vade, South Karnataka. Deep fried discs of rice, semolina, onions, rice flour and spices originating from Maddur

5. Biscuit Roti, Coastal Karnataka. Mangalorean stuffed sweet and spicy pooris

6. Khara Kadbu, Karnataka. Steamed spiced lentil and rice dumpling

7. Capsicum Bajji, Green capsicum stuffed with tamarind and mint chutney, onions, carrots, lemon and sev

8. Anjal Fish Fry, Coastal Karnataka. Seer fish shallow fried in coconut oil topped with crispy masala crumbs



9. Platter of crunchy papads 



10. Platter of lipsmacking chutneys


Right to left : Shibanee, Chanda, Vidya and me


11. Desserts 
 
Ragi halubai for Anaheeta
Mango Shikarani with warm mango holige for moi
Pecan pie for Chanda
Mango icecream with cut mango for Vidya


The food was superbly researched and executed outstandingly. Not one dish to complain about. That is the level of passion Oota shows and feeds the patrons with. I am genuinely blown away with the food. 

Proud of Shibanee and Kamal 🙏🏽

I wish I can take someone special for a meal there soon. 

Monday, May 27, 2024

Janai Atya

While I was away in BLR Janabai or Janai atya passed away. Today was her Dashakriya ceremony. 


She was my Dad’s cousin. Older than him. 

He would always describe his sister as DASHING. 


When they were kids she would carry my Dad. She could ride a buffalo 🐃 and would take them to the farm to fertilise it by grazing them. So the dung could be spread in the field. She went to the weekly bazaars of Poynad to sell dried fish ever since she was a teen. She would get narlipak and khapti from there with her hard earned money for her favourite cousin brother that was my Dad. 


She was a young mother of 3 kids when her husband went absconding. She used to go to Sasoon dock and then retail at Crawford market. Her’s was good old cash business. She bought her own small flat in Vashi when there wasn’t even train service available and she had to take a ST to Mankhurd station from where she would take a Harbour train to Sasoon dock. She was that strong Koli woman so stereotyped by films. No nonsense types. I remember how someone on the bus was harassing her and she showed him the fish chopper Kathi and threatened to make keema of his middle appendage  🤣🤣 घावटून टाकीन ! 


Both her sons did Techinal diplomas and the second son our Jackie has monopoly is private speed boats and yatch maintenance across India today. The daughter too is doing ok for herself. We are proud of our atya and what she achieved! 


I have some lovely memories of her from my teenage years when she visited us more often. Probably we imbibed being DASHING from her in our own way!

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Buono Pizzeria Alibag



20 Oct 2023

Buono Pizzeria! Be swept over by their quality. Eating out in Alibag is not something I enjoy too much. So this came as a superb surprise. Actually I had watched a food review on YouTube and so I came here today. 

My order 



1. Brutus salad: freshness in every bite.


2. Classic garlic bread with generous amounts of olive oil. 




3. Bianca top notch execution and fresh basil. The dough was perfectly chewy. 

Teaching my driver about authentic Italian. Told him to chuck the cutlery. Italians eat Pizza with fingers. This Bianca was top notch !


4. Coke from the can to digest all the indulgence.
 

5. Tiramisu authentic! Very few can make the original. 


Buono I will come back again !