Brunch Review : MELT Cafe, Mandarin Oriental, Singapore

Once in a while, a lazy Sunday brunch is the perfect recipe for unwinding. Throw in free flow of Champagne and you are talking unwinding at its decadent best. Having sampled most Sunday brunches in Singapore, I haven't been able to find the one of which I could become a regular patron. A friend highly recommended the brunch at MELT and on a cool Sunday, off we set to sample it. On calling for reservations, I was informed Veuve Clicquot champagne was being served that Sunday (champagne brand served keeps changing so please enquire beforehand if you are picky). This already earned MELT one brownie point as VC is my preferred bubbly and its tough to find it at brunches where usually the more popular Taittingers and Mumms rule.

Given it was a long weekend when most people leave Singapore, the place was not full to capacity as brunches are wont to be. MELT has a circular layout which offers more privacy than sitting in a large living room kind of layout at Greenhouse (Ritz Carlton) or Oscar's (Conrad Centennial). We chose to sit outdoors closer to the grill. Our table attendant informed us apart from the Champagne, house wines and beers, free flow of Martinis and select other cocktails are also included in buffet price. Now that is a first for any brunch I know of in Singapore.

This is a true world cafe and there are over 100 dishes to choose from. Having made a mental note of what I wanted to sample, I decided to focus on those and not bite into everything on offer. By the end of it, we did not even get around to the pasta station or the local Asian delights. But then, there is only so much one can have in a single sitting. I started with fruits and cheese. The cheese board is delightful with quite a few farm house cheeses and you can tell they are fresh. Moving on to the Japanese counter, the sushi and sashimi were good but not extraordinary. I'd rate Oscar's at Conrad higher on the Japanese fare scale. Another problem with the Japanese food counter was that it is not freely walkable. Some tables are set too close to the counter and you have to walk in a U-turn which means jostling with people coming to and fro the counter. Also, the staff does not seem to be doing a thorough job of keeping the counters clean as you see bits of wasabi, soya sauce, noodles, chopsticks lying about carelessly.

Next to be sampled was the Indian fare which was surprisingly quite good. The prawn curry was delicious and choice of naan breads was impressive. The chicken tikka kebab is another recommended item. You can skip the biryani and lamb curry : too bland by North Indian food standards. My final food stop was the barbeque hut. You have to walk upto the station and select from among the steak, lamb, sausages, satay etc and the barbequed items will be sent to your table. Given the large amount of seafood available on the ice bed indoors, it was a big surprise to be told there is no barbequed seafood available. I reckon having some chargrilled prawns and lobsters would earn MELT more brownie points. However, if you prefer chilled seafood, then MELT will not disappoint you. Their large selection is displayed smack in the middle of the restaurant and is loaded with crabs, lobsters, oysters, prawns, mussels, squids, etc. I was in half a mind to try the oysters but I need them to be shucked. Not spotting anyone around to request to, I gave the chilled seafood a miss save some prawns which were juicy.

As stuffed as we were, we couldn't have left MELT without trying a couple of items from the mammoth selection of desserts available. If you have a super sweet tooth, then you'd be better off going to MELT for a dessert brunch. Waffles are the fastest moving items here. We settled for home-made caramel and chocolate ice cream along with a portion of Tiramisu and chocolate mousse. Top notch.

At SGD 138++ for the Champagne brunch, MELT is not cheap. But then again, lifestyle spending is relative. Greenhouse at Ritz Carlton and several others charge more for their champagne brunches and in my opinion, they are not half as good. The service at MELT is quite good. I'd give them full marks not so much for being efficient as for being discreet. Whenever I left my table for a helping, I'd return to a neatly folded napkin, topped up Champagne and a full glass of drinking water. Our check took a long time to come and thats where I'll withhold some marks for service. Overall, MELT is recommended though my search for the best brunch didn't end here.  Nonetheless, if you are hunting for a relaxed Sunday venue and think your appetite can do justice to large spreads, MELT should definitely be on your check list.

Lounge / Bar Review : Carpe Diem Lounge Club, Barcelona, Spain

If you are looking to have a good night out in Barcelona, look no further than Carpe Diem Lounge Club (CDLC) on Barceloneta beach (Olympic port). Having just one weekend in Barcelona, we decided to go clubbing and asked our hotel concierge what is a good Saturday night venue. When he recommended CDLC and handed us discount vouchers for the same, I immediately became suspicious we were being packed off to one of the touristy places and will end up at a very average place which will cost a bomb. We desisted from making dinner reservations at CDLC and decided to head there for drinks only. As an aside, we had dinner at 'Bestial' located next to CDLC and can totally recommend the place for great ambience, good service and nice food. Now back to CDLC.

The club has a restaurant and lounge area overlooking the sea. Seeing the crowd, I reckon reservations are an absolute must for dinner. The lady at the entrance checked us out head to toe and then smilingly, escorted us inside to the bar area. I guess the unstated admission policy is if we don't like how you are dressed, you will be informed the club is 'full.' As you walk past the dinner tables laid out with expensive glasses and cutlery and again past the curtained lounge beds, you get the feeling this is a very popular haunt with the swish set of Barcelona. The club also offers private lounges for those who seek more privacy. The decor is exotic with multi coloured cushions, silk drapes and the overall fusion look of Arabic, Indian and Moorish influences.

We settled at the bar with Hendrick's gin and tonic and a glass of Champagne. Drinks are not cheap at about Eur 15 each excluding taxes. The bar tenders were amongst the most handsome men I've seen and had a finesse which comes with tending to celebrity clients. We saw a lot of well dressed attractive people strutting around and Iam sure they included a fair number of Barcelona's glitterati. After dinner at about midnight, the restaurant area gets transformed into a club with renowned DJs at the console. The music was mostly funky house and not much to my liking but then I was quite pre-occupied with observing the crowd and the bar tenders' theatrics at mixing drinks. The club is normally open till 3:30 am but we didn't stay that long.

My biggest regret was not getting to try the food which looking appealing. Iam definitely returning to this super trendy and chic lounge bar the next time Iam in Barcelona. And yes, I did thank our concierge for his excellent suggestion and only blame myself for not taking his word seriously enough to have booked that dinner table. 

Book Review : A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

'A Fine Balance' is set in India of the 1970's and is the story of two low caste tailors : unmarried Ishwar and his nephew Om who come to a large Indian city by the sea (Bombay goes unnamed) to make a life for themselves after going through trauma and caste violence in their villages. They find employment with a spirited Parsi widow Dina Dalal who is desperate to maintain her independence inspite of having little education and being widowed early. To augment her meagre income, Dina takes in a friend's collegiate son Maneck Kolah as paying guest in her small rented flat. The only child of his parents, Maneck is unused to city life having spent his life in the hills. These are the four main protagonists around whom the book revolves. The narrative sweeps across generations but the core story is spread over a year or so which also happens to be the time when Indira Gandhi declared Emergency in India. The book details how these people's lives intermingle and their collective journey through periods of stress, happiness, trauma and the strong bond which develops only to be tested vigorously when Emergency is imposed.

Mistry is a master story teller and I thoroughly enjoy his writing style. As a chronicler of Bombay life and Parsi living, he is par excellence. The easy flow of his pen gives clues to Mistry's intellect and imagination. The book has its endearing moments and stands out for spinning beautiful webs of human relationships. The book offers keen insights into the Emergency and its excesses but overall is more an account of poverty across urban and rural India. A fair number of stigmas associated with and atrocities committed on 'untouchable' masses described in the book are decisively true. Its the generous doses of exaggeration and stereotyping which don't amuse the Indian reader who is more aware of ground realities than the Canada emigrated Mistry. Considering the book is written in the mid 90's and is hailed as a work of hard hitting realism, the reader is wont to ask the source of this realism : how did Mistry get all these details about village life (Mistry is a Bombay boy), how did he get information on Emergency (Mistry has been living in Canada for the past 35 years) and so on. One cannot help but think of all the themes he could have written about, this particular one of poor untouchables in the Emergency period is an ill suited one given Mistry's background. He is purporting to write facts against a real background with fictional characters. And whilst some characters are well developed, others exist on the periphery without purpose, without motive and with the most despondent names like Worm, Beggarmaster, Dukhi (sad)! Mistry's seemingly own prejudices also creep into the story. Keep all the uncouth, depressed, negative characters on one side and you are left with all the Parsi characters who are beyond reproach - ranging from the well meaning, generous, enterprising Dina Dalal to the sophisticated, refined, progressive thinking Maneck to his forward looking, cosmopolitan family. I have nothing against Parsis ; if anything, I have the highest regard for this microcosm of a community which has given more to Indian society than received from it. However, Mistry's prejudiced characterizations did strike a sour note. Mistry's attention to detail is inspiring but seems overdone in a few instances like having a full chapter devoted to stray kittens drinking milk from a saucer !

The most favourable aspect of Indian poverty seems to be that all those who write books about it are feted with awards, large royalties and critical acclaim from a western media which likes to believe that real India is a deprived and hungry country where the poor and low caste masses are beaten, castrated, pissed upon, made to eat faeces and generally live a life which will make a street dog's life seem lustworthy.

A Fine Balance is part of Oprah's Book Club and that will help you decide if you should read the book or not. Like the club's founder Oprah Winfrey, if you are into poverty pornography, then the book is a must-read for you. If your reading profile is similar to mine : like good prose and lucid writing style with an ability to distinguish between fact and fiction, the book will interest you. If you are an inquisitive soul who's never been to India and wants a window into the India of your imagination where only deprived souls live despicable lives hoping for 'The Slumdog Millionaire' moment to happen, then this book (like the afore mentioned movie) is your destination. My only advice in this case is go to India soon after to do a self-check.

Restaurant Review : Mia Cucina (Bandra), Mumbai, India

On a recent trip to Mumbai, decided to grab a quick bite on the way back to the airport. The place suggested was Italian eatery Mia Cucina (meaning My Kitchen) in fashionable Bandra. Tucked away in Palinaka overshadowed by its louder neighbour Papa Pancho da Dhaba, Mia Cucina is easy to miss. The indoor dining area is really small and you have the option to dine outdoor as well. Unlike restaurants which operate during lunch and dinner hours only, Mia Cucina is open through the day. They do not accept reservations and the place is almost always full. If you want to be assured of a dinner seat, best to arrive by 8pm.

I'am told the place is frequented by mostly regulars including Bandra's film folk and hence, you are likely to see the same faces on each visit. The owner, a pleasant looking man named Sanjay Kotian is seated outdoors in animated conversation as we arrive. Though it was not dinner time by Indian standards - 7:30 pm, the place was quite full and we were lucky to get a seat indoors. I mentioned to the staff I have a flight to catch and they happily obliged with quick service.

Written in a creative running hand style, the menu offers variety in meats. The day's special is also listed on a blackboard at the entrance. The wine list is small but includes popular wines like Moscato. We ordered a portion each of Rawas Alla Griglia and Spiedi di Gamberi Prawns along with two glasses of house white wine. Like most establishments, wine options are very limited if you order by the glass. Mia Cucina does not serve beer or other types of alcohol except wine. The wonderfully presented rawas was a fillet cooked to perfection accompanied by greens. Given the generous portion size, it was priced at a very reasonable INR 550. Wanting to eat light before a flight, I had ordered prawns which were listed under appetizers. The portion had 5-6 pieces and one bite into the grilled prawns with that excellent dressing had me thinking should I order one more portion or maybe an additional main? Given time constraints, I desisted with a resolve to come back for a more leisurely dinner next time.

The ambience is akin to an Italian cafe in Europe with soft lighting, wooden interiors, casual atmosphere and that din of diners which tells you everyone is having a good time here. The service is prompt and efficient. The attentive staff deserves the mandatory 5% service charge that is levied and more. This unpretentious restaurant undoubtedly serves one of the best and most genuine Italian fare in Mumbai. I'am in a big hurry to go back to this kitchen.

Hotel Review : Ahimsa Villas at Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia

Deciding where to stay in Bali is always a tricky matter. There is just so much to choose from in the land of the Gods. From food land Jimbaran to party zone Seminyak to earthly Ubud - the choices are many. Iam a Bali addict and can only tell people to go there as many times as they can only to feel as if its your maiden trip. For the authentic Balinese experience, steer clear of hotels and opt for the villa accommodations. These are just so much more relaxing and there is something to be said about being on a beach holiday in a 5 star ambience without the staidness of a reception, lobby area, crowded buffet breakfasts and the usual buggy taking you around the resort. Having done a lot of afore described holidays, it was with much skepticism that I had settled for my first villa holiday in Bali and now Iam a convert.

My parents had loved Jimbaran for its food and beach in that order (we are a food family)! So I decided to check out Jimbaran and opted to stay at the fabulously presented Ahimsa villas over the sophisticated Four Seasons Resort where my folks had stayed. Of course, Four Seasons is swish and their villas are luxurious and all that, but I was curious about all those stand-alone villas in Bali and wanted to experience them just once. So Ahimsa it was for us. We were greeted at the airport by our transfer service - a smiling driver in his deluxe minivan offering cold towels and water and zipped off to Ahimsa which is only 15 minutes away.

The greeting area is small and the formalities are quickly dealt with. We take a short walk along a high walled path from the 'reception' to our villa and come to a big wooden door. Not having any clue on what to expect since the walls are very high, we entered wonderland and I was smitten. Holidaying with friends we had booked the 3 bedroom villa. You enter by side of the main living room which overlooks a clean decent sized pool and leads onto the open kitchen and onwards to the dining area. Further beyond lie the rooms, each ensuite. This was our own bit of paradise in Bali and was I glad we chose a villa over a hotel villa or suite. The rooms are large and have enough storage space. The bathrooms are spacious and have an outdoor tub overlooking the pool (appropriately covered by foliage). The beds are very comfortable and mosquito coils are provided in each room.

The decor is minimalistic and the architecture is all about clean lines, lot of woodwork and as much use of natural materials as possible. The sofa in the living room is ideal for lazing with a book or listening to music. There are LCD TVs with DVD players in every room in addition to the living room. There is a selection of DVDs available in the villa and wifi is free. Ahimsa offers a shuttle service within Bali town. This is quite a luxury since the 'shuttle' is really your own personal car and will take you outside of the main town area too (but drop-off only). Buggy and bicycles are available for guests to use for going to the beach at no charge. The staff at Ahimsa is outstanding. Always smiling, polite, nothing is too much trouble for them. The maintenance of the villas is exceptional and nothing looks tired or out of place. There is no spa on the property but in-villa massage services are available. We tried these wherein the masseuse came with a folding massage table and worked her magic. The massage was nice but nothing beats the relaxing experience of being massaged on a wooden table in a spa setting.

Since this is a villa complex, there is no in-house restaurant. However, room service is available from a nearby Italian restaurant which was decent. Breakfast is cooked daily in your villa by the staff who'll come at your preferred hour. They make eggs, toasts, sausages as per your preference and the way they cut fruits is mesmerizing. What artistic designs on your mangoes, apples and pineapples ! Now I'll let you in on a secret. What is not advertised but available on demand is a private barbeque in your villa with the day's fresh catch of seafood. We had chosen Jimbaran precisely for the food and decided to try the barbeque for dinner. A staff of 4 arrived at our villa, set up the barbeque stand and the aroma of chargrilled lobsters, crabs, prawns and fish filled the air. I do not have words to compliment the excellent quality of food we had. A night of pure gluttony which cost a fraction of what it would cost in Singapore if we order the same quantity in an above-average restaurant.

The Ahimsa villa complex is not beachfront property. You have to walk for 10 minutes down a dead-end road before reaching the beach. The beach is clean but not the best Bali has to offer. A slew of vendors sell food on the beach from corn on the cob to coconut water to satay. Ahimsa has beach beds there but you need a token from the front desk before you can use them. The many restaurants on Jimbaran Bay also offer sea-beds if you order food from them obviously. The food at these beach-front restaurants is fantastic and they typically write the day's catch on their entrance signboard. Crabs, lobsters and prawns are to be had aplenty and they are sold by weight. Comparing prices to Jumbo in Singapore, they don't cost anything.

If you are visiting Bali for the nightlife, trendy shopping and chic dining options so raved about, Jimbaran is ill-suited. It is a fair distance from Kuta. If you are looking to spend quality time relaxing with family or chilling out with friends and don't want to do too much outside of lazing, eating and drinking with a toe tucked into the plunge pool, Ahimsa Villa is the place for you. Luxury rarely comes at a reasonable price and Ahimsa is the place to get it.

Restaurant Review : Smith's Fish and Chips (Boat Quay), Singapore

I love my fish and chips. If there is comfort food in this world, it is the 'chippy' for me. Nothing quite beats having deep fried fish with thick oily fries wrapped in newspaper on a muggy day. A trip to England is incomplete till I do the trip to Croydon only to feast at my favourite McDermott's. Their cod and Maris Piper potato chips are made in heaven. And McDermott's is the benchmark by which I measure all fish houses. Just when I was really starting to moan about Singapore lacking a decent fish and chips place, I walked past one at Boat Quay. Unable to believe that the food Gods had actually heard my pleas, I promptly fixed lunch with a friend and we set off for Smith's.

The location is great - waterside as well as indoor seating is available along the Boat Quay riverfront. The decor is no-frills and its all about the fish. A smiling lady offers you a choice of classic cod, haddock, plaice, halibut, scampi as also the Asian favourite Dory. There is a choice of salmon fishcakes too and for non-fish eaters, there is chicken and chips. You can see the various fried fish pieces through the glass display. We settled on a cod and haddock each with chips and a side order of mushy peas. It is self-service at Smith's and the staff will only clean the tables for you.

Your order is wrapped in plain white paper (unlike in newspapers in UK). The cod was as it should be - tender and moist flesh cooked in a light and crispy batter. Haddock tastes similar to cod except that it is less flaky. Between the two, I prefer haddock and had no complaints with Smith's offering. The fish is fried in refined palm oil and leaves no after-taste. It is wont to serve the fish bland so you have to sprinkle salt and vinegar on it for some taste. The chips were quite good - crunchy, chunky and well cooked. A small gripe was they were a tad cold. Just so you are not surprised in case this is your first stop at a 'chipper', English chips are thicker than American fries and look more like potato wedges. In combination with the fish, these taste better than American-style thin fries would. Though not a favourite with me the mushy peas were decent and were just that - green, tasty and well mushed !

Overall, Smith's is as good a 'chipper' as you can find outside of UK and continental Europe. The place is run by Britons and the fish is flown in weekly. Whilst the chips are not made from Maris Piper potatoes, they are tasty nonetheless. The prices are reasonable. Cod, haddock are priced at SGD 18 and only the halibut and scampi are more expensive at SGD 24. Ideal for a quick bite or lunch meeting, I highly recommend Smith's. At last, there is a fish and chips outlet where I can satiate my fish cravings without having to go to Old Blighty.