Restaurant Review : Tres, New Delhi, India

On a recent trip to New Delhi, I noticed a sea change on the demographic and gastronomic front. Till a few years back, 'expatriate' was a term used to denote the embassy / diplomatic mission crowd residing in Chanakyapuri and shopping at Khan Market. But today, a lot of foreigners working for multinational corporations, supranational entities like World Bank and UN are calling Delhi home. I saw them shopping comfortably in crowded Lajpat Nagar while being equally at ease in the sophisticated environs of India Habitat Centre. This demographic change, coupled with an increasingly better travelled Indian has resulted in plenty of specialty restaurants, quaint delis, all day breakfast diners and European style cafes sprouting in the capital. On a landscape already dotted with restaurants offering multiple cuisines, this international influx is more than welcome.

Friends invited me to lunch and suggested the newly opened Tres in Lodhi Colony market. I initially baulked at the suggestion going only by the address. Childhood memories flashed through my mind when Lodhi Colony market used to have ten or so structured shops selling optical wear etc. The nearby Meherchand market was the go-to market for buying school books, renting fancy dress outfits for school functions and was primarily central Delhi's 'wedding market' along with Bhogal where you could hire mattresses, music systems, and 'shamianas' (bright red and green colored tents used for hosting wedding and traditional functions). You get the picture. And my friends were inviting me to Lodhi Colony market for a nice lunch? I was confused and not too inclined but the friends insisted I should check out the new revamped area for a pleasant surprise. And boy, was I surprised! Meherchand market is the new Khan market with its glitzy shops, designer boutiques and some outright swish stores. I drove onto my destination in Lodhi Colony market and well, was happy to see the ten shops still there except that now one of them houses the uber chic European eatery, Tres.

Tres (meaning three in Spanish) is a 3 month old restaurant founded by 3 chefs / restaurateurs - Jatin, Julia and Fatima. Jatin previously worked at the popular Zest restaurant in Delhi and has had cooking stints in London and Mumbai. Once inside Tres, one feels they have been transported to a Parisian cafe. Contrary to its name, Tres does not offer Spanish food. The only thing Spanish about it are the portion sizes at lunch which can qualify as tapas. On any given day, one of the three affable owners are on premises exchanging notes with their patrons. I took an immediate liking to the ambience. The cosy 50 seater eatery has been done up in shades of brown and black with a bright ceiling. The sofas are a tad soft and you tend to sink into them. Not a comfortable place when you have to have an entire meal sitting on them. A well stocked bar stands at the corner end and where the last tables are placed, you are able to get a good look at the glass paneled kitchen.

We arrived for lunch and were informed the lunch menu changes daily. Fresh ingredients, season's produce and catch of the day is important to the owner chefs and hence the daily menu change. The menu is quite exhaustive and intelligently designed. Apart from being a light meal, lunches are often kitty party affairs in Delhi where big groups like to try multiple dishes. Hence you have the menu offering small and big portions of vegetarian (INR 319 / INR 399) and non-vegetarian dishes (INR 359 / INR 419).

We started off with sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese bruschetta with caramelized onion and pickled artichokes which was simply excellent. Next to come were the garlic and parsley shrimps which were nicely done with beans on brioche in a creamy dill sauce. The chicken burgers were decent and the size is just right : 2 small burgers instead of one lumpy burger. I was a bit sceptical about seafood in landlocked Delhi but the duet of rainbow cod and sea bass fillet sounded good. And it was. One minor gripe was the fish being served with skin. I prefer it without the skin or with the skin cooked and placed as a sliver on the main fillet making it easy to peel away. We ordered thyme flavored grilled vegetables on the side (INR 99) which were strictly ok. The broccoli didn't taste fresh and in fact had a slight 'cold storage' aftertaste. The parsley roast potatoes made for a good side order though. As I mentioned above, the portion sizes are small in a good way. You can order more dishes from the expansive menu and thereby try different flavors and tastes.

For desserts, we ordered warm carrot cake which was quite nice. It had a generous smattering of dry fruits which is a rarity these days. My yardstick for measuring dessert quality is how well a place does warm chocolate brownies. I prefer my chocolate brownies to be gooey without any nuts in it. Tres' brownies had nuts in them but the taste is quite nice. The brownies come with vanilla ice cream and fudge sauce. The dessert selection is again quite extensive and at INR 320 is priced well.

Tres has a small but decent wine selection. They have steered clear of trying to do the balancing act between offering reasonably priced Indian wines and affordable European wines which are really cooking wines being sold in India. The wines are predominantly French / Italian and are priced in the range of INR 2500-4000.

Tres is busier in the evenings. Lunch is not a big affair in Delhi which is not a surprise given that the city's businesses are up and running only around 12 noon! However, this is a double edged sword and for foodies out there who like a good meal in a quality ambience, making it to Tres for lunch might just be the best idea. Service is strictly ok and offers immense scope for improvement. I hope Tres is able to smoothen out these small rough ends sooner rather than later. In the fiercely competitive gourmet world, you don't often get a second chance. Tres is off to a flying start and I look forward to being back here.

Restaurant Review : Pasta Brava, Singapore

Italian food is divine and having Italian food in Italy is a privilege of a special kind. I guess by the same yardstick, having it anywhere outside of Italy should take away significantly from the experience? Well, in my opinion it does. Whilst you can replicate the recipes with local or air flown vegetables, meats and cheeses, what cannot be replicated is the homely atmosphere of a trattoria, the owner bustling around to check all is in order and the sheer delight of walking from the chilly outdoors into the warm, cosy interiors of a mama's kitchen with a glass of Chianti red to give you company. Ah bliss!

In my quest to find the closest cousin to the above Italian atmosphere, I have relentlessly pursued Italian restaurants in Singapore's hot and humid climate. Whilst I've enjoyed some places for their food, others have been big let downs on all counts from service to food to the faux ambience. I had almost given up hope of having a hearty Italian meal in Singapore till I discovered Pasta Brava.

Tucked away in quiet Craig Road close to the business district and newly rejuvenated area of Duxton Hill, Pasta Brava is easy to miss. Housed in a charming shophouse, Pasta Brava's decor is classic Italian. All you see from the outside are glass paned windows through which smiling faces of diners catch your eye with much more gravitas than any 'Buy 1 Get 1 Free' billboard could ever do. On entering the restaurant, the vibrancy of the place almost takes you aback. Walls are adorned with paintings by the owner's brother and colourful drawings by former and current patrons. There is a choice of ground floor and first floor seating and I much prefer the former to soak in the ambience. Pasta Brava's ever-smiling owner, Rolando Luceri is on premises each time I've been there and is a perfect gentleman. Soft spoken with a heavy Italian accent, which is a bit of a surprise since he has been in Singapore for more than 40 years. Yes, you read that right - Forty years! A hotelier by experience, he has worked extensively in Asia including a long stint with the Oberoi group in India.

Now to the raison d'etre for my visits. The food menu is quite exhaustive. A staple order has always been the fried Calamari Fritti (SGD 16) which is simply wow. Another delicious appetizer - Prawns Gamberi (SGD 17) - is highly recommended for its butter garlic mix with a dash of brandy. Pasta Brava offers a range of regular pasta dishes as well as an assortment of home-made pastas. If you like your pasta with seafood, you've come to the right place. The Stracci Al Gamberi (pasta with prawns in saffrom cream sauce  priced at SGD 23) is just what your dietician asked you to stay away from. Wee bit extra creamy but absolutely lip smacking. Spaghetti with clams (SGD 19) is another favourite of mine. The generous portion of clams has to be the largest I've seen in a pasta dish in Singapore. Another seafood pasta of crab meat topped with a sliver of red mullet is nice but at SGD 30 seems overpriced. If you like fish cooked the Italian way like I do, give either the sea-bass fillet in lemon sauce or the John Dory with olives (SGD 28 each) a try. You'll not be disappointed.

Pasta Brava has a relatively small wine list vis-a-vis other Italian joints in Singapore. However, the prices are reasonable. There is a good variety of Chianti Classico's in the SGD 90-120 range. What makes the wine menu special is the availability of wines from Friuli, Abruzzo, Campania regions of Italy which usually don't show up on other fancier wine menus. Now for the desserts. A must-try is the super yummy chocolate lava cake served with vanilla ice cream (SGD 12). Sadly, the tiramisu and panna cotta (SGD 10 each) are strictly okay. The portion sizes are decent but the preparation lacks authentic taste which is a pity because these desserts are typically whipped up by Rolando or one of the family members themselves.

Did I mention the tables are covered with white chart paper and crayons are provided as well ? You are encouraged to make drawings (vivid drawings on walls testify to talents of previous diners) and if you are bereft of any such talent, the chart paper is used by waiters to note your main course order thus eliminating any confusion. The service is cheerful and efficient. With Rolando around, it is tough to have a bad service experience here.

I highly recommend a trip to Pasta Brava for a dinner with friends or even a romantic date. If you are looking for a high flying corporate entertainment kind of venue, this is not the best choice. However, if it is genuine Italian food in a setting that oozes soul and charm that you crave, Pasta Brava beckons. Till your next vacation takes you to Italy, getting to Craig Road will have to suffice.

Book Review : You'll Never Walk Alone by Debbie Singh

In the world of pulp fiction, Bangkok and crime are inextricably linked. Whilst the city is infamous for its safety record, it is also home to the infamous 'Bangkok Hilton', one of the most notorious prisons this side of the Atlantic. Australian boutique owner cum housewife Debbie Singh's book is set around the true story of her brother John who is charged with committing cheque forgery and slapped with a ten year prison sentence in Thailand's Klong Prem prison. The book narrates the tale of how Debbie campaigned hard for her brother to be granted a Royal Pardon from the Thai king and be transferred to an Australian prison to serve the remainder of his sentence - an event hitherto unknown in the absence of a Thai-Australian Prisoner Transfer Treaty.

This is essentially the story of a sister's love for her brother and the travails she goes through for his freedom's sake. The book also offers readers insights into Debbie's family which originally hailed from Liverpool in England and subsequently migrated to Australia. They are shown as a tightly knit unit which doesn't think twice before lending Debbie their whole hearted support in fighting for the cause of an 'adopted' child. John happens to also have a Thai born son and a wife who has deserted him adding to his rocky life. The book ends with a slight twist in the tale which is not entirely unexpected.

The book makes for a decent quick read. It offers good insights into Thai society and the prevalence of Farang (Foreigner) related crimes in Thailand. There are enough foreigners living in Thailand featured in this book to make you forget occasionally you are reading about Thai prisons and their inmates! The book's language is amateurish which is not surprising given this is a first person account from someone who is not a writer. I have two main contentions with the book. One is that the author assumes a very dominating tone in the book coupled with a seemingly God-given right to classify crimes as petty or serious based on her own view of them rather than how the law sees them. Repeatedly in the book, Debbie makes reference to how her brother has been given such a harsh sentence for committing 'such a stupid crime' as cheque forgery. Well, in my opinion law makers are not stupid when they come up with ten year sentences for cheque forgery. It must be a problem of some magnitude in Thailand to warrant such a serious sentence. I view it as imprudence on a foreign national's part to comment so emphatically on another country's legal system especially when their own kin is involved in a crime there. Another aspect which ticked me off is the marketing line for the book - 'A true story about the Bangok Hilton.' Klong Prem prison where John was lodged is NOT the Bangkok Hilton. It is the other Bangkok prison - Bang Kwang - that houses prisoners imprisoned for extremely serious offences and where executions are carried out, which is the notorious 'Bangkok Hilton.' I am not a fan of authors who resort to cover page gimmicks to sell their books.

Overall, I can only recommend 'You'll Never Walk Alone' for light reading. It may sound bizarre since the book deals with a very serious subject but it is the half-baked treatment of this very subject which renders this a breezy read.