The French Summer in Paris and a Dance

The French summer of 2010 is marked in my memory with a travel to the beautiful and lighted city of Paris.

Paris enchanted me with its Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Notre Dame. The shopping was fantastic and so was the food. But my days there were never planned. I just moved around the streets without a map, discovering new things about the city that 'tourists' can never. I would recommend this method of travelling to anyone who loves a little adventure, because losing yourself in a new city leaves you with so many more opportunities to discover it.

Eiffel Tower in Paris

But the story is not about the things I saw in Paris, instead it is about a memory that will stay with me for a long time.

One early evening I was scouting for a place for dinner. As I walked along the Champs-Élysées I noticed that the summers in France brought in a lot of tourists. The cafes and the shopping places were always brimming with crowds. The city felt vibrant and lighted in every way!

The Champs-Élysées Avenue

While walking along the avenue, I came across a cafe called Cafe George V. They had an indoor seating arrangement which was full, but the tables set along the sidewalk had a couple of empty ones. I peeped around the tables to see whether the food at the tables interested me.

While still in the midst of contemplation, a waiter suddenly walked up to me and asked "How many?" to which I replied "Just one."! And within no time I was there sitting at a table and looking at the menu card.

Salmon Fillet at Cafe George V

I ordered for salmon fillet with herbed lemon sauce and steamed rice and vegetables. By the time the waiter had finished writing my order, he had introduced me to an experience that was fun but at the same time a little embarrassing.

But a little prelude before that -

"Foreigners are always exotic in the countries they visit. But if you are foreigner from the Indian subcontinent, you are sometimes mistaken to be a Mexican when in the US or Spanish when in Europe"

So the waiter asks me in Spanish -
"Nothing to drink with your dinner?"
I reply back with a "Just water!".
"Not even some Sangria. I'm sure you'd had a lot in Spain, try some here."
"Merci but No."

"Well in that case..." and he broke into a dance right in front of my table. I was taken by surprise and looked at him with wide eyes. Everyone from the other tables turned around and started clapping as he continued dancing for a couple of more minutes.

Finally he took a bow, got an applause from everyone and then turned to me and said "Some sangria now?".

A soda is what I really ended up with after all that!

After that evening I never had another experience of meeting anyone so friendly and pleasant while serving me food at a restaurant. But I'll always remember this incident because it is only once in a while where you meet someone who can handle the pressure of buzzing hungry crowds during a peak tourist season with such panache and good humor!

Food For Thought, Cafe and a Book

Cafes and bookstores have always been synonymous with each other. The thought of picking up a book and sitting down reading it with a cup of coffee or a sandwich is a tranquilizing thought for a sunny afternoon.

So when I read about this new cafe at Kitab Khana at Fort (opposite HSBC Bank), I jumped at the idea of spending an afternoon there. The cafe called "Food For Thought" sounded unique in its name and their much talked about "Pear and Walnut" cake pulled me sooner to it over a weekend.

I walked into the cafe on a Saturday afternoon and found it to be a packed house. The cafe is very small occupying the furthermost end of the library, but easy to spot. Once I got there, I had to locate the owner Kapil Sanghi (not difficult because he is always around) and tell him I wanted a table for two. After a wait of under 5 mins I had a table ready for me to begin my cafe experience.

Food For Thought serves only vegetarian food but this should not be a deterrent for the non vegetarians because their fixed menu and changing menu is excellent. There were many options to choose from, and we began our order with the Moroccan Pita Salad. The salad was light with a mix of fresh lettuce, cherry tomatoes, olives and a mix of other greens with a yogurt base. The salad got interesting with it's light crispy pita and chick peas.

The next order was the popular Bhel Puri Sandwich. The thought of mixing a Mumbai street chaat with a sandwich was interesting. And when it made it to our table, it was perfectly grilled with the yummy chaat not as soggy as I thought it would be.

Finally it was the time for dessert, something which I look forward to everytime I eat out. As the variety was wide, I decided to ask the owner Kapil for help. Kapil was keen to know the flavors I liked in desserts before helping me choose one. When I told him I wanted my dessert to not be very sweet, but still be a mix of chocolate and sour strawberries, so he vouched that the Chocolate Strawberry Pizza would not disappoint me. And he was right!

The chocolate cake base of the pizza was light and not very sweet and the sourness and the pulpiness of the strawberries balanced it very well. The light whipped cream on top was a perfect replacement for cheese. To cut it short, I choose not to share my dessert with the person I was lunching with :)

The only disappointment were the Oreo Cookie Cupcakes. The icing was too sugary and OK to taste. Kapil did warn us though that his wife makes the best chocolate cupcakes and she wasn't in the kitchen that day. We should have taken the hint :)

Verdict:
Will I go there again? Yes I will!
I loved their food and their menu! Another Saturday afternoon maybe, with a book and some Food For Thought!