Nivedita Das Narayan

This Saturday’s visit to Tea Centre in town was a celebration. A snacky celebration of memories, in culmination. I’ve visited this place before but this visit with N threw up a special Delhi – nostalgia. Ushered in by liveried waiters, interiors resplendent in Green and its various shades, water color portraits hung on walls - to be sold, almost every seat taken up - by a curious mix of 20 somethings and all ages. Curious because we did not expect the 20’s generation to be enjoying tea when the Café Coffe Days & Coffee Worlds are winning the opinion polls by huge margins. We’re victims of cliche may be! The order was placed. Mind you, the only way to be waited upon was to summon attention by ringing the bell at our table. An unexpected craving for something old and familiar tugged at my palette and I made the suggestion to N. Pakoras . We wholeheartedly succumbed and so placed the order for a plateful of Pakoras. They came. With Daintily flavored Assam tea in a Carafe (they’ve done...

Have been rather busy... with what you'd ask! - cannot translate coherently into anything that makes sense. A jamboree really : N finally met up with his cousin, he viisted The Nest for dinner. The food (that I served! ) was not much to my liking, am not sure hence if the guest went back much sated!! Was good to listen to some anecdotal teasings & nostalgia between the cousins. And some dark family secrets (as they termed it). Net net - it's proven: it's always fun catching up with cousins, despite lengthy periods of no 'connect' over the width of seas, STD/ ISD lines, hundreds of kms, family functions, family group Ids, birthday wishes and the rest. The surprise on my Birthday saved more than a few bad hours (N?)... what with Chaya and gang conspiring with my husband to gift me a surprise-gatecrash with cake, love, hugs, et all. Some photo moments will be posted soon. Secret well kept N! and a great one at the dusk of a day when i'd silently wondered '...

Seductive Simplicities Britania Co. Ltd., located at Ballard Estate, Mumbai will ring a ‘nostalgic’ bell for many a Mumbaikar, but for yours truly – still not fully initiated into Mumbai’s very best & very basic – it was the very first encounter. I’d not heard of its existence till this day (April 6) Clearly a day which was more meticulously planned out than many others, we managed to pack in quite a bit, actually a lot – slept in, aggressive cardio at the gym, light breakfast to be compensated later at lunch and departure by the stipulated time. South Mumbai on holidays continues to be a breeze, though on this ‘Good Friday’ we had to navigate through a bit of traffic en route. Britania is nestled in the heart of the statuesque Ballard Estate, still one of the most influential business districts in the country’s commercial capital. The buildings, said to be designed by George Wittet - the architect for Gateway and the Museum- bear the familiar similarity of high ceilings and big wi...