Fireflies : Sono Affamata!

I do not exactly remember the first time I had pasta. It was probably when I was in the eleventh standard when a classmate brought it in her lunch box; beige structures in some weird white sauce and having a near-bland taste. The pasta didn’t create a good first impression on me at all. And I’m guessing ( with no offence intended what so ever) that one of the reasons it was so was because it was prepared by an Indian home maker whom I’m sure is a pro in making Rice Sāmbhar and in my opinion, should stick to it only.

          What further substantiated my reasoning is the fact that ever since that day, whenever I have savoured this Italian dish, it has made me fall in love with it even more. Thanks to my foodie friends, throughout my four years of engineering, I have dined in almost every other Italian restaurant across the length and breadth of the city. Hence, I would like to believe that I have a sufficient level of expertise to comment or criticize or compliment it.

          Bangalore has absolutely no dearth of continental restaurants. After some research (as usual) I decided to make Fireflies my next target. It is located on the second floor of a modest building on Lavelle Road, apparently one of the posh-est roads in Bangalore and thanks to Vijay Mallya and his flamboyance for making it even posh-er.

          I arrived at Fireflies at just the right time for lunch hoping to see it brimming with customers but alas, it wasn’t, barring just one table. We found a comfortable couch – table in one corner and started ordering in no time.

          I presume it’s my observant nature that compels me to notice even the most miniscule of details about a restaurant. For example, the pages of the menu were all crumpled and some even dog eared. No, it wasn’t made from hand- made paper, if that’s what you are thinking.

Starters and drinks: None of the drinks on the menu caught my eye. Same old name, same old drink. So, I summoned the bartender to shake up my personal favourite customized drink- strawberry and vodka. Just a sip of the drink and I knew something was wrong. After a couple of sips more, and with the intention of saving myself and my family from any kind of alcohol induced embarrassment, I had to call the bartender. “It has 60 ml of vodka madam”, he said.” I wanted to make it special for you”. Really? Special? You should have simply given me a rose instead! Thankfully, he re shook it to reduce the vodka content to 30 ml. At almost the same time, I placed the order for starters- Risotto and Mozzarella fritters and Mushroom caps. The risotto and mozzarella fritters are an amalgamation of rice and vegetables, deep fried and served with balsamic glaze and glass noodles. Somehow, my taste buds just couldn’t register the taste or rather the lack of it. So it’s best I leave no comments on it. The mushroom caps are nothing but mozzarella, mushroom and spinach. It’s a  no-nonsense dish and like most things simple, it was simply wonderful. You can actually cut upon the cap and see the spinach and mozzarella arranged in perfect symmetry. Wow!

Main course – I stuck to the staple Italian dishes – Penne Lombardy and Veg Risotto. The Penne Lombardy is nothing but penne pasta in white sauce, topped with some chili flakes and Grana Padano (a famous Italian hard cheese). The risotto was arranged like a miniature mountain on the plate. According to the manager it was prepared al- Dante, which in Italian  means “sticks to your teeth” and quite literally it did. We left half of it uneaten.

Desserts – Fireflies did reserve the best for the last. The cinnamon apple strudel with vanilla ice cream was not only served so aesthetically but also managed to leave an indelible impression. The apple strudel is actually an oblong pastry with a filling of shredded apples, cinnamon, raisins and bread crumbs within. I strongly recommend it.

       

            Honestly, Fireflies could do a lot better. It left me tad disappointed. In case why you are wondering it is called Fireflies, it probably has to do with the lighting used in the restaurant, that consists of lantern sized glass bulb which I’m sure would give it a romantic feel at night. Not to forget, the manager needs to also direct some attention to the kind of music played because I got to listen to MJs “Beat it” every quarter of an hour or so”.

          My verdict – 2/5. They are numerous other restaurants that serve way better for a princely sum of 2500 rupees. Fireflies needs to buckle up!

Home is where the heart is...

                After having read my blog, my friends and family alike have been bombarding me with one common question – “which restaurant next “?  Well, this time around I thought I would make it a little off – beat. I choose a place that is way closer to my heart than any other restaurant – Home.

                I’m not particularly a home body, considering I spend close to 90% of my time outside home, sometimes coming back only to plunge into my cosy not-so-little bed. Nevertheless, when given an opportunity to savour some delectable home cooked food, I would chose no restaurant over my home. After all, what better way to start your day than having a wholesome breakfast prepared with patience and dedication, garnished with love and care, and served by the caring hands of your mother?

                Here are a few breakfast dishes that I love to kick-start my day with. They are healthy, easy to prepare and fill with you with that feeling of warmth and fullness like only home cooked food can.

Paddu - I call it the hybrid cousin of the dosa and idli. Made from (left – over) dosa batter and cooked in the Aebleskiver pan (traditionally used to make Danish pastry balls), the paddu will and always be my personal favourite.  Generally eaten with coconut or pudina chutney, you can easily devour 10 – 15 of these at one go. If you are someone who loves experimenting with food, then you could also add onions, cilantro or tomaotoes to the batter that give the Paddu a slight tweak to its taste.

Chapathi and egg burjhi- I once promised my mom that if and when I finally gear myself up to learn the art of cooking, then the burjhi would top  my  list of dishes that I would want to learn to cook.It is probably the easiest to prepare and is hence touted  the “ quick – fix” dish in my house. As the name suggests, the oh-so-nutritious egg is the main ingredient of this dish. Eggs are a reservoir of complex amino acids which serve as the building blocks of proteins. They are also rich in a whole lot of vitamins (such as Vitamin A) and minerals. So, if you are desirous of having lustrous hair, strong eyes and a good eye sight, you know what you should be making a part of your diet.

                  The egg burjhi is prepared in just one simple step- sauté coriander leaves, green chillies, tomatoes and a couple of eggs in low flame and within   minutes its ready!. To make it more filling, you could also add potatoes, capsicum, carrots and almost any other vegetable that you can think of.

          Puri and palya: Not exactly a healthy start to your day, but thankfully, since the metabolism of the body is way higher in the morning, weight- watchers needn’t feel guilty about eating them. However, Puri is one dish you could easily go wrong with. Frying it too deeply or preparing it from left over chapathi atta just kill this dish.         Generally eaten in accompaniment with saagu or palya, the puri has different variants all over the country. For eg, the puris made in West Bengal are deep fried in mustard oil ( not a personal fan of it at all), and if you believe in “size matters”  then you could opt for the bathura, the bloated –up version of the puri! Not to forget, my neighbour who is a Mangalorean once prepared puri that had banana mixed in it. Yes, you read that right, BANANA!

              Before I conclude, I must thank my Mom for giving her 100 % to everything she does; cooking is just one of them. Truthfully speaking, she deserves an award for bringing up and putting up with a difficult person like me at home. I couldn’t agree more with the adage “God couldn’t be everywhere, so he created mothers! “