Review: "Get Stuffed" at Rhapsody

Rhapsody restaurant in the Courtyard Marriott 

On Tuesday, Nipsi and I stopped by the Courtyard Marriott here in Chennai to try out their new promotion, "Get Stuffed". Because of Nipsi's TV show, "Enter the Kitchen", she often has these sort of events where she first goes for a meal at a restaurant, selects which dishes to demonstrate on the show with the chef, and then comes back at a later date with her camera crew. I had been with her previously to a Lebanese restaurant, Yalla Yalla, at the Radisson (I'll post a blog about that soon) so it was nice to have something to compare it to. 

Inside Rhapsody for our private dining experience 

Upon arriving at the hotel, we were chagrined to find out that the restaurant where the promotion is taking place, Rhapsody, is actually closed during the day. We had made an appointment with the hotel's PR woman and so when she arrived to greet us, she explained that they were opening the restaurant just for us. I was pretty impressed but still slightly embarrassed by the fuss. It ended up being really nice though because we were able to chat to the head chef, Dev, about each dish since he wasn't rushing around dealing with other tables. 

Wine and water 

In Chennai, it is notoriously difficult to get wine, even for hotels or restaurants. For some reason, the state of Tamil Nadu has decided to make importing wine extremely hard and therefore orders often take ages to fill and businesses are left waiting for their stock. We were therefore surprised to see so many foreign wines (Italian, Australian and French mainly) on the wine list at Rhapsody... although we were less surprised to find that only one was available by the glass. So, we ended up with the Le Vele, Vecchio, Moraco 2009. I found it a bit sharper than I prefer but this was possibly because the first glass wasn't chilled enough. When we asked them to put the bottle in an ice bucket, we both agreed the taste improved. But, I'm not much of a wine expert so who knows! The one thing that takes some getting used to here is having your water bottle presented to you as if it was a fine wine. I understand why they do this (so that you can check the seal and be assured that it isn't tap water masquerading as Evian) but it still makes me laugh... "Madam, your water... is this to your liking?" accompanied with a flourish. 

Marscarpone cream with chives, wrapped in smoked salmon

The first course was marscarpone cream mixed with chives before being wrapped in smoked salmon thinly sliced and served with a green salad of olives and pine nuts. I'm not usually a huge fan of smoked salmon (or salmon in general, although I'm trying to be more adventurous with it) but this was delicious. However, I found I was really distracted by the thought of how similar it tasted to Philadelphia brand salmon cream cheese... basically, this was a very classy version of it and, regardless, it was tasty. I also decided to be brave and eat the salad despite my mother's constant warnings about lettuce. I was just so desperate for some leafy greens! I haven't had any lettuce or other leafy veggies since I left Rome so I'm really missing them. Especially living in such a hot climate, it seems almost perverse that the one thing your craving (a light salad with raw tomatoes and cucumbers etc) is the thing that will probably make you the most ill. So I've abstained while day dreaming about how easy it is to pop to the store, grab a head of lettuce and make a salad back home in London. 

Chicken with Gorgonzola and a truffle cream 

Our second course consisted of chicken breast rolled around Gorgonzola cheese and plated with a truffle cream. When chef Dev was describing the dish, I couldn't have been more excited since Gorgonzola and truffles are probably two of my biggest trigger words. When I see either of them on menus, I'm probably going to end up ordering those dishes. This led to a discussion with Nipsi about trigger words and how, despite having very different backgrounds, we share a lot of the same ones: pastry, prosciutto, goat's cheese, sun dried tomatoes, Gorgonzola, chestnuts and pie. I know, some of those probably sound a bit weird, like pie, but I love savory pies back in London. I guess these are the ingredients that I feel are too decadent, either in calories or price, to buy often. Anyway, this dish was absolutely amazing. I think it takes a very steady hand to keep the Gorgonzola from overwhelming everything else on the dish and chef Dev did a great job of letting the truffle have an actual presence in the sauce. Really well balanced and probably my favourite dish of the day.  

Next up was tortellini made with confit of duck in a chicken jus. The dish was surprisingly light and I thought the duck had nice flavour. The only issue we had was that the duck wasn't as tender as we had expected but I actually thought that added a nice bite to what could otherwise be a bit of a soggy dish. Overall, I would definitely order this again. I thought the chef did a great job of keeping our portion sizes small but we were still rapidly "getting stuffed" so I guess the promotion's title was pretty apt.

Mezzaluna pasta with cannellini beans

The fourth course was mezzaluna pasta filled with cannellini beans and sage served with rustic tomato, basil and garlic sauce. "Mezzaluna" means half moon in Italian and is named for the pasta's half circle shape. I've never had beans in pasta before so I was a bit confused about whether it would work. However, cannelloni beans sauteed with sage and olive oil is a very common dish in many areas of Italy and one I had enjoyed before so I was willing to give this dish the benefit of the doubt. Lucky I did since it was delicious! Chef Dev explained that this is one of his signature dishes and I could see why. The beans were kept just slightly al dente before being added to the pasta which allowed them to be fully cooked but still retaining a bit of texture that helped to give the pasta a solid bite rather than being too bland. The sauce was also tasty in its simplicity as it let the focus remain on the pasta. 

Spinach and mozzarella cannelloni

Following the mezzaluna pasta was a course of spinach and mozzarella cannelloni with a white sauce topped with more cheese and a simple tomato base. We were so full by this point and uncertain of how many more courses lay ahead so we only managed to eat half of our servings. These restaurants are always so kind to give us each a proper plate of each item but I was definitely contemplating the merits of us sharing one plate by this point. However, it was really nice, although I did feel it might have needed a bit more salt since the cheese didn't have as noticeable a flavour as I had expected. Overall though the dish was surprisingly light, which we appreciated as we moved on to our sixth course. 

Filo wrapped vegetable parcel

Our final course before dessert was made up of stewed vegetables wrapped in a filo (also written as phyllo or fillo) dough parcel and served on a bed of asparagus and tomato sauce. While I was slightly tired of the tomato sauce by this point, the asparagus was really delicious. It had been dressed simply in a bit of butter and herbs and was easily the star of this dish. The filo dough was slightly undercooked in the middle so I focused on the ends of the parcel. I almost thought that the tomato sauce was unnecessary since the vegetables had been stewed in a similar sauce and therefore the taste was pretty strong. I think if I hadn't been so full from the previous dishes, I might have enjoyed this one more as it has another of my trigger words: pastry (and yes, I consider filo dough to be pastry!). 

Pear and walnut strudel 

Our first of two desserts was a warm pear and walnut strudel, served with chocolate dipped walnuts. I've never had pear strudel before but I definitely will again. This was amazing! It was surprisingly light (although the picture might indicate otherwise) and had a very light cinnamon taste. If I hadn't been so stuffed already, it might have been nice to have some ice cream on the side or something but as it was, I was very glad it came on its own! 

Orange, chocolate and Cointreau crepes 

Finally we reached the end of the meal in the form of orange, chocolate and cointreau crepes. The filling was made up of those ingredients, which had been sauteed until the orange segments essentially melted into the sauce. It was delicious! And, as an added treat, it was garnished with candied orange peel. Overall the lunch was such a special treat and so amazingly filling that we both came home and fell immediately into food comas. However, I did start to feel nostalgic for Roma! Only five weeks left here in India before I'll be back in the land of pasta and prosciutto... can't wait! 

Recipe: Chilli Basil Chicken

Pretty potatoes and onions

Before I start with this recipe, I feel the need to add a quick disclaimer because this recipe isn't Indian, it's actually Thai. However, I'm including it because it was possibly one of the tastiest chicken dishes I've had in a long time and the simplicity means it will be something I plan on making often when I get back to London. The ingredients are all items that you probably have around the house already so I think it would make a great weekday dinner. 

sliced garlic 

 This recipe comes from Nipsi's cousin Shiv (known professionally as DJ Shivamoon) who was kind enough to cook for us when we invited ourselves over one evening.

Sliced garilc, basil and chillies

For this recipe, you will need:

450g skinless, boneless chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4+ cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2+ red chillies, chopped
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
10-12 holy basil leaves, torn

Start by adding the vegetable oil to a wok on medium high heat and, once its hot, throw in the garlic and chillies. We used about six cloves of garlic since we all love it but the recipe can easily be adjusted to taste. The same is true of the chillies. We used dried red chillies since that's what Shiv had on hand but fresh could also be used. If you are using dry chillies, make sure to give them a quick dip in warm water to rehydrate them a little before using.

garlic and chillies in the wok

After the garlic and chilli have heated enough to become fragrant, add the bite size chicken pieces. Turn frequently to ensure a golden colour on all sides.

garlic, chillies and chicken

When the chicken has reached a golden colour and is almost completely cooked through, it's time to add the fish sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar.

soy sauce and fish sauce

The sugar will help to caramelize the chicken and the soy and fish sauces will reduce slightly as the dish continues to cook. When you're almost finished, toss in the holy basil. Holy basil is slightly different to the regular basil we're used to seeing and it becomes more fragrant as it heats. However, if you can only find regular basil, that will certainly work as well. On a whim, we decided to throw in some bok choy, a type of Chinese cabbage because, again, it's what Shiv had on hand. I think it was a nice addition and gave the dish a nice green element. A good substitute could be spinach or kale if you wanted to add in some extra nutrients. Otherwise, the dish is delicious on it's own too!

almost ready to eat! 

We served this dish with just plain basmati rice and it was delicious. Give it a try! Or, alternatively, come over to my house when I'm back in London... odds are good that this dish will be on the menu!

Chilli basil chicken, basmati rice, and thai green curry 

Making my television debut...

A few weeks ago, Nipsi's band was asked to play a gig in celebration of the Park Hotel's tenth anniversary. So, Samia and I headed over to watch them play and to get some dinner. On the way, we happened to catch their radio interview as well. It was so strange to listen to the radio and actually know the artists being interviewed! I was really proud of Nipsi and the guys, they've worked really hard and its so nice to see them getting the recognition they deserve. 

The Mediterranean platter at the Park's 601 

The band, BLaNK, is made up of two DJs, Manny and Skip, and Nipsi (although she goes by her full name Nirupama). Manny lays the tracks with his equipment while Skip and Nipsi layer different elements over them. Skip uses the turn tables while Nipsi brings in her flute and vocals. It's a strange combination, a flautist and two DJs, but it really, really works. I would literally have never thought of it!

BLaNK: Nirupama, DJ Skip, and DJ Manny 

DJ Skip

Anyway, this all brings me to my (minimal) television debut. Nipsi works for NDTV, one of the big channels here in India, and had been asked to cover the event while also playing with BLaNK. After goofing around with her microphone and generally being obnoxious, she asked me if I wanted to give a sound bite about Blank and the whole event. 

Reporter Nipsi hard at work 

Correspondent Caitie at your service

I agreed and the video below is the result. I come in somewhere around 2:29... So embarrassing! I was pretty nervous because I wanted to make sure to portray the whole thing well in support of Nipsi. Also, I think I sound a little ditzy because I was trying so hard to hit all the different keywords I thought they might want ("Park Hotel", "radio interview", "BLaNK", "Leather Bar", etc). Also the editing means I reference the radio stuff twice... oops. So, for any readers who don't personally know me... I promise I usually try to sound a bit more competent! 

Paying the Electricity Bill

Tamil Nadu Electricity Board

One of the things I've been most aware of here in Chennai is how many more steps are involved in doing simple things. For example, in London, my electricity bill is paid by direct deposit from my bank account so there isn't really anything that I need to do every month for it. Here in Chennai... things are a bit more complicated. I'm sure there is some way to pay on-line or via mail but we decided to go in person just to make sure everything went smoothly. So we hopped in the car and headed to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board here in our neighbourhood, Besant Nagar.

Nipsi looking so thrilled to be here

The building itself was surprisingly run down... I guess I was expecting a shiny modern building but that was definitely not the case. If you weren't looking carefully, you could easily miss it as it looks just like all the other apartment buildings and businesses in our area. The office was on the second floor and upon entering, we were greeted with a long counter where the staff members were protected by a ceiling high fence. Naturally this seemed kind of daunting and I immediately started to wonder if the other customers waiting were secretly the hot heads the staff members needed protection from.

Counter with protective barrier

The hours of operation were pretty strict (as we had found out previously when we arrived at three to try and pay our bill) with staff only accepting payment between 8:30 and 14:30, with an hour long break for lunch from 12:30 to 13:30. It was slightly infuriating since the only sign that tells you this is located in the office affixed to the counter... so you had to come all the way into the office to find out you couldn't actually pay after all. Annoying! 

Hours when payment is accepted 

Nipsi and I got some very strange looks when we wandered in, all set to pay our bill. We quickly realized it was because we were the only women in the group. While this is not necessarily unusual, the idea of young unmarried women living on their own is still considered very strange for most of the inhabitants of Chennai. Young women, and men for that matter, tend to remain living with their families until they get married. After that, depending on your socio-economic status, some couples choose to get their own place. However, I've been surprised to find that the majority still choose to live with the husband's family after the wedding. Therefore, a flat shared between unmarried flatmates - something that is completely normal in London where rents are so unreasonably expensive - is almost unheard of. In fact, many landlords still require the signature of a husband, brother or father before a young woman can rent their accommodation on her own. I can't even imagine my landlord in London asking me for that!

Nipsi paying our bill 

Aside from the strange looks, the whole experience was relatively pain-free and quick, which left us the rest of the day to run other errands. On the way, we saw this fine example of yet another unsafe way to travel...

So, so dangerous! 

Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music

The school's main sign 

Last week, Nipsi, Alfonso and I decided to take a mini road trip down to Mahabalipuram to see the Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music's end of the year concert. Nipsi is friends with some of the instructors there through her work in Chennai's music scene and so they had invited her down. The school is a self contained campus a bit past Mahabalipuram where students study in the main building and live in the nearby apartment blocks.

Artwork outside the school's main doors

More artwork inside the building

While driving down, I was uncertain of what to expect. When she mentioned the school's concert, I was envisioning a school recital like the ones I used to have in elementary, middle and high school. Needless to say, I wasn't super thrilled about the idea of watching one of those! However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the "school" is actually more like a university with all the students having completed high school. The average age was still fairly young with most students being around nineteen or twenty but there were also 'mature' students who came for just the semester to improve their technique or learn a new music style.

Opening act

The school focuses on music (obviously) and has classes on different instruments, composition, vocal training, and other elements of performance. The students are placed into "ensembles" that form their performing groups. The concert we watched was allowing each ensemble to demonstrate their newly learned skills and hard work for the year. The school has a really lovely and homey atmosphere that I'm sure the students appreciate. The class sizes are relatively small and as a result, all the students seemed to know each other pretty well. In addition, there were lots of campus animals that helped to make the whole place seem much more laid back and relaxed than other universities. We were particularly partial to "puppy number three" and "kitten number two" as we named them...

Nipsi, Puppy Number Three, and Alfonso

Kitten Number Two

The music was not at all what I was expecting to hear. I had thought, because it is a music school here in India, that the students would be demonstrating their skills in Indian music styles such as Carnatic and Hindustani. However, while the music did have elements of these forms, it also incorporated western beats and instruments. For example, one ensemble performed Baul singing, a form of music from Kerala, while rocking out to a western rock beat. It was incredible and so surprising. Baul singing is usually performed by mystic minstrels who wander the countryside, searching for their "ideal being". It's a very religious experience and therefore I was really impressed that this particular ensemble was able to incorporate such a traditional style into a modern score.

Staff members closing the concert

A little audience participation 

The concert itself was an excellent example of how plans tend to go here in India. We had been told that it would start at 7 pm and were therefore a bit sheepish when we finally arrived closer to 9 after getting lost along the way. However, we joined the audience just as the introductory speeches were concluding and therefore found we hadn't missed any of the performances. This perhaps should have been a warning sign as the concert then went until 2 am. I was very surprised since a school concert in either the US or UK would never go so late but it was such a pleasant evening that I barely noticed the time. While the concert was outdoors, the strong breeze from the ocean made the temperature much more comfortable than we're used to in baking Chennai!

Nipsi and I demonstrating our excellent taste in bling 

Closing number

After the concert, we headed over to one of the staff member's apartments in the nearby building with the expectation that we'd hang out for a bit before heading to bed in his spare rooms. However, it turned out that  his apartment was also the location for the after-party and we were quickly joined by several of the students and the other staff members.

Alfonso channelling his inner karate kid

Nipsi's impromptu jam session 

The party was set up with a karaoke machine in the living room and a terrace which quickly became the location for impromptu jam sessions. It was really interesting to be around so many musically inclined individuals at once. And, actually, quite inspiring. I've already put in a request for my mom to bring my flute back to Rome with her (from Virginia). Being around Nipsi and her music friends has made me really crave that form of creativity. I think it will be a nice break from writing up if I can use the flute as a distraction technique.

The scene on the terrace at sunrise 

Somewhat predictably, the after-party continued into the early morning hours. I was exhausted when I looked at the clock and realized it was 6 am. But, the time had really flown by and I was surprised to find that I wasn't as tired as I probably should have been. Given that the party showed no signs of stopping, we decided to head back to Chennai (about an hour away).

Pretty palm trees at sunrise 

It was 7 am by the time we started back and it was actually a great time to be on the road as everyone else were just waking up and the traffic hadn't accumulated yet. We stopped for tea at a roadside stall with this young gentleman... who was very confused about what on earth we three could possibly be doing on the road so early...

Roadside tea stall 

We were so excited to be driving home so early... 

Along the way, we were shocked by the number of bullock carts we saw. This must be the time of day they prefer to get their deliveries made as there are fewer cars to spook the oxen. Unfortunately I was struggling to get a good photo of them as I wanted to demonstrate the detailed painting of their horns. You can kind of see what I mean in the following picture.

Bullock carts on the road

Overall, we had a blast but I was certainly glad to get back to my bed when we finally arrived home around 930 (having caught the beginning of the Chennai morning traffic). I'm so glad that Nipsi and I ended up as roommates since otherwise I wouldn't hear about these sorts of events. I found the whole experience really eye opening and was so impressed by these individuals who are clearly so passionate about music. Although, having said that, I think it's safe to say my days of pulling all-nighters are definitely over as it took me about three days to recover from the missing sleep! 

Science Model for the Day

Scientist Caitie: ready for my close up!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to take part in a video shoot here in Chennai. Having never done anything quite like this before, I was naturally nervous! For the video, I was demonstrating how easy an interactive training program was by going through the steps. The program is for a medical diagnostic machine, however I can't be more specific than that due to privacy issues. 

Setting up the first shots

Arriving at the studio, Nipsi explained to me that the area, Venus Colony, is home to a lot of movie and television stars and other celebrities. This, naturally, did nothing to calm my nerves! We parked and made our way over to the shoot location. It was being held in the gallery/studio of Sundar, a very well known photographer here in Chennai. Walking in and seeing some of the examples of his work on the walls kicked my nerves into overdrive and made me feel clumsy and uncertain. However, he and Sree (the shoot organizer and representative for the product) were extremely friendly and put Nipsi and I immediately at ease. I was so happy Nipsi agreed to join me since I wouldn't have had a clue how to get there/what to do when I arrived without her! 

My view from in front of the lights... Hi Nipsi! 

Having been told to wear "business attire", I arrived in one of my nicer dresses with two others and a blazer in tow just in case. However, this seemed to be less of an issue since they had sourced a lab coat for me to wear. My work generally doesn't involve anything like that so it was nice to feel like a proper scientist for the day... even though it was just temporary! 

Me and Sree, the shoot organizer

For the shoot itself, we used two set ups around the gallery. The first was for the longer distance shots of me working through the training program while the second was primarily for close ups of my face while working. It's a very strange feeling knowing your every movement is being watched! And the program's touch screen interface proved particularly difficult given that my hands were shaking. Luckily my nerves dissipated quickly and I was able to run through the program a few times before we actually started shooting.  

Setting up

Although I felt a little silly at different points during the shoot (mainly because I am definitely not model material!), I still enjoyed myself. Not sure I'll be making a career change any time soon but, overall, it was a great day and proved to be an interesting break to my normal routine! The video is now going to be put together and used as a promotional tool at a conference in Napa Valley. Thinking about the fact that people I don't know in a place I've never been will be watching it makes me nervous all over again... hope they like it! 

More setting up