Tres..... Lodi's new place

It wasn't long ago that Tom and I tried a new restaurant - Tres at Lodi Colony Main Market. For those of you that have read my posts before it is just next door to my Fancy Cloth House Tailors. The interiors are fairly bland and beige but thankfully the food is not.

As I'm preggers, I could not induldge in one of the yummy looking cocktails, instead I splashed out on an apple rosemary mocktail! Unfortunately it wasn't very good and should have just stuck to lime soda. Lucky Tom on the other hand sampled the ok wine menu.

For entree I ordered Canadian scallops with cauliflower pannacotta and Tom ate the King prawns. Both were really lovely - the plating was beautiful, as was the taste. For main Tom had  the melt in your mouth lamb and I ate my old favourite pork belly. Both of the main dishes were fantastic! Pork is always quite rich but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Never too full....... I finished off the meal with Apple Tarte Tartin - again did not disappoint.

The only disappointments came with the drinks.... only green tea on offer for me post meal and Tom had an espresso in a very cool glass.

Price - Rs 4900 for two with some drinks

Tres
17 Main Market
Lodhi Colony
New Delhi
Ph: 011 24625520 OR +91 9971536053 
 

Remarkable Rajasthan

Last weekend was Tom's birthday, so we escaped Delhi, took Sophie to her favourite place, the airport, and boarded a Jet Konnect twin prop to Jodhpur. 1 hr 20 minutes later, bags collected, car waiting - we were on our way to the RAAS hotel.

The journey was fairly mainstream until we hit the old town. At entering the gates of the Clock Tower you travel back in time to donkey carts and extraordinary narrow lanes - not made for Toyota Innova's!

The RAAS impressed from the moment we pulled through the grand old gates. We were greeted by lovely staff who applied tilak (red powder dot) to our foreheads and offered a refreshing ginger and lemon drink. Before we saw our room, we were escorted around the grounds, shown the frog pond, the pool and you couldn't ignore the imposing view of the Fort. It was a beautiful hotel of a mere 31 rooms.

We stayed in room 123, this was our view.

View from 123!

As you can see from this pic, this beautiful place is also right next to a mosque.... and it was Friday..... so our first welcome to Jodhpur was the call to prayer, that goes on for a really long time on Friday. However it really doesn't matter and certainly didn't bother us - kind of added to the ambiance.

Friday we spent at the hotel, had lunch, swam, arranged a babysitter and that was about it. Luckily a very nice lady arrived at 8pm to a very wide awake Sophie and we took our leave. Tom and I had a walk around the streets of Jodhpur, met some lovely convincing spice and fabric sellers, witnessed little people worshipping and singing at the foot of Ganesh statues and we dodged inevitable cow poo! We returned to find Soph still awake and running rings around the lovely babysitter!

Saturday was tour day and we left the hotel via the very funky blue tuk tuk....

The streets of Jodhpur are full of amazing things, yes you are in India, so you get used to a certain level of craziness but I really liked the vibe of this town - it was friendly, casual and colourful -always colourful!!!

The first thing I saw on our travels was a funeral procession, a body being carried above the shoulders of its loved ones wrapped in bright, colourful fabrics.... not a piece of black in sight! The crowd chanted, sang and rang bells as they moved toward the cremation site.

As we wound our way through the streets of Jodhpur we saw all kind of things... cows, pigs, dogs, Gods of Sex....

but the team favourite was the elephant

No getting passed this...

An elephant and his Mahout.

Aren't they beautiful? We stopped, Sophie fed him 20 rupees, which he dutifully passed to his Mahout.

Following on from the elephant spot, we moved on to the reservoir - which was lovely and actively being used by worshippers and also by random dogs to take care of their families.

Reservoir near the Fort

Ganesh ji

I spot puppies under the pavement!!!!

Of course Jodhpur is also famous for being the 'blue city' - houses are painted blue and the reasons vary from keeping the place cool to repelling mosquito's.

and lovely Ganesh statues are everywhere

The afternoon saw us at the Mehrangarh Fort, this place is spectacular. Built right up on the hill there it has a lovely breeze and the architecture is amazing, not hard to believe it never was successfully attacked.

Walls of the Fort

 

Entrance to the Fort

 

Beautiful Fort and a must see.... for the Fort and the view

Umaid Palace in the distance

 

One of the great things about the day was our very nice guide - Ram. He didn't take us to one shop, didn't push us to do anything and was brilliant taking care of our daughter throughout the day. If you are going to Jodhpur and need a guide call Ramniwas (Ram) 09314709126.

So then back to the hotel, more swimming, relaxing and listening to the AFL finals series on the iPad with the free Wi-Fi..... oh and some frog spotting!

All in all Jodhpur was great, the hotel was perfect and nothing was too much trouble - the staff were all amazing and I was quite sad to leave.
 

Caught off guard.... never!

Saturday morning for us normally means hanging out in our PJ's, watching kids cartoons, sheltering from the hot and/or wet weather and nursing mild hangovers..... however since I am pregnant, the hangovers aren't around, plus the monsoon as cooled things down slightly so it's time to annoy my husband, get him out of bed and load the family into the car for Delhi activities. Let's see how long this enthusiasm lasts......

This morning we visited the ceremonial 'Changing of the Guard' Delhi style. It starts at 9am at the Rashtrapati Bhavan (residence of the President of India) and goes for 40 minutes (check the website for timings) . There is a small amount of seating to watch the event, but there weren't many people there this morning so seats were easy to come by.

We got there about 8.55am so the set up and last minute checks were all taking place.





Last minute checks

 

 



Banners of the Army

 

The sun was out (and hot) and there was a mild breeze, so the whole waiting experience was pretty pleasant. Soph ran around spotting monkeys on the roof tops which kept her entertained.

 

Too sunny!

 

Unlike many things in this country, this event actually started on time, with much pomp and fanfare.... however there was a minor curveball thrown when this cyclist decided to cut in front of the parade. The cops were thrown into a spin and much yelling and pointing ensued!

 



The troublemaker

 

Once this side show was over the real thing got underway - drums, music, marching soldiers and horses - what more could a 2 year old ask for? She loved it!

 

 

 

 

This event has run every Saturday morning since 1773, so it is not surprising that it runs like clock work - down to the men following behind the horses to clean up the inevitable mess. 

 

 

Meticulous army

 

 

 

 

 

 

So was it worth the early(ish) Saturday morning? Definitely. There weren't too many people there, it was calm and pleasant plus I really loved seeing the beautiful horses and the handsome soldiers all dressed up in their regal uniforms. 



 

 

So handsome!

 

Delhi does good

August means Monsoon and Monsoon means happiness! It rains and rains and the air is cooler. We can sit outside and enjoy a drink (and the dengue plagued mosquito's).....

This years Monsoon has brought more happiness than last years for two main reasons - this year was way hotter than last year and secondly I am pregnant this year and the heat really got to me!

People venture out alot more during the Monsoon, including us, and I've been to a couple of new places I would recommend to my Delhi friends or anyone coming to visit...... anyone......anyone......

1. Indian Accent - best meal I have had in Delhi!!! My visit a week ago was my second since I have been here but the meal was just as good as the first time, if not better. Stand outs for me were the ribs, prawns and the yummy peanut butter chicken. It is Indian but with a twist, and what a brilliant twist. The restaurant is classic and contemporary and the service is great. Only piece of advice is stay away from the after meal digestives - complimentary little morsels that are best avoided and opt for a real dessert. An expensive meal by Delhi standards but certainly worth it. 77 Friends Colony West.

2. Almirah in Meher Chand Market has great kids clothes in very cute patterns and designs. This is my latest place so if you have had a baby recently you can expect a gift from here. I especially love the PJ's and little girls dresses. Shop 38 Mehar Chand Market.

3. Chadha Tailors in Lodi Colony Main Market. Tom has bought suits from here before and they are great. Beautiful wools and colours available and a tops tailor. This time we are also trying shirts, so I'll let you know how that goes. 22 Main Market, Lodi Colony.

4. Chez Nini restaurant has seen me visit a few times lately and I really like it. Most recently Tom and I took refuge there after a terrible attempt at lunch at nearby Ploof Delhi (won't go into it but don't think we'll be going there again anytime soon). Chez Nini has a lovely owner, the decor is modern and fresh and the food is great. Highly recommend the duck burger, coq au vin and quinoa salad however even more highly recommend the churros and the red velvet cupcakes... Yum!!!! Can even get cupcakes and bread to take-away. 79-80 Mehar Chand Market.

5. Sotomoto is a great new children's furniture shop in HK Village. A bit on the exxy side for me but nice to go and have a peek.

Other places still on my love list:

• L'Opera Patisserie - baguettes rock as do all their breads and cakes..... oui oui!
• Sagar Ratna - quick, easy, reliable South Indian food (near work).
• Gunpowder in HK Village - always good!
• Brunch at a friends on Sunday morning, the best way to spend a lazy Sunday morning with hungover friends and husband even though you haven't drunk for 5 months!

That is all from me, a bit of spruiking for my hometown after the bashing it received over the summer! 

 

Summer fling ...

After a very very long hot Delhi summer, our family escaped for a week to the beautiful teardrop island of Sri Lanka. We spent two nights in Colombo and five in Thalpe, about 15 minutes from Galle.

I have been to Sri Lanka before and remember then being surprised about how different it was to India - so close yet so far. A lot less people, a lovely sea breeze and supermarkets with aisles are my main take-aways from Colombo. I fell in love with Paradise Road, a homewares store with beautiful crockery, pottery and tableware. I bought a teapot, milk jug, serving platters and some linen - all really lovely and nowhere near the price of Oz. A trip back may be necessary to stock up on more plates and things......

Next stop was Thalpe. We took the new highway from Colombo to Galle - WOW. It is amazing, about six months old and smooth as silk to drive on. 400 Sri Lankan ruppees ($A3) gets you through the toll gates and then it is one hour of the smoothest driving I've experienced in this part of the world.

In Thalpe we checked into Apa Villa and couldn't have been happier with it. We had Saffron Suite 7 and it was perfect for us who were travelling with a toddler. There was a bedroom, bathroom, sitting room and covered deck, where we ate breakfast, dinner, enjoyed the view and hunted for hermit crabs.  It was super chilled at Apa, they had a beautiful pool right on the ocean and lovely staff. You couldn't swim in the ocean, as it was very rocky and rough, but I loved just looking at it and breathing in the fresh ocean air.

 

In addition to just chilling at our villa, reading books and eating seafood, we had a couple of trips into Galle Fort and checked out some shops and eateries. We had a great lunch at the Galle Fort Hotel, bought some cool replica Air Ceylon pictures and checked out the lighthouse. It is a cute old town and lots of shops to look through and spend a few dollars at.

We also visited Apa's sister property in the countryside. This is a stunning garden setting and very relaxing. The head gardener showed us all around and we tried to spot an elusive monkey - without any luck.

Other than that we did very little - we swam, slept and chilled. Even our toddler got swept up in the relaxed vibe and had a good sleep in every morning!

 

We'll be back ........ 

Hot hot hot ...

What a terrible blogger I have become.... nothing from me for months. The reason for that is not too much has been happening beside heat. Delhi has been in the grip of a serious summer, it has been over 43 degrees for as long as I can remember. I am eternally thankful to the people that invented air conditioning, and can't even imagine what living through heat like this would be like without it. Even though so many people in this place do.

There has been a lot of 'goings' from Delhi. The minute the school closes up, the aeroplanes take off and the tumbleweed rolls in (not quite in a city of 20 million people). Some very special people have taken off this summer and won't be coming back to Delhi shores, thankfully a lot will be.

I'v been working part-time which has allowed for some long weekends. On one of these recently we managed to scrap in a little trip to Oman and Dubai to see some very good friends. In Muscat we stayed at the Shangri-La Hotel and just swam, ate Aussie beef (in many states) and relaxed in the heat looking at the Arabian Sea. It was a few days of just relaxing.

View from Shangri-La

 

Soph and Tom meet the locals

We then drove to Dubai (via Shobha - a must see!) with our mates and had one day checking out the malls of Dubai. I need to pencil in a trip back as didn't get around to seeing nearly enough stuff but importantly I saw Dubai's new Waitrose, Jones the Grocer, Nespresso store and a butcher. Another highlight was Milk and Honey - a gorgeous little grocer that stocked amazing olives, Carmen's museli bars, Natural Confectionary company lollies and quite delicious cupcakes. Dubai's malls blew my mind after Delhi and have a feeling that place hasn't stopped growing yet! Cate - pencil me back into the spare bedroom soon!

Otherwise, today is Sophie's 2nd birthday so there has been plenty of cake, balloons and Charlie and Lola episodes (her absolute favourite). Can't believe she is 2! Where has the time gone......

Here's to another day of 44 degrees......

Pondicherry holiday

At the end of April we packed the family up and headed south to Tamil Nadu and the city of Chennai. Chennai was just a pit stop before heading down the highway to Pondicherry. The road to Pondi was fairly good but our driver was a complete lunatic! As a result Sophie threw up all over the backseat, herself and her parents.Her father, for some odd reason, had brought along a plastic bag - genius - so an easy clean up and we continued on our way.

2 hours later we arrived at the Dune Hotel, a lovely villa based eco hotel about 15km north of Pondi. Dunes was cool. We were shown to our villa that had its own pool and immediately relaxed. The only way to get around the Dune is on bicycles which was lovely and gave a very relaxed Rottnest vibe to the place.

On the Sunday morning we ventured into Pondi city and had a little wander around.... on the way in to town I did let my mind wander to french baguettes and wide boulevardes however we were obviously still in India so the French influence was limited to some older style french buildings damaged by years of heat and monsoon rains, but it still had some charm.  It was also crazy crazy hot so after about 90 minutes of walking we called it a day and headed back to the private pool and a nimbu pane.

The weather in Pondicherry suited alot of lazing, reading, sleeping and swimming so we stuck to these core activities and we were fine. One of the nicest things was sitting outside on our little deck, getting room service sharing a bottle of wine and staring at the many many stars that we hadn't seen for awhile.........