Kababs From the British Raj

Saheb Sindh Sultan is one of the more interesting restaurants in Bangalore.  This restaurant does a admirable job of recreating the atmosphere and culinary delicacies from a bygone era of Indian royalty and the British Raj.  As for its unusual name, let me acquaint you with a page from history.  In a watershed moment of India's locomotive history, three steam engines pulled into Mumbai with 14 carriages and 400 passengers - the first passenger-train in India. The date was April 16, 1853. The three steam engines were named Saheb, Sindh and Sultan.

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Frascati, Artichokes and Pecorino

Living out of a rented apartment for a week in Rome allowed us to discover several local culinary delights that are native to the region.  Ancient Rome had played a pivotal role in the history of wine-making.  What earlier used to be the privilege of the ruling classes was swiftly democratized by the Romans, who considered wine a daily necessity for life, even for their lowly slaves.

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Piazza Hopping in Rome

Strolling through the piazzas of Rome is an experience you don’t want to miss.  These historic city squares of Rome serve as a place to meet, dine, watch people and chat.  So if you truly want to ‘do as the Romans do' when in Rome, you want to indulge in this simplest of pleasures.

Piazza Navona is the most famous of the Roman piazzas.  A large cobblestoned square surrounding the magnificent fountains designed by baroque sculptor Bernini, Piazza Novona has an unique charm.  Scores of artists and street performers set up shop in the center, while cafes and gelateria busily attend to their customers around its perimeter.

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Trattorie of Trastavere

It can actually be fun to get lost in Trastavere!  This Roman neighborhood beyond the Tiber retains its character since the medieval times.  Narrow, winding cobblestoned streets lined with old houses, several tiny pubs and interesting restaurants, Trastavere was easily my favorite haunt in Rome, especially during lunch-time.

The first time we visited here was on the recommendation of our landlord (or rather lady). Trattoria sora Cencia turned out to a busy place that served a variety of fresh pasta and meats.  We were hungry and went with the fixed three course meal.  They started us us on bruschetta before our pasta entrees.  I had chosen the Rigatoni pasta with tomato sauce and wild boar - and it was out of the world!  I followed with a escalope of veal in marsala wine and roasted sweet potatoes.

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