I was in Zurich on a short business trip and I decided to make up for not finding the time here while on my Switzerland vacation a few years back. I had then taken the train directly to the picturesque hill town of Grindelwald, without getting out of Zurich airport. This time I was lodged at the atmospheric Hotel Schweizerhof right in the heart of this city.
The Leela Palace in New Delhi is among the fanciest hotels built by the group. While not the largest, this hotel has clearly tried to position itself as one of the most luxurious. With this in mind, the hotel opened with high-end restaurants that are destinations in themselves. Le Cirque occupies top spot here, but since I have experienced this well-known French restaurant at their Las Vegas location, I decided to try Megu instead.
While there was much to absorb and luxuriate in during our few days in Rajasthan, the elaborate Rajashani royal cuisine was clearly one of the highlights. Typical local fare here tends to be made with creativity from the few ingredients that grow locally. However, elaborate versions of this same cuisine mastered by generations of royal cooks can clearly impress even the palate of the most jaded foodie.
We have been doing smaller ‘discover India’ vacations during winters to give our daughter a first-hand experience of the history, art and culture of the country she was born into. My childhood memories of vacations were of long train journeys (those days it took three days to get to Kolkata from Mysore!), meeting lots of relatives and elaborate dinners. We rarely spent vacation time at beaches or hilltop resorts then.
A lunch meeting with a fellow colleague who is also a foodie can come with unexpected pleasures! That is what happened during a short business lunch in Singapore. Arteastiq, like its carefully spelt name suggests, tries to meld art and tea drinking into a seamless experience for those who have a taste for both.
Arteastiq first tasted success when they introduced the unique concept of an Art Jamming studio tea cafe in their Orchard Street location. The restaurant we visited is their newer one, which combines the art studio and tea concept with a more traditional Chinese menu in Mellenia Walk.
On the hunt for something new I had expanded my search to include the neighbouring areas of Union Square. I was rewarded with this interesting find which showed up with 4.5 stars on Yelp! from 2700 reviews. Users raved online about their 'top' Asian fusion fare and about their top-notch seafood specialities. I clearly had to try The House right away!
