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I’m surprised that at least Port Blair is connected very well. I’m writing this in an Internet cafe, costing only INR30 per hour and it’s actually a very fast connection. I’m writing this in notepad while I wait for firefox to download – I just find it a much better browser and I feel a little bit safer with its security.

The flight to Port Blair left horrendously early at 7:20 this morning. Of course that means leaving even earlier from the place I stayed in. I promise to write more about the brief couple of days in Chennai.

The weather is fantastic at 27 degrees celcius and the (lack of) humidity levels make it almost perfect walking weather. What makes it perfect is the cool salty sea breeze blowing off the green and blue water. I find the marina, and walking along it, spot three different kinds of fish and plenty of crabs along the rocks. I think to myself can things get any better?

Lunch time arrives and I find myself at a place called the New Lighthouse Restaurant. It’s located by the water and serves very fresh seafood. I end up ordering a masala crab – the waiter picks up one and asks if this is okay. I look the squirming thing and think about how great it will taste so fresh. It costs me INR380. I also order a couple of rotis to soak up the masala sauce. A local guy, Arun, starts up a conversation and soon he’s telling me about all the different things to do, and some places to go on Havelock Island. I leave for there in the morning tomorrow and I hope that it’s going to be as good. He asks me to call him when I get back to Port Blair.

I start heading back to the hotel for an afternoon siesta as I’m due to meet a person to take me to see the evening light show at the Cellular Jail. I’ve heard a lot about this place before, apparently the place that the British held all the Indian freedom fighters. I find it interesting that this place of oppression now attracts tourists.

I can’t wait for the next ten days. I’m sure I’ll get sunburned though I know I’ll end up with a wicked tan. I’ll also be sure to be filling my belly with some very nice seafood.

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I’m heading off travelling for a while, and I’m guessing I won’t be near an Internet terminal for a while. My current plan includes travelling to Chennai, the Andaman Islands, and then Kolkata before heading back to Bangalore and flying back to the UK. Merry Christmas to everyone and hope best wishes for the New Year too!

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Despite most people in India following Hinduism, everyone still seems to get into the Christmas spirit. Our office tended to be rather noisy yesterday as plenty of secret santa-like jokes and presents unleashed themselves upon their victims, constant song dedications played, Santa (AKA yours truly) handed out gifts, and a series of skits performed by each team to everyone else in the office, all leading up to a fantastic Christmas party.

The party coincided with the first anniversary for our office in Pune and so was a double celebration at a nearby hotel. With two huge reasons to party (who really even needs one?) it pretty much guaranteed most people on the dance floor for most of the night until the music ran out. There’s really something about large gatherings in India – the dance floor seems to be the centre of all attention and regardless of how well (or not so well in my case) you can groove it, everyone gives it a real good go. Last night, for instance, the first bus load literally spilled out of their seats and onto the dance floor where the DJ spun some (awfully mixed) tracks.

See the rest of the pictures from the day here.

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A restaurant that serves one or two dishes from almost every country around the world? There’s a very good reason it’s called Flags. Marketed at the higher end of the restaurant market, walking into Flags brings you into a very nice dining experience filled with plush red lounges opposite comfortably large chairs and twirled dining napkins at each settting. The bar at the back underscores the entire dining experience without being overbearing and just enough attendants float around without feeling like they’re all staring at you.

As a foreigner, expect to be asked if you want Evian water – politely decline and go with the mineral water that is at least a quarter of the price. The next question in line will be the push for a bottle of wine – apparently they have a really great bottle and of course, it’s the most expensive on the menu. Settling for a couple of glasses of local wine isn’t such a bad experience.

Now on to the food. When it comes to restaurants that serve this wide variety of food, either they’ll do some dishes very well and will only have a subset of the menu actually available, or they’ll do everything but most of them will end up pretty substandard. This restaurant falls into the latter category and that means you really have to order the right sort of food to actually enjoy your meal. I went for the Boston Clam Chowder followed by the New Orleans Grilled Fish and actually both meals for me was just about right. The clam chowder was a huge portion though the sourdough bread sitting in the midst of it was pretty awful (for sourdough bread at least) whilst the fish, perfectly grilled and well seasoned satiated my appetite perfectly. The other people in our dining experience probably had a much less successful night -the fajitas could have well fed two people but its tasteless mass barely satisfying the single person who couldn’t bear to eat it all. The burrito and a number of other dishes looked just as bad.

Details: Flag’s (Pune)
Found at: INOX Multiplex, Bund Garden Rd, Camp
Highlights: Huge offering of foods from all around the world with a very nice ambient atmosphere.
Room for improvement: Obviously pushy with the higher end products and would be okay if their food matched the quality of the wines on offer.
The Kua Rating: 6.5 out of 10

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Often called a younger version of Bangalore, Pune has its own distinct culture most fuelled by the large number of Universities in the area. Last weekend, I managed to get around to see some of the more cultural spots around Pune and found it actually very impressive.
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Yup. And they’re pretty good. You can find them for only INR25 (30p) at the Marz-o-rin bakery in Pune. Located next to the large Wonderland complex on MG Road, it’s quite the institute with lots of different types of lassis, breads, and cakes.

It’s constantly teeming with people going in and out and with lots of great things on offer, it’s no wonder they’re doing quite well. Go visit it if you’re here and try a Lamington. The lemon lassi was extremely good as well.

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Stacey asked for some advice for a friend who’d had bad experiences with Chinese food in London. Admittedly there’s plenty of opportunity for those, and it’s a shame that they hadn’t hit any of the winners. I suggested a list and thought I’d blog about it so other people might try something new.

Here’s a few recommendations…

Best Peking Duck
You can find the most popular Peking Duck at the Four Seasons in Bayswater. They’ve opened up another outlet in Chinatown though I haven’t been there yet.

Dim Sum (Yum Cha)
Not many places in London do this by the cart (and if they do, the quality tends to be very average). New World is pretty good with carts, but not my most favourite. For what I think is quality Dim Sum I head to Laureate (it’s on Shaftsbury Avenue), or Golden Dragon – both in Chinatown.

Malaysian/Singaporean
Though not exclusively “Chinese”, C&R Cafe, in Chinatown does great Malaysian or Singaporean food. It’s down a little alley somewhere (I think Rupert Court).

Upscale Chinese
London being London means every budget is accommodated for. Hakkasan (very expensive) offers a great dining experience though I think I prefer Shanghai Blues (expensive). Royal China (affordable upscale) is also less formal yet still very enjoyable dining experience. They have locations both in Queensway and Baker Street. Princess Gardens (affordable upscale) is also very nice though has been quite empty when I go there.

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Walking down back alleys sometimes bring you some surprises, and Toscana, located next to Soho’s is one of those pleasant ones. Toscana, if you can’t tell the name of it, offers a wide selection of Italian foods. Although like most Italian restaurants in India, they also bizarrely offer tex-mex cuisine despite the countries being continents apart.

I really enjoyed the dining atmosphere. It’s all alfresco dining with a small number of tables under shades provided by stretch cloth. Given that it doesn’t rain that often, you’ve a pretty good chance that you’ll be okay. They string many hanging lanterns around the entire place, adding to the light mood with just enough ambient lighting. Tables are grouped in different areas, providing plenty of privacy – even for large groups. The rest of the open area is split up by plenty of greenery and taking away from the dusty surroundings that remind you that you’re in Pune.

They only offer small bottles of beer, and I think they had a decent selection of wine though it tends to cost a lot in India. Our calamari starter with some aioli tasted very fresh – light and crispy without being overly cooked. The pizza – what a pizza it was – big enough to almost feed two people or one very ravenous person that barely stayed on the plate. Condiments at the table included balsamic vinegar, olive oil, chilli flakes (that are actually spicy!) and oregano leaves. The pizza had a nice and crisp base and this restaurant offered plenty of options including ham and bacon that is sometimes difficult to find. Several of us split a dessert, the strangely delicious sizzling brownie with ice cream. Imagine a hot sizzling plate with a large brownie, a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and then a hot chocolate sauce poured on it all when it reaches the table. It actually seems to work as well.

I’d definitely come back here although I think I’d stick to the pizzas rather than the pasta’s since they didn’t look as appealing. Toscana offers a great atmosphere that easily catered for our party of 18.

Details: Toscana
Found at: Tucked behind Bishop’s School in Kalyani Nagar (on its right) and situated right next to Soho’s.
Highlights: Huge pizzas, great alfresco dining room.
Room for improvement: Like most places they tend to push for foreign wines (and appropriately charge a fortune0
Cost: I I think this averaged about INR700 each with starter, main, dessert and beer.
The Kua Rating: 8 out of 10

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