Most of us don’t really know fish and chips. Oh yes, we are familiar with the concept from years of reading British books and seeing movies in which this very English street food dish features. But when it comes to actually eating it, we have rarely had the real thing. Read more

In the old days, long before we had speciality restaurants, we had all-purpose restaurants that stayed open all day and served every kind of cuisine. In Bombay, such restaurants lined both sides of Churchgate Street. In Delhi, they were scattered all over Connaught Place. Read more

The samosa is the archetypal Indian snack. You can have hot samosas with your tea or you can have them cold, several hours after they have been made. You can have your samosas filled with spicy keema or you can have totally vegetarian versions filled with potatoes, paneer or even peas and French beans. You can enjoy the hefty Punjabi version or you can have the thinner, more delicate Bohra version from Bombay. You can eat your samosa on the railway platform in Ambala or you can buy it from a bakery in Alleppey. Read more

Why do people linger at the doors of some places even though other restaurants have tables vacant? Answer that and you’ll crack the New York restaurant scene… This has been such a rushed trip to New York that I have had virtually no time to eat properly. Nevertheless, some experiences have stood out and will linger in my memory. Read more

Why does wine often not taste right? The answer lies in a little-known chlorinated compound called TCA, which can taint corks and sometimes even entire wineries… Read more

I always like to try something new and  believe that to have old favourites is to deny yourself the pleasures of something new. So here are some of the meals and dishes that I remember with affection from last year. Read more

Gajalee is justly famous in suburban Bombay. With food this good served up with a minimum of fuss, who can resist? Vir Sanghvi gives us a taste… Read more

Indian hotels are suddenly all over the travel press. Shortly after the Oberoi group’s Vilas properties scored with the readers of Travel and Leisure, an American magazine, the prestigious Conde Nast Traveller magazine voted The Taj Mahal Hotel, Bombay, as the best business hotel in the world and India as the second most favoured global destination. Read more

I’ve lost count of the number of people who have raved about Trishna to me recently. If you live in Bombay, then you know all about Trishna already. If you are reading this in one of the HT’s other editions, then you may have heard friends from Bombay bragging about Trishna. Read more

The one time I flew directly to the West coast of America, it was to Los Angeles. I took the United Airlines round-the-world flight (which no longer stops in Delhi even if it still exists) and changed planes at Hong Kong. It was a fairly tiring experience, despite the fact that my company had shelled out for a First Class ticket. Read more