A view through red tinted glasses

This incident happened many months ago when I was out with a couple of friends for a “wandering” or as we call it “painting the town red”. We were all decked up one fine Saturday night, squeezed ourselves in our cars and made off to a place we would decide while driving (in short no particular destination, just random suggestions thrown while on the road). I needed to tank up so we decided to head to the gas station on the other side of the highway and someone suggested we be a bit adventurous and drive around a bit on the east side of Andheri. That was quite an awkward suggestion considering the east was usually lined up with commercial offices and establishments leading up to the International Airport and a sprinkling of Hotels which were not happening enough unless you wanted a nice quite meal by a five star poolside or a family dinner. Nonetheless, we took off.

Barely had I been driving a few minutes passing by the unchanging silhouettes of the Crisil Building, The Church and the Dominoes Pizza with its innumerable delivery bikes when suddenly I see a small sign by a driveway which was hardly noticeable and read Courtyard Marriott. Surprisingly odd, considering I had not noticed anything at this point before. I took a swerve into the driveway facing a massive structure of a Business Hotel which I believe had sprung up out of nowhere in no time. The Courtyard by Marriott had probably just opened up recently, because my now confused entourage had driven up quite unknowingly to this place. We were still contemplating at the security post but changed our minds when we were greeted warmly by the beaming security staff and a excited little guard dog who looked as happy as the owners. This looked like a welcoming place and we decided to drive up and check it out anyway.

We were not left disappointed at all, we were greeted by the hotel staff extremely courteously, were asked what we were here for, suggested the various options where we could park ourselves and enjoy a meal. The place was squeaky clean new and empty and we had all unconsciously decided this would be a good place to make a little noise and enjoy a fantastic evening considering it was brand new and there were barely and residents. The best part was that the staff was extremely enthusiastic to help us have a good time.

We settled our boisterous selves at the Momo Café where a delicious buffet was spread out and before long, we were tucking in to the finest meal we have had in a long time. I could not resist and ordered a Nasi Goreng, a Thai street food favorite, which came served to us in style. I have visited this place several times after, particularly since it’s a stones throw away from my residence and one of the few odd places which boast of a fantastic Asian cuisine menu.

When I got an invite for our fourth bloggers meet at the Courtyard Marriott by Rushina of A Perfect Bite fame who diligently goes out of her way to host our blogger meets every month, I did not hesitate even for a minute to accept it (infact I had an extremely strong feeling this was going to be our next destination of our bloggers meet whenever it did happen again, what were the odds?). This time it was a progressive dinner (a fantastic idea by Rushina, probably a first in India) which would begin at the pool bar by the poolside with a wine tasting session by their Head Sommelier, Remi Torres, a charming gentleman whose knowledge of wine far exceeded our grasping power but we still absorbed a lot more information about wine than the wines itself (I was a little bent on not getting over enthusiastic and go on a glass swigging spree). We were joined by Marriott’s charming General Manager and Commercial Marketing Manager – Rubani who guided us around and introduced us to the Chef’s – Thampy and Praiwan who took us on a culinary delight and a behind-the-scenes action in the open kitchen at the Red Zen Restaurant. A sit down dinner which was specially designed for us foodies comprised of a delectable Thai spread. Overall a calm and composed evening with light food, fun company and a décor which was enveloped in an aura of red.

I particularly liked one dish which was the first one I tasted at the bloggers dinner; it was the deliciously chilled Som Tam, with the right amount of sweetness, crispiness and tanginess – a prefect selection for a summer evening. After all that wine which had warmed us a bit, the salad, which is distinguishably common in Thailand was a perfect beginning. The best part, it was complete vegetarian, though in Thailand the dressing comprises of fish sauce and crushed shrimps.

I have a close affinity to salads and am quite partial to them and the fact that it comprises solely of raw papaya took me further to test this out at home. You too can enjoy this simple salad, which is perfect for a summertime meal

Ingredients:

• 1 large (raw) green papaya
• 5 cloves Garlic
• ¼ cup salted peanuts
• 1 Lemon, juiced
• 2-3 Cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 5-6 Green Beans (lightly steamed)
• 1 tablsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 tablsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tablsp chopped coriander
• 1 Green Chili

Seed, peel and grate the papaya in a large grater, place in iced water for fifteen minutes and drain. Place in the refrigerator to chill a bit.

Originally the recipe calls for crushing the ingredients for the dressing in a pestle but you may use a chopper. Place the garlic and peanuts together in a pestle; lightly crush them with the heavy stone while adding the lemon and sugar after the first few turns. Throw in the tomatoes, chilies, coriander and soy and ground to a few turns (not too long, this is not a paste). For more heat add few more chillies.

Spoon out the dressing toss this mixture with the shredded green papaya and mix up the green beans. Serve chilled with sticky rice.

A visual feast on the Bloggers Meet: Pics Courtesy Rushina