FOOD -- 14:

THE BRUNCH BUFFET AT QUALITY RESTAURANT, COONOOR..

NEW IN TOWN

BY P S SUNDAR

To usher in tourism during this winter, Quality Restaurant in Bedford Coonoor has launched a Brunch Buffet on Sundays.

“We will be entering our 20^th year in three months from now but this is the first time we have introduced Brunch Buffet.   For that matter, no restaurant in the district has Brunch Buffet. So, this is a totally new concept here”, G Ujjual, Managing Director of Quality group of restaurants, said.

Quality Restaurant holds the credit of introducing buffet lunch and dinner daily in Coonoor in addition to ala carte menu.

“This is the high-season for the foreigners’ visit to The Nilgiris which will go on till February end.  While they are familiar with Brunch, we are introducing to them 25 Indian vegetarian dishes”, he disclosed.

“Our new concept is to encourage Brunch Buffet from 10.45 am to 12 noon on Sundays.  The lunch begins at 12 noon on all days including Sunday.  While the Brunch is totally vegetarian, during lunch and dinner, guests can order non vegetarian dishes in addition to the vegetarian buffet.  Of course, if they go for ala carte, buffet lunch / dinner is not for them”, Ujjual explained.

Since Brunch is a combination of Breakfast with Lunch, there are Tiffin items besides those bordering lunch.   The Brunch Buffet is elaborate with as many as 25 items on the spread beginning with Burnt Corn soup. 

For breakfast type of items, there are Idiappam with Kadalai Kari side-dish, Uthappam with chutney and sambar, Poori with Aloo paneer subji.

Interestingly, there is a live counter for Aappam which is served with potato stew.   Tourists, especially North Indians and foreigners, are seen enjoying the making of Aappam even as they taste the Aappam with the Kerala-style stew.

For the lunch part of the Brunch, vegetable Dum Biriyani with Mirchi ka Salan side-dish is a great favourite among the guests.

To give a Chinese touch, there is vegetable noodle which goes with vegetable ball Manchurian.

There is also a salad counter with peppered corn, boiled vegetables, mixed vegetable raitha and chutney-sandwich.

 

And, the dessert counter has fruit custard and Paruppu Pradhaman, the Kerala-style payasam which is preferred during festivals there.

There is fascinating ice tea kept in an attractive glass jar which guests enjoy almost throughout the Brunch.  

“Many of these dishes and the Tiffin items will not be in the lunch buffet which will have rice, rasam, vegetable side-dishes etc., with a choice for the guests to choose any non vegetarian dish.  Thus, the two – Brunch and Lunch – are different throwing open the option to enjoy an elaborate meal on Sunday forenoon”, Ujjual disclosed.

“In fact, we launched the Brunch concept only after studying the demand for the same from tourists and the residents, Defence officers living in Wellington near Coonoor as also planters and families in different parts of The Nilgiris district”, said Ujjual, a graduate of Institute of Hotel Management with 27 years experience in hotel industry including working experience with Ambassador, Residency and Taj groups.

Interestingly, the 52-seating capacity restaurant is full during the Brunch while some wait for seats during lunch and dinner.

“After studying the progress, we plan to offer the Brunch on all days.  We also have a plan of starting the Brunch in our Ooty branch”, Ujjual shared.

(Response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com) 

HAPPENING -- 11

CHRISTMAS CAKE MIXING MARKS THE ONSET OF WINTER TOURISM 

BY P S SUNDAR

With less than a month to go for Christmas, winter tourism has started in The Nilgiris and the hospitality sector is gearing up to receive visitors, especially foreigners whose visit will go on till March 2019. 

Ushering in the seasonal mood, tourists joined the executives of Hotel Gem Park in Ooty at the traditional cake mixing ceremony at its tastefully decorated ‘The Toda Cafe’ to welcome Christmas and New Year.   

Executive Chef R Surendran guided these enthusiastic tourists who were donning aprons marked with ‘Merry Christmas’, Chef caps and food-grade gloves and cheerfully echoing ‘Merry Christmas’ all along while mixing the ingredients. 

“The guests enjoyed playing the role of hotel hosts by mixing dry fruits including raisins, black currents, prunes, cashews, pistachios and almonds, glazed dates, cherries, candid orange and lemon rinds, besides freshly ground spices.    They added liberal volumes of liquor, fruit juice and honey”, Surendran said.

The students of Hebron School, Ooty, including some foreigners, enthusiastically participated and admitted to have learnt the tradition associated with this.

“Every year, our guests look forward to this ceremony as Christmas is no fun without cake mixing celebration.  This has to happen a month ahead.  We regularly follow the European tradition of cake mixing dating back to the 17^th century customs hailed to be a harbinger of good tidings in the Christmas celebrations.  For the cold Christmas weather, this cake is a perfect energy food cherished by tourists”, said Gem Park Resident Director Ismail Khan.

 “The cake mixture will soak for several weeks.  We will do periodical stirring.  On December 15, we will begin baking the cake.  By December 20, we will have 120 kg fascinating cake made ready for the Christmas week”, Food and Beverage Manager Pradeep Kumar disclosed.

(Response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com) 

VALUE ADDITION -- 7:

CHITRANKAN ART GALLERY IN COONOOR

BY P S SUNDAR

Tourists visiting The Nilgiris henceforth will have an added attraction of indulging into various forms of drawing art including portraits amidst scenic beauty, thanks to 23-year-old Trishla Jain's ‘Chitrankan’ Art Gallery at Mount Pleasant, Coonoor, which I inaugurated early November, 2018.

P S Sundar (extreme right) inaugurating CHITRANKAN ART GALLERY in the presence of  Art Connoisseur Shyamala (second right), Artist Trishla (third right), her parents -- Kamal Chand (left extreme) and Anjana Jain (second left).  

  

She hails from the well-known family of textile major in lower Coonoor, Vimal Textiles.   Now, her father Kamal Chand runs a children’s wear shop called ‘Dear’ at the town centre of Coonoor.

A fashion Design graduate, Trishla has shown keen interest in drawing right from her childhood.   

Trishla’s parents – Kamal Chand and Anjana Jain – leave no stone unturned to encourage her reach her dream in art drawing because of their discovery of Trishla’s interest in art right from her childhood.   Consequently, after becoming a fashion design graduate, Trishla got trained at Vaanavil Institute in Coonoor.   She exhibited many of her works at the ‘Brush Stroke’ art exhibition held by this institute at Coonoor Club which I inaugurated.

Interestingly, Trishla’s younger brother Rishab Jain, who also has some drawing to his credit, ardently supports her in her pursuit to achieve greater heights.     

“I use a variety of media for my drawing and painting – ceramic, canvas, ivory board, plywood and leather board.  I use various drawing materials including pen, pencil, water colour, acrolic, knife, oil, charcoal, 3D painting and wall paintings”, Trishla told me. 

The works on display include scenery, Gods, sages, shops, animals and lifestyle.   

Her murals are her masterpiece.   She has displayed in her Gallery large and small Murals.   “My large mural which won several bouts of appreciation at the ‘Brush Stroke’ exhibition is on display at this gallery as a centre-piece.   It shows harmony between nature’s music and man’s music!  The nature’s music is depicted in the form of waves, rustle of leaves and tree branches, birds’ chirping and even the origin of universe, the smiling sun.   For man-made music, I have created human persona playing a variety of instruments”, Trishla explained. 

“Another mural is about a girl enjoying her own identity in the larger universe.   She is smiling amidst green trees and colourful flowers and looking up expressing a feeling of independence and empowerment.   To some extent, I am using this mural to highlight the important role women should have in the society”, she detailed.

“I have also created mural of Lord Vinayaka.  This is based on Tanjore painting but without paints.  It has a mat finish that makes it exclusive for both art decoration on wall or to be used for pooja in prayer room”, Trishla noted.

“For all these murals, I have used plywood base on which I have hand-crafted the images on ceramics”, she disclosed.

      

She has also created murals to be fixed on wardrobes or tables.  These are attractive designs adding to the beauty and value of the furniture concerned.

Her murals on the wall enhance the ambience of the place concerned.  In particular, she has drawn murals on the walls of bed room for children.   These are flowers in pleasing colours with a night-life attached to them.

“In the trial room of our shop ‘Dear’ housing children’s clothes, Trishla’s painting of giraffe amidst the green forest is a great hit with the children”, her father Kamal Chand told me.

“Trishla has also created a wall of appreciation in our shop on which satisfied visitors including some celebrities have written their words of appreciation”, he disclosed.   

The art gallery is in three portions – two portions house exhibits displayed well-mounted on walls with adequate lighting and large moving space.  There are also sofas for the visitors to sit, relax, appreciate and talk to the artist.

The other portion is her studio where she draws and creates murals.  Visitors can see her drawing if they like.  

“I am also into live portrait painting.   Mostly done with charcoal or black pencil, the portraits can serve as a valuable memory for the guests.  They can sit for a session with me for such portrait painting”, she shared.

There is also charming space for the visitors to wait.   “We will create better moving, sitting and enjoyable space around the gallery”, Trishla’s mother Anjana told me.  

“While there is no entry fee to the Gallery, we consider selling off the displayed drawings to guests who show keen interest.  I can also draw paintings on order, or design logos, name boards or business cards on order”, Trishla disclosed.   

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)      

FOOD -- 13::

CAFE FULLY LOADED:

A MILLENNIAL TRENDY RESTAURANT  

BY P. S SUNDAR.

What will a trendy restaurant look like when a young couple who are themselves foodies open it and that too in a major tourist mountainous town of Coonoor?  

That is this restaurant !!  

For the school and college students and young professionals including the military officers undergoing training at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, the latest arrival “Cafe Fully Loaded, The Relax Hub” on Mount Road in Coonoor is becoming a rendezvous, especially in the evenings.

Rahul & Siya

“We designed this vegetarian restaurant to serve that purpose – build fraternity among the youth – it is a ‘relax hub’ because youth can spend hours relaxing on sharing experiences or reading books from our collection, play games and can fully load themselves with foodie!  That’s why we have named this ‘Cafe Fully Loaded, The Relax Hub’ and this name itself is catching up among the millennial – yes, teenagers!”, explained Rahul Mahbubani (31) who runs the cafe with his wife Siya (30).

And, there is a black board on which written with colour chalk pieces are many messages on this theme – ‘It is good to C U (see you) at The Relax Hub’, ‘But, first Coffee’, ‘Built by Foodies for foodies’, ‘Happiness is a good book and loaded food!’, Everyday is an adventure’, “People who do love to eat are always the best people’, etc..

“We keep changing the writings on the board.    We have done the interior decor using the creativity of Preity Jain (24), an interior designer qualified from Barcelona, Spain, after studying the preferences of the millennial youth who look for changes from the existing ones”, Rahul disclosed.

Preity Jain 

“Thus, we have converted discarded drums used to stock eucalyptus oil into cushioned seats which youngsters enjoy to sit on.   

"We have converted an old sewing machine into a wash basin.   We have used western types of tiles fixed on the walls”, Rahul shared.

“And, while they enjoy the food, we encourage the youth to read books picked from our collection – general knowledge, novels, non-fiction etc. – something unique in the town”, he noted.

“There are also some traditional games like Jenga, Ludo, Life, scrabbles etc to engage the mind.  Admittedly, all these have begun to attract the youth”, he added.

And, when it comes to food, Siya is totally involved with Rahul in preparing them.   The attractive menu card itself professes, “It is time to get loaded and relax!” matching with the name of the restaurant.

Siya who has studied professional baking and contemporary cooking in Nasik, Mumbai and Chennai, entertains the customers with her live preparation of food and decoration on plates. 

“In particular, guests enjoy watching me prepare for them Waffles with their chosen flavours.   And, our ‘Just Happiness’ dish comprising Soufflé, Brownie and Waffle – each with the customers’ choice of flavour – is a great hit with the youth and the elders alike”, Siya said.

Siya also excels in preparing ice creams so much so, no ice cream is bought from outside.

“Our veg loaded pizza, Margarita Pizza (loaded with cheese and ‘happiness’ !!) and burgers are the favourites fill-ups with the youth”, she disclosed.

“In the in-house special counter, we get repeat orders for Dabeli (a set of two loaders with peanuts and pomegranates), Pav Bhaji Toast (toasted with spicy touch of Indian Bhaji) and Paneer wrap (twisted with veggies and packed with sauces).     Of course, we have the popular Pav Bajji, Vada Pav, Pani Puri and the like as well.    Since these are supplied only in a very few restaurants in the town, the youth enjoy these affordable dishes at our place”, Siya shared.  

“Rose Tazz, Oceanic Blue and Lychee Tangeriene make our Mocktail enjoyable while Hot chocolate we prepare is a favourite hot loader”, she observed.

The restaurant also encourages youth to celebrate their birthdays in the place at chosen supplies.

And, before people depart, they have the chance of recording on the 'Memory Wall' their experiences..

 (response can also be sent to: pssundar.conoor@gmail.com)

VALUE ADDITION -- 6:

HOSPITALITY SECTOR CAN GO FOR YOUTHFUL CREATIVITY

By P S SUNDAR

With a breathtaking demonstration of her successful creations, 24 year-old Preity Jain who runs her ‘Peach Studeo’ has urged youth to go for innovative ideas realising that life is filled with opportunities for creativity.

Preity, who holds Masters degree in Commercial and Interior design from the Institute of European Design in Barcelona in Spain, told me, “Designing a structure, stationery, brand, or corporate profile in India is different from the challenge in Europe because we need to make the designs suitable for the Indian exclusivity for which there is a special attraction in Europe and other western continents.   This is in line with the ‘Make in India’ concept of Prime Minister Modi”. 

She demonstrated how the interior of a ‘Millennial’ restaurant ‘Cafe Fully Loaded’, the Relax Hub, has been created with western touch of tiles but with seats made over drums used to stock the eucalyptus oil in The Nilgiris, discarded manual sewing machine converted into wash basin, motivating the youth including teenagers to read books while enjoying waffles or ice creams and feeling free to write down their views on the ‘Memory Wall’.

Preity showed how energy saving colour lighting, eco-friendly stone columns, panelled walls and anti-skid tiles can be used to covert an old structure into a multi-purpose hall at Jain Kalyana Mandap in Coonoor.  

She also demonstrated the artistic use of wood structures for the homes in the mountainous The Nilgiris.

“Self creation of wax models including table lights, paintings and modular kitchen suiting the space already available can add to the aesthetics of the interiors at half the commercial cost”, she explained.

Right now, she is engaged in a project in The Nilgiris to convert a bungalow into five bed room guest house with two dining facilities.  “The whole theme here is South Indian; so, there is Kuthuvilakku, Thirumalai decor, south Indian culture on the walls and the interior decor”, she told me.

“Besides, we are creating a bird-friendly facility in the garden landscape to attract birds”, she said.  

On corporate brands and stationery, she showed the cost-saving with eco-friendly alternatives to encourage corporates to go for bio-degradable yet trendy utilities as interior decor like exclusive paper cups with trendy brand image besides such materials for external usage like letterheads and business cards.  

Preity can be reached on phone: 08850706390 or e-mail: preity.design@gmail.com.

(RESPONSE CAN ALSO BE SENT TO: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com) 

  

VALUE ADDITION -- 5:

RARE SIGHT OF KURINJI FLOWERS AT GATEWAY HOTEL COONOOR

BY P S SUNDAR

Tourists staying in the Taj group’s The Gateway Hotel in Coonoor now enjoy the rare sight of Kurinji flowers in full blossom in a part of the hotel’s spacious campus.

The significance of this comes in the reality that it is unusual to see Kurinji in blossom in the gardens of houses or hotels and it blossoms at various cycles including up to as many as once in 12 years! 

Kurinji (Strobilanthes kunthianus) grows, mainly as shrubs, in the shola forests of the Western Ghats.  The purplish blue coloured flowers which blossom only once in 12 years are said to have lent their blue colours to the mountains resulting in these mountains being christened ‘Blue Mountains’ or ‘Nilgiris’ (Nil = blue; giri = mountain).   In the past, Kurinji used to cover the Nilgiri mountains like a purplish blue carpet during the flowering season.   Over the years, tea plantations, vegetable farming and even construction of houses have reduced the strength and hence the spread of Kurinji.

Now, in certain hillocks surrounding Coonoor, Kurinji is in blossom.  Natives contend that they had seen this Kurinji last in 2006.

“We collected some roots from the forest fringes and planted them in a part of our garden over two years ago.  We carefully nurtured them as they do not ordinarily grow in a domesticated ambience.   Now that its bloom cycle has started, we see an exuberant growth of the plant filled with purplish blue Kurinji flowers providing a rare feast to the eyes”, Gateway General Manager R Muralidharan told me.

“Even if the guests come during the Kurinji bloom season, they have to travel distances to the forest belts to see the flowers in blossom.  Our idea was to help them see Kurinji in bloom at their doorsteps by planting the shrub in our garden.  Fortunately, we have succeeded in this”, Housekeeping Manager R Nagaraj shared.

Muralidharan and Nagaraj undertake the efforts of taking the interested guests to the Kurinji plant and explain its significance.  Once they learn about this, the guests are excited.   They take plenty of photos of the flowers and themselves with the flowers.   

R Muralidharan (left) and R Nagaraj explaining the significance of Kuriji flowers in Kurnji lawn at Taj Gateway Hotel, Coonoor..

“The bloom is attracting the guests, more so, the ones who had not seen Kurinji before.   To help them enjoy the rare ambience at leisure, we have set up chairs and tables on the lawn which has since come to be called the ‘Kurinji lawn’.   Guests are seen enjoying drinks and food on ‘Kurinji lawn’ amidst the Kurinji flowers”, Muralidharan noted. 

“We deem ourselves to be lucky that we are staying in the room adjacent to the ‘Kurinji lawn’.  We have heard of people travelling kilometres to see Kurinji in bloom if they are in Coonoor in the right season but, for us, the flowers are in full blossom right at our doorstep”, Mamta Jain, tourist from Mumbai, said.

Mamta Jai and Sharad Jain wnjoying Kurinji blossom with Muralidharan (left extreme) and Nagaraj (right extreme)

“We are never tired of clicking photos with the Kurinji flowers on this lawn.  We have come with friends and families and right from child to grandma, all are enjoying the rare bloom”, Sharad Jain, engaged in construction business in Mumbai, noted.   

(Response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)