Celebrating Pongal at home in Chennai - Pongal, harvest festival, celebrated widely in South India, to offer thanks to the Sun God & the elements for the bountiful harvest the last year & for blessings for the next year -
we are setting off the cooking of the sweet pongal & white rice in the bronze pot, decorated by fresh turmeric & chunam (lime) to the chorus of "pongalo pongal" - nostalgic festival times - of course, the rest of the day is filled with eating, watching TV & calling friends and relatives!!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Pane e Vino - Shanghai
After looking for new non-Indian food places to eat in Shanghai, I read about Pane e Vino in the City weekend magazine - http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai/listings/dining/italian/has/pane-e-vino/ - the review in the magazine was better than the one online. It talked about the ambience, the Caprese Salad & the fabulous thin crust pizza that they serve.
On a cold wintry night in Shanghai, I decided it was pizza time and moreover, time to find a new spot - I also decided I am going to take public transport. I love being able to take public transport everywhere. After a bit of online research, I found that this place is just a gentle walk from the Shaanxi Rd station - So, I decided to take Line No. 10 from Nanjing East Rd station and arrived at Shaanxi Rd (S) station. Take exit #1 and once you reach the top of the stairs, take a left (or ask the people hawking wares outside for MaoMing Road). The next intersection is Mao Ming Road - take a right at the intersection and walk a couple blocks and there you are staring at a Mexican place, Blue Frog, Melrose Pizza, Pane e Vino and a Moroccan restaurant in a little stretch in the middle of what appears to be no where.
The ambience, as described resembles that of a tiny Italian restaurant you could find in the Little Italies of the world, giving you the feel of a cozy family owned restaurant. I arrived late (9:20 PM), was frowned upon & told the place was closed. However, they were willing to make a pizza for me. So, quickly, I decided I wanted there famed Margarita pizza. The pizza arrived rather quickly & as promised was about 10-11" in diameter, but was extra thin that it had to melt in your mouth - trust me, this is thinner than the brooklyn style pizzas that New York has become famous for. The servers were a bit jumpy literally willing & wishing for me to get the heck out of there. Given I didn't really need the urging, I devoured the pie in a few minutes and walked out quickly. I'd give the food & ambience a double plus & the service a minus - it feels like a good cozy place to get down to with a bunch of friends, a bit earlier in the evening.
Line No. 10 also stops at Xintiandi & Yu Yuan Garden (places that I didn't know the subway went to). So, I stopped at the Xintiandi station & found out the station is just a block away from the central Xintiandi party places - wandered the area for a bit & returned to the comfort & saftety of a nice cozy bed. All in all a good night.
On a cold wintry night in Shanghai, I decided it was pizza time and moreover, time to find a new spot - I also decided I am going to take public transport. I love being able to take public transport everywhere. After a bit of online research, I found that this place is just a gentle walk from the Shaanxi Rd station - So, I decided to take Line No. 10 from Nanjing East Rd station and arrived at Shaanxi Rd (S) station. Take exit #1 and once you reach the top of the stairs, take a left (or ask the people hawking wares outside for MaoMing Road). The next intersection is Mao Ming Road - take a right at the intersection and walk a couple blocks and there you are staring at a Mexican place, Blue Frog, Melrose Pizza, Pane e Vino and a Moroccan restaurant in a little stretch in the middle of what appears to be no where.
The ambience, as described resembles that of a tiny Italian restaurant you could find in the Little Italies of the world, giving you the feel of a cozy family owned restaurant. I arrived late (9:20 PM), was frowned upon & told the place was closed. However, they were willing to make a pizza for me. So, quickly, I decided I wanted there famed Margarita pizza. The pizza arrived rather quickly & as promised was about 10-11" in diameter, but was extra thin that it had to melt in your mouth - trust me, this is thinner than the brooklyn style pizzas that New York has become famous for. The servers were a bit jumpy literally willing & wishing for me to get the heck out of there. Given I didn't really need the urging, I devoured the pie in a few minutes and walked out quickly. I'd give the food & ambience a double plus & the service a minus - it feels like a good cozy place to get down to with a bunch of friends, a bit earlier in the evening.Line No. 10 also stops at Xintiandi & Yu Yuan Garden (places that I didn't know the subway went to). So, I stopped at the Xintiandi station & found out the station is just a block away from the central Xintiandi party places - wandered the area for a bit & returned to the comfort & saftety of a nice cozy bed. All in all a good night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)