anil

Robert - The place was previously a Korean BBQ. When Dimple opened, they covered the overhead exhaust, and for a long time even reused the furniture. Lack-of decor, or putting no emphasis on decor indian or otherwise and focusing on food has helped this place. It is unpretentious. Not all their dishes are top-notch, and yes ! they do have a tandoor oven inside.

How far from the nearest subway and which one ?

Suvir -- Should,nt this topic be in New York as opposed to India ?? Just asking

Loosen up folks !! That you get a semblence of chaat in NYC, and kosher on top, should be a blessing Yes, its not Mumbai, or Dilli (just waiting for the fourth city to go native ) and yes, the chaat is made with a gujurati tint.... I still prefer it to anything in the public-transport-accessible tri-state area. The best time of go to Dimple is in the weekends, around noon - You get to chat with the ladies behind the counter and get some tips on where to get hard-to-get ingredients.

Suvir, Obviously in NYC. Not UK :) You probably could note the lack of comments on my part in the UK forum. My trips to UK are really short -- an extended weekend, with many a meal as fillers or at people's homes. I travel more than I care to admit, if I did someone would probably force me to join FF Anonymous As to Scotland, and Univ environments, well.... I'm academically affliated to Univs.

No, I did not say about Sikhs opening restaurant in Edinburgh, or Scotland, I was responding to Suvir's queries about immigrants. Haggis maybe swedish in origin, I'm just commenting on what I've experienced here in the Carribean I seez it - I eats it - I don't even know how one cooks it.

Last week, we spent a long weekend in AMS and surrounds. It was essentially to see the Floriade 2002. The three restaurants worth mentioning are - Memories of India -- (Only place that dared to present a dish from bengal with modicum of authenticity) Sahid Jaya, Indonesian - A bit expensive, their Rijjstaffel offering was about 32Euro per person - Quite good. and finally Winter Garden @ Kraznopolsky. The first two are near Rembrandtsplein (or that's where we got off from the trolley/tram) For street food, do try pickled or raw herring from this stand right by the Centraal Station.

Another interesting resturant, a little uppity-up, is Verandah in Repulsebay. Being off the main touristy,business district, it has managed to attain a select following amongst the well to do, oldtimers. I have not been there in the past two trips. Cabrales, If you are there (HKG), maybe you could bring us uptodate on it.

Earliest immigrants to Scotland of SAsian origin were Sikhs (due to the Army regiments) and Gujuratis via South Africa. By early 90s, Punjabi/Urdu combo became the dominant linguistic sub-group within the SAsian context. The Haggis influence is via Jamaica and the Carribean. I do remember having haggis curry near Univ of Edinburgh (this was really in the '80s), BUT NO CURRY IN HAGGIS in either Jamaica or Trinidad (the cricket playing carribean Islands ). It is my understanding, from second-hand info, that confluence of Bangladeshis,SriLanka (tamils) have added an interesting mix to the cuisines of south asia.

.......... If you have visited Hugo's, at the Hyatt (?) on the Kowloon side, I'd appreciate an update on that too. For ....... Hugo is a very good place for business lunch. I have not had dinner there, even during bad weather when I had to be indoors at the hotel -- "The Chinese Restaurant" @Hyatt/Kowloon is a better choice for dinner

No ! No !, many years ago, make it decades; I was observing (ethnographically speaking) a few of my friends eating at a place near TokyoU, being a novice in the rituals, I noted that a certain group preffer a dash-more of wasabi in their fish; not only that - I was made to believe that experts taste the wasabi of the house before adjusting their usage of wasabi during the course of the meal...... Natives please chime in .

You ask me this a few months back about Petrus, I hesitated and still am ambivalent - I thought it was good - not great, but some French ex-pats panned-it -- SO what else is new Alibi, will have to wait till my next trip. No idea about Amigo -- Could you elaborate what is it's claim to fame ? I hear that HKG is beginning to have a love-fest with Latin & South Am. food of late......

The use of fruits in cooking varies from region to region. In around middle Maharastra (Nagpur area) half-ripened mangoes are used to cook seasonal vegetables. Useage of dry fruits is common in Magadh (sp?), Kashmiri, and Rajasthani dishes. In the south, bananas dominate. Of course not to mention jaggery and khajur based rotlas. I'm trying to jog my old-foggy-memory of trips I took decades ago in the deep south...... I will update this as I remember more

First I thought where is he going with this story, till I got the the paragraph about his becoming a chef... From there on - It was very engaging narrative. If I were NRSA, I'd at LGA the next flight out

So, Dada can you cook ghoogni ?, what about Macher-jhol ?, what about Khujri ? Would these not catch the essence of "bangal" as opposed to "khoti " ?? Let us know what you whip-up :)

We are headed out to AMS next week - In-n-Out kind-of-a-deal.

Are you folks (Steve & Ellen) all set to go ? Packed,inoculated ? Through your palates, we'll vicariously enjoy. :D

Try Maaki-ki-Roti, their intrepretation of saag, and a raita made of eggplants. Doing vegetarian dishes right is more difficult than non-veg.

We visited the place last week, but for Brunch. I could not take my eyes off the person-who seated us, and and brought the menu :p Between the distracting attire and Horshradish-infused Bloody Mary, I'd say that our brunch was unmemorable. Given its newness and proximity to the treatre crowd, I see a while before it can settle down and evolve, or ...... ???

You got to be kidding :D We were there ourselves, though pretty late -- i.e indian style dining habits (after 8:30 PM)

Sheesh I did not say UWS or UES did I ? In my opinion they are both a bit snooty for many folks tastes. Have I touched on a raw nerve here 8-P

This is good - It will be a crash-course in my education too As you'll post we shall enjoy. Two months :wow: I'd become homesick and then some more

I have come to know many folks who are loath to cross from oneside of the city to another - When picking a dining place - And having no problem going from one end of London to another, or rally travel far when in HKG. Upper Eastsiders who groan when suggesting a restaurant closer to the theatre-dist. or after Lincoln Center drinks close by. Not to be outdone, Folks living on our side of CP avoiding some really nice places on the east side. Have y'll noticed this too ? Is there a cultural or Urban anthropological reasons for this ? Is there a cure/treatment for it

not really translateable - try babelfsh.altavista.com

Sheeh!!! Jorda kheye more jaban dada, pati bengali-er moton :)