Rocket Man!!!

Keeping with the Queer theme for December, I can't NOT talk about the Gayest musician in this world - Sir Elton John. He may be a total fruit cake but the guy can sing. I'm told he started playing the piano at the age of 3, now you don't do that unless you got some real talent. Now Elton's no spring chicken, hes like 65 yrs old and if anyone has googled some his pictures of him performing in his youth, you will realize, he was probably GAY at the age of 3 too. What outfits, whacky is an understatement, flowery hats and some audacious wardrobe selections that even Lady GaGa would be proud of. But let's not take anything away from Sir Elton John, gay or not, he's one of the greatest musicians to come out of England. Brilliant voice, amazing pianist, philanthropist, entertainer extraordinaire.

I think you owe it to Elton to have at least the Greatest Hits album on your iPod, some amazing songs in here I tell you - "Lucy In The Sky", "Rocket Man", "Crocodile Rock", "Daniel", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Sacrifice", "Candle in The Wind", "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" and my all time favorite Elton John song "Kiss The Bride". The irony of this song name is for everyone to see, but its a brilliant song, hell its a brilliant album. I would love to download his entire discography some day, about 15 studio albums but I think that would be a little too much Gay Man Music. Sorry I'm coming off as such a Homophobe, but sue me legal or not, Men bumping uglies was and will always be weird to me. Elton John commands a certain respect in the music community, he's collaborated with soo many artists and performed at so many events and countries. He's an absolute legend and his songs have been used in countless movies and TV shows. The most famous one has to be "Rocket Man", you know you've heard this song at least a dozen in times in movies, a lovely song this, there's absolutely nothing gay about this song, hell this song was used in Californication with the infamous Hank Moody and as many of you would know, he is anything but Gay.

Elton's not just known for his awesome music and piano playing skills, but he's also a philanthropist - he's actively involved in AIDS awareness and has his own AIDS foundation known as "Elton John AIDS Foundation". Apart from this he holds a rather large stake in Watford Football Club, and until recently he was actively involved in the day-to-day running of the club. He was brought up in Middlesex and has always been a lifelong Watford Fan, and this is something really commendable. He's performed many a time at Vicrage Road, although now he continues to support them just as a fan, having stepped down from the Board of Directors. He still has a lot of financial interest in the club, but he's no longer a majority stakeholder. Some life eh?? Making a living off doing what you love and what you are very good at and then going and buying your hometown team and take them to the FA Cup Final. If thats not living the dream I don't know what is. Long Live Elton, Long Live the ROCKET MAN !!!

I, Gautam Swaminathan am a HUGE fan of Sir Elton John and I am not ashamed to admit it.

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Michael Learns To Rock

This December I’m gonna focus my attention on certain artists, artists who are generally labelled as queer or GAY. Why they are labelled so I will never know. I know I’ve always advocated Classic Rock and how that’s the only genre of music worth listening to, well that’s not entirely true. The truth of it is that I appreciate good music whether its Dire Straits or Dhanush’s Kolaveri Di. Either way this December I want to prove that there are some wonderful bands and artists out there, whose music is just as good as those ‘cool rockstars’. Let me start with one of the most under-rated Alternative bands of the present generation – Michael Learns To Rock. 

Go ahead mock me, the first thought that comes to your head when I say MLTR is probably that of disgust, hell I myself was one of those people who would ridicule 4 middle aged men singing romantic songs, but once you hear their discography you can’t help but put your hand up and say, “MLTR are decent”. First of all if you are going to compare MLTR with Coldplay then they are going to come up short because you just can’t do that, when it comes to alternative Coldplay are on a level of their own. But think about it, apart from Coldplay how many bands are actually out there who can pass as proper alternative bands, RHCP, Pearl Jam etc. But even these bands are more prone towards rock rather than alternative. So that leaves bands like Switchfoot, Audioslave, Jet etc. LOL. Now MTLR are starting to look real classy don’t they. Now moving on, most of you who have heard about Michael Learns To Rock will bet your left hand that “The Actor” is their best song. #EPICFAIL. Sure the actor may have been one of their more popular songs, it is not even close to being one of their best songs – atleast in my book. Start playing the album “Colours” and you will start to understand why. Very very soothing music, very light, the ideal band to listen to when you’re driving your parents to the mall or in my case to the temple. Some great songs in this album, “Wild Women” is one of my favourites, also there’s “25 Minutes”, “Something Right”, “Sleeping Child”, “Complicated Heart”, “Ocean of Love”. Hell this whole album really, best MLTR album by a long shot. This album also has “The Actor” so yes this should be the first album you listen to. 

Now a few years back there was this album “Take Me To Your Heart” released in 2004 I think, and they had collaborated with Indian vocalist Shaan, yes that Tanha Dil walla Shaan. Now they basically decoded the title track “Take Me To Your Heart” into hindi, kinda pointless really, but there’s no denying it’s a nice song. Another classic MLTR album, very easy on the ear – all the songs are worth listening to. MLTR is that kind of band that you would just leave on shuffle on your iPod. All their songs are the peppy kind, very soothing and very easy to fall in love with. This album is 10 outta 10 for me but still if I had to be really picky about the best songs, I’d have to choose “Hit By Feeling”, “Salvation”, Frostbite”, Take Me To Your Heart”, “Hit By A Feeling” and “This Is Who I Am”. There next best album is undoubtedly Played on Pepper, with some good songs like “Naked Like The Moon”, “Take Off Your Clothes”, “Breaking The Rules”, “Someday”, “Love Will Never Lie” etc. Like I said all the MLTR songs are nice, not the type of music you can head bang to obviously, but something you can just leave playing all the way into the early hours of the morning. Good band this, a definite download and a double thumbs up from Swami G for the entire discography. Here’s the entire disco in order of preference of course: 

·     1993 – Colours

·     2004 - Take Me To Your Heart

·     1995 – Played on Pepper

·     1991 – Micheal Learns To Rock

·     1997 – Nothing to Lose

·     2008 – Eternity

The irony of this all is the fact that this is a Danish band, and none of them are called Michael. In one the interviews the lead singer revealed that Michael Jackson was the inspiration behind the band's name and although they were unsure about how it would be perceived, they decided to stick with the name after the huge success of their debut album. Good pop is still alive, though Michael's not around anymore, but Michael Learn's To Rock is and I hear they are coming out with a re-union album in 2012. I for one will be looking forward to it, great european band this, second only to Coldplay. Cheers guys. Happy Drinking this December !! :) 

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Why Southy Boys don't have Ab's

After the overwhelming success of "Why This Kolaveri Di", even I'm feeling a little poetic and thought this would be the right time to bring back the poet in me. This is something I'd like to call, "Why Southy Boys don't have Ab's". Also I will try and enlighten people about 5 Spice. 

Every southy boy in Bombay has one thing in common,

His love-hate relationship with Amma's Thair Sadaam, 

Since all our parents are Veggies, we have very few sources of protein, 

They've been scamming us with 'Molgapodi and Idli" since we were thirteen.

No matter how hard we try, we can't seem to get rid of that belly,
Its coz we've spent all our summers eating only rice sitting in front of the telly.

Even though most of us are fairly sporty and athletic,

We are forced to Nerd up because we are good at Arithmetic.

What does all this have to do with 5 Spice?

Nothing really, but first things first let’s talk about their BURNT CHILLY RICE.

Possibly their most ordered dish, by Southy’s and Sardar’s alike,

Ample quantity for just 150 bucks, seriously what’s not to like?

Every Mumbaikar has been to 5 Spice atleast a 100 times,

But the starters are always Kung Pao Chicken/Paneer and the cheapest bottle of wine,

You can’t deny the Kung Pao Chicken is devine,

But you gotta try the Apple Chicken, its absolutely sublime.

Can’t say much about the Prawns and Pomfret

I haven’t really tried a lot of their seafood yet,

Ive heard nice things about their Lamb and Crab too,

But my dad’s not a millionaire and anything Non-Veg is considered taboo.

So obviously I like to keep things simple with my Sapo Chicken,

Gosh Ive had so much of it that I can literally feel my waist thicken,

Anything with chicken is awesome at 5 Spice,

Thank god I’m no longer a Loser Iyer boy eating Amma’s Curd Rice.

I wouldn’t recommend go to 5 Spice with a pretty hot date,

There’s just too much quantity, you’re gonna have to doggy-bag her entire plate,

Besides isn’t the whole objective of the date is to take her back to your place?

Without the smell of chinese food all over your face.

That’s why I say go to 5 Spice with your entire Entourage,

When it comes to Chinese food in Bombay, this place is like the Taj,

You gotta admit it’s the best Chinese food anyone can ever make,

And for the love of god, why are they always out of Blueberry Cheese Cake!?

So I’m sorry ladies I love Chinese food too much to worry about having abs,

Just by writing this poem, I'm fantasizing about Chicken, Prawns and Crabs,

I’m so glad us Powai people finally have a good restaurant nearby like 5 Spice,

Now all our house parties shall have Sapo Chicken and Burnt Chilly Rice!!

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Eating in Worli - The Non-Celebrity Way

One of your biggest problems in life could be the fact that your office is situated at Worli Seaface, full of soo many fancy places to dine, but as a working man can you really afford  to eat at Copper Chimney and Moti Mahal on a daily basis? Not unless you're Bruce Wayne. I mean surely a place like Worli must have some sort of middle ground where you can enjoy a sumptous meal for a reasonable price yet at the same time have the luxury of air conditioning, a decent ambience and most importantly good food. Well after many a day spent scavenging for under cooked pizzas from the Atria Mall food court, a little birdie told me about Kanishka. Hotel Kanishka as it is otherwise referred to is on the junction of Haji Ali right opposite Crossroads and Heera Panna. Now obviously when a teenager goes out for lunch McDonald's and Subway are the most appealing to him because of the simple reason that it is the cheapest and most filling option. How wrong was I! Thanks to the gang at BNG, I was introduced to the wonderful world of Kanishka.

First things first it is a PURE VEG restaurant. So yes it is going to be difficult to convince your Punjabi and North Indian friends to come down to Worli for Veg food, but give this place a chance. There's something different about the Paneer in this place, almost as if each cube was handcrafted and fermented to just the perfect amount for the culinary delight of the consumer. Bahut english Jhaad raha hoon kya?? Okay. Arre yahaan ka Paneer Tikka Masala bahut hi sahi hai. And not just the Paneer dishes, anything be it south indian, Pav Bhaji, hell even there chinese is passable and its good to see that there aren't ridiculous dishes like "Veg Chezwan Noodal" and "Veg Trriippllee Rice". Obviously I wouldn't recommend the chinese here, but the north indian and the Pav Bhaji is well worth a visit. A proper fast food restaurant this, they deliver to most of the offices and areas in the vicinity, although during the peak lunch hours these delivery boys take there own sweet time on their little bicycles to get your order. Like any restaurant they aren't open all day, and they are rather particular about their timings (I've learnt  this the hard way), they will not serve you Punjabi food after 4 pm, no matter how much you try and convince the waiter that it is indeed your lunch time now.

Places like Kanishka will never go out of business for the simple reason that they are operational for the common man, a man who refuses to carry his mom's tiffin box because that's NOT cool anymore, yet at the same time he doesn't want to spend his entire paycheck on food and beverages. Atmost you will have to fork out about 200 bucks a head and this includes the complete package (inclusive of those masala chaas and mango lassi's your middle aged managers seem to love soo much). Either way this is a great restaurant to visit for a nice lunch with colleagues or friends. The service in the AC isn't the fastest but it is an enjoyable experience nonetheless.One of my favorite restaurants in Bombay this, and perhaps the few things I miss the most about my job, the good ol' days when we would all meet up Hotel Kanishka for a nice group lunch and hogg soo much that we would have to walk all along the Haji Ali promenade just to make sure that we could actually get some work done post lunch. Its a shame really that I simply cannot get the time to visit this place more often, I mean there Paneer is very very good, but travelling from one end of Bombay to another for Veg Food just doesn't seem logical anymore. But that's probably because a lot of my life decisions are based solely on the availability of Chicken Lollipops.

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SuperHeavy!

Imagine Mick Jagger, sure he wasn't the greatest singer or showman rock has ever seen but still you gotta admit that the Rolling Stones did lick its way to success and Jagger was quintessential to that. Imagine the reggae brilliance of Damian Marley. Add a lil' Indian flavor with the super awesome and insanely talented AR Rahman and we have a true ROCK SUPER Group. That's SuperHeavy for you. A true innovation in music with stalwarts from various cultures combining together to deliver one very satisfactory album and one very promising band.

We all know what Rahman has to offer to us and needless to say whatever he composes is pure musical bliss. Nobody in their right mind is going to have anything negative to say about Reggae, specially if it has the blood of the great Bob Marley, and in 24 year old Joss Stone we have found yet another talented vocalist from Britain. Jagger singing in Sanskrit takes a while to getting used to but all in all this is one brilliant album. They started off in LA, recording hours and hours of music (eventually recording over 30 hours of music). After a lot of editing and deliberation they came up with 16 songs in their self titled debut album which hit the web on September 2011. One of my favorites this, love the mixture of Marley's voice and Rahman's musical genius. Damian is no match compared to his father but man Junior Gong can groove them Reggae beats. He features heavily in all the vocals of the songs and rightly so. Still the standout songs have to the ones sung by the Little Master of the musical world - Mahiya and Satyameva Jayathe. The latter is easily the best song on the album with a very simple yet profound meaning - Truth Will Always Triumph. Jagger and Joss Stone have done a rather convincing job as vocalists too with good contributions in songs like Miracle Worker, SuperHeavy, Hey Captain, Rock Me Gently, Beautiful People, Commonground etc.

All in all this is one band that I am going to keenly keep tabs on, I hope they collaborate more often and explore this new genre of Indian ballads to Reggae. Mick Jagger isn't getting any younger so how about they replace him with an Eddie Vedder? Nah, SuperHeavy is good as it is, more lovely music in the future I hope. A definite download this, sure its not going to be on of the all time greatest albums, but I've heard a lot worse. And seriously if a collaboration of Rahman, Marley, Jagger, Dave Stewart and Joss Stone doesn't get you excited then maybe you aren't a true ROCK enthusiast mate!!! Cheers, have a good weekend people.

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The Sion Samosa

As a former student of the S.I.E.S college of Commerce and Economics, I feel absolutely no gratitude whatsoever about the college as such, sure I might have made some of my best friends thanks to those holy walls of the “Temple of Education” but I think what I will remember the most about the shithole that is Sion is undoubtedly GURU KRUPA and the world famous Chole Samosa and Ragda Pattice. Easily the only attraction in Sion and probably the only reason why so many people still join this college, Guru Krupa is the ultimate fast food joint. Perfectly located at a stone’s throw from possibly the most crowded area of Sion, right on the cusps of Jain Society, this restaurant has seen a lot of kids spent the best part of their Economics lecture gobbling away those piping hot samosas. 


First things first, GK as the cool kids like to call this place is famous not just for its Samosa and Ragda Pattice, but also for it's Chaats to Pav Bhaji’s to South Indian specialities, but the funny this is that in the 5 years that I have spent eating at this place I have ordered just ONE item from the menu. So I really can’t say much about how the rest of the food is but the Samosa Chole is devine. Heavenly is the word when you are fighting sleep at 8.30 in the morning looking forward to a long hellish day of work, a GK samosa breakfast is just the kick start that you need. Don’t know what to do to while away those lazy afternoons of FYJC and SYJC when the teachers themselves bunk a few lectures of Commerce and French, then head on over to GK and chill at the rather cool ‘Air Conditioned Section’. I must warn you the prices are fractionally higher in the AC section although the seating sucks, barely room enough for 2 people to squeeze inside. But such is the crowd at GK that at many times you might not get a decent place to even stand and eat, and the coupon system can be rather frustrating because of the tedious queue’s and the lack of any order. Still that can be said about any fast food joint now can it? This isn’t the most family oriented place because it is just way too small, but I do know people who have driven from Bandra and other parts of the city just to eat lunch at Guru Krupa.


This one will always be one of the special eat-out joints of Bombay for me, and no matter how old I grow, I will always remember the wonderful times I’ve spent squished away in the booth at GK gulping down my Samosa while my friend barks out to the waiter, “Arre uncle zyada Kaanda daalo na”. I guess this isn’t the best restaurant in Bombay, hell not by a longshot but you ask any SIES student what their fondest memory of college was for them, well a Guru Krupa Samosa will be the most unanimous response. Oh and did I tell you that a plate of Samosa is still only twenty bucks, seems like the high cost of living and inflation have no impact whatsoever on the pricing strategy at GK and thank god for that. 

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The Return of The King - AR Rahman and Chris Martin that is!!! :)

I’ve got a delicious second season lined up, with lots of stories to tell. Sit back and enjoy the Flavor of Rock 2.0 (Hungrier – quite literally for some good food)

First of all it’s a personal milestone that I still remember my password to my Blogger id, this must mean I must really like writing. Well I guess I do, a friend of mine once told me that Cowardice was to run away from doing something you really love, well this is me doing what I Love for the time being at least. Anyways enough of the pleasantries, I’m sure everyone is fresh off the Diwali Festivities so I shall not add to your holiday weight and make my return with Music – 2 albums that featured tremendously on my Most Played List on my iPod whilst I have been away:

1.     ROCKSTAR

The whole world is waiting for 11.11.11, hell Aishwarya Rai is actually postponing the miracle of birth just so that it would be on this once-in-a-life-time day, but I for one am super excited about something else. I can’t wait for the movie Rockstar to release. If the movie is even half as good as it’s Music then I shall consider it money well spent. AR Rahman simply blows me away to pieces with this soundtrack, Mohit Chauhan is magical and he seems to have succeeded in making even the annoying Ranbir Kapoor look like a real rockstar, an indian Jim Morrison perhaps, well let’s see about that. This album is easily the best hindi album of 2011, I don’t usually go gaga over Hindi movies and their music (my Bole Chudiyan days are long behind me), but this album is a work of art. It’s such a complete musical master piece, something only a LEGEND like AR Rahman could have delivered. Everyone knows just how good Sadda Haq makes you feel, it’s almost as if you envision yourself on stage in front of a sold out crowd in Wembley rocking a guitar solo, but after a lot of hearing’s I have to say Sadda Haq doesn’t even make it to my Top 5 from this album. I mean don’t get me wrong, brilliant song and all but if you have heard the entire album you will know that songs like Nadaan Parindey, Kun Fayan, Jo Bhi Main, Phir Se Ud Chala and then the ultimate melody of them all – TUM HO are absolute masterpieces; Mohit Chauhan cements his position as Bollywood's undisputed king when it comes to playback singing and he's lent his voice for 9 of the 14 songs in this album. No prizes for guessing that these 9 songs are the best from this album.All in all this is a mind blowing album, I love how it’s got such variety and depth. I read in an interview on TV that the music was really what makes this movie, I mean it is a movie titled Rockstar and the fact that this one album had like 5 different styles of music all wrapped in one, is something AR Rahman is capable of. The Quawali’s of Kun Fayan where he reminds us yet again why he’s not just the best music composer but also a brilliant singer, the gypsy hippie theme of Hawaa Hawaa, the pure ROCK & ROLL image in Sadda Haq, this one’s got it all. Great album, just hope that the movie doesn’t disappoint but I’m guessing it will be worth your money just to go hear Mohit Chauhan sing and Nargis Fakhri take your breath away. Hell it’s only because of her that even the ridiculous TINGA-LINGA song is also a top rated song on my i-Pod. Also DO NOT fast forward those last 2-3 songs thinking they are just background scores, hell even they are bloody awesome. TANGO for TAJ!! 

2.     MYLO XYLOTO

Chris Martin and Coldplay never fail to disappoint do they? The long and awaited 5^th album of this super awesome british band finally ended a few weeks ago and almost instantly it has soared to the top of the charts. Another classic Coldplay album, although I for one had ridiculously high expectations and although in terms of numbers, this album is not on par with X&Y and Viva La Vida but still it’s a great album. The thing that I find best about Coldplay is how their main song always has like this 30 second build up, almost like a prelude to what’s in store, and I love how the prelude seamlessly runs into the actual song without you realizing that you’re on the next song. Gotta hand to Chris Martin mate, say what you want about the guy, he’s got such a cool life, a gorgeous wife in Miss Paltrow and did I mention he’s British – so his voice automatically becomes 3 notches cooler than all of us. I downloaded this album on the very day it released and I’ve been going “Para Para Paradise” since then. Lovely song, it’s got Coldplay written all over it. Hurts like Heaven is also an amazing song, like I said the intro to the song is really what makes it. My favourite song has to be Princess of China, Rihanna does a fab job as the Princess of China, love the beat of the song, it’s got a lot of meaning in it. I wouldn’t say this is Coldplay’s best work yet, but its definitely up there. I guess they always had this coming having released their best album first – sorta like Pearl Jam, but like the real PJ fans will tell you, whether its Black or The End, we still idolize Eddie Vedder and I guess that’s the same scenario with Coldplay. No matter what the band goes on to achieve, they are always going to be about Mr Chris Martin. It’s funny how most of us will have to wiki the remaining band members, and that’s another milestone I have achieved with this blog, first blog post written without the help of Wiki. In my defence I couldn’t have picked a bunch of easier albums.

Anyways, enjoy gang and remember “If it ain’t Classic, It aint ROCK”

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The Two in ONE!

Thunder only happens when it's raining
Players only love you when they're playing
Women, they will come and they will go
When the rain washes you clean, you'll know

Okay sounds totally random doesn't it? Well a bunch of you might have recogonized these lyrics and instantly started humming the chorus of Dreams - Fleetwood Mac. Now I wouldn't blame you for not having heard of Fleetwood, hell I myself didn't know much about them until like a year and a half ago, still this is some good shit I tell you. They aren't the coolest rock band to come out of Britain, hell not by a long shot, but in Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham; they did have one of the most intriguing set of vocalists in town, probably the only women vocalists who even have a chance to compete with the likes of Perry, Freddie Mercury, John Lennon etc. Now if you discount the ladies from Fleetwood Mac, they sound mind numbingly average, I mean of their 20 something studio albums only a handful of songs are worthy of listening to, hence I have to tell you only to listen to their Greatest Hits. Even the greatest hits album isnt all smooth sailing, it starts off brilliantly with awesome songs like "Dreams", "Go Your Own Way", "Everywhere", "Little Lies", "Black Magic Woman", "Don't Stop" etc. But on the whole this isn't the greatest album at all.

Fleetwood are probably someone you can listen to once in a while, or when fate decides to play them on iPod Shuffle. Still that being said, I still love some of their songs and the vocals are awesome so yes I listen to Fleetwood Mac quite regularly! McVie is hands down the best of the three vocals, most of my favorite songs are with her singing, still its all futile comparing that to the GREEN CHICKEN WRAP!!

What???? Oh yeah, since I didnt have more than 10 sentences to write about Fleetwood Mac, I decided to jam in some good wraps and frankies in between. FAASO's. Okay this absolutely no one would have heard of unless you're living in Powai or the western suburbs. Good cheap food. Galleria is full of such wonderful places and I must say, this has been one of my favorite destinations for a quick bite. The most alluring factor about Faaso's - its dirt cheap, at 70 bucks a wrap you can eat away to glory. I can't really comment about any of their Veg Wraps because lets face it, I'm hardly a vegetarian now. Still their Non Veg wraps are to die for. Chicken Bhuna, Green Chicken, Chicken Tikka - well you get the point. They have Reshmi Kebabs and stuff too, at the max you will spend like 150 bucks a head for a filling meal at Faaso's. To make things interesting they have like these combo deals where you can choose upto 3-4 wraps and get like the 5th one free and a bunch of other combo deals. And yes they deliver too. My only complaint would be the fact that even though its 70 bucks a wrap, its hardly filling so you have to have atleast 2 wraps to even consider it as a meal but what the hell, its not too much to shell out now is it?! Anyways enjoy Faaso's and Fleetwood. Its not really the ideal combination, but we've had worse!! CHEERS!

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TEN reasons why Pearl Jam should feature on your iPod..

Possibly one of the greatest new age bands, Pearl Jam have conquered the Alternative Rock scene and have made it their own thanks to 3 scintillating albums during the 90's and in my book the 90's belonged to Pearl Jam. There's a fine line between Pearl Jam and Grunge and the man solely responsible for jump roping between this line is none other than Eddie Vedder. Reason No.1 to listen to Pearl Jam - Eddie Vedder, possibly one of the most amazing vocalists around and yes he's still GOT IT!!!

Now Eddie Vedder's life is Intriguing to say the least. Not all was well with him during his childhood, he was raised by his birth mother and a step father (of whose real identity Vedder only came to know about in his late teen's). His parents went through a divorce and Vedder stayed back with his then step father to complete high school, but he didn't know at that time that he was indeed his step father. His biological dad was someone who Vedder had met only a couple of times during his childhood and he had no memory of him, and his father eventually died of Multiple Sclerosis causing Vedder to spiral out of control. By then he was living all alone in his apartment with a job at a Gas Station to support him, and he eventually gave up his education to pursue a full time career in Music. Thank god for that. After a couple of small time bands Vedder was given his big break by Jack Irons (Drummer of RHCP) and the rest as they say is history. Vedder has a lot of pain and anguish from his personal life and childhood that he portrays into his music and most of his songs are narratives about his upbringing and some of the problems he faced. Most famous being Eddie Vedder's mini-opera entitled "Mamasan" which depicts a tale of a boy who finds out the truth about his paternity and later turns into a serial killer and is then apprehended and convicted for murder. This later then went on to become Pearl Jam's "Alive" "Once" and "Footsteps". Eddie Vedder is probably one of the hand picked vocalists who were even considered worthy of replacing the immortal Jim Morrison with The Doors, a move that failed to materialize, and that my friends is Reason No. 2 - If the vocalist is said to be as good as Jimbo, then you know his band is a kick ass band.

Reason No. 3 - why yes Pearl Jam have not one, not two but THREE guitarists in a 5 man band, now you gotta love that shit. Johnny Guitar is the Reason No. 4 why you just have to listen to Pearl Jam. Absolutely loved this song, adrenaline pumping song this is, easily one of PJ's best songs. I think its safe to say that no band has even come close to achieving the success of Pearl Jam, purely because of their music - their songs have so much pain, every time you listen to their music, you can actually feel the pain in Vedder's voice and that for me has to be Reason No. 5. Songs like "I Am Mine", "Black", "Jeremy" are just some of the examples of this fact. Reason No. 6 - The whole world loves Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder. These guys have been rocking it since 1990, and they have performed with the likes of The Who, RHCP, Neil Young, Nusret Fateh Ali Khan, The Chicago Bulls, The Chicago Bears, The Chicago Cubs etc etc. This guy is a legend. An absolute ROCKSTAR in every sense of the word. Reason No.7 will have to be the fact that Pearl Jam are probably one of the few bands that I listen that tours extensively, albeit only in America and Canada, but it gives me great joy to see a band spend close to 2 years just touring and performing gigs. Maybe a fab concert in Bombay in a few years time (ahh I can only wish). Reason No. 8 would be for the fact that even after having established themselves in the Rock world, Vedder and Pearl Jam are always trying new stuff, they debuted as an out and out Alternative Rock band, then they moved towards Grunge and in their Backspacer album they experimented with New Wave and my god it was a good album, easily one of their most under-rated albums. Songs like "Unthought Known", "Just Breathe" and "The End" are some of my favorite PJ songs of all time. Okay I've almost run out of time, patience and reasons here so why don't I just make Reason No. 9 as because "I Told You So" and lets face it, have I ever been wrong about any of the artists that I have recommended to you in the past. And finally Reason No. 10 - TEN!! What a bloody album. Greatest album of all time, its a shame it was their first album, because it reached such heights that one would straight away say that none of their forthcoming albums would ever reach the heights of TEN.

Here's their entire discography (in my preference of course)

• 1991 - Ten
• 2009 - Backspacer
• 1993 - Vs
• 1994 - Vitalogy
• 2002 - Riot Act
• 1996 - No Code
• 1998 - Yield 
• 2000 - Binaural
• 2006 - Pearl Jam

Ten, Backspacer, Vs and Vitalogy are soo good that you won't even get bored of it if you listen to it everyday. "Jeremy", "Alive", "Once", "Even Flow", "Black", "Daughter", "Betterman", "Nothing Man", "Johnny Guitar", "Unthought Known", "The Fixer", "I Am Mine", "Leash", "Blood", Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In a Small Town"........Okay I should really stop now!! Go ahead enjoy Pearl Jam, easily one of the Top 5 bands of all time!! Good Night!!! 

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God's Food is GOOD Food

For this week's update I am going back to America, to Flushing New York to be precise. Now don't be flabbergasted by the fact that this update is indeed about a TEMPLE, the Mahaganapathi Temple in Flushing New York. Now if my parents were reading this blog secretly they would swell with pride right about now, but just to ensure that they don't come and hug me tomorrow, let me tell you this post has nothing to do with the great Lord Ganesha or any of his other fellow spiritual men, this post is about the awesome canteen situated in the basement of the temple.  Now that sounds more like me doesn't it?

Well ever since I was a kid, my parents have tricked/bribed/conned/"spun an intricate web of DECEIT" to get Gautam and Ganesha under the same roof, not that I have anything against the man, but its just Parenting 101 - The more you force you're kid to do something, the more further away he's gonna run from it. Anyways, my father still graciously lets me live under his roof so the odd temple visits every once in a while are the least I can do. And as I've grown older, their bribing has become less effective, its now more of a "magnanimous gesture" from my behalf to them. So in my supposed summer blowout in Vegas, LA and New York my parents somehow convinced me to go to this temple. I must say, temples in America are nothing like the ones we have in India. Very very clean. Spacious. Lesser people. MUCH lesser people. Hell I'd even go out on a limb and say that there's a sense of serenity and calm in these temples, unlike the ones in India were you have sweaty shirtless men giving you dirty looks because your poonal is not maintained properly and the fact that you are chewing gum and listening to music when he's saying some mumbo jumbo prayers for you. Still enough about the temple, lets go down to the basement shall we. 

You know of all the million places to eat in New York, this basement won't even feature in the top 1000, but nevertheless you can only eat out at all these 1000 places if you have an endless amount of earnings or a super rich dad who loves you too much. Since most of us have neither, if you are studying in New York and you can't cook a tasty meal to save your ass then this basement should be your lunch time destination. Some of the NRI's have set up this pretty sweet canteen, where proper "Ghar Ka Khana" is prepared at alarmingly reasonable prices, but before you start drooling over naan and paneer, when I said Ghar Ka Khana, I meant MY Ghar ka khana. Delicious South Indian food, Sambhar, Rasam, Dosas, Idli's, Tamrind Rice, Curd Rice, Sambhar Rice etc etc. Its almost like a proper side business for the owners of this place because this world we live in is filled with pigs like me who would visit a temple just to eat good cheap food. The whole scene is run by 4-5 people (they do appreciate volunteers); and all you have to do is stand in line, place your order and wait for them to announce your number. They have ample seating area, free water and amenities, paper plates and plastic spoons and forks to ensure no clatter and noise, all in all a very good place to visit if you're a struggling student who would go to any extent to save a few dollars. They do have jain food available (onion and garlic free preparation) it is after all a temple you know. 

They have a wonderful variety of dosas to try out, Paper Roast, Ghee Roast, Mysore Sada, Rava Sada, Onion Rava, Uthappas and so many more variants of Idlis and Vadas in Sambhar, Rasam and Curd. But what I really liked about this place was the rice preparations like Tamrind Rice, Lemon Rice, Bisibelle Bath and our very own Thair Sadam. Served in these cute containers, they are very easy to eat, very easy to take home and store because most of these preparations stay fresh for a couple of days. An absolute bargain I tell you, you can have a super filling lunch for almost as little as 5 dollars. The only catch is that they do not deliver to any college campuses nearby, but I think its a fair price to pay, I mean if you want some good food in New York, the least you can do is say HI to Lord Mahaganapathi. 

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Cat Stevens!!!

Still sticking to artists that have come out of Britain, this week I shall give you Cat Stevens. Possibly the pioneer of Folk Rock, Cat Stevens was brought up in London, his name isn't actually Cat, that's his stage name. However he is now called Yusuf Islam, after his change of name and his adoption of Islam in 1980. Yusuf Islam is now a super holy man, philanthropist and as some religious whacko would say, he's one of "God's own children". I could care less about his change in faith and his change to Yusuf Islam, I do however love Cat Stevens. Good singer, very folksy songs he had during his peak years, has probably come out with atleast 10 odd albums, I'm not too sure, but I've only heard his Greatest Hits album and I must say, I've become a fan of Folk Rock.

The first thing you should know his Cat Stevens' music is that it is purely FOLK, so except a lot of mellow beats, slow songs, ballads if I may say so. No loud bass guitar and drum solos here, its just pure vocal bliss from this brit. When I think Cat Stevens' straight away my mind goes to "Lady D'Arbanville", not one of his greatest songs, not my a long shot, but something about this song just makes it my favorite song. "Sad Lisa", "Peace Train", "Father & Son", "Mathew & Son", "Here Comes My Baby", "The First Cut Is The Deepest" are some of his cult hits. And how can I forget his masterpiece, "Moonshadow". Brilliant song this, like I said its that type of album you will listen to at 4 am in the morning, when theres a sense of serenity in your mind, if you are disturbed or restless unable to sleep, Cat Stevens would calm you down to no end. I wouldn't be that adventurous enough to recommend the entire discography because quite clearly there's only a finite amount Folk music that one can listen to. That being said, I think Cat Stevens is well worth the download, the Best of Cat Stevens that is. He did take a nice long break after his whole name/religion change and now he's back performing religious stuff as Yusuf Islam. Not my type!!! I've been told he nearly drowned to death off the coast of California, when he exclaimed to god "Oh God! If you save me I will work for you.” Well someone saved him and now he works for God. Fair play to the guy. Anyways enjoy Cat Stevens atleast, Yusuf Islam can chill with his wife and kids in Dubai!!!

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Juicy Stuff!

Okay this is a very spur-of-the-moment review. I was not going to write about Juicy Stuff, simply because I was under the false delusion that it was simply too chindi to write about, I mean there must be like a thousand such places in Bombay that serve good butter chicken for good cheap prices, but whats so different about this place you ask?

Well the name. JUICY STUFF! Seriously whacky is just an understatement. And if that wasn't enough to make you a regular at Juicy Stuff, enter PAWAN - everybody's favorite waiter. His sidelocks (well you can't really call them sidelocks, they are more like sidelocks long enough to look like pigtails) are simply superb. Damm nice guy, helps you out with the menu and stuff, tells you what to order and I'm sure he makes a hefty sum just by the way of tips. Now more importantly the food at Juicy Stuff is awesome. Value for money basically. Its not some fancy restaurant where you can dine with your suit and tie, its your everyday sasta khana joint. Ive been told by my friends that 2 years back, the food was even more cheaper and fewer people had heard of the place, but still today one can get a nice filling meal for just about 200-250 bucks per head. Now thats some deal. Great food too. I just love the starters at Juicy Stuff, very tasty and the chicken is just brilliant, maybe the fact that a plate of Chilli Chicken costs only 110 bucks makes it taste better. Either way all the starters are worth having, though I have a few qualms with the quantity, hungry growing boys like myself can easily finish one starter on their own. This is why you should go to Juicy stuff with atleast 2 people, that way more starters, more chicken and more people to split the bill with. The Chicken Sczhewan Fingers are simply to DIE for and even the Lollypops are worth having, but 6 pieces only, so yeah don't expect a lot. Most of the starters are around 100 bucks each, so the sensible thing to do is come down and have like 4-5 starters in all.

Tried the main course in Juicy Stuff a couple of times, decent enough, the butter chicken is nice, although Ive had better. But for 140 bucks, I think this is probably the best butter Chicken in Powai. I would stay away from the Chinese food, its a little too Indianized for my liking, still no complaints, Juicy Stuff is the ideal food joint to eat on a regular basis without feeling the pinch on your pocket. Pawan's hospitality is just an added bonus. Like my friend said, "Call Pawan and ask him for 1 Better Chicken, 2 Better Naan, 1 Cock, 1 Maazda with lots of ASS". I shit you not, Pawan will laugh at you but still get your order in less than 15 mins. Oh yes thats the best part, since its such a small eatery, only like 4 tables can be seated on top, therefore the service becomes very fast. Mind you its not the most spacious restaurant to eat, so if you're unlucky enough to sit next to a bunch of spoilt brats talking about their BMW's and BlackBerry's then well you're evening will be ruined. But atleast you have awesome Chilly Chicken and Butter Chicken to help ease the misery. I strongly recommend this place guys, they deliver too in and around Powai, but then you wont get to meet Pawan. Either way, JUICY STUFF ZINDABAAD!!!

PS: I was too embarrassed to actually go place the order my friend told me to, but I'm sure he has actually done it.

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The Sultans of Swing!!!

I've always been a fan of Britain, though thats predominantly because my only true love Arsenal is from London, but really the reason why I want so badly to visit this country and possibly spend a few summers there is because of their music. Now we all know that British Rock has really been one of the most amazing things to have ever come out of Britain, lets see we've got The Beatles, Queen, Def Leppard, Yes, Coldplay, Led Zepp, Clash etc. But without a shadow of doubt, the GREATEST ever band to come out of England has to be Dire Straits.

Now I know you Beatles's fans will be very upset and all, but my review about the Beatles won't be out till the end of the year, so hold your horses. But even them die hard Beatles' fans have to appreciate Mark Knopfler's cheer majesty, he is after all the undisputed Sultan of Swing. The Knopfler brothers - Mark and David were the core of this insane band and they are the reason we have had some cult classics like......

No wait first I have to tell about Dire Straits' style of music and what genre they come under. That's a very simple question now, but one that has many many answers - for example a large majority of you public would say Dire Straits are Blues, and I have to agree, songs like "Romeo and Juliet", "So Far Away", "Tunnel of Love" have to be classified under Blues Rock. But what about songs like "Your Latest Trick", thats got JAZZ written all over it. And what of "Money for Nothing" - thats your textbook 80's Rock&Roll. So really Dire Straits is basically a beautiful blend of Jazz, Blues and my personal favorite good ol' Classic Rock. Okay now coming to the songs that you just have to listen to, hmmm let me see, I just claimed Dire Straits were the best band from Britain, so do you really think only the Best of is going to be enough. GET THE ENTIRE DISCOGRAPHY. I have never been so sure about anything else ever, this just has to be on your iPod if you're a music lover. Only 6 albums but some phenomenal range, unbelievable vocals, Dire Straits is without a doubt a band for all seasons.

This is their entire discography:

• 1978 - Dire Straits
• 1979 - Communique
• 1980 - Making Movies
• 1982 - Love Over Gold
• 1985 - Brother in Arms
• 1991 - On Every Street

Brothers in Arms is the greatest album without a doubt. It has all my favorite songs in one album, "Brothers in Arms", "Money for Nothing" - a song that you just HAVE to listen to when you are driving a fast car on the sea-link perhaps, "Walk of Life" - a song you should just put on repeat and close your eyes and let Mark Knopfler take your breathe away, "So Far Away" for those long distance love birds and "Your Latest Trick" when you're just sitting at home enjoying a nice evening. Their last album did push Brothers in Arms, with some mad hits like "Calling Elvis", "Heavy Fuel" and "Ticket to Heaven". Hell I would give both these albums a 15 on 10. But thats just me, I am a biased Mark Knopfler fan.But somehow I feel I am forgetting something, the title of this post is Sultans of Swing., why yes how can I not write about the bloody reason I started listening to Dire Straits. Sultans of Swing, I'm sure everybody has heard this song atleast 100 times in their life time, and those lucky people who knew about Mark Knopfler would have got to see him in concert in Bombay in 2005. Possibly my greatest regret in life that I was too busy listening to gay hippy pop and Bollywood music during those years, how I wish the Classic Rock keeda had bitten me earlier.

Well better late than never, atleast I now know the importance of Classic Rock. I've said this far too many times but I will say it again, and again and again - "If it ain't Classic, It ain't ROCK!!!

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Idli, Dosa, Sambhar, Chutney!!!!!

I realized today that it’s been almost two months since I’ve been blogging away and till today I have not once mentioned about my homeland and the wonderful food you get there. Now my facebook profile might say that Bombay is my homeland, but I did that only because I was too embarrassed to be considered a Tamil boy from Chennai. But really I’ve lived all my life in Bombay and I was only born I Chennai, Tamil Nadu. I’ve spent a lot of my summer vacations there, but that’s mainly because of Saravanaa Bhavan. Now being a tamilian and all, I’m a stark contrast to my people, I for one am NOT a fan of Sambhar, especially the home made kind, the ones at the hotels I don’t mind, but even then I don’t hogg Sambhar like most southies do, probably because I’ve had it so many times that my system is just sick of it. But I tell you the Sambhar at Saravanaa Bhavan is easily the best I’ve had so far.

Saravanaa Bhavan is the text book definition of “Fast food”. They have like a hundred or so outlets in Chennai itself, and they are a pretty famous chain all over Tamil Nadu. They’ve also set up groovy outlets in America, Dubai, UK etc. But for some strange reason they have not opened up shop at Mumbai. I wonder why? Maybe they think Bombay doesn’t have enough no. of south Indians!! Saravanaa Bhavan is a pure vegetarian restaurant, something that’s very popular down south. Now the general misconception maybe that you should only get South Indian food at Saravanaa Bhavan, but that’s where you are wrong; granted the south indian food is the best food there, but the other stuff is worth mentioning. Like my father’s favourite dish – Parotta Kurma. He’s probably been having food at Saravanaa Bhavan for the last 40 odd years, still each time he visits he just HAS to have the Parotta with Kurma. No prizes for guessing really, its just Parotta with Kurma. Now the reason this dish is so awesome is the fact that it is Parotta and not Paratha. The roti is literally shredded in concentric cirlces, yet thick enough to have it with the kurma. Served with raita and some salad, this is one funky dish which you only get in the south. “Hum Bombaywale apni roti ko ek hi piece mein khana pasan karte hain”.

But what if you’re not like my dad and you just want some good south indian food? No worries I have just the thing for you. Start off with either the Rasam Vada or Sambhar Vada or both like I usually do. Its easily the best item on the menu and they serve it so fast that you won’t even have time to wash your hands. After that you should definitely have the Dosa, they have their signature Rava Dosa, Masala Dosa and Sada Dosa; everything else is just a combination of these three along with other fattening items like Cheese, Ghee etc. DO NOT miss the filter coffee after you’re meal, its soo frothy and filtered you would want to have four. But yeah that’s pretty much all that I eat every time I visit Saravanaa Bhavan. The uthappa’s are nice too, but like I said anything they make there is very very good. The prices are ridiculously low (non-AC), and the menu in AC is just a rip off, because everything is literally 3 times the price of what it is downstairs. Still its totally worth it, better than anything I’ve ever had in Chennai. Each time I visit Chennai, be it for a family funeral, or just a random temple visit (parents not me), I just have to stop at Saravanaa Bhavan and hog away. The best part is that almost every street in Chennai has an outlet and since the service is so incredibly fast, you will never find yourself waiting for a table, even though there are only about 500 people eating at Saravanaa Bhavan each night.

But what if you’re a complete jackass who hates South Indian food and wants to experiment? Well I have just the thing for you. Gobi Manchurian Dry. Another one of my father’s favourite dishes, they serve this with like a bunch of toothpicks, so basically you have to poke and eat. It’s a very good way to start your meal. I’m afraid that’s the only Chinese Ive had at Sarvanaa Bhavan but I am sure even the Chinese would be killer. The Paneer dishes are only for the Americans who cannot eat spice, their Paneer Tikka Masala is very very Pheeka. Still all in all this is one helluva restaurant and please for the love of god Mr Saravanaa, open a couple of your restaurants in Bombay. I am positive you will double your profits.  

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In Chris Martin we trust....

Alternative rock is a dying breed. Gone are the glory days of RHCP, Oasis etc. Over the last decade there has been only ONE band that has single handedly ruled the Alternative scene - COLDPLAY. Possibly one the world's most popular bands, Coldplay and Chris Martin can hardly do a thing wrong. Every guy, girl, grandpa, old lady, kid, teenager, college professor, hell even my mother seems to love the majestic voice of Chris Martin. I'm sure even animals would prefer Coldplay as the band they'd wanna jam too. So basically this review should be a peace of cake really, hell everyone already knows about Coldplay and their awesome music, I'm merely going to have to make a "Statement of Facts" and give you my view about their music and then I can salvage the rest of my Loong weekend. So let me make this real quick.

Chris Martin - Best singer from Britain ever!
Coldplay - The only band you can listen to both when you're really really happy or really really sad.
Yellow is very mellow, hence I became a fan of this Chris Martin fellow. 
Strawberry Swing - Should be renamed to WORLD'S GUILTY PLEASURE SONG
X&Y - Definitely some of the best albums I have heard in a long time.
Viva La Vida - I was proven wrong by Coldplay, 3 years after X&Y. I stand corrected, Viva La Vida is one of the greatest albums to have ever been made.
Mylo Xyloto - Their latest album to be out in Oct 2011, and then this will become the greatest album.
Chris Martin - He's really really that good.
The Scientist - Loved the song, Loved the video even more.

Everybody knows that in "A Rush of Blood to the Head", "Clocks" is a brilliant song, but "Amsterdam" is better but "A Rush of Blood to The Head" is undoubtedly the best. Viva La Vida or Death of All His Friends is just too awesome to blog about. Best 10 songs I have heard of Coldplay. Okay more facts now.

"Every Dear Drop is a Waterfall" and "Paradise" are good songs (will feature in upcoming album)
Chris Martin is one lucky bastard to get Gwyneth Paltrow as his wife. He's about 35 and he still sings better than most 20-25 year olds.
If you haven't heard of a band named Coldplay then you my friend are the biggest N.E.R.D alive and nobody likes you.
If I'm tipsy and you tell me Coldplay sucks, I will SLAP YOU.
One of the greatest discographies of all time:

• 2000 - Parachutes
• 2002 - A Rush of Blood to The Head
• 2005 - X&Y
• 2008 - Viva La Vida or Death of All His Friends
• 2011 - Mylo Xyloto (to be released)

Peace Out!!!

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Eggplant Parmesan !!!

Before I say anything, I have to first admit that I hate Eggplant. I've only had it a couple of times but something about that vegetable just grosses me out, so much so that to this day I have never eaten Baigan ka Bharta simply because I have it in my head that Baigan is bad. For those of you who can't keep up, Baigan is hindi for Eggplant. Anyways so imagine my surprise that one of my favorite dishes from America was "The Eggplant Parmesan". I have to thank my cousin sister for that one as she took me to this delightful Italian joint named Olive Garden, pretty well known actually in New Jersey, I saw quite a few of their outlets. Olive Garden is famous for gourmet Italian cuisine and everything about this restaurant is authentic Italy. Right from the setting and the alarmingly large winery, to the spot on accent of the waiters, Olive Garden is so the place you have to visit for a big family get together. You can always woo your woman by taking her out to a nice fancy dinner here but I must warn you, its gonna cost you a fair chunk of your wallet. That being said, the service is impeccable and this place is definitely worth spending about 30 dollars per head on.

They start you off with drinks and salads accompanied by their traditional garlic bread. Now I'm no fan of salad, but the Caesar's salad was divine, although my only complaint was the quantity, 4 of us had to struggle to finish the Caesar's salad but in all fairness, three of them were women and I'm no fan of lettuce. The wine menu was too tempting but they don't come cheap so we didn't venture into the Bourgogne's and Vino's from France. The pick of the starters had to be the traditional Bruschetta - Garlic bread seasoned with Tomato and Basil. A must have really, its very easy to keep nibbling on during conversation and before you now, you've completed 2 whole plates of Bruschetta. Still its worth every penny. Now the best part about these Italian restaurants is not just the ambiance but its their "Presentation". Its makes dining a thoroughly enjoyable experience and it keeps you wanting more, each time you visit. Take for example the Pizza's and the Pasta. They basically give you these tiny pamphlets where you can tick you're favorite topping and voila, in something like 45 minutes they will serve it to you piping hot, at your table. Now 45 minutes might seem like an eternity waiting for you're food, but they have unlimited refills on the Garlic bread and the Caesar's salad for you to munch on. I've learnt from experience that you should NOT much during these 45  minutes, otherwise you would be doggy bagging your pasta home. I think 45 minutes is a reasonable time to wait for your food, considering this is a pretty fancy place, where you would spend atleast a good 2 hours eating with your friends/family.

Now since all my gals (Mother, Sister and Aunt) were vegetarians, I was grossly outnumbered and had to settle for their Veg food. Since I didn't know the difference between Fettuccine and Fusilli, and I could care less even if did, I told them to "Surprise Me". And surprise me they did. Enter the "Eggplant Parmesan". Served with spaghetti and basil sauce along with a dollop of melted cheese, this was probably one of the best Pasta's I have ever had in my life. Halfway through the dish I found out that I was eating Eggplant, still I didn't care, it was so wonderfully made. The cutlets seemed the perfect size and thickness, perfectly done and the spaghetti was just like a match made in heaven. We did try some other dishes but they were really no match compared to the eggplant parmesan. I later found out that this is pretty easy to make at home, a U.S home that, what with all their frozen foods and appliances and all. But I must say this was one such occasion where I was pleasantly surprised to eat Eggplant and I never really that I would enjoy it this much. Mind you the cheese is complimentary, so you can top it up as many times as you want, and so are the refills for your drinks, thats if you have ordered for sodas and cocktails.

I think Olive Garden is a wonderful place to go eat at, specially if you have like 2 hours of your day reserved just for food. A wonderful Italian experience and totally worth the exuberant amount we had to shell out for dining there. A double thumbs up for Olive Garden and definitely try the Eggplant Parmesan, it is to KILL for. Lol, now that I'm starting to see Eggplant in a whole new light, maybe I should go ahead and try that Baigan ka Barta - well maybe a few hundred blog posts later.  

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Its More Than a Feeling.....

Yes its time for some BOSTON. I'm certain very very few people would know about this band, and thats why I am enlightening the world about their awesomeness so soon. 5 magical albums by this American band and no prices for guessing, the band hails from Boston, Massachusetts. Classic rock band this was, and they actually hit gold right from their very first album in 1976. They continued to dominate their platinum record selling status by delivering 2 more super hit albums that were probably no.1 in America for months together. Boston was pretty much the first band that really got Progressive Rock to the scene and much of the credit for that has to go to their vocalist Brad Delp. He's the reason why "More Than a Feeling" was such a huge hit, and even till today I can think of very few vocalists who can hit those high notes like he did.

Delp passed away in 2007 and that pretty much should signal the end of this illustritious band, but I hear they are still rocking it like they did in the 80's and they have roped in Tommy DeCarlo as their new vocalist and they are scheduled to come up with another studio album somewhere in the end of 2011. Needless to say I am very excited, as should you and here's why - 5 songs, 5 songs that are so awesome that you wanna hear them for hours together. 5 songs that blow you away each and every time you are driving on the road. "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", "Amanda", "Stare Out Your Window" and "Corporate America". After hearing these 5 songs if you still don't like Boston,  then well Classic Rock isnt you're type of music. "Peace of Mind" is single handedly their most epic song and easily my personal favorite. Some people might object with some of Boston's music saying that there's a sense of repetition and the songs are pretty much the same versions with different lyrics. I can get that argument, I still haven't figured out the difference between "Amanda" and "Hollyann". Still the important thing is I love both the songs, and I love Boston. Definately going to  recommend the entire discography, needless to say it really, I can't remember the last time I suggested only the Greatest Hits album. They only have 5 albums and there were a lot of gap between the albums because of guys leaving the band, new members, Delp's temporary solo career and then his rejoining with the band. All in all they only came up with 5 good albums, and here they are:

• 1976 - Boston
• 1978 - Don't Look Back
• 1986 - Third Stage
• 1994 - Walk On
• 2002 - Corporate America

I strongly recommend the first three albums, thats easily some of Boston's best work. I really hope they achieve greater heights in 2011 and that their upcoming album is a hit. It's really nice to see a band still together and still Rocking!! Today's rock needs to take inspiration from bands like Boston and salute them for their contribution to Classic Rock!!

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Look Mom Willy Wonka is still alive!!!

Well I didn’t actually say that to my mom because she cares very little about Willy Wonka, hell she doesn’t even know he is; but I however did see this signage at a very Chocolaty place in New York. One of my friends told me about Max Brenner’s and I believe her exact words were, “In New York don’t forget Max Brenner’s, it’s a place for Chocolate everything”. Well that’s pretty much the gist of it really, Max Brenner’s is indeed a must visit if you’re a chocolate fanatic like myself. There are so many different forms of chocolate there that you would actually need a whole week to try out every possible combination and item on the menu. And trust me it’s the best chocolate experience you will have in your life. The place is very easy to get to – its on one of the most famous roads of this world – Broadway. Well directions are never really a problem in New York and since I was on a chocolate mission myself – there was no way I was going to miss out on Max Brenners. To my horror I found out later that they also have branches in Vegas and Philadelphia – both places where I had spent a considerable time of my vacation at. Still all things aside, lets get on with the review of this wonderful place.

The restaurant is huge. Beautiful layout and chocolate is basically the theme. You will find mountains of chocolate powder used purely as decorations. There’s a chocolate bar, a Max Brenner’s merchandise shop and of course my favourite – The Willy Wonka sign. We were lucky enough to get to Max Brenner’s on a weekday during the afternoon when business was slow, but I’ve been told on the weekends this place is so full that people actually have to make reservations online weeks in advance. Now if so many people are going gaga over a place serving just chocolate – it must be really really good isn’t it? Actually they do serve normal food too and they have a pretty wide range of burgers, wraps, pizzas and other forms of fast food but really a quick word of advice, if you go to Max Brenner’s, you’re only eating chocolate. They have separate chocolate menu, which is apparently the desserts menu. You can start of with those evergreen chocolate frappes and shakes. Mind you there are atleast 10 different varieties of chocolate and all these shakes come with ample helpings of whipped cream. Lets skip along to the cookies and cakes – again they’ve got blueberry cheese cakes, chocolate mousses, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel flavoured cookies, rock cakes, EVERYTHING!! Everything that you can possibly crave is pretty much on their menu. They have whacky stuff on their menu too, like the chocolate waffles and chocolate pizzas. Relax this isn’t a pizza made out of chocolate, its basically a pizza topped with with chocolate sauce, marshmallows, chunks of chocolate, whipped cream etc. This is something you can get if you go there with like a large group of people, but I’m not a big fan of chocolate on my pizza, but knowing me I’d probably eat it if its in front of me. All of this is expensive because Max Brenner’s is a pretty upscale place located in the heart of the city, still its only fair that you pay good money for good chocolate. The rough per head cost would range from about 20-30 dollars if you choose more than 2-3 items on the menu. We did and we chose the Fondue, and boy did we make the RIGHT CHOICE.

Now fondue is really very simple to make, its basically just dipping random things in chocolate and eating it. So for the fondue to be really mind blowing, presentation is the key. If I had to give marks for Max Brenner’s out of ten for presentation and quality, I’d give them about a 20. Absolutely amazing! Three big pots of Chocolate – dark, white and caramel flavoured placed right on your table. The chocolate is so rich and smooth that you can just gulp it down plain, but there’s about 6 different cups placed along with these bowls of chocolate - Marshmallows, Bananas, Strawberries, Cookies and Cakes. Words cannot adequately describe the pure ecstasy of the fondue. There’s this tiny stove like thingy where you can roast your strawberries and stuff if you like it that way. Now I know what a fondue is and I know that its always served with those stove like thingy’s but trust me the one at Max Brenner’s was just better. It looked classy. I already told you about the chocolate and how rich it was, but OMG the marshmallows and strawberries dipped in the chocolate was the closest I’ve come to nirvana. The strawberries were so tasty, it was almost that they were handpicked to satisfy the commands of the Indian kid who was about to visit them. The marshmallows were mind blowing and I liked them so much that I actually got a huge bag of them back home to India. The fondue was basically my lunch for the day, that’s how much I loved it.

Max Brenner’s is one of the best places for dessert. Its such a brilliant concept and it is ONLY for those people who still have that tiny Charlie stuck inside them, trapped in their everyday battles, waiting eagerly for his chance to go to the infamous Chocolate Factory. That’s basically it. Don’t worry nobody said anything about eating too much chocolate, and don’t worry – Chocolate is good for health. It makes you happy too.

PS: I strongly urge every Indian to hound Mr Max Brenner till he finally caves in and decides to open up a branch in India. He doesn’t realise that we have more people who want chocolate than the whole of America.

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Simon and Garfunkel

Its always raining in Bombay, and I am not liking this heavy rain one bit. However this is the perfect weather to listen to Simon and Garfunkel. I say this with full conviction because not until long ago I had only the greatest hits album of the former duo, but something made go ahead and download their entire discography. Its not all that much mind you, they only had 5 albums, and I must it was totally worth it. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, don't mind the whacky names, this is one killer band. Pure vocal harmony they are, beautiful soothing music and I can guarantee you that once you start listening to Simon and Garfunkel, you will finish all the 58 songs in one stretch. There landmark success was due to their super hit single 'Sound of Silence" which later went on to feature in the successful motion picture "The Graduate". Now I haven't seen this movie personally (but I will soon), because a script about how a young man falls in love with his teacher is pretty lame and well we've all seen a dozen movies like that. But at the time this was something that no one had ever made a movie about, automatically giving the movie a Cult Status.

However I will recommend you "Mrs Robinson". Its easily my favorite Simon and Garfunkel song, very catchy beat it has. I'm sure most of you know why Simon & Garfunkel did end their 6 year partnership. Well incase you didn't I shall enlighten you, the band was commercially very successful with multiple platinum albums and singles, although many people perceived that Paul Simon was pretty much running the show and Art Garfunkel was not a very essential part of the band. This didn't go down to fell with our buddy Art. So they split and we are left wondering what could have been to this good band. They do however have reunions now and then, specially live concerts and performances mostly in New York/Brooklyn (the band is originally from Queens). Both the guys are New Yorkers and hell such is the extent of their love towards the city that they actually composed a song about the 59th Street Bridge - more popularly known as "Feelin' Groovy".

All in all this is a great band, you can't not like Simon & Garfunkel. This one's a must for those mellow music loves and I strongly recommend the entire discography. Here's all their five albums:

• 1964 - Wednesday Morning, 3 a.m
• 1966 - Sounds of Silence
• 1966 - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
• 1968 - Brookends
• 1970 - Bridge Over Troubled Water

If you do intend to give one album a miss, I would say avoid Brookends. Still I think the must listen albums have to be Sounds of Silence and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Apart from the same titled songs from the above albums, you should also check out "The Boxer", "Cecilia", "Bleecker Street", "I Am a Rock" and "These Times They are A-Changin". Bye Now.

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Barbeque Nation!!!

Due to the over-whelming success of my Lal Bagh ka Raja review, Swami G can’t but oblige to his followers’ requests, so here’s another poetic masterpiece. This review is especially dedicated to the Nakamura FPL Entourage. You know who you are so I am not naming any names. Or am I???

It was a humid July night,

Despite a dress code being agreed upon, Abhinoob’s T shirt was ridiculously tight,

The gang wanted to see off the NOOB in style

So a dinner plan at BBQ Nation was made; Akshay Rao was all smiles.

So we set out to the godforsaken suburbs of Pali Hill,

Getting to the restaurant was a little troublesome, but we made it and we were Thrilled,

A lengthy wait at the entrance, and we knew this was a fancy place,

Kaushal Vasa conveniently avoided the lavish dinner in the name of his GUJJU RACE,

The Menu was straight forward, an eat all you want Buffet,

At 600 bucks a head, it was a little expensive to pay;

They grill your starters right there on your table,

Its very easy to operate, unless you’re like our very own Darsheel – mentally unstable.

The drinks were extravagant and overpriced to say the least,

Akshay Hariharan was also in attendance, the man who lives a life of a priest,

It’s ironic that the “Man Free of all vices” was tempted by the catholic lust of the Borivali fast,

He’s finished 33^rd two times already; I wonder how long this fruit punch sipping floozy will last?

The veg starters are not worth wasting an entire paragraph on,

But Akshay Rao will eat anything, from mushrooms to plain capsicum,

The man has always been a mystery, be it about his FPL team or his beloved Amby,

But as long as Nakamura Gatherings have food, he will be fine and dandy.

Now moving on to arguably the coolest guy in the group,

There was so much non veg to choose from, he was in a soup,

The Sheekh Kebabs were heavenly; the fish was cooked just right,

The others were just in awe of his voluptuous appetite.

Moving on to our CA Sahaab, who was just sitting there and watching us eat,

The only thing he has seen on TV are those mediocre Seinfeld repeats,

He’s done studying now, but he’s had the least fun in life out of us all,

And did I mention he’s a Short Fat-F**K, but who cares we were having a ball.

Even the legendary Van The Man took some time off to attend the dinner,

I must say all the stress of WIFA and Darpan Dalal, had made him thinner,

He didn’t appreciate the main course; he thought the Chinese was too bland,

And honestly the place was so loud; it would have been less noisy in Band Stand.

(And now coming to the guest of honour)

The Teen Angel and Barry together remind me of Abhishek and Ash,

But he was surprisingly low, both on morale and cash,

We assumed it was because it was his last meal with the Entourage,

Who knew all this nostalgia was for a certain Miss Bharadwaj.

He finally has a girl-friend now; Yes the 20 year curse is finally broken,

Fantasizing about her even “Chota Darsheel” has awoken,

The NOOB still doesn’t know how to eat with a Fork and Knife,

But here’s hoping this Paedophile has a good Love-life.

I’m sorry I forgot this review was about good food,

The desserts were so good; that even our fasting Jain went “Dude!!”

From Cheese cakes to novelty Gulab Jamuns it was a sweet overdose,

But a fitting end, to a wonderful evening I suppose.

(To sum up)

I really would come to BBQ nation only if I was a Hard Core Non-Veggie

They have a fixed menu for each day; but one thing is for sure you’ll come out of this place feeling heavy

The Desserts are just an added bonus to an awesome feast,

The butter chicken was awesome too, but stay away from the Rotis’ you will like it the least.

This review will not be complete without me asking those infamous words of our very own Teen Angel.

He is fighting new battles in Bengaluru now; but Barry and I are just relieved that we don’t have to pay for his food, drinks, conveyance, electronic appliances, storage devices and other expenses. So dear members of the Nakamura entourage, “How does it feel?”

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