Chocolate Haven in the Blue Mountains

Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Time: Early April

The morning has all the ingredients for a terrific excursion. Winter is setting in slowly – the air is cool and the sun is shining, nice and bright. Perfect holiday weather! We are driving down to the Blue Mountains.

Really looking forward to this walk in the Australian bush! There are various treks here. Each of them is marked with a sign indicating the difficulty level and time taken to complete it.

One thing that is very evident about this place is the way it is kept up. Steps are provided where ever there is an especially steep gradient. Railings are positioned, albeit very unobtrusively, on narrow sections. But in spite of all these safety measures the overall foresty feel of the trail is not lost.

This place is not just a visual treat but also a treat for the lungs. Purest of pure air – oxygen therapy!

Our walk is fun. We go down a valley. The view is fabulous. We come across some crystal clear brooks on the way. There is something very typical, very uniquely “Australian” about the undergrowth of this place.

A small drive away from the trekking area is an amazing sight – the Three Sisters.

Three Sisters: a natural formation

There is a beautifully calming quality to the Blue Mountains. The kind that makes me feel like I want to build a log cabin and stay on for ever… Too much wishful thinking! “Maybe I should camp here overnight?” Good idea! I’ll do it in my next visit…Surely!

The Blue Mountains appear blue from a distance, therefore the name! There is a scientific reason behind this phenomenon. The terrain is covered with eucalyptus trees. The oil from the trees forms a misty layer in the surrounding atmosphere causing sunlight to refract and hence giving the mountains a blue tinge.

Hey, the Indian name for Eucalyptus is Nilgiri. (Sanskrit: Nil – Blue; Giri – Mountain) Just figured out why!! And there is the Nilgiri Mountain in the south of India.

We’ve walked around so much. Am I tired? Not in the least? Hungry? Yes, has anyone realized we are very close to lunch-time!?

A little further is an outfit called (chocoholics beware!) – The Chocolate Factory. What a place!! They manufacture and sell chocolates here, in this cosy dwelling nestled among mountains. Isn’t this the stuff dreams are made of!?

You see the process of making chocolate here. Needless to say, the place smells divine. Well, the olfactory and visual senses are targeted and the mind has stopped thinking. Doesn’t chocolate evoke the most primal emotions?

Well, it is from this place, in the fantastic backdrop of the Blue Mountains, that my first chili chocolate came from! This one is rich dark on the outside with a truffle centre. It has a “hand-made” look as if it’s rough and dented and rolled in cocoa.

We get the usual favourites packed – rum n’ raisin, plain dark, etc. and decide to sample the chili. At first bite it almost tastes like the regular dark and then slowly the warm spike of chili emerges on you. It is a complete explosion of flavors. Amazing!!

Hats off to the person who discovered chili chocolate! I mean cocoa is regular condiment of Mexican cuisine – like if I were to think of a parallel, akin to how Indian cuisine uses turmeric – but this is different! To most people today ‘chili chocolate’ is an outright oxymoron. To bring these diverse flavors together a person would need a mind that is OPEN. So much for philosophy!

Cheesecake at the Blue Mountains Chocolate Factory Cafe

We leave the place delighted at our discovery. We’re going to catch lunch… It’s going to be steak at a steakhouse back in Sydney – medium rare. Maybe today I’ll try it rare… surely… discuss it some other day.

P.S. A special thanks to my blogger buddy Prasan for motivating this post.

The Philadelphia Post

This was my first time to the city of Philadelphia. The usual research that I had done before going to there spoke about the role of the city in shaping American History. Sites like the Liberty Bell and the Independence Hall topping the ‘things to see’ list! And then there were the museums, the Betsy Ross house and of course, the Eastern State Penitentiary (refer to previous post).

Independence Hall

Philadelphia City Hall

And... its mirror image

Statue of William Penn atop the City Hall

There is always so much more to a city, any city than the regular things to do or see lists, isn't it?

In the case of Philadelphia, it is nicknamed ‘The city of Brotherly Love’ (Greek: philos – love; adelphos – brother). Many Asian countries believe in the effects that one’s name can have on an individual. The holder of the name, it is said, imbibes its qualities. I may dismiss it generally, but it couldn’t be truer where this place is concerned. Because Philly, in my experience, is one friendly city!

Friendship Arch in Chinatown, a gift to the city of Philadelphia, crafted by artisans of Tianjin, China (A sister city)

The city is very global with people of so many different races and nationalities living here… people, who are warm, sociable, accommodating and smile easily. This, in my opinion is one of the prime things that makes a vacation worth being taken.

We walked a lot in Philly. The air was cool and it would drizzle of and on, so it made venturing out on foot so much fun! Pritam and I stayed at a friend’s which is in a residential neighborhood about 15-minutes walking distance from the Independence Hall. There is something very distinctive about the residential architecture here. Homes are typically quaint row houses, mostly with red-brick façades. A lot of them have windows bordered with pretty, flowering plants.

Apart from its historical significance, one aspect that strikes me about this city is its murals. Wonderful, eye-catching pieces of art that cover walls of buildings! They give Philly a unique, artistic identity. They depict various themes and some of them are really huge.

Philly, as I understand, has an extensive mural arts program. It was started with a view to counter the huge graffiti problem that the city faced. As part of the program graffiti vandals gained guidance from professional artists thereby helping them channel their creativity.

Today, there are over 2,500 murals in the city and more are created regularly, giving Philly its uniquely artistic identity!

Another characteristic of this city is its parks and squares

I have come to the last day of my vacation. We’ve been indulging in diverse cuisines – Turkish, French, Japanese… but have yet to try the Philly cheesesteak. “No Worries!” Our host and dost (Hindi: dost – friend) Ravi takes us to Pat’s at the Italian Market. Philly cheesesteaks are available all over the city but here is where we get the real McCoy. No other meal of the day being feasible, it’s got to be breakfast. So, we head for ‘Pat’s – King of Steaks’.

The time is about 11 a.m. There is a queue of four or five people before us. “This place is packed at night. Come here after midnight and you’ll have to wait for ages” Ravi says. And if I remember correctly, Pat's is open 24-hours.

Across the road is Geno’s, another cheesesteak spot and competition to Pat’s. Both places are supposed to have some really die-hard patrons!

The cheesesteak is divine. I’m not one for hearty breakfasts but can’t resist something so good! It is a plump bread roll stuffed with strips of steak and crunchy fried onions. Loaded with cheese - melting and gooey! If only there was a can of chilled Budweiser to go with it! Heard of champagne brunches (haven’t tried yet!) but beer breakfast… ahem!

I eat it all and feel very guilty later. Why are all good things in life illegal, immoral or fattening? Never mind…

Beer reminds me of an apt proverb I’d read flipping through a book of Ben Franklin proverbs at the Franklin Institute. ‘Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.’ Couldn’t agree more!

Statue of Benjamin Franklin at the Franklin Institute

An Ode to Fusion Food

Two home-cooked dinners on two consecutive days..
One Italian, one Thai and the common ingredient – Marinara sauce!

Marinara sauce is one of the popular sauces used in Italian cooking. It has the tang of tomatoes, and the fragrance of fresh basil. Of course in case fresh basil is unavailable (it happens with me quite often) and one just has to, has to make it then the dry herb could be an option. But in my opinion it’s a very poor second.

So I made a batch one evening when I got some nice, fresh basil in the market. With the necessary ingredients -garlic, onion, plenty of tomatoes sautéed and nicely simmered in olive oil… Flavored with dry oregano, parsley and of course my favorite – fresh basil…

What we had that night was a true blue Italian Dinner. For sides, we had chicken breasts marinated in beer (which gives the most amazingly tender, juicy and flavorsome meat) seasoned with salt, pepper and dry herbs, glazed with oil and grilled to perfection. The main course being spaghetti, cooked al dente, to go with the Marinara sauce topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese. I love food and I love eating out, but home cooked food made with imagination, and those key ingredients being present, tops any day!

“Variety is the spice of life.” I think it’s very relevant, (Don’t you?) especially after one smart dude discovered diminishing marginal utility and when food is concerned. I mean, however great a dinner, the thought of eating the same thing for two nights in succession is just not happening.

So what does one do with a whole lot of the Marinara sauce and a grilled chicken breast? Innovate. Yep, and that’s where “fusion food” comes in handy!

So next evening, I gingerly start my culinary proceedings. I am working at an unprecedented dish which of course has no recipe and worse still no name. The only solace is the fact that hubby dear eats anything with legs or gills, barring tables or chairs, of course. And last night’s chicken is going to redeem me!

I only have one central idea. My Italian Marinara sauce has tang and is flavored with basil - the two prime requisites of Thai cuisine, at least the commonly accepted category are present. I build on that foundation. First I sauté some chopped onion and capsicum and when it’s almost done in go some button mushrooms. I then add finely chopped spring onions (one of the vital ingredients, of this dish) reserving some for garnish. Now is the time for my Marinara sauce and sliced grilled chicken from last night’s Italian meal to go in. “Not bad. It’s shaping up quite well.” I think to my self adding chili powder for the proverbial Thai spice. One little simmer, some soy sauce and ample fish sauce later we are almost done. The conversion of Italian to Thai, the transition from Europe to SE Asia is complete. (The smelly, salty fish sauce is the most vital thing in any Thai dish worth its salt. It’s amazing how some genuinely smelly things can mix with food and make it heavenly delicious.)

We have it with steamed white rice, garnished with burnt garlic and spring onions. “How’s it?” I ask smugly. “Fantastic.” says Hubby dearest.

A fusion of Italian and Thai, made in India - now that is what I call truly being a world citizen!