End of an era as Darcy's Kitchen ( MSQ branch) shuts down in Muscat

I follow select social media pages and one of them is our all time favourite cafe Darcy's Kitchen. About 10 years ago, the cafe culture of Oman received a real shot in the arm as a charming cafe called Darcy's Kitchen came up in Madinat Sultan Qaboos. While they already had a branch in Shatti Al Qurum, this cafe in Madinat Sultan Qaboos soon became the number one spot for an anytime break from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Be it a coffee, breakfast, brunch or tea- we could pop in anytime be assured of great food, ambience ad top quality service with a very personal touch.Home away from home- the thought that popped into my head every time I was there... Given all the above, imagine my dismay when, I saw this post from Darcy's Kitchen come up on my newsfeed late last night "Dear D’Arcy’s customers! Sadly, after 10 successful years, our MSQ branch has closed due to the landlord’s redevelopment of the entire area. We would like to thank each & every one of you for your loyalty & friendship. We are aggressively working on our new location and will inform you as soon as we have an opening date.' The flood gates of memory opened up as I sat remembering all those times hat we had spent there. Looking through my blog I found this post and decided to share it here again. We all have a place that we love to head towards time and again. A place where we can just sit and have a chat with friends over a cup of tea, coffee or enjoy a quick meal. Or if you will, sit out in the sun, basking in the warmth of the venue, but even more, the sheer pleasure of being in a place where each member of the staff is keenly attuned to your individual preferences and greets you like a long lost friend. Darcys MQ, Quaint, beautifully decorated and serving the best coffee.

I've got exactly one such place and its probably where I spend the most amount of time, outside my own home. This charming little cafe is called 'Darcys Kitchen' and its located at Madinat Qaboos (MQ) in Muscat.

'My Take' with a Cappuccino While I'm fairly engrossed in my book, magazine or newspaper if I'm alone here, or chatting animatedly with friends or family in other situations, I do take a look around and nod at a familiar face every now and then. Most of the customers are regulars just like me and over a period one gets to know them somewhat too.

But then there are the other faces that seem somewhat out of place and that is exactly the reason why they stay in the mind. Every other time that I'm there, I see a 35' ish local man, who has a slight limp- and if one looks at him closely, doesn't seem to be entirely normal. Now I don't know why that is so, but one generally avoids making eye contact with him, for fear of...? I really don't have the answer here, but am just sharing my thoughts. And believe me, I'm not the only one there who does this, its probably the majority of others present too.As for the staff, I've noticed that they sat him in a quiet corner where he's served a cup of tea and a small bite and after a short respite, he's off and on his way.. But last weekend saw a departure from the norm. My husband and myself were sitting outside and having our scones and tea and this man walked out.It was evident that he'd finished and was leaving. But here's the real surprise. Just as he reached the small gate which serves as the exit and entry point, he stopped, looked directly at us and waved goodbye. I too waved back instinctively. I really don't know what it was about that simple gesture, but it touched me a great deal. For all the times, I'd thought of him as 'not exactly normal" he'd been seeing and focusing on me as a person who he'd learnt to recognize. Then one day, he actually reacted and how! I find myself thinking of him every now and then. And have made up my mind that I will have a real conversation with him when I see him next.

Just one more reason to head back to Darcy's!! And while I have many photographs of the exterior, Im choosing to use the pic that Darcy's Kitchen used to make this announcement of shutting down

Goodbye Darcy's Kitchen MQ- we will always cherish those beautiful and incomparable memories....

Raising a toast to the cups that really do cheer

Then there are the cups that really do cheer. And there are some post such as this one that are self explanatory. The first two photographs are clicked by me a few days ago at the Fortis Escorts Heart Hospital, Okhla, New Delhi soon after my mother's surgery. An everyday scene, masala tea and a shared blueberry muffin. The emotions behind the scene - sheer relief On the day (18/8)my mum's surgery went well and we knew that she would go home soon.

In the last photograph , you see me with my mother some time back Mummy is home now, recovering, recouping... Slowly but steadily. Here's to the cups that really do cheer!

Omani Halwa, for the 'real' taste of Oman

I still remember the first time I tasted the famous Omani Halwa. As part of shooting an advertising film for a local cooking oil, some of us from my agency had gone to a local Omani gentleman's home and the shoot lasted for the better part of the day. It was a very interesting assignment for me in more ways than one, for not only did we get to use his home, which in turn created a fabulous ambience for the film, but I also learnt a great deal about Omani culture, food and traditions from his wonderful wife and elder daughter. The fact of the matter is that a trip to Oman is incomplete without trying some of its delicious local delicacy, the famous Omani 'Halwa' .This halwa is considered as the ultimate symbol of Omani hospitality and is traditionally served with Omani Kahwa (coffee), at homes as well as all kinds of restaurants.Its popularity spikes up exponentially on special occasions such as weddings, birthday celebrations, Ramadan and Eid. The recipe is usually a closely guarded family secret and comes in different flavours and colours..In fact, each local resident here seems to have their own personal favourite, and the different tastes and flavours can prove to be a most interesting topic of conversation , particularly if accompanied by numerous cups of Kahwa.

The yellow coloured halwa is made of saffron and different kinds of dry fruits whereas the black coloured Halwa is made of Omani dates.Broadly speaking, the ingredients used to make Halwa are eggs, red and white sugar, corn flour and fat. These items are combined to produce a gelatinous sweet, which is then flavored with spices such as cardamom and saffron. Fresh rosewater, usually from the Jebel Akdhar region is used to give the sweet a light rosewater fragrance.

Watching him measure out a portion for a customer

Spoilt for choice Twenty plus years later, I'm still hooked on the delicious Omani Halwa..

Leo's Artisanal Pizzeria - a real slice of Italy in Delhi

Pic courtesy- The Family Table ( NB-All other pics on this blog are mine) Last Sunday we went to Leo's Artisanal Pizzeria and enjoyed the evening thoroughly. In fact, I've decided to write about it because it was truly 'one of a kind' experience, as were the pizzas themselves. 'Artisanal'- Relating to the characteristic of an artisan- Artisanal skills- made in a traditional or non mechanised way-Which was exactly how the pizzas were made. With a very simple 8 pizza menu, a great chocolate pudding, a limited range of beverages and a basic but well designed space, it gave us quality as well as good value for money. Located inside a farmhouse in Ghitorni, the meal for three cost us about Rs 2,000 and we came home with a takeaway as we couldn't finish all the food that we had ordered. he pizzeria is named after a lovely dog called Leo who passed away in 2016. As a tribute to him, the space is pet-friendly so that your pet can enjoy some time out. The menu has deliberately been kept simple so the focus is primarily on the pizzas. As we discovered, there are 5 non-vegetarian options along with 3 vegetarian ones. We started with a focaccia and when it came, we were surprised to see that it was a large one- Shaped like a pizza and almost as large, it was delicious! Being fairly hungry, we wolfed it down then waited for our two other pizzas to arrive.

We had ordered a margarita pizza earlier but changed it to a four cheese pizza after checking out the list of specials for the day. The other one was Pollo - a chicken topped pizza. Must add, that my favourite of the three items was the focaccia- felt almost as if we were eating the real deal in pizzeria sitting somewhere in Italy.

What was really interesting was the fact that there was a real wood fired oven and that was where delicious aromas were emanating from.Having asked the gentleman making the pizzas if I could click photographs, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he was Amol, the restaurant owner himself. Making sure I got the correct angles, Amol showed me how the pizzas were made- Simple, delicious and fairly large- my top of mind thoughts when the food came to our table.

Heading home after after having shared a delicious bitter sweet chocolate pudding, we were happy- you see we had finally discovered a real slice of Italy in NCR...

'Jab we went' to the iconic Khan Chacha, Khan Market

What do a group of senior corporate executives, 5 college students, 4 ladies out for the day and a couple doing up their home interiors have in common? Quite simply, 'Khan Chacha', the famous little food joint at Khan Market, New Delhi.It was a full house with all the above mentioned people ( and many more) when we dropped-in for a quick bite a few days back.We were hot, tired and hungry- we had been looking for lights and other misc fittings for our home at the adjoing Lok Nayak Bhavan and it had been a long morning.Happily , I can tell you that as a 'first' the entire experience was was a very pleasant one.With rugged interiors, the delicious aroma of great kebabs cooking, followed by a satisfying, well priced meal in just over Rs 500, it was exactly the kind of visit that leaves one wanting more.

Unmistakably 'Khan Chacha' A little background check and I learnt that Khan Market which was established in 1951 and named in honour of Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan (brother of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan), has been ranked as the costliest retail location in India. In 2010, it was rated as the world's 21st most expensive retail high street by real estate firm Cushman and Wakefield and is consistently ranked as one of the costliest high-end streets.So one might actually wonder if all the restaurants here were priced steeply. Happily, the inimitable Khan Chacha wasn't.

The revamped eatery now has rough hewn tables, chairs and a glass encased open kitchen and can accomodate up to 40 people at a time. But considering the long queues that this eatery has seen in the past, a second floor is now being planned.As far as two key ingredients-taste and value for money go, it puts in a huge effort.With a recently introduced 'Aloo roll', the vegetarians get an interesting option adding to the number of customers already coming in by the scores.In the non-vegetarian section, two new entries, the 'fish tikka roll' and 'shaami kebab' make the overall choices that much more delightful. The procedure for getting your hands on your meal at this very popular self service restaurant is fairly simple.You go up and place your order at a window and an order number appears on a screen above the kitchen hatch when it is ready. Simply collect and tuck right in!

The quick, efficient and hardworking team The comprehensive and economical menu

Spoilt for choice Our Chicken Haryali Rolls- A meal for two in just over Rs 500 With well known personalities from all walks of life walking in randomly, this little restaurant has received an unbelievable amount of media coverage. One look at the walls and one sees it- bright, beautiful and very informative. The very visible media splash

Standing at the most recognisable location Goes without saying, I had to have a keepsake of my first visit here so this is it.

'Luquaimat' and Tea. A traditional Omani sweet at Muscat Festival , Oman

Luqaimat is a well-known Arab dessert and a 'must have' in Arab homes for Iftar. Also known as a crunchy sweet dumpling, it varies from country to country and I had a wonderful opportunity to see it being made 'up close and personal' at Muscat Festival some time back

Halfway through my visit to the very popular Muscat Festival, I found myself feeling slightly peckish and the need for a cup of tea was very strong. Heading towards the food stalls, I was wondering exactly what I should have when I heard someone calling out to me. It turned out to be the heroine of today's story, Fathiya, a 43 year old from Rustaq who showed me exactly how it was made, patiently answered all my queries and best of all, allowed me to photograph her at each stage. What I learnt from Fathiya however was that the dumpling itself was not sweet but the syrup that is poured over it is what gives it that sweet taste.

Moving to the sit down area, I sat and enjoyed my teatime treats and moved on...refreshed and thoroughly rejuvenated! For those of you who might be interested in trying it out, I have located a variation of the basic recipe that uses condensed milk at the last stage. In my opinion that really makes it even more delicious. Ingredients 1 cup all purpose flour 1 tbsp corn flour 1 tsp instant yeast 1 tsp of sugar 3/4 – 1 cup of water Condensed milk Oil to taste Method Mix the all purpose flour, corn flour, yeast and sugar in a bowl. Gradually add the water and keep on mixing until you get a smooth batter. It should be in dripping consistency( not too watery or too thick) Cover the batter for 1 or 2 hours until the batter has doubled. The batter now should have bubbles and look somewhat bouncy. Heat oil in a wok. Scoop a small amount of batter with your fingers and drop them into the hot oil Fry till they turn golden brown. Remove from oil, and place them on kitchen paper. Pour condensed milk or your favorite syrup on top. Sit back with friends and enjoy with a hot cup of tea, coffee or better still, on their own. NB- this post has been shared again on popular demand