During my peregrinations, I have to eat all kinds of food – the unvarying monotony of multi-cuisine restaurants that dole out the usual hotchpotch. By a process of elimination, I have arrived at a standard survival diet of roti, dal, rice and some vegetables. I make do with dear old Amul curd or buttermilk. I ignore the dessert table because, thankfully, I don’t have a sweet tooth, and even if I did have, the predictable fare would not be enticing.

Sometimes, curiosity gets the better of me and I lift the lid with a sense of expectation, only to feel let down. On one occasion, in Kerala, I surveyed the array. I spied masala dal. Why not try it for a change? – was my brave thought. When I lifted the lid, I was pleasantly surprised to see the plain, wholesome, garden variety, seasoned with mustard and cummin. What’s more, it was delicious. Another surprise was the fried appalam not dripping with oil.

Emboldened, I ventured further and saw a label that read “boiled vegetables”. In Kerala, even the traditional, easy-to-cook thoran has more grated coconut than vegetable! So, rather sceptically, I took a peek and wonder of wonders! The veggies were garden-fresh, neither raw nor over-cooked, coconut-free and with just a hint of condiments to raise the dish from the unprepossessing pale, insipid, boiled stuff to real gourmet level. It really turned out to be a journey of discovery, for the rice was soft and the curd smooth and well-set but un-creamy, with a fresh flavour.

The dessert, offers cloying cake, treacly gulab jamun and saccharine ice cream. That day, deciding to go the whole hog, I even took a dollop of pal payasam. It wasn’t sugary and I could taste the goodness of thickened milk. It was a meal that would have tickled the taste buds of the most exacting gourmand.

This did deserve a commendation. I asked to speak to the chef but like a genie, the  manager materialised before me. Before I could utter a word of appreciation, he said, “We are sorry the food isn’t upto the usual standard. We have a new chef. He will soon learn the ropes.” By the time I, found my voice, he had flitted to the neighbouring table, no doubt making the same apology!!