GENRE: Features

Restaurant at the end of the ORR was how Kanua was described to me. And unlike the Douglas Adams' restaurant, food is the protagonist here.Inspired by coastal and Konkani cuisine, the place serves some great food.The open architecture and use of wood in the interiors transport you to a coastal home. The menu tells you the story behind Kanua and their philosophy. Neer dosa. Pic courtesy: Wikimedia commons Kanua is the name of a rice variety that is now extinct. The menu says that this is their attempt at rediscovering, recreating and reviving, the lost cultural history.And this, they do.…

The wedding and festival season is about to kick off. Be it a wedding reception or Ganesh Chaturthi, people want to show off their personal styles. Uniqueness is the key here. Copycat designs aren’t popular. Enter, designer wear. Khwaish designer store. Pic courtesy: Khwaish The unique and innovative designs, not available in the regular shops, are becoming a trend. And this is not limited to young people alone. People are ready to pay huge sums for unique outfits. Debasmita Ghosh, Director of Morph Image Consulting and a resident of Koramangala believes that the designer clothes are custom made to fit.…

Gender roles in our society is a much debated topic. How do other living beings handle this? Let’s take birds as an example.It seems to be the general rule (with a few exceptions, of course) that the female of the species is always duller, and less brightly coloured than the male. Here’s a beautiful bird that can often be seen in Lalbagh.... the male Asian Paradise Flycatcher. Male Asian Paradise Flycatcher. Pic: Deepa Mohan As you can see, this is a spectacular bird, and it definitely catches the attention of the observer as it flies around, flaunting that ribbon of…

Who doesn’t like being around a friend? Around someone with similar likes perhaps? Or in whose company we bloom to our fullest or even someone who offsets our own quirks? Well, as it turns out this may be a natural instinct for all living things, including plants. Maybe we've learnt this behaviour from plants? Watch them grow in the forest and you find they thrive in the company of some and are unable to in the presence of others. It is interesting to understand how this works and use it to the advantage of all plants in your organic garden.…

This time, we pick two restaurants, run by women, that don’t cost a bomb to eat in and serve some great food. Bored of going to cafes very often? How about trying a 'teafe’? Chaipatty Teafe in Koramangala will definitely not disappoint you. Aromas of hot pakodas and Maggi noodles welcome you. The place has floor level seating giving a homely comfortable feeling. Schezwan Frankie. Pic: Anisha Nair There is a mural of the ‘Last Supper’ on one wall, only everybody is drinking chai and not wine. The room also has a shelf neatly stacked with junk jewellery, cups and…

With the delay in onset of Monsoon in the city, you have got more time to fill up your wardrobe with monsoon gear. So what’s on the list? Umbrellas, raincoats, jackets, caps and the list is on. So let’s begin. Fancy umbrella. Pic: Padmalatha Ravi Those plain, monotonous, black coloured umbrellas are a passe. The bright reds, purple, blue and pink umbrellas with prints are the in thing. A plethora of designs and colours are available in the market to choose from. Polka dotted umbrellas have become a huge hit after the movie ‘3 idiots’. Who says umbrellas are used…

We all know the delight of having good food to eat when we are hungry; it must be the same for the other creatures who share our living spaces.Nature provides such a variety in the food for her various children. The food chain generally ensures that each type of creature makes another its food, and in its turn, becomes food, too. Bees on a flower. Pic: Deepa Mohan You can see, in this photo, the bees buzzing around the stamens of the flower. At the base of the stamen is the nectar that is their food, and while they get…

Beads of sweat trickle down Rohit Upadhyay’s face as he raises the air pistol and aims for the target at the far end. Concentrating at the target, he steadies his breathing and squeezes the trigger. He hits the target two circles outside the bull’s eye. It is Upadhyay’s first tryst with shooting and he is visibly thrilled. After completing his session, he says, “My experience with shooting had been limited to video games and balloon shooting stalls at fairs. This is intense. I might take it up as a sport,” says Upadhyay, 27, a software engineer and a resident of…

Try this – Close your eyes and describe the image that comes to mind on hearing the word 'garden'. I tried this with my family while writing this piece and was surprised to hear the different responses that emerged. For my 6-year-old it was all about brightly coloured flowers and toys, her father spoke of cobbled pathways, birds chirping and greenery all around. For me, the word 'garden' always brings to mind an image of butterflies flitting around lots of plants in bright sunshine! Caterpillar basking in the sun. Pic: Vinita Squirrel scrambles up the nearest tree. Pic: Vinita ant…

Food blogging is growing in India, and a lot of food enthusiasts are sharing their wonderful recipes online. Each of them have their unique stories, experiences, and of course, their food recipes. Here are three food bloggers who live in Bengaluru doing what they love doing, and a peek at their journeys.Blog beginningsArchana Doshi, on her food blog , calls herself a “chef, blogger, author, food writer” and more. She is a software engineer by profession but when she became a mother, she had to leave her career behind. At this time she decided to blog about parenting, and a…