Fury

Nothing goes right when I want it to

Breathing heavy, I struggle for air

A little space for me

Unreasonable, I believe

But there it is.

 

Nando’s, Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi

Peri – peri spiced, grilled chicken with a choice of sauces and sides to go with it is one of the best types of meals that one can think of. Hailing from South Africa, two young budding minds came up with the idea of using the native peri peri chilli and mixing it up with the Portugese theme and  come up with the spectacular chain of restaurants named Nando’s. What makes this place special is that they create an ambience which is homey. It is their policy to make you feel all comfortable and enjoy your food as you would at home. Importing all their spices from South Africa, this chain is proud to present another branch at Punjabi Bagh in New Delhi. Having over a 1200 outlets in about 20 countries, this branch is their 9th restaurant in India.

Done with the statistics, lets come down to what matters most. The food. Nando’s is famous for its grilled, peri peri chilli spiced and 24 hour marinated chicken. Its an alert to all the health conscious people out there that they do not fry their chicken. They grill it. On a very personal and one on one experience, I would like to tell the people community out there to try the chicken once and let me tell you why.

The first bite tells you everything you need to know about the chicken. As the food is placed in front of you and you pick up the fork and the knife to take the first bite, you sink your fork into the easily sinkable meat. As the fork goes deeper, you use your knife to cut the remainder of it and you feel it coming off more easily than you anticipated. Your stomach will growl at this point so you let go of that thought and proceed to bring the fork to your mouth and take the bite. As you chew, you will realise that the chicken doesn’t taste the same. It’s different. It’s because of the peri peri which is the speciality of this place. The large chunk of meat that we can only dream of is placed in front of you to eat and you will eat with relish. Each bite gives you a different taste. You try to pin point the sauce, the chilli, something! But its all mixed up to a perfect treat for your tastebuds.

Another interesting fact about Nando’s is that the place is decorated with original South African paintings. They import them especially from the local painters of South Africa to decorate their interiors. Besides the decorations, the presentation of the food will take your heart away. Its innovative how they present their chicken. Presentation is one good way of inviting your appetite to go rampant on the chicken served and Nando’s plays up to this fact.

Everyone has a different disposition and the ability to tolerate the chilli. Nando’s has a solution for that as well. When you order which you do at the counter, they ask you for the level of the spice in your food.

 And based on what you tell them after referring to their awesome chilli scale, they adjust the spices according to you leaving you free to enjoy your meal and not keep on hissing or filling your tummy with water. Isnt that awesome?

I totally loved this place and I am sure you will too. 😀

Is It?

A wakeful dream?

A stream and you

Flowing, the sound of the gushing water

Calms you or agitates you?

Restless.

Dip your feet in, feel the light pressure of the flow

The cool water, the blowing breeze

Am I a nature lover

Or is it a result of reading Romantic poetry?

Easing into Discomfort

Ages will pass and no one will know

The slavery of the soul, by the skillful mind

The dying embers of the hearth are there to remind, of a time

Of roaring fire, of warmth, of light and of hope

Boundless, constant

The warm soup, down the throat, warming the hungry winter belly

Feeding the body as the soul starves

“Appreciate what you have lad, do not ask for more!

The food of our table is already compromised, what need do I have of your gluttony?”

Acceptance, the cold stone floor, the bed

No story for peace, a kick is all that you need

The stone as pillow

To find a comforting world of one’s own

With warm soup to satiate, with warm quilt to comfort the soul

Uneasy sleep by the dying embers of the hearth

Slipping into the endless night, with no hunger and no plight.

 

 

So What?

Waiting by the window, looking impatient
Palpitation, fear, something isn’t right
A knock on the door, a letter
In a moment, the world seems to be collapsing around me
The voices rise, above, draining my own
My sorrow insurmountable, the jeering
Pointing poison fingers, taunts rain down the old hut
The hearth is empty, my bed is cold
My belly is large, my story will fade, unheard and untold
He died, so what?
My child is an orphan, so what?
The society won’t accept me, so what?

Romance with Words

Words play funny on my tongue as I think and roll them out

Dancing on the lips, I confess

Confessions, sweet confessions of mine

Pay heed, and carry a message to the sky

Its a new found love, I know not how to hold it in

Breathing in the essence, I grapple with the object of my affections

Like Shakespeare, do I line up the sonnets?

Praise the cheek, the texture of the skin

Or like Webster, I make love to violence on stage?

Gain pleasure in others’ pain?

My romance is with words, rolling down the tongue

Hoping to call, my one true love, to me.