Sunday Special (cum Review)!! (Part 2)

After the spa, we had a nice lunch of idli-sambar at home and I ate one idli too many, which made me sleepy, and invariably grumpy at the prospect of going to a hot temple in the afternoon for a pooja. Nevertheless, I did, and it was lovely. The Jain derasar at Malabar Hill is just one of teh more beautiful and colourful ones. Somehow Ive noticed most Jain temples have an upper and lower level. I wonder why that is. Anyhow, some pictures for your perusal (this is one of the few temples Ive seen that actually allows pictures - there were so many tourists there for the hour or so that we attended the pooja, which, incidentally,was hosted by a relative).

Its a gorgeous temple. Most Jain temples have some element of marble in them, cooling and white and peaceful I suppose. This one has a lot of colour, somewhat akin to South Indian temples, which is unusual. The doors are plated in silver, with the 14 dreams of Mahavira swami's mother on them, there are corridors and open spaces on every side creating diffused light and a cool breeze in the temple, not to mention birds flying about inside. Yet it is strangely peaceful and dim. See pictures:




And sitting there, with some staunch Jain masters of ceremony who have been drinking boiled water since they were born, singing in restrained discipline, and one old man playing the harmonium and singing with the passion of Pandit Jasraj, the violin and the devotion of teh spectators, moved me to tears. It made me forget why I'm not a big fan of public places of worship, and helped me eradicate in part my recent worries.

As we left, we were invited to partake of a veritable spread of Jain delights. We only had tea (not great, because I only like very very spicy tea), and AMAZING medu vada, mug na pudla with tomato, and green dhokla with peas. YUMMM! Great chutney too. There was also idli, shrikhand, all this other stuff but we were in a hurry and were still stuffed from lunch.

Then we went to see Memoirs of a Geisha at Inox. Please don't eat the flavoured cashews (red chilli, salted or black pepper) unless you like your cashews tasting as though they have been sipped in gramflour. Spoiled my mood, as I was expecting a chili kick.

The movie is beautiful. A Pleasure to watch and a pretty damn good adaptation. It's about how a poor fishergirl was sold by her parents to a geisha house and the things and people she encounters on her way to becoming a famous geisha, which means 'artist'. I dont remember the book in detail but they kept all my favourite scenes - the encounter with the chairman, his declaration of love, the kimono scene, etc etc. - the bit about her having too much water. They were all central of course. And the casting was soooo good! Except for Zhang Ziyi. She has the whole innocent look going, but other than that, she seems to be China's Aishwarya Rai. Lovely and wooden. Gong Li as Hatsumomo was amazing, her features were soooo sharp and she was perfectly mean. Pumpkin was great as the whole raucous Betty Boop scene in the second half. Michelle Yeoh as Mameha (I LOVE the name) was elegant and subdued and regal. Like our Shabana Azmi. The Chairman - Ken Watanabe.... ooooh! He was, like Chow Yun Fat, besides being handsome - sturdy, reliable, kind, with a twinkle in his eye.... guys today seem to lack one or the other. Of course, for us real life women, another thing stopping us would be the fact that he was MARRIED!

Still, I wonder what it would have been like if the main cast had been Japanese. The women are lovely enough. And have the same halting English charm. So why not?

One thing that always strikes me is how the topography in various places can be so similar, but the cinematography and visual treatment will always be so distinctive as to conspicuously distinguish one from the other. Japanese landscapes, though craggy and coastal like that of Canada or parts of the US, even Russia, are always given a surreal hazy feel through the cloud of fog permeating the screen. American scenes are always suffused with sunlight or vividness, even in the starkness of Winter. India and Africa are given bright colours, although in different shades, and China, slightly more so than Japan, is given vivid contrasts of black and red amidst the early morning dew and dim lighting. England on the other hand, is again sharp and gritty in its dull raininess. On further thought, its probably the TYPE of vegetation and furnishings in the homes and the relief they create that make the difference. But still. It probably has to do with the fact that most mainstream cinema on non-Western countries tend to be period films or some sort of fantasy, hence the otherworldly effect. Though Lost In Translation still felt surreal.

After the lovely movie, (what kimonos! I love Japanese architecture!) we went for dinner to Salt Water Grill. You apparently have to book quite a few days in advance to get a table for a weekend. It's only open for dinner. Though they do let the space out for exhibitions during the day. Its been over a year since it's opened but it was our first time there. It's just gorgeous - soft lights over us, white-canopied tables in the back, tables right by the edge of the restaurant overlooking Girgaum Chowpatty and the sea, as well as exquisite Queens Necklace, a soft breeze, palms and hammocks and deckchairs scattered throughout the restaurant, a bar and changing-room-type bathrooms - very very quaint and trendy.

The service was fairly good. It's owned by Riyaz Amlani, the guy behind Mocha, and the staff is pretty well-trained. I had a Bellini, and my mother had a watermelon Caiprioshka. Her's was EXCELLENT, and as for mine, I still think Opium Den made the best Bellini I've ever had. But they have quite a prolific cocktail menu. If you don't like Champagne, you won't like it anyway. They have a decent soup, salad, appetiser menu, of which we tried, upon the server's suggestion, the Roasted peppers and Camembert Crostini. Basically a warm roasted pepper mix with a slice of camembert on top of french bread. The Camembert tasted surprisingly similar to Brie (Ive never had raw Camembert so I cant tell the difference). They have a special menu for the day, but we're vegetarian and most of it was seafood. We had, upon the server's recommendation, vegetable ravioli (EXCELLENT) and fusilli in lemon cream sauce with mushroom and olives. It was alright, mostly because i don't like lemons much and can't eat plain cream sauce anymore. I wish I had stuck to pesto or a sauce i know and like. The server did suggest the Pomodoro sauce, but I didn't feel like red, and wanted something that would go well with mushrooms.

They gave us a complimentary cake, (as any restaurant will if you state in advance that there's an occasion), and I also ordered their specialty, a MASSIVE chocolate fondant. I'm so happy now I know the french term for my favourite dessert! Its the rich chocolate dessert that's solid on the outside, usually igloo shaped, (also available in Cafe Basilico and Moshe's), but which oozes out like delicious black lava as soon as you break into it. Best had with vanilla icecream, and strawberries as a tart freshener to wash off the sweet taste. This one was the biggest Ive ever had, but wayyyy too eggy. I wrote that in the comments sheet, and hope they improve upon it. No pizzas unfortunately.

It's pretty expensive, from prices ranging from Rs 150 to 400 for vegetarian dishes, and I imagine a bit more for the non-veg stuff. I would suggest that you be careful with what you order. But I would seriously recommend visiting it on a romantic date on a full-moon night for cocktails. Full marks for ambience.

Oh, that night, I looked out the window at the sea, and saw the half-moon cast its reflection across a large section of sea, all the way from the shore till the horizon, an oblong patch of still grey shimmer. A glorious end to a lovely day.