
Taste trap: hook, line and sinker
We made the most of the mellow weather this week and headed to The Claridges, to sample Moroccan cuisine which blends Arab, Berber, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, African and Jewish influences.
We began with a soup: Chorba Khodar (Rs 500) — a mixed vegetable broth which chef Amine Ayoubi told us is at its flavourful best prepared 5-6 hours in advance.
The other soup, which I liked better, was Harira Fassia (Rs 550), prepared with lentil, chickpea and meat in a tomato base. Very filling.
Next up were starters: Briwates (Rs 350-550) — baked filo triangles (the Moroccan samosa) with stuffing. I liked the seafood and lamb, while my companion focused on the vegetarian. The next dish was Pigeon Pastilla (Rs 650). As the name suggests, it is a filo pie with pigeon meat, scrambled eggs, lightly sprinkled with cinnamon.
The main course was Tagine (Rs 650-980). It’s a meat and vegetable stew cooked (and served) in earthenware with a conical lid. The lamb tagine — prepared with vegetables and prunes, was better than the chicken tagine — made with preserved lemon and olives. We ate the stew with rice, chunks of soft-and-crisp bread and couscous, another staple Moroccan food, the way we have our rotis and rice.
For dessert, we tried the Kanafeh (Rs 400), layered filo with custard, almonds, icing sugar and cinnamon —not too sweet and despite its robust appearance, quite light.
Sevilla, The Claridges, till September 26. Meal for two: Rs 4200 plus taxes. For details, call: 9871384038

Delhi HC directs UP police to give post mortem report of farmer

At least three Myanmar cops cross into India seeking refuge
- Those entering India can be granted refugee status, but they will be deported if the government decides against it

Cyber policy to factor in threat from state actors
- The 50-odd pages document, anchored by the national security adviser’s office, is now awaiting the approval from the Prime Minister’s office before it is released.

Phase 2 of vaccination drive stuck in first gear
- Delhi, which gave shots to 1,679 people per million population in the second phase till Wednesday night, was in the second spot, while Odisha (1,283 doses per million) was third.

OTT regulations a necessity as some even show porn, says SC
- The scenes that caused offence have since been deleted, and the makers as well as the OTT company have apologised.

‘Can’t mandate perverse equality’: SC on plea over commission for women
- The medical fitness team of the Army tested close to 615 women SSC officers entitled for permanent commission, following the apex court judgment, on five counts: psychiatry, height, appendage (bone structure), physical and eye and ear.

N-E cities have the strongest feel-good factor
- The EOL report has calculated its overall scores on the basis of four parameters: quality of life, economic ability, sustainability and citizen perception.

Economic might led Bengaluru to top
- Bengaluru, India’s technology capital, is an economic powerhouse on account of the presence of some of the world’s largest corporations.

BJP names Metro Man as its Kerala CM face, then retracts
- K Surendran, the state BJP president who made the original announcement claimed he was quoted out of context.
_1614884674395_1614884685385.jpg)
Similipal blaze contained, Odisha asks for rapid response to forest fires
- The biosphere reserve spread over an area of 5569 sq km contributes 38% of the total protected area network in Odisha. It is also one of the oldest tiger reserves in the country having the largest zone of Sal trees.

Top military meet in new avatar, to be ‘multi-layered and informal’
- For the first time, junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and jawans are taking part in the top conference, as reported by Hindustan Times on Wednesday.

Four days into March, Mumbai sizzles at 38 degrees Celsius
- According to the IMD's forecast, Friday and Saturday may see higher daytime temperatures that could rise to 39 degrees Celsius.

More than 1 million Covid-19 vaccine doses given in a day: Government

Complainant fails to join probe against Karnataka ex-minister Ramesh Jarkiholi
- A police officer said that the complainant's status as witness in the case of alleged sexual exploitation against former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi is also unclear.
