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I happened to catch up with a friend today at South City Mall for lunch. While browsing books at Starmark, we decided to give the swish eateries a break and eat at the food court for a change. Lunch was a rather good chicken sandwich from Kookie Jar, an unremarkable Drums of Heaven from Republic of China and a forgettable pasta from Hooked on Pasta. Post-hogging session, another major round of book-browsing followed. We also had coffee and cookies from Cookie Man – the source of the delicious aroma that fills the ground floor of the mall. It was evening when we left South City finally.

The menu is a staggering collection of Mediterranean and Italian choices, from nibbles to mains. Among nibbles, my favorite is the beer batter fried fish with citrus dust and shocking lemon tartare. Crispy chicken fried wings with Mediterranean herbs brings just the right amount of its special herb flavour – definitely a good bite! Juicy chicken croquettes come with minced chicken inside, served with smokey BBQ sauce. Cajun rubbed grilled basa fillets is more filling than other nibble offerings but slightly chewy.

Hot beverages isn’t their strong point. I was hardly impressed with my Earl Grey. The cappuccino ordered by a colleague failed to leave a mark either.

The pizzas are nothing extraordinary; I’d rather avoid them henceforth and gorge on the more delicious offerings. If fibers and antioxidants are your thing, I will recommend the smoked chicken salad, a sweet and tangy preparation. In the mains, I thoroughly enjoyed the half a roast chicken which was totally delicious and very filling. The Moroccan lamb chops were mildly spiced and very satiating.

The decor is elegant and classy, with great attention to small details. The service is impeccable. The LED displays beam movies and live matches. This cafe also serves drinks, including draught beer, served in a tall glass, a 1 L pitcher or a 3 L tower. (Note: I i don’t drink or recommend drinking.)

I recently came across a case of Miller Fisher syndrome, a rare variant of Guillain–Barré syndrome. The patient, a 70 year old male, had presented with normal level of consciousness, generalised weakness, weakness of limbs with inability to stand on his own, intact bladder control and double vision. The brain CT scan came out to be within normal limits.

Miller Fisher syndrome, a triad of ataxia, areflexia and ophthalmoplegia, is quite rare and there is no clear cut guideline to diagnose Miller Fisher. The antibody (anti-GQ1b) test is usually not done in India. So it may be difficult to distinguish MFS from GBS. Both Guillain–Barré and Miller Fisher respond to the same treatment i.e. steroids and immunoglobulins.

The antibody (anti-GQ1b) test, though initially planned, was later considered redundant, as the patient responded well to the treatment. The important clue in this case was the eye involvement.

Today I watched 3D blockbuster The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. I was lucky to be accompanied by a friend, a die hard fan of JJR Tolkien, who had to explain the important plot points to me – a complete novice in the Tolkien world!

Take home point – an elf can kill a hundred orcs! As to why the dwarfs gave up so easily when they could not find the keyhole, it is because finding it has to be only magic and not by chance.

The cliff-hanger ending left me a with a look of disbelief. The 187 minutes of epic fantasy adventure were really over.

The winter is Christmasy and it is a good time now for eating out. Today I had an incredible lunch with a friend at Bohemian. We ordered two Bekti dishes for main course: Gondhoraj Bhetki and grilled Bhetki with Bengal berry sauce. Both were absolute delights! We sipped the Gondhoraj Julep mocktail all along. For dessert we shared the soul-filling Malpua Cheesecake, which was very light considering it was a cheesecake.

The new No Refusal taxis in the city offer a much more comfortable ride at the same fare. A ride in one of those cabs took us to Mrs. Magpie. The Christmas decor at Magpie was tastefully done and not in-your-face. We idled away the afternoon over a pot of Darjeeling tea.

Last evening I went to see a friend and we decided to pay a visit to this new Tibetan joint called Momo I Am. I quite liked the setting of the place – cosy and informal, small two seater tables with little cushioned stools. There is no AC but the drone of the ceiling fan and the whirl of the pedestal add to the charm of the place. We shared a plate of Chicken Shyapta, which turned out to be quite good. Then we had a plate of steamed chicken momos each. The momo-s were simply out of the world! The red chilli sauce is not for the weak in heart, but my partner in crime seemed to enjoy it quite a lot!

I read a short novel called Life is What You Make It by Preeti Shenoy. It can be categorized in the popular Chetan-Bhagat-genre of novels as in the main character goes to college and there are the joys and throes of youth, the tribulations of career, love and romance. But the book is beyond that, it delivers a strong message. It  deals with major depressive disorder, a psychiatric illness, and reminds the reader that mental illnesses are to be considered as any other physical illness.  The author goes on to explain that there is a full branch of medicine dedicated to that and laments that there is not enough awareness about psychiatric illnesses in India and the patients are socially stigmatized. The novel makes the reader feel for the protagonist and realize that just like any other disease, a psychiatric disorder can manifest at any time without prior notice and it is never in the control of the person. The book delivers a strong message, a welcome one when a large part of today’s society is blinded with certitude and intolerance. The story is also about hope and determination. I was deeply moved several times while reading. It is a gift from two years ago, I am glad I finally read it.

The most popular cafe in town, may be not so much for the food, but surely for the classy ambience. Very laid-back and delayed waiting which is good for the conversationists. The place is always packed with a long waiting queue in the evening. Menu offers great variety and prices are really low. According to a statistician friend, what would cost 350 here would make a staggering bill of 1700 at Starbucks. They use Twinnings tea-bags in their teas. If coffee is your thing, have the wise owl special cappuccino. You must avoid the lemon iced tea which has lost its earlier zing and tastes very bitter these days. The muffins are always great. They have stopped selling the cookies, a regret. A good indulgence would be the ‘Avalanche’, a big bowl of chocolate mousse and vanilla ice cream with a dash of chocolate sauce. They serve great breakfast too. One must place the order by 11 am as they are quite strict with the time.