experiences – Wine and Wasabi

La Dolce Vita : A Valentine’s Dinner｜Wine and Wasabi™

Our first pop-up dinner of this decade celebrates both the joys of being single and having brilliant friends, companions, or partners who make an otherwise awful day better from far or near, just by being there. Book a spot now!

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”
George Bernard Shaw

Till date, the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had is one I spent drunk out of my mind with my best friend, back in 2016. We were both very single, hated the idea of the day being only for couples, wanted to shake things up, and more importantly, take control.

With my partner, V-Day feels like a bit of a farce. As mushy as we might be, heart shaped pizzas aren’t really for us. After several failed attempts at meeting all kinds of impossible expectations, we decided to host a dinner last year to celebrate a truer love: the love we have for food.

But over the years, I haven’t been able to forget the day I spent with Besto and how much it has come to mean to me.

And so our first rooftop dinner of this decade celebrates both the joys of being single and having brilliant friends, companions, or partners who make an otherwise awful day better from far or near, just by being there.

The new seven-course menu is inspired by the various girls nights I’ve had over the years along with traditional romance/breakup flavours and is a selection I turn to often for comfort in my pyjamas, complete with shots (so no driving on the way back, please)!

Details:

Date: 14th February, 2020
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Cover charge: ₹2000 per head (all inclusive)
Address: Accessible area in Salt Lake, Kolkata (easily reached via both City Centre and the Bypass).
Contact: +91-8697406710

Simply fill up this form and we’re good to go!*

*limited spots, as always

Food Writing 2019 ｜Wine and Wasabi™ Recommends

2019 is coming to an end and we are moving towards another decade which is already looking like something out of a Margaret Atwood novel, so I’m forced to will myself into finding positivity in the form of food once again. A big part of this has been reading, especially this year. Here’s a few that have comforted and inspired me to learn more, rediscover myself, cook, be unapologetic and become a better eater.

2019 has been a lot. Just… a lot.

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Oddly enough, it’s been quite a spectacular year for food writing. Food became part of mainstream political discourse in earnest and has stayed relevant. More people are slowly becoming aware of food and its impact on the environment in varied parts of the cycle from production to consumption. The industry is branching out and the Indian scene is moving towards catching up to the global scene. There’s been significant strides towards blurring of lines between stories and recipes.

My partner, who truly believes he knows nothing about food at all, came up to me and mentioned how he’s slowly learning more, independently, which to me means food writing is branching out. On a personal note, I discovered some brilliant new authors and found areas of interest related to food and life I didn’t even know existed.

But at the same time, some books got more undeserved attention than others and that is a bit of a shame. A certain Bon Appétit contributor’s book comes to mind (as petty as that makes me sound, I couldn’t not mention it). Please comment below on which one you think I am referring to and let’s talk about that.

My list is coming out rather late. I missed all the opportunities to publish something earlier on–unlike every other massive publication–but then again, we’re two people and they’re 20 at least, if the food department is modest. Between ‘spring cookbooks 2019‘ and ‘the cookbook gift guide that covers everyone you know 2019‘ there’s a mind-numbing number of lists featuring food writing.

Dissendium: An Evening at Hogwarts｜Wine and Wasabi™

Bring your love for the wizarding world to this one-of-a-kind eight-course dinner that no Potterhead would want to miss!

A disappointed muggle goes about her life still believing in magic. It’s a little weird to explain to people, and lonely even with the massive fandom all around you.

There’s so much about that world that I wanted to experience. Most importantly, but probably not limited to butterbeer.

Wands and charms and everything else aside, butterbeer – whatever this curious alcoholic, caramel flavoured, hot/cold beverage is – seems like it’s something us muggles will have to only wonder about forever. No matter how ‘authentic’ a version they’re serving at Harry Potter World pales in comparison to the taste and meaning of the real thing.

Butterbeer, Hogwarts, and everything around it has come to mean so much to our world over the years. A symbol of warmth, friendship and belonging for the magical folk, yes, but Merlin’s beard! It’s exactly the same for us non-magical folk too…

“All I want to do is be at Hogwarts with you, eating turkey legs in the great hall while listening to the carols of the ghosts gliding past us. Then maybe we can go to Hogsmeade to get a butterbeer.”
Eternal Youth by Maria Elena

This world is a place where we feel like we belonged more than where we are at times. It’s unrequited love. It’s the little things. The sense of familiarity and camaraderie you feel when you come across someone else who recognises the most subtle of references, or isn’t bewildered by:

“I’m so hungry I could eat a Hippogriff…”
Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

You waited for that letter and were crushed when it didn’t arrive. I know I was.

It would’ve been the stuff of your wildest dreams or a ticket to get out of where you are and wanted to escape from, or anything else. No one hopes for a letter from a boarding school, and yet…

It’s taken you years to reconcile yourself to your non-magic fate.

But. Here’s an escape for a night. A chance to find that hidden passageway away from whatever it is you need a break from. It’s temporary and inspired from a place of intense longing, love and the delicious food that always appears out of nowhere.

“zis ‘eavy ‘ogwarts food”
Fleur Delacour in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

This eight-course dinner is back for food lovers to enjoy a meal in the company of similar minded people and experience an open day at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…through food!

Pssst….we’ll be preparing a few intoxicating potions too and recommend you don’t drive home.

Take the Knight Bus instead!

Details:

Date: An Evening in December, 2019 (exact date forthcoming)
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Cover charge: ₹2300 per head (all inclusive)
Address: Accessible area in New Town, Kolkata (easily reached from Novotel).
Contact: +91-8697406710

Simply fill up this form and we’re good to go!*

*limited spots, as always

The Way Out of these Elections is Through Our Stomachs｜Wine and Wasabi™

Food is often overlooked by the average voter when thinking of politics but it is often used by politicians as an insidiously powerful tool to further their agendas. The election season we are in now is no different.

Food is often overlooked by the average voter when thinking of politics but it is actually used by politicians as an insidiously powerful tool to further their agendas.

The election season we are in now is no different. The present government continues to use food to both galvanise and alienate voters with the obvious intent of remaining in power for another term and rewrite India in their own image, for good (pardon the dramatics, these are trying times).

So many of the things we consume have been catalysts for major administrative changes in Indian polity over the years. The 1857 Uprisings and the controversial ‘Chapati Movement’ before it (when something as simple as our round chapatis being distributed from hand to hand in the country set the ball rolling for the freedom struggle) are pertinent examples of the power of food to instigate unrest or disturb the status quo.

“A chowkidar–an Indian village watchman. All Indian villages had one, and it was these men, running between their homes and the nearest neighbouring settlement with chapatis, who so effectively raised panic among the ruling British.”
– Smithsonian

This election and India’s current state of affairs going back especially to the last five years seem to be moving in an eerily similar space. Only instead of a united movement against a government clearly not suited to lead in these changing and fragile times, opposing forces have still ended up standing against each other.

There’s no simpler way to say this: this is an clearly election fuelled by divisions of caste and creed. Those vying to (re)gain power get this very well and are making unflinching use of it for electoral gain.

Jolly Good Food: The Enid Blyton Pop-Up｜Wine and Wasabi™

“A large ham sat on the table, and there were crusty loaves of new bread. Crisp lettuces, dewy and cool, and red radishes were side by side in a big glass dish, great slabs of butter and jugs of creamy milk. ”
Enid Blyton, Five Go To Billycock Hill

Be it The Famous Five or Malory Towers, these simple, yet appealing descriptions form the heart of the love so many of us share for Enid Blyton and her stories. From ginger beer or Silky’s pop cakes to the plain boiled egg, these stories found a way to make them all feel very mouthwatering and exciting.

The entire journey of Wine and Wasabi™ started out with us trying to create our own tribute to these escapist treats in the best way we know : cooking! That became our first pop-up, and the rest (hopefully) is history.

Caving to requests, we’re doing it again. This time with a new menu (see below) to make things more interesting. Bring your love for these cherished childhood classics to this one-of-a-kind six-course rooftop dinner that no fan would want to miss!

Details:

Date: Saturday, 30th March, 2019
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Cover charge: ₹1000 per head (all inclusive)
Address: Accessible area in Salt Lake, Kolkata (easily reached via both City Centre and the Bypass).
Contact: +91-8697406710

Simply fill up this form and we’re good to go!*

La Dolce Vita : A Pop-Up Dinner｜Wine and Wasabi™

Celebrate food, it’s with you from the very beginning, through your first dates to your breakups and everyday in between with a multi-course Italian (with a dash of the French) inspired rooftop dinner by Wine and Wasabi™.

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”
George Bernard Shaw

Valentine’s day is built up (and sold) to be so much (and so many) things at the same time, but ultimately never is. Be it because of people involved or just because of how things are, things (or someone, or a dynamic, moment, or day) are so rigidly supposed to be a certain way but either simply aren’t or worse, cannot be at all. It’s tiring, even stressful sometimes. And it can begin to get stifling…

Not the case with food however. You know exactly what you’re getting in for, are rarely disappointed, and with us there’s an almost guaranteed happy ending in the works for you here.

This dinner is to celebrate food (whether alone, with your loved ones, or with interesting strangers), that which is with you from the very beginning, every step of the way, in every kind of relationship, including through your first dates to your breakups and everyday in between with an eight-course Italian (with a dash of the French) inspired rooftop dinner by Wine and Wasabi™.

Details:

Date: 13th February, 2019
Time: 7 pm – 9:30 pm
Cover charge: ₹2100 per head (all inclusive)
Address: Accessible area in Salt Lake, Kolkata (easily reached via both City Centre and the Bypass).
Contact: +91-8697406710

Simply fill up this form and we’re good to go!*

*limited spots, as always

Honey Cake, Or the Importance of Eating in Earnest｜Wine and Wasabi

Have you ever felt like you’re stuck in a rut and even when you’re doing what you love, it’s all a little too monotonous and no longer as exciting as it was when you started? This winter, I received a book which had recipes surrounding the memories of the author’s life. I made a piece of cake, the kind that takes you back to your first baking memories. It’s important because it reminded me of why I like to cook and brought back the feeling of unadulterated excitement and joy, the kind I hadn’t felt in a long time while making something. It’s the perfect surprise to myself and I am better for it, inspired and prepared for the future!

Have you ever felt like you’re stuck in a rut and even when you’re doing what you love, it’s all a little too monotonous and no longer as exciting as it was when you started?

I bake and cook for a living. It’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. But I also want to make new memories around food, discover and learn about other cultures, and grow. Working in a kitchen, making the same recipes doesn’t really allow for that.

Not as often and as much as I’d like, anyway.

My customers are amazing people who give me the chance to be an integral part of their special days and I am grateful for that – that something I do on occasion makes someone smile. It’s a special feeling, and any chef you will ever meet gets off on it, specially the pastry people.

However, there are a few things that are set in stone when it comes to us apparently:

Food Trends 2019｜Wine and Wasabi

Food trends are getting crazier by the year. While some have been done to death and are finally leaving us in 2019, others might be here to stay or are possibly even making a comeback. Here’s my list of what’s just about to be hot!

Let’s face it, food trends are getting crazier by the year. While some have been done to death and are finally leaving us in 2019 – I’m looking at you unicorn/mermaid foods, bowl foods, and activated charcoal – others might be here to stay or are possibly even making a comeback.

Companies use everything from data analysis to intuition and make these predictions aiming to both maximize profits and try to influence public opinion. Every organisation has a different opinion and it’s quite confusing if you’re trying to manoeuvre your way around the complicated network of differing points of view.

Mine are based on reading (way too many articles) and keeping an eye out for anything that remotely smells of food.

Here are a few food trends I am looking forward to investing time and emotionally in 2019 and possible weird ones you may just see around you soon.

Wine and Wasabi (and Cocktails) – A Start

So finally, after years of just thinking and planning, I’m putting myself and my first post out there, as a cocktail recipe. It’ll be short and simple, and a cocktail to make and celebrate with to ring in the new year, new beginnings or anything new really, just like this space and is meant to be a hopeful, no-nonsense but still exceptional tasting start.

Secret Origins

Food and everything around it has been on my mind for a while now, almost as long as time itself, as far as I am concerned. While W&W is relatively new, a vague shape was always there, slowly trying to come to life in me. From when I was in culinary school endless walks around a cold London and a need to keep myself entertained gave me opportunity to think about what I wanted to do with my passion, time, and life.

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It came from being around a passionate, encouraging, positive, and talented milieu which opened my eyes to endless possibilities and exposure to the world at large.

On returning home inspired, I wanted to start this blog immediately, but couldn’t. What my partner and mum (who shall also be contributors here) thought was procrastination was simply a tiny voice in my heart and head that just wasn’t convinced. Nothing I came up with seemed like it was good enough. Something or other seemed off and I couldn’t commit.

I wanted everything to be perfect. For that, I needed to wait for the perfect first post, or the inspiration of it to strike like a bolt of lightning. I’m a romantic and dramatic. It was my version of a quest for a unicorn. I had committed to myself that I’d find it, and I’m nothing if not stubborn.