Travel & Leisure India & South Asia

THE GREAT GREEK philosopher Socrates might not have agreed with my philosophy of ‘live to eat’, but food can be both, sustaining and comforting, at the same time. Especially if you’re a gourmand. Amidst all the sorrow and heartbreak that the second w

What used to be playwright and author Girish Karnad’s house until three years ago is now Khmer Kitchen, one of the newest entrants in South Bengaluru’s dining scene. With Cambodian cuisine at its core, the restaurant serves Southeast Asian food in an

ITC HOTELS HAS BEEN awarded Platinum level certification under DNV’s My Care Infection risk management programme for WeAssure, the group’s hygiene protocol. Launched in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, WeAssure has been designed in collabor

A 30-MINUTE SEAPLANE flight away from Malé’s Velana International Airport, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is located in Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, in the midst of the Maldives’ best diving and snorkelling sites. The resort is spread across two private islan

What’s the USP of your new restaurant? At SONA, we reimagine the Indian dining experience, creating dishes that have a unique blend of traditional flavours using only the highest quality, locally sourced, seasonal ingredients with a distinct New York

AS THE SECOND WAVE of the pandemic batters Indian businesses, especially those in the hospitality industry, restaurateurs and chefs have had to bear the biggest losses. “We’ve worked very hard in the last few months to regain consumer trust for dinin

What led you to launch your first property in Goa? It started 27 years ago. I was exploring opportunities in the Caribbean when I was invited to speak at a conference in India. I came over and saw a huge opportunity in Goa—a beautiful location with w

SNOW LEOPARDS are naturally adapted to tread the steep, rugged mountains of Central Asia with grace. In India, they inhabit some of the highest, most inhospitable places in the Himalayas. These big cats are elusive and difficult to spot as they effor

IT WAS MORE than a decade ago that my partner Sudipto told me about the the vineyards and wineries emerging in Nashik, Maharashtra. I had scoffed at the idea then. Eventually, I was proven wrong as Nashik went on to become the ‘Wine Capital of India’

THEARD THE CHIMPS before I saw them—one lone call followed by a riotous chorus of pants, hoots, howls, and screams, until the entire forest reverberated with a primal din. “They are disciplining someone,” explained Ruth Imalingat, the Uganda Wildlife

“STAY THERE, stay there!” We quietly willed the pangolin to wait in the bush. The ant-eating mammal couldn’t see what we could: it was pushing blearily through the vegetation, right into a waiting lion’s paws. As the pangolin quickly curled into a ti

“SAPTINGLA?” (“Have you eaten?”) is the single most frequently asked question in Tamil Nadu. Visit a doctor and it’s the first question their secretary asks. Book a medical procedure and medics ensure they don’t violate your mealtime, or indeed their

JENNY PRINEA, the manager of my rental villa on the Greek island of Tínos, pointed to Exomvourgo, the rust-coloured rock monolith looming above us. “Last night, there was a full moon,” she said. “A couple of friends and I climbed to the top to celebr

AS A BIRDWATCHER, I am on an endless quest. But nothing captivates me more than the ethereal beauty of the ruddy shelduck, also known as Brahminy duck. It has an orange-brown body plumage with iridescent green speculum feathers and big white forewing

NOT ONLY DOES FOOD play a vital role in our sustenance, it is also interwoven with our heritage. Hence, it assumes utmost significance when you explore a new place. Local cuisine is a gateway to understanding the culture and traditions of a region. I

Location GAGGAN ANAND RESTAURANT, BANGKOK Gaggan could not shut down! Yet, shut down it did, in August 2019. And anyone who actually knew Chef Gaggan Anand wasn’t surprised that he had kept his word. Except the farewells were more rushed and acrimoni

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You once said that ‘rediscovering Indian ingredients’ is one of the missions of Masque. Tell us about some of the Indian ingredients that you cannot live without. While people around the country have a keen knowledge of hyper-regional produce, not a

THE SECOND WAVE OF THE PANDEMIC has brought a crucial aspect of our well-being into focus—immunity, or the ability of the body to defend itself. While it was always a matter of significance, in a raging pandemic it has acquired an urgency. Balanced d

MY JOURNEYS through Sri Lanka have birthed a culinary passion that is bound to last a lifetime. The island country has a rich repository of traditional dishes in which spices and textures come together in perfect harmony. Most of these recipes trickl

▸1 teaspoon turmeric powder▸3 tablespoons yoghurt▸2 teaspoons rice flour Mix all the ingredients to form a smooth paste. Apply the mask on your face and neck evenly, and let it dry for 15-20 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry. Curcumin, p