MARTINIS AND MUNESH : ARABIAN NIGHTS

P Sood is busy putting the finishing touches for the party before the evening guests arrive . An early Saturday evening dinner with a few close friends before  he takes the early morning flight to Dubai,  a city which is definitely not  one  of his favourites. But today Sood is happy as he looks forward to a fun filled evening before what he beileves will be 2 miserable days in Dubai . 

 Raju , the master food conesiur is the first to arrive , boundless energy , a spring in his walk , he throws across a CD,  saying " play this man it's the house music of the Okku lounge."Hesitantly,  Sood asked what is OKKU , only to be met with an incredulous look , " you never been to Okku , it may definitely be one of the better resturants and coolest bar in Dubai!!!!! " Says our man.

The music is good , reminding Sood of Cafe del Mar more than Costes ., enough to perk his interest and make a mental note of  OKKU .

Sunday evening after a hard days of work in Dubai , Sood and his friend decide to go a drink , Sood recommends the OKKU  , his friend a Dubai resident for a few years had never been there although he had heard of it . 10 pm they stroll through the lobby of the H Hotel in Dubai , make their way to the first floor of the hotel and soon find themselves at the Okku . The velvet rope ,  the 2 security personnel , and the svelte ladies dressed in TBD look  both imposing and enticing , but sure enough they do turn us down for not having reservations.  We use the magic password "  is Ramzyn  ( one of the cowoners ) at the resturant ?  with a swoosh of a magic wand the rope is set aside , Natasha from South Africa becomes our host for the evening and whisks us to a table . Past the lounge , , past a very very chic bar , to  our table near the long sushi counter

Seated at the table , Sood finally gets a chance to look around .  Stylish , chic , buzzing , boisterous ,  very very good looking people , we proudly pat ourselve on our back , maybe it is one of the criteria to walk in and the two of us did qualify. Dark stone , low lighting , low level sitting , a screen made of fairy LED lights dividing the bar area from the resturant,  a well stocked bar  and yes the centre of attraction a UV lit jellyfish aquarium,no less . No doubt it tops most of the hot lists of the region.

Natasha is back , making sure we are comfortable and wether we are ready to order , not really we say , we had come here for the bar and to the bar we head past the fairy lights .The house music is playing a bit louder at the bar , the atmosphere very chic , you could be forgiving if you think you are in New York and any moment , Beyonce or justin Timberlake would walk in . But this is Dubai and Okku is not withouth it's share of celebrities , so in walks in Lionel Ritchie , taking a que from his song All night long we know this is going to be long night so we quickly settle in at the bar and order the 15 year Nika whysky.


Many many Nika's later we do wind our wAy to the table and sit down for dinner , the Wagyu beef , yellowtail carpaccio , the black cod and of course the chilled sake .

We thought it was a good evening and we were well behaved ,  until the morning , that is , we were suprised to see a number of messages on our phone  asking why were we calling to say I love you in the middle of  the night . Well Mr Lionel Richie , I do believe we meant it from the bottom of our heart.

MARTINIS AND MUNESH :ON THE HEMINGWAY TRAIL

 ON THE HEMINGWAY TRAIL

On the Hemingway trail

Leaning back in the comfort of Virgin Atlantic business class, having just finished a massage and sipping the last few dregs of a 1997 chardonnay, P.K. Sood is apprehensive of what lies ahead in Havana. A consummate i-banker and believer in all things capitalist, he is soon to land in the last bastion of true communism. The airport barely passes muster; the baggage hall has no power. Coming out of the terminal, along queue awaits him to exchange money – and they will not exchange dollars.

Sood is soon at the doorstep of the hotel Santa Isabel, which had been booked a month before the trip. It’s mid-afternoon and he knows of extended siestas in tropical islands, but it is awfully quiet at the hotel. A frustrating half an hour later, through Spanglish translations, Sood learns that the hotel has been closed for more than a week, due to a break-down in air-conditioning. Finally, well ensconced in the cool luxury of the Saratoga Hotel, formerly a heritage building, and revived, he is eager to get on the Ernest Hemingway trail of the bars, and in particular, the La Bodeguita. Also called the Mecca of Mojito as the famous Mojito was created here, it was the author’s favorite haunt. Established in 1942, the place originally operated as a shop selling Cuban products and the now famous concoction of rum, sugar, mint lemon and club soda called the Mojito.

By 1950, this was the place to be seen in Havana and through the years, it has stood the test of time, including the revolution, as it enjoyed the patronage of Fidel Castro. The bar, spread over two levels, is overflowing with Mojitos and tourists. Every inch of the walls is covered with photographs of celebrities such as Nat King Cole, Pablo Neruda, Fidel Castro, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Ernest Hemingway, Madonna, Pierce Brosnan, Marlene Dietrich, et al.

Whoever has ever visited or lived in Havana has paid homage to this Mecca and almost every visitor to the bar is convinced that he has to add to allure and tradition of the La Bodeguita by scribbling on the walls, getting photographed (at an outrageous price) and buying the La Bodeguita house collection CD, all of which Sood, as a diligent tourist does. There also hangs a legend that in 1997, a bomb was planted by US agents or their sympathisers at the Bodeguita bar and moments before the bomb went off, a tourist, who was later identified as Ernesto Cruz Leon, a Scandinavian mercenary who planted the bomb, got himself photographed with the bartender.

After all these years, the La Bodeguita may be a bit cheesy with an accentuated touristy demeanor, Mojitos are refreshing and transport Sood into a sublime state of mind and a mellow mood.

The Classic Mojito:

• Six Freshly washed mint leaves,
• Two teaspoons bar sugar
• Three-four ounce of good aged rum and
• Soda Water

Muddle the mint, sugar and lime juice in a tall glass. Add rum. Top with ice and Soda. Garnish with mint sprigs.

And Enjoy!

Original Article as it appeared in Business India 

Add caption

Indian Rupee

 My article on http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/rupee/sliding-rupee-how-much-lower-can-it-sink_913238.html