Christmas Fruit/Plum Cake

Tis the season to be jolly, tra la la la, la la la la....

My favorite time of the year is here yet again. As always, once the tree goes up at home, baking the plum cake follows suite. This time, I followed Maria's Christmas fruit cake recipe from Mariasmenu 

The cake turned out moist, soft and fluffy. A little boozy and rich too.

Merry Christmas everyone, and a very Happy New Year.

Double Chocolate Brownies

I became an aunt for the first time to my brother and sister-in-law's cute baby boy. In my super excited mood, I baked a Double Chocolate Brownie for the little one's homecoming party! It was a big hit and all the pieces vanished before I could say 'brownie'!

This is a superb recipe I found on the Joyofbaking food blog. One cannot go wrong - very easy and quick. Plus, the use of microwave for melting only makes the entire process easier.

Ingredients
Butter – ½ 1 cup cut into pieces
Dark Chocolate – 150 gms
Instant Coffee powder – 1 tsp
Cocoa Powder – 2 tbsp
Caster sugar – 1 cup
Eggs – 3, room temperature
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
Flour – ¾ 1 cup
Salt – ¼ tsp
Chocolate chips – ½ 1 cup
Chopped walnuts – ¼ 1 cup

Grease and line a square baking tin. Preheat oven to 190C. In a microwave safe bowl, add butter and chocolate and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir till the chocolate is melted. Add the instant coffee powder,cocoa powder and caster sugar and beat. Break in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each
addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add flour, salt and beat well. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts and mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely and cut into squares.

Gaadi Thindis

One evening, a bunch of friends and I set off on a 'gaadi thindi' (street food served in carts/small joints) expedition in Jayanagar.  We craved authentic delicious street food, close to the vicinity we lived in, and decided to try Hari's Super Sandwich first as we had never been there.

Hari's Super Sandwich

Situated in Jayanagar 3rd block, this is a simple hole-in-the wall kind of joint, where you stand and eat. Their 'Sakath Sandwich'  (Sakath is a Kannada slag for superb) menu includes a variety of sandwiches such as chilli cheese toast, dahi toast, cheese gulkan sandwich, jam toast, and chocolate toast to name a few. Their signature dish is the chilli cheese toast and vegetable cheese toast. 

 I loved the fact that the bread is toasted on the typical home-style 'tava' as opposed to fancy grills. Toasted with loads of butter and stuffed with cheesy /  chocolaty delights - it is a sure-shot hunger pang killer.  The sandwiches are cut into small bits and served piping hot off the tava. Delicious & truly Sakath!

Their 'Chindi Chaat' (chindi is a Kannada slang for awesome) section includes most of the local Bangalore style chaats such as dahi  chudwa, congress masala, bread masala and dahi mix. Chaats are spicy, tasty and fresh.

Service is quick even when there is a crowd. Lovely to eat here on a cool evening, under the trees. A slight drizzle makes it even better!

Sandwiches, although filling for me, were not enough for my friends. So we zeroed in on Krishna's idli-dose gaadi which is a few streets away.

Krishna's Idli-Dose Gaadi

In Jayanagar 2nd block, every evening after 6pm, 9th main road  comes alive because of Krishna's gaadi. The road is choc-a-block with  cars and two-wheelers struggling to find parking space, and people thronging in groups on the footpath to sample the delights from Krishna's gaadi.

He serves super soft and fluffy masala  idlis and varieties of doses. Apart from the regular masal dose, he serves beet-root masala. The dose stuffing in this one has a beet-root palya which is pretty tasty. Chutney is spicy and tangy. Car-service is an added advantage.

A must-try for idli-dose lovers.

Street food, apart from being easy on the wallet, offers variety, taste and is normally served in a jiffy. Plus, the entire experience of eating 'street food' is totally satisfying in every sense of the word.

Sweets for Diwali : Microwave Besan Laddu

I love Besan Laddus and it is also my daughter's favorite sweet. With very little time on hand as mentioned in my previous post decided to make another quick-fix sweet in the microwave.

Ingredients:
1cup besan (chickpea flour)
1/4 cup ghee
3/4 cup sugar
3-4 pods of cardamom

Powder the sugar and cardamom in the mixer to form a fine powder. In the microwave safe dish, mix the ghee and besan thoroughly. Microwave on high for about 7-8 minutes stirringl every other minute. Check this mixture to ensure that there is no raw besan smell and it is well roasted. Allow it to cool completely.  Add the powdered sugar and cardamom, mix well and form small round balls. Decorate as required.

Sweets for Diwali : Microwave Doodh (Milk) Peda

Diwali is just a day away, I am working on Sunday and through Diwali. With very little time on hand and determination to make sweets at home, I decided on a couple of quick fixes as suggested by dear Anasuya aunty.

I saw lots of variations of this quick and easy sweet recipe all over the internet and finally came up with this version. Never enjoyed microwave cooking as much as making instant Doodh Peda this morning. All you need is three ingredients and three minutes of microwave cooking time. Yes, that's right - just three minutes (or a little more in some microwaves) to make this delicious peda.

Ingredients:
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
4 cups milk powder
50gms butter

Melt the butter for 10 seconds in a microwave safe dish. Combine the melted butter, condensed milk and milk powder and mix thoroughly. Microwave on high for three minutes, stirring every one minute. The cooking time actually varies for each microwave. The mixture will get to a crumble consistency - that is when you know it is done. Remove from microwave and allow to cool. Grease palms and form small round pedas. Decorate with dry fruits.

Apple Crumble with Warm Vanilla Custard

What do you do when lots of apples get accumulated and you can’t eat them all up? Make an apple crumble – quick and easy! And then, some vanilla custard.

You would need 6 ripe apples, cored and diced, 5tbs sugar, 3 small sticks of cinnamon or to taste, 6 slices bread and 4tbs cooking butter

Preheat the oven. Meanwhile, peel, core and dice the apples (I got my husband to do it as I hate peeling and chopping). In a thick bottom pan, cook the apples along with 3tbs of sugar on medium flame. Throw in 2 sticks on cinnamon so the apples catch the cinnamon flavour. Cook covered and stir a bit to ensure that the apples don’t burn. This will take about 10mins. Once the apples are cooked and slightly soggy with a little syrup, turn off the gas. Run the bread slices, 1 cinnamon stick and 2tbs of sugar in a food processor or blender until coarse bread crumbs are formed. Mix the butter and bread crumbs mixture well. In a greased baking dish, spread the cooked apples evenly. Top the apple spread with a thick layer of bread crumbs taking care not to leave any gaps. Press the bread crumbs layer lightly. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes, or, depending on your oven, until the bread crumbs layer is crisp.

While the apple crumble baked, I made some vanilla custard with custard powder that I happened to have. I served the crumble warm with custard. You could also add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Elephant Corridor Homestay, Coorg

Biddanta Estate - a 20 acre coffee plantation near Siddapura, Kodagu/Coorg district, houses the Elephant Corridor Homestay.  Run by the warm couple Nimmi and Viju Chengappa, the homestay truly lives up to its name as there are herds of elephants on an 'estate hopping' mission ever so often in the area.

The homestay section houses five bedrooms, an activity room, an open kitchen and a common outdoor dining area in the landscaped gazebo. The bedrooms in the new wing are pretty and cosy with a common kitchenette. In the old wing, the rooms are fuss-free with basic infrastructure, although the pet-friendly bedroom, in my opinion can be spruced up a little more - linen/blankets can be free of must. However, I would like to add that we spent such a lot of time in the outdoor, that all this hardly mattered.

The stay offers a rejuvenating experience for the senses what with gradients of coffee, silver oak and nandi trees providing a lush green treat, along with clusters of seasonal fruit trees and spices.  We woke up to the chirping of birds, ate yummy Kodava and Srilankan food made by host Nimmi (she has her roots in Srilanka - hence the Lankan food), lazed, spent quality time with the family, listened to some very interesting elephant (and other) stories from Viju and fell asleep to the songs of the insects.

Nimmi and Viju pampered us with delicious food - special mention of the crispy ceylon parathas (my husband's favourite), aubergine salad (Srilankan style), vegetarian and chicken curries along with paputtu (steamed rice cakes with desiccated coconut topping), and agastya leaf pakodas amongst other delectable delights from Nimmi's kitchen. Nimmi also makes fruit jams from the fruits grown on the estate. We sampled some lip smacking orange marmalade, passion fruit, mulberry and banana jams.  Viju introduced us to a great combination - idli with a blob of butter and some banana jam...it was yummm!

I get excited and nostalgic every time I see a passion fruit creeper or fruit as we had this plant in the house I grew up in, and my mom would always make fresh juice for my friends - and lots of them used to drop in just for the juice. I happened to mention this one evening to Nimmi, she quietly listened to my story and nodded. That night - she served one of the best desserts I have had in my life - passion fruit pulp with whipped cream! Thank you Nimmi...I was very touched!

Last but not the least, the hosts understand the dilemma of pet owners and welcome their guests' pets (in spite of having their own three dogs). My pet Subbi had a blast running scot free, chasing hens and chicken and playing ball with gay abandon.

Head to the Elephant Corridor if you want to ‘do nothing’, eat awesome food and have a good time without a big hole in the wallet. Plus, you can take your pet along.

Star Fruit Salad & Cocktail

I had completely written off the exotic star fruit from my list of favorites. I always thought it was either too sour, sweet or something in between. But that was until I read Chinmayie Bhat's blog on the star fruit salad. It looked so delicious I just had to try it. 

Few days after I read Chinmayie's post, I saw a fruit vendor selling star fruits. I was immediately reminded of the salad and decided to buy some and try making it with my own twist.

Typically, star fruits are in season from July through September in India. Guess I was lucky to find them in the middle of October. 

This salad is pretty easy. I basically tossed in whatever fruits and veggies I had at hand. And the best part is that everyone at home loved it!

Ingredients:
2 star fruits sliced
1 avocado diced
A bunch of Indian black grapes
2 tomatoes sliced
Chopped coriander
Chilli powder to taste
Some white til/sesame seeds
Salt to taste

Dressing:
2 tbs olive oil
Juice of I lime
1 tbs honey

Method
Arrange the cut fruits on a platter. Combine the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk. Drizzle the dressing over the fruits. Sprinkle salt, chilli powder and sesame seeds.

Star fruit cocktail

I used the leftover star fruit slices in a cocktail. Was pretty good even if I say so myself !

Combine 30ml vodka, 30ml white wine, 60ml  orange juice, some sprite, lots of ice and  2-3 slices of star fruit. Tangy and refreshing!

No Bake Nutella Cheesecake

A Sunday afternoon lunch at a friend's place called for some dessert! As I was feeling very lazy ( remember it was a Sunday), I wanted to make something in a jiffy with ingredients I had at hand. Thanks to my 9 year old daughter (who is addicted to nutella) I had an unopened jar and some cream cheese!

This cheesecake turned out to be a big hit! Sinfully yummy and very easy to make. Best part is that it is a no-bake cheese cake!

Ingredients:

• Pack of 4 Marie Biscuits
• 100gms cooking butter
• Half cup milk
• Half tsp Vanilla essence
• One big jar Nutella
• 200gms Britannia Creamcheese
• 3tbs Drinking chocolate powder for dusting
• A dash of Hersheys chocolate syrup for decoration

Coarsely crush the Marie biscuits (in a mixer). Add softened butter and milk and mix thoroughly. Press into a spring form pan or a flat pudding dish to form a base of about 1 inch. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

In a food processor/hand blender mix the nutella, cream cheese and vanilla essence until well incorporated. Pour this mixture over the biscuit base and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. Before serving, dust a little drinking chocolate powder and add a dash of Hersheys chocolate sauce.

Caperberry, Dickenson Road : Restaurant Review

‘Provocation of Desire’ is what “caper berry” means in Hebrew and namma Caperberry lives up to its name for sure.

When Chetan Kamani, a foodie, organized an elaborate continental vegetarian dinner and tasting session at Caperberry for the Foodies in Bangalore group I was thrilled and marked the date on my calendar for two reasons; I love European cuisine and it was my first dining experience at Caperberry. And boy, what an experience it was!

We were treated to an elaborate six course dinner cooked using a food science called molecular gastronomy!

And that's right - a six course spread with a variety of exotic dishes - something like this;

Warm carrot and fennel soufflé with almond cream 

 Pan tossed asparagus, yellow bell pepper and tofu with honey chilli glaze

Avocado and mint gazpacho; Avocado cannelloni with cucumber and jalapeno's

 Tomato and roasted beetroot with feta cheese, arugula and sherry vinaigrette

 

Cauliflower and roast garlic risotto with panko crusted broccoli

Potato, goat cheese and onion perogi with herb butter sauce and sour cream

Spinach and ricotta gnocchi with char-grilled vegetables and pesto rosso

Roasted red and yellow bell peppers, sauerkraut and feta stuffing and paprika sauce

  

Ratatouille stuffed grilled portobello mushroom, saffron polenta, olives, garlic, chilli and extra virgin olive oil

Mixed beans cassoulet, wilted spinach and tomato basil sauce

 

Beet and honey caramel centred sponge cake with pineapple-celery sorbet

Baked pumpkin cheesecake with caramelized walnuts and orange sauce

Every course served was a visual and gastronomic delight. Food not only tasted good, but looked good as well. Quality of food in terms of freshness and flavour, presentation and service - just about everything was par excellence.

Every dish had a distinct flavour and there was nothing that I did not like or was not good. However, a special mention of the carrot and fennel soufflé for its delicate texture and flavour, the avocado cannelloni with cucumber and jalapeno dip for its yumminess and the way the avocado was painstakingly rolled, mind-blowing spinach and ricotta gnocchi and the beet and honey caramel centred sponge cake – I’d never had a dessert as delicious as this ever! 

Last but not the least – we had a demo of cryo cooking (cryo is Greek and means "icy cold") as part of the molecular gastronomy culinary trend. Basically, liquid nitrogen and dry ice become gases at room temperature, leaving no residue in the food at all. This technique has now become popular to make smooth ice creams and flavoured bubbles. Here, litchi flavoured cream balls were dropped into liquid nitrogen to make extremely smooth bubbles that are firm on the outside and soft inside. 

I popped a bubble into my mouth and it burst into cold and smooth litchi flavours that quickly melted away.

This post would be incomplete without mentioning the hosts – Shruthi & Abhijit Saha who co-owns Caperberry. Abhijit was constantly looking for feedback and very patiently heard what each guest had to say. And Shruthi - warm and friendly person that she is, put everyone at ease and took excellent care of the guests.

Caperberry is an expensive restaurant, but then, it is worth the money spent.

I am already looking forward to my next visit to, and that says a lot for sure.

Verdict: 5/5

Chutney Chang, Museum Road : Restaurant Review

A lavish spread of 54 dishes and live counters- is what the ads claim. And they live up to it for sure!

Agreed, they probably have the longest buffet in Bangalore, but definitely not the best - not bad either but okay I guess. 

Their chaats were decent. Starters were fine. North Indian main course was regular fare, and Oriental food was just about decent.

 The Longest Buffet

The Chat Counter 

However, a special mention of their daal makhni - it was really delicious. Rich, creamy and the right amount of spice. We told the manager that the daal makhni was awesome - he was so pleased with the feedback that he got the chef to come over and meet us. Also, the chef very sweetly shared the recipe!

 Chutney Dips Assortment

The assortment of chutneys and dips at every table is another special and interesting offering.

Desserts

The dessert spread was pretty large with a variety of pastries, cheesecake, halvas, cut fruits, chocolate fondue and ice cream.

Chutney Chang takes the cake for the enormous spread, ability to continually replenish the buffet and good service. But if you are looking for authenticity in Indian and Oriental food, its not the place.

It is very difficult to do justice to such a huge spread. At best, sampling of every dish is what someone with a really good appetite will probably do. Sometimes, the very sight of too much food can kill one's hunger pangs, and that happened to a few of us. 

Chutney Chang = Value For Money.

And nothing more than that.

Verdict : 3/5

Woodstok, Domlur : Restaurant Review

Tucked away in the by-lanes of Domlur service road is Woodstok - resto-cafe. A quaint little bungalow is converted to house this restaurant. Seating is cozy and comfortable and ambiance is straight out of the 70s with the best of retro music playing in the background. 

It has been a while since I thoroughly enjoyed a meal the way I did at Woodstok. Everything we ordered was delicious. And the best part is their happy hours are till 9pm - a double of the cocktails and wine.

Roasted Tomato Zucchini Soup

My only grouse is that they had run out of the bun soup - oh well, next time!

Chacos Nachos

Mexican cottage cheese kebabs

The quality of food is par excellence. Here is what we had.

• Roasted Tomato Zucchini Soup: Decent – typical soup.

• Chacos Nachos: Crunchy & cheesy - served with decent salsa and guacamole

• Mexican cottage cheese kebabs: Now this is something new I'd never tried. Was 
OK - just that I could not figure out how the cocoa powder marination added any value to the flavor.

• Cannelloni: Creamy, heavy and delicious. Their portions are pretty large; one has to keep that in mind while placing an order.

• Vegetable Pot Pie: Crisp and crumbly crust on the outside, soft, cheesy and yummy filling inside. Again - heavy and rich overall.

• Fajita: Tasted pretty similar to the nachos, but then the veggies on the sizzling platter were way too tasty to complain. And the dips of course were awesome.

• Baked strawberry Cheesecake: Just one word to describe it - YUMM!
 

Cannelloni

Vegetable Pot Pie

Baked strawberry Cheesecake

Woodstok wins hands down for fantastic food, quick and courteous service and near perfection in just about everything.

I would not say the menu is priced reasonably - but when you see the quality of food, it’s worth the money spent.

PS: We were totally stuffed after this dinner ….sluggish and satiated J

Verdict: 4.5/5

Europe Travelogue : Part 3

France : Paris

Romance + crème brulee + french wine + fashion + art & history = PARIS

But personally, I found the hype around Paris city totally blown out of proportion. Crazy traffic, dirty metro stations, snobbish and rude people is what we pretty much got.

Of course, the art and history in the city is something that artists and architects will totally love. We spent one full day at the Louvre and maybe almost 2 hours staring at the enigmatic Mona Lisa painting.  Louvre took me back in time to art history classes while in college - paintings through different periods in history, neo classical and gothic architecture, sculptures and fresco.

Louvre

The Notre Dame Cathedral was another place that took me back to art history classes - beautiful fresco on the walls and brilliant stained glass painting! 

Notre Dame Cathedral

 Notre Dame Cathedral

Stained Glass Paintings

We took a 'Discover Paris' walk with a guide in Montmartre Square. The walk was a lovely experience - from the oldest cabaret - Moulign Rouge, to the famous windmill atop the hill, to Picasso's house and the place where Van Gogh first lived and used to buy his breakfast from...loved every bit of it. 

 Montmarte Square

Last, but not the least - the Eiffel Tower. Looked lovely in the evening when it was all lit up. The place was abuzz with activity in spite of the slight drizzle and chill winds. 

 Eiffel Tower

The famous French crepes with chocolate spread is what we had by the Seine river the evening we visited the Eiffel Tower. It was just about okay, although my friends loved the ones with non-veg filling.

Crepes with cheese

Patisseries (French bakery) in France are a delight for people with a sweet tooth like moi. A treat here is the macaroons - light and crisp on the outside with soft natural flavour cream inside. Pistachio flavoured one was yumm. French croissants turned out to be my husband's favourite. He totally sweared by them and said they were the best he'd had till date. Baguette and cheese is something I tasted for the first time and pretty much liked it. The bread is a little hard though, but the cheese spread makes it very tasty. The cupcakes and pastries in general are very tasty in most Patisseries. We had a tough time restraining a friend from entering each and every patisserie we passed. :)

Louis Vuitton store on Champs Elvsee

My friend and I walked down Champs Elysee in the rain window shopping. We passed by the Louis Vuitton flagship store but dint go in as we were soaking wet and shabby! Almost every second person in Paris seemed to carry an LV bag (though most of them I suspect are fake!). I asked the Parisian guide on the walking tour about this and he said it was "a mass luxury" Parisians enjoyed given that LV was a French label. I wonder how luxury can be a mass thing.

Paris can be passed off as any Asian city. Except for parts around the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and few other well-known touristy spots, it is over hyped. Also, the city can be unsafe at times – thefts and pickpocketing are very common – mostly tourists are the target. And despite the multi-culture, a non-Parisian is treated as an outsider.

Europe Travelogue : Part 2

Switzerland

Zurich

We flew into a small town called Basel from Amsterdam. The Basel airport is real tiny and manned by the armed forces and shared between Germany, France and Switzerland. From Basel, we took a Euro rail to Zurich. 

 View from the train

Train travel in Europe, particularly Switzerland is an experience by itself. More so, because of the scenic beauty one gets to see all around. Green fields dotted with the trademark yellow buttercups, huge jersey cows grazing in the fields with the Swiss bells hanging from their necks, pretty little cottage-type houses with colourful flowered plants in window sills and snow-capped mountains in the background. A perfect setting for Bollywood movies (YFR? J)!

 View from the train

The city of Zurich is a happening tourist destination and also the biggest city in the country. Numerous art galleries and museums dot the cityscape along with modern structures and a vibrant nightlife. Clubs & restaurants by the quay, the famous station road called Bahnhofstrasse (also Zurich’s fashion mile) and the old town area are the main attractions.

 Zurich by night

The locals in Zurich are pretty cordial and polite and most people speak English, although instructions are in German and Swiss.

Luzern

From Zurich, we headed to Luzern – a city nestled in a valley of snow-capped mountains along the beautiful lake Luzern. This is easily an adventure enthusiast’s dream destination. Water sports on the lake, hiking and adventure trails in the mountains and paragliding for those who want an adrenaline rush. We took a ferry ride on the lake and trekked up to Mt. Rigis, and came down the cable car. A fun hike, with a slight drizzle, some snow and picture postcard perfect scenery.

Chapel Tower & Bridge

For history buffs, there is the old town area with the Chapel Bridge and tower, statue of the injured lion, many forts and cathedrals.

Switzerland is synonyms with chocolates and cheese. We decided to try some of the “real’ home-made Swiss chocolates from what are called “Chocolatiers” – chocolate shops basically – as opposed to the packed branded ones easily available in retail stores world over. 

 Fresh home-made chocolate slabs

 Truffles

There are milk chocolate slabs, roasted nutty ones, truffles, liquor chocolates and fancy decorated ones. We sampled a bit of each variety before buying them and I must say they were delicious!

There are many different types of Swiss cheese in the market. Typically, Swiss cheese is pale yellow with holes. I was immediately reminded of Tom and Jerry type animated blocks of cheese. However, not all Swiss cheese is with holes. Gouda, hard, semi-hard and cream cheese are some of the popular varieties.

My cheese fondue experience was a bit of damp squib. Firstly, I had to literally hunt for a restaurant serving fondue in the old town area of Luzern. After finding one, no one attended to us even after waiting for twenty minutes in a half-full diner. While not blatantly racist, we realised we were being given the jibes and undertones. In a country that thrives on tourism, more so from South-East Asia and India in particular, it was shocking to note that these things still happen. We finally had to walkout, and it seems like that is what they wanted. Ended up having a decent margarita pizza and yummy tiramisu at an Italian restaurant. 

Tiramisu

Next evening, we discovered another joint. Pretty much the same treatment, but for some reason, they decided to serve us just when we were about to walk out. Although the fondue was creamy and rich in texture, it lacked distinct flavour and after a point, even for a cheese lover like me, the cheese smell became sickening. To say the least, the entire experience left a bad taste in the mouth.

Engelberg & Mount Titlis

A quick and picturesque train ride from Luzern to Engelberg brought us to the base of Mount Titlis – Switzerland’s highest peak in the Urner Alps. A typical touristy destination, we were pretty taken aback at the number of country cousins getting off the ‘coach tours’ and “organized tour groups”! Aunties in silk saris, red mouthed paan chewing uncles in safari suits, newlyweds holding mehendi decorated hands – phew! Added to this, at the entrance to the ticket counter is an Indian food stall selling “Indian Masala tea, Vada Pav, Paav Bhaaji” and other savouries! 

Engelberg

From here, a ride in the revolving Rotair, an aerial cable car that provides an awesome 360-degree panoramic view of the snow-covered valleys, glaciers, lakes, and mountains delivered us to the mountain top. It was truly an exhilarating experience! Once on top, there are loads of adventure activities such as snowboarding and skiing.

But the noisy crowds, endless queues to use the bathroom, to click filmy photographs in certain places and even grab a quick bite were a total putt-off.  The artificial snow cave is rather silly, the resort is not well maintained and the restaurant serves pretty bad food – including cold and stale Indian food! 

However, the beautiful mountains and the cable car ride make-up for everything else that is not great at Mt. Titlis. Switzerland is a beautiful country with one of the best country sides, clean cities, great infrastructure and no visible poverty. The only sore point of our stay here was the racial undertone we experienced at the fondu place.