Lunch With my Darling T

There are some friends that come into your life and stay... No matter how often you communicate, no matter how often you don't manage to pick up the phone... They are just sent by a higher power to be your guardian angels and make your life better, more fun and more bearable. T is one such friend.

I had not seen her for ages and was so happy when we could finally coordinate lunch on a Friday afternoon. Of course, as it often happens, I got caught up in kids' stuff but this time it was serious - it was regarding my daughter's visa and I had to return to the FRRO office after a certain amount of time to collect it, and this was exactly the time we had planned our lunch!

I was on the verge of canceling when I decided that enough is enough and that I would move heaven and earth to make this lunch happen. That I don't need to be the perfect mother today and be home for the kids' lunch. And that if T could pre-pone our meeting, it would work.

And yes, we managed to meet an hour and a half earlier, have an amazing lunch, catch up (even her mom joined us for a few moments) and T even came with me to the FRRO to keep me company while waiting for the visa to be stamped into my baby's passport.... T, do I tell you enough that I love you??

So, back to our lunch... There is a chain of restaurants in Bombay called Spaghetti Kitchen with I love!! The menu is really extensive and loads of choices of salads, soups, side dishes, pastas, pizzas and mains. I have rarely been disappointed by the food. Their salads are generous, fresh and taste amazing. Their thin crust pizzas are some of the best I have tasted anywhere in the world (proscuitto and rucola, HIGHLY recommended!). I still remember a lunch that my mom and I shared there - grilled fish, salad, pizza, chilled beer, tiramisu and espresso - one of the best I have ever had!!).

So T and I landed at Spaghetti Kitchen at Nariman Point... She first ordered a starter of freshly baked ciabatta bread with white bean paste.

What a discovery!!! I had never tried it before and I just couldn't help digging in! The white bean paste was amazingly light and perfectly seasoned and drizzled with olive oil. The bread was fresh and warm and just what comfort food should be all about. I would go back to just have this dish and a nice little soup... Bliss!

T ordered a Caesar salad for herself, and I ordered a tomato soup and tabbouleh salad with added grilled chicken:

It looked sumptuous and appetising but it ended up being a bit too dry, so I ended up having some more bread and bean paste :-)

The best news was that T, a Cordon Bleu trained chef, who has taken a break from her career in advertising, has decided to try her hand at catering healthy desserts (yes I know it sounds almost absurd, these two words put together) and I can't wait for that to happen! I am sure she will do well. So watch this space...