Experiencing Thai cuisine at Benjarong, Bangalore | Thota's Blog

Posted in Food, Restaurant Reviews, Reviews at 11:05 pm by dhempe

I always wanted to visit the exclusive Thai restaurant Benjarong in Bangalore. I had heard some really good reviews about the place and as I had got addicted to Thai food when I went to Thailand for my honeymoon, I wanted to check out Benjarong soon. So it was great to get a chance to review the food at Benjarong as part of the burrp Chef?s Table presented by Yes Bank in association with VH1. It was meant to be an evening in the company of Chefs, some great food and like-minded foodies.

Benjarong restaurant with the tagline ?The lingering taste of Thailand? was very inviting and decked up for a special event with the bloggers and a food festival happening there too. It is located on Ulsoor road which is parallel to MG road near Trinity circle.

If you are wondering what Benjarong means, it literally means ?Five Colors? and is very similar to the Hindi word for the same ?Panch Rang?! In this particular context, it means the unique kind of Thai porcelain which is renowned for its intricate and exquisitely executed patterns. Read on to find out more about Benjarong!

Benjarong was nicely decked up for the ?Loi Krathong? festival which literally means the ?Festival of Lights?. This is similar to our Diwali festival and was from 26th November 2012 to 9th December 2012. Soon it was time to indulge in a splendid range of Thai delicacies and be overwhelmed by the experience!

Our welcome drink at the Chef?s table was the Siam sparkle which was a sweet drink but had flavors of ginger and chillies. It was a nice drink to refresh us after a long day at work and prepare our palate for the Thai food feast that lay ahead of us!

First starter we tried was the Miang Kham which is a traditional snack from Thailand and Laos. It means ?eating many things in one bite?. It has many flavors like ginger, lemon, chillies, peanuts and onions. It is similar to Paan that we have in India but is an appetizer and the burst of flavors in your mouth is amazing!

Next on the list of appetizers were Grathong thong je and Tod mun pla. Grathong thong je was water chestnuts, mixed peppers, corn and peas with minced chicken tossed in a delicate sauce served in rice tartlets. Tod mun pla were Thai fish cakes served with cucumber and peanut relish. There was also Salad in form of Larb Gai which is minced chicken salad with mint and makrut leaves in a spicey dressing. These appetizers were relished by us and we asked for a second helping to enjoy the wonderful taste!

If you thought only non-vegetarians had access to the best food at Benjarong, you are mistaken! Even the vegetarians were spoilt for a choice as they enjoyed not just Grathong thong je for appetizers, but also Tung Tong which was crispy fried golden bags with water chestnut filling. These were really yummy and even non-vegetarians asked for multiple servings of this!

In the meanwhile as we waited for the main course to arrive, we had a glimpse of the different spices which are used in the Thai cooking at Benjarong. These are specially sourced from Thailand itself if they are not available in India. These included basil leaves, pepper, chillies among others. We were really fascinated to hear about the commitment to authentic Thai cooking which the chefs at Benjarong have. They have made multiple trips to Thailand to learn the tricks of the trade and also adopted some of the home cooking from Thailand in their menus here which is not available anywhere in the world!

The non-vegetarians had a surprise in store for them as we got our soup in a very traditional Thai style which I had seen in Thailand where Thai curry is served in the same style too! We got the Tom Kati goong soup which is Thai coconut cream soup with prawn, lemon grass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves served in tender coconut shell! I loved this soup and it definitely was one of the best highlights of the day!

Main course for non-vegetarians was Pahd thai goong (wrapped in egg omelette) which is thai rice sticks cooked in a sweet and tangy sauce with prawns. I wasn?t really excited with this but what impressed me more was the Hormok Talay which was steamed seafood mousse ? I loved the delicate tastes in this! To wrap up the main course we had Gai tod nam prik pow which was chicken tossed in a roasted chilli paste.

After tasting such wonderful food, we were really full but the chefs at Benjarong told us to wait for the dessert which was a trio of surprise! We had Sakoo piak maprow on, which is Thai sago pudding with young coconut and corn along with Water chestnut in coconut milk and Lemon grass ice cream! To say I was pleasantly amazed would be an understatement!

I was blown away by this wonderful Dessert to complete an outstanding meal! This definitely was one of the best food experiences of all time. I was really thankful to Benjarong and Burrp for such a wonderful evening!

Swapnil Midha, Assistant Manager at Oriental Cuisines which manages Benjarong along with many other wonderful restaurants like Ente Keralam and The French Loaf took a bow for this wonderful feast along with the chefs of Benjarong who created a wonderful experience for us!

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Source: http://www.dhempe.com/2013/01/01/benjarong-bangalore/

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Must See HDTV (December 31st - January 6th)

This week we say goodbye to 2012, and after the New Year's Eve festivities tonight we welcome not only college football bowl games and pro football playoffs, but also the return of many of our regularly scheduled TV shows. EHD podcast fave Justified also makes an appearance this week as seaosn three comes to Blu-ray. Portlandia fans should be ready to put a bird on it, and all those who've remained Downton Abbey spoiler free can check out the series' return Sunday night. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Looper
This time travel flick stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis playing a hitman that suddenly has the inconvenience of having both his present and future self existing at once, to the dismay of his employers. As with all movies that put time travel at their center it quickly gets more complicated, but there are some decent special effects scenes that make it well worth checking out in HD.
($19.99 on Amazon)

College Football
Bowls and bowls and bowls. While we're still awaiting the championship game, there are several big time games scattered throughout the week, plus a bevy of smaller bowls to keep things interesting. Check after the break for the dates, times and teams, and don't skip over the college football championship that will be played this week as Sam Houston State and North Dakota State vie for the FCS (aka DI-AA) crown

Over/Under
This USA show wasn't picked up for a series, but its two hour pilot will air Friday night. Its plot follows a fallen day trader / degenerate gambler that starts a high-end booking business. We highlight it because fans of Breaking Bad (and, we guess, Revolution, if it has fans) might want to check out Giancarlo Esposito popping up in a supporting role.
(USA, January 4th, 10PM)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (December 31st - January 6th)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Sean West: Why There's A 2-1 Chance That We ... - Business Insider

The Senate has wrapped up its session for the evening without a vote on the Fiscal Cliff.

It will reconvene at 11 AM tomorrow, just 13 hours before we hit the Fiscal Cliff, when taxes are scheduled to rise and spending cuts go into force.

It's up for debate, as to whether it really matters if we get a deal now or in early January, but for now, the question remains: Will we hit the Cliff or not.

Lately we've been closely following Eurasia Group analyst Sean West (find him here on Twitter) who has been "dovish" all along on the outcome of the talks.

We asked him after today's festivities whether he is still optimistic, and he says he is, and that he puts the odds of a deal at "2-1."

The key development today, says West, is that Senate leadership has brought other Senators into the fold:

I'm looking for a deal to be announced overnight or in the morning. ?Leadership has now brought all their members into the loop so they will have ownership and little reason to complain about swift Senate action. The House is more of a wildcard but I bet if the White House and Senate get a deal, The House will pass it and stop the fiscal cliff before it starts.

Why does this matter?

The caucus briefings today were an opportunity for rank and file Senators to be brought into the process and understand what each side had put on the table. It's no longer a secret one on one negotiation; some members might have had qualms about fast tracking the product of a totally private negotiation. Now swift passage of any deal will be easier, at least in the Senate.

And fundamentally, both sides really want a deal now:

Going through the deadline is bad for so many reasons that both parties want to avoid it. Today's scramble demonstrates the power of the deadline. ?Obama doesn't want to poison the well before his second term starts, and he doesn't want to risk being blamed for economic damage or actually triggering a recession. Republicans know they will get much of the blame and fewer concessions--like a lower tax threshold-- if they are viewed as causing a cliff crisis. And neither side truly believes a retroactive fix is that straightforward: there will be a new Congress, a sour political environment and no looming deadline to force action after the first of the year.

Ultimately he expects the tax threshold at $500K.

For more on today's back and forth, see here >

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/sean-west-why-theres-a-2-1-chance-that-we-get-a-fiscal-cliff-deal-tomorrow-2012-12

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Lace Up Your Shoes, RunKeeper 3.0 Hits In Time For New Years With A New Interface And Improved Social Features

The world needs more people in skin tight lululemon and short shorts that would make even the UPS man blush. Our culture's healthy obsession with running in large circles helps combat our other national pastime of gorging fists full of toxically concentrated "food." Popular running social app, RunKeeper, just released version 3.0 to exploit the post-New Years health frenzy, with improved end-of-activity functionality for sharing pictures, especially over Twitter. Bolstered by a $10 million Series B, RunKeeper has ambitious aims to be the "facebook for health" for its growing community which now numbers over 14 million users.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Jp9tNBaQt84/

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Tribune leaves bankruptcy after 4 years

CHICAGO (AP) ? Tribune Company says it has emerged from a Chapter 11 restructuring more than four years after the media company sought bankruptcy protection.

The reorganized company is starting with a new board of directors and new ownership including senior creditors Oaktree Capital Management, Angelo, Gordon and Co., and JPMorgan Chase and Co.

The company also said Monday that it closed on a new, $1.1 billion senior secured term loan and a $300 million revolving credit line.

Tribune was founded in 1847. It publishes the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune and also owns WGN in Chicago and 22 other television stations.

It sought bankruptcy protection in 2008, less than a year after billionaire developer Sam Zell led an $8 billion leveraged buyout that left the company with $13 billion in debt.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-31-Tribune-Bankruptcy%20Exit/id-eff4dc02b3254b3eae88bda55813e47d

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BroncosCentral: RT @JeffDarlington: Good luck to Broncos coach John Fox today as he pursues ...

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Oil & Gasoline Markets End 2012 with Swollen Inventory Levels

By EconMatters


In analyzing the last EIA report of the year it is noteworthy that gasoline stocks really rose the last 5 weeks of the year. The takeaway isn`t so much that gasoline inventories rose 23 million barrels the last 5 weeks of the year, wow that is some build in inventories, but the fact that Oil inventories barely budged at all during the process.
Seasonal issues regarding tax selling in order to move as much oil through the system to avoid higher tax liabilities is primarily responsible for the higher run rates of refineries, and thus the build in gasoline inventories, but that should result in large drawdowns of oil as there is a push and pull between products and the base commodity oil. Yet we end the year slightly above the 370 million barrel mark in US oil inventories. This is actually very bearish for oil because with these gasoline builds refineries are not going to want to keep adding more gas to storage as part of the reason refiners have done so much better with their margins is by keeping low inventory levels in the products so you have what appears to be a tight market. Well, we no longer have a tight market in gasoline, so no need to draw as much crude to produce the end product. We should start to experience some rather substantial builds over the next couple of months in crude oil as refiners request less base commodity, and lower their run rates. The Rise in Domestic Production This occurrence really points to the rise in US domestic production as imports were fairly light during the last two months of the year, and we normally have substantial drawdowns with refinery run rates in the 90s, so something definitely worth paying attention to going forward into 2013. Another point on imports and domestic production is that there is a very noticeable trend on the charts; imports have trended down after July, which is what one would expect after the summer driving season is coming to an end, but domestic production starts accelerating at a sharp right angle from July towards year-end. So these are domestic projects that are strongly trending regardless of summer driving season demand, and unlike imports that are managed according to seasonal demand dynamics, i.e., ?Saudi Arabia pumps more or less depending upon the season, the domestic projects are just going full bore and on a production path to increase performance each and every month if possible. This is something new to the market because we no longer have managed supply, just as Iraq is maximizing production right now because they need the revenue, well these domestic projects are just revenue based machines, and not being managed based upon supply and demand of the end market.? I will provide two charts to illustrate this interesting phenomenon.

The Demand Picture

Another point to be made is what is happening with gasoline demand, down in the wholesale sector 2.8 percent year-on-year. With GDP being better than expected, and most believing that the economy is stronger than it was last year, this could be related to better fuel efficient vehicles on average in the US consumer fleet as the car sales were pretty good the last two years, and maybe higher prices changing driving behaviors on a more permanent basis.?

The demand chart for 2012 can be explained by the run-up and actual summer driving season, with the inevitable falloff towards the end of the year. However, many analysts have forecast that the US being a mature country is going to trend down on a longer term basis from a demand standpoint, with most of the growth coming from emerging markets, but the year over year comparison is something worth paying attention to for 2013.

?If we have a repeat deceleration in demand at the end of 2013 year comparisons then further analysis will be needed to identify potential additional reasons for slowing demand in an economy that is seemingly strengthening with a stronger housing and employment market.? Fundamentals versus Price It would be great if Wall Street actually invested and traded based upon the fundamentals, but the oil markets have long since diverged from trading upon the fundamentals, especially in the short term, and are more ripe with ?managing? price swings either through sophisticated algorithms, and ?creative? fund flows than any notion of the fundamentals. To put it non-euphemistically, basically the oil market has been rigged for years, like most markets to some extent, and is about as corrupt as it comes. All any bystander has to do is pull up a price ladder of bids and asks, known as a trading Dom, and watch all the large fake orders and other assorted order flow shenanigans used to manipulate price up and down the chart each day. However, over the long term, the markets cannot stray too far from the fundamentals, for eventually the fundamentals take precedent over the trading shenanigans, especially if there is a definable, sustained trend in the fundamentals, and it appears that we are entering a new age where the world is going to have a five year period of abundant supply. A New Era: Growing Economy with Lower Energy Prices In fact, more supply than demand, even with a robust economy, because part of the reason the world economy will be doing so well is all the global enterprises out there producing oil. It?s a good business with very high margins when compared to many other industries with the past decade of higher prices.
Consequently, even if the US economy really takes off in 2013 as some have forecasted, don`t look for demand to overtake supply in the equation. The domestic oil renaissance means that we could have a booming economy, and still have more supply than we can use each day. Thus it is actually possible to have an era with a great economy, and even lower oil prices due to the domestic oil boom.?
Further Reading -?Cushing 50 Million, Boom & Bust Cycles, US Debt & Recession

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