Ambrosia, at Aroma’s. Again.
We both belong to the same sun sign and we are as crazy as two mutinous recalcitrant bulls can be, so we decided to meet to have lunch together.
Instead of chicken, we decide to try fish. But before that, tea. A concoction called cineapple, a combination of cinnamon and apple, served in a ‘plunger’, with honey in a glass dispenser, with a lid and an elongated funnel. The cups are squat and transparent, so are the saucers that come along with them. I pour the tea into the cups and it is the colour of distilled sunshine. And then the aroma hits me and cancels out every thought in my head. Come to think of it, it doesn’t seem to require much effort to cancel every thought from my head.
My fish arrives.
Neatly arranged, on three different sides of the plate, are three separate entities. Two fillets of fish, char-grilled to perfection, with colours that range from brick red to golden brown, slightly burnt, lightly cooked, with just the promise of a crimson sauce drizzled on it, almost as an afterthought.
Sharing the plate, with meticulous discipline, a small heap of creamed rice, mixed in with herbs and a lot of devotion.
Lending a richer and more variegated colour, to the platter, are tiny portions of yellow baby corn, luscious green beans, brick-red carrots, and succulent, jade green broccoli.
In the time it took us to stare, in hypnotized admiration, at the food, the sauce had decided to go exploring. It had made brief forays into the land of the vegetables and the country of the rice. Before it could intensify its depredations, we pick up our respective forks, and after a small prayer, we dig in.
For some time, D and I couldn’t utter a word.
We let our eyes do the talking…and boy, did they talk!
Aroma’s.
I am going again.
Come along, if you wish to.
©️ 2022 Suma Narayan. All Rights Reserved.
Shoutout to Alison McBain for this fascinating ‘Abecedarian’ composition; both style and substance are remarkable!
