Aarey to Zoru -A to Z. Miyawaki Method. My views on the royal mess.

On Friday 4^th October 2019 the Bombay High Court declared its Judgement in the various litigation filed challenging the construction of a car shed in the Aarey Milk Colony for the new Metro infrastructure Project. This Project is massive and should transform public transport in Mumbai. The construction of the car shed would entail the cutting of several fully-grown trees. In case you are living in the dark ages, the Bombay High Court did not grant any relief to the Petitioners. Hence, from Friday 4^th October, post the Judgement, thru until Monday morning, in a systematic, well-co-ordinated, cold blooded efficient movement, all the arms of the Government and bureaucracy organised cutting down of some 2141 trees.

The media, social, print, television was ablaze. Peoples passions were at a zenith. All kinds of opinions were bandied about from, blaming the BJP, to you cannot cut trees at night, to pending proceedings in the Supreme Court, thieves in the night, and many many more.

I can say with a fair degree of certainty that a very small number of people would have even bothered to read the well-reasoned 39-page Judgement. What was more disturbing, in my view, was the subsequent Judgement also by the Bombay High Court, rejecting an application to stay operation of the original 39-page Judgement. This subsequent judgement only further exposes how poorly advised the Petitioners were. I am unsure if the Petitioners -effectively D Stalin and Zoru Bhathena - were poorly advised or simply so bloody egotistical that they refused to listen to sage advice. My reason for this rather provocative conclusion arises, firstly, from two passages in the Judgements and secondly, from the fact that no big name brand Senior Counsel appeared for the Petitioners in this litigation. Surprising indeed.

I am reproducing these two passages. However, I really and earnestly urge you to read the original Judgement. It is illuminating in many ways. The link is here.

The two passages are reproduced under. The first is the passage from the original Judgement.

“29. Repeatedly, Davids (environmentalist) take on industrial Goliath's. Relationship with nature and love for environment alone is true and all other relationships are unreal and temporary, is their belief. Their hearts are a temple of devotion to flora and fauna. In the instant case, the Davids row their boat with faith, courage and devotion in the storm of development; but directionless. The Greens fail in the instant petition because they have lost touch with the procedure to be followed as per law.”

In the original fable, David won. Here, unfortunately that was not the case. 

As I have written, the Judgement was declared on Friday 4^th October 2019. On Saturday 5^th October 2019, on a holiday a Bench of the Bombay High Court was specially constituted to hear an urgent plea for stay of the Judgement declared on 4^th October 2019. Who should appear for the Petitioners in a matter of such utmost importance? Ms. Sonal. Alas, poor Ms. Sonal has not been graced with a surname. Ever heard of her? While that may be shocking, do read the two paragraphs extracted from the Special Bench order. More shocking. You can read this short Judgement here.

“6. Having noted the rival contentions, we are of the firm opinion that the petitioners attempted to question the tree cutting at the site in not one, but two legal proceedings. The Division Bench has followed another order dated 25th October, 2018 rendered in the writ petitions, one of which was also by Mr.Zoru Darayus Bhathena. Now, in the second round, all the petitions are dismissed by the detailed judgments dated 4th October, 2019. Once all the substantive proceedings are dismissed, it would not be proper to pass any restraint order and merely on a praceipe.

7. There is nothing on record to show that any request was made to stay the operation, implementation and enforcement of the judgment and order, nor any specific restraint was sought. We cannot proceed on any oral understanding. Merely because another Bench is constituted, it would not be proper to grant any relief. The nature of the relief is such that if it is granted, that would directly contravene the observations, findings and conclusions in the detailed judgment.

8. Hence, the request is refused.”

Now do you get why I ask if the Petitioners were poorly advised or simply so bloody egotistical?

One last point. In a previous litigation on the same subject, the Bombay High Court passed a detailed Order among other things expressly directing the planting of trees. I reproduce that passage. Makes interesting reading.

“(1) Open area shown on the Part Plan of proposed modification shall be kept open and it shall be binding to conserve the trees on part of the said land permanently.

(2) To mitigate the environmental impact to Aarey Colony following measures shall be undertaken:

i)               Ground water recharging arrangements to be provided in the Depot.

ii)              Plantation of Trees as per recommendation of the Committee

iii)            Trees above 10 feet height of native variety only be planted.

iv)            Plantation to be undertaken by professional agencies only.

v)             Annual Audit of plantation by Third Party and Reports posted on the Company's website. vi) MMRC to maintain these trees for 5 years.

(3) Total 33 Hectors of land shall be used only for Metro Car Depot/ Workshop, allied users only. Commercial user shall not be permitted.”

If this was already ordered by the Bombay High Court, and this order was in full force did the Petitioners challenge once again out of stubbornness, ill advise or ego? I leave it to you to decide.

My personal view is that of course cutting of trees should not be permitted. By the same token, of course the Metro should be established. If various experts have decided that the Car Shed for the Metro should be at place X necessitating cutting of trees then, so be it. Undoubtedly, replacement trees have to be planted. The amazing thing is that an order to plant  trees was already in place. I would have been happy if the Petitioners had instead asked for strict implementation of that order instead of making such an unholy mess.

Anyway, so much for legal niceties.

As things happened, we were in Hyderabad over the weekend of 5^th and 6^th October. And, Hyderabad has a Metro. A good one. The Queen of Kutch and I travelled on it and it was a most pleasant experience. Air conditioned, clean, and quick. Rs. 40 for the journey we took. Oh yes, there are actually fully functioning escalators to take you from street level to the Metro Station some 30 - 50 feet up. Escalators work in Hyderabad, unlike in Mumbai.

What however was completely coincidental was that while in Hyderabad we visited a mini forest. In the light of the Judgement and the cutting of trees, our visit to the mini forest was truly eye and mind opening for us.

A couple we know, after years of corporate jobs, bought an 11 acre plot some 50 kms outside Hyderabad. The land was rocky and had no ground water. At first, they constructed some outhouses, then their home, and now work is feverishly on to establish a petting farm an eco resort, with cottages, tents and dormitories, a central dining facility a library and what not. The construction is being done by compressed stabilised earth blocks  made on site, sustainably. The ultimate goal is to give back, get green, organic, educate, and be nice to nature. Very noble. I could never be like that. They call their property Arbor Road Estate. Here is their link, have a look.

What truly astounded me was the mini forest. Some of you readers may be aware of the Miyawaki Method. This is an exceptionally successful mini forest grown by Arbor Road Estate following the Miyawaki Method. Miyawaki Akira is a Japanese Botanist. Under the "Miyawaki method" he demonstrated that it is possible to restore native forests from seeds of native trees on very degraded soils which were deforested, without humus. Humus is the organic component of soil formed by the decomposition of leaves and plant material by soil micro-organisms.  Humus is not the chick pea paste you lather on your Sharwama! There is a huge amount of science that goes into the Miyawaki Method. The method postulates planting native trees very densely. At Arbor Road Estate in 2015 they planted some 6600 trees. In 2016 a further 1800. In addition, they planted in excess of 3000 landscape and fruit bearing trees. All in all, there are about 12,000 trees planted in 4 years. Of these more than 8000 trees are densely planted in 35,000 square feet.

Arbor Estate took technical assistance from a for profit, yes a for profit organisation called Afforestt. which helps create forests using the Miyawaki Method. You could read more about Afforestt here.

What Arbor Road Estate has done in just 4 years is truly awe inspiring. The trees in just four years are tall and lush and some are towering at over 30 feet. The wooded area is a haven for all kinds of wildlife. Today, as a result of the mini forest, the rain on the land has increased. They have harvested over 40 lakh litres of water, enough water to sustain them for an entire year, The number and variety of birds has dramatically increased. Butterflies and all kinds of insects are happy among the trees. In fact, the couple has identified and photographed more than 45 species of migratory and native birds on the land.

The fruits are fantastic, and HRH the Queen of Kutch will vouch for the Custard Apples. Originally the land had a few Custard Apple trees, but over the last 4 years they have multiplied. No chemicals or fertilizer is used on the land. Arbor Road Estate has in fact changed, for the better, the eco system of the entire area. A look at the photographs will show you the progress.

The point I am trying to make is simply this. A couple with only commitment and little knowledge, has successfully planted on barren land 12,000 trees including 8,000 in just 35,000 square feet. What can be done in Aarey and a hundred other places by using the Miyawaki Method boggles my mind.

Do you know how many trees were cut in Aarey? 2141. These 2141 trees were in 33 hectares which is 35,52,090 square feet, yes 35 lakh square feet. I am assuming that the entire 33 hectares are now without trees, I may be wrong in that assumption. Arbor Road Estate has planted 8,000 trees in 35,000 square feet. Do you realise the significance?

I really don’t want to bleat on. What has happened in Aarey is so sad. I so much wish that our Petitioners were a little more sensible about things. According to me, Stalin and Bhathena never had the plot. Zeal, vim and vigour, passion and commitment are one thing, however, this must be tempered by common sense, practicality and humility.

Above: Arbor Road Estate circa 2016. Barren land and fencing.

Above: A couple of years later. Miyawaki Method, Forest coming along the fence. The large pool in the centre that is now happily full.

Above: If you look carefully in the top centre of the photo you will see the under construction Machan. See how small the trees are in comparison to the Machan.

Above: The Machan now has trees towering over the rooftop. That is more than 30 feet. Just 4 years.

Rajasthani Pop Up - ITC Grand Maratha Mumbai

UPDATE:

This post reached the F&B department of ITC Grand Maratha. Mr. FOMO who was rather upset with the evening spoke to the head of F&B at ITC. ITC has promised to refund the money.
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The ITC Grand Maratha has, according to me, Mumbai’s finest restaurants. The Peshawri for North West Frontier cuisine, the Dum Pukth for Avadhi cuisine and Dakshin for South Indian food are at the very top of the tree. Of course, they are pricey, very pricey. Thus, you should visit them for a special occasion.

Occasionally, the ITC has special evenings. We had an excellent Italian & Truffle meal which you can read here. More recently the ITC organised a pop up of Avaratna their hugely successful modern South Indian restaurant from Chennai. You can read about Avaratna here. I have not written about the pop up, but suffice to say it was exceptional and Chef Bangera managed to recreate the difficult dishes and plating in Mumbai.

This weekend of 30^th and 31^st August, Chef Akshraj Jodha was presenting - I quote from the promotional flyer sent out by ITC - “recipes favoured by the regal dynasties of Rajasthan” with a 9 course meal. This was promising. Enquiries revealed that this would be traditional Rajasthani food, but, plated in a modern style. The non-vegetarian menu was good. 

We invited our close friend Mr. and Mrs. Financial Oracle Mo, whom I shall affectionately refer to as FOMO. Unfortunately, Mrs. FOMO actually MO’d as she was playing Head Disciplinarian to her teenage son. It is exam time! It was 3 of us for dinner.

A few pre-prandial cocktails and then it was on to dinner. The dinner was on the 15^th level in a room called Prive, which is the sort of lounge dining area for the Club rooms. I must say the room was rather well laid out and the table setting was most attractive and classy. Regal indeed.

Now I have not eaten Rajasthani food since we were in Jodhpur 15 years ago. HRH the Queen of Kutch had last eaten a lot of it when in ITC Khimsar a couple of years ago. We all know the cliched Rajasthani dishes, Lal Maas, Mirchi Bada, Pyaaj Kachori Ker Sangri, Daal Baati Choorma and so on. You really don’t get Rajasthani food in Mumbai. We were looking forward to this.

Alas, barring a couple of dishes the meal was rather poor by any standard. Many reasons for this which I shall get to. The food was plated well, the crockery itself was well chosen. But unfortunately, the proteins were overcooked, the seasoning was off and in the continual use of red/brown gravy all made with yogurt was simply boring, very boring and same tasting. It seemed like every dish was made with Dahi Kadhi. Frankly, the food was inadequately conceptualised and thought thru. Much much more R&D had to have been done.

I know I am being critical. The words of Chef Tarrantino ring in my years when I write this. He says every Chef works hard, 12 15 hours a day. Is it fair to criticise him? He is doing his best. I totally agree. The question therefore is, who is at fault if the food is not up to standard at a pop up? Is it the Chef? Is it the managers who allowed the pop up? Is it me for believing superlative food is always possible? Are my standards to high? I leave it for you dear readers to draw your conclusions.

Have a look at the food. I am reproducing the menu verbatim. The mistakes are not mine. Some menu descriptions are inaccurate, but it seems like neither did the Chef care nor the management!

Jowar Raab

[Sorghum Flour cooked in Buttermilk infused with herbs]

Maans Bootein

[Boneless Mutton cubes marinated in yogurt, smoked and cooked on charcoal]

Chatka Murgh

[Spice, herbs and yogurt marinated escalopes of chicken cooked on grill]

Chatak Macchi

[River Sole stuffed with Onion Cheese & Coriander cooked on grill served with garlic chutney foam]

Bater / Gulabi Paratha

[Quail cooked in Mustard Oil tempered with pickled spices and served with a Beetroot Paratha]

Laal Maas / Bajra Roti

[Mutton on the bone cooked in Methania Chilli and Yogurt served with Millet bread]

Daal Bati Choorma

[Traditional Rajasthani bread served with melange of lentils accompanied with Cardamom enriched sweet]

Maans Soyeta

[Millet grains cooked with Mutton and spices served with Desi Ghee and Kheecha Papad]

Gulkand

[Pushkar Rose Sorbet]

Fruit Ghevar

[Dessert made from flour and milk topped with fruits and condensed milk]

On the positive, the Jowar Raab was good. The Laal Maas was for all of us the dish of the evening with the Maans Soyeta coming a close second. The rest of the food had real problems.

Lets us get one thing straight. The food served was peasant food, rustic. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. The food was not Haute Cuisine. By plating it differently or attractively in smaller portions does not make it Haute Cuisine by any stretch of the imagination. As I have written earlier, much much more R&D, homework, experimentation, development – call it what you like - is required to elevate the food to Haute Cuisine. This was sorely missing. As FOMO said to me, it was more a dilletante's improvisation rather than a solid chef putting out and showcasing a memorable meal.

There was noting "Royal" either in conceptualisation or execution. As I have said this is rustic food.  If "Royal" the food should have been lavish, rich and sumptious. 

The second problem was that the Mutton in the Maans Bootein, the Fish in the Chatak Macchi and the Japanese Quail [Bater] were all very overcooked. The Bater [Japanese Quail] is a game bird and should be cooked pink. No such luck. Honestly, this is a problem we have in India. We overcook proteins, boil them to death in curries.

The Gulkand Sorbet was ice. The beautiful texture of a Sorbet missing. 

The Fruit Ghevar was a horror. First the menu mis-describes the dish stating “topped with fruits and condensed milk” The fruits were on the side. This dish was nothing but a one-dimensional sugar bomb very similar to the equally sugary sweet Shahi Tukda, which I am sure you are familiar with. I honestly ask, can you a 50 something year old person actually eat a portion of this dessert? Your child could, but you? 

Then there was the problem of simply bad food. The Daal Bati Choorma – do read the incomplete menu description – was uneatable. The Baati was like eating cardboard, or Styrofoam or saw dust. No, I have not eaten either, but I am sure you know what I am writing. The quantity of Daal was inadequate, unseasoned and could not redeem the bone dry Baati. The Choorma was something strange. Why was this served? I have no idea. I am not a chef, but the first thought that comes to me was to have made marble sized Baati and serve them along with a tasty Daal in larger quantities. Probably use the Choorma as a border to hold in the Daal. This was the worst dish of the night along with the Gulkand Sorbet

Now cast your eye over the menu once again. Remember what I wrote – Dahi Kadhi! Every dish except the Maas Soyeta and the Daal Bati Choorma has yogurt, or milk i.e. dairy. That is 7 out of 9 dishes. Boring folks. Yes yes I know that Rajasthani cuisine uses a lot of yogurt. I also know that at home, no Rajasthani worth his salt would ever have a 9-course meal with 7 courses using milk. Surely no where in the world, much less in a "Royal Court", would you have 9 courses in a banquet with 7 courses incorporating the same ingredient i.e. milk/yogurt? In a "Royal Court" the King would have had you either sacked or, beheaded!

It is surprising how such a poorly thought thru menu was presented. Everyone seems to have been asleep at the wheel. The sheer carelessness of even the description in the menu are a clear indication that something was fundamentally wrong with this pop up.

I do hope ITC pulls up its socks. Not worth the Rs 6000/- per head that we paid. We would love to have our money back. ITC prides itself on Indian Cuisine. It has built the hotel brand around it. This is a serious blip.

La Loca Maria - An unmitigated disaster.

Eating out in the past few weeks has been fairly disappointing. Readers will have read about how I believe standards have fallen at O Pedro. After that we had a sub-par meal at the newly opened Copper Chimney at Bandra. This has opened where it once was, a sort of reincarnation, on the start of the road leading to Bandra Station. The gravies were unbalanced, the meat tough, and, overall a let-down.

The experience we had at the newly opened La Loca Maria took the biscuit as far as I was concerned. It was the first time, in any restaurant, anywhere in the world, when we have returned both dishes we ordered, obviously uneaten, and, walked out without paying. It was that bad.

Of course, this was punctuated by an absolutely knockout meal at Ling’s Pavilion with some really excellent Clams Chili Garlic. Clams being very much in season now.

Above: Delicious Clams Chilli Garlic at Ling's Pavilion

La Loca Maria has opened on Turner Road in place of the long-standing Birdy’s, in the same building that has Sahiban, Café Coffee Day et al. Sometime in mid-April when walking along the footpath, HRH the Queen of Kutch saw some renovation at the site and a good looking white man standing outside. Curiosity piqued she asked white man what was happening. He replied that he was a chef and the owner of a Spanish restaurant that was to open in the first week of May. A new Spanish restaurant literally 50 meters from home. Much excitement.

Well, May came and went, so did June and July. Then in early August, we saw that the doors were open. A call was made and the answer was, nope not yet open, waiting for the liquor license which was expected shortly. Then the PR mini blitz started. A Spanish Chef married to a Maharashtrian girl was opening this place. He had worked at a series of 5-star properties in the Middle East and was part of the now long-shuttered Sergi Arola restaurant at the JW Marriot at Juhu. HRH the queen of Kutch was busy researching reviews. The excitement was reaching fever pitch, as the cliché goes.

So, on 14^th August, the day before the Independence Day dry day we wet our whistles at Irish House and walked across to La Loca Maria for our 8.45 pm reserved table.

As we entered, we saw the Chef glad-handing a table near the entrance. To put things in perspective, the site was a cake shop, hence small. It had now morphed into a restaurant. Broadly a third of the area is an open kitchen, another third is the seating and the final third is an illegal encroachment onto the open-air building compound. About 16 to 18 seats inside and probably 6 to 8 in the open, outside. How such a small restaurant can make economic sense I am mystified. On a Wednesday, a day before a holiday, at 9 pm the place was 50% full, or empty. Not a good sign. Obviously, still no liquor license.

The menu was handed out, two sheets, one with the food and a second with desserts. We decided, thankfully in retrospect, to order just 3 starters, gauge, and then order the main course. As an aside, the burgers were touted in the PR pieces as being excellent, so I told HRH the Queen of Kutch to keep an eye open to see how they looked in case they were being served to another table. As we waited for our food, a half-eaten burger was returned. OK, let’s give the benefit of doubt. Maybe, the diner was full and could not finish the burger.

We ordered 3 starters, all bog-standard classic traditional Spanish staples. Croquettes or Croquetas in Spanish, Prawns in Olive Oil with Garlic and Chilli or Gambas al Ajillo, and Charred Octopus.

First up the Mushroom and Truffle Croquettes with Garlic Aioli. Have a look at the photo. Primary rule in food, everything should be the same size. Rule is broken. You may say I am nit-picking. Really? Go to a pastry shop with different sized chocolate pastry and tell me which ones will sell first, the larger or the smaller? Fine, to use a chestnut, size does not matter, technique does. Here is where we had a huge problem. A Croquette is most often made with a very heavy thick Bechamel or white sauce which is flavoured with Chicken or Ham or Cheese etc. Thus, when you deep fry the Croquette, the Bechamel becomes creamy and delicious. It is honestly a delicious dish. What was served to us had minimal Bechamel, if at all, and was filled with breadcrumb. This, unfortunately, resulted in an extremely dry interior with an unpleasant mouthfeel and overpowering Truffle Oil flavour. Dish returned with 4 of the 6 Croquettes uneaten.

Above: The Croquettes

Next up was the Gambas al Ajillo. This dish a joy to eat. Dead simple. A terracotta cooking vessel called a Cazuela de Barro is heated with a generous amount of Olive Oil, sliced garlic and Chilli added along with Prawns. Finally, White Wine is added, sometimes some Paprika and the prawns are served in the Cazuela de Barro spitting, hissing and boiling hot. In La Loca Maria this was a tragedy. We got the prawns, lukewarm, overcooked in a stone-cold ceramic dish. To me, it seemed that a whole lot of prawns were cooked in advance, like prawn curry, in a large Dekchi, and simply plated. Two prawns eaten; dish returned.

Above: The Gambas al Ajillo at La Loca Maria

Above: An image I have taken from the Internet of what Gambas al Ajillo should be. Note the terracotta dish.

The order of Charred Octopus cancelled and the bill requested. Chef comes out looking harassed. I tell him this is unacceptable. The Gambas were stone cold, as was the dish which I repeatedly touched with my fingers to demonstrate the cold dish. He shrugged and melted away. The server said we hardly ate anything so why do we need the bill. I was so upset that I agreed with him and fetched my umbrella and walked out.

Dinner was leftover Goa Choriz Pulao washed down with an icy G&T.

I am totally at a loss as to how or why we got such terrible food. As I have written earlier, this was bog-standard Spanish food. Spanish food is codified, that is, it has rules and recipes that are fairly consistent across the board. It is not like our Hyderabadi, Luckhnowi, Bohri, Mopla, Avadhi and Calcutta biryani conundrum. Both Croquettes or Croquetas and Prawns in Olive Oil with Garlic and Chilli or Gambas al Ajillo are standard dishes which any Spanish chef should be able to cook with his eyes closed, half drunk. Is there any explanation? Is he simply a terrible cook? I find that difficult to believe. Has he been driven mad by us Indians who refuse to accept food for what it is and want it spicy or Chatpata or somehow bastardised? Or is it that this place targets Millennials, food bloggers, jurnos and PR types who are clueless at the best of times? If that is the case, the man has no pride. Why not serve good authentic food to those who are clueless? They anyway have no idea. Why compromise?

I predict that he will soon have a new menu, with the attendant hoopla. Thereafter, in the next 9 months, he will be gone.

Sad, But, honestly, he is solely to blame.