India has an image problem.
When I mentioned that I was going there for a holiday, the response was often, “Really?”, followed in the same breath by “Why?”, as though I had just announced that I was going on a dumpster-diving tour.
Part of it has to do with how the country has been portrayed in popular culture, from reality television game show The Amazing Race (2001 to present) to the movie Slumdog Millionaire (2008).
In a reminder of how powerful such images can be, a friend could recall the culture shock the participants felt in season 4 of The Amazing Race in 2003. They landed at Mumbai airport to an overwhelming reception of aggressive touts and later had to deal with the human crush of overcrowded Indian trains. At one point, someone was crying and exclaiming that it was all just too much to handle.
While it is exciting and exuberant, Slumdog Millionaire is also about the less savoury aspects of Indian society, such as street children getting blinded to become more effective beggars, and the deplorable conditions of slum dwelling. In one indelible scene, a child jumps into the communal toilet pit and emerges covered in human excrement.
In some of these depictions of India seen through foreign eyes, there has almost been a fetishisation of the worst aspects of its culture and society. A paper (A Content Analysis Of The Portrayal Of India In Films Produced In The West) published in The Howard Journal of Communications in 2005 makes the point that this is not new.
In a sample of 24 randomly selected films about the country produced from 1930 to 2000 in the United States or Britain, it was found that “India was consistently portrayed as backward, uncivilised, savage and traditional”.
It added that it was “common to find portrayals of dirty roads, dusty streets, unclean waters, overflowing sewers, marshy streets and spoilt food apart from the presence of garbage, depictions of noisy locales or overcrowded places (especially bazaars, trains and stations) in scenes depicting India”.
One way of getting a more balanced view of the sub-continent is to see how it depicts itself in Indian movies, from the fantasy of Bollywood musicals to the realist works of the late feted film-maker Satyajit Ray.
A more recent example would be The Lunchbox (2013), which serves up a portrait of modern India rooted in everyday life. As a housewife’s carefully prepared lunchbox makes its way to a lonely widower by mistake, via the feat of logistical wonder that is the food delivery system in Mumbai, director Ritesh Batra cooks up a moving tale about human connection and hope.
Another way is to travel to India and see the place for yourself.
There is far more to the sub-continent than can be contained in film and TV shows and even a short trip of five days proved to be eye-opening.
My itinerary packed in sprawling and beautifully decorated palace complexes in Jaipur, an impressive fortress and a massive mosque in Delhi, and that magnificent monument to love and fidelity, the Taj Mahal. Even with the guide playing up expectations, saying no one walks away disappointed, the sight of that sophisticated white-marbled feat of 17th-century architecture against the blue sky was spectacular.
Also, no small point, this – the food was delicious, with mouth-watering curries, tender tandoori meat and fish, fragrant naans and moreish snacks to devour.
Meanwhile, it is worth remembering not to gobble up everything one sees in cinemas and on TV just because it is served to us in a convenient little package.
(ST)

Mention Cambodia and culinary finesse is unlikely to be the first thing that comes to mind. But a visit to Phnom Penh reveals a bubbling fine dining scene.
After delving into the country’s glorious ancient history and horrific recent past, boost your energy and spirits with a satisfying treat. There are enough options to pack a three- to four-day trip with deliciousness ranging from South American tapas to deep-fried tarantulas. A foodie trip to Cambodia is definitely an option to bear in mind with the number of long weekends to come this year and next.
For our group of five, we were able to have very good meals for about US$20 (S$25) a head. The most expensive meal was at La Residence, which came to under US$50 a head. While the local currency is Cambodian riel, US dollars are accepted everywhere and is the currency that prices are quoted in.
The list here is by no means exhaustive and one regret I have is missing out on the restaurant Common Tiger. It was closed on a Monday evening when we tried to get a booking.
The New York Times says its South African chef, Timothy Bruyns, “artfully reimagines Cambodian flavours with his molecular gastronomy-inspired fare like a peanut-lime crusted sea bass with jasmine rice discs”.
It will just have to wait till the next trip.

FRIENDS THE RESTAURANT
215 Street 13
Tel: +855-12-802-072
Website: www.tree-alliance.org/our-restaurants/friends.asp
ROMDENG
74 Street 174
Tel: +855-92-219-565
Website: www.tree-alliance.org/our-restaurants/romdeng.asp
Eat a meal and support a good cause at Friends The Restaurant and Romdeng.
They are sister eateries which provide street kids and marginalised youth and adults with a means of living as cooks and wait staff.
Friends offers an extensive menu of dishes for sharing and we pick the ones that catch our eye, from stir fried red tree ants with beef fillet and holy basil (US$7.50) to Burmese chicken curry on crispy noodles with smoked chillies and pickled mustard greens (US$5.75).
We also asked if we could order tarantulas, a local delicacy, even though they only have it on the menu at Romdeng. They obligingly agreed as it was just located nearby and we got to satisfy our curiosity.
The critters turned out to be smaller than expected since every photo of the dish is in extreme close-up. Turns out that deep fried arachnids taste pretty similar to soft shell crab. And no, you do not feel the hairy legs scuttling down your throat.
What packed a little more bite was the coconut and chilli ice-cream with the wonderfully smoky charred pineapple (US$4.25).
The food was decent enough that we made a separate visit to Romdeng, which is about a 10-minute walk away from Friends. Its fortuitous appearance just when we needed to take a break from the searing heat helped as well.
I rounded off a lunch of mango salad, stuffed squid and amok with a refreshing lime black pepper sorbet. But the daiquiri version was, as my friend declared, “awesome”.

MALIS
136 Street 41 Norodom Boulevard
Tel: +855-707-944-2380
Website: www.malis-restaurant.com
Centred around a restful courtyard, Malis was opened in 2004 as one of the first upscale Cambodian restaurants in the country. We had an unforgettable lunch here as every dish was refined and full of freshness and flavour from the bamboo shoots and smoked fish soup (US$7.50) to the pork and banana blossoms salad (US$6.50).
The traditional Khmer dish amok (US$7), or steamed curried fish, was the best we had, both delicate and robust at the same time. Even better was the baked goby (US$15). It looked disconcertingly reptilian head-on but that was no deterrent to a group of hungry diners who picked it clean. The fish was so fresh that the lemongrass, garlic and salt crust it was baked with was enough to bring out its flavour.

TEPUI AT CHINESE HOUSE
Chinese House, 45 Sisowath Quay
Tel: +855-23-991-514
Website: www.tepui.asia
The head chef, Gisela Salazar Golding, is from Venezuela and the food on offer here is South American tapas with Japanese accents. From the empanadas filled with beef picadillo and goat cream cheese to the prettily seared scallops to the Sake Rojito cocktail, there was a nice balance of flavours that suggested that someone had put a lot of thought into them.
Located in a house built by a Chinese trader in 1903, and restored in 2009, it now hosts a restaurant, lounge bar and gallery for your lounging and art-browsing needs in one convenient space.

LA RESIDENCE
22-24 Street 214, tel: +855-23-224-582
Website: www.la-residence-restaurant. com
Dine like royalty in the former residence of Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
The kitchen is helmed by Swiss-trained Japanese chef Takeshi Kamo. The menu is classically French with some Japanese accents, from the wagyu beef options to a soft shell crab starter. I went for the beef carpaccio with local green pepper from Kampot, grilled skate fish and had chocolate eclair for dessert. The meal was pleasant enough without being particularly exciting.
For those on a tight budget, go for the US$15 three-course set lunch.

PUBLIC HOUSE
The 240½ Alleyway (off Street 240)
Tel: 855-17-770-754
Website: Search for Public House Phnom Penh in Facebook.
BAR.SITO
The 240½ Alleyway (off Street 240)
Tel: 855-77-960-413
Website: Search for Bar.sito in Facebook.
It feels like a Harry Potter adventure when we set off in search of alleyway 240½.
And it took some convincing from the tuk-tuk driver that we had come to the right place since neither the restaurant nor the bar are exactly visible from the main road. They are tucked into an alley in a poshly quiet area.
You can order food from Public House and have it at the bar, but we decide to sit down at a proper table in a well-lit space instead. Unfortunately, the ventilation was terrible at Public House and they messed up the doneness for two steaks. At least they were nice enough to redo the order to exactly how we wanted it. The menu is mostly western and includes pub favourites such as burgers and fish and chips.
The cooling darkness of Bar.Sito felt like a respite after the stuffiness of House but one is soon reminded that smoking indoors is allowed here. Cocktails are US$5 each and happy hour is from 5 to 7pm.

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS’ CLUB
363 Sisowath Quay
Tel: +855-23-724-014
Website: fcccambodia.com
Is this it? We wondered because there was only a sign and stairs leading up a somewhat shabby-looking building. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club does not actually have much of a streetfront space but no matter, you don’t come here for the street view.
Instead, drop by in the evening for a sundowner as the Tonle Sap river, which the rooftop bar overlooks, gets bathed in rosy light. And the good news is that one-for-one happy hour deals are available from 5 to 7pm. Cocktails normally cost US$4.95 a glass.
The FCC Transfusion, a concoction of vodka, limes, cranberry juice and ginger ale, is perfect for quenching thirst and beating the heat. They serve food here as well, a mix of Asian and Western fare, but we do not make it past the liquids section.

ELEPHANT BAR
Raffles Hotel Le Royal, 92 Rukhak Vithei Daun Penh, Sangkat Wat Phnom
Tel: +855-23-981-888
Website: www.raffles.com/phnom-penh/dining/elephant-bar
No less a luminary than the late glamorous Jacqueline Kennedy has graced the bar – and they have the glass with her lipstick mark still on it to prove it. They also have a signature champagne cocktail to commemorate her 1967 visit, mischievously named Femme Fatale.
Happy hour from 4 to 9pm gets you a 50 per cent discount (cocktails are normally around US$10 each) so relax in a comfy rattan chair in the classily cosy surroundings. And pick a tipple which tickles your fancy from the Bou Sraa Waterfall to the Paris Sling (“like Singapore Sling, but stronger” said our server). The drinks are strong so take care not to guzzle like an elephant.
(ST)

malacca, eaten

we've only just begun
this is pit stop no. 1
went to the loo
at pit stop 2
satay spree
pit stop 3
we roared: 'give us more!'
it was only pit stop 4
gula melaka glaze does thrive
on the donuts at pit stop 5
cold drinks and verbal tricks
at pit stop no. 6
bite-sized snack heaven
is pit stop 7
it was a full meal that we ate
at memorable pit stop 8
rise and shine
pit stop 9
can we do it? yes we can!
forward march to pit stop 10
almost extinct but not quite forsaken
tai bak at pit stop no. 11
into teochew cuisine we did delve
it was penultimate pit stop 12
what a great trip this has been
made it to pit stop 13!