“...there is no such thing as a charmed life,
not for any of us,
no matter where we live or how mindfully we attend to the tasks at hand.
But there are charmed moments,
all the time,
in every life and in every day,
if we are only awake enough to experience them when they come
and wise enough to appreciate them.”
― Katrina Kenison
The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir
I love going and walking by the boulevard when the sun is about to set and the afternoon is awash in a hazy, pink and yellow light. Dumaguete is magical at this hour, and the I think the people who go out to enjoy the sun and the breeze as they sit on one of the many benches facing the sea know it too.
 |
| the Boulevard |
 |
| They look like they're ready to put on a show, lined up like that. :) |
 |
| Setting up shop for the afternoon's batch of shoppers |
 |
| Gorgeous colors! |
I especially love summer afternoons, because I am free to wander and enjoy the sunset. I no longer have to endure so-near-and-yet-so-far moments, times when I am just a a short walk away from the boulevard but I know that I will have to miss another gorgeous sunset, another charmed afternoon, just because there's something more important to do. This particular afternoon, there was no hurry, no rush, and I walked the pace of the others ahead of me who were in no hurry to be someplace else, either. I just love living here :)
The last time I ate at Tandoori was way back in 2007 when the restaurant was still going by Persian Palate. A friend of mine wanted to try the only Persian restaurant in town, and try it we did. I remember having lamb which was grilled and served with a whole tomato. The meat was soft and tasted like it was soaked in milk before it was grilled. I was never too keen on lamb or veal (I'm a pork and chicken person) so the taste was something I had a hard time getting used to. That was the first time that I downed a whole bottle of San Mig Light just to get the taste out of my mouth.
Today the restaurant goes by the name Tandoori, and its a favorite of most expats and foreign visitors who frequent the city. The restaurant changed names, but the decor is still the same, down to the Indian paintings on the walls. We decided to have dinner here because he likes Indian food and I was hoping that they served the traditional Indian sweets that I saw on TV (too bad they didn't). I ordered the Tandoori chicken and JP recommended the samosa, which according to him, is the Indian equivalent of the empanada. He ordered the mutton curry. For something sweet I ordered the strawberry lassi.
Tandoori chicken is chicken which has been soaked in curd and then seasoned with Tandoori masala. This is a traditionally hot Indian dish courtesy of added cayenne and red chili powder. Turns out I couldn't eat the chicken. It came served very hot and spicy, and my first bite almost brought me to tears. Dishes that come with a lot of spices are not my cup of tea, and this particular dish was very hot indeed. One good thing I can say about the chicken though, it was soaked through with flavor. It also came with a side dish of cubed tomatoes and cucumber with their own vinegar dip.
JP's mutton curry agreed to my tastebuds better. We paired it with naan, the traditional Persian flatbread, and it tasted goooood! The mutton was very soft as well, with the flavors of butter and curry predominant with each bite. The strawberry lassi was the perfect compliment to all the spicy flavors.
We also ordered the samosa, which came filled with diced vegetables wrapped in a pastry shell. The entire thing is deep fried to a crisp and served with a mango chutney dip.
All in all, a very satisfying dinner. We finished the lamb curry in a hurry but the chicken tandoori and the samosa left untouched. We decided to bring the two unfinished dishes to the booth area, where the night was going on in full swing. It was August 28 after all, TIPON night and the busiest night of the Founders week.
