NOT QUITE Along The Malabar Coast

Sounds exotic, no?

Well, I missed my connection to Cochin India because my plane from Bali was an hour late due to some earlier problem in China. Since there is only one plane a day to Cochin I am in Singapore until tonight. Although I have sent five e-mails to the travel agent in India whom I have already paid, I have yet to receive a response. Hopefully I can get reimbursed for my hotel and potentially a missed tour from my travel insurance.

This morning I spent forty five minutes researching where to eat lunch. I finally found a moderately priced place highly recommended by the New York Times. I went to the front desk and asked them to make a reservation. After another fifteen minutes we found that the highly recommended restaurant is closed until at least April. So much for the best laid plans.

I am now at a restaurant at the botanical gardens sitting outside watching the rain. They do have a wonderful lunch menu with three courses for $32 Singapore which is about $25 US without wine tip or tax. I made a reservation here while it was still only overcast before it was a hardcore rain. I am happy to be eating a rice less and noodle free meal at last. The only advantage to the rain is that I won't have the hot sun beating down on my head. However the rain is a little bit daunting.

I started with a black pepper deep fried soft-shell crab with wasabi aioli. It was quite nice but not earth shattering. I am waiting for my vanilla scented boneless spring chicken with celery root mashed potatoes. It was quite delicious if not a little undercooked. Really tender and succulent with a slightly sweet demiglace reduction, crisp french green beans and the potato & celery root puree. I would give it a 9 out of a possible 10. I am also enjoying the paired wines, first a Riesling and now a Cabernet Sauvignon. I will skip the dessert pairing but not the dessert.

I am waiting for my cappuccino dunking pit (layers of warm chocolate, cool vanilla cream and coffee iced shaving with brownie cookie) dessert as the pitter patter of the raindrops intensify substantially. It is definitely the rainy season in this part of the world. Dessert was nice. I am in no hurry with no place to go and rain coming down quite heavily. There is still coffee and the orchid exhibit is inside I believe.

The orchid exhibit was not inside. I wondered around the botanical garden in the rain. At least the garden was not overcrowded. I am now at the airport and finally heard from the travel agent in India who never told the driver because he never looked at his blackberry because it was his day off he says.

I am not sure when I will have wifi again in India.

Judy