COVER STORY
AN INDIAN ADVENTURE
but the reality of UK cruising less than 15 years ago! As I settled into my mid-range, deluxe ‘state-
room,’ I found a selection of The White Company unguents and oodles of fluffy towels. Other embel- lishments – apart from the capacious balcony with two comfortable chairs – was a kettle with sachets of tea and coffee; an interactive television bringing BBC World to my bedside; a hairdryer; refrigerator; per- sonally controlled air-conditioning; and a safe. Even the deluxe suites on Canberra, while lavish, didn’t come with the mod-cons we now take for granted. “How times have changed,” I mused to a col-
league who can also recall cruising aboard the ‘old-timer’. As we explored the 15 passenger decks, he agreed no other part of the travel industry had metamorphosed more than cruising. When we raised the spectre of per diem cost, we agreed that not only do you get a lot more for your money than ever, it was also a snip in comparison with similar land-based resorts.
During the cruise, I indulged in Freedom Dining
in the Meridian Restaurant (open for dinner between 6 and 9.30 pm), rather than opting for the two as- signed sittings at 6.30 and 8.30pm in the Peninsular and Oriental Restaurants. I joined new-found friends some evenings in the Verona trattoria for superb
Created by Michelin-starred Indian chef Atul Kochhar, the 90-seat SINDHU restaurant offers a fusion of British and Indian cuisine. Kochhar also aims to debunk the myth that Indian cuisine is endless variations of chicken tikka masala. “I infuse familiar ingredients and techniques with Indian spices,” says this affable chef, who studied cooking in Chennai before establishing Vatika at Wickham Vineyard near Southampton; Ananda in Dublin; and the acclaimed Benares in London. He spent months researching British Indian cuisine that now forms an integral part of his cooking in Sindhu. “The menu is the epitome of all my favourite dishes,” says Kochhar, who likes to be playful with the construction of food when it comes to textures and flavours. He sails on Azura five times a year, when he presents cookery demonstrations in the theatre. You can also watch the chefs in action in the theatre-style galley at Sindhu, complete with its own Tandoor oven. There’s no risk of gastronomic ennui in Sindhu. There are seven starters and nine main courses for a supplement of £15. Diners can savour tasty appetisers such as spiced white crab meat with vermicelli, or crisp-fried lamb salad and appleslaw salad and chlorophyll emulsion. Main courses include Goan-style pan roasted lobster in coconut sauce with lobster kedgeree, or Indian-style baked chicken and rice served in a traditional Handi. Desserts range from camomile panna cotta with mango and melon and sesame-brittle biscuit, to lavender-scented yoghurt cake with a strawberry coulis and yoghurt foam. Accompanying wines include Pinot Grigio at £13.50 a bottle or a
Chilean Merlot at £16.50. In addition to the Indian fine dining in Sindhu, there’s the SINDHU
NAASHTA BAR that seats 60 and is open until 6 pm. For just £3.50, passengers can indulge in a variety of tapas-style dishes that reflect the infinite variety of tastes found in Indian street food.
Autumn 2010 I WORLD OF CRUISING 67
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