Restaurants, Hospitality Consulting, Fish Massage & Salute to the Queen.

I’ve done a little bit of volunteering during my travels so far. I taught some Yoga and pranayama. But I never imagined myself as a hospitality consultant. Until now. I guess it started in Northern India. At Flavors, where we ate almost every day, I inquired about things like avocados, decent bread (to toast), and a consideration of putting more than just a 1/4 teaspoon of peanut butter on said toast. I also asked if it were possible to include all 3 fruits that were listed for 3 different lassies to be combined into one, perhaps creating a magic lassie! They obliged on the lassie.

At Ganga Prem Hospice, where I volunteered teaching a little Yoga, I soon found myself in the kitchen helping to clean up the place. That led to cooking lessons with me learning to make dal, pokaras, rotis, and other Indian dishes. At Kailasa Guest House, where we stayed for a month, they were in the process of adding room service and eventually a full service restaurant. I saw this as an opportunity to branch out or should I say volunteer my new found expertise. We used the kitchen a bunch of times during our stay and the staff got a look at some hygienic concepts in action. After a few weeks the owner warmed up to us and soon we were meeting to edit the newly created breakfast menu. We had him sample our version of Chai made with soy milk, peanut butter toast with banana slices, and more. After multiple searches at the outdoor market we finally found avocados but they were very expensive, so avocado toast did not make the menu.

When we got to Sri Lanka I got more involved at the restaurant in the guesthouse we were staying in. A large group of 8 showed up one night and the staff seemed dazed. I was minding my business and blogging in the back of the restaurant so I stood up, walked over to the group and staff, asked how many in their party. I jumped in and asked the staff to help me slide 2 tables together with 8 chairs. Once seated I coaxed the staff to ask the guests if they wanted any cold drinks. It’s 90 degrees here after all. We had a large party a few nights later. They were French and were there a really long time. Almost until closing. I could sense there was a communication gap between the diners and the staff. I stuck my nose in the middle of it. The group explained they had ordered 8 meals and only 6 came. 2 of them hadn’t eaten. It had been over an hour. I looked at the manager. The chef had gone for the night. We apologized.

A good idea is to have the staff repeat back to the diners what they just ordered. That way everyone’s on the same page. I see it being done at good places.

At most, but not all places so far, decent table service is lacking. A lot of places we went to didn’t even bother to greet us or bring a menu. Getting the check at the end of meal was a chore too. Order something with no onions, it’s written down no onions, and guess what? It comes with onions anyway. There’s no checking to see how the meal is or if anything else is needed. Again there are exceptions to this. Flavors was fantastic. So was Rajasthani “Sweets” in Rishikesh market area. They had so many men and boys working the dining room you were always under watch. Walk in, make eye contact, and you had a table and menu. The food came fast. Walk to the cashier and pay and you’re all set to go.

Ok what about the food? Another place in Rishikesh that’s worth mentioning here is Madras. For one very big reason. It’s called “Salute to the Queen”. We had our first one at a going away party for one of the hospice volunteers. Here it is. A large bowl with some sort of vanilla biscuits, warm bananas, 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream, and honey. There may have been some chocolate sauce and whip cream in there too. It’s $2.25 and it will lift your spirits.

Flavors had the best and most consistent Northern Indian food in Rishikesh hands down.  Tat Cafe had a nice atmosphere and some interesting items on the menu. Ira’s kitchen also deserves a mention here. Great breakfasts and french press coffee.

The place that sticks out the most in my mind is Lords. I found it on TripAdvisor as the #1 place in Negombo Beach, Sri Lanka. It took us a few days to make it there and I’ll never forget the place. Why? After the server took our order (and repeated it back to us) he pointed to a table top card and said “Your meal comes with a free fish massage”. Let that sink in for a minute. Now I asked him “Did you say fish massage?” Yes he replied. I asked exactly what he meant by fish massage and where did this happen. He told us that it was in the back and we should try it. I remained seated and waited for our meal which ended up being great. A potato and green bean curry, with Bombay potatoes, breads, sauces, salads, etc. When the meal was over I noticed a man in a chef’s outfit talking with the next table. I assumed he was the owner. A few minutes later he introduced himself. Martin Fullerton from the U.K. He’s could pass for Johnny (Rotten) Lydon’s younger brother. He asked about the meal and if we had the fish massage yet. I told him the meal was great, and no fish massage yet. He insisted we check out the rest of the restaurant complex. He gave me his card. We checked out the rest of the place which included an outdoor seating area, a huge bar and indoor seating area, great restrooms (toilet paper and soap), and yes the fish massage. I guess you just stick you feet or hands into the tanks and the fish nibble on them. A massage of sorts. It’s one of the queerest things I’ve ever heard of. But I’d say Martin is doing an excellent job marketing his restaurant. I’m still talking about him, his restaurant, his food, and of course the fish massage.