Eating Out

We ordered with care. Sharmila started with a vegetable soup. I opted for an iceberg lettuce salad covered in a light creamy dressing. But both of us helped ourselves plentifully to the warm rolls and olive oil. Sharmila has just finished acting in Rituparno Ghosh’s new film. She talked fondly about it. I suspect the nicest part was the three weeks she spent in Calcutta. "It’s a civilised city," she said. "I feel people have a greater sense of equality. They give each other more self-respect." Shortly after the monsoons, Sharmila will start work on her next film. This time the director is Gautam Ghosh and it’s a development of the Aranyer Din Ratri story. Ghosh is bringing together most of the old cast and the shooting is set in the Himalayan region between Bhutan and Sikkim.

Suddenly the waiter appeared with Sharmila’s main course with the chef close by in attendance. She had chosen sole and it was enticingly wrapped in neatly folded silver foil. "Someone’s going to have to help me open this," she whispered. Both the waiter and the chef jumped forward. The chef got to her first. My Penne Carbonara was less complicated. It had a rich texture but thankfully not much cream. Large succulent pieces of ham and small squares of tomato gave it a bright blush. I ate hungrily. Sharmila nibbled slowly and deliberately. I’m not sure she liked her fish but she was far too polite to say so. After a while I slowed down. We took our time, savouring the ambience, gossiping about other diners, marvelling at the sounds emanating from the far side of the room and then, gently but deliberately, moving on to politics. Sharmila is well informed and cares deeply about the way things are developing. I had not realised how much of her time is taken up by ‘good work’. She didn’t boast but it emerged from the conversation.It was nearly 11 when we ordered dessert. We chose to share the Mascarpone mousse. It came with a thin crunchy caramel crust. I’m afraid I ate most of it. Sharmila smiled indulgently. She claimed she had already eaten too much. I should have disbelieved her but temptation got the better of me. On our way out she agreed to sign the restaurant book. I won’t reveal what she wrote. To find out you’ll have to visit the place yourself. If you do, try the chianti. We liked it.