Monday, October 12, 2009

A weekend adventure

It was Mira's turn to get sick this weekend. On Friday night, she started throwing up and had to be rushed to the Emergency of SMF's children's hospital, which has been relocated to New Avadi Road - less depressing interiors than the old one but a lil noisy since it is bang on a very busy road. It former occupant, the RIGID hospitals (a very eerie name for a hospital), seems to have turned rigid or departed elsewhere.
We groaned as we sighted the duty doctor, whose diagnosis as far as some of Ash's ailments have been off the mark. We had to wait while the dr did the rounds - most probably catching a cat nap, since there cant be any rounds at 11 pm. Sometimes we are told the dr is in the ICU, when in actuality they are napping. She advised admitting Mira in the hospital if she continued to vomit after the intravenal injection. Throw up she did upon greedily taking a glass of tender coconut water half an hour after the injection, but we were spared an admission.
She began to improve the next day, but began throwing up in the evening when an ambitious and doting L fed her more than she could take. We rushed her to our regular paed. and just about managed to see him thanks to his friendly attendant. The dr requested a lift home, so we had to wait a while till the last of his patients went away.
Since the dr had been egging V to attend his church harvest festival on Sunday morning, the two of us decided to attend the mass at the CSI Holy Trinity church on Ritherdon Road. To my surprise I met Ash's teacher, who is a member of the parish, there. Burgers and fruit salads later, we realised that we had not bought in time the coupons for the kappa-fish curry delicacy. Disappointed, we decided to have a lunch of the same at some Kerala hotel in the neighbourhood.

And V suggested that we try the new Kokum restaurant in Anna Nagar, which is supposed to serve dishes from the four South Indian states. We were greeted with a 'Closed' signboard but were soon welcomed in by a waiter who changed the board to 'Open', since they open for lunch at 12 noon and it was already 20 minutes past 12. We dug out the kappa-meen curry combo from the stylish menucard. The prices seemed exorbitant, so we hoped the quantity would be good.
The interiors were well done, and we sat talking idly to the sound of waterfall from the hidden fountains. A welcome drink of lime juice in a glass that was a wee bit bigger than a test tube and two miniature dosas made of wheat and maida followed with 6 exotic looking chutneys of different flavours and colour.
By 1 pm, the elderly hotel manager told us apologetically that he was sorry to keep us waiting and his chef would serve us a carnival of something - which turned out to be 3 fried red fish (that we call Unni Mary back home, after an actress!) and a spoonful of banana chips and sarkaravaratti.
Twenty minutes later, as we kept examining the fossils of the fish restlessly, the waiter announced to us that the kappa was just not turning out right (some dont cook well) and would we mind ordering something else. Tired and at our wit's end, we decided to settle for the Dindigul mutton biriyani (since the Hyderabadi version was unavailable) and mutton sukka (fry). The order was honoured this time but the quantity was alarmingly small for the price they carried - say, 2-3 tablesoonful of mutton fry for Rs. 285 and a small bowl (the amount a diabetic is advised to eat by the dietitian) of small-grain biriyani that tasted like something else.
An altogether unsavoury experience, and I had to beseech a seething V not to lose his cool and pay the bill without any negative remarks (instead, I had already planned to make a disparaging post about the experience). It was to be one of those restaurants we wouldnt step in more than once (like the so-called Thai restuarant Benjarong, though some swear by it).
We reached home to find the maid had cooked a more delectable fare, and which we decided to have for dinner.

5 comments:

Rajeev said...

Hope Mira is better today. Am sure she'll settle down soon. Gastritis? Will never step into that restaurant - thanks for warning.

Ladybird said...

Wow, that was quick reading. Yes, gastritis.
I assume you are a vegetarian. So anyway you can stay clear of it.

ush said...

Its good to see u guys r able to go out when a child is sick.. here we avoid going out.
I suppose due to spreading it or just to take it easy and relax/rest.
resturants we avoid.. due to kids allergies.
yesterday prayer meeting ..regretted going as they had nuts in the food/wheat.. Big No .. that aunty dug out plain rice for us then.I felt bad,sad for sher and the host.
take care. hope m is better.

Amos said...

Take care Rosh..hope she is fine now...

Ladybird said...

Amos: she is slowly recovering, not fully out of it yet. watching her diet.
Ush: we manage to go out on our own as we have a nanny around. This Sunday the kids stayed put at home.
Now V has gastritis. I hope i am not next! Must be something we ate at home only...

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