Breezy Sunday...

Or was it a whirlwind? How much activity can one actually squeeze into one day. We thought we'd take it slow. No breakfast but we'll proceed directly for the champagne brunch at Mynt, Taj West End. Lovely spread that included oysters, caviar and parma ham. But the price had also been increased. So even with the OWC discount, it wasn't cheaper than Singapore.

Check out the desserts. In terms of presentation, I think this is the best in all of Bangalore. But guess what Ed concluded at the end, "In India, desserts look much better than they taste." I think that also depends on what you pick. Pastries are usually much better.

After all that stuffing, we decided a walk would be a good thing. The grounds of the Taj was lovely. Even in the afternoon heat, there was sufficient shade that offered respite.

We then headed off to the Grand Ashok for a sale. Rummaging through piles of various tops, we manage to come away with a large bag each. Next stop, Bombay Store. Annie managed to get most of the gifts she wanted in the form of more than 10 dupattas. Needed a drink badly after that - Kappi Nirvana, Iced Eskimo and Strawberry Iced Tea at Cafe Coffee Day.

We then had a housewarming to get to. Stopped by Empire to pick up some barbecue chicken and leg of lamb. Annie and Ed had the first hand experience of IST, Indian stretchable time. We were told it would only take five minutes for them to send a leg of lamb from their main branch. Wasn't surprised when it took more than 15. Even knowledge of the fact aforehand did not make it any less frustrating.

Singaloreans Neo and Sharon had their housewarming. Main feature - Hainanese chicken rice that was prepared from scratch. Excellent! Other capable chefs also contributed to the feast. Needless to say, mahjong and football were also the order of the day.

Of course I had to show our visitors a little of the night life in Bangalore, even if it was for a quick drink. Olive Beach also happened to be showing the works of a photographer whose name I forget. But that really added to the atmosphere there.

We ran in birthday boy Patrick, whose party we had just attended the night before. He had Jason and Jeff with him. They were actually taking a breather between parties. They had gone for Gautam's farewell at i-Bar, then Fuga. After their drink, the were off to another party at the Meridien.

We decided that it was time to call it a night. Ed had some packing to do for an early flight and frankly, I was pooped. It's a good thing Monday was going to be a public holiday.