Kathmandu:

It is one of the most awaited festivals in the Capital. And why not? With cuisines from

all over the world, The

Himalayan Times International Food Festival to be held on November 3 at Birendra International Convention Centre is truly an international event.

Some salad and Russian vodka

The Russian cuisine is not spicy and flavour is brought out only by salt and pepper, and sometimes a dash of lemon juice. The food which is low in carb and high in protein can be a perfect option if you are health conscious.

Russian cuisine mainly has non-vegetarian items on its dishes and the menu chosen by the Wunjala Moskva Restaurant is perfect for the Nepali palate. They have Stolichnii Salad, which is a vegetarian dish, Shashlik and Blinchiki both dishes can be ordered in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices.

“We have been participating in various food fests but I think THT Food Fest is the best among all, and the word of mouth is the best form of publicity,” says Gayatree Kansakar, owner of the restaurant.

And wash down the Russian delicacies with their special original Russian vodka.

Red-hot salsa

One of the countries participating at THT Food Fest is Mexico. And when you think of Mexican cuisine, the first thing that strikes your mind is the spicy red salsa sauce that never fails to tantalise your taste buds. Don’t think further. Just make sure you make it to the Mexican stall to devour the hot and spicy spread by Rum Doodle Restaurant and Bar.

Participating every year at the food festival with their very popular Mexican cuisine, Rum Doodle has never failed in spicing up the appetite of customers with their fiery hot menu. Mexican cuisine is generally very spicy and this time too they have their trademark corn chips with salsa, and as a new addition to the menu they have chicken empanadas (baked bread with bean and chicken stuffing with spicy sauce stuffing) and Mexican pork chop.

And of course no Mexican meal is complete without the very popular tequila and margarita, which will be available at the stall.

Israel’s veggie delights

This will be the sixth year of OR2K restaurant’s participation in THT Food Fest and it is the only totally vegetarian stall in the fest. The Israeli cuisine is renowned the world over for its hummus and falafel, which are well received by healthy eaters. Israeli dishes are prepared using garlic and mint as flavouring agents and olive oil. It is healthy and appetising.

Falafel is a pita bread sandwich with garbanzo (deep fried bean balls), hummus and tahini (sesame paste) filling and it can be eaten easily while roaming around at the fest.

Along with the falafel they also have Shaksuka (naan with eggs and Israeli tomato sauce) and fresh mint lemonade.

“Israeli dishes are basically not very spicy and focuses mainly on the vegetarians,” says Arjun Ban, owner of the restaurant.

This stall has healthy and finger licking good food. While enjoying your hummus et al, why not beat heat with a tall glass of mint lemonade, which is good for digestion.

Blair sells ‘memoir’ for millions

NEW YORK: Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, has agreed to sell his planned memoir for a lucrative advance of around nine million dollars to Random House, the New York Times said on October 26.

The report, citing a person with knowledge of the negotiations, said publication of Blair’s memoir — chronicling his 10 years on Downing Street — is not likely to occur for a few years. The Times said the nine million dollar advance was secured following a four-day auction.

“I hope my memoirs will provide a serious and thoughtful, but also entertaining, reflection on my time as a member of parliament and as prime minister,” Blair, who is now international envoy to the Middle East for the so-called Quartet, said in a statement released on Thursday.

Random House, which confirmed a day ago that it had won the bid to publish Blair’s memoir, had declined to say how much it was paying the former British leader for publication rights for the as yet unwritten book. — AFP