'K' is for Kakori Kabab, A to Z Challenge Day 11

Kakori is a hamlet near the city of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, India. The story goes that the Nawab of Lucknow was terribly fond of kababs but had lost his teeth. He ordered his cooks to make a kabab that would be so succulent, juicy and tender that he would not need to chew the kabab: it would melt in his mouth.
And Kakori Kabab was born.
This is a lamb dish where the minced lamb is smoothed into a paste and flavoured with spices and stuff and cooked on a spit. So I think. I guess if I search the internet I will find some splendid recipes but this is one thing I do not want to learn to cook. I always believe that there are some things you should leave to others!
In Calcutta, one of the places that offers the most sumptuous kakori kababs is a restaurant called "Dum Pukht" in the ITC Sonar, one of the many five star properties in the city. We do not visit it too often, saving it for that special occasion.
I have a dear cousin who was visiting for a day on Saturday. He came in from Jamshedpur in the morning and had a flight to Beijing at night. During the day we had guests over and an elaborate Bengali meal and were frankly, stuffed to the gills! We couldn't possibly eat anything else....
Yet, while on our way to the airport, the spouse stopped at ITC. Yes, we had Kakori Kabab. There's always space for Kakori Kabab! Wouldn't miss it for the world!

Thanks, Shan and Amitesh! 

By special request: ITC hotels photography competition.

I rather fancy myself as a photographer. (Don't you?) Holidays, there I go, click-click camera on the ready. Even on occasions at home, be it my daughter's birthday, my brother in law's wedding, even the occasional get together family dinner. I specially loved photographing the girls when they were small. (And that was the age before digital cameras so it wasn't all just click and delete if you don't like it!) And I like to think I'm pretty good at it too.... Having said that, I am not happy about lugging a huge camera with multiple accessories around. I was happy with my Sony cybershot or even my BB camera and milked them for all it was worth. So to me, a photograph contains a memory, a moment in time: it would be good if it is also pleasing to the eye but one does not need a fancy shindig bazooka-like thing to take photos. We are not shooting for the National Geographic Magazine. Nor are we entering a photography contest here!
Or are we?
I was recently contacted by Neha Jain from ITC hotels regarding a photography contest currently being held by ITC hotels and she asked me to post a blog on this. Now a few lines are okay but I don't do endorsements. But then I sat and thought about it and remembered how much I love ITC. Or rather, the food at ITC. Just thinking about their kakori kebabs or biriyani makes me want to grab my purse and land up at Dum Pukht right now! A promise of their Christmas lunch buffets have me starving for three days in advance! And my favourite place is the Westview Bar and Grill, not only do they not allow children (wicked) they serve an amazing selection of grills, in fact just the thought of a baby octopus grilled with garlic and butter has my tummy rumbling!
Having said that, ITC is not a place we indulge in often. It's reserved for special occasions: prices aside, we do not want it to become "just one of those places". Specially for the girls. You see what I mean? So every, or rather, most occasions at ITC have been special. I have memories of the place. Flaming B52s and crepes Suzette. The cheese platter and the suckling pig! Our anniversary dinner followed up at Dublin. The yard glass at Dublin (sadly, they do not do it any more, last I went) Seeing Adam Gilchrist, Gautam Gambhir, Brett Lee and others during the IPLs(my girls were maha excited....!), taking "special guests" out for dinner, a birthday here, an anniversary there. But sadly, most of those memories are in my heart. I have no digital images, except for that of a cousin accidentally blowing up a glass of flaming B52 in her face! (Heh heh!)
So there goes. There must be others like me here. Come on, if you're reading this. Dig up those old pics, join the contest. It ends on July 15, so do hurry. Here's the link:
ITCcontest

For some unforseen reason, if the link is not showing up, try copy pasting this on your browser:

https://www.facebook.com/ITCHotels/app_404260449617421

Me? I'm just gonna sweetly ask my hubby to take me out for dinner to ITC this weekend, just to take photoos!!!!