Letter from the Editor

THE GREAT GREEK philosopher Socrates might not have agreed with my philosophy of ‘live to eat’, but food can be both, sustaining and comforting, at the same time. Especially if you’re a gourmand. Amidst all the sorrow and heartbreak that the second wave of COVID-19 has brought, if there’s one thing that has kept me (and many of you, I bet!) sane, it is the innumerable recipes shared on social media. I am not turning into a baker overnight, but cooking can be truly therapeutic, I have discovered during the second lockdown. Hence, our Food Issue is all the more special.

On our cover, we have the enfant terrible of the fine dining world. The indomitable Gaggan Anand gives us a sneak peek into his new restaurant ‘Gaggan Anand’ in Bangkok, which has debuted at No. 5 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021 despite repeated closures and various restrictions enforced by the pandemic (p. 42). In our People section, we have chefs from around the country and the world who have made a mark when it comes to offering unique culinary experiences—Masque’s Prateek Sadhu (p. 20); Rahul Akerkar, who now heads Qualia (p. 18); the Michelin-starred Chef Andrew Wong (p. 21); and Hari Nayak, who leads the kitchen of Priyanka Chopra’s latest business venture in NYC, SONA (p. 19).

For your next order of food that’s healthy, delicious, and sustainably made, we’ve whipped up a list of restaurants around the country that deliver the goods (p. 5).

Our guide on Sri Lankan cuisine introduces you to all the local specialities of the island country and where you can find them on your next visit (p. 13). Closer home, we take you to Tamil Nadu to sample Chettinad and Thanjavur dishes (p. 52), and to Ladakh for a royal winter feast (p. 48). Meanwhile, a firstof-its-kind wine trail in Nashik takes you on a tasting tour of Indian vintages (p. 57).

In Through The Lens, an Indian wildlife photographer and conservationist zooms in on the endangered snow leopard that prowls the mountains of Ladakh (p. 34); elsewhere, we follow conservations working to save the pangolin in South Africa (p. 65), and track down an isolated family of chimpanzees in a Ugandan rainforest (p. 88).

While we all wait for the time when it is safe to travel again, our podcast series #TnlAudioStories takes you to dreamy destinations #OnePlaceAtATime. So, don’t forget to tune in to travelandleisureindia.in and our Instagram page!

Stay safe.

FROM MY TRAVELS This capture is from last year at one of my favourite eateries in Goa—JAMUN. Their thalis are outstanding, and you must try one if you’re a foodie.