Bon Appetit, says Arjan Bajwa

Click on the pic to view slideshow It was really sweet of film actor Arjan Bajwa that despite a hectic schedule, he consented to my dining out invitation. Since he was flying out to Hyderabad that evening to be a guest of honour at an event, we decided to have lunch together at the oriental fine dine restaurant The Great Wall at the five-star hotel, The Leela, at Sahar. The appointed day arrived and my driver ditched me by bunking at the last minute. I ran behind schedule and somehow after managing to maneuver the traffic, I reached to find the debonair actor waiting for me at the lobby. After apologizing for making him wait, I quickly proceeded with Arjan to the classy restaurant. Even as we entered, the actor appreciated the décor and the elegance of The Great Wall, passing many aesthetic remarks which I now associate with him being a qualified architect, a fact I learnt later during our conversation. We went for the round table at the farthest corner of the restaurant and were taken in by the splendid view the floor to ceiling glass doors offered - cascading water on a rocky background and plenty of greenery had Arjan and me spellbound. The actor kept observing, “You just forget you are in Mumbai. The ambience is so pleasant and soothing.” The smiling and affable Chef Dicky Suen, with three decades of experience and stints in locations as diverse as China, Hong Kong, Australia, Thailand and Egypt took upon himself to personally showcase the new menu and his specialties. Arjan said “nothing spicy”. Starting with dimsums and Crispy salad with pomello, cress and shallots I discovered the various aspects of this dashing actor who is also an architect (my mom is happy as it will help her in my matrimonial alliance), a black belt in martial arts (only helps in giving you confidence) and a mature person. Arjan has done 8 films down south, mostly Telugu and also speaks the language well. We noticed the special focus on Cantonese cuisines – Chef Suen’s specialty as well as a legacy at The Great Wall too, as we savoured Grilled Chilean Sea bass with Chinese honey and Braised bean curd (tofu) and eggplant “Yuxiang” style. I further discovered Arjan hates hill stations but prefers places of architectural interests like Istanbul. A total gizmo person, he loves to try out new technology and his dream car is the Rolls Royce Phantom. The main course arrived – Fried Rice, Filet of Grouper on vintage vinegar, Peking Duck and Cantonese style sautéed broccoli and mushrooms – Arjan loved the food as it was less spicy and adapted to his palate without compromising on the authenticity of the cuisine. He has seen ups (Guru, Fashion) and downs (Tell Me O Khuda) in films, so will he do TV, I asked him, to which he replied an emphatic “NO! My focus is films right now and I cannot deviate from it.” On that note I called for our dessert of Lychee with Ice-cream which is thoroughly relished by us. We took pictures with Chef Dicky Suen and thanked him for the wonderful spread. Here’s looking forward to a bilingual film (Telugu and Tamil) and Son of Sardar where Arjan is paired opposite Sonakshi Sinha. Wishing him success, I saw him off at the lobby of The Leela.