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Is it healthier to only eat until you’re 80 per cent full? The Japanese philosophy of hara hachi bu
Some of the world’s healthiest and longest-living people follow the practice of hara hachi bu — an eating philosophy rooted in moderation. This practice comes from a Japanese Confucian teaching which instructs people to only eat until they’re around 80% full. More recently, it’s been gaining attention as a strategy for weight loss. But while hara hachi bu might emphasise eating in moderation and stopping before you’re full, it shouldn’t really be as seen as a method of dietary restriction. Rather, it represents a way of eating that can he…
Japan's sushi legend Jiro Ono turns 100 and is not ready for retirement
TOKYO: Japanese sushi legend Jiro Ono won three Michelin stars for more than a decade, the world’s oldest head chef to do so. He has served the world’s dignitaries and his art of sushi was featured in an award-winning film. After all these achievements and at the age of 100, he is not ready to fully retire. “I plan to keep going for about five more years,” Ono said last month as he marked Japan's “Respect for the Aged Day” with a gift and a certificate ahead of his birthday. What’s the secret of his health? “To work,” Ono replied to the…
Where exile meets flavour
Pooja stands silently in the corner of Matamaal, her fingers tracing the edge of a faded photograph on the wall. Her eyes glisten as the smell of saffron and walnuts drift through the air. “It feels like home,” she says. This is no ordinary restaurant. It has a portal—a place where food, memory, and identity intertwined. Matamaal—“House of Grandmother”—is the dream of Nalini Moti Sadhu and her husband Surender. What began as a small effort to serve authentic Kashmiri Pandit cuisine in Delhi has grown into something far deeper: a living archiv…
Simply Marièta: Gurugram’s new Euro-Asian kitchen that’s perfect for brunch
From the comfort of Indian cuisine to global delicacies, everything finds a home in this city. But with that abundance, it’s easy to get lost. Sometimes, all you want is a place where you can just relax—have a chill brunch with friends or family without feeling like picking a restaurant is a pre-brunch workout in itself. Freshly revamped, Marièta in Gurugram reopens as a Euro-Asian Kitchen & Bar—exactly the kind of space that’s laidback, unfussy, and effortlessly charming. According to Sukriti Chopra, the brand and strategy head of Nineca…
Matcha made in heaven
Matcha, a centuries old green powerhouse drink that once fuelled Zen monks, is finding its way from Instagram’s addictive algorithms to modern kitchen menus. Forget the basic tea. It’s more than just the ordinary tea and iced lattes—that your feed is pushing for. Chefs across the world are brewing this newly found ‘green gold’, into things which even that crazy viral Instagram reel won’t show up. It’s part of the soft serve ice creams, fudgy brownies, fluffy soufflé pancakes, chewy mochi doughnuts, and even the unimaginable velvety cheesecakes…
On a New Spice Route: Matram Dwarka
Delhi restaurateur Shubh Sharma—behind Mayfair, Barcode, and Pokerface—returns with Matram, Dwarka’s first chef-driven dining space. With a pan-Indian menu spanning Kashmir to Kanyakumari, the restaurant sets out to deliver India’s flavours on a single plate. Matram makes a striking impression with stone-carved elephants, wooden pillars, and a water fountain. Inside, warm lighting meets Kathakali murals, while the ceiling, designed to mimic the open sky, draws inspiration from the nadumuttam of Kerala’s Nalukettu homes. Chef Suresh Singh Fa…
How much for matcha? Prices for the popular powdered tea soar due to global demand
The world’s fondness for matcha is about to be tested by steep price increases. Global demand for the powdered tea has skyrocketed around the world, fueled by consumer interest in its health benefits and by the bright green matcha lattes bubbling up on social media. In the U.S., retail sales of matcha are up 86% from three years ago, according to NIQ, a market research firm. But the matcha market is troubled. In Japan, one of the biggest matcha producers, poor weather reduced this year’s harvest. Matcha is still plentiful in China, another m…
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