Disneyland Paris is set to celebrate the highly anticipated reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in a truly unforgettable way. Every evening from 5th December to 14th December, guests will be enchanted by “Disney ❤ Notre-Dame de Paris”, an all-new pre-show created to mark this historic occasion and paying tribute to one of France’s most cherished cultural landmarks.

With stunning effects, guests are transported into the Charivari of the beloved 1996 Walt Disney Animation Studios film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Guided by Clopin, the mischievous narrator, guests discover a series of captivating scenes where cherished characters like Quasimodo and Esmeralda come to life to the rhythm of iconic songs.

My travels through northern India over the years have left me with fond memories, especially the food, of a region hemmed by the crescent-shaped Himalayas mountain range that passes several Asian countries.  So I was intrigued by the prospect of tasting the cuisine at the newly opened Vatavaran Indian restaurant in Beauchamp Place in Knightsbridge.  

Michelin-starred chef Rohit Ghai (of Kutir in Chelsea, and the iconic Manthan in Mayfair fame), has shaped Vatavaran restaurant around the Himalaya theme and offers whispers of the Himalayas through his dishes and interior architecture.

Vatavaran, they tell me, means “atmosphere” in Sanskrit, and this restaurant has several to offer over four floors that spiral upwards in the way a (Himalayan?) mountain might. 

There’s a rather stylish bar on the ground floor. A winding staircase reaches the Orangery on the first floor “ridge” with an impressive atrium, where the colour scheme is hues of blues, and continues to wind up to the Meadow restaurant where the design is more intimate with green leather chairs.

On the top floor is Shikar, a lavish drinking room serving fine whiskies and cocktails. Imbibe a few and enjoy the velvet walls depicting abstract art with nude women in a surreal landscape, upholstered red velvet chairs and a ceiling of battered brass. It’s all very boudoir.

We took our seats in the Orangery where an open-flame kitchen frames a scene of chefs creating their dishes. Soon, a duet of crooners took up their places in a corner, starting their set and setting the mood with “Fly Me to the Moon” and the waiter brought me my Rubini, a cocktail of cherry, Champagne and Martini Rosso and a glass of wine for my partner. The evening had begun.

There’s plenty of options from grills – wild prawns, coconut seabas – and dishes from the tandoor. such as paneer and salmon tikka and plenty of vegetarian dishes too. So it took time for us to finally make our choices.

The poppadoms arrived – a selection of lentil and banana chips with three sauces.  We started with a soup of spicy dal (lentils) and bati (hard wheat rolls) with more than a dash of ghee. It was a tasty, nutritious and hearty dish with its origins in the northern part of the Himalayas offering a gush of sweet and sour flavours – the kind mum would make for the family.

We were greedy and ordered three starters. A plate of two deliciously crispy balls of potato Aloo Tiki stuffed with rice and spices as well as Aubergine bisi belle with its sprinkling of pomegranates were sensational bites.

For the main course, I ordered the Butter chicken. Always a favourite of mine, and this smooth, silky number made with Kashmiri chilli and yoghurt did not disappoint. 

My partner chose the slow-cooked Lamb Barbat, a very soft, melt-in-the-mouth, boneless meat that had been well marinated in burnt spices in a dark red curry and cooked with garlic. 

The accompaniments were rice and a variety of nan breads. By now we had our fill so we didn’t stay for dessert. But, we did squeeze in and enjoy a rose lassi and a mango lassi, both sweet enough to round off the flavours superbly.

Verdict: I enjoyed the Vatavaran experience, the relaxed atmosphere, a sort of other-worldly (perhaps Himalayan) atmosphere, in concert with crooner music and fine food offered a lovely gastronomic night out in London town.

 

Address: 14-15 Beauchamp Place, SW3 1NQ, vatavaran.uk

The post Vatavaran Indian restaurant review, Knightsbridge, London appeared first on The Travel Magazine.

This stripped-back look is making waves this Christmas

You may be super accomplished when shooting with a camera, but what about when a great opportunity arises and all you have is the iPhone in your pocket? Sure you can grab a few acceptable snapshots, but wouldn’t you rather capture compelling photographs instead?

This challenge occurs for a number of reasons, including a smartphone’s inconvenient form factor and the fact that some camera centric controls aren’t where you expect them to be. This episode from the iPhone Photography School explains several essential exposure tricks and techniques that you should understand today.

Founder Emil Pakarklis kicks off the 19-minute lesson with this: “Getting the exposure just right is crucial for capturing photos with stunning detail. But did you realize that exposure can also be a powerful creative tool to produce truly unique images?” If not, you’re in for a treat.

Pakarklis begins by quickly reviewing the concept of “dynamic range,” specifically with regard to mobile photography. One consideration that’s important to keep in mind is that the human eye is far better at “processing” a full range of tones from white to black, than is the mall sensor in a phone—especially when shooting in high-contrast situations. Here he begins by disabling the phone’s HDR setting.

One of Pakarklis’ mobile photography goals is to capture images with unique highlights and shadows, and he demonstrates how to adjust Exposure Compensation on an iPhone to make the most of whatever difficult lighting conditions you may confront.

Skillful composition is essential for all styles of photography, and Pakarklis has some solid tips for dealing with the inconvenient shape of a smartphone when framing up your shots. In this regard he provides helpful advice for experimenting with different shooting  angles and vantage points to make images with a unique flair.

Pakarklis discusses several methods for dealing with exposure situations that are particularly challenging—just like you’d do with a mirrorless camera or DSLR. Also on the agenda are the benefits of locking focus and exposure, how to emphasize dramatic shadows, and much more.

Bottom line: Spectacular mobile imagery is well within your reach by following the straightforward advice that Pakarklis provides. By doing so you’ll quickly realize that a modern iPhone is a “real camera” after all. And there’s much more to learn by paying a visit to the popular iPhone Photography School YouTube channel.

Be sure not to miss the tutorial we featured recently with a very accomplished street shooter who reveals three photography mistakes that may be holding you back and how to correct them fast.