By Indian foodie standards, Rahul Gandhi dining at a restaurant is considered a huge endorsement. A couple of years ago, late one night, when the Congress scion had dropped in at the Sindoor Palace family restaurant, Thiruvananthapuram, the place got celebrity status overnight. A scribe who managed an adjacent table even went into rapturous detail the next day recalling what Rahul and the local netas had indulged in: appams, Kerala parottas, chicken stew, chicken tikka, vegetable stew, prawn pepper fry, paneer butter masala...almost half the menu! Alas, a Rahulian star, unlike the Michelin Star, is not a rating for a foodie to visit. Last week, the Sindoor Palace was shut down by food safety officials after a child fell ill after eating there. The officials, it seems, thought hygiene standards were very poor. Foodies, better watch out for that star! |