Tisca Chopra - Foodie who has an eye for details

Click on the pic to view slideshow So far the venues for dinner of all the actors I have invited for a tete-a-tete have been decided by me. But when I called up Tisca Chopra to take this stylish and attractive Bollywood actor (Taare Zameen Par, Dil Tho Bachcha Hai, Firaq and more), TV anchor and writer out for dinner, she readily agreed but made it clear the restaurant would have to be the hi-end Michelin-starred London-based Chinese restaurant Yauatcha located in BKC, from the stable of KA Hospitality. The date was fixed and lunch it was to be. Yauatcha is on the first level and you have to cross a very temptingly displayed dessert counter on the lower level as you are ushered into the restaurant upstairs. Tisca had arrived a little before I could reach and I found her seated comfortably, sipping on an orange-based mocktail. Looking smart in a crisp black-n-white block printed kurta over black churidhars and stilettos, she appeared calm while giving me a hug. After exchanging pleasantries, we started with our orders for Cantonese dimsums for which this restaurant is famous. They also have a special vegetarian menu and I learnt Tisca is a fishetarian. Over some seafood dumplings and Chive dimsums on Exec Senior Manager Sumit Sharma’s recommendations, with Kiwi Iced Tea, our conversation veered towards her present interest – writing a book and also promoting a book written by her husband Sanjay Chopra who is a pilot. Coming from a family of renowned writers, (she is the niece of Khushwant Singh), it is no wonder then that she is so into promoting education and also takes up a lot of charity work. Her pet projects are eradication of female foeticide and promoting education rights for girl child. For the main course it was Rawas, Fried Rice and French Beans with Waterchestnut in soy sauce. Tisca observed the sea bass was fleshy and succulent with proper marinating and was done to perfection. On the movie front, the pretty actor has just completed an international film called Quissa with Irrfan Khan. While digging into the wonderful meal, Tisca kept a sharp eye on the ladies at the other tables as she loves to observe the latest trends. She also confided in me certain other things that she is into but since they are private and confidential I refrain from revealing them. When it came to the end of our meal, Tisca turned into a child as she excitedly called for Raspberry Delice – her fave dessert at Yauatcha. No doubt it was brilliant and delicious. We also tried Chocolate Ganache – simply superb! The presentation of each dish was excellent at Yauatcha which was a big attraction to Tisca as she put it, “I am very particular about how the food looks before it goes into my mouth. That’s precisely why I can’t have food at weddings where it is just a hotchpotch of dishes.” I found that this sharp and talented actor delved into details as she noticed the small silver foil dotting the shocking pink Raspberry Delice, she came up with, “See that silver dot on the dessert. If it is not there the next time I come, I will question them.” Wow Tisca, no wonder you got to team up with perfectionist Aamir Khan! As we finished our lunch, Tisca promised to revisit her favourite restaurant and looked forward to launching her husband’s book. Here’s wishing her luck and success on her endeavours!