Wednesday

Game of Thrones finale is coming - Who dies and How

Alas, this post is dark and full of potential spoilers…


The finale of Game of Thrones is always a dreaded one – you know, Ned Stark beheading, Red Wedding and Purple Wedding and so on. So, with the Season 5 finale not too far away, I’m sure we will see some or the other majorly beloved character having his/her head split open. While those who have read the books might have an idea as to what is coming (Winter, is it?) the lesser mortals like me, who have purposely refrained from reading the books to retain that element of surprise while watching the painstakingly addictive Game of Thrones, are bracing themselves up for what’s to come in the upcoming episode.

That takes us to the whole point behind this post. As a fan of ‘happily ever after’ (yes I love fairy tales, and yes, I have found my perfect prince charming) I too am dreading the finale, but I have prepared my mind by figuring out who all can die, and how, in the final episode – so that when I finally see that happening, my heart doesn’t go into the sinking mode. Clearly, the sinking process started after Princess Shireen was burned alive, by his own father, Stannis (urrghh) in Episode 9.

So here goes… who dies and how in the finale:
  • Arya finally gets to strike another name off of her list - Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard. Now that Arya in her ‘Lanna’ avatar has seen Meryn Trant in Braavos, she will seize the opportunity to kill Trant, probably at the local brothel, while he is trying to exploit another young girl. And as a tribute to her Water Dancing trainer Syrio Forel, she takes his head to Jaqen H'ghar, who in turn displays it at the House of Black and White. Win, Win! or Not. Maybe she will get punished for it. Time will tell. 
The dreamy: Jon Snow
  • Jon Snow has returned to Castle Black with all the wildlings, and Ser Alliser Thorne doesn’t look too happy about it. And if looks could tell, his looks spell trouble. There is a possibility that under pressure from his peers, for want of more food, more power or just general hate for the wildlings, Ser Alliser Thorne puts a knife in Jon’s heart. There you go, You seriously know nothing Jon Snow.
  • However, there is a twist in the tale – Soon after Jon’s death (which I’m hoping doesn’t happen, I so so love Jon Snow) the White Walkers attack Castle Black, and The Night’s King restores Jon back to life (as he did so with others in Episode 8) and makes him join his army. Jon Snow with blue eyes, might look cute. What say?
The ferocious: Tyene Sand
  • Doran Martell spoke about second chances, and Ellaria might just grab that chance. Now that Jamie is on his back foot, thinking about the truce between the Lannisters and the Dornes, happily taking Myrcella back to King’s Landing, Ellaria, with the help of her daughters, uses this opportunity to take revenge. She can't possibly kill Jamie, so she settles for the second best option - his daughter, Myrcella. A sick twist in the tale would be Bronn helping the Sand Snakes in executing their plan. After all he was saved by Tyene Sand – the most beautiful girl in the world (If you know what I mean *wink wink*)
  • Selyse tries to kill Melisandre for what she did to her daughter, Shireen, but being the red witch that she is, Melisandre burns Selyse alive for trying to kill her. Stannis continues to watch, and just watch, like he did when Shireen was burnt at the stake. Die, Stannis die!
  • Now that Theon aka Reek has told Sansa the truth about her brothers, there is a possibility that the two would grow close to each other, eventually helping each other from the clutches of Ramsey. We did see Sansa in a bold makeover at the end of Season 4, and there is hope that Season 5 finale might sprung a surprise in Sansa running away or better still, killing her tormentor Ramsey, with Theon’s help. Go Team Sansa. 
The royal partnership: Daenerys and Tyrion
  • And, the mother of all - Daenerys kills Tyrion and embarks on her journey to become the queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Now that she has the fire spitting Drogon by her side, Danny decides to go bad and what better way to do that than by killing Tyrion and avenging her father, The Mad King’s death? If not Jamie (the King Slayer) then Tyrion, big deal! Killing two birds with one stone, eh?
The untamed: Drogon
  •      Last but not the least, the Dragons go on a killing spree. What? you say. Well, we did see Daenerys' other two dragons breathing fire at her at the very beginning of Season 5, so it is all the more reason, the makers decide to end it all with the dragons killing one and all in Mereen. That will be one hell of a finale. The End!

These are my eight pointers. Which one do you think might come true? Have I left out any other plausible possibility? Leave your comments below.

Disclaimer: This is intended to be a light hearted, funny, hypothetical piece. Please do not get your blood boiled over any discrepancies or any hyperbole theories that are suggested in this post. It’s just intended for a good read. Hope you enjoy it!

Monday

Breakfast at Dishoom – A Bombay café in the heart of London


Dishoom, an original Bombay-styled cafe in Covent Garden
Being an Indian, I feel it’s my right to try out as many Indian eateries as possible and then tell my friends back home, which one in the UK matches which, back in India. Oh you know, the KFCs and the McDs in the UK are different from the ones we have in Delhi. There are no veg options available here! Ok, McDonald’s has one, but you get my point right?

Anyways, so I thought I’ve done lunches and dinners at a lot of places, how about trying out breakfast at some place new? That I happened to be standing right in front of Dishoom in Covent Graden at 10:15 am on a Tuesday morning, has nothing to do with my sudden decision making.

The relaxed and cool interiors at Dishoom
To be honest, I’ve been wanting to go to this place, ever since I got to know that there is a restaurant named Dishoom. The word Dishoom means ‘kapow’ or a ‘blow’ in Bollywood language. Something that you hear when a hero throws a punch at the villain or vice-versa. So, just for the love of this word and for my love of 70s Hindi films, I wanted to visit this restaurant that boasts of paying homage to the original ‘Bombaiya’ cafes as we call it.

The old adverts (here) and the crisscross white and black flooring (below) at Dishoom 


Thankfully, there were no long queues to stand in, and I was given a choice to sit either at the shiny marble-top round tables or at the comfy, old café style big sofas. I choose the shiny marble-top. Dishoom is a cool restaurant with an elegant interior. The walls are plastered with old Bollywood movie and movie stars posters and vintage-style adverts. The discreet lighting and black and white tiled floors, evokes a throw-back canteen feel.

The staff was extremely friendly, and attended to me immediately, handing out the menu and sharing the specials, but were manically over-attentive. For some unknown reason, they all always stood huddled together, talking in hushed tones, near the open-kitchen.

Breakfast Menu
As soon as I saw Bun Maska in the menu, I knew what I wanted to order. The Bun Maska is a Bombay classic, eaten almost everywhere. The bun is toasted hot on the outside, with a slice of butter inside and is enjoyed best by dunking the hot bun in your spicy or masala chai.

Bun Maska with spicy tea
I have to admit, the Bun Maska at Dishoom did disappoint me a little. I was hoping for the authentic fresh brioche bun, filled with a generous butter spread. What I got was a super toasted bun, almost charred on top and filled with a slice of butter. However, the spicy chai covered it up for me. It was the perfect masala chai. I enjoyed it so much, I ordered two. 

Nankhatai biscuits 
Their selection of sweet Nankhatai biscuits, sprinkled with sunflower seeds, and salted Jeera biscuits, with cumin seeds, was absolutely heavenly.

Egg Naan Roll 
Next I ordered the Egg Naan Roll, and trust you me, my taste buds were in for a surprise party. The naan came wrapped around two fried eggs, with runny yolk, chilli jam, cream cheese and spicy green herbs. Warm and gratifying, the Egg Naan Roll was such a flavour party, I tell you.

With such variety in budget prices, I really wanted to try some more, but as I was running short on time, I couldn’t. However, my friend, who is a regular at Dishoom vouches for their Bacon Naan Roll and Chole Frankie. She says, they are the best ever.

Next time, I coming for Chole Frankie and Breakfast Lassi.