Eating the Rosary

That's what it felt like when I had Bollywood Tandoor's rose-flavored goat milk ice cream. The strong smell of roses reminds me of novenas, altars, and yes, rosaries. I grew up in a Catholic setting, and that included praying the Rosary.

But there was nothing Catholic about eating ice cream in an Indian restaurant, with statues of Hindu gods, and pictures of Bollywood actors. The taste of the rose in the ice cream was just too powerful and nostalgic.

It was a welcomed taste on my palate after having strong and unfamiliar Indian flavors. Bollywood Tandoor is one of the "resilient" restaurants in Banilad, Cebu City. I use the word resilient because the restaurant has been operating for many years, surviving its location and the pandemic. So many other restaurants have closed in its location. Even after the lockdowns, the restaurant was able to spring back to life.

It was my first time eating there. I joined a yoga class after work, and the entire class decided to have dinner together. It was one of the first few classes in the new studio, so people were okay with spending a bit. It also helped that the yoga class was only P150 (around 2.8 USD).

Our yoga teacher suggested we try Bollywood Tandoor. My Indian cuisine knowledge at this point was still meager and I was happy to tag along with them and try something new.

We arrived at the place, which still resembled the previous restaurant's interior from what I could remember. We entered the front door and saw pictures of famous Indian actors hung up on the walls. I recognized some of them. We walked along the hallway and saw an altar of Ganesha, the Hindu god who removes obstacles and brings good fortune.

A waitress received us and she seated us on plush and comfortable chairs. She handed me a thick menu. I opened it and didn't know where to look. The words on the menu were difficult to pronounce. I just let my companions order the food.

Our order arrived, and they looked quite good. We had palak paneer, butter chicken, some grilled chicken, another curry I forgot the name of, and of course, their bread. As a rice-eating person, I was surprised that our meal was so filling even without rice. Their palak paneer will always be my standard whenever I eat at another Indian restaurant.

Then, we ordered dessert. Our yoga teacher told us to try their ice cream, which was so interesting because it was made from goat's milk and was rose flavored. The ice cream was served in a small metal container. It looked like they scooped the cream in and topped it with rose syrup. It was pink and smelled strongly of fresh roses. I took a small portion and saw that there were rose petals on top of the ice cream.

The moment I put the spoon inside my mouth, the taste and smell of roses exploded. I was transported to my childhood when everyone seemed extremely religious and attended all Catholic activities. Every scene in my memory was filled with the smell of roses and the sight of Rosaries. It's interesting to note that the word Rosary actually comes from the word "rosaire" meaning a garden of roses.

I remember being so full after that meal, it felt like we just ate back all the calories we burned during our yoga class. We also told each other that we won't be spending as much as we did that night for our next dinners together. I've never had Indian food in the Philippines that was cheap.

I've eaten a lot of Indian food after that night and my knowledge and appreciation for Indian cuisine grew deeper. But so far, I have never had rose-flavored goat milk ice cream again.