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The Indreni Foodland at Maharajgunj, Chakrapath, opened its premises at a time fine dining was still rare in the area.

 Located opposite of the Bhatbhateni Supermarket Maharajgunj, the Indreni Foodland is a multi-cuisine restaurant with a dedicated café as well. Don’t get fooled by its Nepali name though. The Indreni Foodland is a chain of lavish fine-dining restaurants that operate in various places around Kathmandu with the same name, under the broader Indreni group. It is an established brand in the hospitality industry of Nepal with almost a dozen entities under its portfolio.

 Coffee and cocktails, naan and sandwiches, palak paneer and pastries, Indreni Foodland has them all and you can enjoy your meal at its luxurious premises, which are almost secluded from the busy ring road by a bit of greenery.

THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

- Tiger Chicken

- Jumbo Prawn

- Swiss Roll

- pastry

Opening hours: 8 am-10 pm

Location: Maharajgunj

Cards: Accepted

Meal for 2: Rs 2,000

Reservations: 014720421

Film director and photographer Aneel Neupane’s journey in the world of visual arts began when, in 2010, he borrowed a digital camera from a friend to learn photography. Now the CEO of Jazz Productions, Neupane, 26, has over the past five years been directing local as well as international music videos and commercials. He is also writing his first feature film and assisting in the writing of acclaimed Nepali director Min Bahadur Bham’s second movie “A Cold Year”.

 The self-taught photographer, who credits the internet for his skills, prefers digital compositing in photography. His miniature photos have gone viral on the internet for their artistic presentation. For Neupane, “Miniature photography is a sub-genre in digital compositing where I imagine the subjects (usually myself ) as tiny beings interacting with regular stuff. I have always been fascinated with the tiny world of insects. As a kid I used to spend hours staring at ants and bugs, wondering what it’s like to see the world through their eyes. After I learnt photography and Photoshop, I could finally explore their world on my own.”

 Neupane believes having a different perspective can make the most mundane thing come alive. He has been approached by clients from as far afield as Singapore and Japan who want him to do their miniature pre-wedding photoshoots. “Besides this, miniature photography can play a vital role in Nepali advertising industry,” he adds.

‘The Steel Kiss’ is the twelfth book in the series by Jeffery Deaver featuring quadriplegic detective and forensic expert Lincoln Rhyme. Here, Rhyme and his partner (and lover) Amelia Sachs, New York police detective, try to hunt down a serial killer who uses smart technology to kill from afar. The enthralling tale begins with an exciting chase and what follows is a lot of twists and turns. You will never be able to guess the ending, even if you read a lot of murder mysteries and can sense a perpetrator halfway through the plot.

 The good thing is that not much has changed in Deaver’s writing style since Rhyme made his first appearance in ‘The Bone Collector’ in 1997. He still delivers the same fast paced narrative that has come to be the trademark of the Lincoln Rhyme series. The plot of The Steel Kiss begins with Sachs chasing a suspect through a busy mall when an escalator malfunctions and a mall employee is mangled to death. Though initially it seems the incident has no connection with the serial killer, it soon becomes apparent that he is hacking into home appliances and other gadgets to kill people, and used the escalator as a distraction to escape when he feared getting caught.

 A psychopathic hacker intent on turning ordinary things like a car, table saw, or microwave oven into lethal weapons is the stuff of nightmares but, besides this main storyline, there are many sub-plots in the book as well. There’s the relationship tension between Rhyme and Sachs, and Sach’s ex-boyfriend is also in the picture. He asks for her help in clearing his name after being released from prison. Then there’s officer Ron Pulaski who goes undercover to prove Rhyme wasn’t responsible for someone’s death during a case. Deaver also introduces a new character, Juliette Archer, who is a quadriplegic too. She lightens everyone’s mood with her humor and riddles.

Any other thriller writer and the labyrinth of plots and sub-plots would have made for one heck of a confusing read. But Deaver knows what he is doing and ties the different plot lines together brilliantly to come up with one engaging and engrossing story. He also manages to deliver a subtle warning about the dangers of letting electronic gadgets control our lives. Deaver is best known for complex plots and unpredictable endings and, in this cleverly crafted novel, he proves, yet again, that he is perhaps one of the very best thriller writers out there.

The Steel Kiss

Author: Jeffery Deaver

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Published: 2016

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Pages: 632, Paperback

For the food lovers of Kathmandu, the Academy of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management’s International Food Tasting event is the place to be. Hosted every Saturday, between 10:30 am and 4:30 pm, till April-end inside ACA premises in Lagankhel, the International Food Tasting event features food from Germany, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea and surprisingly from Brazil too.

 The brainchild of ACA chairman Ashesh Maharjan, the food festival intends to give first hand culinary and service experience to its students while also promoting various international cuisines.

 “This is our third year doing this event and we have had tremendous response from the visitors,” says Aushwin Gautam, business development and communications manager at ACA. “We are expecting a footfall of 6,000- 8,000 this year.” The visitors at the food tasting event comprise of students, professionals, parents and guardians as well as members of the expat communities and embassies.

The tickets for the International Food Tasting event are Rs 350 per person and one ticket entitles a visitor to taste one dish each from the five different cuisine options.

Salsa Dance Academy in Baluwatar is celebrating its 15th anniversary and on this occasion, head-in­structor Binayek Shrestha is offering different packages of salsa classes. If you wish to join, a partner or previous experience in Salsa dancing are not needed. But you need to pre-register. You can choose a salsa course spanning any­where between a month to eight months. Make sure you are dressed comfortably and have your dancing shoes on. If you want to just drop in, you pay Rs 500 for an hour of salsa.

Email info@ salsanepal.com or call +977-1-(4420564) for more information

If experiencing the wild plains of Nepal and bird watching interest you, go for a bird-watch with a naturalist in Chitwan. The national park and buffer zone harbor 543 species of birds. Around 160 migrant and vagrant birds like the greater spotted eagle, eastern imperial eagle and Pallas’s fish-eagle can be seen in Chitwan right through the year. An early morning walk along the Rapti River gives you an ideal bird-viewing experience!

Explore Patan in a one-of-a-kind walking tour to learn about tangible and intangible history that have influenced the old city in the past and continues to shape it today. ‘Patan Free-Walking tour’ is a free weekly special event organized by NepaliTravellers which offers a one-of-a-kind walking tour around the square in exploring the history that has influenced the city in the past and continues to shape it today. These tours focus on Newar Buddhism and explores the evolution of the city into the urban hub it is today. The tour will also curate conversations of the heritage and highlight people and institutions working on initiatives of urban renewal in Patan. Contact 9843241490 to book. You can directly go to the meet-up location on the day of the tour, which is every Saturday from 2:30 pm-4 pm.

Q. What is something that is important to you that you never really talk about?

A. My private life.

Q. A quote you live by?

A. ‘There is beauty in simplicity’.

Q. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

A. Morning person.

Q. Something your fans wouldn’t believe about you?

A. I am good at sarcasm.

Q. What’s your favorite smell?

A. Versace perfume.

Q. What’s the best part of your day?

A. Usually the end when I realize I had a produc­tive day after working hard.

Q. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?

A. I have never thought about it.

Q. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

A. Nothing, because then I would not be me.

Q. If you were a flower, which flower would you be and why?

A. Lily. I love that it grows from bulbs to a flower over a period of time. I find it very beautiful.