Adventures in Awesome Living

by Sunil Bali, 12-02-12

Indians and Italians have a number of things in common, including their passion for food and the importance of deepening relationships over the course of a long, slow dinner.

Keith Ferrazi, author of the New York Times bestseller Who’s got your back tells me that Italians have a saying: "A tavola non s’invecchia" which means "At the dinner table no one grows old."

Whether it’s a family member or a potential client, getting people away from distractions and their daily environment is crucial to establishing closer relationships.

When you’ve got one eye on the clock, it can often become a case of "Let’s cut to the chase" rather than "What can I do for you?"

Don’t you find that time stands still and food tastes so much better when sprinkled with the intimacy of a "getting to know you better" dinner?

The long, slow dinner provides a platform to get what matters on the table and all agendas off the table and allows for openness, intimacy and ultimately trust to develop.

So who would you like to take out for dinner and get to know much better? How about over an Indian meal?

Being an Indian, I’m passionate about Indian food. Unfortunately, the food served by more than 95% of the Indian restaurants in the UK is, in my humble opinion, not fit for a dog! So here are a few restaurants that are the real deal and serve fabulous Indian food. But be warned…..you’ll never want to go back to your local curry house!

  1. West London: http://dine-online.co.uk/madhus-indian-restaurant.htm Madhu’s Brilliant, Southall. They did the catering at my wedding 11 years ago and people are still talking about the food!
  2. East London: http://www.tayyabs.co.uk/ – Tayyabs serves probably the best Lamb chops in the UK.
  3. East London: http://www.lahore-kebabhouse.com/ – Lahore Kebab House is one of the first and very best curry houses in London.
  4. Harrow: http://www.regencyclub.co.uk/ The Regency Club is a bar and grill which also serves fantastic vegetarian food. It’s 1minute walk from Queensbury tube station.
  5. Birmingham: http://www.ashasuk.co.uk/ Asha’s – a fine dining establishment with some exquisite house specialities.

I’ve eaten at virtually all of London’s upmarket, fine dining, Indian restaurants and whilst my first 4 recommendations don’t have the grandeur of these establishments, the food is considerably better and will cost the same as your local curry house.

Quotes

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe: whatever you call it and whoever you are, you need one – Jane Howard

People don’t want any more information, they’re drowning it. They want trust. Trust in you and the story that you tell – Sunil Bali

To fly we have to have resistance – Maya Lin

I use my muscles as a conversation piece, like someone walking a cheetah down 42nd street – Arnold Schwarzenegger

Humour

The following passage is taken from my book, Mind, Set & Match

Love Is…..

A team of researchers asked a group of primary school children: "What does love mean?" The answers were broader and deeper than they could have imagined:

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."Billy, age 4

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy, age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired." Terri, age 4

"Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."Bobby, age 7

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."Nikka, age 6

"During my piano recital I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore."Cindy, age 8

"Love is when Mummy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine, age 5

"Love is when Mummy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford. “Chris, age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."Mary Ann, age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."Lauren, age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."Karen, age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross."Mark, age 6

"You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."Jessica, age 8

….. and finally, here is an awesome marriage proposal (video)

To your success,

Sunil