Returning to Delhi after a couple of months, I walked into an Oriental restaurant in a southern market of the city. The dcor was muted and tasteful and the big glass windows that are now de rigeur for upscale Delhi eateries allowed in a generous amount of the winter sunlight. The staff were immediately welcoming towards my companion and myself. My pal, a leading lit-crit foodie had brought me here with great recommendations about the South-east Asian food the place served and the menu laid before us told me an encouraging story: there were not too many dishes, there was no dreaded mix of multi-cuisine, yet there was plenty of variety in the kind of food the place offered.
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As I looked around, I noticed there was just one other table occupied, a pair of men tucking into what looked like a very nice and colourful lunch. However, as my friend and I discussed the menu, I realised something was jarring the otherwise quite perfect setting - the tiny speakers on the walls were distributing loud techno around the nearly empty restaurant.
Noise
When the waiter came to take our drinks order, I
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