Latest news with #Sandeep
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: Delhi welcomes new eateries, but dining experience falls short
There is good news and there is bad news. The good news is that many new restaurants have opened in Delhi this year. Once upon a time all the openings were in Gurgaon which was not great for Delhi people who did not want to brave traffic jams of much more than an hour or get stuck in water-logged roads for the three months of the year when Gurgaon becomes some Haryanvi's idea of Atlantis, the undersea kingdom. Delhi sees new restaurant openings but quality remains a concern.(Unsplash (representative image)) The bad news is that most of the newish Delhi restaurants are not much better than those in Gurgaon where the average standard is pretty dismal. The National Capital Region (NCR), which is basically Delhi plus Gurgaon plus Noida (which is the one part of Uttar Pradesh that nobody bothers to travel to for the food), has nothing on Mumbai or Bangalore where great new restaurants keep opening. Oh yes, Delhi is very good at the top of the market (Bukhara, Indian Accent, China Kitchen, Dum Pukht, 360, Shang Palace, etc) and the dhaba food can be wonderful. But at the middle of the market very few outstanding restaurants have opened in the last few years. If you want a reliable place to go to, the 50-year-old favourites (United Coffee House, Kwality etc) are still your best options. I know because even though I keep trying to eat at home when I am in Delhi, on the grounds that I eat out all the time when I am travelling, I have forced myself to explore the restaurant scene over the last two months in the interests of keeping my readers well informed. (Which is not to say that every bad meal I have had to endure is your fault, dear reader, only to inform you of the sacrifices I make for the sake of this column.) There have been some good experiences. Sahil Mehta, who is to the patisserie scene in India what Cedric Grolet is to France, has opened the Paris Coffeehouse in Greater Kailash Two market. Of course it's wonderful because Sahil is incapable of making any patisserie that is less than excellent. But it's a small cafe that depends entirely on Sahil's skills and not a full fledged restaurant. And then there is Mesa in the Lodhi Colony Market (apologies to those who live outside the NCR but all Delhi localities have strange names like these) which is a relaxed oasis of casual dining. (Dos, Tres, and Jamun are popular options.) My wife and I wandered in one day for lunch and were pleasantly surprised. Mesa is run by a young chef called Sandeep Namboodiry, who once worked with the great Manish Mehrotra (after I posted about my meal at Mesa on Instagram, Manish messaged to say how talented Sandeep was), but sticks (mostly) to a modern European menu here. Not everything works brilliantly— he doesn't have the oven required to make the greatest pizzas, though his were not bad, and his Japanese omelette was not much more than acceptable— but there's enough delicious food to make me want to go back. You can see real skill on display here and Sandeep is a chef to watch. This counts for something because I don't think Delhi has as many talented chefs as, say, Mumbai. And unfortunately, even when Delhi chefs have talent, the restaurants are badly run. A few months ago I went to Cala, an unassuming neighbourhood restaurant in Panchsheel Park. The European food was far better than anyone had a right to expect. The pizzas were good, the pasta was authentic and a sophisticated prawn dish stole the show. The chef appeared to serve the dessert (also good) and when I asked about his background, said he had worked at Masque in Mumbai. Encouraged by that experience I booked for lunch last Sunday. When we arrived the solitary server in the dining room asked if I had a reservation. I said I did and gave my name. I don't know why he bothered to ask because he didn't look up any list of reservations but just led us out of the restaurant to an outside area where a low hung shamiana had been erected. I remembered the outside area because we sat there last time. This time, presumably because it was hot, it had been covered with this makeshift shamiana. It was dark (either they had no lights or they had not bothered to put them on) claustrophobic and the tables had not even been set. I asked why this was our only option given that I had booked the day before. The server had no idea. I said we could not possibly eat here and left. He seemed unconcerned. Perhaps the restaurant is closing down and they don't care about guests. Because nobody who wants to stay in the hospitality business can afford this kind of attitude. Stuck for a place to have lunch, I looked up Plats, which many people have praised, on the net , found the number and called. Nobody answered. I then called Indy at Eldeco centre. This is run by the people behind QLA, a restaurant I like. They answered the phone promptly but said they were full. Resisting the urge to take the easy way out and find a hotel restaurant or to return to one of our two go-to places for Sunday lunch (Cafe C at Chanakya and Cha Shi, both of which are excellent) we decided to try our luck at the new bustling Eldeco Centre in Malaviya Nagar, where there are many other restaurants apart from Indy. Nearly every place was full. There were crowds of hungry Bengalis outside 6 Ballygunge Place and the Arts Room was packing them in. But we roamed the corridors till we found a table at a Japanese restaurant called Hikki which I had never heard of. It is a relatively plush place that is well managed and because it is more expensive draws an older average diner than most of the Eldeco restaurants. For all that, there were some basic mistakes. The tables are lit with overhead lamps that come down dangerously low which, I guess, is a stylistic touch favoured by someone with dodgy taste. But, more crucially, all of the lighting has been designed by a person who has never heard of Instagram. The low-hanging lamps throw shadows on the food so that you can't take pictures and they also make the guests look strangely ugly. The food is hit and miss. The prawn tempura was good with high quality frying but this was not true of the chicken karaage. The gyoza had an oily slippery feel to them. And even by the standards of junk sushi, the nigiri was a disgrace, made with rice that was so dry they could well have cooked it a week ago. The meal was redeemed by an interesting noodle dish which was made carbonara style (like the pasta) and powered with the addition of Korean gochujang paste. To the credit of the servers, they quietly took the karaage off the bill when they saw we had wasted it. Clearly, they mean well. And to be fair, by the time we left, the restaurant was full. Perhaps they will get their act together: they need some urgent changes in the kitchen and they need to get someone who understands lighting to redo the lamps in the dining room. So, nothing inspiring to report. But I shall keep looking. At some stage, some thing really good will turn up. Or so I hope!
New Indian Express
11 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Jeweller duped of jewellery worth Rs 88 lakh with fake gold bars in Puducherry
PUDUCHERRY: A jeweller in Puducherry was allegedly duped of jewellery worth around Rs 88 lakh by a man who exchanged counterfeit gold bars under the pretext of a legitimate transaction. The Grand Bazaar police have launched an investigation into the case. According to police sources, M Deepak Das (50), who runs a jewellery store on Bharathi Street in the town, was approached several months ago by a man who identified himself as Sandeep Jana, allegedly hailing from Salem in Tamil Nadu. 'The man visited the shop a few months ago and offered gold bars in exchange for jewellery. A similar transaction took place during a subsequent visit,' said a police official. On Saturday night, Sandeep contacted Deepak once again and claimed to possess 1.8 kilograms of gold bars. He requested jewellery in return for the bars. During the meeting, he handed over the bars and began inspecting 880 grams of jewellery provided in exchange. Deepak, however, took the gold bars to another part of the premises for testing. Upon examination, it was revealed that the bars were fake. By the time he returned to confront the man, Sandeep had vanished along with the jewellery, police said. Following the incident, Deepak filed a complaint at the Grand Bazaar police station. Based on his statement, a case has been registered under relevant sections. Police said efforts are on to trace the suspect and recover the stolen valuables.
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Lucknow Lootera: Cook At Realtor's Posh Home Buys Properties After Stealing Whopping Rs...
Last Updated: The servant stole Rs 40 lakh over five years and only 7.56 lakh in cash has been recovered. Sudden thefts at empty apartments or in certain localities in cities have unfortunately become quite common. In the latest, a shocking incident has been reported at Shalimar Grand Apartments on Jopling Road in Lucknow. Neeraj Chaurasia, who worked as a cook at the home of real estate businessman Sandeep, stole money from the house over a time of five years. He has stolen nearly Rs 40 lakh. The theft was caught when Sandeep noticed that Rs 5 lakh was missing from the house. He suspected his servant, Neeraj and upon searching his belongings, he recovered Rs 50,000 in cash. Soon after, the incident was reported to the Hazratganj Police Station. As per an Aaj Tak report, the Hazratganj ACP Vikas Jaiswal said that Neeraj admitted during interrogation that he had stolen approximately Rs 40 lakh over the last five years. He has used this money to buy land and other properties. Based on the information provided by the accused, the police recovered Rs 7.56 lakh in cash. Along with this, his other assets and bank accounts are being thoroughly examined. The investigation further revealed that businessman Sandeep did not get a police verification done for Neeraj before hiring him. Reportedly, the police have filed a case against the accused under IPC sections 380 (stealing) and 420 (fraud). Some days back, the Railway Police in Lucknow detained a man for stealing mobile phones, handbags, and other goods from passengers while pretending to sleep. The Government Railway Police (GRP) of Charbagh captured Sufiyan, the culprit who devised this strategy to rob fellow commuters. Reportedly, Sufiyan, a resident of Shaheed Nagar in Hussainganj, Lucknow, was apprehended during a drive to combat theft, robbery, poisoning, and drug smuggling on trains and in railway stations. He was found in possession of three stolen cell phones worth roughly Rs 45,000. During interrogation, Sufiyan admitted that he would board trains, sit or lie down near passengers, and pretend to be asleep. He would steal his targets' mobile phones, bags and other items after they fell asleep. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Absconding ganja peddler held in Hyderabad; 28 clients identified
HYDERABAD: Nearly a week after EAGLE officials apprehended 14 individuals in Gachibowli for attempting to purchase ganja, the missing peddler, Sandeep, was arrested on Thursday. According to EAGLE officials, Sandeep, a native of Karnataka, had been sourcing ganja from a supplier based in Maharashtra, was absconding. Police seized 2kg ganja from Sandeep at the time of his arrest. Sandeep is reported to have a clientele of around 100 individuals and was operating through a WhatsApp group. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad In addition to the 14 drug abusers who were earlier apprehended while on their way to meet Sandeep, a further 14 consumers have been caught over the past two days. Among those who tested positive for ganja use are software professionals, sales executives, HR professionals, and others. All those arrested will be sent to de-addiction centre, pending court approval. So far, 28 of Sandeep's 100 clients have been identified, and efforts are underway to trace remaining individuals. All 100 clients are being treated as accused in the case.
Business Wire
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Cybersecurity Firm AppSecure Identifies Critical Flaw in Meta.AI Leaking Users' AI Prompts and Responses, Rewarded $10,000
SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AppSecure, a cybersecurity firm specializing in penetration testing and red teaming, has discovered a critical vulnerability in Meta's generative AI chatbot platform. If left unaddressed, the flaw could have allowed other users' data and private AI interactions to be leaked. , CEO and Founder of AppSecure Security, identified the issue during a security research exercise. His investigation revealed that GraphQL API was unintentionally exposing prompts and outputs generated by other users. This oversight posed a risk of unauthorized access to personal and potentially sensitive conversations within the platform. Fortunately, no evidence of misuse or exploitation was found. The flaw originated from a missing authorization check in GraphQL API, specifically within the useAbraImagineReimagineMutation query. The system used a media_set_id to manage user interactions, but it didn't validate whether the person making the request actually owned that ID. As a result, any logged-in user could alter the media_set_id parameter and gain access to prompts and AI-generated content created by others. AppSecure reported the vulnerability to Meta on December 26, 2024. They looked into the issue and rolled out a temporary fix on January 24, 2025, with it being permanently resolved on April 24, 2025. In their official response, Meta said: 'You demonstrated an issue where a malicious actor could access users' prompts and AI-generated media via a certain GraphQL query, potentially allowing an attacker to access users' private media. We mitigated this and found no evidence of abuse.' Recognizing the significance of the finding, Meta awarded $10,000 for the key vulnerability and an additional $4,550 for related issues identified during the same investigation. 'This wasn't about chasing a bounty — it was about securing a system millions are starting to trust,' clarifies Sandeep. 'If a platform as robust as can have such loopholes, it's a clear signal that other AI-first companies must proactively test their platforms before users' data is put at risk.' As more companies rapidly deploy generative AI models, the surface area for potential attacks continues to grow. AppSecure's findings highlight the need for a proactive approach to security, especially in systems that handle user-generated content, prompt history, or model outputs. AppSecure has a reputation for carefully and responsibly uncovering important security vulnerabilities. Many AI-focused companies trust AppSecure to help protect their systems. The company actively tests how users interact with AI platforms and examines the behind-the-scenes processes to find hidden flaws that could cause security risks. This hands-on approach helps businesses fix issues before they become serious threats. 'Security is not just about fixing problems after they appear; it's about anticipating risks and acting before damage occurs,' adds Sandeep. 'That's why leading companies work with us to identify real-world risks early and build AI platforms that stay secure and reliable from the very beginning.' About AppSecure Security AppSecure Security is a CREST-accredited Penetration testing firm that identifies and addresses critical vulnerabilities through real-world attack simulations. The experienced team focuses on testing web applications, APIs, and networks to expose hidden risks before threats can cause harm. By following industry standards and taking a proactive approach, AppSecure helps businesses strengthen their defenses and stay ahead of evolving cyber challenges, making it a trusted partner for comprehensive security solutions.
