Novus Restaurant & Bar

Quaint little eatery and bar, immersed in comfortable lighting from three chandeliers encased in large reflective rings. Mirrors hung from the pearl coloured walls, with many more covering the ceiling. Wine bottles adorn a wall, alternating from side to side. Servers decked in white long sleeved shirts, supremely trained and extremely well mannered. I am trying to paint a picture of swank and splendour, but in reality, Novus didn't really live up to all the hype and expectations.

In a place where the bar takes up half the restaurant, one can hardly expect a quiet dinner. The food was pricey, ranging from $30 to $108 for a main course. For an appetizer, main course and dessert, be prepared to spend at least $120+++ per person. (That is if you do not have the Wagyu Tenderloin with Foie Gras priced at $108+++) However, the excellent service staff made this visit seem to resemble a visit to Au Jardin in the Botanical Gardens. But apart from that, nothing else in the place would even make you think that you were in a fine-dining restaurant. With roughly 20 tables at very most and six servers working, service levels were never found wanting.

The food however was excellent. Starting the meal is an assortment of breads, not too sure about the origin, but great for a start to the evening. The kitchen then gave a little treat, one tiny Cod Ball, drizzled in Basil, left to rest in a small paste which had a small hint of cheese. Next up, try the Scallops with quad fried bacon. An excellent starter, one large scallop served on top of a piece of pork, interestingly, with sauce that resembled peanut butter. Sounds weird? But actually very very good. For the main course, try the fish, Cod or the crispy skinned Sea Bass. The Cod is grilled and submerged into a thick, vegetable chowder and the Sea Bass is grilled to a crisp and served with a nutty spinach paste.

One thing about Novus is the impeccable presentation of the food. All the dishes are like works of art, none more so than the desserts. The Creme Bulee looked almost too good to eat and its taste reflected the chef's artistic brilliance. After the final course, I think the desserts sealed the deal for a repeat visit. But given the price tag, Novus Restaurant and Bar is an indulgence, making it a once-a-year kind of restaurant. Furthermore, if you want a quiet place to eat and chat, Novus isn't the place for you. But if you don't mind the noise and you want to bring your special someone somewhere nice, the great food and impeccable service trumps the chatter any day.

Chelsea Vs Manchester United (2007)

All season this match was billed as a title decider, all season this match had so much significance in the title race. What a pity that the match billing did not come to fruition. Both teams, clearly with an eye on the FA cup final in two weeks, fielded second string sides. Sir Alex, ever the PR genius, fielded a weaker team to "respect the relegation battle" with West Ham in four days. I am sure there must be some truth in that, but how much truth? Thats for another discussion.

Both teams started with nine full internationals. Chelsea had the likes of Makelele, Terry, Cudicini, Essien and Kalou starting. Joe Cole made an appearance after the break, replacing the temperamental John Obi Mikel who nearly took Chris Eagle's leg off just below the knee. Taking a look at the reserve team of Chelsea and comparing it with that of United showed why there are more United supporters than there are chelsea supporters. Human beings are somewhat romanticists to some extent. People just love the notion of giving youngsters a chance, watching them bloom and develop into world beaters. This game rekindled thoughts of watching a young United team tear apart the team from Galatasaray in 1992 during the then European Cup.

Manchester United fielded a team with no less than seven home grown youngsters, with more than half of them not even 21. Although the final scoreline read a drab and dull 0-0, the game was of the highest quality. Watching Chris Eagles and Kieran Lee combining on the right for United, brought back memories of watching a young Gary Neville and David Beckham working on the wing together enroute to the 3-0 demolition of Galatasaray. How apt that Eagles is touted as the new Beckham and Lee is touted as the future replacement for Neville. Even Dong, playing alone upfront against Terry and Essien, showed signs of his quality with deft touches and reasonable hold up play. Up against two world class players, it is a testiment enough that he could hold his own against them, let alone giving them a run for their money.

At the final whistle, Chelsea just shaded it in terms of attacking prowess. United's youth, and inexperience, tired with fifteen minutes remaining on the clock. At the end of the day, this game became nothing more than a curtain raiser for the FA Cup final. Lets hope that the final would live up to its billing and give us an apt finale to what has been an excellent season of English football.

What Makes A Good Leader?

I had a discussion with my girlfriend not too long ago about what our expectations were in choosing a good leader. I have realised that different workers have very different demands from their leaders or managers. Take for example, as a worker, how would you want your boss to gain your respect? Or as a boss, how would you want to gain your colleague's respect? Expectations differ from worker to worker and from boss to boss. Its a very delicate skill for someone to be both a good boss and also a well liked boss. I guess that's why such bosses are hard to find.Managers are often known to take the praise for jobs that were not done by themselves. I have also heard of managers who would push the blame to their subordinates whenever they were in need of scapegoats. Sad to say, I think that this scenario has become an "acceptable" norm.

But at the end of the day, I believe that a boss's job should not just entail delegation and management. I think that at the end of the day, a good boss should not only give their subordinates due praise for their job well done, but also, to absorb the blame for their failures. I feel that senior management will sit up and look out for middle management who show such attributes. That's because bosses with such attributes would naturally have the respect and friendship of their staff and naturally these are the people that would lead any company in the right direction.

What does everyone else think?

Fazil: A good manager blames himself because it is in doing so that he finds something he can improve. I don't think it's so much as blame as it is taking responsibility for failure. If a manager chooses to delegate a task to a subordinate, then he will have to bear the responsibility of how well that particular task was completed. And as such, though praising his subordinate for a job well done, his own superiors will view it as a job well done for himself as well.

Open for Discussion till 8th of June 2007