It’s undoubtedly the most natural split-level restaurant in town. It has the most casual of menus and the most homely of fares. From Goan to Greek to Railway Club specialities it has featured them all. It’s a place I fell in love with the moment I stepped into it a couple of years back and only felt bad that the steps and the levels made it difficult for me to frequent the place more often.

I respected the fact that the owner took a long time before settling down to getting a Liquor License. It definitely filtered the audience.

I have always thought the place was ideal for intimate get-togethers. Each group of individuals could easily be given a separate nook at a separate level. There could be privacy and peace and quiet.

The restaurant on top, once the liquor license came, became a nice watering hole. It stood out because it was the most casual of all bars.

But my attraction to the place was for more theatrical reasons. As against the auditorium kind of space that many places offered, I had a soft corner for the multi stage opportunity that the topography of Truffles provided.

I imagined personalised acoustic (vocal or instrumental) performances at different levels. I imagined soft serenades. I imagined a muted reading of sorts where you could hear characters but not see them…and enjoy your beer.

I even imagined a fashion show of sorts where the models could flit from one table to another. One day I remember, I even thought of suggesting Truffles to a client to have their annual workshops…individual groups to meet at level 1, 2, 3 etc. And congregate at the restaurant later for the final presentations.

Of course, I never thought too much about these things because Truffles was already doing so much with its wonderful space.

I remember the Dramanon Auditions on the hilltop space…and of course the amazing sandwiches. And the interactive blackboard at the entrance.

But last week I was fortunate enough to land up there for some Trivial Disasters in the Sandbox Collection.

While the sketches were funny and the three actors gave the stories character, it was the stage backdrop that I had a conversation with. The damned illustrations were so comic that I could actually imagine that the performance had two audiences. One in front of stage and one behind. And the ones at the back enjoyed it as much if not more than the audience in front.

Every time I laughed for instance, I saw a face from behind the performers also laughing…and that was quite disconcerting at first. Then I fell into a pattern of figuring out who would catch the joke first and who would laugh earlier. The chilled beer that I had must have helped, but I think I won

I went home and thought again about my dream of doing something exclusively at Truffles. The idea of performing while people were having a drink or eating…performing without being obtrusive…that is engaging my mind these days.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I am tired of communicating with people only after calling for their attention. I want to communicate at a non-intrusive level.

Letting them enjoy whatever it is they are eating, drinking. If I can enhance their pleasure…if I, or something that I conceive…can become like the music playing in the background while you are enjoying a long drive and appreciating the scenery…then I will be happy. Content.

But in the meanwhile I know that Truffles has a lot of good things on the menu or in the pipeline…and not all of them are edible