MARJORIE Orr, grande dame of astrology, clairvoyant, former BBC TV documaker, modern day philosopher with a scientific bent of mind, foodie with discerning tastebuds, adventurous cook, Stuyvesant king-size cigarette smoker, drinker of red wines, etc., etc., slipped into a chair across me at the Zodiac Grill in Bombay and looked heavenwards. Actually, she was admiring the ceiling. Which at the Zodiac, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower�s premier fine wining and dining restaurant, in keeping with its theme, is majestically celestial. I looked up at the constellation of zodiac signs with her.

But I have admired this ceiling before. So, I shifted my gaze to Marjorie. And I liked what I saw. She is unlike that small photograph of hers that accompanies her immensely popular and very readable astrology column in English newspapers here and abroad. From palm-reading distance, she is a Scottish lady of medium proportions and with classic good looks. Add to that a cheerful and contagious spirit. And she comes across as being humorous, charming and friendly. She had not carried a crystal ball with her to the lunch, much to my disappointment. But she had thoughtfully brought along a change of clothes for Farzana Contractor�s camera. �Just in case...� she explained. I found myself taking to Marjorie Orr. And I had not even told her my star sign.

Ujjawal Bhimwal, the Zodiac Grill�s manager, suggested a menu: Camembert Souffle, Pate de Foie Gras, a Mango Sorbet, New Zealand Lamb Chops, and for dessert, Kahlua Mousse, Vanilla Cr�me Brulee on Kataiffi Discs, Lemon and Almond Cheesecake on Fig Carpaccio and Bayleaf Parfait Napolean. He recommended a red wine, the Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra in Australia. Which was a lot of food and a good drink. �Yes,� said Marjorie to him. To me, she said, �I do like food and eating out, there�s no doubt about that. I used to live in London, where you can eat anything, but the South of France, where I am now in Banyuls Sur Mer, which is two hours north of Barcelona, with a house looking onto the Mediterranean Sea, and where the fishing is to die for, you can actually buy prawns and lobster off the fishing trawlers. I cook at home. I do scallops in saffron. Oof... it is something! I have learned that when you serve guests food they like, they always come back. My guests are always showbiz people or journalists. They are more fun, they tend to have varied experiences, and are people who enjoy life. I also do this Catalan dish called Brandade, it is peasant food, a cod with lots of garlic.

That great Spanish restaurant El Bulli is an hour away from me. It is known for its Catalan food that is heavy with tomato and onion. But it�s impossible to get a table here. Reservations are open for 2008! I can�t be bothered. I can do a duck in orange and honey sauce. You will never see so many ducks in your life as you will at a French market. Oysters are available, plentiful and cheap, but I don�t eat them. And mussels, you find little old ladies going around with baskets selling them. But I like reasonably plain food. Prawns in any form are a favourite. And squid, lobster, basically I like seafood. Out of the sea, fresh, and not from a crate! I don�t like red meats. Though I love game, especially pheasant and partridge, I�m not fond of venison. And while I am willing to try anything, I�m not good with exotic foods, no sheep�s eyes, ostrich, dolphin and peacock. I�m even wary of shellfish and snail!�

The wine was uncorked and offered to Marjorie for tasting. She took out a pair of glasses and studied the label. �It needs to be warmer,� she told the Zodiac�s sommelier knowledgeably. She does not drink anything but wine and champagne. She hasn�t touched spirits in 30 years. And even though she comes from Glasgow in Scotland, Marjorie Orr has never taken to drinking scotch! She talked about wines. Her favourite is Lengue Roussillon. She spelt out the name for me carefully. �September,� she said, �is grape harvest season in Banyuls Sur Mer. I live in the middle of wine country. The French, who hate tourists, wait till all are gone, then get into the harvesting. You can walk down the main street and just pick grapes. The whole place smells awful at this time. But everybody is happy.

The anxiety, love, sense of respect that farmers have for grape harvesting season, you have got to see.� All the while she talked, Marjorie drew on her Stuyvesants. And she talked about food and astrology. She can, and does, look at the star signs and advise people what they should eat and drink. �But I do it for fun, not seriously,� she warned. �Like, the real foodies of the universe are Taurus and Cancer. Taurus, the ox, will eat everything. But Cancerians are not adventurous, though they eat well, they like comfort foods. Leos love going to flashy restaurants but are not sensible about what they eat. Sagittarians enjoy foreign cuisines, anything exotic. Aquarians are terrible cooks, this is just not their scene. Virgo, like the Earth signs Taurus and Capricorn, likes food. They like nice things done to the body! Librans are sociable, but not great cooks, they prefer things provided to them. Aries, hmnn, the woman is not very domesticated. She is impatient and not good at providing lunch.