Love For All Things Yum!

Up in the Sky...

2011-12-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

Review: Sky Cafe

Alfresco dining is not a verypopular choice in Mumbai. Two reasons for this 1) not many options 2) its toohot most of the year. But with the weather getting cooler by the day (yesterdayMumbai was 11 degrees, yes 11 degrees and yeah in Mumbai), its great to share ameal under the starry sky.

Sky Cafe is one such place. Locatedbang opposite my favourite cinema hall Sterling, Sky Cafe is actually the porchto FreeMason Hall at Fort. Am sure the word freemason reminds you of t'he sting operation on the Roman Catholic Church novel' - 'The DaVinci Code'. So is Freemason a secret cult? I would say more like a Machiavellian cultbased on the principles of ‘humanity and brotherhood’. But this would make anothertopic of discussion, for now lets discuss Sky Cafe and it’s food.

The decor of this Cafe issimple, lots of plants around, blue and white mosaic chipped tables andwooden chairs. On a hot summer day youneed those several wall fans and coolers facing you but on a winter night you would need a stoll and warm holding someones hand to keep you warm. A perfect setting for a romantic meal!

The menu is a mix of middle easternfood with mezze and shwarma, Chinese with burnt garlic fried rice and European with Pastas& Risottos.

We start of the with Cream ofMushroom and Almond Soup – the creamy thick broth was beautiful almost silkyhowever the only thing disappointing was that there were no chunks of mushrooms.

We move on to the Chicken Khowsuey –with a colour so saffron, the Shiv Sena would be put to shame! However it wasnot all that bad, it had a slight zesty flavour to it but not the authentic ‘Busabaor Joss’ one you would expect.

We move on to Penne Romano – penne in a creamy white sauce topped with broccoli andFrench beans – scrumptious and cooked a la dente. Pair it with the garlic breadand you would know why Bryan Adams sings ‘Cloud no 9’

The next was the Pan Fried Chickenin Paprika Cream with Spaghetti – while both the grilled chicken and spaghettiseem to be delectable separately they didn’t go well together as a combination!

For drinks we had the Virgin Mojito whichwas nice and refreshing.

A meal at Sky Cafe would costanywhere between Rs 200 - 350

Verdict:

Food: Good, Sasta ne Saaru!

Ambience: Beautiful

Service: A bit Slow

Quick Tip: Great for a quiet alfresco meal, serves some good varietyand inexpensive food which is quiet a rarity in Mumbai. Must go in thisweather!!

The Co-ordinates:

Sky Cafe

Where: Freemasons Hall, MarzbanRoad, Fort , Mumbai

Tring Tring: 22055557, 22055558

Timings: 12:00 PM to 11:30 PM

Food Type: Chinese, Continental& Middle Eastern

Payment Methods: Credit cardsaccepted

The Seafood Diet

2011-11-25T05:19:00.001-08:00

Review: Pratap Lunch Home

A: Do you eat fish?

Me: I love seafood!!

A: Do you eat Pomfret?

Me: No, I like Surmai better…

A: Aah, Surmai fish eatersare the real fish eaters!

This was the fourth or the fifth time we were having this conversation however it didn't seem to amuse us any less. Everytime felt proud at beingacknowledged for my eating habits by a father figure and he feels proud forhaving made a conversation with a daughter he never had.

This post is dedicated to aloved one who passed away recently…..

Situated in the part that Ilove most, reminds me of our history, the british legacy and their majesticarchitecture – Fort, Pratap LunchHome, was originally this dimly lit permit room kind of place. But recently ithas been done up, inspired by Suraj Barjatya’s film – family friendly!!

On the walls you will see a sketchof a coast with burlesque’s of typically koli women selling their catch of theday to their customers.

The menu is a mix of Koli, Malvani,Mangalorean, Chinese and Mughlai fare.

We begin with Chow Chou Prawns – king prawns batterfried and topped with dhania seeds (coriander seeds) and green chillies. The potentdish was a rare yet divine combination. The next was the Tawa Ravas – again brilliant grilled Rawas and coated withtraditional Malvani spices.

Chow Chou Prawns

Tawa Rawas

The next was the Crab Butter Garlic – steam crustaceantopped with dressing of garlic and butter. Armed with a bib, bone marrow spoonsand crab crackers we dig in. I thought the gravy was too thick, it did notcombine well with the juicy crab meat to give that wholesome taste. It alsolacked flavor. The one at Apoorva (check: http://luv4allthingsyum.blogspot.com/search/label/Sea%20Food) is more appetizing.

For the main course we orderPrawn Gassi (Manglaorean Curry) with Neer Dosa and Rice. The curry wasdelectable with the flavor of coconut milk and mustard seeds. Pour it on adollop of rice and eat it with your hand. Beware of eating your fingers though.It’s that delicious…

Butter Pepper Garlic Crab

Prawn Gassi

There was no room for dessertafter this meal … Actually all I wanted was for someone to pick me up and takeme home. Alas the Undertaker is not based in Mumbai.

A meal at Pratap Lunch Homew/o alcohol would cost anywhere between Rs 350-400 per head

Verdict:

Food: Excellent

Ambience: Good butcan get noisy

Service: Can misguide you. We asked him if 1 plate ofcrab would suffice 6-7 of us. The waiter said no and we ordered for 2 portions.We kept eating and eating and it wouldn’t get over!

Quick Tip: Gotget some really good seafood at really reasonable prices and eat your heart out…Do not miss the Chow Chou Prawns, they are to die for!

The Co-ordinates:

Pratap Lunch Home

Where: 79Janmabhoomi Marg, Fort , Mumbai

Tring Tring: 22871101, 40021101, 22871818

Timings: 11:00 AMto 12:30 AM

Food Type: Koli, Malvani, Mangalorean, Chinese, Mughlaifare

Payment Methods: Visa, Amex, Master, Cash, Credit cardsaccepted

La Dolce Vita

2011-10-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Review:Mezzo Mezzo

YesCulinary Muse has been living La Dolce Vita or the Good Life lately. It almostlike Fergie singing G.L.A.M.O.U.R.O.U.S in the background! She has dining (and wining)at Mumbai’s finest places! And the latest to join her list is the celebrity ItalianRestorante at JW Marriott – Mezzo Mezzo.

Withit’ dim (read: close to nil lighting) and wooden flooring (that went tock tockwith her heals), you’d believe you are on the sets of God Father with themysterious music playing in the background et all.

As for the food, here goes CulinaryMuse’ take

Citrus & Herb Marinated Alaskan Sea Scallops

Picolli Morsi or as they say Smallbites - Westarted with the Citrus & HerbMarinated Alaskan Sea Scallops – juicy chunks of the fish marinated in thisdivine herb and zesty limoncello - tasted just beautiful. The next Proscuitto San Danielle – Shaved ParmaHam with Warm Buffalo Mozzarella – the rusty saltiness of the parma hamcombined with slightly bland mozrella was amazing. Then was the Pizza Biance Con Rucola – a deliciouspizza sans any tomato sauce just Mozrella and Cream topped with the picante taste of rocket salad – brilliant again (Check out Chefs Cornerfor the Recipe & WorldCafe for more about the dish). Not thats what I call exotic yet tasty. Whowould say that Italian food is bland.

Proscuitto San Danielle

Wine- AlessandroComin, Maitre D'Hotel suggested we pairthis course with Wine Zardetto ProcescoBrut NV (Rs 700 per glass), asparkling wine. Though it had a nice fruity flavour to it, I personally foundthe Vini too dry.

Primi Piatti (First Course) – We then moved on to the first course where we had two kinds ofPasta’s- Rigatoni in tomato based sauce – giant flat pasta in a tomatoconsomme with braised egg plant and fresh ricotta – I thought this needed somemore flavour or seasoning to it. The next one was a Giant Shell with Chantralle Mushrooms, Truffle Cream Sauce –ambroasial flavours of truffle cream cheese with the mildly peppery taste ofthe chantrelle mushrooms! However Culinary Muse thought that pasta was a bitthick and doughy.

Wine– We paired this with Ferragamo Family Estate II (yes SalvatoreFerragamo) Borro lamelle 2008 (Rs 750per glass). The wine was straw yellow in colour and had an intense floraland peach taste to it with a hint of vanilla. Brilliant! Now this is the kind ofwine Culinary Muse would love to get high on!

Secondi Piatti - Forthe second course we start with Branzinoal Forno in Guazzetto di Marre (thats a mouthful I know)– roasted Sea BassFillet, Clams, Mussels & Shrimps in a sort of white wine broth – I lovedwhat the white wine did for all the sea food – just enhancing the flavours andnot over powering them. Delectable. The NewZealand Rack of Lamb, however had some great flavour with perfectly mashedpotatoes but was too rare and it took CM hell of time trying to cut through it.(almost felt like butchering it all over again). The meat was also quiet chewy

Wine– Again a Ferragamo Family Estate II Borro Pian di Nova2007 (Rs 600 per glass) was a rubyred in colour.It had this spicy taste to it that didn’t impress CM much!

Dessert – For desert we had the Classic Tiramisu – a bit sweet Italian delicacy – think I had toomuch of coffee powder on mine, the MangoTiramisu however added different dimension, quite a welcoming one I wouldsay. But a must have dessert was the Calzone- kanranji shaped bread filled with Nutella – one bite into it and you knowwhat paradise would taste like!

Verdict:

Food: Excellent

Ambience: The God Father with music et all

Service: Good

A 4 course meal without Vini (Wine) at MezzoMezzo would cost Rs 2500 aprox plus taxes

Quicktip: To get a taste of authentic Italiansupper Mezzo Mezzo is the place. Culinary Muse would it rank amongst the top threeplaces in Mumbai where you could get a fix of Italian khaana. Do try the seafood there, the scallops are todie for!

Foodies Ahoy!

2011-10-15T04:12:00.000-07:00

Mumbai Food Bloggers Meet & Revie West View Bar & Grill

Culinary Muse always thought that there was something abnormal about her obsession with food. It is like hunger her only emotion, eating her meditation and food her life. But when she got invited for The Mumbai Food Bloggers Meet on October 1^st hosted by Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal of A Perfect Bite, it was an epiphany to see a so many others who shared her mantra! Not to mention how she felt a part of them already! More like a Food Bloggers Family!

It was quite an eventful soiree over Wine & Food and meeting people from different walks of life but with a common passion- Food. There was Harini Prakash – the Vegan Mom who loves taking pictures and colours co-ordinates her daughters clothes to the food pics J (now thats what I relate to!) Then there is Snigdha – the Pretty Tea Sommelier (gosh that sounds so beautiful), there was ‘That’ Nikhil – quite precisely the Non-Chalant Gourmand, Jyothika Purwar – the very enthusiastic cook, Kurush Dalal – a bon vivant Parsi food caterer who juggles food & Archaeology together, Rhea Mitra Dalal his dulcet wife, Reethika - the vegan who taught me that Vegan is more of a way of life that just a diet choice and ofcourse Rushina the doyen of food blogging!

The evening was all about tinkling of wine glasses, clicking of cameras, chomping of food and ofcourse lots of talk about it! What can you expect when a bunch of food fanatics come under one roof!

The food – well it had some yum moments & not so yum ones. What impressed Culinary Muse was the exotic and exhaustive spread. Here goes the details –

Pic Courtsey: Jyothika (http://followmyrecipe.blogspot.com/)

Soup & Bread - CM opted for the non veg soup which was Sweet Corn Soup with Beer infused Chicken (yup you read that right beer infused) – it had a suttle twang and a nice flavour to it. What came next was this light airy Focassia that could be paired with flavoured oils in testubes. Amroasial!

pic courtsey Reethika (http://veganontheprowl.blogspot.com/)

Salads – Amongst Salads, the Roast Potato Salad – baby potatoes tossed in chilly flakes and balsamic sauce was delectable. The Tuna & Cumcumber Salad was also quite refreshing , the cumcumber added the crunch and freshness to it. The Yogurt Scallion Tarts - Scallion and cream filled into tarts was light and delectable. What really stood out was the Black Rice with Sunkist Oranges – I have never of such rare combination but it actually was winner on taste, the rice had a kind a gluttony texture combined with the sweet and sour oranges made for a delicious combination. The Pan Cooked Basa and Pokchoy Salad was a disappointment however with no real distinguishing flavours

Pic Courtsey: Jyothika (http://followmyrecipe.blogspot.com/)

Main Course – For the maincourse there was a spread of exotic stuffed vegetables like Stuffed Pumpkin, Corn on the Cob, Potato Gnochi and meats– Arabian Sea Prawns (these were huge), Virtnamese Basa Fish,Himalayan Trout, Weiswurt German Sausages, Chicken Satay crusted with Oats, Porkloin etc etc. We had to choose our fare and then hand over our plates to the the ‘Girls on the Grill’ – Chef Padmaja & team. CM is really happy to see women chef because usually hospitality kitchens are dominated by men. So tasted the Viatnamese Basa & The Arabian Prawns both grilled – while the meat was cooked perfectly, both lacked seasoning which them bland. I was told that the Prawns were going to be cooked with some lemon and garlic sauce. I could hardly taste that. The Sage & Pumpkin Gnocchi & Oat Crusted Chicken Satay could be compared to Pankaj Kapur’s Mausam, looked very promising but was a disaster! The Chilli’s stuffed with apricot puree were even worst with a mish mash of bitter, sweet & spicy. The Himalayan Trout seem saved the day with it’s nice silky texture and subtle flavours.

Verdict:

Food: Exotic but Tastewise very average

Ambience: Nice

Service: Very Helpful (they actually what we were wearing to be able to serve us the right plate

A 5 course meal (cheese, soup, salad, grill & dessert) at West View Grill would cost Rs 2450 plus taxes.

Quicktip: If your a health freak, love your protein and have the money too, you can head to West View Grill for a healthy grilled spread. It would be best if you gave standing instructions on the seasoning and flavours etc.

MAMA MIA!

2011-10-01T03:14:00.000-07:00

Here I go again! My My... How can I resist you?

Yup Culinary Muse has been singing this famous Abba anthem ever since she made a trip to God forsaken Powai (it is really far from SOBO!) for the Grand Italian Supper at The Renaissance Powai.

First let me warn you... it is a lot of travel from anywhere in Mumbai except for if you staying in Powai! Second is it worth it? Hell yeah & you’ll see why!

The Italians have a little saying about khaana – peena ‘Chi Mangia Bene, Mangia Italian’ which literally means 'Who eats well, lives well' & the buffet at Fratelli Fresh (the Italian Restorante at Renaissance) truly serves you just that!

Let me first take you through the ambience of this place - The decor is minimalistic with Glass, Glass & some more Glass. –‘ Jin Ke ghar Seeshe ke Hote hain, woh dusro pe pathar nahi phekte’ pardon me am a big fan of 2 ‘F’s – Food & Films (what were you thinking? You pervert!). The place had wooden domes & ceilings coupled with tall glass panes which give you a breath taking view of the Powai Lake makes for a beautiful semblance.

On one hand you have a peaceful view while on the other hand you have the hustle & bustle of an open kitchen, where you can see little Italian Chef, Tony who reminds me of Danny DeVito (the stripper Roy from Friends) dishing out some really fresh dishes! He says that Italian Food is the easiest, it doesn’t take much time & hence it can be easily prepared, right in front of you, fresh! Thank God for that I could wait to get my hands on those lovely aromatic dishes. Let me take one by one through my quest of devouring what Fratelli Fresh had to offer –

Soups – The Mushroom Soup was brilliant: a thick almost cappuccino like broth with a nice flavour of mushrooms made for a tasty delight. Add to it the bread croutons and count your blessings! The Chicken Soup was a clear chicken broth, almost a stock but again very flavourful.

Salads - The salad counter boasted of many exotic salads Pollo e Patate (chicken,potato,parsley,vinegar), Insalata Rriviera (cauliflower,broccoli,green beans,zuchinni,baby potato,fish grouper) & Insalata Caprese. Personally I didn’t like any! All of it was very bland and dry. But then again I am not a salad person!

Sangria

Drinks – They had a bar that seemed to have really good variety of drinks. I had the Sangria, which was good while my accomplice had a Mojito - the citrusy flavour of which got us high!

The Grill – Now this is the 1^st most yummiest part of the buffet. Right in front of on a bed of ice lie – Cuts of Salmon & Red Snapper, Jumbo sized King Prawns, Lobsters. There is also an option for Lamb Chops! The Red Snapper – seasoned with the right amount of salt, the fish just melts in your mouth. No added spices just the natural flavour of the fish, yum! Same was for the King Prawns & Lobster – no added flavour just grilled to perfection, the natural juices just do the trick. The Lamb Chop however felt like a piece of tire in my mouth – chewy & hard.

The Pasta & Risotto: We ordered for Spaghetti Arabiatta & Fussilli Aglio Olio. The Arabitata was served to us with penne rather spaghetti, and tasted very okaish. The Aglio Olio was too dry and lacked substantial slavour. However the Raviolli in Chicken & Cream Cheese was delicate, beautifully wrapped and delicious. What was great to see that the pasta was made at the hotel which gave them an uneven rustic look, like home cooked food. The Mushroom Risotto was - sticky, dolloped with lots of butter & cheese, just as it should be! However I would have preferred if they served it with Porcini instead of normal mushrooms. Nevertheless it was yummy!

Raviolli in Chicken & Cream

Pizza: The thin crisp, wafer thin Pizza tasted like heaven. The second yummiest part of the buffet. The earthy taste of the freshly baked pizza topped with slivers of melted cheese was delectable!

Shots & Chocolates – Now thats a novel concept! Beautiful shaped imported chocolates were displayed with Bubblegum flavoured & blue curcao shots! Now that swat I call getting high on Chocolate!

Desserts – This was the 3^rd yummiest part of the buffet. Authentic Italian desserts like Crostata di frutta i.e. fruit and custard tart, Crostata di fitchi e pere i.e. fig and pear tart were justmaking my mouth water! The best part of these desserts was the fact that they are not perfectly shaped and didn’t look like show pieced. They had the home cooked uneven look and even tasted yummy. The Budino cremoso i.e. Italian cream caramel was ‘Oh so yum’. The thick Chocolate Mousse served in a Wine Glass was ambrosial.

Budino cremoso i.e. Italian cream caramel

Crostata di fitchi e pere i.e. fig and pear tart

Additionally there were fresh baked breads with dips, imported cheese & cold cut meats

All in all the buffet had a humongous variety of more than 100 dishes. Yup more than 100! For the lack of choice is not an excuse here! All of this is priced at Rs 1500 plus taxes. Pretty much worth it for the kind of variety.

Verdict:

Food: Fresh, Delectable & Great Variety

Ambience: Beautiful

Service: Helpful

Quicktip: Skip your breakfast, and head straight for this brunch and eat your heart out! A great place for expats who are looking for a taste of their home here! Warning: Do not by any means go on your weighing scale after this!

The Secret Affair

2011-09-17T01:42:00.000-07:00

pic courtsey - Zomato

You are probably wondering why my new post is titled as ‘The Secret Affair’. Well, all of you have by now come to the Food & Me are in holy Matrimony. So if I am married to food, am secretly having an affair with Chocolate. Sushhhhhhh food doesn’t know about it. I avoid chocolate around it. Cause if I eat it after food, food gets angry and starts piling up in my body. Then it bribes the weighing scale into showing an enormous number. So I prefer to spend time with chocolate alone! Secretly, I travel to places, in disguise and spend some quality time with it! We even made love a couple of times! Here are the details of our escapades

Culinary Muse’ Top 8 picks of Chocolate Desserts (Read: Divinity)

8. Double Trouble, MOD – Mad Over Donuts yummy chocolate treat comes at no 10 with yummy milk chocolate casing on top and thick chocolate filling in between. Tips: Take HUGE big bite to savour both at one time. Approx priced at Rs. 200. Available at all MOD outlets

7. Gooey Cake, Cafe Churchill & Mocambo – This yummy, soft cake is perfect when shared with you date! How does it taste? Well, the name says it all! Approx priced at Rs. 80/-. Available at Cafe Churchill 103-8, East West Court Building, Opp. Cusrow Baug, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Colaba, Mumbai & Cafe Mocambo, 23/A, Sir Phirozshah Mehta Road, Fort, Mumbai

6. Walnut Brownie, Theobroma – Now this is what I call food for the gods! This square shaped slice has just the right combination of soft cake, crispy crust and cruchy walnuts. All packed together. I dare you to just eat one! Approx priced at Rs. 40. Available at Theobroma, Colaba & Bandra

5. Cafe Mocha’s Chocolate Avalanche – Now this is one huge dessert Even the Jr. Version (yeah they have Junior & Senior version). It is so filling that you can keep eating it all day & it won’t finish! Go with a huge group and dig in to this gigantic mountain of fun! Approx priced at Rs. 300. Available at all outlets of Cafe Mocha

4. Dense Chocolate Loaf, Theobroma – When you are happy, any you know and you really want to show it, Go get your family and yourself the dense chocolate loaf from Theobroma! Brilliant family dig in dessert. Approx priced at Rs. 200. Available at Theobroma, Colaba & Bandra

3. Lindt’s Lindor Truffle – If you haven’t tasted this chocolate! You seriously have missed something. It is beautiful solid on the outside with this molten chocolate on the inside. But never eat it just out of the fridge, let it be outside for a while to enjoy the yummy molten centre! Approx priced at Rs. 1000. Available at Fantasy Chocolates

2. Chocoholic, Theobroma – This yummy three layer mousse cake is immaculate. With each layer having a different kind of chocolate. It justs melts in the mouth! A must have for birthdays! Approx priced at Rs. 75. Available at Theobroma, Colaba & Bandra

1. Chocolate Fondant, Busaba – Watching this itself is an orgasmic scene. When served cut through it, you will a stream of silky molten chocolate rush out! And if that doesn’t give you a gastro turn on, I don’t know what will! Oh and it’s taste? A kiss from your love! Approx priced at Rs. 450-500. Available at Busaba, Colaba & Lower Parel

Quicktip: Listen to voice! If you are sounding like you dog died, you need hevy prescription of the above! Go get yourself one of these and faith will be restored!

Hot & Steamy

2011-09-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

Call them Dumplings, Momos’, Dim sims or just simply Wantons, this dish made of ground meat or vegetables wrapped up in delicate rice or flour skins and then steamed to create a smooth as silk, melt in the mouth savoury, is a treat to all the senses. They are beautifully wrapped like the Australian Dim Sims and Chinese Sui Mui, once served the steamy smell they let makes your mouth water and what can I say about the taste. Surreal!

Culinary Muse definitely has a penchant for these juicy appetisers and she brings to you her guide to where you will find the best of these in Mumbai

Culinary Muse’ Top 5 picks of Steaming Brilliance (Dimsims et more)

5. Steamed Chicken Wanton’s, Mr. Chow – At no. 5 we have Mr. Chow, a Chinese home delivery chain. They have yummy steamed chicken wantons – dumplings of soft chicken, spices, sprinkled with sautéed golden garlic flakes and spring onions. Priced at Rs 100 for 6 pieces, this the most affordable option and mind you not coprimising on quality. Mr. Chow has outlets in Colaba ( # 22160076), Bandra (#26489951) & Prabhadevi (#24334551)

4. Korean Momo’s, All Stir Fry – These are succulent bags of hmmmmm (thats what happen when you put it in your mouth). You need to eat it to feel it. Approx priced at Rs. 200. C/O The Gordon House Hotel, 5 Battery Street, Apollo Bunder, Colaba , Mumbai. # 22894400, 22894451, 22894452

Wanton Soup at Oriental Blossom

3. Dim Sim Set Menu, Oriental Blossom – A while ago Oriental Blossom the Pan- Asian restaurant at Marine Plaza introduced an ode to the dumplings with a Dim Sim Set Menu. From Dumpling Noodle Soup – a clear broth with silky wantons in it to the prawn rolls and sui mui’s, everything here is brilliant. Come here to savour a an amazing array of steamed dishes! The set menu is priced at Rs 500 for Veg and Rs 600 for Non-Veg and is only available on the weekends. Hotel Marine Plaza, 29, Dinshaw Wachha Road, Marine Drive, Nariman Point, Mumbai

Busaba Momo's

2. Tibetan Momo’s, Busaba – No one can beat the momo’s at Busaba! Gorgeously wrapped in an extra thin layer of phyllo, it goes really well with the green and red chilly sauces they serve. The divine experience of eating this will always keep you craving for more!

Cheung Fun at Royal China

1. Cheung Fun, Royal China – Numero Uno position goes to beautiful dish from Royal China. These actually look like steamed spring rolls, translucent enough to reveal the meat rested in a pool of mild and balmy soy sauce. From the moment this enters your mouth you know that Paradise is made of things like these!

Quicktip: Get yourself to learn how to use the chopsticks and instead of snacking on some unhealthy burgers, pastas and pizzas, treat yourself to this tasty & nutricious steamy fare. Accompany it with some Jasmine or White Tea and Ooh Heaven is a place on Earth!

2011-08-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

Review – Wich Latte

Pic Courtesy http://www.wichlatte.com/

Culinary Muse has been gallivanting all over Mumbai in search food that would make her yell ‘Yummy in My tummy’. Now, It feels like full circle to be back to Colaba, her Alma Mater in some sense, and gauge through causeway not jewellery, not clothes, not artifacts but some pet pooja!

Pic Courtesy http://www.wichlatte.com/

After you have passed, the usual hangouts like Leopold, Montegar and the once rumored to shut Café Churchill, you will notice Wich Latte, right opposite the Parsi haven Curow Baug. Started in the fag end of 2007, Wichlatte was set up to give a New York style café experience with white, yellow and coffee interiors. Today, it seems to have a got a new lease of life with Green & Purple hues, that make it look more like a garden than a café. They have retained the high tables & chairs and the open kitchen which is good thing though.

Coming to the food, since this place just a hop and skip away from mine, this is an account of the multiple occasions that I have been there.

Cream of Brocolli Soup

A must have there are the Soups which come in bread bowls like the Chowders in San Francisco. They have a different soup every day and the one to die for is the Chicken Soup – thick, creamy broth with pieces of chicken. Scooping the bread (from the bowl) drenched in the soup has the most yummylicious taste on this planet. Paradise is made of things like this. But they don’t serve this everyday and they apparently don’t have a fixed day for the soups. So all of it depends on your luck L. The other soup that is good is the Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Brocolli, Cream of Peas (yes don’t make that face) and Cream of Carrot (no its not puky, and a good excuse to have your vegetables and eat it too). The only one that I thought should not be had is the Cream of Tomato – it’s pathetically sour and too peppery!

The next, is what they are most famous for, no prices for guessing – The Sandwiches! They have international ones and also their own signature one’s, you also have an option of making your own sandwich.

The Tuscan Verde is a good option –with chicken and basil pesto. Quiet Filling and Yum! Clintons Wich – chicken salami topped with tomato salsa in a Panini on the other hand didn’t impress me much! The tomato salsa in it wasn’t quiet tomato salsa! The usual Chicken Hot Dog is also a good option. On the Veg front the Focassia Funghi is good– sautéed mushrooms, sprouts, parsley all wrapped in rosemary focassia with this yummy tang of balsamic vinegar!

Fussili Pesto with Chicken

In the mains, the Arabiatta Penne was to die for! And if you’re lucky you still might get it. But I guess the food is really unpredictable, the last time I went there the Arabiatta was tasting more like tomato sauce than the homemade thick tomato concasse that you would expect. The Pesto Fussilli – is brilliant with basil, creamy and nutty flavor! They serve 2 pieces of garlic bread with the pastas.

A great accompaniment with all this is their Lemon Ice Tea. The used to do Pizza’s and they had this yummy Chicken Pizza but unfortunately they have stopped.

In the desserts the Blue Berry Cheese Cake is to die for. Love the fact that it’s shaped not like a slice but like a round pudding with a thick layer of cream cheese that just melts in your mouth.

On the whole the place has good food, albeit a bit unpredictable and not so well managed. For e.g. they don’t have a fixed day for a particular soup! So I can never go there hoping for a Chicken or a Brocolli Soup!

Warning: They also have no sign that says “We do not accept credit cards” and don’t have that facility. So Visa really doesn’t have any ‘power’ here!

A meal for 2 would cost anywhere between Rs 300 – Rs 500

Verdict

Food: Good but sometimes Unpredictable

Ambience: Dil Garden Garden Ho Gaya

Service: Courteous

Quicktip: Good option place to grab a quick bite or even experiment with making your own sandwich.

The Co-ordinates

Wich Latte

Shop No. 4, Ground Floor, Western Breeze Building, Colaba, Mumbai

Phone: 65254827, 65265047

Timings: 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM

Food Type: American, Snacks, Desserts

Serves Alcohol: No

Payment Methods: A BIG NO

Sravan Especial

2011-08-24T05:05:00.000-07:00

Review: Golden Star Thali

“Mehndi te vavi malave ne
aeno rang gayo gujarat re
mehndi rang lagyo re”

Errrr I am sorry. It’s just that Sravanno Mahino che and am in the mood for Gujarati song, dance and of course Gujarati Thali.

So we head to Churni Road to try this place called Golden Star Thali. To be honest, I haven’t really enjoyed thali in years. The last one I had it Samrat, which was beyond insipid. I hated the greasy (read: almost soaked in oil) vegetables and ‘it’s so sweet it goes right to your ass’ dals.

But on insistence of my family, I thought why not give this a try!

So I enter the almost deserted (only 6 people dining and almost a dozen staff) Golden Star Thali and notice the really simple decor. Nothing fancy, just cushioned grey chairs and wooden tables. My dad tells me that the place is owned by Parsi gentleman names Mr. Zia A. Eshraghi. Wow, I think to myself a Parsi running a Gjarati pure veg reataurant! Bau Fine. My father adds that this used to be an Irani cafe that didn’t do too well and hence now Golden Star Thali. Su waat che! They have seasonal Thali’s and in the month of August they serve the Festive Thali.

So on the table there are these huge shiny steel plates with so many bowls. Counting them helped me sharpen my addition skills! There were about 10 -15(am still sharpening it) bowls. As I begin to wonder what are they going to serve us in so many bowls, they first serve a glass of Chaas – not the usual Gujarati mix, this is salty and patla but quit refreshing. The next is the chutneys and pickles. After that come the Farsan – Pakora’s: nice and tasty but not crispy! Doklas: tricolour dokla, soft, light and yummy! Cocktail samosa’s: quite nice.

(from left to right) Moong Sabji, Paneer Mutter, Bateta nu Shak, Bhindi Masala, Dahi Kadi, Surti Dal, Roti, Pickles

In the main’s they start with Sabji’s (Vegetables). The serve Bateta Nu Shaak i.e. Potato sabji – quite a nice flavour however I found the besan pretty over powering, Bhindi masala: tasty and sumptuous,the paneer in the Mutter Paneer was quite chewy not very appetising Moong Subzi – quite tasteless.

(left - right anti clockwise) Rice Kheer, Dal Bhatti Churma, Dal Dhokli, Green Onion Sabji

In the dals they had three varieties Surti Dal – sweet- spicy yellow tur dal which was brilliant. Have with plain rice and you’ll keep licking your fingers. Yes please don’t use a spoon it’s a thali for God sake! Would you eat biryani with a spoon? Now that would be a cardinal sin! The next is a spicy Rajasthani Dal called Dal Bhaati Churma: again brilliant flavours and goes well with chapati’s or rice. The Dal Dokhli - again sweet and spicy with peanuts and mustard seads was yummy too!Oh and I forgot the Chapatis they were soft and light just the way I like it, topped with lots of ghee.

The Gujarati Dahi Kadi – offwhite gravy made of curd was sweet and spicy with just the right consistency! It went really well with the Kichdi – again a brilliant and rich rice- lentil preparation.

We were served some Papad – which was a tad bit soggy and some Masala Kicha or Spicy Fried Wafers which was yum.

In desserts they had Rice Kheer: just the right amount of sweetness but couldn’t have much of it as I was too full and Cham Cham: I didn’t even take than in my plate, I needed help getting up!

My Dad (happy to have value for money meal) with the traditionally dressed waiter

All in all a sumptuous with lots of variety to choose from and not expensive at all! The cost of the festive thali was Rs 300 per head. Quite value for money. However one needs to understand certain pre-requisites to be able to truely enjoy a Gujarati Meal. Here goes –

Pre-requisites to enjoy Gujju Meal – Culinary Muse

1. All Food is dessert and all dessert is food, Everything is sweet

2. Ghee is a must in everything! You need a lubricant (stop getting ideas) for the heavy food to move down that oesophagus

3. All the sweet sugar/jiggery in the food goes to your ass. That explains the logic of Gujju women and their big backsides

4. Don’t go alone to eat. You need someone to pick you up after the meal

5. While having a meal you must discuss the next meal, to prevent the heaviness of the current meal from setting in

Verdict:

Food: Good & Very Filling, Not for the Calorie Conscious
Staff: Amicable
Ambience: Ok

Quicktip: Go there when you are super hungry so as to make the most of it. Read the above pre-requisites before taking the plunge!

The Co-ordinates-

Golden Star Thaali

Address: 330, Raja Rammohan Roy Road, Opposite Charni Road Station, Charni Road, Mumbai

Phone: 23631983, 23671952

Timings: 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM, 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM

Food Type: Gujarati, Rajasthani

Payment Methods: Credit cards accepted

The French Kiss

2011-08-17T03:22:00.000-07:00

Review – Chez Moi

Food always carries with it certain memories, especially when you savour it amongst people you love. To me this particular lunch did just that! A couple of friends and me have started this community called as ‘Food Caravan, Mumbai’ (Check this link http://www.facebook.com/pages/Food-Caravan-Mumbai/225739017456745?sk=wall & you can join us too!) as our way of discovering Mumbai through it’s food!

Bandra Station

Our first official ‘food trail’ took place on Sunday August 14, 2011. We all met at Bandra Station, and headed to Chez Moi, a bistro/café located at Bandra reclamation. Flanked by a couple of eateries like the ever famous Candies (which now by the way should be a landmark in Bandra along with The Bandra Fort and The Mount judging by it’s popularity) and some newly openend ones like Quench, Chez Moi sure does enjoy some competition.

The word chez moi literally means ‘At my house’ in French and when you enter this quaint, almost hole in the wall café , it’s like you have stepped into a time machine that transported you to the French Country Side somewhere in the Victorian Era. The walls are painted white in a make shift manner and you can still see the wood through it. There are ancient curios, wall hangings, gothic clocks, Victorian and contemporary painting and even a book shelf on the walls. It literally give you the feel that someone from ancient Europe has invited you back in time and to their house. Beautiful, Eclectic & Surreal.

We are seated next to the bar, by joining around 2-3 tables. Yes there are just about 6-7 tables in the entire place and a counter with some stools. We are served a menu that’s is actually spiral bound fashion magazine (that too in a different language) with a printed menu stuck on some pages! Quite innovative but can get a tad bit confusing also the fact that the magazine is in a different language beats the purpose!

Anyhow after we are able to figure out the menu, we observe that it has quite a good blend of French and Italian dishes. As a policy Food Caravan doesn’t do drinks, however it also seemed to have an impressive collection of blanc et rouge vin as well.

The Brocoli & Walnut Soup

Chicken Neptune

We order for our soups, the Broccoli and Walnut Soup looks great but on stirring we notice that the swirl of cream does not mix well and almost breaks forming pieces of cream in the soup, and the taste on the whole was quite bland. The Butter Corn Soup – had a nice thick consistency with the rustic taste of corn and a hint of lemon, a good option for the Vegetarians. But the Chicken Neptune, was actually what I can call a culinary revelation. A thick broth with chicken slivers, creamy texture and a hint of nutmeg. This is what Bruce Almighty would call B-E-A-utiful.

Chicken Roulade

Bruchettas

For starters we have the Vegetarian Bruchettas – finely chopped fresh tomato, herbs and cheese on toasted bread slices. Will give them credit for doing a good job at that. The next was Chicken Roulade – a cold cut and French signature dish. The word roulade originates from the French word "rouler" meaning "to roll". Typically, a roulade is a European dish consisting of a slice of meat rolled around a filling, such as cheese, vegetables, or other meats. If I had to draw an Indian parallel to it, it would be patra. The Chicken Roulade at Chez Moi was delectable with pounded chicken, cheese and herbs rolled in slices of chicken served with the most amazing kind of salsa sauce.

Risotto with Sundried Tomatoes and Vegetables

In the mains we ordered for Penne Arabiatta with Chicken – pasta tossed in a scarlet sauce with brilliant flavours of garlic, herbes and tomatoes. The next was Penne with Thyme & Mushrooms – penne tossed in white sauce with herbs and mushrooms – this I found a bit tasteless and after sometime if became very gooey and sticky which was an indication that plate was not hot when served. Also the mushrooms were the normal one’s not porcini something they should consider using henceforth. The Risotto with Sundried Tomatoes and Vegetables looked somewhat like dal rice however but tastewise it was quite scrumptious. The Grilled Chicken Breasts in Black Pepper sauce served with mashed potatoes and Veggies was quite a delight with a bittersweet peppery taste to it!

(left to right) Mock Champagne & Bora Bora

In the drinks we had Basil Grass Mojito – quite the normal but quite refreshing. But the 2 drinks that really stole the show was the Mock Champagne & The Bora Bora. A must try!

On the whole a great supper over conversations on politics, office life, office politics and yeah how can I forget the group's undying love for food.

Quite steeply priced a meal would cost anywhere between 500 – 1000 per head w/o alcohol

Verdict

Food: A Revelation

Ambience: Surreal but the blaring Music could spoil it

Service: Courteous (they kept simple things like a friends allergy towards corn in mind while suggesting dishes)

Quicktip: Haven't been to France? No problemo! Get a piece of Paris in Mumbai itself at Chez Moi. Go for a cozy date with your amore or just go by yourself with a book, read it, enjoy the food or some coffee while appreciating the art collection. Also reservations are a must!

The Co-ordinates

Chez Moi, House no. 13, Candies Lane, Opp Lilavati Hospital, Bandra Reclamation, Bandra West,, Mumbai (Bombay), India

Phone: 7738382407

Timings: 1.00 PM to 1.30, post midnight

Food Type: Mediterranean, French, Italian

Serves Alcohol: Yes

Payment Methods: Credit cards accepted

The Big Fat Indian Buffet

2011-08-09T23:39:00.000-07:00

Review – Jewel Of India

It’s a beautiful pleasant Sunday afternoon, and ma famille and moi head to this typical family restaurant to celebrate my favourite uncles Birthday!

Jewel India, located in Mumbai’s posh locality Worli, which is home to the serene Haji Ali, beautiful and breezy sea face and big wigs like Nehru Science Centre, Atria Mall and our very ex Aviations Minister’s Ceejay House and now the Famous Sea Link.

The restaurant, Jewel of India is located within the confines on Nehru Centre and is humongous. At the entrance we are greeted by ethnic paintings of women of Rajasthan. The entire restaurant infact gives you a very traditional Indian feel with its high ceilings of intricate wood carvings and chandeliers, white walls combined with wooden furniture and paintings that tell tales of folklore.

The restaurant is packed when we enter with quite a few people mostly families waiting outside. Thankfully we have done are bookings.

After greeting my relatives, I hover to the buffet to check the spread. The spread is very limited. Now that isn’t necessarily a bad thing - the usual ones that are never ending get you all confused and then you tend to over eat to make most of it. However at the first glance, I am quite disappointed with the arrangement of the dishes. While chaat and dessert counters are separate the main buffet table starts with Scrambled Eggs (yeah I don’t know what is that doing in an Indian Buffet) followed by Mashed Potato (now am convinced that this isn’t purely Indian), Sausages, Fish Chilly after which the buffet directly moves on to Paya (goat trotters), Chicken gravy and again coming to a Chicken Kebab. There didn’t seem to be any order to the food arrangement. Even after the Chicken Kebab there were assorted breads and Corn Flakes! Wonder what they were thinking!

Anyhow, I picked up my plate and scurried around to get some food in it to quench the rodents in my stomach! I started with the Pasta Salad – farfalle pasta tossed in some vineggerette, garlic, olive oil and bell peppers. I liked the flavor but the pasta seemed hard not cooked a la dente! On the vegetarian side there was Kothambir Vade – quite a horror story! I am sure if some devout Maharashtrian was present they would want to puke at the 90% besan mixture!

The Veg. White sauce Pasta (wait is this Jewel of INDIA again) – penne with corn and white sauce was a relief however a very amateur Indianised version of the dish. But still a relief! Moving on to the Non veg starters the the Sausages were edible however lacked any distinguishing flavours. The Fish Chilly – crumbed fried fish tossed in chilly garlic was the next life saving dish. Crispy chunks that melt in your mouth. The Murg Shikari Kebab – succulent pieces of chicken marinated in the usual yet delicious kebab marinade was beginning to restore my faith in this luncheon. Before this I was beginning to pity my uncle, whose birthday we were celebrating. I was beginning to feel guilty of letting him celebrate his last few years before he turns senior citizen in a place like this. He too liked the Chicken Kebab. A sigh of relief!

Murg Hara Dhaniya

Rasily Paya

In the main course there was a good variety amongst the Vegetarian Dishes with Chole Bature and Paneer Makhni but I stuck to Non Veg. The Murg Hara Dhaniya looked like it was made from melting The Hulk and tasted just as insipid. The Rasily Paya was not juicy at all, as the name suggested rather it was bland. Guess I know what chalk tastes like now. The Kachi Yakhni Biryani was good however could be had has dessert if it was any more cold.

Kachi Yakhni Biryani

In the desserts the Fig & Chocolate Crumble – I know what it is to eat chalk now with this I have learnt what it is like to eat brick and cement. The Tiramasu on the other hand was yum and so was the Chocolate Cake and Jalebis. Chalo all that didn’t start well atleast ended well.

On the whole except for a few things here and there the buffet failed to live up to its name atleast in the food department!

The per head cost for the buffet was Rs 800 which included unlimited draft beer or wine

Verdict

Food: I rather not reminisce

Ambience: Good but could get noisy on weekends

Service: Courteous & Prompt

Quicktip: There is a dearth of good Indian Food in Mumbai especially buffets, however keep this as your last option. If you have no option stick to eating selected stuff.

The Co-ordinates

Jewel of India, Nehru Centre, Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli , Mumbai

Phone: 24949217, 24949214, 24949435, 24949204, 24949219

Timings: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM, 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM

Food Type: Confusion errrr North Indian

Serves Alcohol: Yes

Payment Methods: Credit cards accepted

Orient by the Bay

2011-08-03T09:09:00.001-07:00

Review – Oriental Blossom

Taking it off from my last post on Royal China, I bring to you yet another Chinese restaurant that is famous among Mumbai’s Chinese aficionados. Tucked in the corner of Hotel Marine Plaza, Oriental Blossom serves up some authentic Schezwan and Cantonese fair.

The brightly lit interiors of Oriental Blossom are quite a contrast to most Chinese restaurants which are pretty dimly lit. Classic case of this is Lings Pavilion in Colaba, sometimes you cant see what your eating over here. But Oriental Blossom is well lit up with walls in earthy colours and bright glass windows that give you perfect view of the Arabian Sea. Quite a delight during the monsoons.

The menu is pretty exhaustive with as I mentioned earlier Schezwan and Cantonese fair.

We opt for the Hot Sour Chicken Soup which is quite delicious, peppery and soothing during this cold weather. The Chicken Wanton Soup too is brilliant – a clear broth with dumplings and pakchoy, we requested for some Mushrooms too in it and it was served to perfection.

Spicy Prawns tossed with Chilli Garlic & topped with Crispy Wantons

In the starters we had the Spicy Prawns tossed with Chilli Garlic & topped with Crispy Wantons – which was prawns stir-fried in spices and encrusted with sesame seeds. In one word ‘Delectable’. Our next appetizer Cubes of Chicken Tossed with Schezwan Peppers – a piquant dish with chicken pieces tossed in loads for red chilli.

Veg Fried Rice & RedCooked Chicken

For the main course we have the Red Cooked Chicken – again a fiery gravy (by now there is smoke blowing out of our noses) with chicken juliennes, finely sliced ginger and peppers. Accompanied with their Veg Fried Rice, the combination was brilliant. The Pan Fried Noodles tossed in vegetables was also brilliant.

Besides the a la carte they also have a dimsum set menu over the weekends which also a great option.

An average meal for two would Rs 800 – 1000 per head

Quicktip: If you have already exhausted all you options of Chinese in town, Oriental Blossom is worth a try. Go book yourself a window seat and enjoy the rains, the scenery and the fiery fare

The Co-ordinates

Oriental Blossom, 1^st level of Hotel Marine Plaza, 29, Marine Drive, Nariman Point , Mumbai

Phone: +91-22-22851212

Timing: 1230 – 1445 (Lunch) 1930 – 2345 (Dinner)

Food Type: Chinese – Cantonese & Schezwan

Payment Methods: Credit Cards Accepted

Royal Feast

2011-07-27T03:10:00.000-07:00

Review – Royal China

Mumbai has always been home to some of the best Chinese fare. Whether it’s the roadside spicy affair or the finer more authentic ‘peking duck’ et all offering places Mumbai has it all!

Royal China has been in the Mumbai Chinese circuit since sometime now. Quite popular amongst the hoity toity it’s located at next to Sterling Cinema. The first time I went there I didn’t quite like what I ate. Blame it on my HR College fiery Chinese upbringing! But last time I went there, the meal was something worth writing home about. It also has Bandra outlet.

Now for all the Apple/Mac suckers and for the usual technoholics ordering at Royal China is quite a treat with an Ipad Menu. Personally I loved the experience of just holding in my hand, delicately touching the screen, to view the dishes I am about to order. That’s the best part you can actually see a picture of what your ordering making it an awesome experience.

Hot & Sour Soup

Stir Fried Chicken with Chilli Oil & Spring Onion

We start our meal with the traditional Chicken Hot & Sour Soup, a brilliant peppery and tasty broth not the one you would usually find. The next was Salt & Pepper Prawns which was crispy batter fried prawns sprinkled with wok tossed Chilly and Garlic. Again yummy in my tummy! The Stir Fried Chicken with Chilli Oil and Spring Onion, which is actually a main course but we ordered on suggestion from our Maitre d’ and also lack of options on the appetizers bit, was good as well. Pan tossed Chicken flavoured with light Chilly oil made for delectable combination. In the vegetarian the Lettuce Vegetable Wrap is also a great dish. A mix corn peppers, crispy fried noodles is provided that needs to be filled into fresh crunchy lettuce leaf that painted with Plum Sauce

Salt & Pepper Prawns

Braised Mushroom Noodles

Chicken in Black Pepper Sauce

Lotus Leaf Wrapped Rice

In the mains we order for the Chicken in Black Pepper Sauce was delicious. The Lotus Leaf wrapped Rice had a beautiful aroma emanating and with a taste so ambrosial it could give the whole Hrithik Roshan in Spain Combination of ZNMD a run for its money . The Braised Mushroom Noodles – pan-fried noodles on a bed of Lettuce Leaf topped with braised Shitake mushrooms was a divine dish! Nothing like I have had before, this dish is a must have especially for the lovers of Shitake Mushrooms.

For dessert we had the dulcet Banana in Toffee syrup – crispy batter fried bananas topped with honey and sesame seeds served along with Vanilla ice cream. The crispy exterior, the hot goey banana interior combined with chilled ice cream made the dish saporous! Not for the diabetic or calorie conscious though!

All in all the experience at Royal China was great. I think with a menu like that, Royal China manages to cater to the growing sect of discerning foodies and is doing especially well at it taking by the crowd that started to fill the place on the day I went.

An average meal for two would be a mere Rs 800 – 1000 per head

Quicktip: If you love your Chinese and want to eat it too! Royal China is a must go. The Lotus Leaf Rice and Braised Mushroom Noodles are must haves!

The Co-ordinates

Royal China, Behind Sterling Cinema Building, Hazarimal Somani Marg, Fort , Mumbai

Phone: 66355310, 6635531, 22077513, 22072492

Timing: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 7:00 PM to Midnight

Food Type: Chinese, Pan Asian

Serves Alcohol: Yes

Payment Methods: Credit Cards Accepted

Aamchi Maati Amche Mansa

2011-07-20T03:31:00.000-07:00

Review – Prakash, Dattatrey, Panshikar

Having lived in Mumbai and Maharashtra for all of my life, it was a pity that I got introduced to the native cuisine just recently. Yes, the credit goes to my friends (stop feeling proud while reading this). So a little about the cuisine – it isn’t only about batata vada’s and puran poli’s. There is much more to offer both interms of nutrition as well as tastewise.

A couple of Sundays back a group of friends and me headed to rediscover the cuisine. Having the Maratha’s in the group was quite a bonus. They helped us get familiar with the food and it’s nitty gritties (ok now seriously guys get over yourselves). So we headed to Dadar, the centre of all Maratha/Shiv Sena activities in Mumbai.

We started off with Prakash – an authentic Maharashtian eatery about 10 -15 minutes away from the station. Legend has it that this eatery was going to shut sometime back, however the tiger himself a.k.a Bal Thackrey requested the owner to keep it going. For this I would personally like to thank Mr. Thackrey or else I would never get a taste aamcha jevan. The ambience of this place was simple with wooden tables and chairs. The waiters wearing white dabbawala caps and, a pen on their ear coming to note your order. The menu is a laundry list of some 35-40 items and doesn’t get into describing it’s fair making it necessary to go with someone who is familiar with the cuisine.

We started with my all time favourite ‘i-can-eat-this-anytime’ dish – Sabudana Vade – the soft innards made of sabudana/sago pearls, crushed peanuts, mashed potato and hint of chilly coated with crunchy golden brown exterior was delicious. It was served with coconut chutney again with a hint of peanut. The dish is a Maharashtian staple mostly eaten during upvas/fasts. The next was the Kotambhir Vadi – fritters made of Kothmir or Cilantro and chickpeas again with a hint of crushed peanut – healthy and yummy snack. The Thaalipeeth – a roasted roti/pancake kind of dish made from multi-grains, the colour of which reminds you of dung however taste was fiery and simplydelicious. The garlic-ginger flavor added zing.

Thaalipeeth

Kothambir Vade

Aadu Adi (pic courtsey Rohan Moorthy)

The Misal was served minus the pav here don’t know why. The culmination of sev, grains, pulses, lentils, fried poha, onions, and ground spices was heaven in our mouths. The Aadu Adi or what the Gujarati’s call as Patra was nothing like I had had before. The crunchy rolls actually gave the sqishy sawgy one’s you usually get a run for their money. We also had the usual Batata Vada which was beautiful with it’s thin and crispy besan coating the soft melt in the mouth spice laced mashed potato mix. In the beverages we had Piyush, again a Maharashtrian signature drink which was diluted version of shrikhand. The saffron laced thick drink was refreshing yet filling at the same time.

We moved on to another famous Maharashtrian Restaurant called Dattatrey located about a 5 minutes walk from Prakash towards the station. A look at the menu and you could see that it was a twin of the one a Prakash in addition was the south Indian fare. We asked for Kanda Poha but the waiter disappointed us by saying it was not available. So we ordered for Sabudana Puri which wasn’t actually what was supposed to be. It was more like a sabudana vada albeit an inferior cousin of the one we had in Prakash. On much insistence of Maharashtrian friend we had the Dudhi Halwa. Yeah I know what your thinking, the thought of Dhudhi/bitter gourd was making me puke too. The halwa should be renamed to Death by Sugar with an extremely overpowering taste of mawa and jaggery. Well datatrey was quite a disappointment after Prakash.

Pic courtesy Rohan Moorthy

Kharvas

We moved on, now going more towards the station. There was huge this crowd gathering outside a shop. The shop was Panshikar – a sweat meat shop pretty famous for it’s shrikhand and kharvas – a sweet made from milk of a lactating cow. There is no seating arrangement in this place. Just a few tables. Warning you are not allowed to eat on the glass tables. We ordered of Piyush again – however this one could not match up to the one we had at Prakash. The karvas which is a native version of crème caramel laced with saffron was soft and melted in mouths. The shrikand too was brilliant.

An average meal for two would be a mere 150 – 200

Quicktip: Go get your dose authentic Marathi jevan, at no frill yet delicious eateries. The portions are small for single people so go on a rainy morning for breakfast/brunch with your friends, enjoy some cha and snacks!

The Co-ordinates

· Prakash, Shiv Sena Bhavan, Next to Kithe Hall, Gokhale Road, Shivaji Park, Dadar West , Mumbai

Phone: 24304921,

Timing: 7:30 AM to 10:00 PM

· Dattatrey, Ranade-Gokhale Road Junction, Dadar (W), Dadar West , Mumbai

Phone: 24304921,

Timing: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM

Food Type: Maharashtrian

Serves Alcohol: No

Payment Methods: Cash only

· Panshikar, Panshikar Samarthdugdhalaya 47-B , New Popatlal Building, Ranade Road, Dadar West, Mumbai

Phone: 24328507, 9322232155

Food Type: Sweet Meats & Farsan

Idol Worship

2011-07-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

Review – Joss

The word Joss stands for a Chinese deity or house idol. I can’t seem to figure out why Farrokh Khambhatta, chef & restaurateur would name his first fine dining restaurant that but nevertheless Joss definitely seems to have created a niche for itself amongst restaurants serving oriental fare. Located in the art hub of the city – Kala Ghoda, Joss was incorporated in the year 2004. With it’s unique menu boasting of Oriental Crab Bisque, the Crisp but Tender Peking Inspired Duck, Nonya Bamboo Chicken, Balinese Clay Pot of Zucchini, Young Corn, Broccoli, it adds a level of panache to fusion cuisine.

The restaurant spans over 2 floors, very spacious with a swanky décor of South Asian Wooden curios. The plush white interiors with mellow lighting and wooden furniture make for a very pleasant dining ambience and mind you it is always very crowded so better get you reservation in order. Co-ordinates given below.

Khowsuey

We start with Chicken Khowsuey, one of Joss’ signature dishes. Yes I know Khowsuey is more like a main dish but for my family & me it’s a soup and something with which we always start our meal with when at Joss. The Joss Khowsuey is actually more of a broth with the right consistency not very thick not very thin unlike the thick versions served at places like Flamboyant and Busaba. The dish is combination of brilliant flavours and exquisite taste. I prefer this khowsuey to any other, I have been served as yet.

In the appetizers, we order for the Water Chestnuts stuffed in Corn Curd with Lemon Chilli Dip – imagine water chestnuts surrounded by soft almost cotton like pureed corn on the inside and crispy on the outside served on a spoon and lightly drizzled with lemon chilli sauce. Beautiful and yummy! The Korean Barbeque Chicken is more like Moghlai Chicken Tikka, not something you would expect at an oriental restaurant!

Mushroom Sticky Rice

Broccoli Baby-Corn and Water Chestnuts in Burnt Red Chili and Soy Sauce

For the main course we order for the Mushroom Sticky rice – thick grained rice mixed with loads of butter, garlic and mushrooms – silky smooth just the melt in the mouth combination! If I had it my way I could just have this by itself. The Chicken with Star Anise and XO Glaze - brought with a brilliant star anise aroma when served and tasted as delicious! However the chicken breast pieces, that were coated in egg, flour and fried were very chewy not very appetizing. The Green Chicken Thai Curry is good by Indian standards better than what you get at most places but can hardly match up to the authentic thai curry. The Chicken in Sambhol Curry is also brilliant very similar to the Thai Curry but again the chicken is very chewy! In the vegetarian fare there also is an equal variety with exotic ingredients like snow peas, water chestnuts, Shitake Mushrooms! We order for Broccoli Baby-Corn and Water Chestnuts in Burnt Red Chili and Soy Sauce – the flavours of the burnt chilli pieces, garlic and soy sauce totally complement each other to create magic in our mouths! The Teppan Soba Wheat Noodle on the other hand look like tape worms and are very chewy so highly not recommended whereas the Pan Fried Noodle are delectable.

Now beware because all this ‘yummness’ comes at a price. So a meal for 2 would come up to anything between Rs 1500 – 2000 per head without alcohol

Verdict

Food: Great Variety and Delectable

Ambience: Good but could get noisy on weekends

Service: Courteous, they suggest well

Quicktip: If you enjoy experimenting with oriental fare, Joss is a must go. Take along a friend, a date or family (if they like experimenting that is) and you will get a taste of the exquisite. But be sure to shell out some ‘Bapu’s’ for that.

The Co-ordinates

Joss, 30, K. Dubhash Marg, Next to Chetana Restaurant, Kala Ghoda, Colaba , Mumbai

Phone: 66356908, 66334233

Timings: 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM, 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM

Food Type: Pan-Asian,Fusion, Sri Lankan, Malaysian, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese

Serves Alcohol: Yes

Payment Methods: Credit cards accepted

Mediterranean Paradise

2011-07-06T04:41:00.000-07:00

Review – Moshe’s

Set-up in 2004, Moshe’s was one of Mumbai’s first signature chef restaurants. The brain of a Jew chef Moshe Shek, the restaurant introduced Mediterranean cuisine to Mumbai with a slight East Europe twist. Over the years the menu has been revised retaining some of its signature dishes like Penne Paprika yet evolving with new dishes from Lebannon, Turkey, Israel & Italy. I remember the first time I went there way back in 2004, I tasted the Chicken Tagine, a brilliant Turkish – Egyptian dish of chicken stew served in a conical earthen pot with accompanied by cous cous. Quite a hearty meal. I don’t know whether the dish has made it to the new menu, but there are lots of other things to savour & try!

You can spot Moshe’s everytime you drive past it courtesy to small bright twinkling lights that line up the trees outside. As you walk to the porch, a beautiful alfresco ambience greets you with wooden chairs and tables. However the hot summer that hasn’t got over and unpredictable monsoon that hasn’t quite started yet compels us to the more comfortable A/C confines of the interiors. The interiors give you a feeling of entering those dimly lit English/Scotish barns with wooden flooring and dark maroon walls. The mosaic mirrors add a Middle Eastern touch to it. They have their own bakery and patisserie giving their food a freshness and an old world organic sort of charm to the place.

The menu as I mentioned earlier boasts of not so typical Mediterranean – Middle Eastern Dishes. Quite an impressive selection, indicating a well travelled chef.

Spinach & Mushroom Soup

We order for the Spinach and Mushroom Soup – now don’t go by the look of the soup, because it’s ‘greeness’ can give The Hulk a complex! However the delicate Spinach flavor, with Mushroom juliennes and a dominant garlic taste make for a very delicious broth.

Jalapeno & Parsely Fondue

We move on to Chicken Steak with Garlic, Watercress and Ratatouille Sandwhich served in wholewheat flatbread which was zesty with a lemony flavor. Quite wholesome and delicious! The next was the Jalapeno and Parsley Fondue which was good - thick cheesy melt served with bread crumbs and lavache but did not match up to the Dukkah, an Egyptian style fondue with cheese, jalapeno peppers, almond and pine nuts. The nutty flavor of this fondue is just to die for.

Penne Paprika

Chicken Steak with Plum Sauce & Red Wine

For the mains we had Penne Pesto – quite bland and lacking any sort of distinguishing flavor, the Penne Paprika is delicious with it’s fiery and cheesy mix. But wat really stole our hearts is the Grilled Chicken in Plum sauce and Red Wine - A delectable dish of grilled chicken fillets served on a bed of mash potatoes and vegetables. Brilliant and so filling!

Penne Pesto

The place is pretty expensive with a meal for 2 costing anywhere between Rs 2000- Rs 3000 without alcohol

Verdict

Food: Excellent

Ambience: Beautiful

Service: Not Very Helpful

Quicktip: Take a date along for a beautiful meal or just go with yours friends for a cup of coffee and melt in the mouth chocolate cookies. In the winter go enjoy the alfresco ambience. The Dukkah Fondue and Chicken Steak are a must have!

The Co-ordinates

Moshe’s, 7 Minoo Manor, Captain Prakash Pethe Marg, Cuffe Parade , Mumbai

Phone: 22161226, 22161266

Timings: 7:30 AM to Midnight

Food Type: Continental, Mediterranean, Moroccan, Turkish, Isreali, Egyptian

Payment Methods: Credit cards accepted

Stir it up!

2011-06-29T03:49:00.001-07:00

Review – All Stir Fry

The moment you think All Stir Fry, you think the wok. Infact, it is actually the first restaurant in Mumbai to introduce wok fried cuisine. Honestly for me the wok is passé, hibachi or Japanese live cooking is the newest addition to what you may call ‘the interactive dining’ scene and is something that we should be looking forward to. It is available at Indiana Jones albeit at exorbitant prices. However Culinary Muse foresees ‘the lack of affordable places that serve the Japanese Hibachi’ situation change soon!

So coming back to All Stir Fry, as I said the Wok is very mundane so we decided to sample the a la carte menu. Friday evening, and as usual Gordon House, Colaba is buzzing, not the usual Polyesther crowd, well it was too early for even the early birds of the partying scene. It was the patrons of All Stir Fry! With it’s contemporary décor, dim lighting and table and bench seating (that can cause quite a backache), All Stir Fry makes for a very relaxed and casual ambience. The noise levels could go high with the crowd and the wok. Red, black and white seem to be theme with a brightly lit green wall that has what looks like lights in the shape of white woks.

The menu is pretty exhaustive with a variety of Pan Asian Cuisine. Actually reading it could get a bit confusing so practice reading the newspaper or more appropriately the ‘Orbituary Section’ before you try out this cramped menu.

For soups we order for a Veg Dumpling Noodle Soup – which was tastless, the noodles and the dumpling were also very doughy not the silky smooth you would expect. The Chicken Hot Sour on the the hand was good, peppery and sour to the right amount.

For appetizers we order the Chicken Dimsums (they have a separate menu for the steamed and satay fare) which was beautiful, silky and light. Just the natural mince chicken and vegetables filling making it out favourite dish for the evening.

In the main course we ordered for Burnt Garlic Fried Rice – the fried rice came with specs of garlic flakes which didn’t quite any sing to usual mundane dish. It was just the usual fried and nothing worth writing home about. The Pan Fried Noodles in Oyster Sauce was yum, with fresh crunchy vegetables and the aromatic flavor of the oyster sauce. The Stir Fried Chicken was also good with a pleasant garlicky taste.

On the whole the food was good with a few tiny glitches here and there. One noteworthy thing is the variety that this place serves up and the quantity of each dish which is very good. Making it apt for families and large groups unlike places where quantities are poor or individual oriented.

A meal for two would cost between Rs 350 – 550 per head, a pretty reasonable amount in today’s times

Verdict

Food: Good

Ambience: Pleasant but could get noisy

Service: Friendly

Quicktip: If your alone or going with a colleague, the wok is advisable but if your going with a group or your family opt for a la carte. Menu starring Sumptious Quantities and Great Variety!

The Co-ordinates

All Stir Fry, he Gordon House Hotel, 5, Battery Street, Apollo Bunder, Colaba , Mumbai

Phone: 22894400, 22864451, 22894452

Timings: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 7:00 PM to Midnight

Food Type: Chinese, Mongolian

Payment Methods: Credit cards accepted

It’s the thought that matters...

2011-06-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

Review – Food For Thought, Kitab Khana

I love libraries and bookstores! Can spend an entire day at such places surrounded by books of all shapes and sizes & the smell of the oak wood shelves. And thus when I noticed this new book shop in flora fountain I couldn’t help but get inside.

It was sheer luck and I must say a good one that I noticed this store while scurrying for my admission fornmalities. The name itself ‘Kitab Khana’ is very old school and just adds to the vintage charm that flora fountain/fort exudes. Not the usual Landmark and Oxford kind, this bookshop is neither humouguous nor is it over flowing with people. Just the perfect atmosphere! You know the kind Bombay Stores and Fab India give. Ofcourse not a day there is a sale.

What I like about this place is the layout and architecture. At every turn you’ll find something new. Some of the walls are engraved with doha’s by Sant Kabir, verses of Sant Tukaram and other great philosophers.

Located to the far left corner of this bookshop is a quaint cafeteria called Food for Thought. A charming and dainty café, of just 7-8 seats, walls of which are adorned with movies related to food – Ratatouille, Julia and Julia, No Reservations. Mental Thought: Culinary Muse loves this and promises herself to get these for her home. Anything to do with food!

The all vegetarian menu lists down a limited yet impressive selection of Appetizers, Salads, Sandwhiches, Pastas, Deserts and Drinks

Penne Aglio Olio

We get on to ordering. The first Penne Pesto – is brilliant with yummy, nutty green sauce, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil flavor and a portion of bread on the side. The second pasta – Penne Aglio Olio was too dry and tasteless, quite a disappointment compared to the Penne Pesto. In the drinks we had the Ginger Lemonade, which was quite refreshing considering it is still so hot. The Earl Grey Tea was the normal, tea bag version.

Apple Crumble

In the desserts, we had the Apple Crumble – beautiful presentation with Cinnamon Powder sprinkled all the over, the dish was an equal delight in taste. The crunchiness of the outside crumb and the soft warmth of the apple inside was just brilliant.

A meal for 2 here would cost anywhere between Rs 250 – Rs. 500

Verdict

Food: Good

Ambience: Old School

Service: Slow yet Hospitable with the owner personally interacting with everybody

Quicktip: Don’t be lazy, forget Flipkart for a day, come buy a new book or just explore the ambience of Kitabh Khana and give Food For Thought a try! The Apple Crumble is a must!

The Co-ordinates

Kitabkhana, Somaiya Bhavan, 45/47, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Flora Fountain, Fort , Mumbai

Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM (Open All Days)

Food Type: Continental, Fastfood, Confectionery, Cookies

All ‘Thai’ ed Up

2011-06-15T02:06:00.000-07:00

Decoding Thailand through it’s Food

Me: (holding up a garment) Do you have a big size in this?

Shop Lady: (exasperated but in sing song voice) No madaaame, Only 1 sigh, free sigh

Me: Ok. How much for this?

Shop Lady: Cheap Cheap Madaam! 1 piece for 150 baht if you buy 3 piece 100 baht

Me: (mustering the Sindhi Indian in me) Give me 1 piece for 120 baht

Shop Lady: Cannot Madaame! (waving her hand at me)

My reaction ranges from paying 150 baht if I really like it and walking off if I don’t. But the very dominant shopaholic in me makes me opt for the 1^st option most of the time!

This was my seventh visit to Bangkok. Yes 6 trips before and this was the seventh time we were going to this land of massage parlours, prostitutes, shopping and thai curry! My love for this country and particularly this city Bangkok goes much beyond the shopping though. This time I realized that it’s the food. The spicy flavours, soupy and sticky textures and most of all the sumptuous quantities are some of the reasons why Thailand comes No. 1 on my list of Uber Delicious. Simply put I love the food there! The use of condiments and spices makes it very close to Indian Food but something that takes it a notch above is the freshness of the ingredients. You can’t help but note the crunch in the vegetables and fruits when you eat. And what more it doesn’t even pinch your pocket, the food is really very cheap. Yep I would not exactly ‘haven’ for the vegetarian, Thailand still remains my choice when it comes to food.

Let me now list down dishes that you must try when in Thailand –

Green Thai Curry

1) Red & Green Curry: But Obvious? Not quite. I know we’ve had a an overdose of the thai curry specially since the the Thai Pavilions & Tamanak Thai’s but people who have tried Thai curry in Thailand will agree that the one found in India, even in the five stars is no match! The flavours and smell that fresh ingredients like lemon grass, kafir leaves, bird eye chillies and spicy berry (gundha as the gujaratis call it) conjure are pure divinity. Add to it the Shrimps or Chicken and eggplant and couple it will Thai version of steam sticky rice and your on Cloud No.9. The dish is available at all street food stalls, restaurants and food courts in Thailand and costs anywhere between 40 baht – 80 bahts approx Rs 60 to 120 for a huge bowl

Steamed Sea Bass

2) Steamed Sea Bass in Lemon Sauce: Now this has to be my most priced seafood find! An entire steamed trout sea bass cooked in lemon juice gravy with finely sliced garlic, lemon zest and the Thai bird eye chilly. The taste? Imagine a spa in your mouth! The dish is available at most street food restaurants and costs anywhere between 350 – 400 baht approx Rs 525

Chicken in Holy Basil

3) Stir Fried Chicken/Seafood in Holy Basil: Another ambrosial dish from the Thai kitchen this dish consists of minced chicken or seafood cooked in light soy sauce and the holy basil leaf (tulsi). The balmy dish is simply marvelous and can be had by itself or with steamed rice. The dish is available at all street food stalls, restaurants and food courts in Thailand and costs anywhere between 40 baht – 80 bahts approx Rs 60 to 120.

Mangosteen

Rambutan

Raw Mango

4) Exotic Fruits: Apples and oranges are passé. Try these yummy sweet and juicy Thai fruits and you would know what it feel like to live in heaven. The Mangosteen is personal favourite. Deliciously sweet and sour you can never have just one of this soft squishy fruit. The next is the rambutan, quit similar to litchi, only better. Even their raw mango is yummy. Must be had with their sweet and spicy masala. These are available at street vendors in Thailand and cost anywhere between 30 – 60 baht per kilo

Mama Noodles

5) Mama Noodles in Dark Soy Sauce: These are basically curly noodles tossed and fried in dark soy sauce with pakchoy and green peppercorns. You can also have a soup version but I prefer the stir-fried one. At some places its more spicy due to use of a lot of peppercorns. All I can say the spicier the better! This is available with street vendors and all food courts. I had it at the Platinum Food Court and MBK mall food court, the latter being tastier and costs between 40-60 baht approx Rs 60

Noodle Soup

6) Noodle Soup with Bean Curd Dumpling: This dish reminded of Kung Fu Panda - Po’s father the Crane making yummy delicious gigantic bowls of the soothing noodle broth. The soup comes in the same huge China bowls, it’s a clear with mild flavours of juices of the vegetables and bean curd. Talk about Noodle Soup for the Soul. The dish is available at all food malls and street carts ans cost between 80 – 100 baht approx Rs 120 - 150

Chicken in Cashewnuts

7) Chicken in Cashewnuts and Vegetables: The dish is made of chicken cooked with diced veggies likes peppers, babycorn, mushrooms and cashews. Kindoff edulcorated, the dish is still yum. The dish is available at most restaurants and costs Rs 80 – 100 bahts approx Rs 120 – 150

Khaw Soi

8) Khaw Soi: Not very frequently found in Bangkok, this dish seems to be a staple of Northern region of Thailand specially places like Chiang Mai which are home to the Lanna (Burmese) tribe. Traditionally a Burmese dish, the Thai add their own touch with a broth a of medium consistency not too thick and not to thin with egg noodles and obviously accompanied with the usual condiments.

Thai Shrimp Fried Rice

9) Thai Fried Rice with Shrimp: Short grain rice tossed up in a lot of vegetables and thai bird chillies, this can make a sumptuous meal in itself. Stuffed inside it you will find large chunks of Shrimp

Other food that you could try are –

Crepes

Smoked Sausages

Sticky Rice with Mango

Not only is the food in Thailand great, so is the humility and hospitality of the people. Simple gestures like folding their hands and greeting you with ‘Swadika’ (thankyou & welcome), an equivalent of the Namaste everytime you enter a restaurant or pay them just adds a very personal touch and makes you feel welcome

Quicktip: Eat at the street food carts and street restaurants, its very hygienic the ingredients are always fresh. You may have a bit of problem with the language but most of the restaurants come with photo menu’s so all you need to is point out and then plop in!

Pune Calling....

2011-06-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

Review – Deccan Harvest

It's Wednesday and Culinary Muse is back to give you a taste of her gastronomical discoveries. This time around, she managed to go further and discover what Pune has to offer.

Not the usual Koregaon Park fare, she managed to discover this new place, a little off Pune limits in the well planned township of MagarPatta, called Deccan Harvest. At the outset the restaurant is a huge canopy surrounded by sprawling lush lawns. On the way to the entrance a small pond of lotus flowers greets us. A breathtakingly beautiful sight. And one that you would never get to see in Mumbai due to the lack of space obviously.

On the inside, the place is well done with the glass walls giving you good view of lush greenery shining in the Deccan sun. A well stocked bar area to one the other side and another floor of cushion and bolster seatings. However, a mephitis smell emanated from somewhere, we couldn't figure out. Out of the umpteen amount of split ACs, only a few were working. So after a few shifts here & there we settled on a long table that accommodated a huge group like ours, right in front of a 'working' AC. Inspite of that, we were feeling hot and the notorious stench didn't seem to go away. Note to myself: Don't judge a restaurant by its cover!

We get down to ordering, the menu describes the place to be a 'fine dining and wine lounge' and offers quite a variety of Indian, Chinese & continental aliment. We start with Cream of Chicken Soup – a tasteless thick starchy broth, not very appealing to our tastebuds.

Cream of Chicken

We move on to the appetizers, the Chicken Tikka – flavourful succulent chunks of meat were good, a sigh of relief from the banal soup. The Chicken Salt & Pepper– crisp battered fried chicken flavoured with peppers and garlic was brilliant and left us wanting for more. The Veg Salt & Pepper too was a delight as was the Paneer Tikka.

Chicken Tikka

Moving on to the main course we ordered for Grilled Chicken in Red Wine Sauce – smoked chicken pieces served with French fries and sautéed vegetables. First of all, I would have preferred this with mashed potatoes instead of French Fries. The dish seemed like an incomplete version of the Marsala and even though the breast pieces of chicken were grilled to perfection and coated with a dark brown sort of Worchester Sauce, the dish lacked taste and flavor. The Indian Fare was much better – the Butter Chicken coupled with butter roti made for delectable combination.

Grilled Chicken in Red Wine

On the whole it seemed to be a pretty average place with a beautiful locale. The service however was pathetic with waiters passing rude comments. While placing the order we happened to say that we wanted Veg. Paneer Tikka. The waiter taking down our order, Smart Alec that he was, commented back saying, Paneer is veg only. Calling this behavior rude would be an understatement.

The place was also little pricey and a meal for two would cost anywhere between Rs 500-600. Think they wanted to keep up to the whole 'fine dining'promise. But as they say promises a meant to be broken!

Verdict

Food: Average

Service: Let's talk about Mimoh Chakravorty's acting instead

Ambience: Beautiful

QuickTip: If you are around the area, it would be worth going there just to absorb the nature. Stick to the Indian Food.

The Co-ordinates

Deccan Harvest
143 Magarpatta City, Opp Tower 1, Off Pune Solapur Road, Magarpatta, Hadapsar, Pune

Phone: 66491018

Timings: 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM

Food Type: Indian, Continental, Chinese

Payment Methods: Visa, Master, Cash

Idli, Appam, Sambhar Khao Quick Gun Murugan Ke Gun Gao

2011-05-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

Review – Dakshinayan

Matunga maybe Mumbai's South Indian food haven with the Madras Cafes and the Anand Bhavans but SOBO isn't far behind either. We have a our fair share of Udupi's the Shiv Sagars and Sukh Sagars, which are now by the way multi cuisine, with menus gloating of nachos, pizzas and Chinese food, and then we also have places like Dakshinayan that take South Indian Food more seriously and give it a kind of sophistication.

Located in Walkeshwar, opposite the Teen Batti Police station, Dakshinayan can give the phrase 'hole in the wall' a bit of a complex. Yes not a very big place, the décor too is minimal yet elegant. Terra-cotta crafts adorn the walls while brass curios of sacred cows and diyas are placed on panels. And while the upper half of the walls are painted white, the other half is dark brown giving an effect of thatched mud with Karnataka Chittara style white motifs running throughout in straight lines. The simplistic and understated décor makes for genteel ambience.

The place is pretty crowded for a week day like Thursday. Then again that's the benefit of being located in an area dominated by the community that made thepla a world delicacy. For Gujjus, weddings and eating out are daily affairs like brushing and excreting. No offense meant but a close observation of gujjus (most of my friends are Gujaratis – vaishnavs, jains, lohanas you name it), they are pretty much the reason why Mumbai's restaurants run and inflation is the way it is and they have no qualms about this claim to fame.

Molgapodi Idlis

The waiter dressed in traditional South Indian muddus (lungis) gives us our menu, which enlists typical dishes like dosas, idlis, uthpams. We start with Steamed Idlis – fluffy and soft, served with fresh coconut chutney and spicy sambhar. We also ordered for a 'Ginger Ale', no they didn't serve the Schweppes one, but this one is also brilliant and refreshing answer to the Mumbai heat. The next was the mini idlis with Molgapudi Idlis – coined sized idlis coated with the famous gun powder chutney, mind blowing quite literally.

Mysore Masala Dosa

Next we move on to the dosas – the Mysore Masala was has an earthy flavor to it with mysore chutney coating inside and balmy potato bhaji filling. The Garlic Sada Dosa was a disappointment, it tasted kind of sour like the batter had gone rancid.

Stew & Appam

Our next dish was the Appam and Stew – the stew was rich and smooth ,a delectable gravy with vegetables and flavours of spices like dalchini (cinnamon sticks) and bay leaves, combined with fluffy appams the dish made for soothing dish. The Bissibelle - a lentil rice kichdi like dish, was spicy and flavourful.

Mango Ice Cream

We finished the meal with fresh Mango Ice Cream which was dulcet and yummy.

Our server in traditional muddu

On the whole this no frills place, offers authentic and tasty South Indian fare at reasonable prices – a meal for 2 would cost anywhere between Rs.250 - 300 and the service super fast, we were done with our meal in half hour.

Verdict

Food: Good

Staff: 'Quick' gun Murugan in lungis

Ambience: Traditional and no frill

QuickTip: If your fed up of the Shiv/Sukh Sagars and you are not in the mood to travel upto Matunga, Dakshinayan is a great option for South India Cuisine. The Appam and Stew is a must have!

The Co-ordinates

Dakshinayan

183, Teen Batti Road, Walkeshwar
Mumbai, Maharashtra 400006
022 23676701

Timings: 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM

Food Type: Pure Vegetarian, South Indian, Tamilian

Payment Methods: Cash

Band, Baajaa, Baraat

2011-05-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

Review – Wedding Café & Lounge

Located on Andheri's very much buzzing, traffic choked and crowded Link Road, above the Mercedes and Apple showroom; Wedding Café's is the newest addition to the burbs. With an exterior brightly lit like a house where someone is to wed, the interiors were quite a contrast, soothingly lit in mellow lighting. The place isn't much of a café, more like a lounge; it has an impressive bar area, sofa's for the lougy feel, the dining tables and private dining areas. Earlier they had a designer store by Umair Zafar which is now being converted into another private dining area. The wedding café brings into India the new trend of themed restaurants that have already been popular abroad. The Café is positioned to be a one stop shop for wedding planning – with the owners, the Lucknowalla's wedding planning consultancy called Vivaah, and tie-ups that offersolutions from the mehendi, outfits to jewellery. Novel concept but popularity? we still need to wait and see.

Coming back to the place, everything at the café was white in a very western way. Whoever designed this place took the concept of the 'white wedding' too seriously. From the table covers, a frosty white lace to the walls, eggy white to the annoying lampshade in the middle of the table again white. Frankly I was sort of disappointed to see a lack of the whole Indian shaadi touch to the place. I'd expected to see bright coloured dupattas for white curtains, diyas instead of electric lamps, genda phool instead of roses. Yeah am a sucker for Indian traditional wedding, s Chopra style, those that start with mere haathon mein 9 -9 chudiyaan hai and end with Shahrukh Khan devouring his phirni. But I am not complaining the the dim lighting, rose pink brass cutlery and not to forget nice techno music made for pleasant ambience.

Coming down to the food! Oh wait did I mention the menu looks like a wedding album? Oh yes a long horizontal wedding album which lists down the menu along with perspective honeymoon places! So ladies whenever you want to make the hint take the guy there :P. Also the menu boasted of Italian, Spanish, French, American and Japanese cuisine. Every dish also had a wine written below indicating the 'Perfect Match'. Impressive

Finally coming down to the food, we started with the soups. The first one a Cream of Asparagus, which was light, creamy, mildly flavoured in short quite nice but the killer was the Cream of Chicken Soup – lighly flavoured and creamy with chicken juliennes the broth should be truly embodies what is called chicken soup for the soul. The soups were served with toasted garlic bread which just added to the delight.

Moving on to the appetizers we ordered for Vegetarian Tapas. Tapas is a Spanish word for snacks, usually served with drinks (See More in World Café Section). The presentation of this dish was brilliant, but taste wise it was quite a disappointment. The tofu, deepfried and crusted in a bland black cover, the veg balls tasted like koftas gone bad, the sautéed mushrooms were very okay, the Mozrella sticks were palatable and the stir fried vegetables were insipid. The next dish was the Shrimps on Skewers – which tasted delectable with butter garlic sauce painted on it. However the shrimps tasted a bit stale, not fresh succulent.

Moving on to the main course, we ordered for the Fettucini with Basil and Grape tomatoes – the flat pasta cooked in scarlet red tomato and basil sauce was fiery and flavourful. The Chicken Marsalla – chicken grilled to golden brown perfection stuffed with mushrooms topped over saffron flavoured risotto (there is a choice between mashed potato and saffron risotto, choose the risotto) was brilliant from the well cooked chicken steak to the flavoured mushrooms and mild saffron milky flavor of the risotto, the dish was a delight. The next dish – the Costa Rican Stuffed Tortilla with Pumpkin Sauce - a sort of rajma wrapped in tortilla was too dry and lacked any kind of flavor. And pumpkin sauce? Is that even edible?

In dessert we ordered for the Love Boat – with again looked really impressive on presentation but tasted nothing better than a Mongenise pastry. Not the goeey melt in the mouth kind

On the whole, the place had some really good moments and some not so good ones. The vegetarian food needs some serious working on. Priced on the richer side of the world, a meal for 2 would cost anything between 750 – Rs 1000 w/o alcohol

Verdict

Food: Mixed bag

Staff: Hospitable

Ambience: Good

QuickTip: 'To be Weds' come here with the folks, yours and the laws, for a nice continental ambience and meal. Or ditch the folks and come celebrate your last few days of singledom with your single friends, who are turning green out of jealousy and those that are married, who will tell you about the 'grass' that may be greener but is also catching fire on the other side. Whoever you come with try and order as much as non veg.

The Co-ordinates

Wedding Café & Lounge,

B-104-106, Kotia Nirman,

Above Mercedes Showroom,

New Link Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai

022 61558999

Timings: 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM, 7:30 PM to 12:30 AM

Food Type: Continental

Payment Methods: Visa, Master, Cash

Yogurt All The Way

2011-05-18T02:40:00.000-07:00

Review: Yogurt Bay

After appaling dinner at Mosate, we thought of checking out this new teen hangout located on Bandra’s own very Kamaki/ Baga Strip Carter Road. Thanks to my best friend cum sista cum yo mamma cum agony aunt J.GO.

A hole in the wall, this place is adjoined to the Café Coffee Day on Carters. It’s only savior from going unnoticed is a bright sky blue neon sign that says“Yogurt Bay” and crowds of people hoarding both in an outside the place. The guys serving up seem to be college going or just out of it, managing a smile through exasperated looks. This seemed to be the new 'it' place in Bandra for sure. And it isn’t just the cute guys serving but also the flavours like Strawberry Almighty, Blueberry Cheese cake, Jack Sparrow, Chunky Munky, that do the trick.

They serve up Frozen Yogurt and Parfaits (frozen desserts) & Smoothies. Priced a little bit on the upper limit with athe starting price of a small swirl being Rs 60, although with the good quantity is quite justifiable. They also have these yummy toppings like gems, fresh fruits, chocolate bars, Japanese Mochi etc.

BlueBerry Cheese Cake Yogurt comes with Biscuit Crumbs

Highly recommended flavours are Strawberry with fresh strawberry topping and the Blueberry Cheese Cake. And Ol ya ladies out there, fretting about their weight, guess what? Its fat free!

Quicktip: With Summer of May 2011 heating up everything, go get your dose chill at Yogurt Bay with your best buds. Better than ice cream or dessert, this guarantees the belly of your’s doesn’t bulge even after you indulge! (Wow that rhymed, Culinary Muse has become a poet, Adaab arz Hai)

The Cordinates

Yogurt Bay, 11 Gagangiri, Off Carter Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai

022 30629191

Check them on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/yogurtbay

No ‘Mo’ for me please

2011-05-18T02:29:00.000-07:00

Review – Mosate

Thanks to the Rajiv Gandhi Sea-link (thankgod for that name, we don’t need anything more named after Shivaji) Bandra, the queen of the suburbs is less distance and a lot less traffic away. Don’t get me wrong, I am a total SOBO but I definitely think that Bandora, as the Portugese call it or Vandra as the Marathis call it has great options as far as food is concerned. So if like me your running out of options in town head to you know where!

So on a fine Saturday evening, Culinary and familia headed to Bandra for a weekend dinner ritual to Bandra. Read on to know the chronicles of our evening.

You need to take the first left from the Sea Link, that looks like a dark alley. Alittle right and little left, you need to figure your way to Ambedkar Road. Please get the directions right before going to this place because it can be a bit complicated if your not familiar with Bandra. Located somewhere next to Barbeque Nation and instead of the Retro Rock Bar Club XI is Mosate, which means a Royal Village in Thai or so its menu says.

Beautifully decorated patio lined with waterfalls and mellow lighting leads you to the place. At the entrance you are greeted by a Chinese Laughing Buddha showing off his huge belly (tempting to touch just like a bald mans moon), a little ahead a Thai doll does the ‘Swadika’ a welcome by joining hands just like the Namaste and little ahead to the left Indonesean Garudas decorate the walls. Looking at the medley of objets d'art that decorate this place, it is clear that Mosate doesn't put "all its eggs in one basket" and serves up dishes from different South Asian countries. The beige and wood theme of the place along with mellow lighting adds to the beauty of this place.

We settle in a table with a wooden bench to one side and chairs on the other. Not very comfortable seating to note. We are served the Menu which just testifies my ‘eggs in one basket theory’. It boasts of Phad Thais, Viatenamese Pho’s, Malaysian Noodles, Chicken Pattaya Style, Khowsueys, Laksa’s and Nasi Gorengs. The Culinary Muse in me was quite impressed. If I wasn't with my family I would started dancing to “Aaj phir Jeene ki Tamana Hai” ala Waheeda Rehman Style. Yes I am a bit biased to Asian food.

Three Mushroom Soup

So we order the Three Mushroom Soup which was highly recommended by our maitre d’ in vegetarian soups. The charcoal coloured soup looked like diluted sauce soy sauce with green and red chilly flakes floating around. It didn’t taste any different except the soy sauce was full bodied and not diluted. Acerbic is the word that would describe it best. We asked him to take it back and bring us the normal Chicken Hot & Sour and Manchow Soup. I think they took the sour part of the Hot & Sour soup too seriously and made it too sour for the tastebuds. The soup tasted something like astringent not that I have tasted it but I know it cant taste worst than this. The Manchow was still edible, nothing worth writing about though.

Now after such an experience you would expect me to walk out of the place.But for the sake of you, my beloved readers, CM decided to give another shot to this place so that you would not have to go through the ordeal.

Mushroom, Babycorn, Brocolli Hakka

Thai Spicy Wantons

Our next dish again on the recommendation of the maitre d’ was the Mushroom, babycorn, broccoli Hakka style – lucky for the maitre d’ we are suckers for garlic, the dish was edible. The Spicy Thai Style Veg Wantons were like in my sisters words ‘cooked in Maggi ka Masala’. Don’t get me wrong I am a total sucker for Maggi too but you don’t want to spend Rs 160 for it. The next was the Chicken Pattaya style which literally salvaged the situation it had a pleasant oriental flavor to it and tasted yum. The Fish in Hot Basil Sauce backed up the chicken in the salvage operation with balmy flavor of the basil.

Little did we know that the salvage operation was about to fail and from here on it would only be downhill!

Chicken Farang

In the mains we order for the Chicken Farang Stir Fried with Mushroom, Brocolli in Oyster Sauce. Not to mention again on recommendation by the maitre d’. The dish looked like a crime scene from Dexter. The scarlet thick sloppy dish didn’t leave a very good taste in any of our mouths!

Reasonably priced a meal for two would cost between Rs 500 - 1000.

Verdict

Food: Puke

Staff: Puke

Ambience: Brilliant but whats the point

QuickTip: Don’t go there! If you happen to, then order by instinct and not by the maitre d’ recommendations

The Co-ordinates

Mosate, Jharna Apts, Dr Ambedkar Road, Khar West, Mumbai

Landmark: Next to Barbeque Nation

Phone: 26465133, 26465134

You Sang To Me Under the 'Banyan Tree'

2011-05-11T04:57:00.000-07:00

Review: Banyan Tree Bakery+Café, Fort

(not to be confused with Under The Banyan Tree at Peddar Road)

“All the while you were in front of me I never realized
I just can't believe I didn't see it in your eyes
I didn't see it, I can't believe it
Oh but I feel it
When you sing to me”

I enter this café on a hot summer afternoon and Marc Anthony sounding sonorous as ever is crooning about his moment of epiphany, of finally finding his love. He says he couldn’t see it but he feels it, when she sings to him. Am thinking - Good Music: Check. And I am definitely with someone whom I would love to listen to sing to me. Good Company: Check.

Located a little ahead of my favourite cinema, Sterling (because seeing a movie there is not like eating a five star restaurant and one can still afford a samosa and popcorn in the intervals without getting broke for the entire next week unlike some hoity toity cinema (read Inox), Banyan Tree is a quaint café cum bakery and a part of renowned artist Bose Krishnamachari’s gallery BMB. The concept is not new with Jehangir Art Gallery Banyan Tree gives you this artsy feel the moment you enter it, you know the kind you get when you watch a Rahul Bose or a Nandita Das movie. There is a small book shelf right at the entrance displaying books or variety of subjects like art and culture along chic merchandise like tote bags for sale.

Blackened Chicken Satay

We take seat on these minimalistic yet spacious chairs, a wooden table with menu ahead of us. At the first glance the menu has quite an impressive spread with Mezze Platters, Asian styled appertisers to soups and salads, grilled and baked range to pastas and pizzas. To begin with we order for a Malabar Cooler and the Blackened Chicken Satay. The Malabar Cooler a mixture of coconut water, mint leaves and lime was rejuvenating is this blazing Summer of 2011. The Blackened Chicken Satay however is overly spiced with peppercorns. It tasted like chicken satay mixed with chicken chilly. That’s a lot of confusion for the taste buds

Corkscrew Pasta

Our next dish is the Corkscrew Pasta (wonder where it got that name from) which is a fiery cheese and paprika based fusilli pasta. Brilliant flavours of Chantilly flavoured cheese asparagous, piquat paprika and artichokes. The dish is served with a sizable bun that is copiously dripping of butter and is mildly flavoured with garlic and oregano. Garlic Bread with some zing. But it definitely tastes brilliant with the pasta.

Garlic Bread

Our next dish was the Penne Arrabiata – mildly flavoured however the shitake mushrooms just spoils the whole dish. Not recommended for the Arabiata fans. We ask for the Olive Prawns. However the waiter comes back saying that it is not available so we try the Green Thai Curry instead. Quite a disappointment the curry was milky and bland quite unlike Thai Curry.

On the whole the food is pretty average, but the ambience of this is brilliant. The Corkscrew Pasta is a must have here. Quite a reasonable affait with an average meal for 2 costing Rs 500/-

Verdict

Food: Average

Staff: Friendly but mismanaged

Ambience: Exellent

QuickTip: if your fed up of the CCDs and baristas drop in for the Corkscrew Pasta with someone you would love to listen to sing, if you know what I mean ;)

The Co-ordinates

The Banyan Tree

Gallery BMB, Queens Mansion, GT Marg, Near Cathedral School, Fort
Mumbai

Ph: +91-22-65109308

9 AM to 11:30 PM

Cloudy with a chance of Dal Bhaati Churma

2011-05-03T12:22:00.001-07:00

Review – Sudama Restaurant, Hotel Shri Krishna Palace

It's Friday afternoon, I look up from my cab window, clouds lining up in Marine Drives sky line. It's 12:30 pm and the sultry weather working on my appetite. I check my BB for recent updates. It's buzzing with Will & Kates wedding. I wonder why so much hype? It's just another almost bald guy who looked like he had borrowed his dress from Maganlal dresswala marrying a botoxed damsel dressed in froth! Yes it's a different thing that he is the future King of a dying economy and instead of rejoicing the British should be cursing him for blowing up all their tax money on his wedding!

"Arrey aadat apni sasuri bahut kameeni hai, bahut kamini hai. Humka peeni hai peeni hai humka peeni hai", I wake up from my reverie. My Indian Idol of a cab driver singing and bobbing his head to his favourite Sallu bhai number at the same time while maneuvering through the busy lanes of Tardeo/Nanachowk/Grant Road. Yep I really don't know what this area is called. All I know is that am hungry and I need food.

The cab comes to halt outside what looks like a line of hardware shops. Somewhere in between is a tallesh building that reads 'Hotel Krishna Palace'. Bingo. I enter restaurant on the ground floor - Sudama.

The AC breeze a welcome relief. Dressed in wooden paneled and white walls the restaurant has a very contemporary look. The staff welcomes me with a friendly smile. In no time I am offered the menu, which is actually quite and exhaustive list of South Indian dishes, Punjabi, Mardwadi, Gujarati, Chinese and even a bit of Italian.

Ecstacy

I go right to the Mocktails. Something to cool me down. I order for an Ectasy – a sort of apple & kiwi fizzy drink which turns out to be quite refreshing for a hot summer day like this. My second mocktail the Flute Champaign - a mix of custard apple and Sweet lime was also scored full points on the refresh-o-meter. I move on to the food and on the maitre d' recommendation I try the Wanton Hunan Soup – a pungent and caustic combination of garlic and chillies. It just didn't do well with me.

Babycorn Mushroom Chilli Garlic

Thai Pattaya Paneer

For the starters first comes the Mushroom Babycorn Chilli Garlic – babycorn and mushrooms sautéed in brilliant flavours of butter, green chillies and garlic made quite an appetizing dish. Quite a relief after the lovecraftian soup The next starter, the Thai Pattaya Paneer – velvety chunks of well cooked paneer painted with peanut sauce also made for a delectable appetizer. Please note not many places get their paneer right. At most places the paneer is a like a rubbery piece of car tire. A good piece of paneer is one which melts in the mouth at the same time does not look like bhurji on the plate which means that its not too soft and Sudama's paneer was just the right consistency.

Next, choosing from the Indian starters range, I call for Tilpuri Kabab – a sort of mixed vegetable kabab wrapped in till or mustard seeds. The kebab was quite bland and tasteless. The Paneer Makkai Sheek also didn't impress us much with no distinguishing flavor. The next was a Cheese Corn Ball and overload of cheese and no corn in sight. However it was still melt in the mouth yummy!

Lahori Paneer

In the main course I called for the Lahori Paneer – a bright red dish with topped with cream. Again the paneer was brilliant and the Lahori flavor is nothing but a Makhani gravy. Quite a delicious meal and when had with buttery Garlic Naan, it was like a marriage made in heaven. The other dish was Navratna Korma – a mix of vegetables like peppers, peas, carrots in orange gravy. Tasty and delectable went very well with their Pudina Naan.

Navratna Korma

Next I called for Dal Bhati Churma – a traditional and now popular Rajasthani dish. Warning the dish is huge sin to your body as it entails a lot of calories but is a huge boon to your mouth because it entails a lot of yumminess! Ok so the Batti which is a sort of baked round breads about the size of golf balls is served drenched

Dal Baati Churma

in ghee along with a bowl of Panchmel Dal or 5 cereal dal and Churma - unsalted flaked remains of battis mixed with crushed jagerry. Now all you have to do is take some batti add some panchmel dal on it and add the sweet churma. And what you get is pabulum dish, brilliant in flavours and nutrition but also high in calories. I would definitely advice you to eat this in the winter because right it's just to hot to have this dish. The Dal Baati Churma at Sudama was excellent and definitely a must try.

Next we move on to the Paalakwale Chaawal – a khicdi comprised of rice in a spinach gravy. Immaculate. There were no added spices like chillies etc to disturb the dish. The natural juices and flavor of spinach tasted balsamic and soothing. A must have at this place and even the menu says so.

I topped all this off with a Phirni – a dulcet rice pudding that was sweet to right amount.

After all this I was so stuffed, I actually needed someone to pick me up and put me in a cab. But alas, I knew no one could have picked me up at that time without fracturing themselves that is. So with some help of the sturdy table I picked myself managed a smile at the waiters who greeted me goodbye and walked right outside Sudama. Yes without falling or damaging anything in the restaurant.

On the whole the meal was quite good. I would suggest sticking to the Chinese starters and Indian Main course of traditional dishes. An average meal would cost anywhere between Rs 150 – 300 per head which is quite an affordable amount these days.

Verdict

Food: Good especially the Indian fare

Ambience: Good

Service: Friendly and prompt

Quicktip: Women, head here with your kitty party group and you would be guaranteed a good meal at affordable prices. Also if you're a non-vegetarian and like me you have to eat veg food on a particular day of the week due 'family rituals' head to this place with your family. If you are a vegetarian then definitely head to this place for some amazing variety.

The Co-ordinates

Sudama Restaurant, Hotel Krishna Palace 96 / 98, Sleater Road, Nana Chowk, Grant Road; Call 23873311; Time 11.30 am to 11.30 pm

Kadhi Sadi Gali Bul Ke Vi Khaaya Karo Ji

2011-04-27T02:58:00.001-07:00

Street Food I Love

I bite into my just out of the tandoor kalimiri chicken roll, the spicy marinated chicken painted with even spicier mint chutney hits me. And for a second I can’t make sense of my surroundings. When I come to my senses I give a look to the rollwaala, I want to ask him whether he used all his masala in one day or in one roll. He stares at me back. Somewhere behind me a cab screeches past. On the radio, Govinda sings “Tujhko mirchi lagi toh main kya karoon. Touche.

Am sure all of us have our favourite ‘khopchas’, where we indulge the glutton in us. We may dine at the finest of the finest, but will go back to these, even if it means an appointment with the doctor the next day or loads of digene or gelusal at night. Infact I think doctors should pay homage to these street food guys, after all they are the sole reason why the medical industry from pharma companies, chemists to doctors and hospitals are alive and kicking. I remember visiting the gastro specialist sometime back with my grandmom and there was line people waiting that stretched much outside his clinic, the guy had 3 assistants and didn’t have time to talk. He even has a gold plated stethoscope! Hail street food!

Eating at these places is a convivial experience in its self. Leaning against your car, listening to the blaring music playing of the cars of the ‘bhade baap ke bhigde huye bacche’, drinking from the Re 6 chotu thumsup bottle (yup thumsup! It tastes better than coke or pepsi specially with junk food), ordering for more and more until the waiter gets fed-up of you and paying not even quarter of what you would pay at a five star restaurant. Orgasmic.

So here is the first part of my series on ‘My Favorite Street Food’

1) Idris and Ayubs – A favorite amongst the ‘party-goers’, who partied till 4 baj gaye and were kicked out Idris and Ayubs stay on till the wee hours and serve similar kind of food - mouth-watering tikkas & kathi rolls. At Idris my favorite is the Chicken Kalimiri roll – succulent pieces of chicken painted with green chutney rolled in roti. And as I mentioned earlier, piquant as hell yet appetizing. At Ayubs, the Chicken Tikka Roll its simply delicious. The vegetarian stuff is not far behind either. The Paneer Tikka is awesome both in the roll and just as is form. So after you have partied really hard and your stomach’s growling for some khaana head to either. An average meal for 2 here would be 200/- Timings for both are 6:30 pm onwards.

Location: Ayub's - Shop No. 5, 43, Dr VB Gandhi Marg, Fort, Mumbai -400023 9821199147, Near Rhythm House. Idris – Outside World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai-5.

2) Dhiraj & Anand Vada Pav – I just had this yesterday, and one bite into this melt in to this potent dish is like watch MJ dance – smooth, punjent and Electrifying. Yes the 2 stalls opp Mithibai college – Anand Vada Pav and Dheeraj serve just that electrifying vada pav coated with butter, green chutney and red masala that makes you ‘Beat It’ MJ style. The standard rate for vada pav here is Rs 10/-

Location: Opposite Mithibai College, Vile Parle (W), Vile Parle West, Mumbai.

3) F Road Bhel Puri – No I am not trying to abuse here. This Bhel Puri guy is really located on ‘F Road’ Marine Drive and serves up the most amazing Bhel Puri and Sev batata Puri. Am not quite a bhel person myself, but the one here is irresistible. The garlicky pungent red chutney combined with the dulcified imli chutney generously doled up in the bhel or sev batata puri make an toothsome evening snack especially after an evening walk at marine drive. I know wat your thinking – first the exercise and then eating, whats the point? Well my mantra is workout and eat, don’t starve. I take it from the gujjus of Marine Drive you see ;).

Location - Outside, Patan Jain Mandal Marg, F Road , Opp Kisco Cutlery Shop, Marine Drive, Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400002

4) Modern Juice Centre - A small stall located right next to Mumbai’s Apollo Bunder, this place is popular amongst Arab and Middle eastern tourists who flock to this place for their homeland food and fresh juices. The Chicken Schwarma - a thick maida roti wrapped around voluptuously tender grilled chicken pieces and pickled cucumber and carrots coated with mayonnaise is just scrumptious and very filling. Topped it with a fresh Fruit Cocktail or a Kiwi Juice and you’l be sorted for a long time. A little on the expensive side the Chicken Schwarma costing Rs 60 while the juice anything between Rs 50 – Rs 80, Modern gurantees quality so you won’t be disappointed.

Location: Opp Near Radio Club Colaba, Mumbai-400005 +91-22-22812457

5) Dadar Tibbs Frankie – When we are talking about street food how can we forget Frankie and when we are talking Frankie how can we not talk Tibbs? However not many know that Frankie is actually a variation of Schwarma. What happened was out very own Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana Mr. Amarjit Singh Tibb, on a stopover flight from England in Beirut, tasted a sumptuous roll of pita bread with stuffing. He altered it to please the Indian palette by using a soft, yet crisp naan as the pita and a spicy and juicy meat or vegetarian curry with chunks of tender meat or spiced vegetables as the stuffing, and thus the TIBBS FRANKIE was born! I ate the Chicken Tikka Frankie at the Tibbs stall in dadar and thought it was brilliant. Chicken cooked in fiery red gravy tossed in a egg roti topped with onions and loads of ‘Amchur’ (dried mango powder) make this dish a mouth watering, saliva pooling in the mouth snack. The frankies cost between Rs 35 – 60.

Location: Near Bal Mohan High School, Shivaji Park, Dadar West

6) The Right Place – Even our very own hoity toity Breach Candy has its share of posh yet street food. The Right Place located next to Amarsons Malls has been serving the just the right kind of sandwhiches and other snacks since decades. Be it their over sized veggie and cheese stuffed grilled sandwiches, vegetarian pizza’s or their famous and my favourite Khala Katta or Watermelon Slush, The Right Place is the just the right place after your done with a swim at Breach Candy Gymkhaana or visiting an ailing yet super rich relative at Breach Candy Hospital or simply your shopping spree at Amarsons, Premsons and the rest of the sons. Also another must try at this place is the Chic Choc Ice cream Sunday. Don’t blame me if you get hooked. Open from 9:00 AM to 12:30 AM

Location: Opp Breach Candy Hospital, Warden Road, Breach Candy, Cumballa Hill.

7) Jai Jawan Bandra – What happens when Sea Food meets Street Food. Ambrosia I guess if I can put a word on it. Jai Jawan is the only place in Mumbai that can give you the taste of this ambrosia. Their Fish & Prawn Koliwada’s are just mind blowing and can be bought by the kilograms. Great if you are having a house party. Serve it with your valeyti or desi daru and your guests will be super happy or just hop in to this place when in Bandra. Timings 6:00 AM to Midnight

Location: Opposite National College, Next to Chappal Market, Bandra (W), Linking Road, Bandra West, Mumbai, Near Baskin Robbins Phone: 65592112, 9820503355.

8) Sukh Sagar – If you have eaten the Idli Chutney here you definitely have missed something. The soft South India delicacy comes two in a plate steaming hot and the waiter pours in the cold delicious coconut chutney on it. The combination of the hot idli meshing with cool chutney in your mouth just makes you want to have more and more! Evenly the Pav Bhaji is brilliant. Steeply priced with idli’s costing at Rs 35 this place does maintain quality.

Location: Marina Mansion, S.V.P.Road, Chowpatty, Mumbai 022 23636856, 022 23679614

9) Walkeshwar Dosa – Am sure everyone has tasted the dosas at Babulnath Dosawalla. But frankly I think it’s pretty over rated. This dosawalla is located at Walkeshwar and literally occupies a bus stop. The Mysore Sada Dosa over you is just mind blowing. Delicately spiced with South Indian Masala on the inside the dosa retains just right amount of softness and crunchiness. Come here for a Sunday evening round of Dosa and Thumsup with your friends. Opens 6 pm ownwards

Location: Opposite Vandana Saree Shop & Kamdhenu Mall 99, Videocon House, Napean Sea Road, Mumbai 400 006.

10) K. Rustoms – Afterall this spice and food, your stomach needs to cool down and what better than K Rustomes famous Sandwhich ice cream. This quaint hole in the wall may just go unnoticed. But their old school flavours are beautiful, balmy and saporous. Have the Kesar or the Walnut Crunch. You may find a Baskin Robbins and a Gelato in every nook and corner of Mumbai but there is only and only one K Rustom. And it’s the best, I say.

Location: 87 Stadium House, Veer Nariman Rd., Opposite Lladro Showroom, Opposite Ambassador Hotel, Churchgate, next to Titan Tanishq Showroom 22821768. Timings 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM

You know the best thing about these places is that they usually reminisces of amazing times spent with your friends. No harm reliving them once in a while. Just buy you gelusal at store it ;)

Quicktip: Take a trip down memory lane with college buddies you haven’t spoken to due to your busy routine. Go have some Chicken Kathi Roll and Thums-up and talk about ‘those good old days’ where you were fatter, cuter and you wanted to change the world.

Empire State of Mind

2011-04-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

11 Places you must eat at while in USA

I am walking through the crowded streets of New York, swarms of people passing by like sardine. Empire State of Mind playing in my head...

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
Theres nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
these streets will make you feel brand new,
Big lights will inspire you,
lets hear it for New York, New York, New York

I look up ahead & I see gargantuan amounts of people coming towards me, their movements full of hurry and their eyes filled with hope. I look up and I can hardly see the sky, cyclopean buildings stand undermining my presence. Yes Alicia Keys you got it right, New York, the concrete jungle where dreams are made of! I look around me & I see an emporium of brands from high end one’s like Louis Vuitton & Versace to the not so high end but not so low end either like Armani Exchange & Zara. Yes am at 5^th Ave and this does make me feel brand new, Alicia.

Lets hear it for New York!

I have been to USA twice over and it still doesn’t fail to baffle me. The hustle & bustle of New York v/s the calm and serene New Jersey make a great combination. But one thing remains common – the infiltration of Indians. Both New York & New Jersey have dedicated localities to Indians, more precisely Gujarati’s – Oak Tree Road in NJ & Jackson Heights in the latter. So I don’t feel that intimidated by this land of hotdogs, Disney, Liberty, opportunities, loners and now Patels & Shahs. Avjo Avjo! Jaishri Krishna !

Exploring the food around NJ & NY was delight. I got a taste the traditional America junk to Egyptian & Japanese food making the USA one of my top picks for culinary haven. So getting down to this blog, I have decided to encapsulate my culinary journey in the US through this ‘To Eat’ list, giving you a what one must eat when in the US specifically NJ & NY.

Here goes ‘My list of 11 places to eat at while in New York/New Jersey’

1) Applebees - Serves up traditional American Meals of Burgers, Pizza, Pastas & Steaks. Applebees gives you this Ruby Tuesday & TGIF kind of feel with bright red booths (yes not tables) and American memorabilia like baseball bats and balls hanging all of the places in a chaotic yet fun manner. At Applebees a must have is their steak. I tasted the Bourbon Steak – Medium Rare. Not that I have had steak before, my mom would freak if she read this but I thought when am there might as well experiment. The juicy steak comes with creamy and tasty mash potato on the side & green veggies and is jazzed with Cajun spices and really is quite a mouthful! Another thing that you must and I mean it must try is the Chocolate Melt Down for the desert. A mudcake sort of dessert, which when sliced into spills open with molten chocolate, this is for chocolate junkies who love the whole melt in the mouth deal. The cost of per dish here are $7-$15 which is pretty decent. Applebees has have outlets all over the United States.

Bourbon Steak

Mozrella Sticks

Chocolate Meltdown

2) Deli Plus – Located on 42^nd street, inside the Port Authority of New York, a critical body in New York as it conceives, builds, operates and maintains infrastructure critical to the New York/New Jersey region’s trade and transportation network. A café style restaurant that serves up almost everything under the sun albeit American Style. From salads to panini’s, from soups to traditional meals of roast chicken & rice. A must have at this are the Soups – the Chicken & Rice Soup & The Chilli Chicken one are scrumptious and quite filling. Another must have is their Paninis specially the Chicken Fajita -with chunky pieces of chicken filled into European flatbread topped with homemade style tomato salsa and bell peppers. They have these amazing smoothies – the Berry Blast a mixture of blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and nonfat yogurt is beautiful with the both tanginess and sweetness of the berries served chilled. On average a dish here would cost anywhere between $4 - $7. They also have an extensive breakfast menu with assorted bagels and cream cheese, eggs, oats to choose from. 625 8th Ave # 106, New York, NY 10018-3986, United States# (212) 244-5678

Chicken & Rice Soup

3) U - Yee Sushi – I went to this place on the last day of trip and till today the taste of the meal still lingers in my mouth. We had the hibachi meal, a traditional Japanese meal cooked live on a hot plate. Even if Japanese is not one of your favourite cuisines, I suggest coming here because hibachi is an experience altogether. For a sneak peak watch the video below.

So one has a choice of different meats – Chicken, Shrimp, Lobster, Squid, Steak & Veg. Every Hibachi meal consists of a clear miso soup, salad, shrimp appetizer and stir fried rice/lo mein (noodles) and chicken with green vegetables on the side. Brilliant flavours come together, making it a palate searing dish. As I devoured through the massive shrimps and the small grain rice, putting morsels in my mouth, saliva pooled in at every anticipatory bite And this place is even economically priced at the hibachi meal costing between $11 - $20. U-Yee Sushi 675 Us-1, #12, Iselin, NJ 08830, # (732) 283-7888

4) Bagel House – Next on my list is the stereotype American breakfast – The Bagel. Looks like a doughnut but isn’t sweet. The shape is for convenience in baking. Have just the bagel with Veggie Cream Cheese. Warning this is an overdose of cream so people with high cholesterol and stuff should not have this cause actually the amount of cream cheese in between is like putting another slice of bagel in between. I couldn’t finish an entire one so ate half and the rest in the evening. But the bagel was brilliant. Bagel house has outlets all over the United States.

Bagel with Veggie Cream Cheese

5) Nanking – Chinese maybe a popular cuisine but Indian Chinese has its own set of fans and is cuisine devoured around the world. My next pick is the Mecca of India Chinese and one must go there while visiting the US. The chef here is worked at Chopsticks at Churchgate and really stirs some delightful meals. A must here is the Chinese style Calamari. Usually am not too much a fan of this chewy meat and find it quite rubbery for my palate. But the Calamari I had her was brilliant and melt in the mouth kind dolled up with spicy peppers and garlic. Another dish that is the chefs speciality and quite acclaimed is the Drums of Heaven, a sort of Chicken Lollipop with spicy tangy sauce of garlic and hot chillies and onions. All it needs is a glass of beer. In the deserts their the Toffee Banana With Ice Cream is also delectable. Nanking has outlets in a number of places for more information http://www.nankingrestaurantgroup.com/

6) Thai Kitchen – I am a huge fan of Thai Food, so getting an opportunity to Thai food while not in Thailand was a blessing. Beautifully adorned with Thai motifs, this place served up a pretty authentic spread. A must have here is obviously the Thai Curry both red & Green were brilliant – spicy, tangy with loads of flavor of ginger, shallots and coconut milk. Another dish on the menu that impressed me was Khao Phat a sort of Thai fried rice. This dish differs from Chinese fried rice is that it is prepared with Thai Jasmine rice instead of regular long-grain rice. It normally contains a meat (chicken, shrimp, and crab are all common), egg, onions, and tomatoes and unlike its Chinese cousin can be had as a meal itself. This place is a bit on the expensive side with dishes costing between $14 - $25. Thai Kitchen 320 US Highway 206 S, Chester, NJ 07930-2492, United States, # (908) 879-9800

7) Auntie Anne's – This a sort of chain that serves up fresh pretzels and other snacks. You must have the Cinnamon Sticks – soft break sticks dipped sugar and cinnamon. This could be a sugar overload but nevertheless a brilliant combo to be had once in a while. Aunt Annies has outlets almost in every mall.

Cinnamon Sticks

8) Delizia Pizza Kitchen, Ledgewood Mall – A traditional Italian restaurant that gives you the feel of the Godfather, Marlon Brando and the spooky sound track Speak Softly Love. Decorated with Jars of pickled spices, the colour red seems to dominate the place. We ordered for an Alfredo Pasta, which came with a soup , a garlic portion of garlic bread and the pasta. Huge portions and all of it for $11. Talk about being economical. There was a choice of soups and we opted for a Clear Chicken And Noodle Soup which was mellow and heavenly. The Alfredo though was bland it had a different flavor and after lots of chilly flakes and Oregano it made a delicious meal with the buttery garlic bread. Delizia Pizza Kitchen, 461 Rte 10, Ledgewood, NJ 07852, # (973) 584-3512

9) Burger King – Now I now we have an overload of McDonalds in India and you definitely wouldn’t want to waste time having burgers there when it’s so readily available here but trust me you have to have the burger specially the Tender Grill Chicken Sandwich at Burger King. It is not chewy and rubbery as the ones you get in India and is different in a nice sort of way. Burger King has outlets all over the United States

10) Platters – This is literally a cart in New York and is supposed to be super famous for it’s Egyptian Meals. So an Egyptian platter is basically meal of rice pita bread, hummus like dip on the side, topped of with a choice of meat. It pretty filling and the hummus like sauce by the side adds a sort of zing to the dish.

11) Olive Garden – An Italian restaurant with the ambiance of home kitchen in the bylanes of Rome, although it can get pretty crowded during the weekends. A must have at this place is the Stuffed Chicken Marsala - Oven-roasted chicken breast stuffed with Italian cheeses and sun-dried tomatoes, topped with mushrooms and a creamy marsala sauce. Served with garlic parmesan mashed potatoes. Delectable. Another one of their signature dishes is the Ravioli di Portobello – Portobbelo mushrooms filled in ravioli pockets and cooked in a creamy cheese sauce. Heaven. Olive Garden has outlets all over the United States.

Stuffed Chicken Marsala

Raviolli Di Portobello

There are a few things I learnt about eating in the US - 1)While ordering never look at the prices, I mean you tend to convert and compare and that is crazy cause an average dish there is for $7 -10. .. That’s like close to Rs 450 only on 1 dish, drinks appetizers etc alag. So don’t look just order 2) their portions are HUGE and I mean it so if you’re a small eater u need to have a dining partner!

Hope you enjoyed reading this. Do leave some feedback below.

Other places you must go and I didn’t have time for are –

Grease Trucks, Rudgers for their sandwiches