Mad About Food

Konkan Cafe - Taj President, Cuffe Parade

2011-12-26T23:42:00.000+05:30

Having run out of restaurants that weren't already booked for lunch on the glorious Christmas morning, we settled for only one that offered us a table for ten in fifteen minutes flat - Konkan Cafe at Taj President Cuffe Parade.

Needless to say, the Italian serving Trattoria and the Thai Pavilion at Taj President were our preferred choice to ring in my aunty-uncles wedding anniversary. However, a quick meal was on the agenda and reluctantly we walked into the dimly lit Konkan Cafe.

The decor is earthy, full of wood and bordering on boring. The antique fan is a nice touch and the boring bar can be done away with! However, the saving grace is the fascinating collection of antiques lining the wall and the shiny beaten copper-cum-silver dinner set and cutlery. Though a very well done replica of a Konkani verandah/ home, the place could do with a dash of colour.

The table was well laid and the basket of papads, fried stuffed-chilli and the choice of chutneys was welcoming. So was the staff in their beige uniforms and pretty good marathi!

I was surprised to find such a crisp menu, 4 pages and that was it. The dishes on offer were a fine blend of traditional Maharashtrian usal and some signature vegetables, sea food in Konkani, Goan and Malvani style and accompaniments ranging from Malabar paratha, rice, dosas to fluffy appams.

Sol-kadi (a combination of kokan and coconut milk) is traditionally had after meals. It helps to digest and tone down the spices in the food. But we decided to begin our meal with Sol-kadi and papads. While the sol-kadi was delicately flavoured and creamy, the papad added a nice crunch.

We then had a course of starters – Bhajleli paneer, thechyachi zinga (prawns), Tawyache bombil (Bombay duck) and Meen Pullichatu. Except for the bombil, the other three preparations were stellar. The crunchy prawns, the perfectly roasted and flavoured paneer were fanastic, though next time around I would ask for mild spice in the prawn as it takes away from the inherent juiciness of the prawn. Everyone’s favourite was undoubtedly the meen fish, flavoured with onions and tangy tomatoes and steamed in a banana leaf wrapping.

For the main course we ordered fish curry in tamarind sauce, Malabar crab curry, Haldi Pomphret and a combination of appam, Malabar paratha and ambemohar rice to accompany them. The fish curry was runny, yet packed a punch of flavour which amazed us. The crab curry was thicker and slightly sweet with some dry fruits thrown in which perfectly complimented the taste of crab meat. The pomphret can be skipped, the appams aren’t as good as I ate in Kerala was 1/7^th the price, but the Malabar parathas are a must try, so is the rice which has such a wonderful smell.

After the meal, the staff brought in a cute square cake to ring in the good wishes for the happy couple. The cake was a small, but just enough to tickle our sweet tooth as we were all stuffed and had a silly, content grin on our faces.

The meal was certainly heavy on the pocket (INR 1200 per person after a 15% discount!), and strictly an indulgence to be remembered until the next meal there which should be quite an experience as the chefs at Konkan Café variate the menu with the changing season.

As an afterthought, despite the drab décor and the not to appealing cuisine (except for the die-hard sea-food fans!), the USP of Konkan Café is the well preserved recipes, a daring-crisp mix on the menu, freshly ground spices and the warmth of the staff; a true signature of Tata hospitality!

Overall

Food: 9/10

Decor: 6/10

Staff: 9/10

Price: 1200-1400 per person (without drinks!)

Happy BUN Day

2011-06-06T23:34:00.000+05:30

Suddenly bread is the new cake and it is chic to be baking a fresh loaf or fluffy buns.

I remember visitng the Wibbs White Bread Factory at Vishakhapatanam back in 1996 from s school trip. The whole process of baking bread fascinated me. While people only talk about the wholesome smell of freshly baked bread, I even pride in the punch of yeasty dough.

My happy snacky memories revolved around eating bresh white bread with amul butter, enjoying bread with sugar & malai, a basic grilled cheese sandwish or jam bread.

A couple of years later, mom made her first home made batch of buns, breads, stuffed buns, dinner rolls and it left me wanting more. Finally a good 10 years later I baked my own batch of buns with moms recipe. I even taught a friend along my experimental Happy Bun Day.

I used maida, dry solid yeast, little baking powder, salt and warm water for the dough. For the stuffing i used the all time favourite grated tinned cheese, onion and capsicum. A slight challenge was ensuring the stuffing get evenly coated with dough. However, the buns turned out better than I expected.

Mad Over Donuts

2010-12-09T11:18:00.000+05:30

My first memory of a donut was eating fried donuts dipped in melted milk chocolate/filled with a sour fluffed cream at the local bakeries.

Mad Over Donuts (M.O.D.) has been in India for quite a few years now.I vaguely remember seeing an M.O.D.outlet at Breach Candy about four years back. But I first devoured the perfect round delicacy when M.O.D. opened a branch at Colaba.

From the orgasmic chocolate, to fruity flavours to the nutty or the good old basic donut to go with a cup of tea/coffee, I was amazed at the array of flavours offered. There was something to tingle the taste buds of every age group and pallette.

I have a prominent sweet tooth and hence the partiality towards donuts filled with chocolate (milk/dark) and smothered with chocolate again. You may call it chocolate overdose but that's how I like my donut. The more chocolaty, the better.

M.O.D. outlets are vibrantly done up. The decor is basic. I love their baloons. The tall swivel chairs. The warm yellow/orange walls. It makes me a kid again.

M.O.D. has great offers when you order 5 or 9 donuts at one go. Their coffee combos are worth it too. Overall very fresh donuts. Good array of choices. Friendly staff. And the urge to keep coming back!

To find a M.O.D. outlet near you, go here.

Breakfast

2010-07-24T20:15:00.002+05:30

My favourite meal while I was in school was dinner. Apart from the fact that dinner was the only meal departing from the usual dal, sabzi, roti, it also gave time to the whole family to sit around the table, enjoy a fresh, hot meal while listening to how each of our day went. Sometimes we'd talk about an upcoming exam, maybe a birthday or the dreaded homework/habits talk. At other times we'd rush to find a prime seat in the TV room to enjoy the best and most comfortable view of the television, while holding the plate in one hand and eating from the other. No matter what the situation, dinner was always together, as far as possible.

Over the years as my college began, and then hostel life, my partiality for dinner was replaced by a new-found liking for breakfast. Breakfast meant 'me' time, especially in hostel. While all my roomies would eat in a rush to reach the early morning lecture, I'd eat breakfast over almost an hour, watching new on TV and reading a newspaper if I got my hands on it.

When we were in school breakfast used to be utterly chaotic. I'd get dressed and dunk the milk, while grabbing the sandwich or rolling the aloo paratha in one hand, the school bag in another and made a dash for the bus stop. In this rush I hardly got a chance to appreciate the variety of breakfasts Mom would prepare.Somehow Mom always came up with a new twist in the old sandwich, or a normal paratha and that after preparing our tiffins and lunch.

In the hostel the breakfast was standard. I was the happiest on the days when we got bread and eggs to order because the poha was generally too dry, the upma too sticky or the aloo parathas had very little stuffing. Plus, there was always shortage of milk or the milk was watery. The solution to this problem was simple, I replaced bournvita with coffee. Someone watery coffee never tasted bad as opposed to watery bournvita. Till then we used to have coffee occasionally after dinner, but suddenly coffee became my morning companion.

Now that I live with my relatives, my breakfasts are very random. What can be more enjoyable than eating whatever you like! Most days I alternate between sandwich, paratha with pickle, cornflakes, moong and eggs. The sandwiches range from classic cheese, veggie sandwich, salami sandwich or my unlikely favourite boiled egg sandwich and untoasted cucumber sandwich. Sometimes I use my mom's trick and have egg with paratha as it is quite wholesome. However my glass of milk stays and takes varied forms - hot coffee, bournvita, hot chocolate, tea, fruit shakes etc. I now experiment with having tea, black/green when I wake up and then filter coffee with breakfast. Having switched to filter coffee, instant coffee is hardly satisfying!

Some of my most cherished breakfasts have been away from Home, especially since I love to travel. Our family takes trips often and I've eaten breakfasts in so many cities that its hard to count. The steaming idlis, dosas, idiappams and a cup of filter coffee from my trips down South always lift my mood. The hot fried breakfast items such as gathiya, samosa, kachori, vada pav find their way into the best street-food breakfast items. It is a workable solution to office rush, not necessarily to the waistline. The North Indian breakfasts are in another league. You name an ingredient and you get a paratha stuffed with it. The traditional English breakfast is also slowly finding way into Indian homes. I love cornflakes, spanish omelettes, fruit bread, an occasional pancake when I'm having breakfast out and mandatory juice.

I remember my parents telling me about breakfast when they were younger. It mostly comprised of roti, with some pickle, or glucon-D biscuit and chai. But never was breakfast so elaborate as now. I guess I'm lucky to have been spoilt with breakfast options. Yet, there are many items which I'm yet to try at home - pancakes, assorted fresh fruits, protein bars etc.

The experts recommend a hearty breakfast. I abide by it, especially since I love it. I can skip dinner, but I definitely cannot skip a full breakfast, complete with reading the paper, watching news and chit-chatting with my family (if time permits).

I couldn't agree more with John Gunther who said and I quote, "All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast". The change from being a loyal dinner fan to a breakfast person suits me just fine. With the sometimes crazy work hours, social life, study time, its a better to have a leisurely breakfast than to wait for dinner to unwind, because if I'm at peace in the morning, the day invariably goes well.

Cherry Pink!

2010-07-04T01:41:00.000+05:30

I know the summers have paved way for the rains, and pink isn't really the colour of the season. But I was tempted to change the blog theme when I saw this gorgeous pink layout on the new themes tab in my blog settings. It reminded me of cherries, a sweet after taste and an intense desire. Well, the three are apt for a food blog. Hence the theme :)

Keep chewing!

Fake sun-dried tomatoes

2010-04-13T20:51:00.000+05:30

A few weeks back I stumbled upon Shaheen's food blog, the purple foodie. I immediately fell in love with the layout of the blog. With further exploration I also realised how much she loved to cook, especially bake. Sifting through some of the recipes, I decided to try 'oven-dried tomatoes' partly because the ingredients were lying at home apart from my liking for sun-dried tomatoes.

The recipe is easy, and a little lengthy, but certainly not as complicated as real sun-dried tomatoes!

Ingredients-

Tomatoes - if you find the seasonal deshi-tomatoes, then even better!
Garlic
Oregano
Pepper
Salt
Oven

Method-

Cut the tomatoes in half or smaller pieces depending upon your liking (I bought the non-deshi tomatoes which were small in size and hence halved them)
Scoop out all the seeds
Roll the cut tomatoes generously in salt and keep them skin-up for upto one hour to remove any excess water (After one hour I drained the water and re-applied the salt as the tomatoes were still watery)
Once most water has been drained off, coat the tomatoes in oregano, pepper, finely chopped garlic and lay in a baking dish
Sprinkle a little olive oil on it
Put the dish in the oven for about 2 hours at the lowest possible temperature. (I kept it for 3 intervals of one hour each on 110 degree Celsius If you think the tomatoes are still juicy, you can keep it in the oven for longer.)
Eat with sandwichs, pizzas or as a snack!

My patience ran out so I did not re-bake the tomatoes after the 3-hours. My oven-dried tomatoes were a little moist but I loved them nevertheless! :D

Store the tomatoes in an air-tight container. Also, don't be too generous with the sprinkling of the garlic and oregano, it will take away the essence of the tomato!

Preparation time: approximately 4 hours
USP: Matches up to the real thing!

Lobster (or was it Cray Fish?!)

2010-04-06T20:03:00.001+05:30

It's been a while since I wrote about Sunday Cooking, mainly because I'm hardly home for Sunday lunch! My aunt was making lobster a few Sundays back, so the foodie in me canceled the lunch plan with friends just to savour a lobster - my first!

Apart from how complicated the lobsters looked, there was nothing very complicated recipe. There was hardly any peeling and chopping involved, but cleaning the lobster thoroughly is a must and the smell can get to you sometimes.

Here's the receipe my aunt followed-

Clean the lobsters
Marinate them with haldi (turmeric power) and salt
In a pan heat oil and add onions, tomatoes, haldi power and red chilli powder. Stir until fried
Add lobsters and cover for 2-3 minutes
Grate coconut in the grinder and add it to the pan
Add water and salt in the pan to make the gravy
Cover the pan and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes, stir occasionally
Take the lid off and serve the lobster curry with rice and salad!
It's the perfect sunday lunch :)

My opinion about the lobster was that it is more chewy than prwans and has a stronger smell, but the meat seemed more flavoured :D

Wich Latte

2010-03-17T14:32:00.005+05:30

Small, but packed with yummy treats!

(Turkey Lindsey Sandwich! My fav!)

Wich Latte; my first memory of it was while shoe-shopping at Bata. I almost missed this place-until a friend called, we exchanged our specific locations and I told her to meet me outside Bata. We bear-hugged and she animatedly told me about a strange sounding café, no more than a few days old. I examined this new café-the dark looking interiors- and wondered if their coffees were prepared in a witch's concoction pot! The thought was daunting. We gave it a miss, but the interest remained.

Within a week's time I found myself on a cozy corner table at Wich Latte with a friend. We were mingling with the staff and letting the coffee and conversation flow easy. That is the effect the dark interiors and the friendly staff have on you. I've been to this place about 5 times over the last two years. There have been some changes, but only for the good.

(Behaving myself while waiting for the order....)

What is commendable-

The variety of wiches they offer – bagel, veggie, turkey, beef, chicken alongwith the choice of bread/bagels viz. plain, wheat, sesame, poppy seed etc.
The side-orders – salads (Caesar salad is a must have!) and fries (curly or spicy, though the quantity is quite less).
They offer pastas and pizzas too. However I'm yet to try them and probably would never try then as I'm in love with the wiches.
The ambiance is laid back and makes for a perfect chilling out joint. The last time I went there was with my friends on a Sunday afternoon at 4PM. We were do with the eating and drinking at 6PM and sat there till 7PM. Not even once did the staff tell us to buzz off! That totally won me over!
The staff is friendly, co-operative and generous (I've heard they give free cakes if its your birthday).
The music can be loud sometimes and drowns the conversation, but the selection they play is always good.
The notice-cum-feedback board is casual, funny and informative.
The staff takes the pain to read most of the feedback they get online and offline. The management goes a step further to respond to the feedback.
They have opened outlets at Fort and Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel.
The Colaba outlet provides Home Delivery too apart from take away and sit-down options!
They were awarded the Best new café award by burrp.com

(Preeti Bhandarkar at her hungry best!!)

What can be improved-

For a place named wich latte, the quality of coffee/Ice Tea is way below what a customer would expect. The milk used in the coffee tastes burnt and the iced tea (especially lemon) is way too sweet. I understand that there main foray is into the sandwich market, but there is nothing better than a good coffee/drink to go with a yummy sandwich!
The portions of fries should be increased.
I found the wiches slightly expensive-but maybe that's just a one-sided view- perhaps the ingredients are costly and hence the price justification.
More topping options for hot dogs would be nice!
Home Delivery should be started from their Phoenix Mills outlet.
The cakes/pastry seemed a little dry. We tried a chocolate based dessert (I do not recollect the name). I'm not sure if the same was stale or was the dry texture intentional and integral to that dessert.
The Colaba outlet is too small. They have tried to maximize the seating by using pub like high wooden chairs and tables in some dark wood. Sometimes the wait for the seat can be a turn off for the hungry customers.
The bathroom in the Colaba outlet needs a makeover. The last time I used it, the toilet paper roll was soaked and the bathroom was in general a little dirty, especially with sprinkled and tinkled toilet-seat! (However, just the fact that this small eatery has a bathroom is a welcome relief especially for girls!)

(Preeti and Priti at Wich Latte)

Food: 4/5

Price: 3.5/5

Variety: 4/5

Ambience: 3.5/5

TIP: Go here post Lunch to chillout! That's when the crowds are minimum and the satisfaction is maximum :D

Beware ...its 210 degrees HOT!

2010-03-03T13:02:00.006+05:30

A Vegetarian's delite!

-Preeti Datar

210 isn't just a pastry shop for me. It's been a part of my life in celebration, in boredom and in uplift during my low moments. A hop, skip and jump away from my college, this is a true collegians breakfast paradise and officer-goers gluttony. At 210 degrees, the ovens are HOT and the preparations are HOTTER still!

Photo of the 210 pastry we picked for Radhika on her birthday!

Every cake that we get in the office to celebrate colleagues birthdays, CA results etc are without doubt from 210. Reason being the cakes and bakery products here are 100% vegetarian, the variety offered is mind-boggling and the prices are affordable. The cakes and pastries here are clubbed under 3 categories viz regular, dressy and premium. The prices range between Rs. 45 per piece to Rs. 75 per piece.

210 makes fresh bakery products every morning. The croissants, quiches, rolls, toasts, muffins, breads etc are soft and fluffy and full of flavour. Though I personally think some of their offerings like the chocolates, certain rolls & breads and puffs are not worth the price.

The seating is out-doorsy and the mornings and evenings are quite crowded. Most of the bakery products finish by evening, but luckily pastries come to our rescue after a hectic day at work!

A birthday cake for an office collegaue from 210!

I've been visiting this place for the last 5 years now. The innovations in terms of flavours, the changes in seating and the upward revision of prices, I've seen them all. I also shamelessly boast of having tried 90% of their pastries! Despite of beign a non-vegetarian I swear by this place when it comes to satisfying my sweet tooth.

Sweet tooth-ed in Office!210 to our rescue!! (Rachit & Me)

THE VERDICT:
Variety: 4.5/5
Pastries: 4/5
Bakery Items: 3.5/5
Prices: 4/5

TIP: Go here for a quick breakfast or a cuppa coffee and snacks in the evening!

Sweet tooth-ed in 210!! (Tanu & Me/Photo by Radhika)

PS: As I finished typing this, I've already planned on going to 210 in the evening before the budget seminar, come comfort before the uncomfortable territory of budget ;)

Goa-Portuguesa /Cultural Curry

2010-02-22T21:14:00.002+05:30

Often my aunty recounts her growing up years in and around Dadar and Mahim. Most of the times its fun to hear about the changes the two places have undergone. However, the outright interesting accounts center around some hotel that has been there, serving generations of families, yet continuing to create smiles, both on the lips and in the belly!

Goa Portuguesa is one such place.

Adjectives like loud, flashy and cramped best suit this Mahim restaurant. However do not conclude that the place is not worth it and hence you should stop reading this review. Rather, it is the contrary.

So I'm assuming you're reading further right? Ofcourse, if flashy and cramped can be good, then this place has some magic right?

RIGHT!!

It's the food! The flavours of Goa are beautifully recreated in their curries. The spreads of appetizers, main course, accompaniments and desserts are plenty. You can widen your choices by ordering from Dive Maharashtra or Cultural Curry which are all part of this killing set-up by Mr & Mrs. Awchat (if you leave aside the shameless self-promotion via the cookery book, framed photos and self-praise magazine).

This small place serves up a stunning menu, but is slow when it comes to service. The waiters are well versed with the offerings and their suggestions are spot on! I especially loved the Ajwain Fish, apart from the round, fluffy appams that were the backbone for the curried meat!

The guitarist-cum-singer is a nice touch especially when he sings your recommendation while your order is being executed in the kitchen. However once this place gets packed, and the hot food gets served, the same gets annoying, even seeming too loud! So, the point is go here if you're noise-savy or miss a scrumptious spread as they do not deliver (No they do not even take orders on the phone if you tell them you'd go and collect it!)

The prices are on the higher side and 'apparently' they give discounts for Maharashtrians (MNS lovers!), but you have to ask and we did not and they conveniently skipped the same.

Go here to get your taste buds fired up and your wallet lightened!

LMN LMN LMN....OPQRSTUVWXYZ

2009-06-10T16:00:00.006+05:30

Launched by ParleAgro to compete with Pepsi's Nimbooz, LMN, the lemony soft drink is marketed with a tag-line 'Emergency lemon Refresher'. Promoted through a funny commercial (see here) which will keep you glued, and modestly priced at Rs. 20/-, this drink is not your 'essential lemon drink'. It is, as the tagline says, a quick-fix.

I had my DEHYDRATION EMERGENCY while shopping in Colaba. There were plenty of options, but I wanted only LMN! I searched, I searched, clarifying the name to several shop-keepers. But only one of them had heard of LMN, as compared to Nimbooz, which mind you, every other shop-keeper offered me.

The only reason I can think of is because the drinks are marketed differently, while Nimbooz is your essential doze of lemon, LMN is only a small respite. Further, LMN entered the market almost a month after Nimbooz. Perhaps, that can explain the lack of LMN awareness and

availability.

That was a month back. Today I spot LMN everywhere!

I'm not a fan of lemon, especially not things that are strongly lemony. LMN is so not that and that's why I like it. The taste is subtly lemony, the soda is toned down, so is the sugar. It is the tastiest dehydrater (after water). Incidentally, it has no articifial flavours and is packed with Vitamin C (errr.....won't that mean it's artificial? :S) and that shall please the health conscious Indians.

Sadly, Nimbooz seems to have caught on and LMN lacks behind, despite a superier advertising and packaging. I hold this view after seeing the LMN aversion among my friends and family, though the actually statistics may be otherwise.

If you haven't tried LMN yet, you're missing a nice drink. Also, if you're a teacher in the Kindergarden, you could hand a kid who can recite "A-B-C-D...." beyond "LMN" a free bottle of LMN! The kid will be pleased, it is my gurantee for I trust my taste buds :)

Authenticism Redefined.....China valley

2009-05-18T15:05:00.003+05:30

China Valley, 10 minutes from Siddhivinayak Mandir serves authentic chinese cuisine. The restaurant is build like a vintage chiniese monastery with a sloping roof and curved edges. The use to two strong colours, red and green, in the exterior were part mysetrious and part inviting. The dragon theme furthered the autheticism.

The restarunt, as we entered was not as large as it looked from outside. The seating was the usaual wooden chairs and a strong table with covered white tables cloth. However, the leg space was restricted and we mostly had to do with sitting stifly in our seats. The colour-scheme of the walls was in-line with the restaurant exterior. I noticed that the wall art, the pottery and the chinky waiters transported me to another world, despite the discomfort lent by the furniture.

There is a grand variety to choose from - drinks, soups, appetizers, sea food, meats, stir fry, momos, dessert. We were spoilt for choice until we finally settled for a crab soup, chicken momos, a chicken dish, fried rice and noodles. The noodle was delicious, just the right amount of thickness. The crab , tenderly cooked gave it a new flavour altogether. It was my first taste of crab soup.

The momos-food I associated with Dilli Heart and Sarojini Nagar on cold winter evenings-were steaming hot and sitting pretty in the wick-steamer. I was eager to dig my teeth into these steamed dumplings for it had been long since I'd savoured one of these. The momos were accompanied with schezwan, chilli and soya sauce. The chicken and the veggie stuffing was bland, while the sauces lent it a whole new character, just how it is meant to be.

The rice, noodles and chicken were also served piping hot. The fried rice was totally tasteless for my Indian pallette. The noodles hoever did not disappoint. each strand was the right thickness and the garlic and schezwan appealed to my tastebuds. Blame it on my prefernce of noodles over rice, or the cook's haste, the noodles was far better, while the rice is conveninetly avoidable. Maybe a ginger, garlic or spiced up rice would be better.

The chicken was boneless with a thick red gravy. It went well with the plain rice. We were too full to even think about dessert and went directly to pay the bill and thank the staff for their hospitality. Since my first visit there, we're ordered twice from this restaurant.

* Portions are plenty and one serving of noodle/rice is enough for two people, if accompanied by soup and/or side-dish.

* If you like spicy food, order a spiced up rice/noodle dish because the fried rice/standard noodles are just too bland for Indian palettte.
* Home delivery is good, but be patient and make sure you have change.
* The waiters, especially those from north-east or maybe China (i'm not sure) have a slight communication problem. So make sure they undersatnd your order.
* A meal for four, complete with soup, side-dish and main-course may cost anywhere between 1,500-3,000 depending upon your order and appetite.
* We were visiting on a weekday and hence prior reservation was not required. However on weekends a reservation is a must.

*Avoid home delivery from here on a weekend for the wait time is too much!
------------------------
China Valley
Jayant Villa Co-op Society, Appasaheb Marathe Road, Prabhadevi, Mumbai
Phone: 24221065, 24300272, 24329701

Idli Upma: Quick fix from left over idlis

2009-03-15T00:25:00.004+05:30

Ever so often our estimates about the guests appetite go wrong. And sometimes you can churn out a whole new dish from the left overs.

Take for example 'idlis' (I detest calling them steamed fermented rice dumplings, so if you don't under stand idli...too bad then!) Re-steamed idlis aren't the best thing to eat. Instead if you have left over idlis at home, put them in the fridge and they easily last upto 3 days. When in a fix about what to have for break-fast, heed my quick-fix from left over idli advice, and make idli upma!

Ingredients-
1. Steamd idlis, cut into small pieces or crumbled into smaller particles.
2. Cooking oil
3. Kadi patta
4. Rai
5. Haldi
6. Salt and chilli powder to taste

How-To-
1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Put the rai and let it blacken a bit.
3. Add the kadi patta, salt, chilli powder and haldi.
4. Add the cut/crumbled idlis to the tadka
5. Stir vigorously so that all idlis get coated in a nice yelow of the haldi.
6. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Serve with tomato ketchup or coconut/dhaniya chutney.
Enjoy....it's probably the quickest breakfast! ;) Suits the modern girl like me :P (epitome of laziness!)

Palak Paneer - a perfect sunday lunch!

2009-02-24T16:37:00.013+05:30

Sundays are for relaxing and catching up with friends and family. Lately I've been socialising a bit too much and the odd-sunday at home is a refreshing change and more than welcome.

Sunday is synonymous with lazying around, eating a delicious home-cooked meal and catching a movie. I did just that!

After much debating, my cousin and I settled on Palak paneer and chapatis for our cook-it-yourself-sunday-lunch. As a cook in compulsion, chapatis weren't such a complex task (save for the snail's pace execution) but palak paneer was something I had been savouring for years, never paying attention to how it is prepared.

Nevertheless, I borrowed my aunty's recipe, fused it with mom's recipe and added the ingredients that were available at home! Read the recipe here-

INGREDIENTS:
(Serves two)

One bundle palak
Two green chillies
2 tablepoon cooking oil
10-15 garlic cloves, finely chopped
250 grams paneer, cut into cubes
Jeera for the tadka
1 finely chopped onion (optional)
Salt to taste
2 teaspoon fresh cream (optional)

HOW TO:

Clean the palak by breaking off the hard stem and wash it twice or thrice to remove all the dirt.
Steam the palak for 4 minutes in a microwave cooker. Alternatively, you could boil water in a steel vessel, dip the cleaned palak in it till it gets cooked.
Once steamed, run cold water over the palak. This will held retain the nice green colour in the final preparation and not make it look blackish.
Grind the palak and green chillies with a little water to make a smooth paste.
Heat the oil. Add jeera and chopped garlic to the heating oil. Let it sizzle and cook until the garlic turns brownish.
Add onion and cook it until it turns golden brown.
Add the palak paste and give it oil boil.
Add water to bring the palak gravy to a nice consistency (remember the gravy will thicken slightly once it cooks)
Add salt as per taste and chilli powder if needed.
Add paneer cubes and give it one stir without breaking the paneer cubes.
Let it simmer on slow fire for 2-3 minutes.
Add fresh cream for a creamy look to the gravy.
Serve hot with chappatis or rice.

Once the palak paneer was almost ready, my cousin set the table while I made a small surprise salad!

I mixed boiled macaroni and steamed american corn with one spoon of Fun & Foods Pasta & Pizza Spread and good old Amul cheese spread. I finished up the one minute salad by adding salt and freshly ground pepper for taste.

The food turned out to be pretty good. The salad was a quick-fix and a rather taste one. The black grapes for dessert (my cousin's surprise) was a perfect end to a sumptuous home-cooked lunch on a lazy sunday afternoon, while the 'Hip-hop' movie 'You Got Served' kept us glued way past lunchtime.

Cook in Compulsion, and Lovin' it!

2009-02-08T12:24:00.001+05:30

THEN

Looking at me no one would ever say that this girl isn't a foodie for I'm a BIG FOODIE and proud to be so. But funnily, my foodiness was restricted to relishing good food. I never really took interest in preparing food, or the effort to learn the art of cooking. I know it is a paradox, perhaps even hard to believe, but that is how things were.

NOW

My look still the same. But I've begun appreciating mom's more for the three meals that they churn up for us, without being lazy. I've begun appreciating the art of cooking, chopping vegetables, playing with spices and cooking up full meals for my tiffin! having lived on the bad hostel food for nearly 1.5 years, the desire to made my own 'dabba' at 5:30 am, before leaving for class was just too strong. I wanted to eat good food, and not the dabbas I had been eating just for the sake for eating without ever looking forward to it.

In one line, 'I'm a cook and compulsion and strangely I'm loving it'!

Till date I've taken wide-varities of food in my tiffin - idlis, uttapams, pizza, pasta (very popular with my collegues), dal fry and roti, parathas, pulao, roti/sabzi, salads, thalipeth, pav bhaji etc :) I've even tried making new stuff - tacos, khajur pak etc.

I feel proud of myself. I always kept cribbing because mom tried forcing me to learn cooking. But I'm the kind who'll not do anything until I feel like I should do it. In this case, it worked in my favour. For now is the time when I can take tiffinf and I'm taking tiffin. I'm learning each day about the nuances of cooking and it has opened up a whole new world ready to be smelled, tasted and explored.

It has also given new a whole new confidence. I can be on my own and not just survive on bread. I too can make a full meal of Dal, chaval, sabzi, roti, salad, maybe even soup. Though, right now I'm keeping the dishes simple, but soon I can probabily match upto mom.

This new 'cooking' fad in my life has also made my mom happy on two levels, viz. she is proud of me for finally learning to cook, but the strongest one possibly is the fact that I have another quality for an eligible bride! The former makes me proud. The latter.....well, I'd rather not comment on it! ;)

Tamnak Thai

2009-01-25T19:27:00.016+05:30

(All dressed up...I'm good to go....)

The choice was between eating Chinese, Indian or something else. By the time I was dressed(look above), we'd still not decided where to go. Finally, we decided on Thai food and the easiest and most convenient to reach was Tamnak Thai, Shivaji Park, Dadar (West).

(Red....for hot.....for Thai)

The red glaring words announced our arrival at the abode of Thai food. This restaurant has a valet parking so you can sit back, enjoy your food without worrying about parking space or towing away! handing our car keys we casually strolled in.

The restaurant had a nice calm to it. The ambiance was in the colour scheme of brown and tan. The seemingly earthy colours got a new life from the authentic and some unconventional decoration pieces. They had a cabinet full of Chinese/South Asian looking vases and memorabilia.I absolutely loved them. Then there was the big Ganesha idol perched on a wooden half-pillar that infused colour and Indian-ness to the Thai place. But the most stunning decoration certainly was the wine display!!

(Their collection of wines.....take your pick!)

Yes, doesn't that^ look stunning. The wines greet you as soon as you enter the restaurant. I'm not much of drinker, and hence the sparse knowledge about wines. But judging from the speed with which wines were being ordered, i guessed they did have a good collection!

The restaurant has two levels. The lower level and the upper level. If you care to share some private moments, the higher level is suggested. But if dim lights are not your preference and you'd not mind overlooking the road , then take a seat at the lower level. When we arrived the restaurant was quite empty. We choose to sit on the upper level (which is just a step higher than the lower :P) on a corner table. We commented that the seating area was huge, until we realized that the wall behind us had mirrors!!

Each table was covered with a white table cloth. The chairs were comfortable with a low back support. On each table, gracefully set is a candle votive, an orchid stem in a stark white vase and white salt and pepper shakers. The candle and the orchid make it totally romantic, while the clanking of cutlery and the soft talks creative a conducive environment for a casual business dinner, family dinner or a social gathering.

The staff was friendly and guided us well while placing our order. Most people were beginning their meals with wine/mocktails or other drinks. But we decided to go for a soup instead, while my uncle ordered a drink. We ordered a crab and bamboo shoot soup. The soup was served in a mug like bowl which had two ears, and hence no need to drink the same with a soup spoon. But we realized that a little too late and started sipping with a table spoon :P The soup was a clear soup and boiling hot. The crab was succulent, the bamboo crisp but the ginger pieces were too big and overpowered all the other flavours. Had it not been for the ginger-overdose, I'd have loved the soup!

With the soup we ordered a chicken dish with broccoli(appetizer). The chicken was tender, the broccoli was crunchy, the thick accompanying red gravy was spicy and tangy. All in all a very well prepared and presented dish.

For main course we ordered fish(pomphret) in green sauce (as we needed something less spicy) and vegetable fried rice. The restaurant staff suggested ordering plain rice so that we can enjoy the green curry without altering the taste. But we decided to go with the vegetable rice as it added more flavour. Our choice was right. The vegetable fried rice was nicely flavoured though less spicy. The pomphret in green sauce was creamy and very well prepared. By the time we were through with our meal, we just had enough space left for dessert!

We ordered a caramel pudding and a coconut pudding. The coconut custard was huge! Cut into 4 rectangles, it was enough to suffice three, not do hungry diners who have a slight craving for dessert. The coconut pudding was too coconuty, so unless you like coconut, do not order this. Also, it was heavy on the stomach and calories. The caramel pudding was a winner! The custard had the perfect juggle, while the caramel was not bitter, yet brown and thick!

We wound up our meal in about 1.5 hours. Not because the service was slow, but because we really liked sitting there, savouring each bite and each sip. By the time we paid up and left, the place was nearly full, that too on a Friday night. That just speaks for the crowds that they usually get. So I suppose if you're planning to drop by at Tamnak Thai on a Saturday or Sunday, it's advisable you book your table in advance.

The place is expensive. A meal for three with one drink, one soup, one appetizer, one curry, one rice, 2 dessert and 'tipping' cost us about Rs. 2,600/- which comes to about Rs. 866/- per person, which certainly is a rare indulgence.

Rating-
Ambiance : 8/10
Soup: 6/10
Appetizers: 9/10
Main Course: 9/10
Staff: 8/10
Dessert: 7/10
Pricing: 6/10

PS - you can save a few bucks by heading to Natural's ice cream, right next to Tamnak Thai for natural dessert! :)

Tacos - a mexican treat

2009-01-18T22:05:00.015+05:30

Tacos is a traditional mexican treat made of maize/wheat flour filled with vegetable, meat stuffing and served with salad or salsa. I do not quite remember when I heard about tacos. Perhaps it was while I ate tortillas with cheese dip at Creme Centre, Bandra that I googled up for tortillas and in the process stumbled upon another mexican treat, TACOS!

I like to experiment with food, but somehow I never found tacos on the menu card of most restraunts I had been to. Even if I did, the people dinign with me weren't quite experimental. About a month back a senior of mine in office told me about her delicious dinner of home-made tacos. I immediately took down the recipe for the taco shells and the rajma stuffing (kidney beans in tomato).

Realizing that taco shells were no easy task, I kept delaying 'when to try making tacos', until I found ready-to-stuff taco shells at a nearby departmental store. Delighted, I indulged in some mexican culinary treat for sunday's dinner.

(A packet of 10 small-size hard taco shells, ready to be stuffed : Rs. 30/- only)

(The stuffing: rajma(kidney beans) in tomato gravy, grated cheese with pepper and cabbage shreds)

(Tacos, ready to be savoured: Layer one- cabbage; Layer two- rajma in tomato gravy; Layer three- Cheese and pepper)

(Stuffed Taco, up, close and personal)

(Recap!)

I wondered if vegetarian taco turned out to be this delicious, how'd the non-vegetarian be? That's next on my what-cooking/dish-to-try-out list!
-------------------------------
Incase you do not get ready-made taco shells, you can make your own! For recipe of HARD TACO SHELLs & RAJMA STUFFING, go here---> http://www.tarladalal.com/recipe.asp?id=1257
Though, I used a different recipe for the rajma stuffing, after all what suits your taste buds is what you should cook, why always follow cookbooks blindly?!

Strawberry Milkshake!!

2009-01-15T20:28:00.004+05:30

If Life gives you strawberries....make milkshake! :D

About two weeks back, at my bhabhi's place in kandivali, I had the most heavenly strawberry milkshake.

Inspired by her magical milkshake, I made my own!

These strawberries look tempting!

They go into the blender with cold milk and some sugar

Tada.....it's done and nicely chilled!

Pizzeria - Pizza & Pasta by the Bay....

2009-01-01T15:02:00.003+05:30

For all of the four years that I've been in Mumbai, I've been passing By Pizzeria and Jazz by the Bay, whiffing the delicious smell of freshly baked pizzas and vowing to go there for dinner at the earliest. Ankit owes me a treat there, but I always wondered when that'll happen and if it'll ever happen! :P After a four year wait, on I met Pizzeria and Pizzeria met me!

Here's what I think about the place, ambiance, food, music, crowd and pricing-

Drinks: We were four of us, Uncle, aunty, my cousin and me. Each of us ordered a drink - one fresh lime soda(Rs. 45), one coke(Rs. 40), two mocktails of Rs. 85/- each viz. Bahama Mama ( Guava, mint and orange juice) and Alice in Wonderland (Cranberry nectar, pineapple juice and watermelon syrup). A comment on fresh lime soda and coke isn't necessary. But the mocktails were quite good, especially the Bahama Mama (ahem..ahem...my choice!). The Guava and mint, both strong flavours, contrasted beautifully to create this memorable mocktail. Alice in the Wonderland was on the sweeter side and I left a sweet after taste. There are just four other mocktails to choose from, luckily, each carry a description of ingredients, so make your choice wisely!
Pasta: We ordered one Pasta (Pasta Alla Pizzeria containing chicken, bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes in a creamy tomato sauce - Rs. 275/-) .We contemplated ordering another medium size pizza, but the two main course dishes sufficed. The pasta was tasteful, with the right amount of spice and sauce while the sun-dried tomatoes created a delicious burst in the mouth. The quantity was meagre, but the taste made up for it!
Pizza: The 12" Large Pizza (Super Supreme - Rs. 485/-) took about 45 minutes to bake and serve. The wait was killing especially when the slight wind was whooshing into our ears amidst the soft music and quite a bit of chatter. The sights and smells furthered the hunger. The pizza was cut into 8 pieces and each of us enjoyed 2 pieces each. It had all my favourite toppings- sausage, chicken, onion, capsicum, mushroom, pineapple and extra topping of olives. I thoroughly enjoyed how the texture and taste of tangy olives, succulent mushrooms & sausage and the oddity of pineapple sweetness played with my sense of taste. I was the only one who enjoyed the pineapple topping, hence the good fortune of more flavour play in every bite of mine! I'd have liked another slice, but gulping down a glass of water I realized that the two P's were rather filling. There is ample choice in Pizza especially with make-your-own-topping being the most popular. However, one drawback is the non-interchangeability of pizza base. Suppose Meat Ultimo Pizza (pepperoni, sausage, pork, Italian herbs and seasoning) is available as a topping on stuffed crust. I prefer a basic crust and request the staff to swap the stuffed crust for a basic one while keeping the Meat Ultimo topping. Instead of allowing such whims of the customers, the staff refuses to do so. The only reason I could think us was that certain base maybe suitable for certain topping. But then again I suppose this drawback costs them big cash!
Dessert: OK. I firmly believe that my stomach has compartments for every kind of food. In my case, the one for the dessert seems to be the largest! We ordered brownie with ice cream (Rs. 95) and Apple pie with ice cream (Rs. 95). The brownie was too dry, maybe even stale. The apple pie had too much cardamom and tasted better without ice cream. So I'd suggest ordering an apple pie or better still heading to Baskin Robbins, Naturals or K. Rustoms for dessert.
Pricing: The total bill was Rs. 1200/- inclusive of taxes. It works out to Rs. 400/- per person (drinks, main course and dessert). For a killer view it offers, and the fabulous food, it is totally worth-it!
Seating: The seating space is ample with round tables for 2, 4, 6 or 8 people. The table tops are hassle free with green/red check table cloth sealed between the transparent plastic tables tops and hence the stain free maintenance. Each table overlooking the street certainly has a better view of the Bay. In rush hour, the crowds are crazy and hence a reservation is advisable. We had to wait for nearly 1-hour as opposed to the no more 30-minutes wait that we the staff promised. If possible as for a table over-looking the Arabian sea for the sheer view, breeze and joy that comes with it.
Service: The staff is jovial and well versed with the menu. They help you with the quantity to order and the pasta/pizza to suit your palette. But in the peak-hours, the staff does not respond to the calls of the customers or delays the same. Further, the pizza takes too long to be baked and served. The taste is authentic, but a shorter wait will only please the hungry customers. Also, they insist on you filling out the feedback form. I filled it up, in slightly excess details, but it was only for their betterment.
Crowd: The crowd is mostly young. But it is a total family place and you'll also find several large and small families enjoying the dinner and the view. If you do not enjoy noisy places, or chaotic places, give Pizzeria a miss on weekends.
I've heard that they serve a delectable lunch buffet. They also serve Gnocchi(Italian name for a variety of thick, soft noodle or dumpling served with varied toppings-wikigyan) and Risotto(rich and creamy, traditional Italian rice dish-wikigyan) So that's next on my agenda apart from stuffed crust pizza and Bahama Mama cocktail!
NOTE:

For home delivery Contact No. 22856115/22820883
You can see how your Pizzas are made, just ask the Manager to give you a mini-tour.

Barbeque Night

2008-12-19T13:23:00.001+05:30

It was a night filled with smokin' hot BBQ chicken, paneer and fish...some soft drinks and vodka with lime, gulab jamuns and fabulous conversation! :D

(Paneer ready to be BBQ-ed!)

(Vodka.....!)

(Empty plates.....as we wait for the fish!)

(Fish O' Fire....)

(Kaku...waiting to dig in...)

( Fish....again...)

( Busy eating...)

( And drinking)

( He loves his food....yummmm....)

( He loves his drink.....hmmmmm)

( A happy lot)

A Sweet Sunday - Gajar Ka Halwa & Khajoor Pak

2008-12-17T20:59:00.002+05:30

The sunday that passed was a lazy sunday. I know, i know, a lot of my sundays are lazy, but thats how it is meant to be, right?!

This sunday was a sweet sunday. My cousin Akshay was coming home, so we decided to make one of his favourite sweet, Gajar ka Halwa.

I also love gajar ka halwa. I remember being while mom used to let it cook on slow fire. However, this time around, the wait was slightly lesser as aunty made the halwa with khoya and not in pure milk unlike my mom does. Here's how we made the halwa-

1. Peal, wash and grate the carrots
2. In a pan, take ghee, let it heat and put the grated carrot in the hot ghee. Let it cook and soften.
3. Keep stirring ocassionally so that gajar is cooked well and the ghee gets coated evenly.

4. Grate the khoya and add it to the cooked gajar. Mix well so that lumps are not formed.

5. Cover with a plate and let it cook, stirring ocassionally.
6. Add sugar as per taste, cook some more till the sugar is dissolved.

7. Add powdered ealichi and dry fruits to garnish.
8. Serve hot or chilled!

Say CARROTS! :D

While aunty made the halwa, I tried out a recipe which an office colleague told me. Its basically a jhat-pat (quick) sweet and its called Khajoor Pak.

Here's how "I" made it-

1. Break the seedless dates into smaller pieces
2. Heat ghee in a pan and cook the dates for a minute or two.
3. Add ealichi, and dry fruits while stirring.

4. Glaze a dish with ghee.
5. T/r the date mixture to the dish.
6. Using ur hand or the back of a bowl, set the mixture evenly in the pan before it hardens.
7. Freeze for 15 minutes/till its hardened.
8. Cut into cutesand relish it!

One blunder! - One small blunder I made was adding sugar to the date and dry fruits mixture because i felt like it wasn't sticking together. Due to the heat, the sugar caramelised instead of melting and gave a gariny taste to the Khajoor pak when we bit into it. So do not put sugar! :P

Want a Date? :P

And the sparkle below(see image) was a result of random sunday cretivity! I draped my palstic pearly necklace on the bright pink water bottle and the contrasting result gladdened me! :)

(Credits: All pictures courstey my new Nokia 3600 slide mobile!)

Sheesha - Smoky and Delicious

2008-12-15T15:22:00.001+05:30

An unplanned dinner at a smoky and delicious place like Sheesha is always pleasurable. I'd heard a lot about Sheesha and the flavored hookhas there, but I had never dined there partly because I am not too keen on trying out hookah and also due to lack of interesting company. I had the former on the second sunday of December.

I and my poetry friend Vikash chanced upon the opportunity to dine together and ended up at Sheesha.

(In the photo: Vikash, chillings out and checking out two dumb girls at Sheesha!)

It is one of his favourite restraunt and he was more than happy to treat me there. We walked on to the roof-top on the second floor of Huma-Adlabs, Kanjurmarg, to be greeted with nice music, soft murmurings of the diners and the occasional rise of the hookah.

The decor was ethnic, yet chic. I particularly liked the seating space and it made me cross my legs, in true Indian style, and feel at home. The shells and beads danglers added a nice glamour, along with sepearting the tables.

We both were starving and started our meal with a chicken soup. For starters we ordered one plate of chicken pankhuri kabab. The soup was hot and tasteful. The kabab was served on a sizzling plate. The kabab melted in the mouth and it sent the both of us yo Cloud No. 9. We immediately ordered another plate of the same for the kebab was truly lip smacking, with the tender chicken, the spicy coating and the varied chitney and salad it was served with.

We were not too keen on eating the maincourse, but the Chicken curry and tandoori roti, both cooked to perfection, altered our hunger. We were so full and delighted with our meal that we mutually said no to dessert...until we saw the bunch of guys on the neighbouring table relishing the sinful chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream. How could we stick to our mutual decision...afterall decisions are meant to altered, especially when the outcome is so sweet and chocolaty.

(In the photo: Sweet Sin!)

The brownie was small. So was the vanilla scoop on it which was laced with chocolate sauce trims. But what set it apart and elevated its status was that the bownie was served on a sizzling plate and in a pool of chocolate sauce. It truly left us with the ring of the "hmmmm...." from our very own mouths!

Overall, the meal was superb! The main-course can be improved. But the kebabs make up for it. The place has very few options for vegetarians, so non-vegetarians eat on!! It is slightly expensive on the pocket, but hey, you don't just pay for the food, the ambience also counts!

(In the photo: Me and Sheesha)

I'm certainly going back there. And this time...maybe I'll try a flavored hookah.

Drinks: Not tried
Ambiance: 7/10 (the smoke was annoying)
Affordability: 6/10 (go with a full wallet)
Food: 9/10

Mama Mia....cause Mama knows it best!

2008-12-05T21:04:00.001+05:30

'Mama Mia..here I go on....my my how can i resist you....?' is perhaps the most famous pop song from one of the most famous band ABBA. 'Mama Mia' is quite an apt name for a eatery that serves pizzas, subs, pastas and salads. You know, every mama knows her child well, so do the folks at Mama Mia, or so they claim! Located at Prime locations like Operahouse, Bandra and Byculla, Mama Mia has been satisfying the tastebuds of Mumbaikars for over a decade.

Mama Mia was little known to me until a college friend of mine ordered a double-decked burger served with fries at a Stay-over. The burger was HUGE, amply filling and top-class. The fries were crisp, slightly thick, but certainly better than what the folks are McDonald's serve. After such a good first impression, on a Pre-Christmas shopping with friends at Bandra, I headed to Mama Mia(on Link Road, Bandra (W)), anticipating a nice meal especially after having skipped lunch.

The place was virtually empty on the Saturday evening and the vibes we got were chillied out, almost sleepy. The staff seemed pre-occupied and not prepared to recommend dishes. Thus we placed our order of Medium-size Margarita Pizza (8"), Cosmos (Pasta in Brown Sauce with onion rings, sausages and corn) and a Large Parita-A-Quattro(12") (BBQ Chicken Pizza with chicken salami and mushrooms), replying entirely on the descriptions in the Menu card praying that they'd turn out to be good.

As the Mama's (or Papa's? - as the chef's were male :P) were busy churning out their famed fare, we were busy observing the place and talking. I realised that the seating was spacious with ample space between the tables. The leg room was good, but the sofa's were quite low as compared to the table's height and hence proved to be uncomfortable, so if you do get a choice, grab a chair instead of the sofa seat! The lighting was dull and there was not much privacy.

Despite being empty, the food took too long to arrive. First came the Margarita Pizza (or was it milk? - ok, just kidding around!) and it looked tempting. The crust was perfectly crisp and thin while the cheese was beautifully melted. However, looks were deceiving and the pizaa turned out to be a flop, reason being the cheese was sour, maybe even spoilt.

Next came the Pasta in brown sauce. It smelled divine and it was divine. The brown sauce was tangy and the onion rings were a stark contrast for the taste buds. The pasta was a mixeture of several types and shapes and the chicken sausage bits went beautifully with hatke preperation. Despite being slightly on the spicy-sour side, the pasta certainly did lift our moods.
The last to arrive was the Large Chicken Pizza. This, again, was not superb, but certainly way better than the Margarita. The salami slices and the BBQ chicken were in plenty.All the ingredients were my favourite so I enjoyed this one, but again, the cheese was sour....
Our bill came to Rs. 340/- and it fed four of us quite well. The place is quite cheap as compared to other places serving italian and certain dominoes and the pizza huts. But I was not impressed by the famed pizzas, however go to this place for the pastas and burgers and for the sheer variety that they offer for a decent price.
I'm not sure I'd go here again unless the food preperations and the staff is improved ....but it's a good place for one-time indulgence. On a concluding note, with a tagline of Mama Knows it best, they ought to have known better than what they already do!
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Menu Card from www.menucards.in
Main image taken from my cellphone

Hide & Seek - Mint, Orange & Coffee!

2008-07-11T20:27:00.001+05:30

I walked into a superstore and surprise, surprise! - my very own Hide & Seek was available in two new flavours! :D

MINT...

....

ORANGE...

&

hold your breath...

COFFEE HIde & Seek.... yummyyyyyyy

I instantly grabbed the Coffee one! :P Reaching back home, the first thing I did was to take a bite of the coffee heaven with embedded choco chips!!

The biscuit tasted weird. The texture was too grainy and a little over bitter even for a coffee freak like me! The coffee taste overpowered the sweet taste of choco chips. The biscuit did not melt sinfully in my mouth like the basic Hide & Seek does.

Ordinarily I'd crave to finish off the whole packet alone and not share even one biscuit with anyone, but this timeI'd had enough after just three biscuits. Frankly, this flavour isn't for me. And I dare not try the mint flavour cause mint and chocolate together is so uncool! Maybe I can experiment with Orange, who knows it may just win me over! Tate buds can act in queer ways, you know!

I'd suggest the manufacturers of Hide & Seek to stick with their winning formula and not unnecessarily diversify. We love the biscuit just the way it is!!

Sahibaan, the Sizzler place

2008-07-10T22:10:00.001+05:30

We gave in to our growling stomach and randomly decided upon Sahibaan (Turner Road, Bandra) to pamper us! It was my cousin's treat and that felt even better! :P

The restaurant has two levels of seating and is jam packed on most days and on weekends be prepared to wait for atleast 30 minutes before you get a seat. The fare they offer is very different. The cuisine is mainly oriental, and bubbling with sizzler dishes. If you find something on eevery table here, apart from the cutlery, it's sizzler!!

There is a great variety in starters and sizzlers in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian category. The drinks are basic like juices, iced tea (most popular), soft drinks etc. The iced tea costs Rs. 35 (lemon and peach flavour) and one iced tea comes free with every sizzler. Puddings are just two and three including caramel custard which apprently is very good, but we were too full to dig it.

We were four big eaters and we ordered three sizzlers - fish sizzler (with rice), two chicken sizzlers (with noodles) and 3 more ice teas apart from the three that came free with the sizzlers! I usually like peach iced tea more, but the lemon one is definitely a better choice at Sahibaan.

Three sizzlers were more than enough for us, but two would have been a tab bit less! The fish sizzler was superb, but nothing to beat the chicken sizzler. Also, noodles should be chosen over rice, for the burnt taste accompanying noodles is bliss!!

Non-veg sizzles cost between 135-225 bucks. A meal for four will cost about RS. 400. I'l definitely going there again...and this time i'll try the caramel custard also! It's worth a visit and it'll keep you coming back for more!!

Food Riot at "MELA, Worli"

2008-07-08T13:01:00.001+05:30

Where

Located in Worli, opposite Love Grove, this restaurant and bar definitely has one of the most interesting décor that I have seen. This restaurant and bar is great for chilled out meal after a walk on Worli Sea Face.

Ambience

The name ‘Mela’ meaning ‘fun fair’ is apt. The logo, a colourful paper wind-wheel, is a perfect start to the surprises to come.

As you enter the restaurant gate, a well maintained garden with a mini-turbine model wins you over. The bar overlooks this garden. Being a tee-totaller, I was hardly interested in the bar and the drinks on offer. But it did look cozy and inviting!

A narrow corridor decorated with colourful kites leads to the main seating area. The restaurant is done up in true Indian Mela style. True to its style, the restaurant has a magician (20-30 tricks for Rs. 350/- only and the option to buy tricks from him!), astrologer, mehendi and much more to keep the hungry guests occupied. The walls are colourful, with one wall painted with a bus brimming with people. The central pillar even has a clock tower! Overall the ambience is cozy and very inviting; the riot of colours does not distract, but adds to this replica of a Mela.

Food & Drinks

The restaurant is famous for kebabs. There are 5-6 varieties of kebabs to choose from in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian kebabs. Kebabs are served with green pudina chutney which is too mild for an average Indian’s taste. We ordered a mixed vegetarian and a mixed non-vegetarian kebab platter along with a tandoori chicken platter. Both the platters offered ample variety, but the tandoori chicken platter was a disappointment as the chicken was half cooked.

One can choose from a variety of drinks – soft drinks, hard drinks, cocktails, mocktails etc. We sampled only the mocktails as they had some exotic combinations like a mocktails with papaya, pineapple and ginger! Mocktails cost Rs. 100 and up, which I thought was quite decent.

The mocktails and kebabs were very heavy, yet we opted for a varied main course – Dal/Khichadi, Butter Chicken, Prawns Biryani and Butter Nan. The biryani was on the oilier side, but the prawns were very well cooked and soaked in flavour of the assorted spices. The Butter Nan was piping hot; the Dal/khichadi had a very unique and sumptuous taste, while the butter chicken was quite ordinary.

The food is heavy and we did without any dessert. A meal for 10 cost us about Rs. 4500 (excl dessert and hard drinks). The magician kept us entertained and I was so rapt that I jerked and pointed my finger at the magician saying, ‘how’d you do that!’ while accidentally tripping the Pinacolado mocktail glass as I did so!

After thoughts

Mela is worth a one time splurge! I’ve heard that their buffets are out of the world, so maybe I’ll try that next time around! Overall the drinks are well prepared and presented, kebabs were succulent (except the hard-cooker tandoori chicken platter), the main course has its own pros and cons. Dal/Khichadi highly recommended!

Ratings

Drinks: 9/10
Ambiance: 10/10
Affordability: 8/10
Food: 7/10

HAS it all....india's first juice bar

2008-06-17T09:27:00.002+05:30

FEEL HEALTHIER, FITTER & HAPPIER!

That is what the Director os HAS, India's first juice bar claims.

I came across HAS as we casually strolled into the food court of the Brand New Oberoi Mall, Goregaon (East). Completely out of cash, four of my cousins and me managed to buy one large glass of 'Energizing Strawberry' juice.

The juice was a blend of straberry juice, banana juice and orange juice! The banana added texture and volume to the juice, the strawberry added sweetness while the orange gave it a tangy freshness. The juice set us back by about 90 bucks but gave us the most refreshing kick!

There is a wide variety to choose from- juices, smoothies, power shots and boosts- both in classic as well as exotic flavours. All their smoothies are 99% fat free and all the flavours are natural. Their shots and power boosts revitalize the body and help different causes like - increasing stamina, controlling blood pressure, enhancing metabolism, providing essential vitamins etc.

Most of the offerings in the menu are priced in the range of Rs. 50 to Rs. 150. You can check out the complete menu here- http://www.hasjuicebar.com/HAS_Menu.pdf

Their first outlet in Mumbai was in Bandra. I'm unaware about their other branches apart from the Bandra and Goregaon one, but I'm sure HAS will take Mumbaikars by storm and get them high, naturally!

The colour scheme of their outlet is as fresh as their offering - lime green, orange, violet and white! But I wish they could bring the prices down a little bit, but on second thought the quality might suffer and the ingredients might not remain so exotic.

Heavier on the pocket, but amazingly light and refreshing for the body. It tingles all the taste buds!- HAS, has it all!

Drinks: 10/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Affordability: 7/10

PS - I just realized that the colours of my blog theme closely resemble the colours of HAS.

Nando's: the peri-peri magic!

2008-06-17T09:19:00.001+05:30

Nando's chicken has a great fan following world over. Just like they cook their chicken on flames, nando's has been spreading like wild fire!This chicken originated in South Africa and it sure has travelled far and wide. Their logo is a cockerel which now stands proudly on five continents.

They opened their first restaurant in India at Inorbit Mall, Malad (East), Mumbai somewhere in the year 2005.Since then they've been spreading their peri-peri magic which is quite evident from the lip-smacking and the smile on the faces of the diners.

After watching a not so memorable movie-Mere Baap Pehle Aap-we contemplated where to eat. We zeroed in on Nando's, after much protests from my aunty and uncle considering it was a Saturday and a no non-veg day in their house.

The restaurant is on the far end of the food-court, right across break talk. It is warmly decorated in reds, browns and beige. The ambiance is relaxed and informal. There are two levels of seating, one overlooking the food-court and the other a little lower.

Each table is laid down with paper table mats that offer fun word games, and spot the not games which one can play while waiting for the meal. The centre of the table holds magic - the peri-peri sauce!

We settled ourselves at a table for four that gave us the view of break talk and a non-obstructive view of the television set on which the India-Pakistan match was in full swing. Chit-chatting noisily - which seemed like the thing to do and not awkward-we finished playing all the games that were there on the table mat.

The menu is divided into starters, breads, meals, drinks and desserts. We did not want to fill our tummy tanks with the most popular dish-flamed chicken in peri-peri sauce and thus decided against ordering any drinks and snacks except one garlic bread. We also ordered two flamed chickens (full) and 5 Portuguese bread as an accompaniment.

The garlic bread was very well flavoured, unlike most garlic bread that you find in India. It was a plain garlic bread but once we dipped it in wild-herd peri-peri sauce and some ketchup, the burst of flavour in the mouth left us gasping.

After waiting for about 20 minutes (you do need to be patient in Nando's, especially on weekends)our order arrived, hot and smoking! We did not bother with table manners and devoured the meat with both hands, dipping juicy chicken pieces in peri-peri sauce or just chewing them plain.

The chicken was roasted to a deep brown. The outer coating was crips, while inside it was just as soft and succulent. The Portugese bread was bun shaped, but a little more coarse. We couldn't get enough of the per-peri sauce. So even after finishing the chicken, we ordered an extra Portugese bread, spiced it up with the magical sauce and let our stomachs literally burst!

They also sell their trade-mark peri-peri sauce in several variations. We purchased a 200ML bottle of wild-herd peri-peri sauce (medium spice) for Rs. 100. The sauce can be used to try and churn out our own per-peri chicken or used in pizzas, sandwiches etc.

The meal for four cost us : Rs. 800 (excl. drinks and dessert)
Flamed chicken (full) seves: 4 people with decent appetites

Service was a little slow and the staff generally seemed little less attentive (or was it because of the cricket match?). Overall the meal was satisfying and delicious! It is expensive for people like me who're students and in perpetual financial crunch, but ask someone with a big heart (my aunty and uncle) to treat you there and yours shall be the world! (for quite a while after you're done eating!)

Food: 9/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Service: 7/10

Live to Eat OR Eat to Live?

2008-06-17T09:13:00.000+05:30

If you've met me I'm certain you wouldn't have a doubt about my answer. I do Live to Eat! I know it is important to be fit and all, but you live just once! I do not want to get wiped off this Planet earth without tasting as many Planet foods as I can!

So here I am talking about it, with my co-blogger Vikash! Incidentally we both share alot of common interest from poetry, to singing and music to FOOD!!

Bring on the food!