The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism
- Norman Vincent Peale (American religious leader and motivational author)
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Hail Britannia!
It was a shame, I admit it. I have been living in Mumbai for so many years now and yet I hadn't tried Parsi food. After I saw Kunal Vijaykar eat his way through all the Parsi eateries in the city in his show 'The Foodie' I had added 'Eating Salli Boti/Dhansak' to my list of "1000 things to do before I die". However, there is a huge difference between updating the list and getting around to actually doing one of them. So a couple of days had to pass before I got a chance to go to the Fort area for some personal work. And voila! Before I knew, there I was, standing in front of 'Britannia' on Strott Road, Ballard Estate.
The decor wouldn't come as too much of a surprise for anyone who has walked in the Kayani's or any other Irani restaurant (they are getting rarer!). Though the paint is peeling off on the roof, I knew better than to let that bother me. Sitting inside made me feel as if I have been transported back in time. The menu put up under the glass top of the tables had all the familiar names - such as Dhansak, Salli Boti (chicken and mutton variety) and the Berry Pulao. Soon a very old gentleman came to our table. I remembered him from Vijaykar's show - he is the owner of the restaurant. We ordered Salli Boti and the Berry Pulao. He nodded in agreement and then said
Can I suggest you Fresh Lime Soda Sweet
To beat the Mumbai heat
Though we were sure that the lines were well-rehearsed and delivered daily at all the tables, the vitality with which the frail gentleman said them made us all break into a laughter. He also suggested that we order chapatis - laden with ghee, as he said proudly. Needless to say, we agreed wholeheartedly. We were told that the food will be at our table in 10 minutes but in reality it was served in just 5 minutes!
The Salli Boti was delicious - though I felt the gravy was a bit watery in the end. I remembered reading somewhere that the berries used in the Berry Pulao are imported specially from Iran. They seemed to live up to their reputation. And the chapatis simply melted in the mouth. I was in for a surprise when I took a sip of Fresh Lime Soda Sweet. It tasted so different from the usual drink served up at the other restaurants - maybe they add some special spice to it. Very refreshing indeed! The only disappointment was the caramel custard that we ordered just before we asked for the bill. The portion was too small and the sauce had a bitter after-taste (do they use Whiskey in it?) - not sure if it is supposed to taste it that way.
By the time we were ready to leave, every table was occupied - the foreigners outnumbering the Indians. Guess we were lucky to have walked in early.
So, I have managed to strike one activity off my to-do list and in a very delicious way too :-)
The decor wouldn't come as too much of a surprise for anyone who has walked in the Kayani's or any other Irani restaurant (they are getting rarer!). Though the paint is peeling off on the roof, I knew better than to let that bother me. Sitting inside made me feel as if I have been transported back in time. The menu put up under the glass top of the tables had all the familiar names - such as Dhansak, Salli Boti (chicken and mutton variety) and the Berry Pulao. Soon a very old gentleman came to our table. I remembered him from Vijaykar's show - he is the owner of the restaurant. We ordered Salli Boti and the Berry Pulao. He nodded in agreement and then said
Can I suggest you Fresh Lime Soda Sweet
To beat the Mumbai heat
Though we were sure that the lines were well-rehearsed and delivered daily at all the tables, the vitality with which the frail gentleman said them made us all break into a laughter. He also suggested that we order chapatis - laden with ghee, as he said proudly. Needless to say, we agreed wholeheartedly. We were told that the food will be at our table in 10 minutes but in reality it was served in just 5 minutes!
The Salli Boti was delicious - though I felt the gravy was a bit watery in the end. I remembered reading somewhere that the berries used in the Berry Pulao are imported specially from Iran. They seemed to live up to their reputation. And the chapatis simply melted in the mouth. I was in for a surprise when I took a sip of Fresh Lime Soda Sweet. It tasted so different from the usual drink served up at the other restaurants - maybe they add some special spice to it. Very refreshing indeed! The only disappointment was the caramel custard that we ordered just before we asked for the bill. The portion was too small and the sauce had a bitter after-taste (do they use Whiskey in it?) - not sure if it is supposed to taste it that way.
By the time we were ready to leave, every table was occupied - the foreigners outnumbering the Indians. Guess we were lucky to have walked in early.
So, I have managed to strike one activity off my to-do list and in a very delicious way too :-)
Monday, April 2, 2012
I didn't want to go to the McDonald's but I knew there won't be much of a choice when it came to the food malls on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. I am not a big fan of the South Indian food nor does the idea of devouring parathas accompanied by chhole or rajma for lunch sounds appealing. So I had resigned myself to the fate when the driver of our rental car turned off the expressway after seeing the giant M. Something, however, was wrong. There was a barrier put across the parking lot. 'The place is closed' a person informed us as he started his 2-wheeler. What? McDonald's is closed? For what? Are there any riots in the city? 'Oh yes, I almost forgot. The whole Raigad region has declared a bandh today to protest the theft of the golden Ganesha idol at Diveaagar." the driver exclaimed. "Do you mean to say we will not find anything to eat till we reach Pune?' I asked, panic-stricken. 'No, no, Lonavala doesn't fall in the region. Restaurants will be open there' he assured me. So much so for my knowledge of Maharashtra's geography. Some Maharashtrian I am!
"I don't understand this. How on earth do these people have golden idols and then expect them to remain safe in this day and age?" I fumed. 'That idol was found, madam' the driver added helpfully. 'Yeah, I know. In a field. I read it in the newspaper. Doesn't that make it the property of the archaeological department of India? Moreover, the report said that the temple authorities didn't implement the suggestions for the security." I countered. The driver, of course, chose not to reply. What could he have said? This is a strange land. We believe in having idols made of precious metals, deck them up with more precious jewelery and then forget to beef up the security - maybe we don't want to spend, maybe we believe that no one will dare to steal from the temple or just maybe, we believe that the God will take care of Himself.
We have been proven wrong - and not for the first time either. But will we wisen up? I don't think so. May God help us all - and Himself!
"I don't understand this. How on earth do these people have golden idols and then expect them to remain safe in this day and age?" I fumed. 'That idol was found, madam' the driver added helpfully. 'Yeah, I know. In a field. I read it in the newspaper. Doesn't that make it the property of the archaeological department of India? Moreover, the report said that the temple authorities didn't implement the suggestions for the security." I countered. The driver, of course, chose not to reply. What could he have said? This is a strange land. We believe in having idols made of precious metals, deck them up with more precious jewelery and then forget to beef up the security - maybe we don't want to spend, maybe we believe that no one will dare to steal from the temple or just maybe, we believe that the God will take care of Himself.
We have been proven wrong - and not for the first time either. But will we wisen up? I don't think so. May God help us all - and Himself!
It has become impossible to read up on any articles on health and nutrition - without coming across diametrically opposing views on the same subject. If you read one article that tells you to drink 8-10 glasses of water daily, you are sure to come across another advocating that water should be consumed strictly as per body's needs. 'A glass of milk a day keeps osteoporosis away' proclaims one. 'Grown-ups don't need to drink milk' says another. Now it's the turn of the most basic ingredient - salt! Read 'Salt of the earth' and you will know what I mean.
Thank God poor old Kaalia isn't around today. If he had said 'Sardar, maine aapka namak khaayaa hai', I am sure Gabbar would have replied '5 gram se jyaada to nahi khaayaa naa?' ;-)
Thank God poor old Kaalia isn't around today. If he had said 'Sardar, maine aapka namak khaayaa hai', I am sure Gabbar would have replied '5 gram se jyaada to nahi khaayaa naa?' ;-)
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