Irani Chaai, Mahim

By the time I started appreciating the Irani restaurants there were only a handful of them left in the city. Sadly, over the years, their numbers have only dwindled. Naturally, I was delighted to read about this new eatery that has come up in Mahim. People have given favorable reviews on Zomato so this weekend we decided to visit. My only worry was whether we will be able to get a place to sit because by all accounts it is a small place.

When we landed there the place looked small but still capable of seating about 18 people - going by the fact that there were about 18 people in there presently and no tables were unoccupied. In a matter of seconds a gentleman came out to inquire about how many of us were there and then informed us that we would be able to sit down in about 5 minutes. Sure enough we were perusing the menu in a couple of minutes.

I had done my homework on Zomato so without much ado we ordered Cheese Masala Omelette, Berry Pulao and ice-cream soda. The waiter looked totally crestfallen as he informed us that they had run out of ice-cream soda. Funnily enough, I don't remember the last time anyone told me that they have run out of any beverage or food in a restaurant. We laughed and ordered lemonade instead.

Soon the waiter deposited a plate containing a huge Omelette with 4 breads (the kind served with Pao-Bhaji in Mumbai). The omelette could have been hotter but I couldn't find fault with its taste. There were chunks of cheese in it and I tried to work out for how long I will have to walk to work off all those calories. :-) Didn't stop me from gobbling it up though. "I will worry about the calories later" I told myself. The lemonade was a mild version of Limca, but without its burp-inducing fizz.

Cheese Masala Omelette

Apparently, the berry pulao is prepared only on Wednesdays and Sundays. Compared to the other items on the menu, it is a bit on the pricier side. It is basically a rice preparation, cooked in mild spices, its taste a happy mix of sourness (because of the pomegranate seeds) and sweetness. A huge piece of chicken (not boneless though, to my total chagrin!) sat right in the middle of it. I tore off a piece of it with some trepidation but it was tender and well-seasoned to my great relief. The pulao is a bit on the drier side but if you are a rice-lover and like your rice mildly spiced, this one is worth a try.

Berry Pulao

On our way out the owner asked us how we liked the food. We said we liked it very much and he smiled, folding his hands. I also don't remember the last time any restaurant owner has asked me about my experience. That's one thing about these mom-and-pop eateries and the reason why I feel that more of them should come up in this city. Looking back at the restaurant I found that every table was occupied with happy diners.

Looks like this one will survive and thrive. That's great news because I plan to go again to try their chicken cutlets, mawa cakes and that ice-cream soda :-)

The Bombay Canteen, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel

High Street Phoenix is a regular haunt for me. But there is hardly any place there - Only Smoke House Daily, perhaps - where I haven't eaten. So this time around the destination was Kamala Mills. I had been there before for passport renewal but didn't know about the Bombay Canteen then.

The place looked spacious, to my great relief. When we were handed the menu, at first glance it seemed as if there was hardly anything worth going for. Almost all of the dishes looked like they could be found on the menus of many other restaurants. But when I went through it with a fine-toothed comb, I realized that there was a fair sprinkling of dishes I had never come across before. For example, I was sorely tempted to try Sabudana and Laal Maath Tikki. :-)

Eventually we decided to go for Kheema Aaloo - but the Main Course version of it, instead of the tiffin one - and Mustard Chicken Curry. And almost as an afterthought, added the Kejriwal Toast to it. Nope, this dish hasn't got anything to do with the AAP guy. If Internet is to be believed, this Kejriwal frequented the Willingdon Club and ordered this dish - consisting of fried egg and cheese on toast with a liberal sprinkling of green chillies - because eggs were forbidden in his purely vegetarian household.

Kejriwal Toast

I am not much fond of Mutton, or Kheema (minced meat) for that matter. But must say that the Kheema Aaloo was really good - not oily, not hard, not too mushy. I was a bit apprehensive about the Mustard Chicken as I dislike the sharp taste of mustard. I need not have worried. The gravy was flavorful but in short supply, in my humble opinion. If you order it, make sure you eat it with Malabar Parathas. Piece of heaven on earth for sure! And as far as the Kejriwal toast goes, I am glad his family was vegetarian. To be sure, the Bombay Canteen version of this dish is served with green chutney on top instead of green chillies but I loved it.

Mustard Chicken Curry with Malabar Paratha

Another visit is definitely in the offing, though may not be in near future. Got to try that Sabudana and Laal Maath Tikki, Chicken Ishtew Pattice, Tawa Chicken Kasundi..........

Social, Palladium, High Street Phoenix

I had looked at the item called 'Dhingara's Punjabi Breakfast' on the menu during all my previous visits to this eatery. But the words 'Kapde Phat Gaye' had stopped me cold in my tracks. I, however, was in an adventurous mood this time around so I mustered enough courage to order it. As you can see from the photo below, it consisted of choice of Parathas (aaloo), Chhole, Punjabi Samosa, Pickle, Fried Potato Chips and Lassi. Since their machine that served hot beverages was not working I was given choice of juice - I chose guava.

Dhingara's Punjabi Breakfast

To be frank, I was surprised to see just one paratha in the meal. Going by the words 'Kapde Phat Gaye', I was expecting at least 2 of them. Let me just say that I have eaten better parathas. Chhole were good but I could have done with a spicier version. Samosa was run-of-the-mill. Potato chips were crisp and properly seasoned - no complaints there! The Lassi stole the show - it was sweet, thick and creamy as a Lassi should be and packed quite a few surprises like chunks of watermelon and tons of nuts. If such Lassi is served in Punjab, I am willing to move their lock, stock and barrel :-)

The Ramesh & Suresh

 Another item on the menu that I had always wanted to try was "The Ramesh & Suresh" - those of you who have seen the 5 Star ads would understand why it is named so when I tell you that the menu lists the dish as "Deep fried 5-Star Fruit & Nut Chocolate Bars with Hot Chocolate Fudge vanilla ice-cream". Okay, anything with deep fried chocolate, fudge and ice-cream cannot go wrong. And this one was no exception. I am sure I must have had a huge grin on my face after polishing the last bit off the plate.

It is at these moments that you feel that all is just right with the world :-)

Mainland China, High Street Phoenix

Most of the times when I go to Phoenix I haven't decided in advance where I am going to have lunch. But last weekend I knew that I was in mood for some Asian food. There is only one place that serves it there - Mainland China.

I was sorely tempted to order Nasi Goreng once again - it was unbelievably delicious last time I ordered it. But I had made up my mind to try something new this time around. So my choice was Burmese Pan-fried Noodles with chicken and Stir-fried chicken with Chilies, Garlic and Hot Basil. The server informed me that the noodles will be cooked in coconut milk (I wonder if it was because people are allergic to or don't like coconut milk!) and that along with chicken it will contain some vegetables (I have no idea why he had to put in that disclaimer!). We said that we are fine with both these things.

Now, I don't know if we are lucky every time we order from their menu or their chefs, by some culinary magic, manage to turn every dish into a delicious riot of texture and flavors. I suspect that it is the latter. The Pan-fried Noodles were cooked in rich coconut milk and the perfectly cooked generous chunks of tender chicken just melted in one's mouth. The Stir-fried chicken had all the flavors of Chilies, Garlic and Hot Basil blend into a thick out-of-this-world sauce coating the chicken pieces. Each morsel was an absolute delight.

Now if only they would serve some Khimchi instead of the pickled peanuts as soon as you are seated and some fortune cookies along with your bill, my world would be just perfect!

Banana Leaf, R City Mall, Ghatkopar

Since Komala's closed down in High Street Phoenix, I have been dying to have a good South Indian Thali meal. Unfortunately, by the time I managed to step into Banana Leaf the Chalupa that I had greedily wolfed down a few hours back hadn't yet been digested. So I wasn't hungry enough to go for a Thali. But that didn't stop us from ordering Sri Lankan Style Idli with Potato Stew (Rs. 180) and Ragi Dosa (Rs. 140).

Sri Lankan Style Idli with Potato Stew

Now, I am not too big a fan of Raagi. So I was a bit skeptical about its dosa form. Turned out my worry was totally unfounded. The dosa was even better than its rice flour version. Crisp & seasoned to a perfection - I just couldn't eat enough of it. The tomato chutney and sambar served with it were absolutely divine. The huge idlis with the rich-looking stew (later investigation on Google revealed that coconut milk goes into it) made me wonder if we will be able to finish them off. But those too were polished off within no time.

A lunch that filled the tummy, nourished the soul and was light on the purse. Now that is a rare combination!

Social, High Street Phoenix

We have been to High Street Phoenix so many times that we have practically eaten at almost all the eating joints there - except for Social, which opened a few months ago. I had checked out their menu on Zomato and like it - both for its innovative dishes and a quirky take on the names of the dishes. I must confess though that since the pricing charged seemed to be less compared to similar fare dished out elsewhere in the city, I had my doubts about the quantity.

But of course I was not going to pass up the opportunity at checking out what's on offer so during the Diwali vacation we ended up there one day. It's not only the menu that is quirky, it's the decor as well - what with the charging outlets for your laptops and phones dangling right above the tables. The walls are adorned with equally quirky pictures - check out the drawing of the bus ticket from the bygone era, priced at 5.85 + 0.15 :-) Oh, and the menus are rolled like a newspaper and put in a container on the tables.

We opted for Kiran's Big Apple Breakfast and Sid's Very Posh Breakfast from their "Breakfast Trays" section and Chilli Chicken Black Pepper China Box from 'China Box' section.The things common to both breakfast options are - 2 eggs any style (we chose scrambled eggs for one and masala omlette for another), bacon, toast with butter, preserves and Choice of tea/coffee (we chose Cappuccino). While Kiran's Big Apple Breakfast is served with Blueberry Pancakes, Home Fries and Oreo Cookies, Sid's Very Posh Breakfast comes loaded with Sausages, Baked Beans, Grilled tomato and Hash Browns.

Sid's Very Posh Breakfast

First a list of what we liked - scrambled eggs, Blueberry Pancakes, Home Fries, Baked Beans, Grilled tomato and Hash Browns. Nothing, I repeat, absolutely nothing was wrong. They were just perfect! Thankfully, the list of things gone wrong is short. Masala omlette was bland - why, oh why, can't the chefs make it tasty? I swear I make a better one. Sausages tasted stale, no taste whatsoever. Bacon was way too much salty. Though the Cappuccino was good, in hindsight, I think I should have gone for either Chamomile tea or latte. And I honestly think that they should reduce the quantity of butter served. Even though there were 2 huge toasted bread slices cut into 4 pieces, there was way too much butter served to be fully used. I had to sadly leave some of it behind.

The menu mentioned that the 'Chilli Chicken Black Pepper China Box" would consist of chicken with crushed black pepper sauce and Bird Eye chilli on a choice of fried rice or noodles (we chose rice) topped with crunchy noodles. They forgot to mention the egg fry that topped the dish. But no harm done. This one was another perfect hit!

I seriously cannot wait to try more of their offerings. But I would like to see someone polish off their Dhingra's Punjabi Breakfast and Chocolate Blood Bath - in one sitting if possible. That would be quite a feat! :-)

Waffle House, R-City Mall

I didn't want to go for ice-cream or for any Indian sweets for that matter. That left only one destination - The Waffle House (in the foot court). Though I have eaten waffles before, I haven't sampled them in a stick format. Their menu is very interesting so it was hard to make a choice. Finally, we chose Banoffee Pie and Nutella Love.

Banoffee Pie

Banoffee Pie and Nutella Love

 It was fun to watch the guys at the counter make waffles and then add other ingredients to them. When our waffles were ready I couldn't wait to taste.

First about the Banoffee Pie - the banana and caramel sauce was yummy but I wish they had put more of it on the waffle. The waffle needs to be soaked in it through and through. I don't much care for dry waffle :-( The Nutella Love had fared much better in that area.

I am not too crazy about the stick form however. It is messy and not very convenient to eat. Next time I am going to order from their sundae menu.

California Pizza Kitchen, High Street Phoenix

Whenever we visit this place, we seem to order their Thai Crunch Salad/ BBQ Chicken Salad and Fire Roasted Vegetable pizza. This time around I had made up my mind to go for something different. So we chose Californian Club Pizza and Garlic Cream Fettuccine.

Californian Club Pizza

Garlic Cream Fettuccine

The Californian Club Pizza was perfect - chicken, crispy bacon, lots of fresh lettuce and tomato with a tasty guacamole spread on top. The pasta was yummy too.

I wonder if we were lucky in our choices or everything on the menu is good. I suspect it is the latter.

The Bowl House, R-City Mall

When it comes to food, this mall spoils you for choice for sure. I debated for quite some time between going to the Village or The Banana Leaf and then happened to pass by The Bowl House. The menu was a mix of dishes from Malaysia, Korea and Japan. Why not give it a try?

So we went in, perused the menu and ordered Chicken Chilli and Chicken Teriyaki with Udon noodles. The Chicken Chilli took me back to my childhood days as it tasted a bit like the chilli chicken we used to have in Worli's Flora restaurant. For years, I have been searching for the same flavor across restaurants without success. Can't say this one was an exact match but it was close enough to remind me of Flora. :-)

This was very first encounter with the Udon noodles. Can't say I can find fault with their taste. The texture might come across as a bit heavy for those of us used to thinner Chinese noodles. The flavor was very good but I couldn't help but notice that their appearance was eerily similar to that of the insects that are shown crawling over plates of leftover food in science-fiction or horror movies, especially when you pick up a spoonful and the rest slide over each other in the plate. I don't think I am ordering Udon noodles anytime soon.

The seating arrangement was fine. The service was prompt and courteous. Definitely worth more visits to sample more of their menu.

Asia Kitchen by Mainland China, High Street Phoenix

We have visited this place before - once. The Phad Thai was good (even a shade better than that dished out by my favorite Tamnak Thai!) but Khao Soi, with its overuse of coconut milk, was a total disappointment. I was so turned off by the whole experience that I haven't cooked Khao Soi at home since then. :-(

But we wanted to go for Chinese food and I have vowed never to set foot in Noodle Bar again (quantity and price are in inverse proportion to each other!). So Asia Kitchen it was. This time I didn't have much to lose as I knew they had already messed up one well-known dish. Might as well go for something new.

So we ordered Teriyaki Chicken - I have seen it featured on the menus of too few restaurants (and hence refrained from ordering it thinking they won't be able to do justice to it) - and Nasi Goreng. Okay, go ahead and say it - neither dish is Chinese. I agree but I had made my choices.

Teriyaki was good but didn't quite match with the taste that I remember from my US days. The server had asked us if we wanted it mild or spicy. When I had asked for mild, I didn't quite think that it would be nearly sweet. At least it wasn't a total disappointment. Nasi Goreng was good too but I would have loved a little more flavor.

To summarize, this recent visit did change my initial perception about Asia Kitchen. I would definitely visit them in future to sample some more of their offerings. :-)

The Sassy Spoon, Bandra

I liked the location - facing the street with big windows. Never mind that all I could see out of them was the incessant traffic on the Bandra street. And I liked the decor. But what delighted me the most was the menu - I could see a lot of items that I haven't seen on menus of places that I have visited so far. Never mind that I had no clue whatsoever to what some of the words even meant (e.g. what in the world is Pappardelle?). :-)

But the dish 'Paella' was familiar - I had once watched a chef cook seafood paella in a TV program. Of course, I wouldn't have gone for the sea-food version even if it were available on menu - I don't think I am up for eating a concoction featuring mussels, crab, squids and other assorted sea-creatures, however exotic it might sound. So I chose 'Brown rice paella with beans, olives, grilled artichokes, grilled fennel and pickled peppers'. Now that one familiar dish was selected, next one had to be something different so we went for "Thai style chicken with birds' eye chilli and oyster sauce with spicy noodles". Since we were not sure of the quantity of both dishes, we didn't choose any third one to begin with.

There wasn't any significant delay in serving. Of course, since I was eating a paella for the first time in my life (and that too in India!) I didn't have any benchmark to judge it against. So I would just say that it was good but I was disappointed because I was expecting a somewhat different taste than some kind of mildly spiced rice. I suppose a sea-food paella would have it because the juices from the sea-food would seep into it. Or it could be that the dish was adapted to suit Indian
palate.

Thai style chicken

Brown rice paella

Speaking of spices, when the server asked me if I would like the "Thai style chicken" mildly spiced or spicy, I should have gone for the latter. The 'mildly spiced' version turned out to be very little spiced. I would also have loved more chicken. Not too impressed with this dish!

So as far as my score-card goes, the quantity does seem a little insufficient for the price charged but I definitely want to come back to sample more dishes on the menu - even if some of them turn out to be duds. Oh, and I would definitely like to drop by once for their high tea - served with freshly baked scones and clotted cream. Sounds yummy!

P. S. They do have handmade ice-cream available. We were served tiny portions of it in three different flavors at the end of our meal. Alas, the portions were too tiny to make an assessment of the flavor and texture. So I might order one serving of it on my next visit.

Jimmy Boy and Gaylord Bakery

It wasn't my first trip to the Parsi restaurant. In fact, after my first visit, I had decided that next time I will go for their Thali. But I wasn't ravenously hungry that day and so couldn't have done full justice to the meal. So we decided to go a la carte. I wasn't too enamored by Dhansak the last time I was there. But it has got nothing to do with their Dhansak in particular. I suspect that in general I am not very enthusiastic about the idea of mixing lentils with meat.

Anyways, getting back to that Sunday's lunch, we ordered Jardaloo Salli Chicken, Parsi Rotti and Berry Pulao. We had tried Jardaloo Salli Chicken before here and loved it so there were no surprises as far as the taste goes. But like last time I again felt that some of the pieces needed to be cooked a bit more. Rotti was like every other Chapati and Roti - not sure what was different about it to warrant the name 'Parsi Rotti'. The Berry Pulao had dried Pomegranate seeds in it - what we call Anardaana - I was under the impression that the dish is supposed to contain special berries from Iran. The Pulao was not dry (thank God for it!) and was full of flavors. I am sure it is going to be ordered every time we come here in future. I wanted to know what the ruby red cold drink everyone was having was. The server told me that it was Raspberry Soda. I got one as well but it tasted like liquid jelly - didn't like it much.

This time we headed to Gaylord Bakery for sweets and ended up going for their Phirni and a slice of Walnut Pie. I have only word to describe their Phirni - Awesome! It was creamy with a lot of substance (and not just froth as served in many places!) and the sugar content was perfect. I am a lifelong fan now. The walnut pie was good but had a lot of walnuts - not my cup of tea :-( Maybe next time I should go for the peach one.

Candies, Pali Hill

I admit that it was rather a case of 'निकले थे जापान पहुच गये चीन'- because we had set out to go to KFC but ended up at Candies because KFC was closed for renovations. But it turned out to be a
blessing in disguise.

Now I have always liked the Candies outlet at Pali Hill better than the one located near reclamation because it is bigger and the place has a cool old-era feel about it. It had started to rain by the time we reached there and the place was packed. Even here the upstairs area is closed for renovation. But luckily by the time we were done ordering a group sitting downstairs had finished and left and I immediately grabbed their seats.

We had ordered Fish and Chips and Dragon Chicken. One serving of Fish and Chips came with a macaroni salad and the other with potato one! And both were as tasty as the main dish aka Fish and Chips. Dragon Chicken had right amount of spice, crunch and flavor. As I dug into my food, the place turned darker because of the weather but strangely it gave the whole area a warm and cozy feeling. I just didn't want to leave. Since then I have been looking for an excuse to go back :-)

Being an Indian, I feel that a meal cannot be complete unless something sweet is consumed. So we headed to Krispy Kreme in Bandra to order our favorites - Chocolate Dream Cake and Almond All Over. This time I also ordered something new - Vanilla Krunch and it has become the 3rd favorite Krispy Kreme donut now :-)

Alltogether a Sunday well-spent, won't you say?

Sholaa, Food Court, R City Mall

It was a day filled with disappointments - on the culinary front. We had gone to R City Mall for Taco Bell's Chalupa. Yep, the offering is delicious enough to warrant a visit to a mall specially for it. I am on the verge of divorcing McDonald's burgers. :-) Okay, but then I changed my mind when I was standing in front of the outlet. All around me, there were more lunch options. First, I made a beeline for Malgudi. The Chettinad looked tempting till the guy at the counter told me that the outlet was purely veg. The Thali looked yummy as well but I was in no mood to eat so much. In no mood for Lebanese, Chinese, Pizza or Chaat either. That's when I came across Sholaa. The menu looked promising enough but I wasn't sure so I took another turn of the whole court. And finally zeroed in on Sholaa to order a meal. The guy at the counter told me it will be ready within 10 minutes. It took much longer than that.

The meal consisted of a chicken gravy, rice, layered paratha, 3 chicken malai kebabs with dip, coke and a dessert. The gravy was delicious but I had my suspicions about whether the chicken pieces were cooked. Finally, I decided to discard them all and just ate the gravy with the paratha, which, by the way, was very crisp and fluffy. I am not sure why the rice was described as spicy in the menu card. There was not an ounce of spice in it. The kebabs were good but again some parts of the meat looked raw. The dessert, which I went back for, was a small scoop of ice-cream of unknown origin. Overall, a huge disappointment. I should have gone for that Malgudi Thali.

There were a couple of options as far as dessert goes. Puranmal had yummy-looking Gulabjamuns. Ice Cream Works had advertized some new offerings. We also had passed quite a number of shops selling pastries. But I chose to go to Dunkin instead, only to be greeted by the product display that had run out of most of my favorites. I now know I should have turned on my heels and headed straight for Ice Cream Works but I ordered a Blueberry donut. First bite told me it was an acquired taste and I was unlikely to acquire it ever. True to my upbringing, I finished it down to the last morsel.

But at the end of the day I knew that I should have chosen better.

Gajalee, High Street Phoenix

Despite many visits to this shopping mall, I had never set foot into this seafood eatery. That’s because I don’t eat much of seafood except for pomfret. But lately I had heard rave reviews about their Bombil Fry and hence decided to check it out during my recent visit.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to try any mutton or chicken dishes because this is mainly a seafood joint. But there wasn’t much in the seafood section to my liking – except for Bangda Ambat Tikhat. So I ordered it along with Bombil Fry and Ghavane. Within minutes the server was at my table saying that Bangda Ambat Tikhat was not available. He said something about parcels going out but I failed to understand what that had to do with my order. Then he asked me if he should bring Bombil Fry and Ghavane. I have no idea what he expected me to eat the Ghavane with but I cancelled that order as well.

As I waited for the Bombil Fry to be served, I took a sip of water from the glass and immediately regretted doing so. The glass smelt very strongly of fish. :( Just then another server trouped to the nearby table with a dish containing huge raw crabs and pompfrets. I was bewildered for a moment wondering if this is any new form of Sushi. But then I realized that it was brought so that the people could choose which seafood they wanted to go for. I guess if the server had come to my table, I would have fainted at the sight of that huge crab. :)

The Bombil Fry (4 pieces per plate) was served with a chutney, onion and slivers of lemon. The fry was crisp and the chutney was yum. The server told us that it was made of onion, coconut, garlic and ginger. I think it also must have contained Kokams because there was a tangy aftertaste to it. What’s more, the Bombil Fry didn’t have the fish’s peculiar smell.

So even if you are not a seafood lover, do try Bombil Fry at least once.

Haagen-Dazs – Crepe Blitz

My perennial problem at Haagen-Dazs is that when I open their menu, I feel like ordering everything that is on offer. :) So it was with great difficulty that I chose to have ‘Crepe Blitz’ when we ended up there over the weekend.

This dessert consists of 4 separate crepes, each filled with a different ice-cream flavors. You have the option of changing any or all of these four flavors but the default ones – Strawberry, Cookies & Cream, Praline & Cream and Caramel Biscuit – sounded so yummy that I didn’t want to change a single one of them.

The dessert was so delicious that I had to muster up every ounce of my self-control to keep myself from ordering it again. :)

So this one is seriously recommended for those with a serious sweet tooth.

Tamnak Thai, Shivaji Park

This has always been one of my favorite eating joints. Their Phad Thai Phak is out of this world, in my humble opinion at least. This time around we wanted to try something different but weren’t too keen on trying yellow, red or green curries. So we zeroed in on Koi Tiow Phad Thai Kai – noodles stir-fried with bean sprouts, ground peanut and chicken – and Khao Phad Phrik – fried rice with pepper, garlic, onion and chicken.

The dishes were served, steaming hot, within minutes – and that too when we had landed at the place towards the end of lunch hour, around 2:30pm. The way I tore into the food must have convinced the server that I had starved myself for minimum of 2 days. :)

It would be fair to say that I hate tofu as much as I hate paneer. But I completely forgot that as I enjoyed every mouthful of the flavorful food. And as I did that, the thought that was uppermost in my mind was - I could eat this every weekend :)

P.S. The two chutneys that they served with the salad of cucumber and onion were amazing. Wish I could make such stuff at home :)

Lucky’s Corner (On the way to Matheran)

We were in for a pleasant surprise while on our way to Matheran this weekend. The entire stretch of road from Neral to Matheran, which once could have served well as a training ground for ISRO’s Mangalyaan, has now been completely revamped – save for a small area where the last part of the work is being completed. God bless the souls of those who thought of this and those who worked on this!

Anyone who has travelled by road along this part of the world would know that there aren’t many eating places around. Lucky’s is probably the neatest of them all, certainly the biggest - though a restaurant called ‘Namak’ could probably surpass it in near future in that aspect. We have passed Lucky many times during our journeys but had dared to venture inside only a couple of months back. Though the menu boasts of a lot of things we had ordered simple daal-chaawal and masala papad, which had turned out to be one hell of a satisfying meal – prompting us to stop there again on our way back to Mumbai for omelettes. That visit too had gone well.

So on Saturday we decided to have our lunch there before heading onwards to Matheran. We ordered Daal Fry, Paneer Butter Masala and Naan. I had also asked for Khichiya (a kind of a stretched papad) but the server regretfully informed that it wasn’t available. They took longer to serve this time, probably because of the Paneer dish. But when the meal was served it more than made up for the delay. The daal was thick, tasty and had a home-cooked feel about it. The Paneer was soft and the gravy wasn’t overwhelmed by spices the way it is at some eateries serving Punjabi food – definitely easy on tummy. The Naan, in my humble opinion, had too much of butter on it but I was glad to find that it was also soft, and didn’t look like it could give a chewing gum a run for its money!

The place has a good-sized garden surrounding it with lots of rose bushes and a group of ducks waddling about so you feel relaxed as you sit down for your meal. I wish though that they would go for a bigger fish tank – you feel sorry for the fish as there is hardly any room for them to move about (those from the cities would know the pain!). Oh, and while you are at it, can you also remove the portrait of the elephant who looks as if he will charge at the unsuspecting diners at any moment? :) The staff is courteous and friendly. And if you land there well before 1pm you can have the entire place to yourself.

With the good roads and good food, there is no reason not to head to Matheran more often for that much-needed supply of pure O2. :)

Jimmy Boy, Fort

This place has been on my ‘Must Eat Here’ list for far too long. So last weekend we decided to just go despite not knowing where exactly it is located. We managed to reach Horniman Circle but were unsure of how to proceed from there when I noticed a gentleman who appeared to be a Parsi walking along the road. Hoping that he would know the eatery’s exact location we asked him for directions. Our hunch was proved right as he told us precisely where it was located – at the back of Bade Miya’s. :)

I did a double take when I walked in as my eyes rested upon a group of Parsi senior citizens polishing off what appeared to be Thali meals served in – Banana Leaves. Thali in a Parsi restaurant? That too served in banana leaves? This was unheard of, at least as far as I am concerned.

Though the thought of the Thali was uppermost in my mind while ordering food, I decided not to go for it without first sampling the a la carte. Jardaloo Salli Chicken was a must as we had eaten the same at Britannia. I couldn’t recall whether I had eaten Dhansak there. So we ordered Mutton Dhansak. Dhansak is served here with brown rice and 2 kebabs (depending on whether you have ordered mutton or chicken Dhansak).

Jardaloo Salli Chicken and Mutton Dhansak

Jardaloo Salli Chicken exceeded our expectations – definitely better than Britannia’s. I had suspected that my taste buds won’t take kindly to meat cooked Dal and I was right. To be sure, there seemed nothing wrong with Dhansak – perfectly cooked meat, rightly seasoned. But I somehow didn’t like the taste of Dal mingling with that of meat. This is one taste I am ever unlikely to acquire. :(

Apple Pie with vanilla ice-cream.

We decided to finish off the meal with Lagan Nu Custard and Apple Pie with vanilla ice-cream. The pie was a bit too cold and soft for my taste. The filling was too mashed. Definitely won’t go for it again. I had expected the custard to be the same as that sold at Kyani’s. But it was different and better in a way because it had less sugar, thus giving you the satisfaction of eating dessert without piling on calories.

Lagan Nu Custard

Overall, another trip in future is a given. There is lots that I want to sample from their menu.

P.S. In case you are wondering about the above painting, it depicts the story of the community’s landing at Sanjan. You can read it here.

Oh! Calcutta

This weekend we once again found ourselves at this restaurant that specializes in Bengali cuisine. The first order was of course for Fried Fish. In fact, if you look closely, every waiter that comes through the kitchen doors has a plate containing this dish amongst the others balanced on his hands.

The other most popular item seems to be the luchis - giant puris that can be eaten with a gravy dish or a sabji. We had tried them last time but decided to give them a miss. We also decided not to for the Chingari Malai Curry - the gravy was too thin for our taste.This time I hunted around for a mutton dish - though I don't like mutton at all. There aren't many mutton entries (or chicken entries for that matter!) so it was a simple choice - Kosha Mangsho (described as 'pot roasted mutton with traditional spices') and the Classical Railway Mutton Curry. I remember watching this dish being prepared in some cookery show on TV and I suspect I have its recipe tucked away in one of the numerous recipe notes I have taken through years. Needless to say, I was keen on trying it out. But the description accompanying it mentioned coconut milk. And the server confirmed it when I asked which of the two dishes would have a thick gravy. He said that would be the Kosha Mangsho. So Kosha Mangsho it was.

The Fried Fish was every bit as I remembered from out last visit here. I especially love the strong-flavored mustard-based chutney that accompanies it. At the risk of sounding repetitive I would say that if you visit this place, you have to try this dish unless you don't like or are allergic to sea-food.

But the real surprise of the day was Kosha Mangsho. For the record, I hate mutton - hate its taste, hate its sight and hate its texture. So I had set my mind on going only for the gravy. But as I picked up a spoonful of it, I realized that the meat was so tender that it was impossible to separate it from the gravy. Reluctantly, I ladled it on to my plate and reluctantly took the first mouthful. The thick rich tasty gravy did full justice to its description of 'pot roasted with traditional spices'. I have never, ever, eaten a mutton dish with so much of gusto and enthusiasm. This surely has to find its place among my most favorite dishes of all times.

I still can't believe I ate mutton. Oh! Calcutta :-)