Six Must-Try Street Foods in Bombay

The city of dreams also has the food of dreams. You’ve been told you will find in Bombay beyond what you’ve imagined in your wildest dreams. Could the food here be any less amazing, then? If you’re visiting Bombay and not eating street foods, you’re doing it wrong. And if you live here and haven’t been to these six places, it’s a shame. Go immediately and thank me later.

Anand Vada Pav

Right opposite Mithibai College in Vile Parle west, you will find the ‘cool crowd’ of one of the trendiest colleges in the city here. However fancy and brand conscious you are, you cannot resist Anand Vada Pav.They make more than a thousand per day, indeed, the entire lane is full of tantalizing options. You’ll find options like cheese vada pav, grilled vada pav, even Schezwan! Oh, and don’t forget to ask for the salted green chillies! It elevates the vada pav to a thing of beauty.

Open 7.30 am – 11 pm

Elco Pani Puri

 

If it’s pani puri, it must be Elco! A favourite with locals and foreigners alike, which is largely due to the fact that Elco is probably the only joint that makes their pani puris with mineral water. A tad more expensive than the regular street-side stalls, but the quality is quite apparent and worth the price. Located at Hill Road, Bandra west – drop by for grub after you’re tired of shopping all along Hill Road.

Open 10 am – 11.30 pm

Sardar Pav Bhaji

This is just a five minute walk from Bombay Central station, and it’s not immediately visible to the eye, as it’s a little tucked away. But say Sardar or even just say ‘Pav Bhaji’, and people will steer you there – it’s just that famous. So rich and buttery, be prepared for the onslaught of Amul. Sardar Pav Bhaji is surely what Amul anticipated when they came up with ‘utterly butterly delicious’.

Open 12 pm – 2 am

Gulati’s

This isn’t as well known as the rest on the list but they have awesome and affordable chhole bhature. Gulati’s is actually a catering business and they have loads of people calling up for home delivery too. You’ll have to hunt a little for it (or look up directions on Zomato!) You will find it at Sher-E-Punjab, Andheri east. Wash it down with lassi from the shop next door. You can find my review on Zomato here.

Open 8.30 am – 9.30 pm

Bademiya’s

Non-vegetarians swear by Bademiya for late night cravings. After an amazing ride along Marine Drive, hop over to Bademiya’s located right behind the Taj Mahal Hotel. It’s just an open air kitchen, but it’ll be easy to identify because it’s always crowded, irrespective of whether it’s a weekend or not. Best known for chicken tikka rolls, and mutton kebabs.

Open 5 pm – 4 am

Bachelorr’s

This is also at town, Charni Road to be specific. You’ll find a crowd well up till closing time – friends looking for a sweet snack, families out for late night treats; all sorts turn up at Bachelorr’s. It’s best known for its very fresh strawberry and cream milkshake, but it’s only when strawberries are inseason. But fret not, there are other amazing options available all year round – a popular favourite is the Classic Chocolate, along with a variety of fresh juices. You will not leave this place dissatisfied.

Open 3 pm – 11 pm

Have you visited any of these? Do let us know in the comment section below.

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Review - Kala Ghoda Cafe

Food: 4.5/5
VFM: 4/5
Ambience: 5/5
Service: 5/5
 
This place is in a little lane, close to Jehangir Art Gallery. It's tucked away, and you might miss it if you don't know the area. Just follow google maps to get there, it's quite precise. Also, La Folie is right opposite, so pop in there too, if you've got some time. You'd love it.

The architecture here has an old-school feel to it and it's got such an open, bright layout that one could sit here for hours; and indeed, I have!

The tiny tables are self sufficient in terms of whatever add-ons you may require; tissues, ketchup, mustard, the works. I do appreciate a place that doesn't need me to ask for something like tissue paper.

But the best part was these dinky containers, of jaggery and brown sugar - healthy alternatives to white sugar or sweeteners. It's the little things that make a place worth coming back to, and KGC hits the nail on the head.

 

On to the food now! 

Without any doubts, the hot chocolate here is one of the best I've ever had. It's so rich and satisfying - it'll make your day instantly better, I guarantee it. They use Belgian chocolate and you can really tell the difference in taste from other generic hot chocolate mixes that many other places use. 

We also ordered a cappuccino which was also pretty good, but if you compare with the hot chocolate; you honestly aren't going to find anything better than that. 

We also got the superbly made egg sandwich. Now you'd wonder what's so special about an egg sandwich, you'd get that anywhere! But this one is amazing, with the eggs done perfectly, micro greens, multigrain bread, a hint of mustard - all perfectly balanced. It was filling and fabulously flavoured.

Just LOOK at it. How can you not want to eat it. I crave this at random times of the day. And night.

And to polish it off, we got the waffle with dark chocolate. There again, the chocolate was great, however, the waffle could have been better - case in point, the waffle at Mövenpick.

According to me, a good waffle is one that would taste wonderful even without any toppings or additions. The one here comes close, but isn't as good as the one Mövenpick offers. It's just a little more chewy that it should be. And a little more crisp on the outside as well.

It's just a little tweaking, and probably I'm being nitpicky about it, but they are definitely good in most aspects and so I can afford to be picky about the little things. The mark of a good place, I must say. All in all, Kala Ghoda Cafe is one of my favorite places to hang out at, and the ambience draws me in each time, and so each time I fall in love with this place a little more.

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This is Why We Love Comfort Food

What is it about comfort food that really appeals to us? We just love the whole idea of it. It appeals to our sentiments and makes us soft and nostalgic. 

Sometimes it reminds us of home. Sometimes it makes us feel like a child again. And sometimes it makes us feel better on a bad day. The thing is, humans build powerful relationships between sights, smells, sounds, textures… and memories. We build mental relationships, connecting things that we relate in ways that are meaningful to us.

That scent of aam panna that takes us back to summery childhood days. We can actually scrunch up our eyes, taste it so vividly; a melange of flavours that reminds us of leafy verandas and vacation time.

Or maybe a warm bowl of mac and cheese. A simple meal, but it is one that sends our senses into overdrive. The gooey yellow cheese, the perfectly baked macaroni, the simple homely flavours! Just writing about it reminds me of the hearty meal that makes you feel so happy and warm, and cheers you up a little bit.

A warm meal on a cold night, curled up in a cozy sweater with a favourite book – can you think of anything nicer than that?

 

Or a bowl of piping hot sambar? Not as a accompaniment, but just that. You can just drink up a bowl or two; and when you’re sniffling from cold, the sambar makes it disappear right away. With its potent combination of herbs, spices, and hot peppercorns; this is something that warms up not just your body, but your soul as well.

Or maybe mom-made rajma chawal. Isn’t that the best? Immediate hunger pang relief. You know you’ve searched for the best rajma everywhere, but nothing is as good as the secret recipe that your granny passed on to you. It’s a combination of spices and love, and nothing can beat that.

 

Talking about home food, how about pickle? Imagine you are in a new city, adjusting to the life and pace and food and habits. You come back to the lonely rented flat you call home now. Open up a cupboard in the kitchen that has a jar of pickle and nothing else. Mom lovingly packed up a couple of jars for you to take. You open the jar, scoop out some pickle, eat it with some leftover roti, and somehow, surprisingly, you are strangely content. It feels like home, or mom’s warm hug. You go to sleep happy.

Originally appeared on Foodbahn. You can read it here.

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Image Courtesy: Google Images

Do You Think You're Beautiful?

Do you think you are beautiful? If you do, is it because you've been told you are? If you don't, is it because you haven't? 

I have read multiple articles across various platforms, written by women who are so affected by other people's opinions of their body and their life. Don't be. Society doesn't deserve that kind of attention from you. What is society, anyway? A vague, faceless, teeming mass of people who don't have anything to do with you - they just want to judge you and give you unwarranted advice. You didn't ask for their inputs. So why do you listen?

You think it makes sense for you to adjust to what society wants to see? They tell you you're too dark, too fair, too skinny, too fat, you have weird hair, you wear weird clothes.. who cares? As long as you are happy with yourself, nothing else matters.

I see women write articles about how they were told by an aunt to start using fairness creams or else nobody would marry them. These women let it affect them. It affected their life and their self esteem. They valued themselves based on how 'society' told them they deserved to be valued. To all you women, I have just one question. Do you really think that this is the right way to react?

Do you think you need to base your opinion of yourself on what everyone thinks? I'm not going to be one of the multitude that tries to force my opinion on you. I think you are the person who knows what is best for you. You know what you need to do to keep yourself happy.

But if you really want to know what I think, I will tell you. I think society follows a herd mentality that has pervaded every aspect of their lives. If you let them, they will do the same to you. They will pull you down into a cookie cutter mold till all your individuality is lost and you aren't you anymore. You become one of the teeming mass of people that makes up society. And then you are acceptable. Because you are not an individual anymore.

If you want to know what I think, it is only this - stop caring. Your opinion should be the one that matters most to you. I don't care if you are skin and bones, or if you wear XXXL clothes, or have purple hair, or a million piercings. I think you are beautiful as you are. And nobody can take that away from you, as long as you let them. 

Do you know what else is beautiful? Confidence and positivity. If you are confident in yourself, and have a healthy dose of self esteem, I bet you nobody will be able to refrain from liking you too. Because you like yourself. Because you have worked hard to get where you are in life, you work on yourself - mind and body - to better yourself everyday. And does anything really matter more than that?

I think not. 

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Photowalk at Bandra!

Last Saturday, that's the 16th of Jan, there was a photowalk at bandra organized by MumbaiIGers - it was my first photowalk and I was really excited!

 I knew only a couple of people there before I went - and trust me, there were a LOT of people. I wasn't sure how the day would turn out, but I needn't have worried. Everyone was so warm and welcoming. 

Photographer : satanssj

Everyone was following a particular theme for the walk - Mumbaiwala.

But I am not an accomplished photographer like most people that day were. I just wanted to capture the photographers themselves. We always see the breathtaking shots they take. We do not see how much trouble they go to in order to do that. I've tried to show you guys a bit of that effort. 

Oh, and before you see the pictures - let me know who you are in the comments below and I will link back to your handle/blog. 

Do let me know who you are so I can link back, and whether you like the picture. Do comment below and tell me what you think. I hope you all like it!

Find me here:

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Culinary Challenge at The Lalit, Mumbai

First off, I would like to apologize to all of you sweethearts for not posting anything this past month. It's been a really hectic time for me. I know I should have posted more often, but I hope you guys can forgive me! I have been posting reviews on Zomato on and off this past month though. Check out my profile there (100+ Zomato followers now yay!)

And now, for the very delayed post about an amazing event that happened at the Lalit Hotels -  the Grand Finale of The Culinary Challenge.

The culinary challenge is a platform where the Chefs from The Lalit, Mumbai are encouraged to come out of the cocoon and fly with their imagination to create something new, or something traditional.

The participants are free to create dishes which are Traditional, Contemporary, Fusion, or Classic. I was really excited to see what they would come up with. And I was pleasantly surprised with each course! The plating, the textures, and the taste (of whatever I could taste, being a vegetarian) - it was all so good.

First, the chefs.

And now, for the food.

The first course was called 'Seafood Delight', created by Chef Farooq Shaik. 
 It was a cold seafood platter with so many different dorms, tastes, textures, and taste. And it was an absolute delight to look at.

Yes, that's a baby octopus! There's also lady fish, salmon ceviche, and prawn mousse. A closer look -

Those translucent balls, as well as the translucent sheet everything is placed on, is a tomato consommé sheet. Consommé is a very tricky thing to get right - and he did. The brown rocks that you see are actually dainty balls of bocconcini cheese coated with olive dust. It was superbly created. 
The presentation of this dish was really the most interesting of all.


Next up, we have the 'Mehfil-e-Murgh' consisting of four types of chicken variants; created by Chef Parmeshwaran.

Clockwise from top - Dhaniya-Pudina Murgh, Papad Murgh, Deconstructed Parda Murgh Biryani, and Murgh teh-pe-teh.

The Dhaniya-Pudina Murgh is essentially a herb crusted chicken roll. The chicken breast had a perfect texture and was very well cooked. It was served on a gravy with a tomato onion base that went well with the green chicken roll.

The Papad Murgh was created by dipping the chicken tikka balls into a papad mixture. I was quite surprised, having never encountered anything like this before. But the texture contrast of the murgh malai tikka and the papad was just beautiful.

Next up, the Deconstructed Parda Murgh Biryani. 

That's a basket made of chicken juliennes held together by chicken mousse. I personally liked this one the best out of the four because it was so imaginative and superbly done. The basket is covered with a dainty golden roti.

And you take the roti off, and voila!

There's chicken flavored rice inside. Deconstruction, indeed!

The last of the four is the Murgh teh-pe-teh. This was a layered dish, with chicken mousse layers interspersed with one layer of khoa mixture and another of a potato-paneer mixture. Once it was all layered, it was coated in a cashew-cheese-cream mixture before being oven-baked. This was also a favorite and it was quite difficult to decide between this and the Deconstructed biryani.

Are you guys salivating yet? I thought so. There's more to come.

Our third course by Chef Rajendra was titled 'Sunahri Nalli with Akhbari Pulao & Mahi Bhatakali'.

This dish combines pomfret and mutton with a rich pulao. This is a treat for people who love seafood as much as they like their meats. With a creation like this, they won't have to choose. The fish had a lovely texture, and the gravy was well flavored and well seasoned. 

Next up, the 'Lobster Thermidor with a molecular twist', created by Chef Rajan.

  The lobster was cooked in a white sauce and deglazed with white wine. Gruyère and parmesan cheeses were added to the mix. 
The roses are actually made of deep fried potatoes that have been manually shaped.
The lobster was accompanied by a porcini mushroom risotto, deconstructed feta cheese spheres, and mango caviar.

You can see those more clearly in the next picture.
 

To top off this already spectacular creation, it was flambéed right at the table!

 Spectacular, isn't it?

This is how it looked at the end, just as it was settling down.

This dish was enjoyed by everyone at the table. It was flavorful and made an impact.
 
The last course, and most definitely not the least, dessert! Named 'Circle of Life' and created by Chef Heena Shah.

It was a veritable wonderland. She chose to stick to two dominant flavors throughout. And it was amazing how much she experimented in that. 

Hence, we were treated to orange and rose mousse, orange panacotta, orange caviar (with a chili reduction!), orange parfait, macarons, and orange ice cream.

The presentation was impeccable. Like the candied rose petals in such straight lines. It truly was a work of art. But then again, I am partial to desserts, so of course I am going to wax eloquent about it.


That wraps up the dishes! The winners, you ask? 


It was difficult, let me tell you. All the dishes were so good that it was a trying task to choose. After much deliberation, here's who we picked!


First place went to the 'Mehfil-e-Murgh' consisting of four types of chicken variants; created by Chef Parmeshwaran.

Second place went to the dessert 'Circle of Life' created by Chef Heena Shah.

Here are the participants, with Executive Chef Aungshuman Chakraborty - just ouside Baluchi, at the Lalit Hotels, Mumbai. It is a fine dining restaurant which is known for Mughlai and North Indian cuisine.   

I had an amazing time at the Lalit that day. You can read my review of the 24/7 restaurant here, and to do justice to the awesome desserts, a separate dessert review.

Writing about all this awesome stuff has made me quite hungry. I'm off now, but do let me know which dishes you liked best in the comments below! Also, comment below or tweet at me if you want recipes of these dishes.

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I took a break.

Hi everyone!

You've all probably noticed I've been missing for the past month. It's been a crazy month. I haven't posted anything for the whole of December. It's been a month of deep reflection for me. Thinking things through and figuring them out.

It's only fitting that the new year made a few things better and brought a few new challenges. I've learnt more, and unlearnt some. And it helped me take the decision to make needed changes, including right here on the blog. I am going to restructure this blog now - you'll see the changes rolling out over the next few weeks.

I'm overwhelmed with how supportive you guys have been. The amount of correspondence I've gotten has been overwhelming - emails, tweets, Instagram DMs; all of it everywhere. I'm so thankful to each and every one of you for being there.

I will be continuing what I am writing, but I will also be adding some more stuff. I'm not disclosing anything about it right now! I'm keeping it as a little surprise for you. I hope you guys like it!

Do let me know what you like. You know where to contact me! All information below.  

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