The Goan Holiday - January 19th 2007

We started the day with breakfast at Café Del Mar. Palolem is a different beach in the morning - quiet and peaceful.

We spend sometime in the water and then decided to explore a bit.

There are many beach hut accommodations built on the various hillocks at Palolem. We climbed these various places to catch the view from these heights. It was spectacular.

We also found that there was another very small and rocky beach known as Columb which was separated from Palolem by rocks.

In fact, if we would not have read the sign boards of various accommodations set up there, we would not have realized that this was different from Palolem. This area had a lot of influence of yoga with banners giving details of yoga classes and yoga centres all throughout the stretch.

The accommodation here is expensive because of the height and view it offers thereof.

There are many locals offering boat rides at Palolem. They charge separately for a dolphin trip and a sunset trip and many others. We negotiated with a guy named Umesh and got a boat trip for 250 Rs just for the two of us and we saw dolphins, two beaches – butterfly and honeymoon, a fishing boat collecting its catch for the day for that much. Umesh had not been getting any clients since quite some time and so was happy to get us on board.

Umesh had his two sons with us on the boat. He used to work on a fishing boat in Colaba which used to stay in the seas for days to catch fish. We saw people scrapping clams off the surface of the rocks and Umesh told us that the meat of clams makes a very nice spicy goan dish.

The ride was a memorable one and when we gave money to Umesh, he was sort of overwhelmed. He was a genuine man I felt and prayed that he makes good money for his business.

Once on the shore, it was low tide and I saw some beautiful shells on the wet sand. I collected I don’t know how many of them. It was sunset by then and as the sun disappeared we realized that we were approaching the end of our trip.

We needed to go to an ATM approximately 3 kms from the beach to withdraw money to pay up Café Del Mar the next day. We went to ask Blaise if a transport could be arranged and he was sitting with this Brit guy – Gary who offered us his bike just like that.

We were amazed by his gesture which made things so easy for us. When we came back, Gary and his friend Raffus were chilling with Blaise and they asked us to join them. In no time, we were discussing topics ranging from politics to economics to defense to what not.

Gary had traveled almost all of India on his bike. He now has a house in Palolem and is planning to move to India for good. He had traveled 94 countries and was 35 years old. It was amazing how complete strangers became buddies in Goa.

Technorati Tags: Dolphins, Butterfly, Honeymoon, Brit

The Goan Holiday - January 18th 2007

Palolem grows on to you gradually. I decided that I should try and see if I can like this place. It is a very beautiful beach I realized and even if you are not doing anything there, you can still enjoy yourself by observing the various moods of the beach.

This is exactly what I did on this day. Our hangout this day was a restaurant on a rock from where one can see the whole of Palolem beach. The restaurant was called Chaska.

We were there since lunch time till sunset. Drinking, eating, chatting, clicking. Having the time of our lives.

As sunset came, Palolem transformed. We came back to reclaim our table at Café Del Mar and play audience for a game of volleyball at dusk.

Every evening all the shack owners transform the beach beds into tables on the beach with candle light.

A live barbeque was set up outside Café Del Mar with the manager Blaise cooking for patrons. Some other beach shack had a fireworks display which lit the night sky.

It was time to say Goodnight to Palolem.

Technorati Tags: Palolem, Chaska, sunset, volleyball

The Goan Holiday - January 17th 2007

It was time to leave Morjim to go to Palolem.

We had our regular breakfast of scrambled eggs and cold coffee at Camp 69 and settled our bills. There is a huge Smirnoff vodka bottle kept at the reception counter at Camp 69, with Thank You Staff written on it. We put in our contribution for Thanking the Staff in it.

I left Morjim and Camp 69 with a heavy heart and full of wonderful memories.

Thank You Geoffery, Rupesh, Centhil (waiters), Francis (the bike owner) and Ramnik (the car driver) for making my trip so memorable.

Geoffery had arranged for a car for us to go to Palolem. We paid 1700 Rs for this 1 hr 45 mins trip.

It’s a long drive from Morjim to Palolem. Morjim being the extreme North and Palolem extreme South of Goa.

Palolem

Café Del Mar was expecting us. We were shown our home for the next 3 days – a hut with a huge bathroom and slightly small bedroom. But then, how often would you be in your hut if you are in Goa.

We changed and it was time to check out Palolem and its waters. The beach is cove surrounded by rocks and deep forests on three sides. There is an island on one end of the beach called Cancona island and during low tide, one can walk from Palolem to Cancona. We did just that since when we reached it was a low tide.

We found huts built on rocks overlooking Cancona and a signboard which said “Look back, this is the view from my window” These places were supposed to be very expensive because of this view.

I must say, at first sight, I was slightly disappointed with Palolem after Morjim. Since, when we were planning our trip, we thought that North Goa will be the commercialised beach experience while south will be the calm, peaceful one. But it turned out otherwise.

Palolem was crowded and quite contrary to what we had read. The beach was full of beach huts, shacks and people.

We went kayaking and I was really scared at first because I had never been so deep into the sea. Gradually, I started enjoying it and particularly liked the effortless coming back to the shore.

We had lunch at Café Del Mar after all that exercise of oaring. The food was good but again it was nothing special. It was a regular fare.

But then came evening and my opinion about Palolem changed.

We saw the most spectacular sunset ever with the sky and sun playing in a riot of colours. It’s a sight I will never forget.

Café Del Mar is a watering hole for Palolem folks since it has an all night bar. They play popular music and a table overlooking the beach can ensure that you will never know how much time has elapsed.

The place hosts a barbeque almost every night with specials like seafood, beef and chicken barbeques on different nights.

We were at our table from 6 in the evening till 9:30 in the night that night.

Technorati Tags: Palolem, South Goa, Cafe Del Mar, barbecues

The Goan Holiday - January 16th 2007

This was the last day at Morjim. We decided to dedicate it to our beautiful beach. Again we gave money to a beach shack and hit the water.

This shack was run by a French guy and served French cuisine. The food was delicious and my friend ate a sea food pasta which had stuff which we had never seen before, let alone eaten. The portion however was typically European and hence quite small and the prices were high.

We were starving and so we decided to check if Camp 69 will serve us hungry souls. So we go to the restaurant, call Centhil and ask him if the chef will make something for us specifically. He agreed. I asked him to make me spaghetti with olive oil, garlic and mushrooms.

In no time, I was munching away to glory on my absolutely delicious pasta. Can’t thank the chef enough for this.

By sunset, our cameras were in action again and we captured the beautiful Morjim till light permitted us to do so.

We had seen a shack done up in Arabian style the previous night and we decided to have dinner there that night. Well, it turned out that the shack was only done up well but did not have anything to offer in terms of food.

So we had a drink and moved on. Another Russian shack called Glavfish caught our fantasy and we decided to check it out. This place had a huge screen where some patrons were watching posiedon dubbed in Russian. So when you want to say No in Russian, you say Nyet.
Again the place had nothing much to offer to the poor vegetarian and finally I had to end my day with a hot chocolate and a sandwich at Camp 69.

Technorati Tags: French, Hot Chocolate, Camp 69, Russian

The Goan Holiday - January 15th 2007

The plan was to go to Old Goa and put our cameras to work. We had decided to leave early since we were in for a long bike ride. But people, we were on a holiday, so the day started late.

For the first time in three days we took a wash in the morning :). Breakfast was scrambled eggs on toast and the worlds best cold coffee. Bandanas on our heads and glares on our eyes, we started our journey to the land of churches, chapels and basilica.

We biked from Morjim, passing through Siolim, clicking pictures of the serene Chapora river from the Siolim bridge. Our first stop was the beautiful Siolim church. We tried to capture the calm of this church in our pictures and could also click the holy sacrament.

Moving on, we reached Calangute and decided to stop for grub. An inviting board of Bob’s Inn made us check out the place and well, we were in luck. The place was done up with all things Goan and the delicious food made our day. Do try the Chicken Cafreal (a typical Goan delicacy) if you stop by. Now, before any of you gasp at my recommending a non-vegetarian dish, I must clarify that I tasted the curry and it was refreshingly different from the usual Punjabi fare that we end up getting. The curry is a base of mint leaves with Goan spices.

Bob is your typical, friendly Goan who loves to tell his stories. He started out as a tour guide, which was his father’s business as well. According to him, he quit because of excessive work load and women falling for him. He then went abroad and worked for restaurants. When he came back to India he started Bob’s Inn.

Such stories are typical of the ethos of a Goan holiday. It was time to move on. We reached Verem from where we took a ferry to Panjim. Panjim to old goa was a breezy ride and before we knew it we were greeted by Basicila of Bom Jesus.

The Basilica of Bom Jesus is a majestic building with intricately detailed structures both form the outside and the inside. The magnificient altar is completed gilded and extremely detailed.

Your camera will not stop clicking till the time that you click all the structures adorning the walls of the basilica.

From one wonder to another, just across the road, the chapel of Francis Assisi and the Se Cathedral awaited us. The majestic architecture of the chapel and cathedral continued to enthrall us and our cameras.

Someone had a very good vision when constructing these buildings. He/She made sure all the wonderful ones are in the same vicinity at walking distance from each other so that centuries later when tourists like me visit the place, we don’t need to travel a lot.


The compound has many other attractions like the Cajetan church, the chapel of St. Catherine which we decided to skip.

We wanted to go the Chapora fort as well but the back breaking ride made us decide otherwise and we headed straight to Camp 69.

Dinner was to be had at our humble restaurant and when we arrived there, we saw a huge bunch of Europeans celebrating with the owner of the place – Bosco.

A lot of Europeans have been coming to Goa since many years and stay for as long as 6 months. This bunch had many such veterans. I am sure if we had stayed long enough, we would also have been a part of that group.

The music was Bob Marley and the food was aloo palak and rotis and this was followed by a stroll at Morjim beach underneath the starlit sky. Heavenly!!!!

Technorati Tags: Chapora, Bom Jesus, Old Goa, Bob Marley

The Goan Holiday - January 14th 2007

After a scrumptious breakfast at Camp 69, we hit the beach. The day was to be dedicated to Morjim beach. We gave some money to a beach shack called Golden Eagle and asked them to care of our belongings. That money was to be used to pay for our lunch.

It was time to conquer the sea. I am not a swimmer and was really scared at first of getting into the sea with the waves crashing on my head. But then I slowly got used to it and enjoyed frolicking in the water for quite some time.

We waded through water till we reached the end of the beach and waded back to Golden Eagle because by then our stomachs were screaming with hunger.

Like many shacks on the beach, this one was owned by a Russian, which was obvious when we went through the menu. Each item on the menu had a Russian translation for it. I had Mojito for the first time here and I haven’t had a better one anywhere since.

With our tummies full, we were getting sleepy and what better place to take a nap than the beach beds. So here we were, lying on our beach beds talking, watching the few people on the beach and at peace with ourselves.

The next day was photography day!!!

Technorati Tags: Morjim, Mojito, Goa, beach

The Goan Holiday -January 13th, 07

What do I do when I have slogged for over a year and need a break desparately? I go away for a week to GOA!!! So from Jan 13th to Jan 20th, yours truly was enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of this wonderful state of India.

We divided our trip in two parts, wherein the first leg was spent in North Goa and the second leg in South Goa. We decided to take the train from Mumbai to Goa and were aboard the Konkan Kanya express at 11:00 in the night from Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

As the eventful journey began, we decided to switch off our mobile phones and keep it that way for the rest of the trip. So for a week we did not know or care to know about whether the world other than Goa existed or not.

We arrived at our destination Pernem at about 11:00 in the morning. We were to stay at Morjim and Pernem was the nearest station. Haggling and negotiating forms a major part of a Goan holiday and we were at it since the time we landed in Goa. We haggled with the rickshaw fellow to take us to Morjim who finally agreed on Rs. 250 for the 30 – 45 mins ride.

We finally reached our abode-to-be for the next 4 days – Camp 69.

This is the oldest establishment at Morjim and is a perfect place for a peaceful holiday. It boasts of log cabins with ensuite bathrooms surrounded by palm trees on all sides. We were the only Indian revelers at this place and on the beach as well.

The Morjim beach is just across the road. We checked in, made ourselves comfortable and hogged at the hotel’s restaurant. This place was never dull when it came to food. I have not eaten such food anywhere. I mean, how exciting can an egg biryani get? But the chef managed to create wonders with this simple dish as well.

After filling up our rumbling tummies, we head straight to the beach. We walk and we walk and we walk along the entire stretch of Morjim and Ashwem and amazingly we never felt the distance. It’s a beautiful stretch of white sand and pristine blue waters.

Later that evening we hired a bike from Francis and head to Anjuna for dinner. Dinner was had at Zoories – a beautiful restaurant on a cliff overlooking the sea. It was Saturday and we HAD to go to the famous Saturday night market at Arpora. The market is an interesting sight in itself peppered with stalls selling trinkets, clothes, leather, silver, food and alcohol – all in one huge space. The stalls are leased by Indians and Europeans alike. The Saturday night market can be called a hagglers paradise. The sheer joy of getting something at 50% its cost cannot be explained.

The day ended with a bike ride from Arpora to Morjim through the eerie roads of Goa.
Goodnight Morjim J

Technorati Tags: Morjim, Camp 69, Saturday night market, Arpora

Happy New Year!!

Here's wishing everyone a Wonderful, Slightly whacky and an Absolutely rocking 2007!!!

Me Mumbai Guide!

I fulfilled one of my long desired fantasies last weekend – that of being a guide to Mumbai J

I had quite some colleagues (ladies to be precise) in Mumbai for the first time and of course all of them wanted to go around the city, shop, - basically experience Mumbai.

Mumbai offers something for everyone. We do not have historic monuments a plenty which most Delhities can boast about, but we do have some really interesting things that you can do here.

Revel in history with a walk around colaba (churchgate), Victoria Terminus station and the Gateway of India. Experience majestic, heritage structures being put to modern age commercial use. The place is a treat for photographers, sea lovers, people watchers and architects.

There is a café which features in my must see lists - café mondegar. The café heralds the beginning of the colaba causeway. A beer café with an old style jukebox, a must see place even if you don’t drink beer. The place has an airconditioned bar inside – I have never been inside. Sit outside and enjoy an evening of vibrant atmosphere, great music and the clutter and chaos typical to Mumbai.

Pump up your adrenaline with a speed boat ride at H2O near Girgaum Chowpaty. This is right next to Salt water grill and also offers other exhilarating water sports like Jet ski, parasailing etc.

For a more relaxing ride, take the colaba cruise from the Gateway of India. This is a 30 minutes ride in a ferry with locals. Take the ride towards twilight and you will amazed to find how beautiful chaos can be.

For the flea market shopalcoholic, the colaba causeway aka colaba flea market is the best place for a great bargain. Shop for trinkets, artifacts (you even get old world, working gramophones here), woolen stoles, trendy footwear, bags, casual clothes here. A bargaining tip – Start with 50% of the cost informed by the shopkeeper. You never know, you might just get the stuff in that rate. I have bought stuff like that.

For beautiful sterling silver trinkets shop at Curios. This shop is just across Café Mondegar. It is run by a friendly Gujarati Uncle who will give you a discount if asked for.

A huge footwear and trinket market awaits you at Bandra Linking Road. Get the latest footwear for as low as 100 rupees. Don’t expect them to last longer than a couple of months. Look at the brighter side – you can wear new footwear after every three months ;).

Looking for a classier place to shop. Hit the Lower Parel Phoenix Mills or Inorbit Mall at Malad. There is a shop called In Touch in Inorbit Mall. This one sells only bags. You will be amazed by the sheer number of designs on offer. Browse through Bandhej, AND (yes, that’s the name of a shop) and Rhu stores in Phoenix Mills for ethnic clothes in cotton.

If you do not like touristry places try these. Dhobitalao – a huge washing place right outside Marine Lines station, Chor bazaar – you can find any kind of antique here for peanuts (I have never been here till date), Zaveri bazaar – A precious jewelery bazaar where you can find any kind of precious jewellery for less.

This is the way I would enjoy Mumbai. Let me know how would you!

Technorati Tags: Dhobitalao, Colaba, Bandra, VT

A Blue Synagogue

A lucky visual treat is what I had the chance to experience in the alleys of south mumbai this weekend, have fun!!

Food for thought …

Lot has been said about the booming economy and particularly the boom in the organized retail sector in India. Malls have been mushrooming at every nook and corner of the smallest of cities in India. Malls are equated to a shopping experience where people not only go to shop but they are the new parks where families go on a weekend to spend time.

This Diwali, I did the opposite. Me and my mom went shopping on the Gujarati New Year’s day to a traditional market - the Natraj Market at Malad station.

The place is dominated by Gujarati traders selling cloth, readymade garments, stuff to decorate your garment and the works. We happened to be the first customers for everyone that day and I was amazed with the warmth that we were showered with in each shop that we visited.

Each shop had a bowl of sweets kept at the entrance. Whether you buy something or not, you are insisted to take some sweet alongwith you as a token of well being. I was pleasantly surprised that these people had kept this tradition alive of offering sweets to anyone who visits your house on the New Years Day, in this hectic and extremely materialistic world.

We ended up purchasing some dresses from a shop and the shopkeeper ended up making an invoice of an amount like Rs. 501. He said, that the one rupee was as a shagun. We readily gave the amount and imagine our surprise when he gives us a full box of sweets as we were his first clients for the New Year. I was particularly taken in by the warmth of this gesture.

I am sure we would not have ever been received with such affection at any mall. Nobody would have really cared if it were the New Year or if we were the first client for the New Year.

These are simple and very tiny gestures which make the fabric of India. It saddens me that we tend to forget the rich culture that we live in, the talents that we have, in blatantly copying the west in our race for becoming the next superpower.

I sincerely hope that somewhere we do not loose this identity which is India. Economy boom or not and it is this identity which makes us different from the rest of the world’s so-called successful economies.

Would be nice to know your opinions on this.

Technorati Tags: Retail, Economy, India, Gujarati New Year

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….

The title of my post must say volumes about what this is about. I am talking about, you guessed it right – Desserts.

The most exquisite of sins, these delicacies manage to tingle the tastebuds of many a calorie conscious people.

I have here the most delectable delicacies you can find in Mumbai.

Are you a chocolate lover? Do you find anything with chocolate irrestible? If your answers to these questions are a big YES, then Chocolate Avalanche was made for you. What is this dish you ask, well, it has chocolate brownies, chocolate icecream, chocolate mousse, chocolate sauce and cocoa balls all put in a big bowl – all for you to gobble. Check out this chocolatier’s paradise at Mocha – Coffee and Conversations and let me know what you think.

If this was too chocolaty for you then go to a place called Theobrama. I went there only last week. Apart from a wonderfully friendly uncle serving you, try their latest pastry which currently has no name and is put on the display as no name. This is a chocolate cake with dried black grapes as little surprises everytime you bite. Try it and let us help the nice uncle there in naming the bombshell.

The opening of Baristas’s has done a lot of good for dessert lovers like me. They have a range of excellent desserts to dig in. From chocolate excess to cold coffees with brownies, these people know their desserts really well.

If chocolate is not your forte, try the fresh fruit cake available at Hypercity. This one comes with loads of exotic fresh fruits like kiwis, blackberries and the regular ones like bananas, apples, grapes, strawberries, oranges with a vanilla base. And the fruits are not just the garnish, you will find them in each scrumptious bite of this heavenly dessert.

For the calorie conscious there is the latest buzzword in desserts – Gelato. Now please, please do not eat at the Gelato Italiano outlets that are opening up everywhere in the city. The gelato is really bad. The reason this dessert finds place in my blog is an outlet called Amore. The gelatos are simply fantastic. These guys have made gelatos from ferraro rochers, dark chocolates, tiramisu, chocolate brownie, the works.

Sin on these and share your experiences with me.

Happy Eating ..ah ah.. Happy Sinning Guyz!!!!!!!

Technorati Tags: Desserts, Mocha, Hypercity, Amore

Mumbai - As I saw it, one weekend

I am taking a short break from my foodie series. Bought a Digicam recently, had to post my stint at photography. Have fun!!!

Technorati Tags: Mumbai, weekend, Digicam, Photography

Paani – puri anyone…

The next in series is a special on Paani-puri. The quintessential Mumbai treat. Now let me tell you, not all paani-puri is good. You really need to know the place to go to else you could end up with a bad taste in your mouth literally.

First let’s go to the popular chaat place called Juhu Beach. Juhu beach is very popular for its chaat and paav bhaji. However, my find was a paani-puri waala. The stall is among the many stalls at Juhu. It is called Radhakrishna and the paani-puri is so yummy you just can’t stop eating it unless you are worried about your bowel movements. You need not stand and eat your paani-puri. The puri, aloo and moong masala, meetha paani and teekha paani will be served to you on your table. You decide on the quantities of each ingredient and customize your paani-puri to your liking. Now that’s what I call customization. Enjoy the amazing sea-breeze and the chaos which is so typical of Mumbai.

Another paani-puri place is near Movie Time Cinema in Malad. For people who do not know, there are different types of paani-puris. The options are the mix that I described above or one with what is known as Ragda. Ragda is made of boiled dry peas with potato and spiced with salt and turmeric. The idea is to put hot ragda in the puri and add ice-cold teekha paani and meetha paani. Coming back to Movie Time. This guy stands with his wares outside the theatre and is, well, not very popular and so you will not encounter any queues and can eat as much as you want in peace. Believe me if you like the ragda paani-puri, this guy is the best. I am hoping he still stands there since I have not eaten his paani-puri since the time I left Malad.

Now let’s come back near to Juhu, in 7 bungalows. Please read the previous post to know where 7 bungalows is. The most famous landmark for 7 bungalows is Bon Bon shoe shop. Now coming straight inside the lane next to Bon Bon shoe shop and turning left will take you to another famous landmark known as Kds low price shop. Mind you, this landmark is famous only among 7 bunglowians. I do not know if there is a word like bunglowians, if there is not, I just coined it. Coming back to Kds, actually coming out of Kds is a chaatwaala. He is essentially a very good chaatwaala. Meaning, he makes amazing sev-puri, bhel and Paani – puri. This guy is popular so be ready for waiting a couple of minutes before indulging yourself in some lip-smacking paani – puri. The specialty of this place, well, you need not add meetha paani when eating here since the teekha paani is just rightly spiced.

Try these places and let me know if you liked my recommendations.


Technorati Tags: Paani-puri, Juhu, Movie Time Cinema
, Malad, chaat,

A Foodie’s Guide

Hello people, I am back after a long hiatus. The reasons for the hiatus are unimportant since what I am about to write about is way more interesting.

I figured, I love eating more than I knew. And it also helped me figure the reasons for my ever increasing figure.

Anyway, here goes my next installment on places to eat in Mumbai. Since in my last post I wrote about the up-market, elite places serving mainly continental food; I decided to dedicate this post to some economical yet amazing eating places serving particularly Indian food in Mumbai.

First stop, 7 bungalows - Andheri. The place is called Mista Paaji and happens to be mine and my friends’ weekend lunch place. This place is not exactly economical but it features in this post because I have not found any place of a similar stature as Mista Paaji, serving delicious jeera-aloo, daal makhni, curd and hot phulkas for 90 bucks. We are such religious patrons that one weekend when we came later than our scheduled lunch time, the manager actually asked us if we were not intending to come. The manager has a complaint with me and my roommate that we do not try out anything else other than the jeera-aloo platter – which is what the combination described by me is called. But the jeera- aloo platter is so scrumptious that we just don’t think of anything else. Other dishes to try are the aloo paratha, gobi paratha, Punjabi kadhi – chawal, kheema paratha, butter chicken (for the latter two, opinions are based on feedback from my omnivorous friends). The décor is that of a dhaba but it looks way more sophisticated than a dhaba, however, the multi-coloured zari pieces adorning the walls are quite chic. The food is served in metal plates which look like brass and water and masala chaas in large glasses the kinds of those which you get on roadside dhabas.

Now let’s go to Charni Road. If you really want to enjoy this experience, my suggestion will be to board a local train and reach Charni Road. A quaint restaurant awaits your taste buds very close to the station. The place is called “Crystal”. Kheer enthusiasts swear by the kheer you get here. According to patrons of kheer, which I am not, you apparently get world’s best kheer here maybe just next to what your mom might make for you. Again, my criterion of enjoying food has also a lot to do with the ambience. I have no idea how old this place is. But it is among the few places which are not jazzed up and you enter a non-descript place with plastic tables and chairs and ceiling fans on the ground floor while the “so-called” mezzanine floor has table fans to do the honours. The mezzanine floor is slightly difficult for people like Xi Shun to fit in, hence the “so-called mezzanine floor” in the statement before. The owner of the place or so I assume is this old gentleman sitting in a white kurta pajama at the entrance. One of the few places which does not play Kenny Gee and plays old hindi movie songs. And now the best the part – the food. My favourites are baingan bharta with roti or rajma chawal or gobi paratha. Simple, no-fuss, home – like food which is incredibly reasonable. A meal for two which includes 2 veggies, around 7-8 rotis, raita and dessert will cost you some 100 bucks. The place has many patrons in the elitist as well. The place is packed for dinner on weekends with people from all ranks of society. The place serves only vegetarian food and I am not complaining at all.

So, as I always say, Happy Eating!!!


Technorati Tags: Mista Paaji, 7 bungalows, Crystal
, Xi Shun, Charni Road,

Experience the Aeroplane!

In a stretch of Ghatkopar dotted with slums, very near to the controversial Mithi river, lies a strip which can tantalize any human mind with the sights it has to offer. The area is called Jari Mari. A very non-descript location. A place where one would not think of stopping when one is on his way. This crowded place is the nearest one can get to the runway of Mumbai Airport if one is in Mumbai. A frequent air traveller, I often am on the tarmac and boarding planes every month. But I was completely bowled over by what I saw here.

When you are at the airport to catch a flight, you are on the tarmac for a while and then in the aircraft, and when you land, you are either asleep or trying to fight the congestion in your ear. In such a situation, you do not realise the magnitude of the machine which you board or which is taking you from one destination to the other.

This place offers you the chance of witnessing take offs and landings of many a aircraft. Standing there peeping through the small crevices in the door which separated the road from the runway, I saw how absolutely magnificient and majestic a machine can be. I saw why pilots treat their aircrafts like their girlfriends and cannot stop praising her beauty.

Standing on the footpath, while a Boeing 737 soared over my head at a distance where I felt if I jumped and if I were bit more taller, I could have touched it. I trembled as the beauty glided away above me to land sending a cloud of dust behind it. The entire experience of witnessing this phenomenon which I am a part of very often otherwise was enthralling.

We witnessed many take offs and landings and each time I wanted to experience the aircraft flying overhead. We kept telling ourselves - just one more landing, just one more take off. We desparately waited for a jumbo to land. Unfortunately could not witness that one.

If at all anyone is coming to Mumbai, I recommend this place to be visited. Its an unusual place to visit but one should not miss it for the sheer excitement it provides.


Technorati Tags: JariMari, Ghatkopar, Mithi

Reincarnation of the Soul

Ever heard something which makes you feel as if your soul has been cleansed? Something which makes you feel at peace with yourself and the world? Well, that is the effect this piece had on me when I first listened to it.

Click on Calcutta City

Calcutta City

This is what drew me to the beautiful instrument called Sarod. I associate the sound of the Sarod to the gurgling of a stream in the Himalayas. Amazingly calm, soothing like no other sound. I do not know if it’s the instrument or the artist who had this effect on me. The artist is well, synonymous with the Sarod - Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

I had this opportunity to attend a concert of his sons – Amaan & Ayaan Ali recently. The concert was a part of their promotional tour for their first album called Reincarnation. It was a musical treat. The pair played exceptionally well. There were times when we could not see their hands as they seemed blurred since they were playing so fast and we were scared that one of the strings in the instrument would break. An extraordinary performance by the entire team. The concert had a piece each which was dedicated to the dholak, the tabla and the drums. Beautifully orchestrated with compositions having names like Blessing, Lonely Spirit, and of course Reincarnation.

Dressed in jeans & kurtas, the team performed like rockstars towards the climax of each composition, smiling away, almost kinda headbanging. They certainly left the audience breathless with each and every composition. And whats more, they even shared some trivia about the Sarod, saying that unlike other string instruments, Sarod is played with the finger nails and hence they needed to file their nails often in order to play well.

Their album is a fusion of Indian Classical and trance in a way. Both men are quite good looking as well (as can be seen from the pic) and with talent like this I am sure they have a long way to go.

Technorati Tags: Reincarnation, Sarod, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan & Ayaan Ali

I SCREAM for ICECREAM!!!!

Its quite evident from my previous post that I like eating. So its no surprise that my next post is also on a food item – Icecream!!!.

Its summers and what summers, I haven’t experienced this kind of heat in Mumbai ever in the past 4.5 years of my existence in this city. So, when it comes to food, anything cool is more than welcome. I am not an icecream freak so to say but offlate my intake of icecream has increased manifold. This got me thinking that by eating so much icecream how much extra fat am I asking my poor body to burn. I am among those millions of people who is desperately trying to loose weight and anything leading to a miniscule increase becomes a matter of concern. If not for very long but atleast for a few minutes.

I did my bit of research in order to figure out how guilty I should feel everytime I have a bowl of fresh mangoes with vanilla icecream or a huge scoop of chocolate icecream.

According to wikipedia, icecreams available today can have 0-16% fat.

Most fat in an icecream is from milk fat. A cup of whole milk is supposed to contain approximately 5g of saturated fat – aka Bad Fat. This 5 g constitutes 3.3% of the milk composition.

A gram of fat contains 9 calories while a gram of carbohydrate & protein contain 4 calories each. This goes on to prove that 1 cup milk contains 45 calories from fat. Fair enough.

Now if 118 ml of vanilla icecream i.e. half cup contains approximately 12gms of fat (as per an article on the net) – we are talking about 108 calories only from fat and then it also contains proteins and carbohydrates which contribute to the calorie count. According to an article on the internet, a half cup of vanilla icecream contains 178 calories in all.

And I don’t eat half cup so its definitely going to be much more than 178 for me.

Realisation dawns!!!! Guess this information should help me avoid this delicacy more often!!!

Technorati Tags: Icecream, %Fat , Calories

The way to my heart is……

Through a delectable meal in an amazing restaurant!!!. Let me define what is amazing for me. Amazing is a warm ambience, good music, sufficient choices for a vegetarian and value for money. Basically, an experience in itself. I have been a foodie since childhood and love experimenting with food. This friend of mine – Kedar and me have quite similar choices when it comes to a food experience and also Mumbai as a city has quite a few options to offer to a food enthusiast.

I am typically very fond of continental cuisines and the ambience of the place is very important for me to enjoy the delicacies a place offers. Most times one may find that the food is really good but the experience is marred by the ambience. It could be garish or crowded or noisy and it can ruin my meal.

Of the many places where I have dined the first one that comes to my mind is Don Giovanni. This restaurant is at Juhu opposite Ramada Inn. According to the menu, it serves Italian preparations from the villages of Italy. The menu claims that these preparations may not be found in the most famous restaurants in the cities of Italy. I have never been to Italy but given a chance, I will run to these villages, if what they serve is what you get in the villages of Italy. Its amazing Italian food with an ambience to go along with it. From the road you can see the blazing red Ferrari flag. The entrance claims that children are allowed only if they do not disturb patrons. I really liked that one. Inside, it’s a dimly lit place which offers you maximum privacy even if the restaurant is completely full. Its better to reserve a table and go since the place is full even on weekdays. Its slightly heavy on the pocket but worth every penny spent because the food that is served is not available in any other restaurant claiming to serve Italian food.

As I said before, my weakness is continental food so the other place I would recommend is Vie Lounge. This is further away from Don Giovanni on the same road in Juhu. Now this one is an elite, up-market lounge cum restaurant and can prove quite expensive. They serve Mediterranean cuisine and according to Kedar, the best steak he has ever eaten, and he has eaten quite a few, so I believe him!!!. A very different food experience for sure and the ambience is breathtaking. It overlooks the Juhu beach but is quite far away from the populated beach section. Ask for a table outside and enjoy the cool breeze with the dinner. The best of all is the complimentary bread basket with some amazing butters. These are garlic butter and mushroom butter. I do not know where to get them from, or if they make them themselves but I would not mind going there to eat only that. Its the best thing I have ever eaten. They have some really unusual combinations for cocktails and an extensive range of liquers to choose from as well.

Another good place is Out of the Blue. This is in Bandra between Pali Naka and Carter road. This place has never let me down on its pastas. And the best part, it has a very long list of vegetarian dishes on offer. Most of these exotic places have very limited vegetarian choices and that is where I get into a fix. But Out of the Blue is a safe bet for any vegetarian. Try the pasta in garlic with extra virgin olive oil and it’s a refreshing delight from the regular cheesy versions of pastas available now a days. They also have a very good selection of wines. Though I am not much of an expert on that.

Last but not the least is Café Churchill in Colaba. I am sure most Mumbaiities will be aware of this place. It is a very small café but serves such amazing food that it’s a must go whenever I am in that part of the town. You can expect a waiting even at 7:30 in the evening since the place is very small. The same people have opened up Café Mocambo. I however, like Café Churchill better. Its this small little café tucked away in the colaba flea market. One might miss it if one does not know about it. Try the irish bailey pastry. Its worth sinning with that one!!!

So long and Happy Eating!!!!

Technorati Tags: Mumbai, mushroom butter , Juhu

2 Hours in Matheran

Last weekend was a long weekend in Maharashtra. With three days of holidays and nothing to do I like every other person living in Mumbai decide to go to Matheran. Not that I haven’t been to the place before. But there is something magnetic about Matheran which lures one towards it whenever one thinks of a cool (as in cold) weekend getaway from Mumbai.

So me and a friend of mine decide to do the unthinkable. Now we have always stayed in this hotel called Hotel Rugby and never made a booking prior to our visit. The hotel has been kind enough to give us a room everytime we land up there. For those of you who do not know, the hotel is quite something in itself. If you are not the exploring or walking kinds, you may just chill in this hotel and can pass the weekend gloriously. But then, Hotel Rugby is shut since 2 months now.

We decide to take up this adventure KNOWING the fact that all hotels are packed in Matheran for the long weekend. But the optimistics that we are, we venture on this journey where as my friend rightly put, the journey was more important than the destination.

Matheran is this virgin hill station devoid of anything commercial apart from the hotels. Hence the only mode of transport is your two feet or the horses four feet if you please. If you are going from Mumbai by the good old local train, you can get off at Neral station and then NORMALLY take a ramshackled taxi to Dasturi Naka from where you are on your own or on the horse.

So we land up at Neral station at some 3:00 in the afternoon. NORMALLY, you will find yourself surrounded by people asking if you needed a taxi to go to Matheran. But this was not a NORMAL day at all. To our surprise the station is completely deserted. No taxi fellas escorting you to the taxi stands. We considered this as a bad omen. On further investigation we find out that there is a strike going on of taxi drivers since the government has decided to start a minibus from Neral to Matheran. So one must walk some random kilometers in order to take the bus or the hotel association taxis. We walk & we walk & we walk in the hot sun. We finally reach the so called taxi stand and manage to get to Matheran. Mind you, these taxis were way better than the regular taxis that you get.

The people of Matheran are very hospitable. In the sense that the moment you are out of the taxi, there will be someone to take your luggage and hound you for a hotel till you select one of them and tell them where you want to go. We found our guide in a similar way and then started our hotel hunt. We practically scoured the entire of Matheran for hotels and found some really exorbitant deals. On offer was a dingy room in the attic of a hotel with hardly any space to move for Rs. 9000 for 2 nights. You freaking can get a room in the Taj Lands End in Mumbai for some Rs. 5000 per night if you want. Well, but then that’s the effect of a long weekend in Matheran.

Also we were spoilt by Rugby. The place is heaven. It has these cottage type rooms all of which open into beautiful lawns. The place looks like if it were straight out of a picture book or something. And the food. Oh the food. It is purely vegetarian but excellent. Also they do not have silly prices for long weekends. Atleast we haven’t experienced so far.

Moral of story, we could not find anything satisfactory. After spending 2 hours of hiking and horse riding (as my friend put it) we decide to go back. I must say, I enjoyed every single minute of those 2 hours even if it was really taxing on my body once I was back.

The first day of the long weekend was quite an adventure I must say. But then, what the hell, I am sure there are very few people who might have done this!!!

Technorati Tags: Matheran, Hotel Rugby