Khana Peena

Bachelor's Kitchen: The Essentials

2011-12-28T15:00:00.000+05:30

My last post for the Bachelor Cooking was a list of tips to manage your kitchen and how to explore the cooking.

Essentials for the Bachelor Kitchen - ingredients which are a must have to save your soul in the kitchen.

Tomatoes or Tomato Puree
Makes it easy to put in a little water and your "Sabzi" gets a nice gravy for it.

Cheese
I prefer keeping slices and also the spread.

Olives / Mushrooms
These are life essentials I think - Pasta can't be made without them. And pasta is a mood-changer food. Also mix them with a few greens, some dressing and a bowl of salad is good to go.

Herbs, Spices, Oregano, Black Pepper, Hot Sauce
Finding green chillies in the fridge can be a challenge, so I prefer keeping enough hot sauce and other spices for that easy use.

Pasta Sauce / Pasta Packs / Noodles / Chinese Sauces
Elements to toss that meal when an intensive cooking session is what you don't want to indulge in.

Booze
Keep a variety. Drinking alone can be boring.. so I like to have a mix - Beer, Vodka and the faithful Wine and Scotch. Stock-up before you run out... Domino's delivers .. the local wine shop, very rarely!

Chakna / Namkeen
How can booze go without this... haha! Kidding - keep a few wafer packs handy .. mid-night cravings have to be taken care. Also that hunger pang just between the evening tea and dinner is attended.

And some other things on my list include:

Chocolates / Milk Powders / Biscuits
Fruits / Dry Fruits - almonds, dates
Curd, Ice-cream, Chocolate Sauce - Solves your dessert cravings.

That's my list, what's that essential element of your kitchen, please do share in the comments section.

Super Simple Sunday Salad

2011-12-22T17:13:00.002+05:30

Sunday evenings are supposed to easy for both me and the wife. So Sunday dinners are planned to be easy to cook and ideally something where I can help.

Last Sunday we made what I titled the Super Simple Sunday Salad.

Super Simple Sunday Salad

Here is what you need:

Assorted lettuce leaves [nicely washed and chopped into medium size]
Cherry tomatoes
Green Olives [seedless]
Feta Cheese
White Wine Vinegar [this I think is the MAGIC potion]
Salt & Pepper
Dried parsley
Garlic Powder

How to make it:

Like the title says Simple. Mix up the stuff in a nice big bowl, pop it into the fridge for a few mins and then just bite into it.

And give the salad some company. Have a nice tomato soup garnished with herbs and garlic.

Sunday lunch at Carnivore

2011-11-15T21:37:00.001+05:30

Carnivore is the famous restaurant in Nairobi which serves a wild variety of game meats. They call it the Beast of a Feast offering meat of ostrich, crocodile and camel roasted over charcoal and carved at the table.

For many years they served probably every kind of meat you could find in a jungle; but since 2004 things have changed and meats of Giraffe, Zebra and some others are now not available there.

At this Sunday lunch, we were a mixed bunch - A few who wanted to eat every meat available, Me - who wanted to try just a few and then some Herbivores who wanted NO meat. So we choose to sit in the area which offers the ALL YOU CAN eat meat offerings which is a fixed price and they serve both veg and non-veg meals.

They called him the medicine man

Dawa

A pumpkin soup and some DAWA wet your appetite before you attack the massive meat offerings. After the server has placed the mountain of sauces & salads, the FLAG is put up - indicating you are now ready for the meats.

Sauces & Salads

Soon the carvers start appearing and bring the many meats. So, what all did we eat? I stuck to chicken and lamb and tried the ostrich meat balls which was nice. I really liked the leg of lamb BUT didn’t enjoy the chicken gizzards, preferred the usual Chicken Wings. I tried some Turkey for the first time and liked the taste of it.

Carver

All in all the meats are very well cooked and it was much edible than I had thought.

If you think you’ve had enough, its time to put down the flag so that the server can clear up your table and bring in the desserts. Lots of variety and after all the tasting - my choice was the best - Choco-Chip Blondie.

Black Magic Gateaux

Choco-chip Blondie

Before you call the bill, enjoy the afternoon and get yourself some Kenyan Coffee to close the meal.

They call it the Hell

Carnivore has a wonderful ambiance. Wide-spread, you have the option for both indoor and outdoor seating. Make sure you book a table since they are busy on weekends. The service is prompt and they let you sit easy and relish your meal without being pushed off.

Saturday Lunch - Dal Tadka, Potato & Capsicum with rice

2011-10-01T16:35:00.000+05:30

This morning I woke up with no weekend plans. Of course there is the movie watching, reading, lazing and a bit of work if the mood is right. But the day needed some more excitement.

So I decided to treat myself for a good lunch. And the menu was set - Dal Tadka, typical potato and capsicum ka sabzi just the way I like it and rice.

For Dal Tadka I checked online and used this recipe

For my favourite sabzi I checked with the ladies back home. Of course I also had to take some guidance on how to go about the pressure cooker operation, which was a first for me.

The Dal Tadka had some black elements floating in it - My guess is the onions were overcooked. So need to get them off earlier. Also I don't know why it couldn't get the nice yellow colour. Maybe needed more turmeric powder.

I think a good attempt made and some new skills added to the bachelor cooking.

Ethiopian Lunch at Dass Restaurant Nairobi

2011-07-23T22:24:00.000+05:30

The first weekend in Nairobi went off catching up on sleep, setting up the kitchen and so there was no action. But the next weekend, Asif my Nairobi-Twitter friend invited me to meet some interesting people over an Ethiopian Lunch.

The place is called Dass Restaurant and I was told that because we came in post-lunch hour time we were lucky to have the place to ourselves. Yes, there was some intrusive private group activity happening but that's another story.

So there is not much variety on the menu. You have some salads for starters and then you basically attack the main-course. Ethiopian meals are meats or vegetables cooked in a traditional sauce and served with something called the Injera, which is not very different from what we India eat as the Apam.

I picked the chicken dish - Doro Watt Alitcha (mild red sauce) I didn't want to experiment the spicy one not knowing how spicy is Ethiopian food. But I was happy with my selection and the meat was soft marinated in a red sauce called Awaze. I also tried a bit of the lamb which Asif had ordered and I think that too can be recommended. Our other 2 friends on the table ordered like a basket - so they got a little of a few dishes mixed like a platter offering. Interesting if you've got a group so you can mix and match the offerings.

It was a lovely Sunday afternoon and we had all the time in the world to kill so I thought of satisfying the sweet tooth. But no such luck, they don't serve any sweet desserts. Strange, is there is no Ethiopian sweet specialty?

You can also read the restaurant review done by ChickAboutTown.

Breakfast Delight - Upma & Orange Juice

2011-06-11T11:03:00.000+05:30

On the weekends good food is an essential. good breakfast is pleasure.

So for this rainy dark Saturday morning it's Upma with my favourite - The Minute Maid Pulpy Orange juice.

Chocoholic weekend

2011-05-24T12:04:00.000+05:30

And this was what the weekend was all about.

Powered by @rishyka of Chocoholic - Chocolates and more.

Oreo Brownie

Walnut Brownie

Nutella Brownie

Bandra Ride: Moshe's & San Churros

2011-05-14T17:29:00.000+05:30

It's said that an empty mind is a devil's workshop but in my case it becomes more of a foodie. For reasons, that I shall not get into here I have been off work for a while and have been enjoying the "me time". And a part of this free time has also been trying to satisfy various food cravings and dining at some interesting places.

So we picked Thursday Night for a drive to Bandra and meet a long lost and soon to be married couple friend. Sancho's had been the second choice and after learning about the 45 mins wait, it remained second. Moshe's the first choice was picked and we took the rickety elevator [we called it the world's fastest] to the 1st floor where Moshe's is located. This outlet is a little more spacious than the one in Cuffe Parade. It doesn't have the outdoor seating but in this summer heat I am not sure if that's to be missed.

I always enjoy dining company who take on the responsibility to order the starters and make good recommendations from their previous experiences. So we started the evening with some jalapeno cheese fondue and labneh with grilled pita bread. I've not been such a fondue fan, so I think I over-liked the labneh.

There are some cuisines where sharing is just not happening. You order a dish, eat it by yourself and there is complete satisfaction. Thanks to my 2 month stay in Kenya, I had enough of pasta and I skipped it for something more interesting - the Sicilian Risotto. I would have killed my friend who said it looked more like 'masala khichdi'. ghadero saalo. And I think it was a good meal choice - highly recommended.

Other dishes which came to the table were - Oven Baked Crepe Roulade, different and exotic. The Corn Polenta although I didn't enjoy the 1 bite, wife said it was nice. The all popular Moshe's Penne was nice as always, said the recently engaged friend's bubbly to-be wife. Cheers!

The black currant ice-tea was a disaster. I don't know how could they go wrong only to realise I ordered the Fizz rather than an ice-tea. Avoid it. Better stick to the ice-tea.

Service was prompt and although it was a busy evening I liked the fact that we were not being pushed into ordering or completing our meal. I think we sat there a full 20 mins after our meal was done thinking if we should go for the desserts or no. Not because we trying to balance our calorie or sugar in-take but because we had decided to do a short trip to the near-by new spanish dessert/coffee shop - San Churros.

"Churros" are simple fritters that look something like a big “French fry,” but taste nothing like one. They are the Spanish equivalent of doughnuts. Instead of a ring shape, like a doughnut, churros are long straight or slightly curled lengths that usually have ridges. Eaten while warm and sprinkled with sugar or drizzled with honey.

From: About.com

So they serve Churros in 3 sizes - 4 6 and 9 pieces with a choice of 3 sauces but you can order only 2. We picked milk chocolate and dark chocolate. The 3rd one I think was White Chocolate. Not the most satisfying dessert so if you're looking for something more exotic and wholesome see the other items like a 7 layered chocolate cake or the huge tiramisu serving. Go for it!

It wasn't the best season to relish it but the hot chocolate with spice and cinnamon is awesome. Told the wife we must come back on a lovely rainy evening or winter night to enjoy this one.

San Churros is a delight in a city like Mumbai thanks to the spacious seating area. You've got to order your stuff at the cashier on ground floor and then can choose to occupy the huge comfy chairs and sofas on 1st floor till they deliver your goods. Was a bit noisy, but I'll just blame the vacation time which got all the kids out even at that late hour.

Bachelor's Kitchen Management Tips

2011-04-11T19:53:00.002+05:30

It's been 2 months in Nairobi for me. Away from home without the mother or wife to manage the kitchen here. Although I am a foodie and once in a while I did like to experiment I don't think I can call myself even an amateur cook. And running and managing a kitchen on regular basis is an altogether different challenge which I experienced during this trip.

What I am going to share is a little learning for the many challenges of running a bachelor's kitchen.

Learn

I think one of the most important things to do is learn as much as you can. Ask family, friends and other people who live alone on what's easy to cook, meal ideas and helpful tips. I must thank some of my ex-colleagues at Mudra who gave me tips and meal ideas to get going.

Dig

Yes, dig into your memory to remember all those simple meal ideas which you ate when the mother or wife were too tired/bored to cook. You'll be amazed how some simple recipes can produce good, tasty and quick meals to add variety to your daily eating.

Plan

Don't go to the super-market without having planned your ingredients and other essentials shopping list. You'll end up home with at least 1 key element missing. So the way I did it was - Think Meal. For eg. 1 meal you want to do Thai Curry & Rice. So write - rice, coconut milk, Thai curry paste and veggies to go with it. This way you'll end up having all that is necessary for cooking that meal.

Shopping List

Goes without saying plan, check and make a list. You'll have some basics which you need to buy every time - bread, milk, eggs, chicken and veggies etc. But every trip you'll want to also pick up some items which add variety to your daily menu, so go back to my "Think Meal" approach.

Control

The first few trips to the supermarket you'll go crazy. You want to pick-up pasta sauce, fresh chicken and lots of fresh veggies. And then you only realise that some of it got thrown because you never managed to cook it all in good time. For eg. I bought either chicken or then paneer otherwise you end up consuming one and other rots.

Experiment

If you're in a new country and see a whole new set of brands and products, I think you should go ahead and experiment. So your first round of shopping should be a mixed bag. For eg. I love flavoured yoghurt. So I bought a small pack of 2 different companies to try. I liked 1 and and now that's a regular in my shopping list.

So that's it. Hope it helps you manage your kitchen better. Would love to know if you've got a kitchen tip to share with my readers. Leave your thoughts in the comments area below.

In my next post, I am going to try and share some simple meal ideas which have become my favourites.

Pali Village Cafe - Good food in a torn down interior

2010-12-10T18:00:00.000+05:30

We count ourselves lucky when we get the chance to try one of the new eateries in the suburbs. And at our rate of trips to Bandra we manage to find a new one every time. This weekend it was Pali Village Cafe.As soon as I tweeted about my dinner plans, they followed me back on twitter.[Pali Village Cafe on Twitter] Interesting ... but the conversation didn't go forward.

Firstly, a big thank you to them for seating us in good time even though we reached there much earlier than our scheduled booking. I think the dry day helped.

For all the popularity this place enjoys I was stunned to see a very rugged, unfinished interior decor of the place. Most of the walls are not even white-washed, forget painted. The wine racks are the ones you see in godowns. Furniture was nothing fancy either. Actually the chair was a stunner.

But I think this is the new taste people seem to enjoy. Anyway, the ambiance was beautifully dim lit and some very interesting crowd walked in and out. A visual delight ;-)

We started with "The Greek Salad" and Pita bread with red pepper humus - yummy and the salad is a must try. The bread basket is nice with some very soft bread slice, sticks and mini buns. I like the butter re-fills which kept coming without the asking. For the mains, vegetarian offerings are limited so while the wife selected the Mushroom and pepper risotto I tried the Grilled Chicken. The risotto needed some spice and I think some chili flakes took care of it nicely. The chicken breast was a good selection, soft and fleshy. Just that the sauce was a bit tangy. A black currant ice-tea was a good choice since we could not try the Sangrias [dry day].

Being a Saturday evening, I want to excuse the rather pushy waiters who were dying to clear off the dishes from our table and get us to the next step as soon as we were done. Would have been nice if they gave us some time to enjoy the experience a bit more relaxed.

The menu is designed for an all day cafe - pizza, sandwich and lots of mocktails/smoothies. But the pastas come during lunch and dinner time only.

Location is a blink and miss, so drive slow once you reach the Pali Naka and look for a cream colour uniformed valet drivers. And that's it.

Conclusion: Not wow if you are a vegetarian so go there with meat eaters, enjoy the ambiance and the wide variety of wine collection.

Busaba - Restaurant Review

2010-11-26T18:00:00.001+05:30

In it's old avatar Busaba was a little watering hole with lots of loud music. But a few months back a few friends decided to do a Saturday lunch there and I was very impressed with the place. So for mom's birthday we decided to treat her a super dinner at Busaba.

This is a cosy little restaurant+lounge bar in one of the by-lanes behind Taj hotel, Colaba. A dim-light setting invites you and there are 2 areas, the outdoor [but covered] and the inside seating. Opt for the outside, it feels really nice there. Service levels are impressive and there was at least one steward who ensured we are attended to all the time.

Started with the Momos and assorted veg rolls. Veg was good so I am sure the chicken ones should be nice too. Must must order the Veg Satay.

Main course - Nasi Goreng & Mei Goreng is nice. The assorted vegetables in black bean sauce tastes nice and different from most of the other places we haven been.

The khow suey wasn't all that nice and could do with a lot more of the soup. Gets too dry with the limited soup serving.

Wine collection is not too wide, specially if you want it by the glass.

One line - Must go for a romantic candle-lit dinner. limited seating ensures there is not much chaos on most nights.

Dakshinayan - south indian in town

2010-11-17T18:19:00.000+05:30

This review should have been online long back. And apologizes for no accompanying photos.

Dakshinayan is the south indian eatery at the Teen Batti junction of Walkeshwar. Simple interiors with a strip opened ceiling. The owner sure didn't do much to make this place fancy for the areas audience.

What did we eat?

Mini Masala idli. yummy. a good serving suffices 2 comfortably and is loaded with tomato and onion. Must try.

Apam - strictly ok, felt it had gone a bit sour. I think the wife makes them much better at home. Or else then there is the Konkan Cafe in Taj President which does it wonderful.

Mysore Masala Dosa - a bit oily but we really liked the Chutney they served it. Normal south indian coconut chutney only but NICE.

The place is small, I don't think more that 30-40 people would fit in. Tables are close to each other so don't expect to exchange sweet nothings or discuss family issues over meals. Yes, the all veg menu makes this a super choice for the marwaris and gujaratis of the area. So, I am sure it must be a mad house on weekends so weekday is your best choice but there will be waiting even then.

Dakshinayan
183, Teen Batti,
Walkeshwar Road,
Mumbai - 400 006.

Telephone: 23676701 / 23673926

Cocoberry Frozen Yogurt - New ice-cream alternative

2010-10-04T16:18:00.000+05:30

Saturday was a day in the suburbs. After dinner at the Pali Village Cafe we decided to try the new dessert place - Cocoberry at Pali Naka, Bandra.

Cocoberry offers frozen flavoured yogurt. We tried the blueberry yogurt topped with blueberries, white choco chips and chocolate strands. It's very different from biting into a regular ice-cream and I think it's even more healthy because it says non-fat premium frozen yogurt.

Nice and smooth just that I think next time I would avoid the white choco chips - just too hard and irritates the whole smooth feel on the tongue.

Our medium sized serving with 3 toppings costed Rs.179/-

I don't think they have any other branch currently, so Bandra is your only bet.
Go, try it.

Cocoberry Frozen Yogurt
Opp. Gold's Gym, Pali Naka. Bandra (WEST)
Call: 67258572, 67258573

Bull's Eye at Taj Hari Mahal

2010-09-11T00:26:00.001+05:30

This is the awesome dessert - Bull's Eye. Chocolate dessert with a lavish scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Don't miss it if you ever land there.

Served at Taj Hari Mahal, Jodhpur.

Anokhi Cafe, Jaipur

2010-09-03T22:29:00.001+05:30

A must do on our list when we visited Jaipur. Thanks to our local cousin there, we of course weren't going to miss this one. It's actually a little cafe attached to a store popular for it's block printed fabrics. A major attraction for the French and English who love to dig into the organic offerings at this quiet little place.

Dishes are limited and offerings are not many. You've got to be there in time because most days they are all cleaned out for the day by 4PM.

Penne Arbiatta - organic as it can get, nice fresh basil leaves to bite into. tossed in olive oil. but could have been a little more spicier.

Three bean salad - crunchy and a dieter's delight.

Mascarpone Cheese Cake - yum, just dig into it. And ideally order/pick your dessert choice as soon as you get there or else by the end of the meal you might just have an empty shelf to stare.

Falafel - a little dry, but the dip is delicious with it.

Also must have the Aubergine Pine-nuts Feta cheese pizza and try the Ginger Soda. For exact location see the website - Ankohi Cafe.

Aliva - Chatpate crackers - Not So Great

2010-07-12T22:06:00.001+05:30

After all the advertising bombardment on TV, this weekend when I walked into the store, I picked up a packet of Aliva - Chatpate crackers. I thought the lovely monsoon weekend would make this a great accompaniment for the evening chai.

Didn't have it with the chai but instead thought it would be a good support to the pasta we had on Sunday evening.

Disappointed.

I don't know what the intended taste was but it was funny. When you are having such crackers you ideally want a taste which won't let you stop at just one, so you go munching and munching more. But not with this one. Its not as masaledar as expected and strangely leaves a very sweet taste at the end of the bite. Don't know if that's the expected after-taste.

Also noticed a rather odd piece of masala in the pack. Don't know what was this supposed to be?

Sorry, but Aliva is not getting added to my regular list of Chatpate of Lays, Pringles and the new Hippo!

California Pizza Kitchen at Dubai Mall

2010-07-05T13:44:00.001+05:30

Few months back we had a little family holiday in Dubai. Usually this city is known for its shopping havens, but I have always enjoyed Dubai for its massive and awesome food options. Here is one very recommended outlet - California Pizza Kitchen.

We dined at the Dubai Mall outlet and their outdoor seating is lovely. you can see the waterfall and the little artificial lake where the big light & water show happens later in the evenings. The mood is too casual so I think the service takes a bit of hit there. But the food is nice, very nice.

Veg Pizza - nice, cheesy and soft.

Cesar's Salad - Yummy.

They have refills on most of their drinks, but if you want to have something different, try the Signature Italian drink - they don't do refills for it but its DIFFERENT.

View from the restaurant

Mainland China - Restaurant Review

2010-05-01T00:05:00.000+05:30

Mainland China, Kolkata's finest Asian restaurant finally got itself a place in town for the SoBo to not drive to Andheri anymore. They are located in the ex-Crossroads mall now SoBo Central at Haji Ali.

Celebrated my in-law's anniversary over dinner on a Monday night. And boy for a Monday, you would be lucky to have got a table without reservation.

The place gives you fantastic first impressions. Black, gray and silver - A chique combination makes it a really classy place. A place you would like to bring that very special set of guests, a place you would like to be seen at on a weekend.

Something very interesting about the menu that may grab your attention - the prices are in words and not figures. I guess, makes them a little pleasant on the eyes. What say?

So what did we eat

Shanghai Spring Roll
Mushroom in Garlic Chilli [Must have]
Claypot - exotic veg in chili basil sauce
Tofu black mushroom Bamboo shot in black bean sauce [must have - very large and nice chewy pieces of the black mushroom, probably one of the best I have tasted]
Pot rice

Quantities are good and the service was exceptionally fast considering they were packed that night.

They have a very good arrangement of tables on one side of the restaurant where the tables are placed on a little height and away from the main dining area. gives a good sense of privacy and perfect for the big date night.

Oh and if you don't happen to visit the loo - besides the food they've got some useful things on their menu, just incase.

Verdict - highly recommended place. great ambiance & some really good food.

Villa 39 - Restaurant Review

2010-04-15T14:11:00.000+05:30

It was Dad's birthday so we decided to dine at Villa 39 - a new Italian restaurant near Regal Cinema, Colaba. Walked in late but were glad that we were immediately seated. It was a corner table and we could feel that the AC was not as pleasant as in the other portions of the restaurant.

Villa 39 has some great interiors - the grey/silver and white with lots of mirrors really make the place very sexy. It's bright and nice - not that typical yellow diffused lighting. Makes it very interesting.

We were shown our table and I spotted that there were no glasses, no napkins and the candle was not yet lit. Well, maybe they just cleared it out and things would start getting. Only the candle was lit & then we had to ask for water twice ... napkins came in only after the starter was served.

In general the quantity servings I thought were rather poor and it would have been very very helpful if the waiter would have advised us to order accordingly. Of course they did offer to bring in some food but by the time the meal had come we were rather irritated for having to ask for water & napkins over and over again. The food was NOT cold but COOL - so negative marking for that too.

Oh and yes - the meal was waiting on the table for almost a full 5 mins because we were not given our dinner plates after knowing that we had 3 dishes to be shared among the 5 of us. I actually walked to the Kitchen door and snatched the plate from his hand. Felt sick and finally called in the Manager to give him an earful on the bad service experience. And in my dad's words - we were a neglected lot in one corner of the restaurant.

If we did like something it was the fusilli in pesto sauce. The rest I won't bother to comment because you can't just enjoy that overly priced food accompanied with such lousy service.

We refused to pay for the polenta lasagna [it was cold and the server made a khichdi out of it] and at that moment the manager said we had the option of not paying the bill at all. My dad refused and we asked him to revise the bill with just that item less. And I too thought it would be unfair not to pay for the rest of meal when the food was just fine - but badly served.

So I'll you skip the place for a while and see if some good reports come in, then maybe it would be worth the money.

Bellagio Bistro – Restaurant Review

2010-01-16T15:34:00.001+05:30

Italian food is a challenge because you might get it everywhere but very few serve it the right way. Even the Udipi restaurants give you cheese & veg pizza with loads of grated Amul cheese on the top. But then you know that’s not the “pizza” you want to eat when you want an Italian meal.

Bellagio is a little place next to Asiatic Library (Fort, Mumbai) which serves some decent Italian dishes. Had been there on my birthday last year and went back again a month ago when they SMSed promoting their new Wine Menu. The menu is although limited at that time, I am sure they will build on it. Also keeping the food prices in mind I am sure they won’t have the expensive range on offer so soon.

For starters we called for the Potato in pesto sauce which I though was a bit too pungent and could get better. The hot stuffed mushroom is nice and recommended.

The 3 grain risotto was interesting because like most other places where the risotto is a dry serving this was nice and sticky. Also have the aglio olio – nice preparation.

The upper section tends to get a bit noisy so if it’s just 2-4 people, the lower section is much more quieter. I have seen the owner around both the times so giving direct suggestions and feedback is a good idea. They also have a dessert counter – some pastries, mousse etc. but never got around trying that bit.

Bellagio Bistro
Botawala Building, 2/12 SBS Road, Opposite Old Customs House, Fort, Mumbai
Landmark: Near Asiatic Library
Phone: 22660066

Breakfast - Pancake

2009-11-22T13:45:00.001+05:30

Breakfast delights. Pancake with banana and chocolate sauce.

Restaurant Review: Corriander

2009-10-27T19:23:00.000+05:30

This afternoon my colleague and me decided to beat the Mumbai heat and step out for lunch. He took me to a place I had not tried before [and it's a shame considering it's 100 meters from our office]. Corriander is a little eatery located just at the foot of the flyover opposite Kamala Mills, Lower Parel.

Healthy food is what they promise to serve. There is no a la carte service and you gotta pick from among the 3 offerings - Executive Lunch [Rs.75], Value Meal [Rs.60] & the Light Meal [Rs.45]. And there is some other nick-knacks like lassi, papad, meetha etc. But at 1.30pm they had run out of quite a few things by then.

I choose the Executive lunch which comes like a packed meal - 2 sabjis, dal, roti, rice, papad and butter-milk. And this is the most power-packed meal - the rest are all lighter versions made out of this offering. And as per their brand promise - the food is healthy. Limited use of oil and masala, healthy sabji like dudhi and palak on the menu. I saw that the menu changes everyday which is good if you wanna be a regular. They also offer tiffin service - call them to find out more.

The place is really small so don't think of going there with your office gang. It's a place for a really quick meal on the run with a max of 4 people.

Corriander
Madhav Bhavan, B-Block, Shop No. 6, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai
Landmark: Opposite Kamla Mills Compound
Phone: 65176902

Apologies for not having any supporting images for this blog post.

Under the Banyan Tree - Restaurant Review

2009-09-01T20:32:00.000+05:30

UTBT was a chance option on Sunday evening. I think we were early so got a table right away. but by 9 we saw that the place was getting crowded.

The youngsters of the area a bit of nuisance around this place, since it's a very popular teen hangout - they are smoking, laughing away and doing their car skids etc. Kind of disturbing a bit.

Ambiance is nice - but A/C tables are limited, so in humid weather outside seating could be an issue. But a few tall fans threw in appropriate breeze.

What we ate?
Jalapeno cheese fritters - yum. Should have.
Humus with pita bread - not bad.

Mushroom Pate - yum. Should have. (pic uploaded)
Mushroom wrap (pic uploaded) - was very tasty but the wrap seems to have hardened after a few re-heats in the microwave, I think.
Italian Connection - dad says it was nice.
Pasta in pesto sauce - could have been a little better. very hard boiled, I thought.
Wild mushroom & thyme Risotto - was kind of sad, I thought. In crude terms - it needed some tadka. Was a bit boring, could have done with some spices etc.

Dessert offerings are limited - not much variety if u are not a chocolate person. The mousse and vodka cheesecake tasted very artificially sweetened. I am not sure if the others looked any better either.

So overall a decent food offering, but service lacks a bit - had to push the waiters around a bit and hey don't jadao too much english poor guys just about manage to understand the dish names - so avoid asking too many extra questions.

For the 5 of us we paid Rs.1200, which was not bad. Of course the servings are just about ok to fill individual stomachs so I don't expect sharing to be really workable.

Recommended for casual dining. Avoid large groups - could get a bit messy.

Kulfi Falooda - home made

2009-06-15T14:10:00.000+05:30

Nani is a fabulous magician in the kitchen. A few weeks back she spent sometime with us and whipped up a delicious kulfi falooda for us ... Couldn't binge much due to the severe cold I have been suffering these days .. but what the hell, who can resist something so yum!

Photos from the barbecue night

2009-04-26T22:11:00.001+05:30

One more barbecue night with the family …

Putting in all the sweat to get that little fire all charged up and emit those amazing orange flame

The grill gets set.

Let’s have this with some green mint chutney, onion and a sprinkle of that lemon juice

Garma garam bhutte le lo …