Gypsydrag

Bistro Grill at Kandivali East

2014-12-20T08:42:00.001-08:00

I am a big fan of Lebanese food and Bistro Grill really attracted me for a dinner. I had visited the Thakur Village branch. They have delivery service as well.
Contact: 022 30151867

Ambiance:

Its an outdoor set up with enough noise and sound pollution. Its not that bad, being in Mumbai you get used to it.

Food Platter:

They have a variety of Starters, Rolls and Shawarma, Pasta's and Pizza, Sizzlers, Grills, and Biryani!To end with Desserts and beverages too! #Desserts: I just saw Sizzling Hot Brownie.
I definitely ordered Lebanese platter than pizza, pasta or sizzlers! After all its singular choice.
Food was good and flavors were balanced with a slight Indian touch. Would never completely say it was authentic Lebanese.

What I ordered?

* Grill Lebanese Chicken
* Chicken Shawarma
* Extra Pita bread

Price:

Its a decent pricing for the quantity of food offered.
I am attaching their menu list too.

Have a nice weekend and get ready for Christmas!

After a Break

2011-11-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Its been a while since I have jotted and today I have decided to vent out on anything I want. I have been happy starting off this blog for various reasons :-)Happiness is a state of mind and is beautiful when when you are happy,rght?

Anger and frustration are very smart tools which has helped the Wellness industries to boom.Am I not right?What could I do for beauty,fitness,beautiful skin....and the list goes on.It seems Wellness centers are booming and would boom more in number, even without licenses(which is already happening)To choose the right place is in our hands.
After all, if you know how to control the mental, physical and spiritual paths of our minds we are in Sync.Can we??

Dinner by the Leopold Cafe

2011-11-20T05:20:00.000-08:00

Eating is fun,when you enjoy a good company.That's what I believe, and my all time company is my Hubby and kiddo:-) If you are visiting Mumbai,never forget to step foot at least once at LEOPOLD CAFE".I would rather call it a family restaurant after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.And why, before I would find more of tourists buzzing around....So you are a tourist,expat, or family the cafe boys greet you with a smile and would see to it you would get a seat SOON.

My likes:
*The billboard has always driven me with their old coke ads.
* I am definitely visiting a museum and why,because to find anything which is dating from the year 1871 is precious.Its established in the year 1871.

Do not expect a quiet ambiance and visit this cafe, its a huzzled place which revives you at any point in time.A smiling waiter always reaches on time to take order and also assists for any queries about their food.I did not have much doubt :-)
Food reaches real fast and in months I have never gotten any such fast service.I liked that part too.Do not forget to order their fried rice and their Legendary Beef/ Chicken Chilly.Its great in the gravy and dry form.....Those who love to order for drinks, they could and I had ordered a Lemon Tea which turned out be sulking:-( We did order Nachos with Cheese and was yummy too.

Chilly chicken / Nachos with cheese dip

Beef Chilly

Do try the Beef Steak(they do not serve with mashed potato here: sad) with fries.On top of this we did try a omelette sandwich :-)
And never forget to check out the bullet marks still leaving an imprint of that horrifying day.

Secret : If its a week day, early morning with a book is relaxing along with a great breakfast from the cafe.
I would give a 8.5 on ten and its great to visit at this cafe to revive any part of your life at any age.

Marve - Gorai - Manori

2011-03-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

These 3 beaches lie to the north of Mumbai, Marve - Gorai - Manori.

A must weekend getaway from the concrete jungle !!

Life with Thyroid Disease

2011-02-25T21:56:00.000-08:00

Fungus for February

2011-02-16T23:39:00.000-08:00

I got a few pics which I thought I shall showcase in my blog as they were some interesting visitors I had on my left over dough.
The pics are cute,at least I feel that way.....and I did welcome my guests with a "SMILE".

BUGS:BEETLE:Dung Beetle

2011-01-29T04:57:00.000-08:00

I happened to find this credible site while I had been to Lonar Crater,Aurangabad. Hence after a few in site on these bugs I understood they are on a mission!!

Dung Beetles are an important group of insects associated with the decomposition of animal manure around the world. They consume large amounts of dung as adults and larvae. Some species prefer woodland habitats while others are common on pastures. Their actions have been credited in reducing pasture fouling, adding nutrients to soil, aerating soil and competing for nesting habitat and food resources with flies.

Dung beetles fall into three basic nest building categories, tunnelers, dwellers, or rollers.Tunnelers consume the dung pat and burrow into the soil beneath the pat.Manure dwelling beetles, consume the manure pat and deposit eggs in the manure, or in the soil near the surface. Canthon beetles are dung rolling beetles. These beetles tend to break the pat into brood balls that are rolled to a suitable site and buried. Each dung beetle nest type improves the soil by increasing percolation, introducing organic matter into the soil, and reducing non-point sources of organic pollution.
(Courtesy: SC State Univ Ref)
(My kids background voice makes the video complete, as he doubts when did the ladybird change black? and is it coming to attack me?)

Missing Home!!

2011-01-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

I should say I miss home, or rather "home made moms food".
In Mumbai you have answers for all your queries.I guess I had an answer and was to find a Kerala mess. One of my Fav is Hotel Deluxe.

Its really cheap and you could have Thali in banana leaf and good variety of seafood's which includes crab,prawn,mussel as well.Also try the beef masala which is one of my fav.Don't ever forget to try Porotta,pathiri and puttu as well. Enjoy !!

Address:
Hotel Deluxe
28, SBS Road, Pitha Street, Near Hitkari House, Fort, Mumbai
Landmark: Opposite Citi Bank Lane
Phone: 22042351, 66559914, 22623537

Always there.....

2010-12-28T10:05:00.000-08:00

Have you wondered about these waves??....low tide...high tide...the rolling of these carpets of waves been there always......shimmering the sun behind the curtains of these waves,sometimes bright in the morning as sunrise and sometimes shy in the evenings,as sunset. Lovely!!

Gurudongmar Lake

2010-12-23T23:59:00.000-08:00

I have to tell you all, that I have visited a paradise on earth and that is none other than "Gurudongmar Lake".
It is one of the highest lakes in the world, located at an altitude of 17,100 ft (5,210 m). It lies in the province of North Sikkim, India, only some 5 kilometres & south of Chinese border.(Courtesy:Wiki)

Our tour started early in the morning as we had to reach around 8 am.If not it would get colder and would start snowing after 12pm.I had an oppurturnity to meet the Jawans who help the tourists who come there to tell us the significance of this lake and obviously their main job is to guard the border.They take rotations of 20 days with other Jawans, and breathing is not an easy task for people like us.(So kindly don't exert much when your up there,the oxygen level is less) The Jawans take bath in this cold water and also take a walk around this 7km lake when they get bored,smiles....I would not blame them!!

Gurudongmar Lake is primarily a pilgrimage destination for the Sikhs. During his third journey, Guru Nanak visited this place to provide support to the Karmapa Nyingmapa sects who were forced out of Tibet by the Gelugpa sect. His footprints, a water carrying utensils and a robe is still preserved in Lachen Gompa, a place nearby. There is also a gurudwara at Gurudongmar Lake commemorating Guru Nanak's visit. The lake is named after Guru Dongmar, who is popularly known as Padmasambhava.
(Courtesy :Jawans :-} )

Nothing comes for FREE

2010-12-22T21:54:00.000-08:00

On our way to this amazing destination "Lonar Crater" I found this lady by a stream collecting water.Thrilled to my photography spree,thought of getting a snap of the village woman.I took a snap,dint have to say even to pose.....she wore this bright magenta and was looking all happy.
I understood a few secs later that she smiled and was happy because she is going to make some easy bucks there!!!She asked me money.....And I was ,why do you need that??Because you took my snap......Ooho...I was in a mood to debate and my tourist guide interuppted and gave 10 Rs., and he said its of no use to have an arguement, and would be only a waste of time.

Moral of the story:
Nothing comes for free these days!!not even a smile :-)

Caves beckons !! (Part II)

2010-12-05T23:29:00.000-08:00

ELLORA SNAPS

Anhakasura - Vadha ,Cave 29

Another Pic from Cave 29

Caves beckons !!

2010-12-04T23:33:00.000-08:00

Diwali, festival of lights had indeed brought a difference in my life this year. What’s in store for next year is totally not in my hands, is it? So whatever I had been through this year and so far, would be doted as "unforgettable moments".

I and Hubby dear have our checklist for 'places to travel' and we had put a tick mark over Ajanta and Ellora caves in Aurangabad. We started in the morning as we knew its around 390Kms and time is precious to make maximum out of the weekends.

The morning breeze was indeed soothing in Mumbai as the fresh air was just setting in, competing with the Diwali smoke and pollution. I can't just forget to thank the GPS navigator in helping us making our travel much easier as the paper map we had was an old helping hand now. We were estimated to reach by noon and thought of covering Ellora caves which was the best decision we made.

Ellora Caves:

These caves dating from A.D. 600 to 1000, brings the civilization of ancient India to life. These caves were declared as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, a number of years back. The Ellora Caves bear witness to three great religions (Buddhism, Brahmanism and Jainism). The place is so full of guides local and government aided. It’s your choice to get one!! We had a quick ride at Ellora and visited main caves.

Ellora Caves were carved out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills and comprise of temples as well as monasteries. There are total twelve Buddhist Caves at Ellora (numbered 1 to 12), while the Hindu Caves number seventeen (13 to 29). On the other hand, the Jain Caves excavated at the site are only five in number (numbered 30 to 34). The co-existence of Hindi, Jain and Buddhist Caves, at the same site, serves as a proof of the fact that religious harmony prevailed during that period.

The earliest excavation carried out at the site of Ellora Caves revealed the Cave number twenty nine, known as Dhumar Lena. Then, there is the magnificent Kailasa Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, situated inside cave 16. The temple holds the distinction of being the single largest monolithic structure in the whole world and makes one of the major attractions of the Ellora Caves. Whenever you go to Aurangabad, make sure to visit these splendid caves and explore the country's rich legacy. (Courtesy: Ellora manifesto)

It was a great feel to stand there and say “I am amidst of these huge masses of rocks”.

We resided that night at hotel called “Kailash” which is so adjacent to these Ellora caves. Need not say how thrilled we were to spend a night there and to have our breakfast early in the morning facing these caves.

Winter Woofs!!

2010-12-03T23:41:00.000-08:00

Been missing u my blog....Diwali ....Eid....seasons greetings.....I was taken away too.....
Mean time winter has creeped in to make me more idle and lazy......but not going to give up....I have to fight those bulges for this wedding season and winter blues.

Winter Tips:
I am so fetish about hands and feet and I guess most of us are.....I have remedies to treat cracked heels today for you, :-)
Apply any vegetable oil after washing the feet clean on dry and cracked areas of the feet.You could do this any time of the day.Then also wear a pair of thick socks at night as well after the application for better results.

Beauty Tip!!

2010-11-15T21:47:00.000-08:00

Its been a long time...a few days have made me feel like that...I have something for you all today.

I am so addicted to conditioners than shampoo...smiles!!One day I realised that my conditioner was over and I was too lazy to go out to buy one.I went through my bible of Tips!!Something simple and easy made my day.

Put a little vinegar in water with which hair is to be washed.You would get a lustrous hair....Have a great Day...Bakrid wishes!!!

Devil Fruit / Dragon Fruit

2010-11-10T00:19:00.000-08:00

I had been longing to have fruits.....so you wonder what is so great in that.This time I wanted to have fruits which are not from my country"India".So, which means I wanted to have imported fruits. Being in Mumbai, the best place to get them would be Crawford Market.The market houses wholesale fruits, vegetables and poultry stuffs. Most of the sellers inside the market nowadays sell imported items such as foods, cosmetics, household and gift items.

I had been here several times because I never get fed up of this place.Coming to the point of my today's interesting part,I went to the fruit section where some were interested in selling and some were least bit bothered.I am 'someone like anyone' who wants attention and get what a customer wants, " Customer Delight". I was called by this chap from a shop, he told me, "just taste a few of our fresh fruits, & if you like it buy it or not its absolutely okie".That was a warm welcome.I tasted a fruit for my first time called "DEVIL FRUIT" and that is the first time I am seeing it as well. He said it comes from Thailand. I was amazed and happy to see the beauty of my creator in India,which is coined as third world or developing country.Trust me I was happy to see things which I have not seen before.:-) The inner feel is like a strawberry,that does not mean it looks like them,the feel while eating them gives you second thoughts of strawberry.And don't you want to see them??

I did check in Wiki and other sources for the definition and some detailing on this fruit. I was not satisfied with the results.

It seems a Devil Fruit is a cursed Fruit.They are said to be the fruit of the Sea Devil and that the secret to their power is hidden in the Grand Line. Because encounters with them are rare (especially outside the Grand Line) a number of rumours about them have risen making it difficult to tell whether some things are fact or fiction. The average person knows nothing or very little about what they are. The Devil Fruit, when consumed, gives the consumer a power or special trait. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)

I did see other unusual fruits(at least for me), such as Amarfal, which is from Kashmir,India and Mini Oranges which is again from Thailand.I loved the dream being fulfilled by having IMPORTED FRUITS.
Enjoy some of my pics and do drop in my fav shop keeper who delighted me with his customer service.

BHAGWANDAS BHERUMAL,
Fruit Merchant,
Stall No.116,Crawford Market,Mumbai.

Amarfal

Mini Oranges

I loved the dream being fulfilled by having IMPORTED FRUITS.

Tips for today!!

2010-11-08T03:33:00.000-08:00

After my long weekend of Diwali break, Im tired and my legs are aching.

My throat is paining...and the list goes on. My hubby dear always mocks aka frankly tells "I have married a sickling":-(
Guess these are signs of ageing and am falling sick once in a while. I have decided to gear up to change this fact from now onwards and be Healthy".

I also thought I shall tip today for health:-)

To get relief from cough,grind some dried ginger and cumin. Have it with sugar or rather I would suggest to have it with honey.

Tips for today!!

2010-11-04T00:26:00.000-07:00

Diwali around the corner and I am sure everybody wants to look at their best.And moreover if you don't have time, What next?? Home remedies.....so I decided to do some tipping to to my blog along with my travel ventures.

For a fast, at-home body exfoliation, Mix olive oil with sea salt or sugar. Smooth over skin in circular motion all over the body.Rinse off in the shower and apply moisturiser.

Traveller

2010-11-02T02:27:00.000-07:00

My Trip to Ganapatipulé:

I had travelled to this magnificent place in 2008, which means 2 years back from now and I still have my memories fresh. One good thing to remember was because my husband rather "hubby had taken me since it was our wedding anniversary,and moreover I, oops WE love beaches. At this time my kid, one and only, was tiny and hated beaches.

Our ride was by road from Mumbai which was not that hectic I should say or rather hectic,smiles!!. A journey which would be around 8 hrs.

Ganapatipulé is located by the Arabian sea on the Southern Konkan coast.On our way we had our usual stopover breaks for tea, snacks...On our way we discovered a cave which is not having a name. So we told ourselves "we discovered this place" LOL's.....Check out a few pics.

Do you think any kind of sitings are there?Looks like its a green patch that has covered up the mountains.If you look closely there are windows inside these green patches which made me stop the vehicle and echoed,"its time to excavate"

Its an old cave or call it as an old Buddhist Monastery. Do drop in if possible.It had a few rooms where the monks used to meditate,eat, pray and sleep. A Stupa is there as well in this monastery.These monks used to get water from a well beneath this monastery which I have clicked a snap.

Rooms

Stupa

Underground Well

After this beautiful discovery we reached our destination in no time. We were smart enough not to book our hotels and we were even more smarter, we started our sight seeing by booking the hotel. I always had the dream of staying near a beach....waking up in the morning,listening to those waves and then have a coffee.I had this dream sanctioned as we stayed in a hotel which was on a cliff and with beach beside.

This is guys what I was talking about,look at the view. By this time we headed for lunch and went out for sightseeing. As usual I would make sure I get in touch with the locals and get to know all the places to visit and shopping areas as they are the best referred "Lonely planet Guide".

Ganesh Temple

The Ganpati Temple on the coast is the main attraction for Hindu devotees. And since the town itself isn't easy to get to, the beach remains clean and the water clear. The Ganpati Temple is reconstructed in special Rajasthani style stones and look, and attracts thousands of Hindus from all over India.
A nearby place called Paawas is known for its spiritual importance.

You could also visit Jaigad Fortt,the legendary fort stands high and proud on the cliff with a spectacular view of the sea. The fort is at the entrance of the Sangameshwar river and is 35 kms away from Ganapatipule.

Fort

We decided to visit Ratnagiri as well which is a 2 hour journey.We visited Thebaw Palace, which was built for the exiled King and Queen of Burma (now Myanmar) in 1910 - 11. They lived for five years till their death in 1916. Also had some real catch on fish fries and curries,and or course kokam kadhi. Since Ganpatipule is a pilgrimage destination, non - vegetarian food is a little rare. But we managed to always get. When there is a will there is a way,smiles.

After these sites we headed to roam around for shopping near the temple area.The Konkan coast is rich in horticulture and the place is filled with delicious exotic fruits. These are also turned into sweet preparations like Ambapoli and Phanaspoli (pancakes of dried mango and jack fruit respectively). If you visit during the mango season, don't forget to buy the world famous Devgad "Hampus" mangoes.

I have captured some more photographs and you could check on my photo gallery. My kudos to my dear hubby who has inspired me into photography.

Then what we did...we extended one more day just to spend at the beach(the beach was just to ourselves with clean sand)Hope you would travel to this land of Ganesha soon!!!

Travelpod :Tpod

2010-11-02T00:22:00.000-07:00

I love to travel,have had this feel and urge to do it since childhood. So its definitely my dreams that has made my likes to the love feel.If you think I have travelled like a "Traveller", no I have not and I'm still taking my baby steps. But I would defenitely want to share all the bits that I have done to places I have been to, shoppining areas in lanes and turns,etc.
And defenitely I would make use of my photographs, you would have a bit of me in most of the places and if I don't, I shall borrrow from other websites for the feel factor. ( I shall defenitely thank that particular website as well).Smiles!!
Hope you enjoy this page!!

My Baby steps to Bloggination

2010-11-01T05:46:00.000-07:00

Today,Kerala Piravi marks the birth of the state of Kerala and so as to my blog "Gypsydrag". I am an absolute newbie getting started to create a good /bad/apprehensive weblog, Laughs!!

I feel good to kickstart after a few researchs on blogging, not much either.
See you my pal ... aka "my blog".... soon with my fresh,twisted ideas.

Sajna