Crossroads 92 - Shanti Circle - Borivali West

Crossroads 92 - Shanti Circle - Borivali West

Yes, it is near the Shanti Ashram. The 92 refers to the postal code and crossroads refers to the, well, crossroads. It is on the triangle on the edge of the circle -- a really prime location for a restaurant.

It has a really nice ambiance, a tad formal in a way. The cutlery is modern and pleasurable. The waiters look smart and knowledgeable.

Note: I think the Chef wants to be different. So each of the dish is actually a variation from the traditional or expected version. Some may like it, others may not like it so much.

Tomato Basil Soup

At first glance it looked like a rasam with basil leaves strewn all over. The consistency was that of a rasam. But my wife quite liked it. I found it OK but was trying to figure out the little bit of bitterness in it. (Checked with the Chef and he confirmed that they do not include the skins. I have a feeling it is perhaps the seeds which got included by mistake!) I would call this more like a shorba rather than a propah soup. Quantity was good and the taste quite good.

Ceasar's Salad

Both of us liked it. The dressing was very tasty and creamy. Interestingly, there were slivers of cheese all over. I thought tomato ketchup was an integral part, but it was not there. Strangely enough croutons which are what distinguishes a Caesar's Salad was absent. (I believe the Main Chef was absent -- the excellent Steward said he can get us some additional pitta bread if we wanted!) The lettuce leaves were fresh, cold and crunchy. The size was well cut so you got a very nice mouth feel. The dressing really coated all the leaves, which is something which I liked.

Hummus with Pitta Bread

I do not think anyone makes a hummus look so good -- a golden yellow, extremely creamy with a little bit of oil shining through! The taste was good too, though I would have preferred a little more of garlic. (Not chef's fault -- only 1 garlic is recommended!) I believe lime and tahini sauce is also added -- could not really get the taste of either.

The pitta bread was good too. Very crisply baked triangles.

Tomato Bruschetta

These 6 pieces of thinly sliced french bread (baguette) with topping of tomatoes and cheese were really good. They were value for money too at around Rs.150. Like in modern and fancy restaurants there were some chef signatures (drawings) using Balsamic Vinegar. My god this vinegar was really tasty and I was licking the tiny drops with my fingers. I must get this brand of Aceto Balsamico from Hypercity soon. (We saw this brand at Cafe 015 too, it was placed on the table,  but did not use it!)

Glazed Citrus Chicken

My wife quite liked this Chinese version of Glazed Citrus Chicken. The quantity was so good that my wife could not finish it and we had to pack the remaining portion. To be honest it looked so good that I was tempted to become a non-veg!

Mango Bavarois

I was looking forward to this dessert as I had read about it in the menu on the Zomato site. Also, it was described as a soufflé. Bavarois in French refers to Bavarian Cream. It came in the huge wine glass which we see desserts being served nowadays. There was just a small strand of mango on it as decoration. Not sure whether the "soufflé" had the mango taste but the colour was yellow. It was not sweet at all, so good for diabetics. I was disappointed. It was too thick and not creamy and airy. It was more like a custard that you may get at Irani restaurants. (BTW, this is not an "insult" to either the Irani restaurant or to this one. Just sharing my experience.) 

Pricing

I think the pricing was quite cool for such a posh restaurant albeit at Borivali! All this came within Rs.900. Most of the dishes are priced between Rs.80 and Rs.200. Even though taxes are inclusive, 10% service charges are extra. It is like the tip being already included.

Links

Crossroads 92 site
Facebook Page

Zomato page about Crossroads 92 (includes Menu)

Sadly, my favourite site burrp! does not have it yet!

You can follow me on Twitter @KamathGurudutt . Do give me your feedback on  my blog and on the restaurant.

Cafe 015

Cafe 015 -- an Italian street Cafe on the 8th floor

Parth, Linking Road, Malad West

I am not sure whether I trust Little Italy any more. Because now you get Mexican and Lebanese food there. So when I wanted to treat some friends, I chose Cafe 015.

Arabiatta Pasta

Excellent, fairly sour, tomato sauce covering the fusilli pasta. The quantity is good for one.

Gnocchi in Alfredo sauce

As the waiter had served all of it to the rest of the party, I and a friend did not get any. We then just had a spoonful from our partners. It was quite tasty, my wife in fact liked it.

Siciliana Pizza

This was an absolutely thin-crust pasta. My daughter said it was like paper. The best part was that it was loaded with veggies -- mushroom, spinach, corn  -- and of course mozzarella cheese. 

One of the greatest compliments I could pay to the chefs is that I did not use a drop of any sauce or any other ingredient. Of course, I tried out the Oregano as it was in a small sachet.

As we were a party of 5, 3 dishes were not sufficient. We had desserts too. Most of the desserts were outstanding.

Chocolate mousse -- outstanding

Creme brulée  -- good (though did not have the burnt part)

Chocolate Pannacota -- average

As we were waiting for our guests, we decided to order  -- hold your breath -- Pani Puri! The serving of the PP was interesting and the water was extremely tasty -- correct amount of sourness and sweetness or perfectly khatta-meetha!

Sorry, most of the pictures are hazy. As restaurants are not too well lit, I could not click better pictures. But you get the idea.

The dishes were not very expensive -- considering that we were having them on the 8th floor in Malad West! The bill came to Rs.2200 -- despite order 3 desserts!

It is a huge place with functional tables and plastic chairs. Service was good.

BTW, the menu is offered to you on a tablet. You scroll through using your fingers. We had a smart Bengaluru girl with us -- she was wondering whether we could order directly from the tablet. The smart techy wizard (one with the iPhone) just simply smiled!

It was an evening well spent with good food and good friends and good conversation.

Granvillegreens - Veg Restaurant -- Mumbai Mexican!

Location: Next to Kora Kendra, Borivili West
Overall rating: 2.5/5 stars
Food rating: 2.5/5 stars
Service rating: 2.5/5 stars
Ambience: 2.5/5 stars
Prices: Not expensive. Meal for 2 under Rs.500.
Recommendation: Worth a try. On the healthier side.

Googled to check which restaurant I could go to and found an unheard of one -- Granville Green. It is part of the Hotel Granville. It is a huge open air place with umbrellas (I believe they have an A/C version in the basement). It is not a new place. Seating being 4 cane chairs around a big table. The huge shadi ka fans blowing on you from both sides

I liked the way their Menu has been structured simply. For each cuisine, there are just a few dishes. The cuisines they have are: Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and Continental. Remember the menu items are not extensive.

We went in for Mexican.

(Good -- is used in this article to refer to food that is above average. Sort of 2.75/5. Not really recommending it, but saying that you will not be disappointed if you try it.)

Cream of Red Bean Soup -- Decent
I love bean soups. This was a fairly decent thickish red bean soup. A few crushed red beans could be found at the bottom.

Mexican Salad -- Good
The quantity was very good for its low price of Rs.75. Red and yellow peppers,lettuce leaves, rajma (red beans), fried taco bits (like fried papad ka chura), with oil and lemon juice dressing. Quite tasty.

Mexican Bhel -- Good (from nutrition point of view, taste was OK)
Red beans, fried taco bits, corn. Absolutely heavy -- so calling it a bhel is rather a misnomer. Price: Rs.105. I think it is a good side dish to fill you up and pretty nutritious.

Tacos -- Good
3 corn(+maida) tacos filled with -- yes, you guessed it, red beans paste -- and finely shredded cheese. Served, interestingly, on a bed of shredded cabbage. Rs.140

Enchiladas -- Good
2 enchiladas with, yes, you guessed it, red beans filling. There was a topping of cheese that had melted and with tomato sauce. Rs.240.

Nutrition notes: Mexican cuisine seems to be a healthy cuisine which is full of tortillas (corn or wheat flour) and rajma and veggies. One must go a little easy on the cheese to make it even healthier. Like any cuisine, this one also has been messed up by the Americans (Tex-Mex) and everything is fried and more cheese is added -- so such dishes need to be avoided.

Overall experience: It was a reasonably good experience for a reasonable price. (Rs.545). Service was OK. What I liked about the meal is that is was on the healthier and nutritious side. Taste-wise it was OK. Not a bad place to have a meal once in a while. There are so many other cuisines and dishes to try. Notable about this place is that we get these, er, exotic dishes at a reasonable price in Borivali!

Currying favour at 360°, Vikhroli with South Indian FPSM

Fixed price set menu of Rs.99! (Check earlier reviews for details of the location, ambience, details, etc.)

Overall rating: 3/5 stars Good!
Value for money: Rs. 200 for Rs.99!
Nice experience of a south Indian lunch at a very affordable price in a good setting.

Lentil Soup -- Good
This was a very good dal soup. Quite thickish. Made of tuar dal mainly.

Banana Tadka Salad -- Good
This is what I mean by creative. Ever imagine making a salad with ripe bananas? Well, slice the bananas into roundels and pour a tadka over it. You can make the tadka with a bit of oil, thinnish tamrind paste, salt, chat masala and lots of curry leaves. Recipe is my invention. I liked it.

Lemon Rice -- Good
Mostly I have had lemon rice with regular fluffy fat grains of rice and not dainty basamati. The rice was nice and fluffy. Could have done with a bit more lemon and more masala.

Sambhar -- Good
This was a fairly decent sambhar with drumsticks and squash/pumpkin. Sort of felt that it could have done with more tomatoes and more tamrind.

Vegetable Porial -- Excellent
This porial was somewhat like a veg kurma and a veg jalfrezie. It really did not have a very south Indian touch. But it was very tasty with its tang and sweetness. Beans, carrots, and other vegetables but in slivers. Bit oily for my comfort.

Payasam -- Good
This was a rather thinnish payasam with moong (?) dal, milk and sugar.

Overall -- Good
Really nice set meal. For Rs.99, it is a steal.

Italian FPSM at 360°, Vikhroli

Fixed Price Set Menu at 360° for Rs.99!

(Please read earlier reviews for more details of the place and experience.)

BTW, OK/Average is a rating of 2.5/5.00, which is not a bad achievement.

Minestrone Soup -OK/Average

Surprisingly, it was thin. Minestrone in Italian means big soup! Big soup = thick soup. But here it was water thin! Had some 50 per cent veggies -- that is what I like about the soups here. More of cabbage. Tomato flavoured soup. Had bits of parsley, I thought. Quite a decent soup with a nice tang (specially for the low low price). Strange that they don't serve the soup HOT! It is merely warm and almost ruins the taste of a good soup.

Cucumber and Dill Yoghurt Salad -- OK/Average
Cubes of cucumber in dahi with dill. Surprisingly, I could not taste the dill. Served cold, it was a bit of a nuisance having it with hot fettucine!

Fettucine ala Sorento -- Average/Good
This was an excellent fettucine pasta in pesto sauce. It was actually Good -- but surprisingly, the salt was very uneven. Some portions were salty and some almost devoid of salt. Vegetables were also a bit less and overcooked. Could not really taste the pesto. Served hot. Sorento btw is a very famous Italian area/style of cooking. They also had a Fettucine alla Verdure (Fettucine Pasta with Vegetables) for the non-veg part. Fettucine as you know is the tape pasta.

Fruit Salad with Vanilla icecream -- Good
This time, it was a bit cold. The fruit cubes were of different sizes. 3 Fruits = Melon, Papaya, and Pineapple. I love this fruit salad.

Overall
From my past reviews, you can make out that I am very fond of this place, specially the CHEAP promotional price! Each of the item is worth nearly Rs.99 and yet we get all (including a soft drink!) for just Rs.99! Today, was a very average experience. Is it diminishing marginal utility? The more ladoos we have the last one does not taste as good as the first one?

Mexican FPSM at 360°, HomeTown, Vikhroli

FPSM = Fixed Price Set Meal (Rs88 for Veg, Rs.98 for nonVeg plus taxes) FPSM is my terminology.

Here is the 4 course meal, served as soup, starter-cum-main course-with-accompaniments, fruit salad with icecream. One free soft drink is also offered!

Pepper Pot Soup
One of the finest soups I have had in recent times. Felt like it was a 5-star hotel soup. Pepper was very, very bearable. The consistency was divine -- slightly thinner than a thin coconut milk consistency. It was mainly made up of carrots and tomatoes. Very little tomatoes, I suppose, as the tang was not there. There were plenty of thin granuales of garlic (size of a smallish sugar crystals). If the temperature was 5-10 degrees hotter, it would have been perfect/great/divine! But given the rainy day today, it was OK. Still I would give it 4/5 stars.

1- Bad 2-Poor 2.5-Average 3-Good 4-Perfect 5-Divine

Pineapple Salsa
The chef has a way with food. He really combines the food and tastes and textures so well, that the food really seduce you. I am not sure whether this can be called a salsa. I have heard of only Tomato Salsa. Well, these were very tiny cubes of pineapple (say 1/8th the size of a sugar cube), with even tinier pieces of ginger, garlic, corriander and green chillies (w/o the bite/theekapan). I really enjoyed this one -- though the serving was tiny. Was served in the smallest flat chutney dish. Not complaining, just describing! 4/5 stars

Burrito with tomato salsa and cheese, accompanied with gaucomole, sour cream, with side portions of Mexican rice and refried beans (er, rajma). The burrito had a decent spinach filling and the burrito was topped well with stringy cheese. Apparently, it was splashed with tomato salsa, but I could just see a very thin sauce on the side. The wrap was OK, but a tad undercooked. If I were the chef, I would definitely try to improve the wrap (looked like one of the readymade ones). 2.75/5 stars

Gaucamole was indeed novel -- it was surprisingly thickish and roughish (freshly made and not the smooth, bottled one!) with chunks of, I believe, er, avocado! Loved its nice fresh green colour, with hints of yellow. Taste was different but good. 3/5 stars

Sour cream is an international favourite. I think it is a lip smacking taste. This one was really sour, very much like dahi, but with a cream consistency. 2 tablespoons. Passable. 2.5/5 stars

Mexican rice was nothing but thin long grained rice with brown colour! Disappointing. Cannot believe that such a creative chef could mess up on this one. But, er, take my criticism with a pinch of salt because in reality there may be no such thing as Mexican rice. Any Mexican or someone who has been to Mexico should be able to clarify this one for us. 1.5/5 stars (This rating may be very mean, but do remember that it is very subjective. Also, the problem is with the name/description. If you call it brown (colour) rice -- the rating is 2.5/5 stars!)

Refried beans/rajma A fistful. Just right for me. This was again average. 2.5/5 stars. It was not very flavour-full. Maybe the burrito and the other stuff, which were really good in many ways, overshadowed it.

Plated Serving: All these were served on a single large 10 inch oval plate. So most of the stuff stuck to each other and made it difficult to really, really enjoy the meal. But, I understand, for such a low promotional price and during the rush lunch hour, this is the best that they could do.

Fruit Salad: This is one of the best fruit salads I have had. I skipped the ice cream. There were 3 fruits: Melon, Papaya, Pineapple. Not sure whether there was black grape also. All fruits were cubed perfectly, a little smaller than a sugar cube. Served, perfectly, at room temperature. Each fruit had a distinct taste -- which means they were added in the bowl individually and not kept mixed (which would rub the taste on one another!) The fruits were of the right consistency and taste -- firm and with the right amount of tartness and sweetness. 4/5 stars

I LOVED the Mexican meal. It was just perfect for me in terms of size, taste, and price. But to have a great meal created by a good creative chef is indeed a blessing. To pay just Rs.100 for the entire experience is a double blessing. Each of the courses, themselves are worth Rs.100 each. Rs.399 would actually be a good price to pay for such a meal (portions being adjusted here and there). But thanks to the promotional offer, I had it for just Rs.99 (88 plus taxes)!

Please note: available only for lunch (NOT for dinner). Lunch time could get crowded as today, and service could be a bit tardy.

360° restaurant in Home Town, Vikhroli

Table d'hote Menu at 360° restaurant in Home Town, Vikhroli (LBS Marg, 1 Km from flyover)

Gurudath Baliga, a friend, put a status on Facebook that the soups and pasta at this place was good. Thanks -- Gurudath! So I went and the place had a lot of surprises.

Had 4 course meal in this special set menu for a fixed price. Read to the very end for several surprises.

Soup:Lemon coriander soup
Small serving. Full of finely diced carrots and cabage, full of corrainder leaves, flavoured with lemon -- in a sort of white soup. I liked the soup. 3/5 stars

Salad:Khimchi
I liked the decent serving of khimchi. In addition to the cabbage, they had slices of cuccumber in it. Quite good. 3/5 stars

Vegetable: Vegetable Singapore
A small bowl (200 ml) of this vegetable. This was full of cauliflower, babycorn, red capsicum, etc. Sour and sweet, the taste was really good. The veggies were perfectly crunchy and very well cut. 3.5/5 (I am a little mean here -- should actually give it a 4/5.)

Noodles (or Rice): Hakka noodles
Got a huge mountain of very tasty noodles (say a 500 ml bowl overturned). The noodles were perfectly cooked with tons of spring onion green leaves finely chopped. I loved the caramalized onions in it. I could eat this the whole day. Believe me the onions were cooked to perfection. It had lots of thin slivers of green capsicum too. (Gave in to gluttony today -- and finished the whole bowl as the server was a bit reluctant at first to give me only half!)One of the best hakka noodles I have had in recent times. 3.5/5 (This time I am not mean!)

Dessert/Drink: Icecream/softdrink (I am not sure whether you get both or you choose one. But I did not have either of them.

Ambience: Excellent A grade. Nice decor and comfortable seating. Feel of a posh restaurant

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!
Guess how much I paid for this royal treat? Rs.499? Rs.399? Rs.299? Rs.199? Rs.99!

You will not believe me! But the price is Rs.88 plus taxes. Which makes it Rs.99! I had one of the most memorable meals of 2010 (No5 I think) for just 100 rupees!

I could not believe it when I began eating and repeatedly asked several waiters about the price. I thought the price is Rs.88 per course -- and it would have still (well, almost) been worth it!

Here come another surprise! Tomorrow, it will be Mexican. Every day the set menu changes.

Third surprise: the same set menu is available for dinner also at the same price!

BTW, this is a full fledged open throughout the day restaurant. As the name suggests it is multi-cuisine and has everything from Indian to Chinese to Pizzas and Pastas and Chats. The rates for all these are quite decent (and not exorbitant) for a class restaurant albeit in an odd location.

Unbelievable, isn't it? Well, this is a promotional offer! So rush before they stop the offer.

Their phone number as in their card: 6177 5253
They are on the First Floor of the Home Town (home decor mall), located in 247 Park.

Kandhe Pohe & Dhansak

Thanks to Facebook, one discovers one's true friends. I had not updated my status for 3 days and there was Mohan Sule enquiring why it is all quiet on the gurudutt front.

A phone call to him and I was enquiring what Meenal was cooking these days. So mad about food this year -- in fact, I remember starting a discussion on breakfasts at the local Reliance Super store. I came to know from the 70-year old from Jabalpur (?) that he had Jalebi and yoghurt (dahi) for breakfast. BTW, Pushpesh Pant mentioned this in his last article too!

I had given a surprise visit to Mohan and Meenal on January 26, 2000 (?) The date is easy to remember, but the year! Well, in 1999 Yukta Mookhey won the Miss World, and on Jan 26, 2000 my daughter won the society fancy dress competition posing as Miss World (She wore a similar costume to that worn by Yukta Mookhey.)

But to me what was most memorable that day was the Kande-batata pohe made by Meenal. Nice big poha, perfectly puffed up, nice yellow colour and perfectly warm. I think she had already put the limbu in it too. (Not served separately as I like it nowadays.) Now, you will ask me what is so great about Kandhe pohe (kande means onions and poha is flattened rice)? I have had this so many times, but it was never perfect! Perfection or excellence is what I am talking about. All the ingredients need to be right, perfectly cooked, and served well.

You can have kande pohe in most Maharastrian restaurants. None of them are a match. Of course, the ambience and friends also contributes a little to the experience and rating. Their well kept house with the right amount of artistic touches and their friendship might have added to the experience.

My friendship with Mohan goes a long way back. I remember visiting him, and his mother would always make a perfect cup of tea. I would always look forward to that cup of tea. It is too long back, so I cannot remember the snacks she made for us. I would rate her's as one of the 5 best teas I have ever had in my life.

When Meenal got married to him, I am sure I must have tasted several of her snacks too. But I really enjoyed the Dhansak she made. Those days I was not too much into food and was in fact tasting it for the first time. I really enjoyed the nice, fluffy, long-grained rice. The Dhansak dal was superb with the right consistency and taste. It was very interesting that the pumpkin was totally mixed with the dal. The garnish of fried, brown onions is one of the tastiest garnishes. In fact, I could eat is as a complete meal. These onions added to the taste and overall experience. Above all, I remember, both the dal and the rice were hot and steaming. Mercifully, these were pre-microwave days. Apparently, even then I was interested in cooking as I remember her telling me the secret to the fluffy rice.

Meenal is from Ahmedabad and it would not be wrong to say she is half-gujrati in some ways. Ahmedabad is also a food paradise and if there is one outstanding community known for its love of food it is the Gujaratis. Just at the char rasta opposite Iskon Temple/Food bazar there I had a decent plate of roadside kanda poha (note the change in spelling) for Rs.2 (?) for a katori (plate made out of dry leaves) full. For a road-side vendor to give me such a nice, cheap snack at 9.30 am in the morning was indeed good! It was decent and if I give it say 2.25/5.00, I would give Meenal's a 5/5!

I think the secret ingredient of Mohan's mother, Mohan's children's mother (er, Meenal) and all mothers is simple -- they just add a dash of love and of course their years of expertise. Restaurant foods don't have this ingredient -- so you know why they taste so ordinary.

Konkani Lunch -- 2nd Best Meal of 2010

My first best meal of 2010 was in the first week of January. I had not started the blog, so I did not note it down. So I do not remember the meal entirely, but for the fact that I had the world's best pathrodo (the Konkani version of alu vadi or patra). My sister-in-law Manju, according to me, makes the best pathrodo in the world. It is quite spicy, very surboos (fluffy?), the alu leaves just shine. I have a feeling that tingalavra bendi and rice was also part of this meal. Tingalavra is a white bean, do not remember its English name now.

My second best meal of 2010 I had yesterday. Same venue, same master chef -- my sister-in-law, Manju.



I can never wait for food. I began eating this meal and thought -- hey, I should take a picture. So with my left hand, I took the cell from my right pocket and quickly took this picture. Not a great picture, but you get the idea.

You see the rice and a fantastic tomato dal. I just don't know what is the magic in her fingers but believe me I have never tasted such fantastic dal before. Still trying to figure out what made it so tasty. BTW, what I loved about the dal is that it was watery. Hey, dals should be like this! Not the thick sauce consistency for me. Needless to add, it was not dalitoy (Konkani dal) -- which is regarded as the kuldevata (reigning deity) of the konkanis.

Then, starting from left, in anti-clockwise direction, you can see a small roll of patrodo. This must be the 10th time I was having this dish made by her. It tasted the same. Only thing is this time, I could taste the hing (asfoetida). Today, it was double than the normal size. You feel less guilty! Naturally, I put lots of coconut oil on it.

Next to it is the Batate song (spicy red konkani potato dish). Amazingly spicy and tasty.

Next to it is the harve kela phodi (raw green banan shallow fried with a rava/sooji coating). Absolutely crisp and tasty. Cut in the right size, so cooked uniformly.

Next to it is the tendle bibbe upkari (tondli/gherkins and cashew nut dish). As far as I know, Konkani's are the only one's to have a dish like this. This is a favourite and is served at most amchigele (konkani) marriages. The kajoos were really huge -- almost an inch long sometimes.

What more can a person ask for, when he is served 3 of his favourite dishes in one meal. Well, the picture is there and these words (which are but a poor attempt to explain a divine meal) are there. 2 great meals in 5 months is not a bad life at all. So when I have the next best meal, I can always come back here as a reference point.

Could it have been even more heavenly? Yes, ambe upkari (a konkani dish made with small sweet mangoes, a bit of jaggery, and a rai tadka) is yet another of my all-time favourites.

For more pictures and more information on konkani and amchigele food, join the Konkani Amchi Food group on Facebook.

Pav Vada Contest Mumbai Winners

The results of the Pav Wow Contest was announced. Here are my opinions:


Winner
Nitin Patil, IC Colony

I am not sure whether I have had it here.
But I did have Pav Vada once on the busy street/khau gulli of IC Colony. It was quite OK -- comparable with any vada pav (hey, I think this is the correct term) you can have anywhere in Mumbai. Most vada pavs in Mumbai deserve a rating of 2.5 or less. In other words, they are all good!

1st Runner Up
Jain Sweets and Farsan, Kandivili

I have had this several times, albeit at least a year or two ago. As per the earlier note, this vada pav was no different, although the pav and the vada are slightly biggish. This is the case with most restaurants. Would rate a 2.5 and was good or pretty OK.

2nd Runner Up
Ashok Vada Pav, Kirti College, Dadar

I have had this several times over the year -- albeit, brought as a parcel. Of course, when it is not hot the taste factor just disappears. But my own feeling is that when it is hot it would deserve a 2.5.


After reading these reviews and contest don't try to find these joints. If you find a good joint in any neighbourhood, just try it. Most probably you will not be disappointed.

All of them have the same pav, the same chutney (the dry red lasoon powder), the same vada with very thickish coat, the same potato bhaji. In most places, they will give it to you hot off the oil, so they will really taste good (however, average they may be).

BTW, I regard Vada Pav as the most abominable fast food. No wonder it is called the Indian Burger. What the burger has done to USA, the Vada Pav will do to Indians -- make them all obese. In 2009, I think I had 1 vada pav! 2010 -- I am not even sure if I had a vada pav yet. In the years before 2009 -- I think I would have had an average of 1 per day!

The one at Santa Cruz East, opposite the Raheja Palace (?)/SVC Bank lane, was one of my favourite. (Not the one on the corner, but the one slightly inside on the left!) It is indeed my most memorable vada pav experience.

Karja vada pav too is quite famous and justifiably so. I do not know why, but I would give it a 2.6 or a 2.55!

Ramakant at Shil Phata, Khopoli is also famous as Ramakant or Khopoli vada pav. Here too, I would give it a 2.6 or a 2.55. Again, not sure why the bias? Hype? Too much of crowd? Always hot?

Where does Jumbo King stand in this rating? Er, 2.5 again. Or should I make it 2.6 because it offers you so many options.

What's wrong?
What's wrong with most of our vada pavs is that the bread is mostly stale, the vadas have a very thick coat, and by and large there is no real zing to the whole thing. The chutneys are the same and do not have the zing any more. I feel thicker the coat, more the oil absorbed -- so you are more prone to obesity. Why don't these guys make it paper thin? The taste would improve as you get into the bite immediately.

Innovations
At my neighbourhood bakery, they have a baked vada pav for Rs.20 a piece (it is next to the Konark Restaurant -- my favourite --Thakur Village, Kandivali East). I had expected a baked vada with the regular stuff. But this is just the potato filling within the pav! Technically, a bread roll, if you ask me. Indeed, it is a healthier version of the vada pav.

Favourite Memories of Vadas (NOT vada pavs)
Er, Happy Mother's Day, Mom. But my favourite vada was that made by my mother. Golden yellow in colour, a thinnish outer cover, and a very nice potato filling.

At Kallianpur (South Kanara), opposite RoboSoft and the Tile Factory, my best friend Ramesh (han, maska mar raha hoon -- but it is the truth) took me to a roadside vendor. I think they were priced at 0.50 paise each. I think I must have had some 25 -30 pieces. I think about 4-6 of them would make a regular vada. They were absolutely amazing in taste.

Abroad/Outside Maharastra
I don't remember having vada pavs abroad. Similarly, I do not remember having vada pavs outside Maharastra. It is called the Bombay Vada Pav and now the Mumbai Vada Pav. I am sure it should be available all over India.

If you have any favourite memories of vada pav or favourite joints let me know. Do put your comment on my Facebook page, if you are a friend.

Only 3 people read this blog -- I, me, myself. The comments below -- even I don't read! Meaning, I don't get to know there is a comment, so I don't read.

Chibda Hershale -- Muskmelon sweet dish

Er, I am a fake chef and a lazy chef. So if you landed here for the original recipe, sorry.


Chibbud is konkani name for muskmelon, mashmellon, kharbooja, cantalope, or honeydew melon. Chibda Hershale or Haashale is a sweet dish made of kharbooja. You simply grate the fruit, add sugar, and elaichi.I remember having both the versions, with or without milk. You can obviously add milk too!

Today, I had my own version of Chibda Hershale for breakfast. I scooped the nice, juicy green flesh in spoonfulls (using a small, round cutter and scooping perfect balls would be even better and will look quite sophisticated). So from one thickish slice, I would have scooped some 10 spoon shaped pieces. Then I added milk to it. I added corn chivda/flakes (I could have used poha or beaten rice/rice flakes also.) to it. Of course, two spoonfulls of Lion Date Syrup. Dates have iron and I want to increase my haemoglobin and hence its usage. I then garnished it with pieces of almonds and with black raisins. Almonds are good to fight cholesterol, so I had about 8 of them. Raisins contain a lot of antioxidants!

It was early morning (as usual I had skipped the gym) and I was in a tearing hurry to get breakfast done with. So I simply used a microwave bowl. But the picture is quite good (even if I say so)! You can see the large green chunks of kharbooja, almonds, raisins, milk. Fortunately, I had not used too much date syrup -- so the milk is not brown.

One of my favourite sites is Aayi's Recipes as it gives a lot of Konkani Recipes. Here is a link to it, where a Muskmelon Milkshake recipe is provided.

Aayi's Recipes -- Muskmelon Milkshare

Gharayi - Jackfruit Payasam - Lazy Chef Version

Gharayi is a konkani sweet dish made with jackfruit. You can call it Jackfruit Payasam.

It is quite an elaborate dish -- not for ladies and chefs perhaps, but certainly for a Lazy Chef (hey, I like this moniker better than EPC -- Experimental Packet Chef) like me.

As you know I made Daliya Delight for breakfast and mentioned how you could add more milk to make it more of a porridge or payasam consistency. So for my 4 pm snack, I decided to have my version of Gharayi. I cut about 2 segments of the jackfruit (each one is called a gharo in amchigele or konkani) in thin, long strips. I took my Daliya Delight, poured more milk in it and then added the jackfruit strips. Added about a spoon of Lion Date Syrup (I avoid using sugar.) Then microwaved the stuff.

I was in a great hurry to have my hot snack, the pictures came terribly! Food photography is an art. I am one of the biggest amateurs of it! But the idea is to give you an idea of how it looks. Hope you get the idea -- payasam/kheer consistency and with pieces of jackfruit.

You will notice that the jackfruit has been cut very grossly! Ye aapun ka style hai, Boss! Fine pieces, specially too fine pieces ruins nuttrition according to me.

I have not had the original gharayi for a long time now and I did not recollect that it contains coconut. So if you wish you can add the packet coconut milk (paste diluted with a little water if you wish) to give it more nutrition, taste and make it closer to the original. The original has rice, whereas mine had organic dalia.

The idea of writing this blog is to share food and nutrition ideas.

Click here for more information about the original gharayi:
Gharayi details at CusineIndia

Breakfast Notes -- Dalia Delight

As you all know, I am a firm believer in the thought that women should be treated to a well-deserved rest on Sunday. Hubbies should do the cooking -- at least the breakfast, if not the cooking for the entire day. This I call the HSBC formula -- Hubbies Sunday Breakfast Compulsory.

Well, for those who are too tired to cook or don't have any skills -- they can take a small walk and get some nice jalebi-fafda or idli-vada-sambhar or daal pakwan! Of course, one of my close friends-cousin relies on thambi.com (not a real website but a small joint in Kandivali West offering idli-vadas). He just calls his thambi (brother in Tamil, I think) who delivers some fantastic idli-vada-sambhar.

Wives can also make it easy for their hubbies by having a nice usal cooked the night before, order some pav and some farsan. You have a delicious Maharastrian breakfast of Missal Pav!

I had some organic dalia and I thought of making SMS -- Sunday Morning Surprise! This was sweet dalia with nice alphonso pieces. But I hate removing the skin of mangoes (in fact I make it a point to eat them) and at 8:00 am I cannot miss Rangoli! So SMS turned into a simple Dalia Delight.

I simply microwaved the organic dalia in milk for 5 minutes and then added Lion's Date Syrup. Had to keep on adding milk as the dalia kept on absorbing it! But had it in a decent consistency -- almost a sheera consistency. Needless to add, you can add more milk and have it like a watery porridge.

Dalia is nothing but broken wheat (lapsi). So it is healthy -- full of vitamins, minerals and nutrition, not to mention fibre. The full of course is a bit of an exaggeration, right!



I sort of enjoyed my Dalia Delight. The organic dalia was rather very fine and hence it was almost like rava, so the dalia turned out to be very smooth.

I had forgotten that we had some nice ripe jackfruit gharo (gharo is Konkani word for segments of jackfruit). I could have easily added strips of these segments to give it another nutrition and taste boost.


Of course, earlier I used to do this with normal lapsi (broken wheat) and organic gud (jaggery). This turns out even better.

Hope my student/other friends in UK, France, USA, Korea and rest of the world, who have to cook for themselves got an idea for a quick breakfast.

Also, I hope I have inspired some hubbies to take up the ladle and do some cooking. Believe me, it is fun! So, enjoy!

Breakfast Notes -- Sevai Usli

Plan to provide details of my breakfast experiments in this note.

Sevai Usli / Rice Vermicelli Upma


Made an excellent Sevai usli (rice vermicelli) with green peas, sambhar powder and tomato ketchup for breakfast. Last time, I had messed up the vermicelli. This time I got it right. Wish there was a faster way to cook it!

I tweak most of the Indian breakfast recipes and typically add mushrooms, green peas, brocolli and other vegetables to make them more nutritious.

The tomato ketchup is added for the lycopene content! Many times, I simply add tomato paste also.

As you will notice, most of the stuff for this recipe are available in a packet. So now you know why I call myself an experimental packet chef!

Pizzas in Cones! Italian Cuisine

Café de Cono has opened a branch in Oshiwara according to a report by Naomi Canton in Hindustan Times. This company is offering pizzas within a cone (a hard baked one, like in an ice cream cone!). They are priced between Rs.69 to Rs.99!

My first reaction to such reports is to normally rush to such spots and try it out! However, good sense prevailed and I have decided against it. Everyday, in Mumbai some 3 restaurants must be opening and 3 must be shutting down -- or is it 6? Of course, this is just a manner of speaking.

I think it is an absolutely horrid idea -- imagine eating a hard ice cream cone and you get pizza stuff within it! Imagine they are going to open some 15-20 such joints soon all over the city, in the top malls and the like!

I know for the jaded Mumbai taste buds anything new is worth a try. I am sure many will try it for the first time. But will they keep having it again and again. I doubt it.

They have other Italian stuff too -- which seem more sensible. Hopefully, at least that would catch on.

I am not a fan of Italian cuisine at all. The Pizza, risotto, most Italian dishes are over-rated. I think it is a convenience food. Eggplant parmesan is the only dish which I sort of like -- made at a cousin's house in USA and not in a restaurant. In most restaurants it is average -- which means it is edible. If you are hungry, you can eat it. Not something which you will relish, savour and remember days and years after you have eaten it!

Eggplant parmesan is a dish which Prof M. V. Kamath, the renowned journalist, taught us in our journalism class! Next time I catch up with classmate Mohan Sule, I will try and exchange notes on this dish.

Millions of Food Blogs -- Roti

I frequently do research on the Internet about food. Today, I did so on roti after reading Pushpesh Pant's article in Times today.

Wikipedia was a great help in telling me the difference between chapati, phulka, roti, naan, kulcha, paratha, etc. The French pride themselves in having some 365 (?) different cheeses! I have a feeling that we should be having at least that many number of rotis. Just imagine the variations we have in parathas. The plain paratha itself can come in three shapes, round, square and triangular! Stuffed parathas --well, there are as many as there are fillings!

There are millions of food blogs and each one more delicious than the other. It is amazing how you can now practically find any recipe you want in any of these blogs.

I salute all these bloggers -- specially, all these ladies abroad -- who are keeping our traditions flying abroad. They are preserving our culture.

There are a large number of GSB or amchigele or konkani (not to be mistaken for those from the konkan region) bloggers too. Many are active in the Konkani Amchi Food group on Facebook and every day someone is posting wonderful pictures of konkani, Indian and world cuisine and their recipes. Good discussions also take place.

Thanks to all these bloggers and those who maintain various sites on food. We are never short of information on food.

Copper Chimney - OMG - Rs.299

Copper Chimney, Oberoi Mall, Goregaon East has a lunch buffer for Rs.299 (did not check whether there was an * and taxes/VAT are to be added -- most probably not). Ops, not even sure about the period when this offer is on. Er, just wanted to alert you, just in case you are in OM and want to have a bite or more!

Did not check what they have in the buffet -- but I am sure it would be a worthwhile deal. I think for the Non-veg, it would be a steal!

Weekends -- OM is so crowded. All the restaurants, food court, just about everything.

Vaishali Garden, Chembur

Food: 2.25
Service: 2.5
Ambience: 2.25

Location: Opp Rly Stn

Lasooni Mushroom was a very red, coloured, concoction of mushrooms strewn with bits of garlic and also a few whole garlic. I think there must have been a bit of flour as binding agent. More on the spicy side. Not at all appetizing.

I should remember never to order this dish anywhere. The names are always so tempting.

Chaas/Butter Milk strictly OK.

Tandoori Roti strictly OK -- more of maida in it, than wheat flour.

I think this is an old restaurant which requires some refurbishing. The rates I felt were a bit exorbitant.

Good point -- they gave a cabbage salad in a quarter plate, and some diced onions. A thin, wet towel was also offered on entry.

Meal cost: Rs.400

Will I go there again? Not, if I can help it!

Konkani Food Glossary

Going through the pictures and discussions on the Konkani Amchi Food Group on Facebook is amazing. Saw a picture of Karaonda (karvand) nonche/pickle and gointa (padwal) upkari and was wondering what are the English names of them.

So I am planning to start maintaining a glossary of Konkani Food terms. If you wish to contribute or provide me links, you are welcome.

Most probably, I will have to include Hindi, Marathi and Kannada terms too.

Alas, there are many terms which do not have English names!

BTW, the web is full of confusions or at least in some parts there is confusion. Or maybe the confusion is in my mind.

Hopefully, the glossary will be a valuable addition to knowledge.

When will we Change?

Yesterday, at Subway, Oberoi Mall, I ordered an Aloo Patty at the bargain price of Rs.50. I was wondering whether I should pay by Rs.500 or remove the Rs.100 emergency note that I had hidden. I decided on the Rs.100. Guess what -- the guy at the counter almost barked at me -- Give me Rs.50? I was shocked -- the hyper sensitive soul that I am! I did give him a Rs.50 note that I had.

I have seen people give Rs.500 to pay for Bus tickets! For share taxi fare of Rs.20! Someone I know even gives these to pay autorickshaw fares! None of these people felt guilty. Here, I was, made to feel awful just because I paid Rs.100 when the amount payable was Rs.50.

In many malls, theatres I have had this horrid experience of no change. So invariably I ask if they have change upfront and only then carry out the transaction. I walk away proudly when they say they have no change!

Honestly, it is beyond me to understand how these people do business? How can you do business without change? The question is -- when will people change? When will businesses have enough change so that we don't have to ask whether they have change before we do a transaction?

PVR is a multi-plex which I love to hate! I like it in many respects but hate it for a few reasons -- the rates are never displayed, very exorbitant prices for evenings and weekends. One more reason -- sometimes even they say they do not have change! Yesterday, he could not give me change for Rs.500 and I paid Rs.130 by credit card! (or was that on some other day!)

In USA, in any mall, any retail outlet, I have never faced the change problem. This was a long time ago. I remember how the malls keep the 25 cents (which they get in nice round cylinders from the banks or wherever). Not sure now, whether it was 25 cents. But basically they would give back the complete change. NEVER, NEVER would they ever ask for change irrespective of the amount you gave them. At D'Mart/Reliance I am always frightened at how they will demand change! Even from a very thoughtful customer like me -- who always offers whatever change is asked for!

I loved the Hong Kong Taxi guys. They too had plenty of 10 cents coins (again not sure of the denomination). So if the fare was 9.90 -- they would insist on happily (with a broad smile) returning you the 10 cents. Yes, positively insist! Here taxi and autorikshaw wallahs will happily filch Rs10 or Rs20 claiming that they have no change!

Business -- can you please understand that you are doing business! You need change to do business.

While businesses must change, people should also change! Imagine 10 customers all paying with Rs.500 or Rs.1000 notes at the start of the day!

How do you manage change? Do you also have change problems? Do share them with me?