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 …

Happy Birthday Dad

2009-04-19T22:52:00.000+05:30

Restaurant Review - The Tasting Room

2009-04-13T17:18:00.000+05:30

This place has changed and expanded recently. Their menu has got a lot more to eat than what my wife had earlier seen of it. Located in and around an artifact store, this place has some wonderful and highly inviting interiors. Background music was not bad also .. nice & soothing but I don't think the acoustics were designed well for the music to be heard evenly across the venue. And that can be said about the air-conditioning also. 10 of us were in a big corner table, the other areas of the restaurant seemed much cooler.

What did we eat?
Paprika dusted grilled chicken - creamy & mild. the chicken could have been a little more softer. But worth trying.

Sun dried tomato n grilled vegetables spaghetti [Highly Recommended]

Tomato and mascarpone cheese risotto - Baby safe dish was nice but needed a heavy dose of chilly flakes & Tabasco to make it fun and also a pinch of salt helped bring it to the right taste.

Peppered potato with Racellete cheese - YUM! but I wish the portion was a bit larger. The cheese was really good on the tongue.

Mushroom pate - time pass ... they used mushroom cream and pickle on vol-au-vent.

What's to drink?
Lots ... wide choice of wine, viocktails (coctails made from wines), cocktails

What's not good?
They apparently have a "small" kitchen so cooking speeds are slow. Also customization and mix-match of dishes are not very welcomed.

The approach is dark and dingy ... a little lighting near the car park area would make it a bit more friendly.

Conclusion - Good food, nice ambiance, I just wish they bucked up on the speed. but what would be a good idea is to go in small numbers, Romantic Meals, Dinner Dates - AVOID large groups.

The Tasting Room Good Earth, Raghuvanshi Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai. Phone 65285284, 24951954

Bites of Mahabaleshwar

2009-04-10T02:45:00.000+05:30

A holiday is not complete if you are not eating more & something different than what you eat back home. A recent trip to Mahabaleshwar with friends was all about that - eat, eat some more and just eat.

Strawberry Den (in the market)
Ideally strawberry preparations are served good in any of the places in Mahabaleshwar, but we seemed to like this place in particular. He seemed to make his mixes with total focus and the right amount of ingredients. The milk-shake and strawberry+cream are a must haves. While at this place you must also try the french fries.

Hirkani Gardens
After strawberry if there is something you should not miss there it is the corn dishes. Have the corn pattice, corn roll and a meal will give you corn sabji and roti also. We tasted the corn dishes on previous evening at Hill View near the lakeside but seem to prefer this place for it's taste and quantity servings.
The place also offers you a chance to walk through their plantation and pick your own strawberries. But we missed it because we reached there after sunset.

When in Rome do as the Romans. So when if you are surrounded in a Maharashtrian hill station what better way to start your morning then to bite into some local breakfast dishes. We had the kande poha, upma, vada pav, misal pav and some tea to wash it down all. The lal watery chutney served with the misal is an atom bomb so eat at your own risk.

Hotel Panorama
Order whatever sabji you want to, but don't miss the parathas - huge, buttery & fluffy, they will leave you with a stomach full & satisfied having such a rich preparation.

Olive Garden at The Brightland Resort
A rip-off, a freakingly expensive place this lunch outing kept us wondering what we paid so much money for. At an approximate cost of Rs.900 per head (no alcohol included) we thought this place was not just worth the price tag. Thankfully the food was nice and that was the only comforting factor. Maybe it was just our experience, but would love to know what other's think about dining in here.

Can't wait to travel again and enjoy some more food delights.

Foodie Links for the weekend - Series 1

2009-03-21T12:46:00.000+05:30

It's the weekend, here are some interesting foodie links to enjoy the afternoon.

New York Times - A slew of restaurants are sanitizing street food, serving it in clean (if not always pristine) surroundings.

If you are the unofficial bartender at most of the house parties you attend and have, then this is a good read on how to stock up the bar in these times of saving.

For Dinner (and Fast), the Taste of Home - Immigrants in New York bring with them their daily dishes, meals that could easily make their way into the city's larger repertory of dinners for busy nights.

Scott Adams questions - Is it always about the food?

Mr.Chow's Chinese Food Home Delivery

2009-01-18T23:13:00.001+05:30

If there is something about Sunday that puts me off is the long waiting time outside restaurants, parking lots and even the shopping mall's billing counters. So what better way then to spend the Sunday evening at home with a VCD and home delivered hot-piping food.

Bored with the regular we decided to try some Chinese food from the close by Mr.Chow's. We ordered the Meal Combo which was a mix of rice and vegetables in black bean sauce and a portion of spring rolls. The noodles were ordered separately - Shantung Noodles (flat noodles). The servings are large and can satisfy 2 people on an average. Spring rolls were sad. But the rice and noodles were good and the tasty bit has given us a new alternative over the regular 5 Spice and Sizzling China from where we order our regular Chinese meals.

Service and delivery times was impressive. We asked them to add some extra mushroom to the noodles and they indeed put in a large share - there was a small charge of Rs.20 for that bit.

Total damage for 2 people was Rs.300 and it's a total value for money deal. Recommended eating and they have a couple of branches across Mumbai.

Contact:
Mr Chow’s. Bandra: 26423595/86/64; Worli: 24334554/51/58; Colaba: 22160074/75/76.

Sunday Morning Breakfast - Jalebis

2008-11-28T19:34:00.001+05:30

If there is something which can tempt me to rise early on a Sunday morning it has to be the idea of a breakfast feast. With the last weekend being one of a family reunion what better way to spend the Sunday morning then to have a breakfast out on the terrace.

What's on the plate?
Garama garam Jalebi, fafdiya (farsan) and some kachumbar with green chillies.

We got this stuff from Dave Farsan Mart, near Babulnath Temple. The idea is to be there very early so that you can get the fresh, hot and of course if you go there after 9am or so - there is very little chance that you may get anything at all.

Energy Drink - Cloud 9

2008-11-22T15:09:00.000+05:30

Tried the new energy drink in the market - Cloud 9. Enriched with Pomegranate this has a little wacky taste. Without the energy additives I think it would do as a fruit juice with your morning breakfast.

Not my choice and I would stick to the Red Bull as my energy drink.

Chatpat khana at Opera House

2008-11-15T00:53:00.001+05:30

What: Chatpat road-side khana peena. Bhel-puri/sev-puri. Dosa wala. Sandwich wala. Gole wala and Khicha wala.

Where: Near Babubhai Jagjivandas Showroom (there is also a shut-down Dawood Shoes store) at Opera House. Opposite Marwari Vidyalaya.

What's a Khicha?
It's a papad like thing but made of rice and a little harder. It's used like a pizza base is used and is made tasty by adding tomato, onion, sev, cabbage and masala. Served hot this is a great evening snack.

And of course a good evening snack can't end without something sweet so don't miss out slurping out those golas.

Woodside Inn - My choice of a watering hole

2008-11-10T18:54:00.000+05:30

On a casual Saturday night wife and me intended to have a drink before we dig into our dinner. Woodside Inn is a place which is close to home but something we had not tried ever since they revamped.

At about 9ish when we entered this little 2 level place we surely had no hope to get a seat ( they just have 3 tables on Level 1 and about 6 on Level 2-but that's more of the dinner place). But that didn't bother us. The place was very inviting, good music and finding some space we sneaked ourselves onto the bar and got our first round of drinks.

We didn't order anything to eat but from what was moving around the dishes looked appetizing. The bar gives you a nice ring-side view of what goes behind making /serving those drinks including how to make those salt-rimmed glasses and serving the wine in chilled glasses. A learning experience indeed.

You could see a few regulars stuck in the corner - somebody reading a book over a couple of wine glasses and the other doing his internet surfing tucking into fancy foreign beer (they have a great collection and I am going to try it on my next visit).

I was very comfortable with the place and we intend to make this our watering hole - and next time have dinner too.

Pastries from 210 degrees

2008-10-20T23:22:00.001+05:30

Thanks to good friend Ankit we were introduced to a pastry shop in the Churchgate area - Samrat's 210 degrees. On Saturday I treated the family to some tasty treats from this little place.

On the left is the Swiss Truffle which was tasty but a little dry and recommended eating would be with a scoop of Vanilla ice-cream. And on the right is the Chocolate Mousse Cake - soft and delicious. All pastries sold here are egg-less.

At a time when most pastry shops don't sell anything less than a 100 bucks these are a great deal at Rs.60 or so and there is no compromise on the size or taste. So next time you are around the place drop in treat yourself to one of the many delicacies.

Food of India - So much to eat

2008-10-20T12:43:00.000+05:30

There is so much out there yet to be eaten and relished. Incredible India.

Sunday Lunch at Pizzeria

2008-10-14T22:35:00.001+05:30

Yes, sometimes I can beat the laziness and help myself to enjoy the Sunday lunch with a group of close friends. So braving the terrible October heat we arrived 20 mins late at Pizzeria while my dear friends, for a change who arrived earlier than us. Thankfully no waiting and we were seated right away.

Leaving the food ordering to the rest of them I made myself comfortable to take in the sights & sounds of a very different afternoon I was enjoying outdoors. Very quickly arrived the "all time favourite" - Bombay Masala, and then it arrived again. It seems we were so much in love that we managed to get two of them - One thin & crisp and yet another with a thick base. If you haven't eaten this one at Pizzeria, you've missed a lot - so next time you eat there make sure you get one of those.

Sorry, but I was too busy eating and didn't end up with a photo of one those Bombay Masala specials. But here is something to get tickle your taste-buds.

Samosa at Punjabi Karachi Wala

2008-09-30T22:41:00.001+05:30

Eating out with the office team is always an adventure. About a month back I visited this dingy place called Punjabi Moti Halwai Karachi Wala at Fort in Mumbai.

Now a single look at this place is surely to put you off if you have not read or heard about this place. I went along only because my colleagues had tried and tested it.

What did we eat?
We called for Samosa and Channa Masala. The chutney is salty and watery like a syrup to drink with the dish.

Recommended Eating
Samosa, channa masala, chole bhature and lassi (malai maar ke).

Absolutely cost effective place this is popular for executives from area eating lunch or grabbing their evening snack with a BIG cup of tea to wash it down.

Idli for Breakfast

2008-08-31T23:50:00.001+05:30

Interesting breakfast items have always been a challenge at home. I can't seem to eat anything heavy and go off to work. So I need something light & easy on the stomach - No deep fry and nothing spicy.

Nitika cooked up this colorful idli made of par-boiled rice and "moong dal" (split green gram). Add spring onion and carrots to it. The chutney is a non-spicy coconut and coriander mix.

This dish was a definite hit and it's being added to my regular items for breakfast.

Maggi Cuppa Mania Insta Noodles

2008-07-14T19:09:00.000+05:30

I just finished eating the new Maggi Cuppa Mania Insta Noodles (Flavour: Chilly Chow Yo!). The packaging is good which makes the packet truly mobile. The noodles are hard & flat more like pad-thai noodles but taste good and a bit spicy make it fun to eat.

But what's strange is that when you make the Maggi packet they taste fresh, soft and nice. However the cup noodles feel a bit hard in spite of a good 4 minute of boiling water soaking. Maybe because they don't get the cooking heat into them.

Recommended eating: For a bachelors meal kit, quick evening snack or a mid-night meal. Get some and stock your kitchen because you never know when hunger can call.

Foodie delights from my recent holiday

2008-05-25T01:49:00.001+05:30

I am back from a holiday and I thought I would tempt you guys with some updates here.

Singapore
My cousin is in Singapore and he invited us to Holland Village which is supposed to be a local hangout and as such does not feature in most of the tourist guide. This is a rather interesting ONLY pedestrian street full of watering holes and multi-cuisine restaurants.

We shared a bottle of Spy Village Chardonnay 2006 white wine at Tangos. After which we moved to Cha Cha Cha, a mexican outlet right opposite. I ordered the Longansito [Spicy King Prawns with Mexican rice]. It was a hearty meal and we were stuffed, but my brother told me you can't NOT have the chocolate mousse at this place. And boy was it delicious - it was yum!

On our last day in Singapore we were shopping at Vivo City Mall and had lunch at cedele cafe. I ate a Rosemary Chicken Sandwich which was sweet and I don't think I will have one ever again. But it was good to taste the other things one the table - cold pasta salad, carrot soup (I didn't like this) and the wild mushroom soup which was nice.

Phuket
Lunch in Phuket was probably one of the best meals we had on the trip. terrazzo at Holiday Inn is a fabulous beach-facing restaurant serving a wide variety of cuisines. We feasted on the pasta & pizza, thai green curry with a chilled glass of watermelon juice and a decorated coconut.

Written on the drinks menu at terrazzo:
One drinks for two purposes. Either to cure a thirst or to ensure that one is not thirsty.
Prevention is better than cure.

While the family shopped at Phuket's Central Festival mall, I made myself comfortable at au bon pain with a Ice Blended Mocha Blast.

Bintan Island
We were staying at the Bintan Lagoon Resort which has quite a few eating options. The breakfast at Kopi-o had a wide spread of breads. Chocolate croissants, white & brown breads. The live egg station served up some yummy mushroom & tomato omelettes.

After a lovely morning spent at the beach and pool we had a late lunch at the hotel's Terrace Restaurant & bar. The margarita pizza was loaded with cheese. Although the heat was a bit too much to handle I think it was a beautiful setting for the afternoon.

For dinner we went to Pasar Oleh Oleh - a little tourist attraction with lots of souvenir shopping and some interesting eateries. At the Bintan Idol Cafe N' Restaurant I ordered for Claypot Chicken which tasted really fresh and nice. The chicken pieces were delicious. The Mongolian Prawns which were fried crispy and although tasty I think fried prawns get a bit difficult to sort out. The onion rings were nice too.

Wow, that was a wholesome holiday indeed - lots of good food and nice fun. Can't wait for my next holiday.

Restaurant Review: Jasmine Moon

2008-04-29T19:48:00.000+05:30

Living in South Mumbai sometimes has a downside to it. There are limited restaurants and if you start liking something there is a good possibility that it will shut down soon. And so, every time you want to dine out the search begins for a place the taste buds would have not touched before.

Last Saturday night a few friends decided to experiment a new place called Jasmine Moon located bang in the middle of Colaba Market. The surroundings tend to put you off especially if you land up there during dinner time. Anyways being familiar with the place we all crawled into this tiny triangular shaped chinese restaurant with the center table given to our group.

The asparagus soup was a disaster and trust me I have tasted much better soup in some clubs of Mumbai - Radio Club (next door neighbour) being the best example. The Crispy Mixed Vegetables was strictly ok. Main course comprised of Burnt Garlic Rice (I think the best dish of the night), Tofu in black sauce (nice soft tofu but the sauce was tasteless - no salt, spice). The Singapore styled noodles seemed they were sun-dried before serving and only a good helping of soya sauce with chili sauce helped us eat the damn thing. To spice up things we ordered the Vegetables in Schezwan sauce (extra spicy). I don't know what the chef was thinking but he just sprinkled the dish with a lot of raw red chili pieces and sent it out. Not that the dish would have tasted any better but the chili made even more difficult to push it down the throat with the chili hurting you. In general the food was bland, tasteless and boring if I may call it. The fresh lime soda I ordered to help me wash down the dinner tasted like limbu pani made earlier in the day.

Conclusion: The place lacks a location advantage and does nothing to appeal the diner. If the chef does not do something seriously soon to improve his dishes he is going to be unemployed soon. Unfortunately this place does not even make it my "nice home delivery Chinese place".

Restaurant Review: Mangi Ferra (Juhu, Mumbai)

2008-03-08T16:52:00.000+05:30

Having Saturday off from work has it's advantage. One such Saturday Nitika and I decided that we must try and dine at a suburban joint since there weren't many in South Mumbai which we had not experienced already. A few searches at burrp made us decide that it would be Mangi Ferra that night.

Mangi Ferra is an Italian resto-bar settled in one of the by lanes in Juhu. The dimly lit place kind of makes it difficult to read their menu which uses a very fancy font. Although they have a wide range of wine to select from they serve only the house wines by the glass which can be disappointing if you don't have enough drinkers at the table.

We started the meal with the wok tossed mushrooms in cajun spices. A good change over the typical mushroom in olive oil. When ordering the main course I was excited to see the Ratatouille on their menu. I had never had this and to be honest after watching the little mouse movie I wanted to surely taste this one. We ordered the vegetarian dish and it was served with some tasty corn polenta. If you've never had this, go ahead and try it the next time. The pizza capricciosa was a regular thin and crispy - nothing special but nice.

It's a rather popular joint and weeknight reservations are recommended. A pricey place where a meal for two will cost you Rs.500 per head and that's no alcohol included.

Choco Fudge Fantasy at New Zealand Natural

2008-02-05T18:29:00.000+05:30

If you are a chocolate freak, you're going to love this one. It's Choco Fudge Fantasy available at New Zealand Natural Ice-Cream in Atria Mall, Worli.

What's got into it?
Chocolate Dutch, Chocolate Mud Caramel, Chocolate Fudge, Chocolate Caramel, lots of whipped cream, chocolate crunchies showered on the top with nice chocolate sauce and a chocolate stick to lick on.

It could have been made a little more colder by larger scoops of ice-cream but then aren't we getting greedy there. They have a Double Scoop Sundae (Rs.130/-) and Triple Scoop Sundae (Rs.170/-) on offer. Go get it, that's what I am going to say for this one.

Eggless Strawberry Muffins

2008-01-31T22:15:00.000+05:30

Nitika made the weekend rather interesting. She baked some delicious Strawberry Muffins. Nice, very nice.

Recipe courtesy: Madhavi at My Veggie World.

Review: Falafel's Veg Humus House

2008-01-01T15:16:00.000+05:30

There is a new place in town - Falafel's Veg Humus House. Located opp. Regal Cinema in Colaba, this one is a small place with limited seating capacity and kind of cramped up so ideally not recommended for a group of more than 5-6. As the name suggests it's a Veg place so don't expect the kheema and chicken falafel's you may have been used to in other fancy places.

What did we eat:

Original Falafel - Recommended. Huge, tasty and satisfying.
Hummus with Hot Mushroom - very tastefully done, not so spicy as the name suggests but well oiled makes it a not-so dry experience.
Potato & Mushroom Sambusac - Avoidable. had a stale taste and smell, don't know if it was supposed to be like that!

Also recommended is the Tabule but it was out of stock when I went there. And if you are looking for a change from the colas, get the lemonade - nothing great but different. Unfortunately didn't get a chance to taste the desserts.

Conclusion: A nice place serving some decent lebanese food, moderately priced and makes for a good evening bite or a quick dinner plan. Limited veg items may tend to get boring if you happen to go often.

Free home delivery from Lamington Road - 2301 8000, Gowlia Tank - 2386 8000, Colaba - 2283 6000.

Tastes of Delhi

2007-12-15T17:40:00.001+05:30

A few weeks back we were in Delhi to attend a Punjabi wedding. Besides all the exotic wedding food we had the opportunity to step out and experience some of Delhi's eateries.

Chocolate Crunchie at The Pavilion, Maurya Sheraton
Delicious and sinfully chocolate loaded, this was a great treat at 1AM in one of Delhi's very upmarket and popular coffee shop. Powered with chocolate, cookies and vanilla & butterscotch ice-cream.

Power of Pranthas at Chandni Chowk
It was a Sunday morning adventure for all of us to visit this all so popular Chandni Chowk area of Delhi. Being a Sunday we were relieved of all the traffic hassles. After a few phone calls to local relatives and cousins and we decided to eat at The Power of Pranthas - Pt. Gaya Prasad Shiv Charan, a rather crowded outlet in the paranthewali galli. You could see the local rush feasting on the hot paranthas with achar, aloo ki sabji and a large glass of chaas or lassi.

We decided to ask for suggestions to start with, but were put off when he recommended the rabri paratha and decided to go safe by starting with tomato paratha, aloo and paneer and even tried the papad ka paratha.

Maybe it was all the crazy fun but I really didn't think the food was anything lip-smacking but surely something worth experiencing when you are in Delhi. The approach isn't very pleasant and might a be a bit difficult if you don't have somebody to guide you around; so get some instructions before you step off.

Nirula's at Connaught Place
Nirula's is a name which is close to every Delhiites heart. A place popular for it's pizzas I think this should be some competition to the Pizza Hut's and McDonald's around there. Impressively designed interiors with lots of red color this was a good place to have our first outing in Delhi.

It was past 12noon and so we decided to fill up our stomachs before we headed off for the farm-house Mehendi party. I treated myself to a Chicken burger which turned out to be interestingly filled with a gherkin. The popular pizza was nice too and we had a hearty meal.

While you are at it, don't forget to try the cold coffee, milk-shakes and ice-creams.

Subscribe to Khana Peena by Email

2007-10-01T12:13:00.000+05:30

If you are a regular reader of Khana Peena, here is a simple way to get the latest posts delivered directly to your inbox, if you feel reading it in the email is a much simpler way to know what's happening around here.

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What to eat at Cafe Basilico

2007-09-29T21:08:00.000+05:30

I recently had dinner at Cafe Basilico and I thought I should recommend two dishes in particular which you must try when there.

The Chicken Lemon Grass Soup - spicy and very tasty
Moroccan Chicken - This is different because it's served with a nice gravy and rice. A good meal by itself.

And of course, when you are at Basilico you can't forget to leave some empty stomach for the lovely desserts. On weekend nights book them as soon as you walk in.

Strawberry & Raspberry infused Tea

2007-09-23T13:14:00.000+05:30

How do you make your weekend mornings more interesting?

Wake up to drink a cup of tea which is not your regular office tea like tasting. Saturday morning I discovered the Naturally Spicy Berry - strawberry & raspberry fruit, herb & spice infusion tea. Very different than your regular tea. It gives a lovely pink color and a fruity taste. I didn't need to add any sugar.

Restaurant Review: Lemon Grass, Lower Parel

2007-09-16T13:48:00.000+05:30

If you are seeking good asian food in a not so fancy place, then you can head over to Lemon Grass in Lower Parel. Actually the setting is much more informal at their Bandra outlet however in Lower Parel, the setting is bit more chic with nice interiors. I was there on a friday night and we actually had to move around 3 tables before we could get settled down completely. The last move was after we had finished with our appetizers. I think it was just bad planning by them because there was a huge group of 45 people in there.

Also due to some technical problem, their Air Conditioning system was not in Full Power Mode which made it really uncomfortable. The tables are a little small and cramped up for four people to dine comfortably without hitting each other's plates. Add to that a fifth person and you got a traffic jam on the table. They have a long bar where you could enjoy a drink before moving to the table for your dinner. I am not sure but they might be even willing to serve you dinner at the bar if it's just two of you.

Surprisingly the service is fast and smooth, they are very courteous and tend to make some good recommendations based on your preferences. The food is a good mix of thai, chinese, korean and indonesian. There is a good collection of Dim Sums and you could try the one with Asparagus and Cheese filling. The corn curd in black bean sauce was a bit salty and could have tasted better. The Garlic and chilly paneer sticks was NICE.

As a special gesture for all the trouble they had caused us moving tables again and again the manager presented two pastries (complimentary) to end the dinner on a sweet note. Appreciated and we were pleased they they were concerned.

For the five of us with 2 alcoholic drinks and no desserts we paid just 1400 bucks which I think was a steal for that kind of a place.

Conclusion: Good food and good service. But maybe it was a bad day due to the faulty air conditioning and the big group of 45 people who really rocked the place down.

Cross-posted at burrp.

Taxi Restaurant - good fusion food

2007-09-11T22:38:00.000+05:30

Taxi is tucked away in a narrow lane of old Cuffe Parade (technically off Wodehouse Road) which you surely can miss if you don't have proper directions. Thankfully there is valet so parking is not a problem.

As you step in you will notice they have an outdoor section which caters to the huka smoking clan. Although I am guessing it could be a little uncomfortable without the A/C.

Taxi is divided into three sections (sort of) you have bar where you sit across the barman and enjoy your drink. Then there is the lounge where you have sofas and low tables. You can dine here or you can request to be seated in the formal dining area. The interiors are very classy and if you've visited the next door furniture store - Masterpieces, you would feel they have shopped from there. The high ceiling gives the place a grand look and vastness which otherwise would have looked cramped up. They have an in-house DJ churning out some good trance numbers.

We were seated in the lounge area since there was no table available in the formal dining area. The bar menu has a good mix of spirits, cocktails and mocktails. The waiters are well-informed and help you make some good selection. The appetizers have an equal selection of veg and non-veg dishes. We choose to have the jalapeño and cheese poppers which were nice.

As soon as we finished our appetizer the lovely stewardess moved us to the formal dining area. The dinner menu is a good mix of thai, italian and a little mexican dishes. We went for the silken tofu noodles with capsicum (There was an over-dose of capsicum) and a wood fire oven magherita pizza with olives and mushroom. If you like domino's style pizza you ain't going to like this one - The pizza had a strong taste of olive oil. It's a thin & crispy making it very light on the stomach.

In conclusion: Nice, cosy place NOT TOO NOISY and some good food.

This review is also cross posted at burrp.com

Lonavala Food Bites

2007-09-04T13:27:00.001+05:30

I was in Lonavala for the weekend with friends. On the way we dined at Chenab Restaurant in Vashi. Although I had heard greatly about the food, I was a bit disappointed. The dal makahani was bit too salty. I liked the paneer dishes. The masala papad had some masala which really disturbed the taste. I couldn't eat non-veg but I could smell some very nice aroma from the neighbouring table. Should be worth a try.

When in Lonavala you must drink coffee at Pragati (it's a little before Coopers Chocolate Fudge store). They serve some of the best cold coffee.

At Tiger Hills there is just one stall which will serve you hot spicy bajiya which is a great treat around monsoon time. They serve onion, potato and corn baji. Of course the staple wada pav is also available. Rahul who serves you these bajiya is a great talker and will jump across those slippery rocks as if its a monkey on the trees.

Cafe Military

2007-08-30T20:30:00.000+05:30

About a month back I went to Cafe Military in Fort area to have lunch with my office colleagues. this is a typical irani / parsi cafe serving chicken and mutton dishes. I tried the Chicken Masala Fry (see pic below), although I was told that Kheema Pav was supposed to be the all time hit around that place.

They also had some rather unique drinks which are not available so easily in other outlets of Mumbai - A pinky Raspberry drink and London Pilsner beer. Don't forget to close your meal with the nice caramel custard - A typical of such irani cafes.

This is a very cheap place if you are looking for a quick bite around that area. Nothing fancy about the interiors and the crowd may not be all that exciting besides the few bankers from neighboring offices.

Back from Singapore & Bangkok trip

2007-08-18T01:09:00.000+05:30

just returned from a lovely trip of Singapore & Bangkok. Will be sharing my khana peena experiences soon ... but here is a quick look at some of the interesting things we ate around there. (Click on the photos to see a small description).

An evening in a "Village"

2007-07-29T02:22:00.000+05:30

Last weekend we had a family dinner at a restaurant called "Village". This is a rather interesting and unique concept place located in Raghuleela mall at Borivali (west). The idea is you pay Rs.300 per head and get an entry which gives you access to all the food that is available that evening at the place. Cuisines available are Rajasthani, Gujarati, Punjabi and live "chaat" counters. Entry is first-cum basis and they don't accept reservations. And that's also because the seating is free style, you just about corner off a table where you set base with your team and then go about on the food hunt.

It's a very gujarati/rajasthani influenced set-up of a typical village with a town square which has a huge articial tree under which tarot card readers, bead sellers, mehendi-walis are located serving the diners. The seating is also very typical with khatiya (cots) and tables. If you move around you will see some rather interesting tables like a truck which had a table set behind its back and a rickshaw split open to fit a four-seater table.

We entered the place at about 8PM and it was moderately crowded but in no time the place was jam packed. Just around that time they start the entertainment show where a bunch of ladies perform a traditional dance and a man saddled on a costume horse does a little jig too! Thankfully after the dance there was a small break and a puppet show kept the noisy kids busy for a while. The large space gives them great freedom to run around like crazy.

Spread out across the place are various food counters where you can just about eat anything as much as you like. We had pani-puri, sev puri, masala khicha, khama dhokla, vada - And a bit more just for starters. I didn't seem to like the khicha very much it was too salty. Maybe the masala papad would have been a better bet!

The pav bhaji was a good choice, because the pav is soft like cotton and absolutely delicious. The center court is where you have the main course items like panner ki sabzi, dal baati, khichu, karela kish-mish, gatte ki sabzi, biryani, khichdi, kadi, dal dokhli accompanied with bajre ki roti, tandoori roti, phulka, channa batura. For a sweet ending there was gulab jamun, jalebi, dal ka sheera, kulfi and kadhai doodh.

For refreshments don't expects the cokes and pepsis of the world around here. There is sugarcane juice, chaas (butter-milk) and a gole wala if you want to suck up some flavoured crushed ice. Oh and yes they have a hooka counter also where you can pick a flavour of your choice. But this ain't included in the 300 bucks we paid earlier.

Verdict: The place is a good experience, tends to get a bit loud with all the naach-gaana. Strongly recommended that you go there in groups - couples stay away and surely not for those looking for a nice quiet place to chat. Food is good variety and quality but nothing awesome about it. I am not sure if I would go back again.

Jacob's Creek: Chardonnay 2002 (White Wine)

2007-07-26T00:48:00.000+05:30

Last night I relished a Jacob's Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2002 White Wine over a family dinner. Although I was not in the best of my health, I think the wine was smooth and left a good taste on the tongue. The color is a dirty yellow with very little bubbles.

Recommended drinking.

Katiawadi food in Baroda

2007-07-16T23:46:00.000+05:30

I spent the weekend in Baroda for some research work. After a hard day of work, we decided to skip the very typical Punjabi dishes listed on the menu and choose to order from the Gujarati menu - the local specialties. Although I had heard the name before during our trips to Nathdwara, I was not sure how would it be ordering the same without mom around. The menu was printed in Gujarati, so with a little help from the waiter we managed to order a decent meal.

Sev tumattar (Sev and Tomato) This was a bit spicy but I think that's how they make it.
Baingan nu bharto (brinjal) - oily but yummy
Bajre nu rotlo - very soft and delicious
Khichdi ane kadi - Thankfully it was not topped with ghee!!

Gujarati food is a nice cuisine but when you are eating out you tend to over-eat and so it tends to get heavy. So eat in limit unless you are on holiday and enjoy a good siesta post-meal.

3 layered mousse

2007-07-09T23:06:00.000+05:30

Had this interesting 3 layered mousse at Senate, Status (Nariman Point, Mumbai). The first layer was milk chocolate, then white chocolate and last layer was the dark chocolate with crushed biscuit base. Not only did it taste nice but was set in "shot glasses".

Tastes from Kolkata

2007-07-04T21:54:00.000+05:30

I spent the weekend in Kolkata and got a chance to taste some of the restaurants around there. Here is a quick note on my experiences.

THE HUB at Taj Bengal: The breakfast buffet was just like a king's meal - scrambled eggs with bacon, idli+wada, a variety of breads & jams, parathas, momos, stir fried vegetables with noodles, burgers, fresh juices, mishti doi and a lot more which I never got around eating. Lucky for me we had 3 mornings so I tried something different everyday.

Fire and Ice on Middleton Street: An Italian joint this is a must try when in Kolkata. We were there for a late lunch and called for the a raw salad and a thin-crust pizza. I must say they had a very authentic taste. The place has a unique look decorated with black & white film posters from Hollywood and a single poster of yester-years of bollywood stars like Meena Kumari and Shashi Kapoor.

Mainland China: This was the most talked about place and plans to visit this chinese restaurant were made almost a week in advance. A table on a Saturday night is a bit of a problem, so the advance booking. Although the food was tasty I could not really relish it because we were just too many of us busy chatting up and joking around.

When we checked into the hotel, we were given a cake (I don't know who messed up - but they thought it was our anniversary) and a bottle of wine.

The cake wasn't bad - a nice chocolate cake with white chocolate flakes.

The wine was a Grover Vineyards 2004 la reserve. I didn't really like this one much, it was very dry and rough.

Kebab Korner: Freaking Expensive

2007-06-23T18:57:00.000+05:30

A few days back we celebrated my sister's birthday at Kebab Korner in Hotel Intercontinental on Marine Drive. This is an old-time favourite restaurant of Mumbai city when Intercontinental was called Hotel Natraj.

The start itself was bad, we literally had to beg them for a table because it seems their most popular and busy day is Tuesday (Fair enough). We had a 9PM table but didn't make it till 9.10 and bang comes the phone call "Maam, would you be coming in as you have a reserved table". We thought to ourselves wow that's a very busy place they called to check on. Guess what? when we reached there not more than 4 tables were occupied and the place wore a dead look.

Anyways we got around to ordering when we realised the place was freaking expensive. Vegetarian starters were priced at an average of Rs.400 and non-veg was about Rs.500. We enjoyed the Murgh Afghani and realised that the vegetarian food was strictly OK and only the non-veg was worth it. The special KK paratha was a bit hard and not so buttery if you were to ask me. The papad comes FREE and in a very interesting rolled format.

Before I left I couldn't resist myself but to have a word with the manager and tell him about the high-handed attitude which was shown in spite of a rather low occupancy. He apologised and even offered his business card if I may need to ever make any bookings in the future.

However my final verdict: Not a place worth the money it charges. I would say this place is for corporate client entertainment only - and that too if you plan to eat the chicken/meat.

Image courtesy: Sebastian Zachariah

Ferrero Chocolate Cake

2007-06-22T23:57:00.000+05:30

That's a ferrero rocher chocolate cake. It's chocolaty, crunchy, sprinkled with white flakes and nice ferrero chocolates on the top.

if you live around colaba / cuffe parade in Mumbai I can tell you which lady does these cakes.

italian romantic night

2007-06-17T20:37:00.000+05:30

After a lovely buffet lunch at Not just jazz by the bay, we were in no mood for a dinner out on Saturday night. So Nitika did the next best thing - toss up a really lovely romantic dinner. Pasta and cheese garlic dip with bread was the order for the night served with the cabernet merolt 2005 wine . And this was with a coffee perfumed candle that kept burning through the night.

We realised that a freshly tossed up pasta was a lot more tasty than the ones which are cooked earlier in the day and then re-heated or baked just before dinner time. The freshness of the oregano, olive oil and other ingredients is remarkable when served fresh.

This is spaghetti in just red sauce tossed in olive oil with crushed garlic, red & yellow bell pepper, mushroom, olives and basil. Garnished with chilli flakes, cheese, salt & pepper and oregano.

The bread basket is a mix of lavash, bread sticks and garlic bread served with Cheese & Garlic dip. (Breads from Celejor in Colaba) Click on photo to see notes.

Cheese & Garlic dip: Home-made cottage cheese, hung curd, dash of mayonnaise, KRAFT cheese spread, grated parmesan cheese, mustard salt pepper orgegano and tabassco. Churned in a blender and served chilled.

Thanks to Nitika for being patient to help me with all the details mentioned here.

Lunch @ Not Just Jazz by the Bay

2007-06-17T15:17:00.000+05:30

The first Saturday of a lovely monsoon was indeed very interesting. For a change the lazy me decided to take the better half out for a buffet lunch at Not Just Jazz by the Bay - her favourite. This is a very proper Soup, Salad and Sandwich place - which to me is not all that satisfying, so I felt all this time. But my visit here changed my opinion. For about Rs.250+ taxes (per person) this is indeed a worthy lunch. For soup we had the corn chowder with a bit of tabassco this felt nice on a rainy afternoon. The salad bar is awesome when it comes to choice. Of course the vegetarian fare is large but the non-veg eaters too get a good choice of tuna, chicken and ham. After the salad which you surely can't finish in just one round so I suggest taking a few more of those, you can then move on to order your choice of sandwich. I picked the Honey Mustard Chicken grilled sandwich which was a nice choice over the regular chicken tikka. By the time I finished the sandwich I was FULL and realised this is not such a light meal after all. I was expecting a lot from the desserts but there was only the chocolate mousse which I thought should have been a little more cold. So I think they could have done a bit more interesting stuff on the desserts.

Verdict: Recommended for a lovely lazy afternoon. It's a bit loud so don't expect a lot of sweet happenings as the tables are also very close to each other. Large groups should avoid this place because you would be a little disturbing to those around. Is typically filled with couples, ladies and a few random office colleagues.

Barbecue Night

2007-01-11T12:36:00.000+05:30

Sunday night we set-up a small barbecue on our terrace. Unfortunately the weather was not so comforting and we were sweating it out by the end of it. But we had some great food that night - Grilled paneer, mushroom, potatoes, onions, capsicums and roomali roti with dal makani.

Getting the grill to heat up ain't no easy task. It took me about 2 hours to really see that lovely reddish orange flame emerge out of the coal pieces. It's an art I am hoping I will be able to get a hang of it if I had some more of these sessions. But alas, the Mumbai weather isn't so supportive. But I am glad that by the end of it the taste was something we cherished very much. Also there was this lovely aroma of the food in the air which made it even more exciting to sit out there in the open and feast on the hot pieces off the grill.

Some pointers for those who would like to have a barbecue night at home:

Make sure you tell the coal seller you need it for home use so you can give you small brittle pieces.
Coal takes a lot of time to ignite, so give it ample time before you intend to start grilling stuff on it.
Coal needs a agent - I used kerosene but I believe you also get propane cans which can also be used. Make sure you don't use too much of this because otherwise the food can start smelling of it.
You are going to need a strong hand-held fan so give the coal necessary air for the sparks to rise.
Ensure that the marination is not a very thin gravy it should be thick enough so that it doesn't drip onto the coal.
The skews should be well oiled so that they come off smooth once roasted. Of the lot paneer is the most messy and potatoes the toughest.
Somebody should keep a watch and keep rotating the skews so that all sides are well cooked.
And .... don't expect to be a pro in your first few tries. This was my third attempt and I could manage to feed about 6 people in good time.

I would love to hear your experience or some expert tips, if you have organized a barbecue at your place. More photos from the evening at my flickr.

Scrambled Eggs

2007-01-06T13:12:00.000+05:30

Winter in Bombay is as precious as gold. You get a very few of those chilly mornings where you can enjoy a nice cuppa of tea of a hearty breakfast. I am not a very morning person, so usually my breakfast is light.

But when the weather is good and office is closed on a Saturday morning - what better way to start the morning than to cook up some eggs. So having made a quick phone call to the neighbourhood grocery shops I got the necessary ingredients for my Scrambled Eggs breakfast.

I was going to look up the instructions online, but then my mom volunteered to guide me through, so under her expert guidance I cooked myself a hearty meal.

Pancakes at Mc Cafe

2006-09-14T18:55:00.000+05:30

For those who thought I had stopped eating or cooking - Well, I haven't and I am back. Hope to get some long due posts in here, so keep checking. To start with here is something from my honeymoon trip to New Zealand.

Delicious - is not the word for this. I wish I could find something more superlative. Yummy pancakes at McDonald's coffee chain - Mc Cafe. They are supposed to be on the breakfast menu, but we managed to have the staff get one ready for us even in the evening. Thank them!

Strawberry Cake

2006-02-20T19:01:00.000+05:30

About a week back, Mom surprised us with some dessert on a Thursday night. No such rule that NO desserts on a week-day but just you know how it feels nice to have something delicious in the middle of the week.

And I was lucky because I had got home early that evening and so dinner was relaxed and then a plateful of this cake. If there is something mom cherishes in desserts it's always been strawberries and cheese-cakes. But this is just a plain "strawberry cake". The cake was from Gaylord @ Churchgate and Mom made the strawberry cream at home.

Tomato Soup & Malaysian Noodles

2006-01-17T13:07:00.000+05:30

A few Sundays back, I was sick - really sick. But I had spent that week thinking I would cook on the weekend and I didn't want anything to stop me. So I decided to cook something which would help me relieve my cold. Lucky me, as I was thinking Mr. Sanjeev Kapoor had already made my life easy, my giving a lovely soup recipe on that Sunday Mid-Day's edition.

Tomato & Basil Soup
This soup is an excellent choice for somebody who loves tomato soups. The extra essence of the basil and other ingredients make it very tasty. Just a bit of warning: This ain't a very simple soup to make. Lots of effort went into grinding the ingredients and give it that rich taste. But trust me worth the efforts, after all - Mom appreciated the soup very much. And let's not forget without her I am a lost soul in the kitchen. Thanks Mom!

Malaysian style noodles
I'll be honest, I dived into this one for only the egg pieces which I think were the only highlight of the noodles. I don't know, maybe I didn't do it right, but it turned out quite bland and kind of dry also. But what I mixed some Maggi Chilly sauce and it became a bit tastier. Top it all, not my choice, I like my noodles to be nice & juicy with some gravy in them. Share a recipe if you have something.

Boss ka birthday cake

2005-12-11T23:10:00.000+05:30

It was boss ka birthday at office. And anyone who knows boss, knows how much he hates chocolate cake. So on his birthday, chocolate cake was a complete NO NO. Actually he celebrates his birthday with one more colleague at office, so it was double celebration in one single cake. Birdy's is the regular outlet where we get all our celebratory cakes from. This time it was a Blueberry+Kiwi cake. Yummy. Very soft, creamy and delicious.

It's easy to know when a cake has been a good choice or no. Where there is a fight among all for a second helping, you know the cake has been a "hit" and everyone has liked it. Birthday's are so much fun at office.

Baked a cake

2005-11-22T22:22:00.000+05:30

This is getting dangerous. Every time I have some free time and I am not too tired, I end up in the kitchen cooking up something or the other. Ash was having pot dinner at his house and I decided to use that Saturday's holiday for some better use. So it was time to get baking.

I have no skills to make a cake, but when you have the ready-to-eat why worry. The instructions on the cake made it look like a real simple thing, so it wasn't that big a challenge. All was going well, until it was 20 minutes into the oven, when the cake started to burst it's stomach. And instead of shaping like a nice flat plateau it shaped up like a swollen volcano waiting to burst out it's lava.

But I believe, in food presentation is very important. So to cover up that big burst I whipped some fresh cream and covered it carefully to make it a very natural shape. I think it was a pretty messy finish, but I am glad Mom & sister appreciated the same and give me the thumbs-up to take it to Ash's party. Well, at the party nobody even realized it was a packet cake- I can't wait to tell them or have them read the true story here.

Free Style Salad

2005-11-03T20:53:00.000+05:30

Three days of holiday and I had not stepped into the kitchen for even a moment. Diwali means restrictions on food - No onion, No garlic. Which basically limits my choice of food which I can experiment with. Thursday evening out of sheer boredom and a pang of hunger I finally stepped in. One look at the stuffed up refrigerator and I decided that it's going to be a nice cold salad before the dinner is served tonight.

I was in no mood to dig out any recipes or see any books for help. So it was a free-style salad that I mopped up. Lots of vegetables like cucumber, tomatoes, cabbage and olives - sliced, pieced or grated as you feel. (That's the best part of free-style).

Some tips from the not-so expert chef on ways to make the salad interesting.

Use olive oil, gives salads a very distinct taste
Salad Dressing - I hate dry stuff (This is one of the only reasons I hate salads, at times)
Make sure the vegetables are cut fine - large pieces can be a little irritating

So that's it for now. Saturday night could be pot-dinner at Ash's place. If I get free time, I am going to cook up something too.

It's thai time!

2005-10-24T00:38:00.000+05:30

So it's Sunday again, and what happens on Sunday? Well, the master chef ;-) enters the kitchen and takes over. This time the challenge was even tougher but I was rest assured because I knew dear mother was there for supervision and guidance, if any. So I decided to dig up a recipe for Thai Green Curry and so it was. Let me admit again, this was indeed a challenge over the other dishes I have made earlier.

To begin with, I had no knowledge of some of the ingredients and some I didn't know were called with such peculiar names in English. You tend to grow up calling certain things in a way you have been taught. Like I knew what is "coriander" but what is "ground coriander"? And when mom showed me the same, I was like "Oh this."

The cooking was not so difficult except the determination of boiling points, which was manageable thanks to Mom. The dish finally landed at the table only to realize that the "Master Chef" had actually forgotten to add Salt to the dish. Don't blame me - The recipe didn't say so!

DesiPundit says hello

2005-10-15T15:55:00.000+05:30

After Kapil's Korner it is now time for KhanaPeena to get featured at DesiPundit. Thank you Neha.

Chocolate Pudding with Marie Biscuits

2005-10-12T18:39:00.000+05:30

I had a good argument with my girl-friend about my cooking. She said when would you cook for me. To which I replied I would not serve a good lady cook specifically for two reasons:

They would try and compare my cooking to their certain standard taste which they would have developed over the years.
I would like to cook not to match an already established taste but rather innovate and if not improve, at least help develop a new taste for those eating my dishes.

Ok moving onto this afternoon's experiment. Everyone loves Chocolate Pudding. Specially those on a diet plan would die for this little serving. To make it interesting I put some pudding on the regular Marie Biscuits available in the market. Let me admit, it wasn't something lip-smacking, but kind of makes the pudding offering a little more enjoyable.

Oreo Cookied bashed up

2005-10-09T23:49:00.000+05:30

Till I become an expert at cooking I will have to share recipes borrowed from others. This very simple, easy and quick dessert makes it interesting to write about it.

What do you need?
Lots of vanilla ice-cream, super powdered oreo cookies (without the cream) and chocolate syrup. And of course, a diet-free mindset.

How do you do it?
Just scoop out the vanilla ice-cream and attack it with rest of the ingredients.

Next?
Gobble down - lots & lots of it.

Mr. Chef once more

2005-10-09T23:12:00.000+05:30

KhanaPeena was started so that I could blog about food I eat, but it seems it's slowly becoming a place to blog more about food "I MAKE". Sunday just got a lot more busier. Last time was "Project Pizza" - Didn't blog that one! This time it's Spaghetti with Mushroom and Spinach.

I thank "Miss N" for digging out the recipe from Tarla Dalal. It was very interesting when she sent me the recipe, she added a note "This should be not that difficult to make, try your hands with it". Yeah sure, if cooking was that easy I am sure everyone would jump into the kitchen. But yes, I admit - if done in the right spirit cooking can be a great experience. And I am glad to be a part of it.

Preparation was not much difficult. I didn't bother to wait for the servant and hit the chopping board right away. Although let me admit, I did screw up on the measurement and boiled spaghetti just a bit more than required. But I guess the estimation comes with experience. To make dinner more interesting I prepared some Garlic Toast, which has always been my personal favourite.

It wasn't such a bad preparation after all - Dad and sis appreciated the efforts and left the table pretty much stuffed.

Easy to make pasta

2005-09-28T23:28:00.000+05:30

Although the weekend had been tough, I tried to do something interesting on Sunday evening. I managed to pick-up a pack of easy to make pasta from the local shop and came home all very excited to try another attempt in the kitchen. Ya ya, it was a ready-made pasta pack - So what's the big deal. But hey it's the thrill of doing something fun in the kitchen, which gets me in there. So here it is.

It's pretty simple you see. Just open up the pack and follow the instructions carefully. You gotta keep a good watch so that the pasta does not get over-cooked making a mash out of the whole thingie. So be around when it's happening, although it does take a while for them to boil.

I think the accompanying paste is kind of bland so here is my recommendation to make it more interesting. Add some good amount of red pepper, oregano, a few jalapenos if you would like and garnish it with grated cheese. If you really want to make it look exciting sprinkle some parsley.

Next on my ToDo list: Mozzarella Fritters.

Spicy Vermicilli

2005-09-17T22:52:00.000+05:30

Cooking has always been a subject of great interest for me. Not much, but whatever little free time I get, I like to once in a while try to experiment in the kitchen. Of course this is yet under the expert guidance of my Super "COOK" Mom.

Today was one such occasion where I decided to step in and cook up some interesting snack earlier this evening. We made spicy vermicilli (read: Indian noodles). It was pretty simple and although I am no expert to give a recipe I'll give you a small guide.

Spicy Vermicilli

Ingredients
Some Verimiciili (Depends how much you want to eat. Remember they get blown when boiled)
little cooking oil
Mustard Seed
Asofotedia
Finely chopped Carrots, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Chilies.
Salt & lime to taste.

Hit it
First you gotta boil the vermicilli with the carrots & potatoes. Then strain out all the water and keep aside. Meanwhile on a slow gas get some oil, mustard seeds, chilies and asofotedia to cook mildly. When the seeds start making the cringing noise, add the strained vermicilli mix and cook for a while. Shake lightly as to not mash up the dish. Add salt & lime and you should have something tasty ready.

Let me know if you experiment. Would love to have your comments.

Happy Birthday Mom

2005-09-15T00:05:00.000+05:30

happy birthday mom
Originally uploaded by kapsi.

This year has been special. I cut 5 cakes, Mom cuts 2 this year. Both have been fruit cakes - Mom's favourites. The left one came loaded with kiwi, apples, cherries, some kind of jellybeans. Well decorated and packaged.

The right one is from Gaylord = A little hard but sweet and splashed with pineapple slices. It was interesting to lick of the cream from it's sides and make little windows into the cake.

Happy Birthday MOM!

What makes coffee even more interesting?

2005-09-11T01:39:00.000+05:30

coffee design
Originally uploaded by kapsi.

How a good cup of coffee can get even more interesting? Make a design from the cream.

This one is from Cafe Coffee Day. I remember seeing a snippet on MTV or some other channel where they showed how this little design was done. Looked so bloody simple with a simple tooth-pick he used to do the whole thing. But I am sure if I got my hands wet it would be a total mess.

Will post my progress if I ever get to doing it. First let's learn to make a good cup of coffee at least.

Holiday is for eating

2005-09-11T01:02:00.000+05:30

Oh I love mid-week holidays. They excite me more than a Sunday. It's a great way to do something which is not so SUNDAY like for a change you could just sit home and not bother about catching a movie or dining out. Wednesday was one such "chutti". I didn't do anything much which gave me a lot of time to sit home and enjoy some good stuff.

Mom bought me a packet of the Nestle Lassi. I would have liked it to be a little more chilled, but it was not bad. Could have been a little more sweeter but then I guess my sugar barometer is always higher than the average taste bud. The weather kind of became hot by lunch time, so the cold lassi pack was a good relief.

When at home, how could mom miss the opportunity to cook up an evening snack. "Aloo Chaat" it was for the evening. Very easy and quick (so it seemed). Boiled Potatoes, Butter, Onion, pinch of garlic, some cheese cubes and I guess salt & pepper to taste. If you make a bowl full, beware tends to get heavy on the stomach - you know what too much of potatoes can do to you?

5 cakes in 24 hours

2005-09-11T00:27:00.000+05:30

I just celebrated my birthday last weekend. And this birthday was special not only because of the lovely celebrations but also because I ended up cutting almost 5 cakes in less than 24 hours. That was something indeed. But hey no one seemed to complaint or bother about the calories and everyone enjoyed it. A snapshot of what was on my plate.

(Starting from LEFT): The chocolate cake was from Le Chocolat -The Chocolate Lounge, Bandra. Creamy nice and yes delicious. Chocolate Lounge had a special menu of desserts, coffees and more specially created for my little party.
Then there was a Photo cake from Desserts 'R' Us which was special because it had a photo of me and good friend Pankaj from my 7th Birthday celebrations. I didn't really get to taste this pineapple cake but the cream was yummy because that's the only thing I got to lick of it.
The team @ office got another chocolate cake from Birdy's by Taj which was just a little hard but tasted nice.
Little Sister also got me a chocolate cake from Theoberma, Colaba to end the birthday celebrations.

Overall I think cakes have only gotten better over the years and there is a lot of variety available these days. But my preference would always remain a Rich Creamy Chocolate Cake.

Oriental Express

2005-08-24T22:15:00.000+05:30

The weekend was dedicated to an oriental experience. Sat & Sun dinners were authentic oriental delicacies. I am pizza-crazy but oriental cravings are also common. Josh is indeed a good place if you want to break free from the routine manchurian and monchows!

Cottage cheese with seasme in garlic sauce

Rising Rice with Mongolian noodles. Although the noodles were kind of dry we followed it up with some well-cooked Singapore Noodles which made the dinner more tasty.

Desserts are a weakness. Sunday evening ended on the perfect note with some yummy honey soaked flat noodles and vanilla ice-cream. The goey brownie didn't last till I managed to go clicking with the camera. It all got eaten up too soon :-)

What is Khana Peena @ Blogspot?

2005-08-19T01:00:00.000+05:30

Khana Peena @ Blogspot is going to be a window to some of the food and drinks which I relish in my daily course of life. It can be special, it can be terrible or it can be just plain simple. I start off with a very typical Indian sweet-dish known as the "mawa cake". A simple cake made of just milk and sugar this one had been enriched with a generous dose of sliced pistachios & almonds.