Sardar Pav Bhaji

Not every good food experience comes planned, does it? Some of the best tastes are so unplanned that they just strike at your belly,right out of the pan and leave a very delightful taste on your taste buds. at the slight mention of Sardar, I eagerly pounced on the opportunity, without actually being invited and ended up travelling all the way to Tardeo in a bus with Gaurav Agrawal ( who is on his way to become a LEGEND ).

Date: July 4, 2010
Time: 8.00 PM to 10.15 PM
Occasion: Aiwehi!!!
Place: Sardar
Location: Tardeo
Ratings: ****
Courses Tried: Indian (on being asked for the Menu, the waiter promptly replied - Pav Bhaji ONLY )
Moolah: Moderately Expensive ( Considering Cannon or any other Pav Bhaji Joint )
Pricing: Around 60-80 per dish
Quantity: 1 dish = 1 person
Address: 66A, Tardeo Road Junction, Tardeo, Mumbai
Telly: 022-23530208
Closest Station: Bombay Central
Buses: 63, 67, 85, 89, 91, 92, 93,124, 125, 132, 133, 166, 305,351, 357, 385 et al

A Sardar deal is always a yummy one. However painstaking the wait is, the eventual reward - the utterly butterly delicious Pav Bhaji more than makes up for it!!! Luckily, this time, I didn't have to stand in the queue for too long, the honours went to Amit and Anuj.

The moment we found place for ourselves, we began shooting orders. 'Menu Card laana', 'Table saaf kardena', 'Empty Glasses laana', etc. Till the waiter actually found time to visit our table, we were already decided as to what to order - 2 Amul Pav Bhajis and two cheese Pav Bhajis ( the cheese ones going to the less healthier ones ). The Pav Bhajis arrived soon as they make it in heaps. The gorgeous sight of the delectable Pav Bhaji, layered with white cheese and laden with a rectangled cube of amul butter. What more can a hungry person ask for? The Pav Bhaji is less spicy and full of butter. The vegetables contain more of potatoes and less of tomatoes which gives it a yellow ocherish colour. The Pav Bhaji is laced with freshly chopped coriander and the Pav is lightly dipped in butter seemingly. The taste comes more from the copious amounts of butter though.

The masala Pav is very expensive with one single peice priced at Rs. 25. But the amount of butter soaked in the Masala Pav is certainly higher. The onions, finely chopped, with chaat masala and nimbu, are a good side dish of sorts. The cheese Pav Bhaji is quite expensive at Rs. 80 when you compare it to the one at Cannon (CST). But all in all, it's certainly a worth visit!

Prices as on the abovementioned date -
Amul Butter Pav Bhaji - Rs. 60

Cheese Pav Bhaji - Rs. 80

Single piece Extra Pav - rs. 7

Single piece Masala Pav - Rs. 25

It surely is highly recommended for the eternal foodie and also for all those who would mind tucking in a few scoops of butter and not bother about its results on their waistline. Makes for a nice food joint to be with friends and family alike. If you can manage the half-an hour or more waiting time, then you will certainly relish the place more.

Disclaimer: The publisher, writer, blogger, or otherwise of this blog accepts no responsibility of whatsoever is written hereinabove. No claims or suits in any court of law will be entertained. Any similarity with living or non-living beings and/or things is purely co-incidental.

Chocolate Cappuccino Brownies

This is my most favourite recipe and I have made these brownies like a zillion times. Everytime I try to make a few changes so that one fine day they will be the best and most perfect brownies!!! This time, the changes I made have helped me cut the 2 minutes in the microwave that I needed to put my brownies after they were baked in the oven, as they used to be still wet in the middle. It seems I have finally hit upon the right notes, only to take it to a higher level herefrom.

Ingredients:

1 medium-large egg

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 capful vanilla essence

1 tsp coffee

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

60 ml powdered sugar

200 gms dark cooking chocolate

2 capfuls refined oil

80 ml maida

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Procedure:

1. sieve the maida and baking powder together, atleast thrice
2. beat the egg and sugar for 3-4 minutes till the mixture becomes fluffy
3. melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a double boiler system
4. add all the flavours like cinnamon, salt, essence and coffee to the egg mixture
5. fold it in, in figures of 8 the molten chocolate and oil
6. add the maida mixture and fold in, in figures of 8
7. grease the baking dish or put butter paper in the dish and preheat for 10 minutes @ 180' C
8. bake for 35 minutes or till the cake is not wet in the middle @ 180' C

REMOVE AND EAT!!!

Suggestions for Serving:

make chocolate sauce by melting cooking chocolate, adding milk, sugar and little water. crumble the brownie in a glass and pour in the sauce. heat for 20-30 seconds in microwave. RELISH!!!

New Yorkers!

Date: May 20, 2010
Time: 8.00 PM
Occasion: 1st of my 21st Year Birthday Treats!
Place: New Yorkers
Location: Kings Circle, Matunga
Ratings: ***1/2
Courses Tried: Mocktails, Pastas, Sizzlers
Moolah: Moderately expensive
Pricing: Rs. 180-250 per dish, mocktails 135-155 odd !
Quantity: 1 dish = 2-3 persons
Transport - Closest Station - Matunga East



finally i turned twenty-one and it was time for those beckoning treats. the first one was to be an all-veg affair so we decided upon New Yorker's at Matunga. I reached a little late and since most of the tables had a maximum of six chairs, we had to order an extra chair - free free free !!!


hungry as ever, i entered late, only to find ayushi, nisha and pooja (the first two read as dummies), were already there. the sofas are quite comfortable but the negative point is that it can seat maximum six. so bigger groups will have to split. also people who would want to talk and share their joys with others - beware! you will be non-chalantly chided for talking too loudly! so we first began with mocktails... of varied hues and sizes, filled in differently sized glasses. so we had lemon breezers, blue caracao breezers, strawbeery, peach, etc etc the blue curacao breezer was yummy. fizzling with soda and draped in the sea blue colour, topped with a spring of mint and a slice of lime. and the strawberry was a treat for the eyes. then came along the nachos. with the ever-favourite cheese!!! it was really good. the nachos were more like kahkras though and there was an evident dash of turmeric. but it tasted good with all the capsicums. next on the menu was pasta and sizzlers. we had the two ring pasta - a nice blend of sweeet and spicy, spaghetti and penne, white sauce and red sauce! the sizzlers were not good though. overly priced, less quantity, VEG and not great! the italian one had only pasta , beans and cabbage!!! all for 320??? whereas the shashlik was more like manchurian! a big let down given he starting fare!

Prices as on the abovementioned date -
Lemon Breezer - Rs. 155
Blue Curacao Breezer - Rs. 155
Peach Margarita - Rs. 135
Strawberry Margarita - Rs. 135
Nachos with Cheese - Rs. 200
Two Ring Pasta - Rs. 200
Italian Sizzler - Rs. 325
Veg and Paneer Shashlik Sizzler - Rs. 365

its a good place to go if you are a veggie. they don't tolerate too much noise though and you will be served with regular reminders to keep your volume low. good place to dine with one's family. they have many branches here and there so location is not an issue generally.

Timbuctoo

Date: May 1, 2010
Time: 9.00 PM
Occasion: Nightout at Akanksha's!
Place: Timbuctoo
Location: Mulund R Mall
Ratings: ***
Courses Tried: Mocktails, Starters and Continental
Moolah: moderately expensive
Pricing: Rs. 125-145 per dish, mocktails 100 odd !
Quantity: 1 dish = 2-3 persons
Transport - Closest Station - Mulund


surprise surprise!!! one more outing after exams, this time at Mulund at Akanksha's amazing Place. and we had to go out for dinner so we zeroed in upon timbuctoo. I was rather indifferent about the place but certain people made it sure that we ended up there. The place is a part of urban tadka and pop tates and is an open air affair! the place is filled with hooka fragrance and there are many tables for the ever-starving tummies.


we were 9 of which 4 were vegetarians ( :( ) so we arranged ourselves that way affording us convenience to eat directly from the plate! We concluded on ordering separate mocktails for each of us rather than share. I particularly didn't want to share those thirst quenchers. So we ordered around 7 mocktails with names like Sunset and Sun rise, Virginia and Zulu something. Virginia was quite nice, with lots of strawberry and a hint of other flavours. The zulu thing was colourful too, with the major drink being Orange juice. I was gettign restless with us having ordered zilch food. So we decided to order starters. a few veg and 2 non-veg. Dunno what the vegetarians ordered but we had Thai BBQ Chicken and Blasted Chicken. Thai BBQ chicken was little spicy, tangy, flat chicken discs fried in oil. The blasted chicken was good. Very tender and superbly herbed, roasted to perfection. It had a dressing of a tangy sauce and served with mashed potato and sour onions. The main course included a Chicken Lasagne and something called as bananani (not sure of the name though). The Lasagne was piled with layers and cheese and flat pasta and was filled with a very tasty mixture of minced meat. The Bananani was a sort of penne and chicken pasta with white sauce. I certainly disliked the fact that they served it an hour after we ordered and only when I threatened them to cancel the order. But it was more than sufficiently cheesy. We ordered an additional barbeque starter called Friday Night Fever or something (sorry but I really dont have an online menu to quote the correct names). That was the most awesome chicken started I had had. The chicken was deliciously soft and tender. And was roasted to perfection.

I guess it is a good place to hangout with friends. It is more of a hookah place and is a very good deal for non-vegetarians. It's not too costly and the bill came to around Rs. 300 per head. The quantity is okayish though. You could book a place in advance during peak times.

Not just JAZZ by the bay !!!

Date: April 28, 2010
Time: 10.00 PM
Occasion: Celebrating end of third year exams !!!
Place: Not just JAZZ by the bay
Location: Churchgate
Ratings: **1/2
Courses Tried: Continental, Mocktails, Desserts
Moolah: Very Expensive
Pricing: Rs. 200-300 per dish, desserts 120-175, mocktails 150 odd !
Quantity: 1 dish = 1-2 persons
Transport - Closest Station - churchgate


aha!! this is what you call - being Green to save electricity!!! I had to actually use the torch of my mobile, which I rarely get to use in Mumbai, to read the Menu... the lights were way too dim temporarily making us feel we were nocturnal creatures :P The only thing that shone was the fluorescent marking that was stamped upon our hands.


Whatever the consequences of our decision to come here, we did end up relishing the food. we were asked to pay Rs. 100 per head as 'entry' fee to hear some tom-dick-harry bands play some music. We were sitting right besides the band so we could hear it quite 'loudly and clearly'. I felt more than once that they should have provided every table with a few pens and a few loose papers, just so that people could atleast communicate as to what they would want to eat. The loud din made it quite impossible for us to have a conversation, and I should not be blaming the restaurant for this. Maybe the ambience is what people come here for and I was a bit away from reality! We began ordering with the drinks, a few hard a few soft. I had something called as Tropical Storm which was quite refreshing and tangy due to the heavy presence of Orange! The others had God knows what. Ankita had sprite whereas the girl on my right had Virgin Mojito which the others wrote off as a 'Tulsi' drink!!! Kaustubh did have a Long Island Ice Tea and I distinctly remember someone ordering a 'Ginlet'... God know what that is... When I do begin drinking alcohol ( which is quite not that easily possible ) , I will offer better reviews of non-alcoholic beverages also. Till then I'll stick to food and patchy mentions of these drinks. :) The bands began playing songs which I had never heard before, but were well appreciated by the more music-educated crowd ! They alternated as there were two bands that night, so that the rest-endowed band could sip their chilled beer. Our conversations were thus restricted to the neighbours ears! I as usual was 'damn' hungry. We began the ordering process and finally decided on cottage Cheese Paprika, Penne & Barbeque Chicken and Jamaican Grilled Chicken. It arrived sooner than I expected. The Cottage Cheese Paprika was served with 2 paneers tikkis with bell peppers and spicy paprika sauce. The paneer was soft and tender, sufficiently marinated in the sauce. The Penne and Mushroom was as usual creamy and the chicken succulent. But I was disappointed with the quantity of chicken therein and the quantity of the dishes per se. When you charge a lot, you are expected to serve sufficient quantities and the waiter had the audacity to tell me that this would be enough for all of us. Bah!!! Thereafter we moved towards desserts and people were already decided on what to order. New York Chocolate Cake and Ebony and Ivory although cliched and passe, we ordered them. I wasn't too amused. I ordered for myself a Mandarin Chocolate Mousse. It turned out to be the piece de resistance! Served in a tall slim glass, cold, liquefied chocolate with a hint of orange and brandy ( which I couldn't fathom till the end). But it was sinfully delicious! A very good end to a not so good beginning.


Prices as on the abovementioned date -

Long Island Ice Tea - Rs. 425
Tropical Storm - Rs. 175
Virgin Mojito - Rs. 175
Cottage Cheese Paprika - Rs. 325
Penne & Barbeque Chicken - Rs. 375
Jamaican Grilled Chicken - Rs. 385
New York Chocolate Cake - Rs. 110
Ebony and Ivory - Rs. 155
Mandarin Chocolate Mousse - Rs. 150



I would say if you are looking for a musical night, without much of talking or sharing the days events and do have a huge purse or have someone who will shell out for you too, then this place is worth a visit. They have different bands playing everyday and you can sit for as long as you want. The food is not bad but excessively priced. The desserts are better than the main course and I would say DO NOT MISS THE MOUSSE!!! Bon Appetit!

Is this the famous Crystal?

Date: March 31, 2010
Time: 12.30 PM
Occasion: Returning home dejected from ICAI
Place: Crystal
Location: Girgaum Chowpatty
Ratings: ****
Courses Tried: Punjabi, Sweets
Moolah: Cheap
Pricing: Rs. 100
Quantity: 1 dish = 2-3 persons
Transport - Closest Station - Charni Road

We were supposed to go to the Ca Institute and the the CS Institute to get things over 112 sorted out, but before we even went there, we had decided where we were going to have lunch! I was told Crystal was this awesome place at Charni Road famous for Punjabi Food. I thought it would be this fine-dine restaurant which will cost me around 300-400 bucks a head. After getting the expected dejection at ICAI we left for this place.


As we kept walking along the opposite side of Girgaum Chowpatty, suddenly Hardik pointed at this shabby Looking, Old-hotels type, small entranced, 'eatery'. And I need to call it an eatery as it was a billion times crash from what I expected Crystal to be like. Just as we entered, the owner, wearing a plain white shirt, much like the quaint Parsis, yelled at us saying it will take 15 minutes more for food and we should be sitting only if we wanted to wait. We couldn't care less, but yes my stomach did as I was immensely hungry. The waiter was more caring though as he climbed up after us and switched on the fans for us and also took our order. So we did order finally - Paneer Kurma, Dal Makhani, Butter Rotis, Aamras and Mineral Water. And not sooner did 5 minutes pass, the food was already in front of us. The Paneer Kurma was more like Paneer Bhurji, faint yellow in colour, less spicy, and full of Paneer. I mean for 40 bucks they had this plate full of only Paneer. All things I later found out hardly had any salt content in them so we had to be very liberal with that. the Dal Makhani was just awesome, with copious amounts of Makkhan, brown in colour and much like the awesome one you get at NH-4! The rotis were hot, little thick, with dollops of ghee but small in size. I had to have 5 1/2 to satiate my hunger. The aamras was okayish as it was more like milk shake with milk added to it and was served chilled. That certainly did not stop me from having two servings. Later, we ordered the Matter Paneer, which had tomato gravy, less spicy again, with average quantity of Paneer. I would rate it as OK. We signed off with a 2 royal servings of Kheer. and what a Kheer it was! More like Phirni, thick, condensed milk, little burnt flavour like basundi, with boiled rice, chilled. It was the best we had till date but couldn't do much justice as out tummies were already full. The bill was a jaw-dropping Rs. 314 with us having ordered 13 butter rotis, 4 aamras, 2 kheers, 1 paneer kurma, dal makhani, mutter paneer and 2 auqafinas!



Prices as on the abovementioned date -
Dal Makhani - Rs. 35
Paneer Kurma - Rs. 40
Mutter Paneer - Rs. 35
Aamras - Rs. 30
Kheer - Rs. 22
Butter Roti (Chapati) - Rs. 4


I seriously recommend it to anyone and everyone - whether a vegetarian or a hardcore non-vegetarian like me. It's the best place for cheap yet superbly delicious food and of course the desserts. DO NOT MISS THE KHEER!!! and the BUTTER ROTIS!!! It's more like a hangout for people working or staying in hostels nearby and as per information there is bound to be a QUEUE. So go early like we did!!!


Disclaimer: The publisher, writer, blogger, or otherwise of this blog accepts no responsibility of whatsoever is written hereinabove. No claims or suits in any court of law will be entertained. Any similarity with living or non-living beings and/or things is purely co-incidental.

Honey Stir Fried Vegetables with Sausages

It seems i am making too much food nowadays, ever so to satiate my taste buds rather than my stomach! Today I wanted something tasty so I ventured into making Honey stir fried vegetables with Sausages. Trust me I had no idea of what it was. I just casually started listing things I needed to use as ingredients. I had had some idea of how these dishes are made, but then when it comes to actually making it, it's a different ball game!
Firstly I had to study but once a culinary idea enters my mind, I HAVE to make it. I set forth to shop for all the planned ingredients. It did take me some time to get my hands on all.
After coming home I immediately began chopping the red and yellow bell peppers (1 each), 5-6 celery stalks and 5-6 spring onions leaves. I boiled the mushrooms and baby corns ( 1 packet each ) with a little salt. I chopped the sausages into small pieces and fried them in olive oil. I put them aside and put more olive oil on the pan with honey and soya sauce. I added the celery, spring onion, baby corn, cut tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers and onion leaves. I added salt to taste and paprika. even the sausages went in. I allowed all to cook well and let it simmer.


PS - Pic for representational purposes only!!!