Salt Water Cafe - Covid Diwali Dinner

 Me and my best half after deciding not to go out for dinner finally succumbed to all the pressure of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter where people are having awesome food at our favorite places we decided to take the plunge.

The decision to go to Salt Water Cafe was not easy we had checked out multiple places on Zomato such as Bayroute, Indigo Deli, & Smoke House Cafe and surprise surprise we were told that Bayroute Juhu was not taking anymore reservation as they are booked for Diwali. Smoke House and Indigo said first come first serve but we finally decided for Salt Water Cafe near Bandstand (not so near).

We had called them and told it would be first come first serve basis and viola we were hoping for a seat. As we entered the place first thing we notice is that all the waiters have covered their face with mask and face shield, then comes the gloves. We were told to fill up some form on our mobile where we declare that we did not have covid for last 14 days and we are not showing any symptoms (technically a google form). 

We were taken to our seat and to our surprise (we should not be) the place was 90% full for dinner (almost 9 pm). The first thing they put were glasses which was covered in paper which I think is a good way of not servers not touching the glass. There was no menu card but a menu QR code where one can scan from their phone and taken to a website which has Salt Water Menu.

We then ordered our first starter 

Burrata, Tomato & Pickled Onions In Ciabatta

 

This was a soft piece of bread with tomato and an awesome onion pickle with little bit of Burrata and balsamic.

Next one in line was

Pan Tossed Cous Cous with Harissa and Spiced Vegetable Stew

This one takes the piece with nice spicy sauce, cous cous and big chunks of veggies this dish taste good as it looks. The hit of spice at the end was really amazing

We were not done as we felt that there is still some space for something more and we ended with 

Grilled Veg with Feta, Chili and Spaghetti

This one was amazing and super tasty the grilled veg were taken a lil far with their charring we did not mind it. The Chili and feta did their job of giving their flavors and making this dish wholesome.

Boracay - Part 3 Philippines

After 2 days in Manila, I thought of going to 2 places first one was El Nido and second one was Boracay [pronounced ad Bo-Ra-Kay]. Boracay is south of Manila where it is said always in top 5 beaches of the world and after reaching there I know why.


You can reach Boracay through multiple routes
1. Go on a ferry via Batangas port to Catlican port which is 5 mins away from Boracay.
2. Go on a plane, land in Kalibo which is 60KM away from Boracay

I took the first option which was cheaper and heard some good reviews about 2Go Ferries. The ferry takes around 12 hours to reach from Batangas but to reach Batangas is almost 3 hours from Manila which you reach in an air conditioned bus for not more than 100 pesos. The route to Batangas is awesome, the highway is empty, there are lots of beautiful scenic locations on the way.

Once you reach Batangas port show the printed ticket at the counter with your photo ID and card which you have paid from. Enter the terminal and sit down, make sure you reach the place before 7:30PM that is when the boarding starts.

The 2Go ferry is huge which carries large trucks as well as good number of people, on the top deck there is live karaoke and drinking options. There are bunk beds which for tall people is not a good thing as you need to keep your bags on it as well, if you are lucky you may find the one below or above empty which you can use for storage.

After reaching Catlican at around 7 AM you see the beautiful blue waters and Boracay island just 5 minutes boat ride. But you will have to pass through a terminal which charges 75 pesos for entry, environmental fees for 100 pesos and boat ride 25 pesos. Get out on Boracay and take a tuk tuk, they know most of the hotels in Boracay, I had decided to stay in MNL Boutique again due to its rave reviews.

Now things one can do in Boracay
1. Jet Rides - Only 1100 pesos if you haggle
2. Banana Ride - If you go with your friends must do
3. Flying Fish - This is a must do
4. Scuba - Not an ideal destination but quite cheap
5. Snorkeling - Take an Island tour and you will do a lot of it. You will find many options but most of them are in range of 1200 pesos but only 4 hours max. I found one with 800 pesos with 6 hours of fun and lunch included.
6. Pub Crawl - For 990 pesos where it is whole lot of fun meeting new people and drinking
7. Partying - This is what Boracay is famous for, one stretch where you will find restaurant ranging from Indian to US cuisine and everything in between. When sun sets party starts and can go on till 3 AM or even early in the morning.

Boracay is divided into 4 stations, where station 2 is where the most happening things happen and station 3 and station 4 where you can just chill out on the beach.

 

If you are a party person this is the place for you....no dearth of place to dance, eat, drink and make merry. But if you like something quieter then there is El Nido for you. 

Trip to Philippines - Part 2 [Manila]

In the previous post it was all an overall information of Philippines but now comes the intricate details of the trip.

Let me start with Manila from which I had great expectations but it did not click, below you will find the details.
1. Well Manila is like Mumbai and I wanted to get out of Mumbai and after entering Manila it felt that I have entered Mumbai [I hope you are understanding all the stuff]. All in all if you want to get out of Mumbai do not enter Manila because it feels the same.
2. Traffic is crazy
3. Too many people, too many cars, too many malls.

After my frustrating evening trip to the hostel from the Airport, I thought of relaxing a lil bit the next morning and doing a chill pill. Well got bored soon and wanted to check out places and asked Ron from MNL hostel about the old Manila which has got some great things written about it. If you are a history fan this is the place to go but there are more interesting things.

As I was on a budget trip, I took the budget way of traveling over to Intramuros by Jeepney and Manila metro rail to Central Terminal and walk into Intramuros. But on the way I was swayed by the food and the love of Soft quail eggs which are fried famously called Kwek - Kwek which is dipped in Soya and vinegar sauce and cost for 5 small Kwek - Kwek is just 10 pesos. Also during the hot summer day you can try Boku [coconut water] for just 25 pesos for a big glass or Black Ice Tea for 10 pesos from any road side food.

Jeepney is like Tata Ace in small villages in India where they ply a specific road and charges are nominal. Comfortably 20 people can be seated in and max cost would be around 20 pesos it is quick but never sit near the exit as you will be taking in the most of the black smoke coming from the exhaust.

Intramuros means within the wall is the old part of Manila and for other things read up wikipedia. As for travelers there is a museum, spanish home, few more things, and 2 beautiful churches St. Augustine and Manila church. I suggest you can avoid everything other than the Church. Entry into St. Augustine church is 100 pesos and the place is so serene and quite. Sit there enjoy the great decore

Then the great Manila church where entry is free and again it is a huge church which has being build and rebuilt over and over again because it was destroyed due to earthquake and war.

Well after checking out the places in the Old Manila, time to travel to other part of the country like Boracay and El Nido.

Trip to Philippines - Part 1

It was a sunny May afternoon where I got myself a few extra quids in my salary and that got me thinking what should I do about it, being a marwari the first thought was very simple INVEST!! and enjoy in the future then the traveler in me slapped the inner marwari and it was decided that I would be going on a trip a Solo trip to South East Asia. There were many options available Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Philippines. I was very fascinated by Laos and Cambodia and did a little bit of research and thought why not next year. Then googled up Philippines and I was blown away with the beauty of place and started going in deeper and deeper and with 1000 Filipino travel bloggers I had made my decision it was Philippines. I had to clear up a small hurdle first of getting a 15 days leave approval which is as we all know in India is very difficult but my bosses are awesome and they agreed the same though not in writing and I had that YAAY! moment.

One of the beautiful places

It was late evening of July the 3rd where I booked my flight tickets and before that searching for options on which flight to take etc etc ended up booking Cathay Pacific which has a 7 hour layover in Hongkong and then off to Manila.

Then started discussing the trip with friends and colleagues, first few questions are like this
1. Are you going with your family?
2. After hearing no, ohh with your friends then?
3. After hearing another no, so you have friends over in Philippines?
4. Another negative answer, why are you traveling alone?
5. Why did you choose Philippines, why not Thailand?
6. Ohh forgot this, which tour are you taking?
Well had to give a little bit of explanation of a solo traveler and how it is going to makes things easy for me.

Q: What is your schedule and where are you going to stay?
A:  First few days I have booked a hostel and then let see how things are will decide.

Come September 30th, after packing in food, lil bit of food, and lots of hope went on my way to the Mumbai International Airport and luckily that day it did not rain nor there was traffic reaching way before time which got me into an earlier Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong.

Few things you need to know
1. There are no direct flights from Mumbai to Manila, you will either have to stop at Bangkok, Hong Kong or Singapore and it will take you almost a day to enter Manila.
2. Currency is Pesos where 1 pesos = 1.33 INR, well we are behind in Philippines also in terms of valuation.
3. For vegetarians you can avoid this place or just eat fruits and few veggies like Corn and Coconut.
4. Time difference is 2.5 hours ahead of India
5. Yes, Filipinos speak English but it is also somewhat similar to what we have in India where most of them know it, most of them speak broken English and some do not speak at all.
6. Being a tourist country you may feel that you are being taken for a ride, get over it, it happens in all the countries.
7. Know how to swim, this can be helpful for you. No you will  not get drowned or something but the beauty lies inside the Turquoise water.

Let me start by my first few days of the trip. Well it was off season and things are cheap in terms of accommodation in Manila. So I booked myself a dorm room in MNL Boutique Hostel in Makati region which is around 12 Kms from the Airport. It was raining heavily when I landed in Ninoy Aquino International Airport passed the immigration without any fuss and collected my bags walks out and see a huge tout of people calling you over to get in their private taxi. There are 4 options to get out of the airport
1. Private car - they have fixed charge and are really really expensive.
2. Yellow Cabs/Taxi - They charge 70 pesos initial and 4 pesos for next 300 meters. Waiting is also 4 pesos for 4 minute
3. Airport Taxis - They are good, controlled by Airport, fixed charge but expensive than Yellow taxi
4. Buses - You need to know where you are going exactly, it is the cheapest option.

The start was really bad where I had to wait for a taxi for 4 hours because there was a huge traffic outside the airport and the traffic spilled on the airport also. So being frustrated and wanting to reach the hostel I asked for people waiting for the taxi if anyone is going near Makati area and found that 4 of them are. We had to haggle with the private car and it was finally 500 pesos for each and tips extra. After getting out on the main road I knew why there was dearth of cars in the airport the whole of Manila was stuck due to traffic, that should have being my first sign to get out of there fast. After driving for 2 hours for just 12Kms or so reached the hostel and was so happy to see the bed and shower.

MNL Hostel: This place is right behind Avenue Mall in Makati area and looks like a small colourful bunker from outside and inside it has 2 floors with mix of dorm and private rooms, depending on your budget. Walk out of your room and you see a common area and kitchen where they serve breakfast which is mostly eggs, breads, spreads, tea, coffee and milo.

Well Makati for me is like Bandra of Mumbai lots of places to eat and few other interesting "massage place" as well. But I kinda got kicked with option to eat at the street food place which is nice and cheap almost. Under one roof you will get fish, chicken, pork, beef mostly grilled.

Initial Food Thoughts: Well, saw mostly food being grilled and with gravy. Filipino love rice and they can have it with anything and whatever temperature it is in. Love pork, fish, beef, chicken, eggs and veggies in that order. Beer is just 40 pesos for a San Miguel Pale Pint which is super cheap and there is Tanduay Rum for 99 pesos for full bottle. The food stalls have lots of variety in terms of food and at times you would get confused on what to have and what not to. But that is a discussion for later.

Trip to Vaishno Devi and Places to Eat

JAI MATA DI!!!

My 7th or 8th trip to Vaishno Devi shrine and this one after 9 years was a refreshing trip with the family. Well, lot of them have asked on the itinerary of the trip, please note there shall be description of places to eat also in between so here it goes.

1. Take the Swaraj Express train from Mumbai to Jammu Tawi [For train info click here]
2. Make sure to do the following, get down at Ratlam to have their famous hot Poha from the station which has their special Ratlam sev
3. Then next day the foodie fun starts, have Kulcha and Chole at Ambala Cantt [only Rs. 20 for 3 Kulche and bowl of Chole]
4. Then get down at Ludhiana to have another dose of hot Puri and Chole
5. If you still have some place left to eat get down at Jalandar for the same
6. Get down at last stop Jammu [You have no other option now] and do not find any food here. Get to the Taxi stand which is just outside the station.
7. Pay Rs. 1000 and get yourself an Indica to go to Katra. 
8. Tell the driver to stop at Ashok Restaurant near Nandini Tunnel for some awesome crunchy Paneer Pakode [Rs. 70 per plate]. The guy maybe be snobby but the paneer is super soft inside.
9. Have some Goti Soda from a store nearby.
10. Reach Katra, find a place to stay. Please note you will get rooms ranging from Rs. 5000 per night to Rs. 500 per night so depending your budget. [Note: Every taxi driver has connection with some Hotel or the other, never go there as the prices may be inflated because Taxi wala get their cut]
11. Refresh yourself and take hot water bath. And then walk or take a rickshaw towards the main market depending on the distance you are from the hotel.
12. If it is your first time, ask where Mayur Hotel is, place is nice and clean and food is really awesome. Ranging from Dosa to Paratha to Sandwiches
13. If you are interested in local food, search for Maa Vaishno Dhaba near Subhash Hotel [lane before 6x6 Bikaner Chaat Bhandaar]
14. Enter the Hotel, check the menu on the wall and order the all the parathes. Lemme tell you, you can have 3 of them and not feel full and total cost would not come more than Rs. 500
15. Roam the market, feel the energy and enjoy the window shopping. 
16. Next day, get up early morning around 6:30 am, get fresh and ready. Have some tea with toasted bun and lots of amul butter [Rs. 20 per piece]
17. Go to the parchi counter, stand in line [new rule: everyone now has to stand in line to get the parchi]
18. So if you want to do helicopter booking, do it now as it gets full [Shrine Board Link] or go to Banganga in rickshaw. You will be haggled for horses [do not talk to anyone there] and pithus [pithus are helpers who carry your stuff and each one has an ID which they give to you. If you are carrying a bag or two suggested to take one as they are very helpful]
19. Reach Banganga, go through the security [Note: No ciggies, lighter, tobacco, guns, bullets, alcohol allowed]
20. Now starts the main decision point, take a horse or walk 12 KMS to the Bhavan. Well if you think you are fit, I suggest start walking or if you are not fit then take a horse. Every horse has a fix rate ask them to show the board where prices are written down. 
21. If you walk up, avoid the stairs which are more than 100 because it will affect you later. There are few with 500+ steps AVOID THEM
22. On the way, have chat, Chole, Goti Soda, Salads [note: Garlic and Onions are never used in any food item in Katra]
23. The walk would end in 4 hours max. [Note: There are battery cars which charge Rs. 300 for 5 Km ride but you will reach the Bhavan in 15 mins. Worth it if you are in a hurry]
24. Go to the cloak room, remove everything except your clothes and dump them in the locker. Keys will be with you.
25. Start walking through the security and you can feel the energy [if you want more energy make sure you take bath in the naturally chilled water flowing from the mountains]
26. Complete the Mata Darshan...and then have lunch at one of the dhabas.
27. Take a Ghoda to Bhairav Temple [Why ghoda the 2 KM feels like 10 kms due to the steepness till the top]
28. Do Darshan at Bhairav Temple. Take some photos, soak up the sun, enjoy the view.
29. Start to walk down, pass Ardhkuwari and make sure you have some hot samosa or gulab jamun.
30. Reach Banganga and shout JAI MATA DI!!

Next blog will be about trip to Shivkodi......

Banana Leaf - Idli with a Difference

Please say 'Aye' if you are a fan of hot pipping Idli which when dipped in super awesome sambhar taste even better but Banana Leaf located at Versova, near 7 Bunglows has changed the full definition of the Idli what we used to eat.

First visit was few months ago after a night out with friends and one of them was insisting we should try it, and after bowing down to her wishes we reach Banana Leaf on lazy late Sunday afternoon and luckily got seats in A/C section which my friend says is minimum waiting of 40 mins during peak hours.

The setting is nice, tall ceilings and enough place between the 2 tables so you do not overhear other people conversation. We started off with Rasam Soup which is regular Rasam with huge quantity of black pepper [If you have a sour throat this is the soup for you forget Hot and Sour or Manchow soups]. Then comes the magic of Banana Leaf the Idlis which is cooked in variety of masalas, I guess around it takes around 3 big idlis per serving cut in 4 pieces we started off with
1. Hyderabadi Tomato Idli
2. Chef Special Dakshin Masala Idli - This one was everyone favorite
3. Mulgai Idli

If you are the ones who love to try out different things well start off with this place and you shall not be disappointed.

For dessert you can go the regular Payasam route or try out the Nutella Walnut dosa which is a must try.

The overall cost per person came around Rs. 300 and it was totally worth it.

Grand Hometel - New Year Party Review

There are only 4 reasons why we select a place to party for New Year and this New Year was NO DIFFERENT
Following are the pointers:
1. Friends - Without them you cannot go out
2. Location - Where is the place located but with awesome buddies that at times is secondary
3. Food - This is important factor, you do want to be stuck at a place at 4 am with 'bhooka pet' [Empty Stomach]
4. Drinks - This is very debatable topic as some drink some don't, so unlimited alcohol for non drinkers do not make sense.

So after deliberating and discussion on whatsapp group chat the final decision was taken on Grand Hometel in Malad West [Mindspace] and everyone was OK with it because the place was nearby [5 mins in Rick] and this place management told us great things about food and drinks part. So booking done at INR 2K stag and INR 3.5K couples.

Fast forward to 31st December and we all plan to meet at the Panaroma Banquet Hall on the 10th Floor of the Grand Hometel. Everyone assembled by 9:30 pm and then started the good and bad part, lemme first start with the Good Part and my favorite one too FOOOOODDD!! Grand Hometel has being known for its good food and it really did not disappoint us. Following were the starters Veg Spring Roll, Cheese Balls, Crispy Veg, Paneer Tikka, Dum Aloo and Mumbai Chaats. For Non Veggies - 3 Chicken starters, 1 Fish starters and Keema Pav. I would like to give the hotel management the thumbs-up for putting up mobile counter where food comes to you. I would like to mention that except the Dum Aloo and Crispy Veg everything was.

Now the Bad Part - Without the music the place however good it is will suck on New Years Eve and the Event organizers had got some kids who loved EDM and Dubstep, well we do like EDM but not we can dance for hours on it. Also the arrogance of the DJ was appalling where he said "We do not have Bollywood music, those who want to boo us can go and drink outside" which kinda pissed us and luckily for us there was another 31st party on ground floor where the DJ played the music everyone has heard about.

Now going to the Good part again, the main course was a huge buffet and not the regular 31st party kinda buffet with Rice, Dal, Chicken Gravy and Roti ...no no but here it was 5 salads, 2 kinds of Rice, Dal, 4 Veggies, 2 Chinese Gravy and 1 Burnt Garlic Rice, Fish curry, chicken curry and Chicken Biryani which lots of people missed out on due to extra drinks the system could not handle.

Ohh but there was dessert and it was amazing seeing 8 different kinds of them. The best was caramel custard.

Well to Hometel Management, good party and good food except for the 10th floor DJ I would have given it 8 star but sorry 6 star out of 10 for you.

WISHING YOU A VERRYY HAPPY 2014!!!

Bye Bye 2013 Welcome 2014

Well, one does not need any specific date to start something new but every year almost everyone starts or resolves to do something new from the 1st of January which technically starts from 2nd January as everyone is sleeping on the 1st day of the new year and here we are on the 365th day of 2013 where I wake up at 4 am to write this blog and decide I shall start what I had stopped: going to new restaurants, eating great food and write about them.

For last 5 months there has being a massive change in my diet [well, I am not dieting rather I would Die Eating] which is I have turned vegetarian and also have avoided alcohol. Which I intend to keep till 31st December and maybe even continue in 2014.

As due to the lack of meat in the diet, I had stopped going to restaurant or there was a lack of interest to write about them but then in past 5 months found out some really good places, which serve awesome veg food with just a small twist and from being the regular joint it changes to being that awesome place where I would suggest people to go.

Few are the places which I suggest every veg, who do not like to go to places which serve meat:
1. Banana Leaf - This place is there for years but had avoided it coz it had only Veg but I was so wrong. This place has changed I have looked at Idli, with the variety of Masala's and gravy which they serve this is a place to go.

2. Quattro: A small door leads to big ideas of food opposite Pheonix Mills, and this is the place which is suggested by every food lover. LOVE FOOD!!! GO HERE!!!

3. Falafel's: There are multiple joints of this great middle eastern food. Sometime you would get something bad and at times really good but the important part is try it out. Lot of people are scared and do not try it because they do not know the taste but what the heck. Go and try a pita pocket and enjoy.

4. Panchvati Gaurav/Village/Chowki Dani: NOTE NOTE!!! If you have a good, I mean verrry good appetite do go here. For people who are happy with just 2 Rotis and little bit of Chawal please do not waste money by going here, you are not going to Enjoy it.

5. Chains of Restaurant: With the growth of Mall and the Mall crowd some old school places have opened up everywhere but I still suggest to go and try out the originals such as Bhagat Tarachand and Rajdhani near Crawford market and you shall not be disappointed.

Also, would be updating on the new places which will have non-veg too as I do will be going out with my friends.

The Little Door - With a Big Heart

Tucked away in a lane next to Maruti Showroom in Andheri West Linking road, this place you cannot miss as you see a prominent blue colour door on your left.

It was 14th September and it was a birthday treat, we all had planned it quite a few days in advance as it was a new and suggested place. Friday night we thought the earlier the better as it would get crowded and it did but not as much. We reached the place around 9ish pm and got ourselves a round table which the management says is for 8 but it is quite good for 7 people.

The decor: As the blue door opens you see a big place with white walls and tables well spaced out which you would not hear the conversation from the other table. You can either sit indoors (air con and if you want to dance) or outdoors both are equally good.

The Ambience: It has got a cool young feel where there are no jing bang lighting just basic white lights.
Inside can be a bit noisy if you just wanna chill but if you are there to dance go inside.

Food: This is the important part, we had ordered. As we were divided into 2 groups one veg group and another non - veg group (of course)
Started off with Rissotto balls with red sauce (best of the lot) and grilled chicken.
Then ordered: Sigaro (almost like spring roll but lots of cheese) and Steamed basa (nice and hot with spicy green sauce)
Third round was: Spanish Wings (they were cold and can be avoided) and Nachos


Drinks: They do have some pretty neat glasses for their cocktails and the best of the lot were Snappes, Faking Sober and Zeus (which came in a coconut) 

Oh! also at times they have the beer chug competition free beer glass if you take part in competition who drinks the fastest beer.

If you are a group then it is a must go...and also heard about their buffet which is good.   

Shift of Power

There was a time when going to Bandra from Goregaon was a must because every week a new place would open up and it used to be awesome. Recent times have changed the location from Bandra to Andheri Link Road, Lokhandwala and New Oshiwara Link Road where most of the big places have opened up their franchise...

Hometown Cafe, Bora Bora, Grillopolis, Red Ants, China1, Sammy Sosa etc etc are the ones which have opened up first near the Andheri area. Woodside Inn, Cafe Mangii, have opened up recently in Andheri now no more traveling upto  Bandra or town to enjoy your favorite dishes at your favorite places.

But then still there have being times when new branches do not serve the quality what we are used to the original one. So the big question here is...do restaurants and cafes open up at new places but serving bad food affect the overall quality or just have the original one and make it even better.

Pastel de Tres Leches - Recipe

In recent times this Tres Leches has being one of my favorite dessert and currently have seen it in only one restaurant in Mumbai called Sanchos.

Here is the recipe taken from http://www.whats4eats.com/desserts/pastel-de-tres-leches-recipe

(Central American cake of three milks)

Yummylicious

The famous cake of three milks, pastel de tres leches is believed to have originated in Nicaragua. It has become very popular throughout Central America and is becoming more and more common in the United States. Soaking the cake in three kinds of milk gives it a rich, dense quality, almost like a cheesecake.

8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• Flour -- 1 1/2 cups
• Baking powder -- 1 teaspoon
• Unsalted butter, room temperature -- 1/2 cup, or 8 tablespoons
• Sugar -- 3/4 cup
• Eggs, room temperature -- 5
• Vanilla -- 1/2 teaspoons
• Whole milk -- 1 cup
• Sweetened, condensed milk -- 1 cup
• Evaporated milk -- 2/3 cup
• Whipping cream -- 1 1/2 cups
• Sugar -- 1/2 cup
• Vanilla -- 1 teaspoon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease and flour an 8x11-inch baking pan.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time, allowing each one to get incorporated before adding the next. Finally add the vanilla and continue beating until foamy.
4. Remove the bowl from mixer and fold in the sifted flour until it is well incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 30 minutes, or until done. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
6. Pierce cake all over with a fork, toothpick or skewer. Mix the whole, sweetened, condensed, and evaporated milk together and pour the mixture over the whole cake.
7. Refrigerate cake for anywhere from 2 to 8 hours, or until liquid is completely absorbed and cake is well chilled.
8. Beat the cream, sugar and vanilla together to make whipped cream. Frost the cake with the whipped cream and serve.

Variations

• Substitute coconut milk for the whole milk if you like. Scatter the frosting with coconut flakes.
• Substitute 1/2 cup rum for half the whole milk for a pastel with a punch.
• If you would like a layer cake, divide the batter between 2 prepared, round cake pans. For layer cakes, you can add a fruit filling between the layers. Try pineapple filling, peaches, bananas or any fruit that suits your fancy.

Notes

• Because of the milk ingredients, pastel de tres leches is perishable. Leftovers should be refrigerated.

In the lap of Himalayas - My Journey

It has almost being more than 16 months where I had taken a break for more than 7 days from my work and recently it was starting to show while I was sitting beside my computer at my office the want of going out. Then Metallica show was going to be Delhi on 28th October and friends had decided to go for it, I also jumped the bandwagon and purchased the tickets. While thinking a lot as I was already in Delhi why not go for a longer duration to beautiful places in Rajasthan, HP, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab etc etc. I started doing my research and as it was a holiday time all tourist places are going to be full. After going through more I bumped into http://himalayanfarmproject.com/ who wanted volunteers to work on their newly purchased farm (an organic one)

Here my journey starts, where I put a comment on the volunteer page and yay I was invited. I was all geared up to live in the farm, backpack, sleeping bags, odomos, torch and just few pairs of shorts and shirts. Just a day before my trip I decided on missing out of Metallica to get an extra day in the farm and it turned out to be one of the most awesomest decisions I took. Reached Delhi airport at 7 PM and took the Express Air Con bus to Kashmiri Gate where I could get a bus towards Nainital. Though I got ripped off by Rickshaw driver and travel agent in Delhi (yeah it happens everywhere in India the duo of Rickshaw driver and travel agent earn a hell lotsa money that way from tourist) got into so called Kinglong bus and journey started. We reached Kathgodam (the last station on the Uttrakhand) at 5 am, I got down and found out that the village DoGaon was still 12 KMS away and luckily bus was going from there. Told the driver to drop me off at the village and luckily he dropped me off at the tea stall which was open.

My conversation with tea - stall person
Me: Do you know Brigadiar Hari Pant
Tea Stall owner: What? Who?
Me: The guy who owns the Himalayan Farm Project
Tea Stall Owner: What? Who? There is nothing like that here
Me: This is Dogaon right?
Tea Stall Owner: Yes!
Me: There are some white people in the farm
Tea Stall Owner: OHH!! yes yes the road just goes up from here. (pointing to the road)
This is the point to think, the person does not know the owner but the white people who work there he knows where they are.  

After walking up for almost 2 hours which they say you will reach in 50 mins (i guess for a fit person) I reach this place which at first does not give you that wow feeling just keep walking to the main door and the awesomeness just hits you. I was greeted by 5 people Keveen (from France), Gina (from US), Mark (from UK), Choe (from Belgium) and Sybille (from Switzerland) who have being here for past 3 days. After having some black tea, biscuit and toast with mixed fruit jam we just talk randomly. Keveen who has being a traveler for last 11 years (I admire this man) tells us the mini - project on what all we have to do in the farm and there are too many things to do as this is just a start.

For next 5 days we were each given a task to finish and everyone finished them with help from others at times, where I had to do the trenches for the toilet, paint the wood, clear the jungle, make compost, clear and make beds where we can plant the vegetables.

So the daily schedule was wake up around 6 am (or it is upto you how long you want to cuddle in the bed), have hot black tea/coffee (you have to make it) with some toast, biscuits etc (or sunday special like pancakes), do your morning chores like poop, brush, clean (if you like icy cold water), start working on your project which is talked in the morning, finish the task your way, enjoy the cool breeze. By that time someone will be preparing lunch for all of us which would include Rice, vegetable curry and salad (sometimes eggs, at times macaroni and cow cheese), talk have fun, pull each other leg, know more about their travel, relax for an hour or so, get back to work, it starts to get dark around 5 PM where you feel the need to go back. Make tea for everyone and enjoy with bhujiyas or biscuits.

Moms Kitchen Surprise - Curd Porridge Utappa

Another one from my super awesome Mom kitchen, where she has the uncanny ability to make things by tasting them once or seeing them once on TV. So today we have Curd Porridge Uttappa

Ingredients:

• Curd 
• Porridge 
• Salt 
• Onion
• Green Chillies
• Coriander

How to Make:

1. Soak Porridge in curd for almost one hour. Add water to the mix (little more than the curd)
2. Later add green chillies and Coriander to it (to give it some flavor)
3. Put oil on a pan and let it heat up, slow down the flame and then make small circles with the batter.
4. Add Onion on the top
5. Let it cook till the bottom becomes brown and then flip over
6. Serve it

We had it with Salsa sauce which was prepared during the weekend but you can try out your own combination

Ruby Tuesday - Good Very Expensive Place

My friend Srushti (http://www.artistsrushti.com/), a super foodie, an artist, a awesome cook, trekker and a good friend had an exhibition in Bajaj Bhavan opposite INOX. Reached there before lunch and met up S and M, after talking for sometime we decided to have lunch and first it was Status, after reaching there we came to know it would take an hour of waiting to get place to sit. And then we reached Ruby Tuesday tho not one of our first options but looking at their banners on the windows we got it.

It is a typical American Diner with lots of props and photos on the wall big sofa to sit on and good bar. We ordered Pork Ribs Full Rack and Chicken stuffed with mushroom in Pepper Sauce and mashed potato.

The Pork ribs were soft and sweet barbeque sauce was amazing. Srushti loved her Chicken Mushroom in pepper sauce and was in love with her mashed potatoes.

Yes it is a rip off with 3 dish costing us around Rs. 2200 but worth a try.

 

Borivili Biryani Center (BBC) - Dum Laga ke

This place is just before Toyota showroom if you come from Inorbit Mall and at you tend to miss it if you drive too fast. But this place is a must visit for all Meat Mughlai lovers. A small and VFM place has got some of the best dishes served in the Malad-Borivili area.

So a group of colleagues decided to eat on Friday night and after lot of discussion and debate we ended up going to BBC Dum Lagake which is just before Lakozy Toyota Showroom. After setting up place for 10 people all eager to get a bite into their famous chicken and mutton dishes (for many this was a first time).

This is all we ordered
Aloo Moti - Potato and Cheese mix with Red sauce.
Paneer Tikka - No description required here
Chicken Mumtaz - Cheese inside chicken (what more do we want)
Chicken Noorani - Minced mutton stuffed inside Chicken
Sheek Kebab Gilafi - Beaten egg over mutton sheekh kebab
Chicken Tikka - No description

Quantity in each plate was 6 - 8 pieces but big ones. So 10 people just ate them with roti and salad which you get served with the dish is the best you can get.

Later we ordered for Chicken Tikka Biryani, Mutton Biryani and Egg Biryani the quantity again is so huge, all 10 grown up dudes could not finish it.

Final order was the sweet dish which was caramel custard, I think they cannot go wrong anywhere......in terms of food.

Now the most important part...total cost of the bill Rs. 2500, that is a good idea for a cheap but a happy party joint.....for people who do not drink.

Service wise they are bit short of staff but whoever is there does a decent job.

Address: Shop No 2 & 3, Ganga Niwas, Next to Toyota Showroom, Link Road, Malad (W),Malad West, Mumbai

Landmark: Near Toyota Showroom
Phone: 64511223, 64511224

Apna Pure Veg Fast Food

The owner once just had a cart which he used to set up at 4 PM at Evershine Nagar (near Shimmer Lounge) and from 4.30PM till 8 PM he could not stop making hot vada, samosa, dal vada, idli, medu vada because in one go whatever used to come out his big hot oil pan used to get over. During that time he, his son and 2 more people used to help him to serve the hungry and repeat customers.

This is how he scene is outside Apna Fast Food

Today, he has his own small shop but the number of customers have increased and his quality of snacks have also increased. Now he opens at 7 am and closes at 9 pm but again still does not have time to breathe because customers keep pouring in. He will serve you Misal Pav, Upma, Vada Pav, Medu Vada, Idli, and many more awesome snacks and in the end it would not cost you more than Rs. 50 for two satisfied people. Now with over 10 people working under him he still has that humbleness and quality still remains the same.

So if you are hungry at anytime of the day and do not want to burn hole in your pocket he is the place to go in Malad. Yes there are many more but I guess none better than him.

Sancho's Restaurante & Cantina

We had decided to go and have 1 drink from each place we go and hoping we would get place on Friday Night yes right. 

After deciding, I really wanted to go to Taco Fresco and Sanchos which I heard about and good reviews too. Well we wanted to drink so Taco Fresco was out and yes Sanchos looked really appealing. We were greeted and shown to the table. The atmosphere and ambiance was good but I did not feel like I was in a mexican restaurant thought would be more colourful but we wanted to have a good time. 

We ordered drinks Tequila Vela Cruz (Tequila, rum mix with slush), Las Cumbres (Sparkling wine cocktail) and Cartel Conversation (Creamy mix of Tequila and Vodka) all drinks costing Rs. 325 each. 

First thing which we saw in the Menu card was Chocolate Chicken Mole Taquitos which was brilliant, chicken pasted with chocolate sauce and served hot. Very tasty and melt in your mouth feeling. 

We went for Fiesta Nachos which gave you lots of sauce and 3 types of Nachos which were so different from what tasted, friend ordered just another Nachos plate with another plate of sauce. 

We ordered Sauteed Veg Burritos and Chicken Fajitas, which was devoured with glee and with special request chef made the Burritos extra spicy. 

The top of the list was the dessert which was recommended called as Tres Leches which was super amazing and we packed one for home. 

Total damage: Rs. 3500

Overall experience, pretty good. I suggest make a reservation and go during weekends which would generally be full. 

Address: Pinnacle House, Junction of P. D. Hinduja Road and 15th Road, Bandra (W), Linking Road, Bandra West, Mumbai

Phone: 67094455

Kellogs Honey Curd Kiwi - Confusing Mix [Recipe]

Well my mom is who loves to cook and I love to eat whatever she puts in the plate except Karela.

This is one super simple stomach filling (i think healthy) breakfast or whatever time you feel like eating Confusing Mix

Ingredients:

1. Kellogs Corn Flakes
2. Olive Oil
3. Dry Fruits
4. Honey
5. Kiwi 
6. Banana
7. Curd

How To Make:

1. Cook Kellogs in 1 table spoon Olive Oil for 4 minutes in low flame
2. Add in 2 table spoons of Honey and keep on stirring for 2 -3 minutes in low flame
3. Put in dry fruits to the mix and keep on cooking for another 2 minutes. You will find a sweet and crunchy feel to the Corn Flakes
4. Take curd and beat it.
5. Cut the Kiwi and Banana in small pieces
6. Take a bowl put Corn Flakes mix in the bottom, put curd over it, add fruits over the curd, then curd over the fruits and top it with corn flakes again
7. Then what eat it...

Red Zen - Courtyard by Marriot

This was my 3rd Food Blogger meet and now looking at everyone who create super food at home, I think I should move on from cutting onions, mashing potatoes, to adding just that one thing to make food taste good to a full meal.

Rushina with Torres

Rushina of A Perfect Bite again chose a beautiful location and this time Marriot management did turn out with all their smile (and it was not fake). We met up with Big Boss of the Courtyard by Marriot and many many more who were happy to help you with your questions.

I had an amazing chat with the chef about what is the craziest thing they have cooked or eaten. The names which they said was amazing Crocodile Tail, Crows, Piegons, Grouse, Turkey (when it was not easily available in India), Ostrich, Snakes list just went on and on. I was in total awe of them. Also came to know why breads were soggy with the canapies they served and the history of it. Which is generally bread soaks up the moisture from the food and in past people had to eat on the filling. I tasted the best Zuchini, Pineapple and Cream Cheese pairing, which topped the other 3.

Then we were taken upstairs to the swimming pool where wine master Mr. Reimi gave a good fun talk of the wine and people in my table were enjoying their time. We had difficulty in choosing which was the better wine but later according to Indian Pallete the White Wine from Chardonny wins hands down in our table of four.
All the wines which we tasted were:

It was a Red setting next to the Pool

1) KUMALA (2008) (Western Cape Pinotage Shiraz) (South Africa)
A medium bodied wine with coffee, black pepper, off key tastes, hints of black fruit (wild berries)

2) KUMALA (2008) (Western Cape Chardonnay Semillion) (South Africa)
A crisp fruity wine with sweet and spicy vanilla, melon & pear flavours.

3) LAROCHE(2009) (De La Chevalière Chardonnay) (France)
A Lifted wine with aromas of Grapefruit & White Peach.

4) LAROCHE(2009) (De La Chevalière Cabernet Sauvignon) (France)
A medium bodied wine with a bouquet of red fruit with strawberry and jam.

Something to go with the wine

Cheese and Crackers (which i love to call biscuits)

Torres giving out info and people enjoying the Wine

Later, we went back to Red Zen and we were greeted with Appetizers:

Chicken Satay

Papaya salad/ Som tam (v) - It looked so good to the eye but for people who generally do not enjoy spicy food it was one which could be avoided but one had to taste it to know what awesome thing it was.
Mini spring roll (v) - Well it was Spring Rolls and Mini
Mini chicken satay - Soft and tasty perfect with a smooth drink.

Next to the Kitchen

Papaya Salad and Praws

Thai black pepper prawn  - One of the best prawns I had, everyone thought it was the Oil which gave the amazing flavor but it was the butter which the prawns were polished made them so yummy.

Man who cooked it for us

Then the main course was about to start and the smiling chef Praiwan said keep some space in your stomach as food is going to be great.


Soup: TOM KHA GAI
Thai coconut soup with chicken favored with galangal

The Red Zen Blogger Menu Card

MAIN COURSE
GOONG PHAD PONG KRA-REE
Wok fried prawn with Thai yellow curry

PLA SAAM ROD
Crisp fried fish fillet with three flavored sauce

GAI PHAD KHIENG SOD
Wok fried chicken with ginger

GAENG KIEW WAN PAK
Thai Green curry vegetable

PHAD THAI PAK
Thai style fried rice noodle with vegetable and roasted peanut

STEAMED JASMINE RICE

This was the menu but I guess with all the talking with each other everyone just enjoyed their time and no pressure on how the food tasted was it bad or good, random talks was the order of the evening.

Nikhil Giving out Moutain Jam to everyone

Thank you Marriot for great time and Rushina for organising the event. Also Nikhil for giving us the Mountain Jam.

Home Made Pizza

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Pizza base (Available at all leading bakeries/Malls)

Mozzarella Cheese (If you don't have this, Parmesan cheese will also do, avoid cheese spread/cheese slices)

Butter

Oregano

Chilly flakes

Green/black Olives (Optional)

For Sauce:

3 medium size onions 

5 medium size tomatoes

2 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste

1 Tbspn Olive Oil

salt to taste

Chives

Parsley

Freshly Ground Black pepper

How to make the sauce:

1. Make a paste of the onions by first boiling them in water for 5 minutes and then grinding them. Also, grind tomatoes to make a paste.
2. Heat a sauce-pan, add one table spoon olive oil. Pour the onion paste, roast till it turns golden brown, add the ginger garlic paste and roast for 2 minutes. Add the salt and the other herbs. Roast for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste. Roast till the oil separates (this means the tomatoes are cooked). Add 1/2 cup water and boil to reach a saucy consistency.

Vegetarian Topping (Choose at least 3):

1. Chopped Capsicum
2. Boiled Sweet Corn Kernels
3. Chopped Mushroom (Marinate in sauce for 15 minutes)
4. Baby Corn (Sauted in olive oil)
5. Broccolli (Blanched - Boil water in a vessel, turn off the heat, add chopped broccoli, cover with a lid. Remove from water after 5 minutes)
6. Paneer (Marinated in the sauce and sauted in olive oil)
7. Tofu (Marinated in the sauce and sauted in olive oil)

Non Vegetarian Topping (Choose all for an extravaganza):

Boneless Chicken (marinated in olive oil salt and pepper for 15 minutes and cooked in a pan)

Boneless Tandoori chicken (Marinate in curd and tandoori masala for 15 minutes and then cook on a pan)

Salami (can be used as it is)

Sausages (Stir fry on a pan)

Putting the pizza together:

1. Put butter on the pizza base.
2. Smear a thick layer of sauce over it.
3. spread any or all of the chosen topping above. (One of my favorites is capsicum, corn and chicken)
4. Add cut olives
5. Grate cheese over the pizza
6. garnish with little salt and Oregano.
7. Heat a pan, coat it with oil. Keep the pizza in it. Cover with the thick lid. Cook on low heat for 7-10 minutes. (You can use your microwave on grill mode for this - though I personally like the pan cooked pizzas)
8. Remove from heat.
9. Serve - garnish with chilly flakes and some more oregano.

Njoy!!!!