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.