working on a low budget !

i found this really cheap road side stall at yogi nagar at Borivali west 

he serves really cheap chaat items 

Chaat (Hindi/Nepali: चाट, Urdu/Punjabi: چاٹ ) is a term describing savory snacks, typically served at road-side tracks from stalls or food carts in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.[1][2] With its origins in Uttar Pradesh,[3] chaat has become immensely popular in the rest of South Asia. The word derives from Hindi cāṭ चाट (tasting, a delicacy), from cāṭnā चाटना (to lick), from Prakrit caṭṭei चट्टेइ (to devour with relish, eat noisily).[4]

below is bhel puri 

which is 

Bhelpuri (Marathi भेळ) is a savoury Indian snack, and is also a type of chaat. It is made out of puffed rice, vegetables and a tangy tamarind sauce.[2]

Bhel is often identified with the beaches of Mumbai, such as Girguam or Juhu.[3] Bhelpuri is thought to have originated within the Gucafes and street food stalls of Mumbai, and the recipe has spread to most parts of India where it has been modified to suit local food availability. It is also said to be originated from Bhadang (भडंग), a spicy namkeen from Western Maharashtra. Dry Bhel is made from Bhadang, The Kolkata variant of Bhelpuri is called Jhaal Muri (meaning "spicy puffed rice"). A native Mysore variant of Bhelpuri is known as Churumuri or Churmuri in Bangalore.[4] A dry variant of Bhelpuri popularly known as Bhadang is consumed after garnishing with onions, coriander and lemon juice.                                               

this is just randomly made 

not much on the taste but not too bad also... 

its value for money for Rs 15/- 

hygiene wise..... a big question mark.....try only if you are adventurous!!! 

yippieee.....i am adventurous.....and i survived to tell the tale...

(things that a low budget can make you do)

below is dahi puri

Dahipuri, or Dahi puri, is a South Asian snack which is especially popular in the state of Maharashtra, India. The dish is a form of chaat and originates from the city of Mumbai.[1] It is served with mini-puri shells (golgappa), which are more popularly recognized from the dish pani puri. Dahi puri and pani puri chaats are often sold from the same vendor.

which experience is also the same as above....

and feelings same as above.....

cost Rs 20/-

im happy that im alive....

Dominoes pizza road style.... the Indian way....

there is a place in Borivali west called Yogi Nagar..

its a middle class to upper middle class locality made up of mostly Gujaratis... so you guessed it right, lots of eating places....good tasty and somewhat unique food....street food..

there is a guy who stands next to the main road alongwith the other food stalls all along the main road, he wears an apron and is accompanied by a nice and homely looking girl (i just like her smile!) and they serve one of the most unique pizza...

have you heard of pizza on the road? without using electricity? no oven ? 

well, here it is!

he uses a frying pan, he first puts some butter on the hot fry pan, then he browns the pizza (with the base loaded with chopped capsicum, tomatoes and onions) then after 5 seconds he puts a seive under the pizza and creates a barrier between the pizza and the hot fry pan, so that the bas does not stick to the pan and the pizza does not burn...

then he covers the pizza (while still on the hot pan) for a couple of minutes then after every few seconds he checks the base and then for one final minute he covers the pizza...

just before serving the pizza that sweet girl grates cheese on top of the pizza and puts either chilli sauce or tomato ketchup or both on top of your pizza before serving...

God bless her soul...

below is low calorie corn pizza 

it has no cheese on it and is made up of very less butter...

(you're right....it was not for me!)

cost Rs 30/-

below is full throttle veg pizza made the (normal people) way

cost Rs 20/-

overall experience:
it was good as there was some uniqueness about the whole thing but taste wise it was ok nothing great, as i found it completely bland and no taste of vegetables...
but i think its worth a try at least once....
and for Rs 20/- its a steal...

BLUEBERRY DREAMS.....

who says that healthy breakfast can be a Second World War Torture tactic of the capitalist World????

(yeah..i know, nobody says that, especially in the morning after a hangover....and that too on a Monday morning.....with pouring rains....this in itself qualifies for a 21 st century torture)

well as per recommendation when i called Bistro On the Go (Borivali west ic colony) , one early rainy suicidal morning, he politely suggested to me to try BLUEBERRY OATS WITH DRY FRUITS TOPPING

i said ok

cost 90/-

and....it arrived looking so cute like this...

whoever has the heart to eat this with cruel and evil thoughts...

its perfectly made oats cooked in milk with blueberry flavor and has dry fruits (dried dates, few cashews and more of dried raisins).... i simply loved it and i guarantee you that so will you...

go and try it..

after eating this i was like

and i went back to sleep............

apple of my eye... or should i say... Biryani of my eye...

there is an area in Borivali west called as Eksar Village, it is made up of a small community of Muslims and therefore there are some really delicious non veg fare around.

there are many places there which serve biryani and kababs.

however,these places are good for a Take Out Meal only as the eating places are too small to accomodate  in-house seating.

this Biryani is from Noor Caterers. 

this shop stands out when you enter Eksar Village as the place with the most people waiting.

so i decided to try out their Chicken Biryani

cost Rs 90/-

its good Biryani but not made to perfection as the rice was slightly chewy and dry and the masala is also very hastily prepared.

chicken is well cooked, no complaints there.

overall experience : its good to try once and try it on weekdays so that you get a properly cooked and prepared Biryani

also you can buy it if you want to buy Biryani in bulk and then re-heat it before serving.

but you will also have to serve some kind of gravy with it to make it perfect.

if you are ready to wait for your meal so long then go ahead and buy it.

butter ..... butter ......buh tter ...... butt err .....

went to Chai Darbar for some craziness !!

this is Bun Maska for Rs 15 each

lathered with heart stopping butter and the sweet bun (soft bread slightly sweet) with hidden pieces of tutti fruity.....ummmm......

so heart stopping....

also had some onion fried fritters cost Rs 20

very nicely fried, though i found their hearts a bit undercooked.... but very much enjoyed the hidden chopped green chillies inside the fritters....

its served with spicy hot green chutney made from fresh green coriander / cilantro and green chillies.

only gripe.....the container of chutney is MICROSCOPIC also the onion fritters are given in small portions..... but then i always demand more of everyone and everything....humph..

Sunday.....Funday......Faasos.....Faasos Champion

have been seeing so many ads about Faasos and everyday i keep getting SMS of all the new items they are introducing....

recently Faasos has started this new concept of All Day Breakfast, and not your Indian Breakfast which all you people living with your Moms and Aunties get on demand...but this is Continental Breakfast with a mild Indian Twist...

So, one fine lazy Sunday, thought of giving their breakfast menu a try.

below is "breakfast for champions" 

it has 

3 plain parathas - whole wheat flat bread fried in butter

3 steamed chicken and black pepper sausages

1 serving of sweet oats cooked in milk mixed with muesli...pista flavour

1 cheese omelette

i just loved the entire affair!

the sausages are cooked / steamed to perfection

the muesli is less in quantity but very tasty and again cooked to perfection

the omelette is good but a bit dry and mildly overcooked

the parathas are good, not awesome because i found them a slightly bit undercooked, but good

ratings:

taste : 8/10

quantity: 8/10

value for money: 10/10

delivery time: 5/10 (took 50 minutes)

uniqueness: 9/10

hygiene: 10/10

packaging: 10/10 (comes in a ready to eat box with branding)

satisfaction after eating: 10/10

hunger quotient satisfied: 9/10

serves: 1 person of average weight and average appetite

recommendation: 10/10

cost: Rs 119/-

below is "veg breakfast combo"

it contains

1 serving poha which is 

Flattened rice (also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes.They are most famously known as "Pohe" in malwa region, also they are considered to be originated in the malwa region itself. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. The thicknesses of these flakes vary between almost translucently thin (the more expensive varieties) to nearly four times thicker than a normal rice grain (source Wikipedia)

 3 aloo parathas which is Aloo Paratha (Hindi: आलू पराठा, Marathi: बटाटा पराठा , Urdu: آلو پراٹھا ‎) (Potato paratha) is an Indian and Pakistani recipe and one of the most popular breakfast dishes throughout western, central and northern regions of India as well as in Pakistan.^[1] Aloo (potato) stuffed Parathas are basically unleavened dough stuffed with a spiced mixture of mashed potato, which is rolled out and cooked on a hot tawa with butter or ghee. Aloo paratha is usually served with butter, chutney, curd or Indian pickles in different parts of northern and western India. Sometimes a glass of lassi is served along with it (source Wikipedia)

1 veg mixed pickle single serving

1 butter single serving

ratings:

taste : 8/10

quantity: 8/10 (poha was very very less in quantity)

value for money: 10/10

delivery time: 5/10 (took 50 minutes)

uniqueness: 9/10

hygiene: 10/10

packaging: 10/10 (comes in a ready to eat box with branding)

satisfaction after eating: 10/10

hunger quotient satisfied: 7/10

serves: 1 person of average weight and average appetite

recommendation: 9/10

cost: Rs 99/-

below is "fusion Breakfast" which they have recently launched

it contains:

3 aloo parathas

1 plain omlette made up of 2 eggs

1 single serving of butter

1 single serving of plain cheese spread

ratings:

taste : 5/10 (omlette was bland)

quantity: 8/10

value for money: 8/10 (you just get omlette and parathas for the price, no variety)

delivery time: 5/10 (took 50 minutes)

uniqueness: 6/10 (just omlette and parathas, nothing creative)

hygiene: 10/10

packaging: 10/10 (comes in a ready to eat box with branding)

satisfaction after eating: 9/10 (if u want to just eat and not enjoy ur food)

hunger quotient satisfied: 9/10

serves: 1 person of average weight and average appetite

recommendation: 8/10 (other combos are much better than this)

cost: Rs 109/-

this is mixed veg pickle in close up

its quite tasty and unique

not too sour and can taste vegetables in it

this is museli in close up...

wish i had more quantity but no complaints at all....very happy

and now....

let me see what's for lunch...

Out of my Way....im crazy....and im on a diet...

yep...
what was i thinking...

how can i abandon my deep fried food lovers cult and join the skinny bitches of diet food....hmm...what was i thinking....right?

well, as the story goes...

(no, i didn't meet a Prince Charming who explained me the benefits of diet food....does that ever happen in real life???)

i had heard of this place at Borivali west Chikuwadi, its a roadside stall (most affordable places for me) which serves health food....

they serve different types of salads with sprouts and hot soups and cold soups and fresh juices and herbal juices, the variety is huge...

i am convinced about all of the above but the juices are not too convincing as they are a bit too sweet to be "natural", it tastes like artificial flavoured juices with a bit of canned fruit pulp added to it... definitely not health food.

this is pasta salad...cost Rs 50/-

its made in a very unique way...

boiled pasta is mixed with raw mix sprouts of different lentils and pulses and finely chopped cabbage, mixed with bits of tomato flavoured chakli (Chakli is a savoury snack originating in India. It is a spiral shaped, pretzel-like snack with a spiked surface - source Wikipedia) 

and Chana Jor Garam which is basically pressed boiled chick pea which is sun dried and sprinkled with dried mix spice powder...it gets crunchy when dried and is a spicy and a different third dimension to an ordinary and bland zero calorie diet salad..

if you want it a bit more happening and spicy then he will add on a few sprinkles of tabasco sauce and a few sprinkles of Chaat masala...(i require lots of add ons to eat not so yummy Health food...)

so this was time well spent...food well spent and finally, money well spent...

good night

Crash Diet....or Diet Crashed ???

there is a small sweet shop at Gorai at Borivali West which is called Adarsh sweet Shop.

this shop is so small that its very difficult to find it as its not on the main road and its located in a residential area but the MOST amazing part about this shop is, it VERY CLEAN

even in rainy season there are no flies, which is next to impossible to achieve in any tropical climate places...

when i asked him the secret, the 14 year old at the counter just smiled shyly and said, we keep it clean, that's why there are no flies...

hmmmmm......lesson to be learnt....(FYI all health ministries of all tropical climate countries)

i just love his Dahi Kachori....deep fried puffed savoury pastry with dry roasted lentils and masala, bust served with a crater made in the middle of the pastry and filled with sweet chutney, green spicy chutney and sweet yoghurt and garnished with deep fried sev (Sev is essentially small pieces of crunchy noodles made from chickpea flour paste which is seasoned with turmeric, cayenne, and Ajwain  before being deep-fried in oil - source Wikipedia) 

when you bite into it, it creates the most wonderful mess of chutneys and crunchiness and spices....

 RS 12 /- per dahi kachori

this is samosa from the same shop...

whenever i go there he has fresh hot samosas to offer...

each is Rs 10/- per pc

its your regular samosa but served hot with his green and sweet chutney...

its deep fried to perfection and crunchiness in all its glory.... ummmm.... the crunchiness wins my heart.....

three cheers for deep deep deep fried food....

yes.... that's all i ate.... im on a diet... cant you tell??

Royal Tea Party.... at a roadside tea shop...

went to Chai Darbaar and had the below

Chutney Paav (spicy green chillies ground with loads of coriander and fresh ginger and garlic) and served with Raw green chillies... cost is Rs 15...

this is Bun Paav sandwich which is basically Sweet bread slit in two lined with green chutney and slices of cucumber, slices of onion and slices of tomato, served with hot Lemon grass tea....

doesn't it feel like breakfast of theRoyal Family...(without the English Butler and bank balance...)

sandwich cost is Rs 30/- (a bit expensive for me, should be Rs 20 )and lemon grass tea Rs 15/-....

Lunch at 5 ...

being lazy has given me wings.... Paradox of life ? hmmm... dont know if its the general rule but it sure works for me...

as i am too lazy to leave the comforts of my office (ummm...the air conditioner...is all i need)it has motivated me (given me wings) to scout around for easy and delicious food and also value for money...

drum roll for Ruchi...

Ruchi prepares tiffin and delivers the tiffin at your doorstep or office step for Rs 100 per tiffin which includes 6 Rotis (flat bread) one mix vegetable thick gravy, one dal (lentil soup), steamed rice and salad or pickle..
well, there are other local available tiffins which serve the same thing for Rs 70 with the delivery but no one gives customer service like Ruchi (hats off to you Ruchi...)

i like her tiffin because her tiffin tastes different everyday... and this is a good thing for me but maybe its not a good thing for you, as Ruchi says that some of her customers complain to her that he food tastes different everyday....( i still cant understand how that is a problem....but nevertheless.. people..)

another reason i like her tiffin is because when ever she is in a good mood or some festival or someone's birthday (which is often), she makes Kheer or gives something sweet or something different like some paratha or thepla (its spicy flavoured flat bread)....

i just like the feeling of opening her tiffin up and finding out goodies....its like opening up Christmas gift on the night before Christmas....

the above is Red Chana (red chick peas)in gravy with chopped boiled potatoes, then there is Kadhi (sweet and mildly flavoured liquefied yoghurt with sautéed mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds), then there are 6 Rotis and Jeera Rice (steamed rice sautéed in cumin seeds) and there is salad which is chopped raw beet root, chopped onions and chopped cucumber.....

officially i love salad....(but secretly i hate it....makes me feel like a water buffalo...)

so this is lunch at 5....

come join me...

VEGORGASMIC....

hey there....

some of my new foodilicious expeditions....

last night, went out with some friends to this place in Borivali west Vazira Naka, at Veg Treat 2....for some "veg treat"....and i must say, i wasn't disappointed...

its a busy place and there are two divisions to the restaurant. one is the general and one is air conditioned area.
we sat in the general area as we found it pretty clean and was not so much noisy...

i like sitting in the general area of most of the local restaurants as i get a feel of what's good at that place and what everyone is eating and to see the expressions on the faces of the people enjoying the food....
sometimes, im even rude enough to stare at other people's food....but its an inquisitive and sometimes complimentary stare......
also the non ac area has some amazing fried garlic, fried onion aromas....which really makes my stomach growl...

this is idli sambar with the sambhar poured in it.....my mouth is watering just writing this!!

this is basically 2 steamed rice cakes which are swimming in Lentil soup (sambar) and the soup is flavoured with a vegetable broth consisting of chopped bottle gourd, pumpkin and aubergine and mildly flavoured with their classic ground masala which has dried red chillies and turmeric as some of the ingredients....

yum....and double yum...

this is served with a serving of white coconut chutney which is basically ground coconut with a mild flavouring of fried mustard seeds....

also, you can get second servings of both the lentil soup (sambar) and coconut chutney.... (i always take a second serving.)

this is for Rs 40/-

the below is cheese Paav Bhaji which first kills you with the aroma and then double kills you with the amount of butter and cheese....hey, but im not complaining.....let the cheese and butter flow...

so this is basically one of the most famous street food of Mumbai and this is one of the best Paav Bhaji i have eaten in Mumbai...

this is basically mashed up mix steamed vegetables which are then cooked in butter or ghee and flavoured with the special paav bhaji masala which is more gives colour and flavour of the paav bhaji...

this mix vegetable mash is served with liberal grated cheese on top with a garnish of finely chopped cilantro and there is a side condiment dish of finely chopped onions and a slice of tomato and slice of lemon....

how to eat??

first squeeze the lemon, then sprinkle the finely chopped onions and then DELICATELY and TACTFULLY (ask ur mom or girl friend or wife to do it for you) mix the entire thing, WITHOUT SPILLING OUT OF THE PLATE...

also, you get 2 dripping with butter and fluffy soft paav (not the commercial bread but direct from the bakery types)

this entire package of cheese paav bhaji with the below items cost Rs 110/-

this is the bhaji in close up...

this is the chopped onions, lemon and tomato slice in close up...

my friend ordered this item below...

this is masala dosa....cost Rs 55/- 

it is basically a kind of a huge taco made from Rice flour and crispified to perfection using some oil and inside is a filling of chopped and boiled potatoes sautéed in chopped onions and mustard seeds.....nothing else....

this is perfection in simplicity at its best....

again, it is served with a serving of coconut chutney and sambar...

this below is dal khichadi...

it is kind of like a porridge, which is a mixture of lentil soup (dal) and steamed rice and sautéed in chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped green chillies and mustard seed...

BEST COMFORT FOOD EVER.....BEST FOOD FOR HANGOVER....

its served with roasted papad (dry roasted taco made of lentils) and unlimited quantity of onion slices, lemon slices and sour pickle.

cost Rs 155/-

this below is stew noodles...

nothing much to talk about....

its a cross between khow suey and Chinese stew noodles without the coconut milk but lots of cornflour...

it cost us Rs 170/-

Triad of Trinity, philosophy,Theology and.........Food

umm....now im starting to feel like Carrie bradshaw in Sex in the City where every night she writes (blogs) about her entire day, which next day becomes into a column in The New York Star....hmmm (loooong sigh....) and the beautiful and so British Spy like Perfect....Mr Bing...( a seriously looooong sigh....)

But who am i kidding??.... neither im Carrie Bradshaw nor i have a Mr Bing tucked away somewhere.....so welcome back to Earth, filled with geeks, terrorists and politicians and....delicious food....(best part of Planet Earth.....after butterflies and green grass...not the smoking type, but the cows and sheep type green grass...)

Started out my day with fantastic natural coconut water at Borivali Station, it must be approx.. 300 ml which cost me 30 rupees for one, but then, its still cheaper than fresh juice....made the coconut vendor slice and slit open the coconut then and there....right in front of me.....(dont want to meet this guy in a dark alley with all his huge sharp knife using skills and all...)then had this....Bananas... cost me 40 rupees for 13 bananas...(not that i eat 13 bananas for breakfast but just bought it cause i felt it was a good deal)

yeah, i know, why the shape??was trying to create the Triad of Trinity.....my feeble attempt to decipher philosophy and theology.....and relate it to food (what else can there be??)next later me and some friends had the below brunch which was really delicious and value for money....there is a sweet lady in Gorai who has just started this food business and she serves breakfast in the morning and lunch and dinner.the food is very much like any Indian Mom makes at home, yes, so i guess, it reminds me of my mom...well, you have to order about 40 minutes in advance (unlike your mom who reminds you about your breakfast 40 minutes in advance...)t

he food is reasonable and hygienic and very homely....the boiled eggs were Rs 8/- eachthe idli chutney was Rs 22/- for 4 idlis and the above chutney (the chutney quantity differs every time you order, like Lotto Lottery...)the chutney is basically a salsa (run the entire thing in the blender) of coconut, cilantro, ginger, garlic and real spicy hot green chillies, so dont get fooled by the baby green colour.the poha costs Rs 15/- per serving, and the above is one serving....it is basically pressed rice flakes which are sautéed in mustard seeds, chopped onions, chopped green chillies and a pinch of turmeric powder for colour and flavour....served with a garnish on top of finely chopped cilantro....YUM

and now....work did you say???? you gotta be kidding me.....

im taking the day off buddy....zzzzzzzzz 

Much Ado About Rice....

there is a new place in Borivali IC colony, its called Bistro On The Go...
the concept and theme is a bit different from most of the restaurants....the menu is different than the surrounding restaurants, its more of continental type.
there is still room for improvement as the dishes are a bit pricey and sometimes there is taste and quantity variations when you order...
if you believe in astrology or holy deities, please do pray before ordering, pray that the Chef is in a good mood and the meal is well prepared and also pray that the ingredients are available to the Chef so that you get the standard quantity.....or else if you are as unlucky as me, you will end up being at their mercy and will have occasional glimpses of perfection....but mind you, only occasional glimpses...
also another feature you need to understand is the time taken for delivery, you better study your hunger cycle (you can hire a food nutritionist...yes they cost a lot of money...why are u asking?)and once you have recorded your hunger cycle and you are well equipped to predict when you will be hungry one and a half hour in advance, yessss......now you are ready to place your order at Bistro On the Go....your order will be served one and a half hour later.....and if you are lucky you will be satisfied "On the Go"..... all the best...

a friend of mine ordered Veg Mexican Rice, costs Rs 190/-
it is long grain rice which is cooked in baked beans gravy (yes they have ample stock of baked beans as it somehow and rather notoriously appears in ALL their cuisine) and diced bell peppers and three or 4 corn seeds (see pic...i fished out all the corn and kept it on top so its seen in the pic)....you want more....hmmm....there's nothing more (maybe you caught the Chef at the wrong time....better luck next time....pray harder next time)
Oh yes....i almost forgot...it comes with salsa in a small sauce container (diced onions...again in baked beans gravy..but without the beans) and sour cream in another small sauce container...

hmmm.....i am not as prosperous as my dear friend and neither is my food budget as good as him and neither am i a vegetarian...
so i opted for the chicken biryani at Lazeez.....
WOW....what a mood elevator!!!!!!!!
Simply delicious fragrant long grain rice which is cooked just right and the masala of the biryani hidden beneath the fluffy rice...is totally heavenly with the taste of fried onions and just right amount of masalas.....
and here's the MOST shocking thing....it costs Rs 60/- only!!!
one of the Best Biryani in Borivali and most value for money.....again WOW

Coming Out Of the Closet

Hi there all!

This the day one of my new extrovert avatar.

I have been a closet foodie (maybe not so closet when im eating out with close relatives!!) for the last…….years….cant actually publish that, cause I don’t want to give away my age, (not for any vain purposes) it will just give me a rude shake to start doing dieting…

Ahem…so where was I ???

So I decided to come out of the closet and declare to the big wide world (not that anyone is listening) that YES IM A HARD CORE FOODIE….yayyyyy!!! (not so loud as I don’t want to scare my cat)

So,

Each day, I will be posting all the things that I have eaten that day…..

I will try to post new food items everyday, but if I get addicted to any particular item (chocolate mousse) then maybe you’ll see the same pics from all different angles…..everyday….

Monalisa of Food…..Chocolate Mousse…..YUM

So I have been recently visiting a Tea House which is run by a Tea lover who claims to have taken special six monts training just for preparing tea….(we just learnt it in Hostel!)

So he makes excellent cardamom tea, and the aroma of the tea literally comes to you much before the tea arrives…

So along with this he also makes very good Ginger Tea, which is good if you have some cranky and annoying colleagues and you are just looking for some escape….a non addictive, non psychedelic, non narcotic headache reliever…

this is the infamous cardamom tea with puffed savory pastry biscuits (khari)
cardamom tea costs Rs 15/- for the above quantity and Rs 10/- for Khari
the place is called Chai Darbaar and serves the best Tea in Borivali...WOW

this is deep fried fenugreek fritters.....(a bit bland for my liking) wanted it a bit spicy and a bit something Happenning.....
it costs Rs 25/- but i would give it a pass next time.

hmmmm.........now this was hot and Happening........onion deep fried fritters.....YUM....with extra hot and spicy chutney......YUM....and DOUBLE YUM...

one of the best onion pakodas in Borivali...and it costs Rs 20/-