All that Jazz...

It ceartainly was a particularly chilly night, surprising considering its Bombay I am talking about, and well its certainly not known for any temperature extremities.
But any waz- its certainly not weather I am here to discuss about- so well- and in anycase it wasnt the temeperature that inspired me to travel (yes travel :P) for the much talked about Sizzling Brownie at the Cafe NewYorkers in Bombay.
Well, those of you who've been following the blog would quite notice the shift from Street Food to the more swanky places- well its keeping in touch with the other side of life :)
As I travelled towards Chowpati on the grand Marine Drive Road, there were two things I couldnt miss noticing - the simply serene sea outside the cab- and quiet altough beautiful silence sitting inside the cab.
You cant miss Chowpati when in Bombay, they say- I did. However - what I didnt miss is the Sizzling Brownie - at Cafe Newyorkers - which sits imposingly facing the sea and right across Chowpati- you simply cant miss it - untill ofcourse you want to. What you see above is well a devoured one.
There aint much to write about it though- for in all its a rather simple preparation- vanilla ice cream scoop sitting atop a brownie, in a hot plate and the final touch is added by the waiter who brings along hot molten chocolate and purs the same rather generously - for you. It was a rather riot of colours and temeperatures as the ice scream struggles to maintain form and substance and by the end of it - its all one uniform crust of chocolate and milk that rmains sticking to the pan.. Its the bubbles of hot chocolate perhaps that give it the distinctness or perhaps I was too engrossed to realise..
To give you an idea,- herez a sneak peek at what it looks like before you give in to the temptation and indulge in the sinfully delicious molten chocolate-brownie n ice-cream mix !!



Anywaz now that you are at NewYorkers - you may also want to try the gourmet pizza- whiich was a rather eclectic mix of all mexican toppings they have in the kitchen. Worth a try in any case.
All in all- the place is good by all standards.. and definitely worth a try..!

Bade Miyaan- The final bite ..

After having loitered around on the roads and in the lanes and bylanes of Colaba- having tried all thats on offer and wats not - keep the best for the last.
Tucked indiscreetly in the lane next to the much talked about Mondy- is the fantabulous Bade Miyaan .. its perhaps the final word in Kebabs and Rolls (veg and non veg alike , though my friends call me an impure non vegetarian- so well, dont take my word and try it for yourself .. )
In all probability- it doesnt get better thn this.
BM is Bombays answer to Khan Chacha and Colonels (though i always found the former more authentic..)
(Photo courtesy: http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Maharashtra/Mumbai/blog-51872.html)

Street Food Junkiee (contd..)

And so we continue our sumptuous journey of the best munch on the go ..
Pao Bhaji, well to each is own, but never did it appeal to me in any restaurant. A quintessential street food once again..
Try variants available across VT terminal (behind the subway), the same needs a mention here esp. for their Cheese Pao Bhaji variant.. definitely a must have. (They say Shiv Sagar across CST serves really good ones too.. I shall though reserve my comments for the time being.. , more on the same in another section )

MUST HAVEs-
And those of you who get the chance to live in Byculla/Bombay central area- should definitely visit this treasure trove, for a sheer indulgence in simplicity of taste.
Around a kms walk from the Byculla statition- towards JJ Hospital, right across the Fire Brigade station and outside the Bata Showroom, you shall notice, a gathering of at least 10-15 people every night (after 10-11 pm always). Stop here, for if you thought Gelato/Naturals/BR was the best word in ice-creams..Wait till you dig in the first bite of this sinfully fresh hand made ice cream. As you feel the first spoon melt in your mouth- you can experience first hand- the uniqueness, of what I call gourmet ice cream. the man who serves the same, brings his offerings, carefullr preserved in a small container and has a vareity of 4-5 flavours everyday. all distinctivley made from fresh fruits and devoid of any artificial adulterants.
Delightfully simple and sinfully fresh.. (Indeed a long story behind the adjectives here.. shall keep the same for another post)
Alternate route.. if you are walking from JJ Hospital... walk straight, beside the flyover around a km after the end of JJ Flyover, towards your left.

Raju Sandwiches/Juice
Its the stuff offices half the lawyers working in lawfirms in and around Fort survive on..(perhaps an exaggeration.. but thats allowed)
Most of those who've been to the town area, must definitely be aware of Fountain restaurant known for its sizzlers (beyound the means of a junkiee like myself), and right across the huge and relatively modern HSBC building.
Anywaz, juxtaposed with the rear enterance of this restaurant (which gets the name from the area or the other way round .. I donno and dont care ;) though we love to argue about the same), sits the eponymous Raju Sandwich and Raju Juice center.. So be it Strawberry-Anjeer or their very own Ganga Jamna (Orange-Sweet Lime concoction).., they all are worth a try.
the quality of sandwiches (grilled/cheese/vegetable/ etc etc you name it and they have it, well over 30 different types), were indeed a treat for the stomach and equally interesting (a visual feast) is the swiish n swoosh with which the same is made. And true to the Street food tradition, its all available at rock bottom prices.
Second important thing, you cant fail to notice is the enterprising knack from this vendor. Once again, true to the road side radition, the stall operates from within a few square feet (how they do it an art in itself), however, what interested us is the extensive service network the same has. A delivery service catering to the needs of swankiest of corporate offices in the area. And mind you, we're referring to Fort- the hub of corporate houses in Bombay. Courtesy a lil black telephone on the wall.. :) .. (contd..)

Street Food Junkiee..

Food. Now if you've seen Ratottuie and loved the finnesse associated with good food ..perhaps you wont like what I am just about to cook.

A month in Mumbai (i like bombay to mumbai and VT to CST.. not that it matters.. but I sure am entitled to an opinion), the financial capital of our nation, gives you umpteen chances to indulge your taste buds with the most exquisite cuisines and also the most mundane of them all... However, what follows is a compilation of what i found to be the best amongst equals.

Starting with basics- Mumbai and wada paos .. sure go hand in hand.

However, not all are alike. Walk that extra pace for indeed they might look all alike, but differ they do :P

If you are amidst the Fort/kolaba/foutain area - following are the places to dig for the best ..

a) Across the AmEx Bank, Near Siddhartha College, Fountain; and

b) Across HDFC Bank/Globus on the periphery of Vishwavidhyala building.

Now, with the arrival of Jumbo Kings, and the associated notion of hygiene etc, I doubt if many would wanna try the above mentioned places, but well .. its not for you if you aint a SF Junkiee in any case ..

The next essential in Bombay would be the omnipresent "sugar cane juice"..

What can go wrong with a thing so simple.., or rather - what can differ?

Well, as I said..you gotto be a junkiee !! Surely sugarcane doesnt share the same space as grapes to boast of eclectic tastes and certainly their aint no glamour as with wine tasting.. However, every endeavour has rewards all of its own.

The place is across fountain again.. On your right while you go towards CST from Flora fountain.. the little stall is notting different from the millions dotting all over the city and sells the concoction termed plainly as sugarcane juice - however, the same comes with just the right tinge of ginger/lime and perhaps some secret potion which certainly makes it ramarkably different from what you could have ever imagined.... (to be contd..)