Fishing in Pune - Coconut Grove, Near Camp

Yes, so I know I've been talking about Bombay for the longest time. I reluctantly need to switch cities now; under duress, I will state.
So not too far from Bombay, we have Pune. It's not half bad. Food-wise, in fact, I'd say it's pretty good. A little more varied than Bombay. And there have been some gems that I have found here...

The first, in random order, of course, is this place very near the Pune Railway Station. It's in a tiny, slightly sidey-looking corner, just as the road turns off towards the station. Every visit since childhood that I have made to Pune, I have seen the green sign towering above the trees "Coconut Grove" and I have been dying to see what exactly you get here.

I managed to go very recently, and I was pleasantly surprised. It's quite the amazing little discovery.
A warning, though. This is not the place for vegetarians. Honestly, if you can't eat chicken, mutton and fish, then don't bother going to Coconut Grove. I'm sure the vegetarian food is good too, but really...

Anyway. You get here some fantastic Indian coastal cuisine. Goan, Keralite, Andhra, and Maharashtrian; or some mix thereof. Another warning, at this juncture: When they say 'spicy' in the description, I'd suggest you take their word. Order something mild. And I mean MILD; because if you aren't a spice-eater, then you're in severe trouble, if you don't.

So... Order anything sukka... Prawn, clam, mutton... I've had them and they're unequalled by anything I've tasted. Order any seafood, and it'll be good. We had the bombil fry twice and it was amazing both times; melt-in-the-mouth stuff, that bombil...

The stew was good as well. Too mild for me, but I loved what others needed two glasses of water to swallow... The stew is well spiced, mild, full of that wonderful stew-taste, and pretty great with appams. Yes. Appams. And neer dosa. Fantastic stuff. Order one at a time, and ask them for another the second you get the first. This ensures that your food doesn't get cold and your appams won't sit on your plate, waiting for you to eat the first.

The meat is all very nicely spiced and cooked. There is just the right amount of coconut and gravy on every dish, the service is friendly and prompt and the ambience is homely and comforting.

I suggest you have the sol kadhi as well, it's refreshing and goes well with all the food.

Another suggestion is that you stick to the Indian food and not divert to other cuisines. Not because I doubt the quality, but because the coastal fare is too good to be side-tracked for anything else.

A definite win in  my book, I'm recommending this to everyone I meet. Give it a shot, if you're in the area. The prices are great as well. You won't regret it.

China(in)Town - Roadside Stalls

Pardon the terrible attempt at punnery with the title. But then, it's in keeping with the topic of this post, if you think about it, really.
The roadside Chinese vendors in the city are just that... Attempts at Chinese. And personally, if you're going to bastardize the cuisine (which I have no problems with, whatsoever) you might as well do it like the street-vendors do.
I mean, honestly, there is nothing more satisfying than digging into a plate of warm rice or noodles that you know you bought for 25 bucks. And this exists. On the road that runs parallel to the main road from Flora Fountain, you have a couple of guys who're hidden amongst the roti-sabji and rice-and-fish guys who sell you Chinese.
This food is freshly cooked, it's catered to your taste. If you ask for extra spicy, they make it that way, or less, depending on you.
The quality is great. I mean, Chinese people would probably hate it. But the truth is, it's a great meal and a cheap one. And the usual worries about food-poisoning are lesser, believe it or not, because the guy is cooking the stuff for you in a kadhai that's been sitting on a flame since he started work at noon. And everything is nicely hammered around by him and his men. So no issues.
Only problem is the grease content. But then, you're eating off the streets... And even restaurants have a higher level of grease, come to think of it...

Other than these guys at Fountain, there's also a guy near the Nirmala Niketan college at Churchgate. He's brilliant. 10-odd bucks more expensive than the Fountain guys, but the food is amazing. I kid you not, he's magical.

Another great place (although horrid for your liver, I'm betting) is the MAFCO stall on Nepeansea road. More expensive than the other guys for sure, but justified by quantity and taste.

Do I sound like someone who has travelled the city looking for Chinese? Yeah, I have actually... These Chinese-food cravings hit me out of the blue...

I found some in Pune as well... Will update that soon :)

Till then, when in Town, and low on cash (along with the YMCA) you should go to the Roadside Chinese guys.

Niblets - Bar Niblets

This segment is dedicated to the yummiest bar-niblets I have hitherto tasted.
Yeah, this is a thing! In my world, bar niblets are not the soggy chips and peanuts they put out for you when you order a drink; that's what they do in expensive lounge-y places. I stay away from those. I am a nearly-always-broke woman. I need my alcohol, but not in a fancy place, necessarily.
So when I say bar niblets, I mean things to eat in a bar. And my bars of choice are not places you would take anyone used to a lounge. Like never take your parents to these places, really...

So I'll start with my favourite: Chicken Chatpata and Crispy Chicken. I'd never have gone to Lalit's if it hadn't been for these wonderful concoctions. The Chicken Chatpata is basically dry, tangy-spicy chicken put on a plate, but there is something about it, some vague undercurrent of difference from the usual chicken dishes that makes it delicious. Where is this found? At Lalit's. It can be found in the lane opposite Kayani's, near the Metro theatre in South Mumbai. The Chicken Crispy is also a tangy, warm plate of yummy. Every time I'm back in the city, I make a trip. I love this stuff. Maybe I'm hyping it a bit, but it's really good, ya!

And of course, there is Chakli and schezwan sauce. It's something I'm sure is served all over the place, but the Gokuls guys serve it the best. In the lane parallel to Colaba Causeway, behind McDonald's, there is famed shady hole-in-wall-bar, Gokuls. Go in the evening and you will find it packed. Any evening. And if you want to chew on something (which might be a good idea) then ask for a plate of chakli and schezwan sauce. The sauce is a fry-up of chili, garlic and onion, and the chakli is the small packet you get in any little nukkad store. Nothing phenomenally different, but the whole package of Gokul's makes this one stand out. In fact, while at Gokuls, you should also get a Healthy-Bites roll. I have spoken about these before... And hey, get a Chicken 65 as well. It's quite good. Better than most, coz the chicken isn't fried till it's so chewy a dog wouldn't want it. As a chew-toy, I mean, not that I imply dogs eat my left-overs.

Invariable, place-no-bar, yummy bar-food: Masala papad! It's a papad. It's got onion and tomatoes and coriander and chaat masala on it. And chili. What more do you need? It's crunchy, fresh and fun to eat!
And no matter where you are, you'll get a masala papad. The Taj has a masala papad, for example...
And it's so much better than peanuts (which I am allergic to, so I do not eat. No offence to peanut-eaters).

Please realize what I have tried to do in this post. It is a tribute.

MUST TO EAT.

Okay thank you.

UNIVERSAL-ly Applicable - Cafe Universal, Near CST

Talk about hard-to-reach, this eatery is like the mythical end of the rainbow. It's mentioned all over the place, but ask for directions, and it's the vaguest place in the world.
Look at how I've begun this post for one... Do we know what this place is even called, yet?

Cafe Universal.

It's a very cute little building, reminiscent of Goan shacks, all yellow walls and ornate grilles on the outside. The doors are wooden, the insides cheerfully decorated with wine and beer bottles. There are large benches in the middle of the room, and tables and chairs on either side. There's a bar at the opposite end of the room from the front entrance.

But where is it?

An easy way to get there is to get into a cab and say "RBI". Because just a little beyond the Beserve Bank of India, there is a road that forks towards Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus. You stop there and take the other road. Cafe Universal is right there on the corner.

Once you've reached this mythical place, and make sure it isn't a Sunday morning, or you'll find it closed, you enter and sit.

The menu is extensive. You'll find Chinese, Indian, Continental, and vast varieties thereof. Last I visited, it was pretty nicely within budget, but with the nice big jumps we've been having in prices, I cannot guarantee anything any more. Either way, the food is pretty good. They don't skimp on quantity, nor quality.
Whenever I went, I'd invariably settle on the steak and onions. It was a plate of beef and onions. And flavourful from the first bite right through. Another favourite, if you were sharing with someone, was the OMG. This is a ginormous beef-burger. I kid you not, it's a big burger. I've shared it every single time I ate it. Also, it's one of the more expensive items on the menu. But then, sharing always made it better.
Other than this, there are delicious sizzlers and sandwiches and everything is well-made and tasty.

One warning, though, make time for Universal. Because while sometimes you get everything in good time, there will be at least one time when you will luck out and get the REALLY slow waiter. In which case, there is literally nothing you can do but wait it out.

If you go during the evenings, you get to see quite a large number of foreigners sitting around enjoying their beer and whatnot. You can also see the usual Indian con-artists out for a quick buck or some such. This isn't half bad a place for birdwatching either, if you catch my drift. Better, both price-wise and ambience-wise, than Leopold or Mondegar, this little cafe gets a lot of college clientèle as well. It's not a bad little place to go to.

There was a time when I would have vouched for Universal in no uncertain terms, but since I haven't been there in a long time, I'll play it safe and only recommend.

A year ago, it was value for money. The food was phenomenal, the money I needed to pay for it was peanuts, and the ambience and company were always fantastic.

I sincerely hope it's still the same. It would be a shame to lose such a good memory to reality.

My Kingdom for a Cup of Tea

It is India. We are a nation of hardcore chai-drinkers. What is chai? Good ol' tea, of course!
We drink various kinds of tea at different times of day and for a variety of reasons, too. We can be ingenious when we want chai... It is important to note that there is a huge difference in the chai different people drink.

At your semi-official guest-visits, you'll either get chai brewed and made, or in teabags. This tea will be your standard "Boil tealeaves, add sugar, add milk, serve." type tea. It's fairly good in itself, when made right, but it's when you taste other varieties of tea that you realise how versatile those little leaves can be.

Chaiwallas or shops that sell chai will generally offer you tea that they make all at one go. Add the water, milk, sugar and tealeaves into a huge vessel and boil away. In certain cases, they also add spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and lemongrass. This tea acquires a rich, absorbed taste, of sorts, because evey ingredient in the brew has been honest-to-goodness stewed. And man, is it good. It tastes like a spice-market liquefied. Of course, one of the staples of this brew is that there is a ton of sugar in it. If you think about it, the addition of the sugar makes perfect sense, too. These chaiwallas and other tea stalls cater to working people who need a quick pick-me-up, or people who're unable to get home and brew themselves a cup of chai, for whatever reason. Logically, then, you would need some energy to sustain you, would you not? And that's exactly what chai does. It wakes you up, keeps you up and, depending on the season, provides welcome warmth or just refreshes you.

The nicest way to have chai is to dip something in it. So a lot of stalls will have flaky-pastry-ish cream rolls or sweet buns with butter or biscuits or some such that they sell as well. The India classic, of course, is chai and Parle-G. But anything goes.

In South Bombay, there are a number of places where chai can be found. There is a change in the format and ambience, of course, but it's all worth a try.

Kayani's near Metro Cinema is one place where you get a brilliant bun-maska-chai. The buns are home-made and yummy beyond belief, and the chai is hot, tasty and served in amusing little thick glass cups and saucers. The service is slow, but that just gives you more time to chill and relax. Kayani's in an Irani cafe, with old tables, chairs, fans, ideals, menu and staff. While you're here, you can try the egg stuff and the brea-butter pudding. But if you're not too hungry, just a bun and chai will work wonders on any mood.

Down near VT station, there is a corner known universally as the Aaram corner. The Aaram chai is delicious. However, it is a hole-in-the-wall-ish joint, so you take your little plastic cups of tea from the guy and find yourself a spot to stand or sit in. This means on the sidewalk, of course, and you'll be surrounded by smokers and other tired, hungry people, but it's all part of the deal. The tea is totally worth the standing around humanity.

You will find roadside tea stalls selling chai and vadapav, pakodas, even chapatti and vegetables. We drink a lot of tea here, don't we, in retrospect?
It's generally safe to drink freshly boiled tea from these guys coz, let's face it, with that kind of treatment, germs that survive are going to kill you whether you drink them of wait for them to take over the world. I would suggest you look for a cleaner guy, though, for the simple reason that you'll probably be standing around him and partaking of your brewed pick-me-up. You should also find a guy who seems busy, because, despite the trauma of a crowd, you can be sure the guy is good if people are willing to wait.

Of course, needless to mention, there are cafes and coffee shops with tea on the menu, but these guys are your generic dip-tea, in which case, why shell out the big bucks?

There are shops like Taste of Kerala and Kamat and Sahakari Bhandar restaurant that offer better tea, and non-dip tea, at that. So you can get some there. But mostly, stick to the road, it's a very informative stop. You can observe people as well, while you sip.