Amar Pav Bhaji - All night All right

Not many would disagree with the most common tag line Mumbai has been associated to 'The city never sleeps'. And for a city with such a big claim you rightly would find places to eat even when the entire city is dozing to glory.

Although you have five stars which serves you food 27*7, but none can beat the joy of enjoying food at night on the desi bakdas aka stalls.

Amar Pav Bhaji is one among such places which is open for the nocturnal to feast on some yummy, spicy and tongue tickling Pav Bhaji

Located just adjacent to Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle (W), Amar is a fast food joint which serves South Indian food, along with Sandwiches Pizzas and juices. But the joint is so well known for its Pav Bhaji, that its always addressed as Amar Pav Bhaji

If one may apply some marketing fundamentals, then it wouldn't be wrong to say that Amar is a Brand in itself for Pav Bhaji.

Visit this place after 12 am, and you will wonder that people especially stay awake to enjoy the Pav Bhaji. The place is very small in size, but it compensates for its tiny structure by serving food in the cars which are lined in rows and in plenty.

The waiters even guides you in parking, taking your orders while you park. No sooner had you parked your car, the food arrives for you and your car's bonnet or dickey suddenly transformsinto a make-shift dinning table.

Though the place is renowned for it Pav Bhaji, it serves you delicious dosas and sandwiches too.
One would not find a better place to feast in the late hours and that too at a dirt cheap  price.

I recommend this place for all folks who like to party till late and then hunt for a decent place to eat and also for people who enjoy fast food.

Ratings:

Food: Excellent

Ambience: No Ambience, Food served in Car

Service: Very Good

Value for Money: Yes

Recommended: Must Visit

Pocket Quotient: Carry around Rs. 400 to Rs 500 for a dinner for 2 

Mangesh Vada Pav - He has the balls (Potato Balls)

Two thoughts instantly pops up in anyone's mind, when they hear the word MUMBAI. One for the over crowded trains and the other for its staple food Vada Pav.

I am sorry to call Vada Pav as the staple food of Mumbai, but I can't help it. There is no place in the city where you can't find this awesome snack. I shouldn't be calling it a snack either. Many a times people eat it for Lunch. To top it, you always have atleast 2-3 stalls around each other. And what shocks me is that you always have people around these stalls, with they demanding more and the vendor fulfilling their demands with hands dipped in Basen the entire day.

I would actually love to know whats the net worth of the Vada Pav Industry :). I am sure the figures will be shocking.

I have had Vada Pau's at a lot of places in Mumbai. Of course I can't cover all but you have to trust my coverage, its a lot of Vada Pav indeed.

Vada Pav usually tastes the same, wherever they are made. But my personal favorite is Mangesh Vada Pav. Its a small stall located very close to the station at Borivali West, diagonally opposite to Raj Mahal hotel.

Mangesh Vada Pav has the right mix of the ingredients, and it especially tastes awesome with the chutney (green sauce) he serves. I personally find it mild in taste, but for some it may turn out to be too spicy.

Its very unusual to find no one around on the stall, so you might have to wait for sometime before you bite into the crispy snack. Make sure you always get the hottest ones.

The tag line of Lay Chips actually applies to Mangesh. I bet 'No one can eat just one'

Ratings:

1. Food: Excellent
2. Ambiance: There is no Ambiance. Its a stall, usually called Bakda in Mumbai
3. Service: Good
4. Value for Money: Total Paisa Vasul
5. Recommended: Must Visit
6. Pocket Quotient: Rs 24 for 2 people

Kong Posh - Uncover The Kashmiri Experience

It has been a famous saying by many of the renowned travellers and scholars, that if there is a heaven on earth, then it has to be Kashmir. I wonder if a place is so renowned for its beauty then it ought to have good food.

I have personally never visited Kashmir, but now I have an opportunity to experience Kashmiri food in Mumbai. Kong Posh is a new (and I guess the only) Kashmiri restaurant that has cropped up in the western suburbs of Mumbai, in Goregaon (Oshiwara to be accurate), which serves authentic Kashmiri cuisine.

Located in the by lanes, just around Oshiwara Bus Depot, Kong Posh comes in as a new tongue tickling experience for people of Mumbai, who have hogging off late on western taste and are desperate for a new taste.

Kong Posh has made a humble start with the small setup which spans across two floors. The ground floor is very small and hardly has capacity for around 12 people. The first floor is spacious and well made too. The surprise package is the Shikara which they have build to give the restaurant an authentic look. Though the Shikara is a bit cramped up and can accommodate only 4 people, its a nice addition to the ambiance. The dressing of the waiters also stamped with the Kashmiri feel. But in spite of the humble beginning, Kong Posh does make you feel very comfortable.

The restaurant didn't disappoint me with food either. Though I had never tasted Kashmiri food, I didn't have any points to compare the authenticity of the food being served in the restaurant, but anything which is cooked well and pleasant to taste is what I call good food.

The place is a must visit for people who like non-veg food, especially Lamb or Mutton. I especially loved the Goshtaba (Rs 180), which was served in a unique green gravy with well made mutton balls. The uniqueness of the gravy was that it taste kept changing from the time it touches your tongue, to when it just is on the way to your stomach. It taste so different. 

I also tried Kokur Kanti (Chicken) which has a very thin amber gravy which huge pieces of chicken. Also try the Dum Aloo which again is served in a thin red gravy but the aloo are nicely done and stuffed with some veggies.

The Mutton Rice was the best thing being served at Kong Posh. Till date I have enjoyed the typical Mutton Biryani which is loaded with spices, but I never thought that the Kashmiri Mutton Rice, so well made in rare herbs and saffron and without any hard spice will taste so amazing.

All food served in this restaurant is nicely made, is mild in taste since Kashmiri food is usually not spicy. And the best thing is that the restaurant does not use any artificial color which make the food out here more palatable. Almost all the gravies served here have a thin consistency and should mostly be preferred with rice rather than rotis.

The restaurant should add some good drinks to the menu, since one only has an option of a Kawa, Jaljeera or soft drinks to choose from and they too are simply average to taste.

I recommend this place to people and families who would like to explore a new taste and for people like me, who haven't yet got a chance to visit Kashmir but can experience a bit of it by the food being served at Kong Posh.

An advice to the owner, please relocate to a more visible place.

Ratings:

1. Food: Excelled
2. Ambience: Average but different
3. Service: Good
4. Value for Money: Yes
5. Recommended: Must Visit
6. Pocket Quotient: Carry around Rs. 1000 to Rs 1200 for a dinner for 2 

Exotica -- Food served admist nature

Though Mumbai serves almost all the varieties of cusine preferred world over, the surrounding in which is it presented is almost the same. We come across restaurants located in the city, with top class ambience and polished hosts. What I mean to communicate is that apart of the difference in food and its taste, the experience of visiting a restaurant remains almost similar.

This is where Exotica is different than other restaurants in Mumbai. Located admist forest, which come under Yeur Village, a part of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Exotica delivers an experince quite unique in Mumbai where almost every restaurant has a very urban feel.

One might have dufficutly in reaching the locating considering there are no proper sign board and you litlery have to pass though a forest range but the experience of dining out in Exotica is simply amazing.

From the time you cross the reception desk, you would find yourself walking on a wooden carpet which seems like raw logs of wood, semi neatly shaped to enable people walk on it.

One can choose to dine either at the pool side, or the bar which also has a platform where classical Indian artists perform in the evening. You may even choose the Manchan for dining, but I feel it shouldn't be called a Machan, since its just a minor elevated structure or more so the upper storey of the restaurant. The Machan usually opens after 7pm.

Exotica is not a speciality restaurant. It serves a subset of Punjabi, Moglai, Desi Chinese,Thai and Continental food. They have a very rich bar menu, with a wide variety of cocktails and mocktails. Try their Virgin Pinacolada (Rs 180) and Long Island Ice Tea (Rs 250). Also some of their continental starters (Five Jewels, Crispy Veg) are really worth tasting.
I had Malai Kofta, Dingri Dolma (Potaoes and Mushrooms), Dal Makhani with stuffed Naan for the main course.

The food taste is average but eating the same in a well done ambiance close to nature makes it a pleasureful experience.

This is one place I would recommend for families who wish to dine peacefully and away from the Mumbai rush and also to guys who would want to woo their girls over nice romantic dinner date :)

Ratings:

1. Food: Average
2. Ambience: Excellent
3. Service: Average
4. Value for Money: Yes
5. Recommended: Must Visit
6. Pocket Quotient: Carry around Rs. 1500 to Rs 2000 for a dinner for 2 which incl Drinks

Satkar -- The Malvani Food Delite

Spicy food is not what my tongue relishes the most and, never had I imagined that I would get hooked onto it, until my VP Marketing introduced me to the world of Malvani Cuisine at Satkar in Goregaon (E), Mumbai.

Background of Malvani Cuisine:

Malvani cuisine is the standard cuisine of the Konkan region of Maharashtra, Goa and northern parts of West Karnataka. Although Malvani cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian, there are many vegetarian delicacies.

Malvan being a coastal area in Konkan, it has its own distinct way of cooking food. Malvani cuisine uses coconut liberally in various forms such as grated, dry grated, fried, coconut paste and coconut milk.

Many masalas have dried red chilies and other spices like coriander seeds, peppercorns, cumin, cardamom, ginger, garlic, etc. Some dishes also use kokum, dried kokam (amsul), tamarind, and raw mango (kairi).

Satkar - The authentic malvani restaurant

Even though Satkar is located just outside Goregaon Station, you won't be able to find easily coz of it's unusual location and one would have to rely on the locals for guidance. First timer would think about quiting the idea of eating at this place after passing through the dirty chawls and by lanes to reach the place, but one thing is assuared that if you eat at this place for once, you would forget the filth that you just passed through.

Located on first floor, with a big artifical crab placed at the entrance, this place is unusually crowded on all days except Thursday (coz that's the day when locals do not eat non-veg). You might have to wait for around 20-30 mins before you find a place to sit during the lunch hours. Since Satkar servers limited variety of food, the service is very quick. 5-8 mins is the normal lead time in which food is served to you.

Satkar is famous for it's sea food, and you would find majority of the people ordering for fish,crab and prawns. A thali (chicken/fish/mutton/prawns/crab) would cost around Rs 100/- to Rs 180/- , but is quite sufficient for a single person since it includes a gravy, dry fried chicken/fish/mutton/prawns/crab, rice, soul curry and a option to choose between a bhakri or chapati with unlimited servings of coconut chutney and onions.

The option of eating chicken/fish/mutton/prawns/crab masala or dry is also available.
Chicken which is served here is Desi / Gauti chiken and hence the pieces are small and less fleshy but excellent in taste and protein.

Satkar also serves vegetarian food, but I haven't tried it nor would recommend it.

The taste of the food is very consistent and the testimony of the fact is that each time I have eaten at this place, I have to rush off to the nearest sweet shop i.e. Veg World to have some gulab jamuns. Never was there a time when the food was marginally less spicy then before :)

However this place is a must visit for anyone who likes spicy food and for people who have never experience Malvani food. I bet you would be wanting to visit this again an again as long as you are in Mumbai.

Ratings:

1. Food: Excellent
2. Ambience: Average
3. Service: Good
4. Value for Money: Yes
5. Recommended: Must Visit
6. Pocket Quotient: Rs 350 to Rs 500 for 2 people