Mumbai Attacks II

The battle continues to rage at the three locations, still have had no word about my friends father and others as of yet. Hoping and praying for the best. I went around for a drive around 8am this morning and it was fairly quiet.

However i drove to work around 9.30 and was happy to see most of my staff here and the others said they were running late but would be here. I was also extremely happy to see traffic outside, for once in my life. Means people are not giving in, they are fighting back the only way they can, by squeezing their fear.

I hope this all ends soon and we can go back and rebuild. I am going to continue updating the blog in anyway i can with information for people. Also will continue going out and updating this blog.

Thanks to everyone for their good wishes.

Cheers,
Gaurav.

Mumbai Attack!

I have been following the attack since they happened last night. The places attacked are fairly close to home, they are places i go in and around with fair regularity. I walk on Marine Drive 4-5 times a week and was on the stretch last night but back home by 10.

A friends father is still in the Trident and has been untraceable as well as the the folks in the Nariman Bhavan vicinity are friends and family, a friends girlfriend is part of the jewish group being held hostage(though she is not a hostage) So this is close to home in more ways than one.

The senselessness of the attack is only topped by the ease with which all this was perpetrated, anyone can walk into the city and go anywhere and do anything, there is no protection of any kind. I have been around the city this morning and people are out and about and it is good to know that they weren't cowed, if we can keep this up it means that the terrorists don't win.

I am sure there is a sense of local elements being involved as well, foreign terrorists cannot co-ordinate an attack like this without being present for long or having local help. Beyond this, it is hard to say how long and how many more terrorists are present in the city and what the next few days will bring.

The center of the city and the symbols of its success and heritage have been attacked and i can hope that they bounce back soon. After this matter is resolved we will see the politicians of all kinds trying to take advantage and things will get more disgusting.

The attack comes after an extremely positive and friendly message from Pakistan PM Asif Ali Zardari, listening to him made me feel that there is still a chance of things being on the mend and the future being better if we can work on it.

It was obviously not to be, the road to peace will be a long and difficult one but we are going to have to walk on it for the sake of the future generations. This is not the kind of world we can bequeath to them.

I am going to be in line to get back into the Taj & The Oberoi when they reopen. I hope others can also do the same.

Moshe

Rest : Moshe
Meal : Dinner
Loc : Cuffe Parade

Previous visits here & here & they also have cafe outlets read

Moshe is the value for money haute dining out option and continues to do well, however the vibe on a Thursday night around was cold like catching a super model without her make up.
Actually we were looking to go out and grab some tipple but somehow ended up here at Moshe, so out went the fun stuff

i got a standard Diet Coke

the wife got a brilliant ice tea

the wife started with a cous cous salad with some vine leaves and chick peas, pretty good, though i wished they would try something other than the regular lime dressing.

the potatos were done with garlic and red peppers, interesting, baked with almost no stuffing. interesting but served with ketchup and chutney (how boring)

the main course was crepes with tomatos and cheese, absolutely brilliant, sort of a smaller less ostentatious version of the one they serve in their cafe outlets. served with some really amazing garlic toast.

the whole thing was topped with a tremendous cup of a cafe mocha, wow. it tasted great and kept me up till about 3am. Rocking !!!

it was served with some pretty nasty cookies

Food : 8/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 900

Moshe
7 Minoo Manor
Badhwar Park
Cuffe Parade, Mumbai
Phone 22161226

Double Deal Ruby Tuesday

Rest : Ruby Tuesday
Loc : Crossroads 2, Inox Movies
Meal : Late Drink

i have not been impressed by the "Americana' chains like TGIF (a dismal failure) and Ruby Tuesday, however of late i have warmed towards Ruby Tuesday. The quality of their fare has gone up and the menu is a lot more interesting now as well.

Since we already had dinner we decided to much on some chips and salsa, both of which were above average. The salsa wasnt the most authentic but it works.

The mojito was different from what i usually get at Geoffreys (its less or not carbonated at all) and it was pretty good. I could drink liter of this stuff.

The Margarita was a little dissapointing. I had to ask for additional sugar and after that it was more or less workable. Not bad.

Overall, they have potential if they can get a little bit of their act together and fine tune their menu.

Food : 7/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 1000

Double Deal - Subway

This is mine.


It has lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapenos, lots of pickles, oil, salt, pepper, vinegar and bbq sauce.

Damage : 70 for the 6" sub & 10 for the Chips

Soam

Rest : Soam
Meal : Supper
Loc : Babulnath

Soam is an ethnic food joint which serves as the only competition for the hugely popular Swati, while Soam is popular it does not have the gargantuan lines and constant waiting that is a common feature of Swati. This is not a mark against Soam in anyway though they compete fairly well and do a decent job while they are it.

The place is comfortable and ambiance is fairly upmarket and modern. The menu offers many options identical to Swati (Golas, Sugarcane juice, Panki) while at the same time it has different items and also offers its own take on Gujarati & Maharashtrian cuisine. Similar yet different would be an apt explanation.

We started with a Masala chaas which was excellent, and we had to go on and get another one.

Diet Pepsi for me.

Being our first visit together (i have been here long ago) we didn't try anything too out there and stuck to what we know. The regualr rice panki with green chutney, was excellent, just as good if not better than its Swati counterpart. They have many options on the panki front too.

The masala rice with yoghurt kadi was excellent. The rice seemed to have a real home made touch, slightly on the spicy side it worked real well with the kadi.

Overall,the whole experience was fairly positive, the place is small but well patronized. Shall return and be more experimental soon.

Food : 8/10
Service : 8/10
Damage 400

Soam
Sadguru Sadan
Ground Floor
Chowpatty, Girgaum, Mumbai
Phone 23698080

Friends Union Joshi Club

Rest : Joshi Club
Loc : Kalbadevi
Meal : Lunch

The Friends Union Joshi Club is a hard to find, no nonsense little place about a hundred years old, not a restaurant in the traditional sense as they have only ont thing on offer but places like this were the order of the day before we developed a proper eating out culture. Its not only great food but its a slice of old Bombay as well.

Its located on the main road of Kalbadevi on the first floor of an old building, the entrance is from the inside of a building complex (Narotam Wadi)

Though its not a traditional restaurant with fittings of comfort its well lit, ventilated and clean but not air conditioned. The seating is also sideways, they can seat about 50-60 odd people, the whole point is to come in, sit down, eat quickly and let others do the same. The concept was the lifeline of students & businessmen living away from their families and on a budget (though now i am not so sure about the budget part)

Compared to the other restaurants the service is not as sequentially organized, you will find things coming mid meal (farsan, papad etc) there is no option for khichadi or the white kadhi. However none of this detracts from the food you do get.

The salad did not seem like the freshest thing in the world (it was really dry) and might have been cut in the morning. Got a bunch of chutneys & pickle along with.

The chaas was chilled and just the best i have had in a long time. I had like 6 glasses, it was just stupendous.

There were two options for the daal, sweet & regular and i chose the sweet one which was perfect, not to sweet and with peanuts. The Aloo was also great, not too spicy and seemingly fresh made. The Chana again, slightly on the spicier side but well made and fairly tasty. There was bhindi (okra) and some green thing both of which i dont do, so no picture. Everything went well with each other which makes things that much more interesting.

For the breads its simple you get a chapatti, a bhakri and a masala roti (not pictured) they also had some regular rice with ghee. Overall the food was great, the service was okay and there is little i have to complaint about. Compared to the other thali purveryors this is quick, no frills and to the point. Even the sweets are an add on.

Food : 9/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 180 for 2.

Dinner at Kebabs n Kurries & my disappointment with the ITC chain

My recent dinner at Kebabs n Kurries left me fairly disappointed. The food was above average, the service was good however we close to 4000 for a dinner for three without any alcohol and frankly i feel it was a monumental waste.

ITC has raised prices up to 30% by classifying its property as a gold property. What that essentially means is that you pay more for things but you there is nothing new on offer except for a gold label. The food is the same though not as good anymore, the menu is limited as well. T increase in price seems excessive as one can get better meals for a lot less city wide. What made Kebabs special is no more a case as the expense hardly seems justified.

I am going to stick to the Taj & The Oberoi for sometime now when it comes to fine dining.

we started with some fried paneer, stuffed with more paneer and some other veggies. It was completely bland, some salt and hot sauce made it a go though.

ITC continues to be one of the few people who offer a can of thums up and kudos to them for that.

the breads were dissapointing all around. Garlic Naan & Roomali

The Dal Bukhara was stupendous, the qaz e qaza was spicy.

Overall, the food was above average, the service and ambiance was top notch.

Food : 7/10
Service : 8/10
Damage 4000 without drinks

Not value for money by a long shot.

Salt Water Grill Has Closed Down - But...

Salt Water Grill at Chowpatty, one of the two restaurants by the beach has shut down. I go by for my walk just about every week and there have been no signs of life for sometime now. It seems the government issues that they were having finally made them close. I have heard other rumours as well regarding some political skullduggery etc but this is not the place for that.

However just the other day on my way to a friends in Bandra i saw a sign which said Salt Water Cafe, same logo, same style, so i reckon they are opening a cafe there (its right opposite to the Biguine Spa)

So for anyone who went there for the food, they can now head to the SWC. Those that went for the ambiance can head to Aurus.

Hornbys Pavilion

Rest: Hornbys Pavilion
Meal : Late Night Snack
Location : ITC Grand Central

I know everyone probably thinks i go to the ITC properties way too often and i promise that is going to change fairly soon. Have resolved to go to all the other 5 stars from now on :) However i will say that i have found some of my other ventures to be disastrous Read



Anyway, i got in fairly late and opted for a fantastic cup of a cafe mocha. Excellent! i just wish it has been even hotter.



opted for an English breakfasts sans the meats of course. Good stuff, its a nice little breakfast option this one. i recommend it.



accompanied with some yummy beans on toast as well.




Also had an excellent Biryani, i wish it came with a little more in terms of accompaniments, however it tasted great. The tomato soup was also not too bad (not pictured)

Overall a decent mid night option. They have plenty of buffets all day as well.

Food : 7/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : for 3 without drinks 1800