Ramanayak

Ramanayak Udipi has been around for near 75 years, serving simple, relatively inexpensive, authentic udipi meals. the place is crazy busy during week day Lunch. Higly recommend you don't bother if  you are going to show up at 1pm or in a large group.

For me Ramanayak is a once in a month affair and if i don't get my fix i get pretty antsy and unhappy to be around. My fav dining companion the wife is not a fan of the place and likes selective dishes from the cuisine. So my explorations of Ramanayak and its ilk are very quick and rather lonely affairs.

So this time i got my buddy Reema (@ScrollsNInk) and her husband Prasanna to tag along. It was something we had been talking for quite a while and Reema tried her hardest to be as late as possible but eventually she did make it.

the long wait was cut short since i had already picked up the little silver tokens for the full meals and off we went to chow.

Fermented dahi and buttermilk are pretty much my fav things in the world i believe. 

The rest of the meal pictured here was stellar as always. The two gravies,  the red potato was fab, the dry was cabbage and something which was pretty good too. The white gravies are usually rather flat, blandish to taste but not bad per se. The rasam was nice but not their best one, he sambar was on the money as was the pyayasam.  

Overall, the wait was long, the company good and the food stellar. What is not to like?

All for a 150 Rs.must go back soon. 

Vinay Health Home

When you walk through the doors of Vinay Health Home you can easily tell that it has been around for quite sometime. Despite the slight modernization, of the space, the ambiance retains the aura of the ancien regime.

Located in the Thakurdwar which is now a spectacularly busy commercial area with narrow lanes. Parking is impossible as is the noise.  Although famous for typical Maharashtrian fare, they also serve sandwiches, limited South Indian fare as well as milk shakes (egad) and fresh juices (I reckon the disparate cuisine is down to the emerging cosmopolitanism of the neighborhood) 

Despite the expansive menu, i was only there for one thing. The Misal which I am a big fan of. I have had the misal at Vinay before with my dad and i found it a tad too spicy the last time. Maybe the frequently ordered, delicious but extremely inauthentic version from Swati has dulled my senses a little.

This one was however stunning, easily the best, i have had. The spicy dish paired with some slightly cold, creamy yoghurt. Sheer bliss this was. 

A  gratuitous close up of the dahi misal against which all future dahi misal shall be compared.  I must say that this was so good, i ordered another one. They do have some other dishes i would like to try out some day but unless i go in a rather large group i don't think ill every get around to moving beyond the Misal.

Food : 9/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : minimal 

Idli House Awesomeness

Rest : Idli House

Meal : Breakfast
Loc : Matunga

I love Idli House, unfortunately its on the wrong side of the circle which makes for infrequent visits. However this Sunday, we hit it with a vengeance. Dining with a bunch of South Indians makes it very easy to enjoy a meal like this.

 A must have here is the Idli in mudho leaves, lovely, a pain to open on your own but nicely steamed, reminds me of getting rice in lotus leaves in Hong Kong.

another fav of mine is the pepper idli, i always get a single because it ends up being too much food all around but this is just awesome. Its very subtly flavoured and goes brilliantly with some mysore style garlic chutney. 

The idli with white butter. what else do i need to say ? 

i have long claimed that the Idli House actually makes the best filter coffee of all the Southie restaurants i have been to in Bombay. just perfect and still kicking ass. 

Overall, an excellent meal in what is a very very small and perpetually crowded space. Go with a bunch of people and get everything on the menu. 

Food : 8/10

Service : 8/10

Damage: minimal 

Ellipsis

Rest : Ellipsis
Meal : Dinner
Loc : Colaba

First meal of the New Year, we broke with tradition and went for dinner instead of lunch and also ended up ditching our old spot Thai Pavilion on account of having been there too many times in the past year. 

It bit us.. it bit me anyway. 

Ellipsis has been around for a year or so now, i have been there a few times but never for a meal, always for drinks. They run a pretty good bar, expensive but then they dont scrimp on quality. 

The space is eclectic at best, dimly lit with a mish mash of seating, it certainly has the looks of a modern bistro, although i am weirded out with the excessive art on the walls.

The rationale behind the place was American cuisine with fresh produce sourced daily. Which means the menu is small and changes regularly. On paper, this is a fantastic idea and at the outset i think it works best for the carnivores than it does for vegetarians. 

The menu is divided into  Garden, Farm and Sea as well as a bunch of sides. The first thing i had ordered was a tomato flatbread which is actually part of their bar menu. It was excellent, like a rather thin pizza (but not Indigo Deli thin) 

The next thing was of course their version of the caprese. I think the cheese could have been a little fresher and it would have worked but a decent start. 

the risotto of various mushrooms was good, heavy as hell on the palate and in the system but no complaints. 

my original choice was going to be the fettucine marinara but i let myself be talked into the gnocchi. While the dish was good, chowderesque in taste, coupled with the risotto this was just too heavy in terms of a meal. 

i loved the oreo 'sandwich' fun little thing. 

Overall, i think their heart is in the right place but i don't think they have quite got the mix or the execution right. 

The veg side is very Italiacentric which in any case is better at other places. From a small plate/American perspective i think the The Table's California inspired menu set is far superior and better executed and makes for a better visit. (i was there the day before for a smashing lunch where not a single dish was disappointing) 

Also, i had a horrible case of acid reflux a few hours into the night with which i am struggling with even now, a week later. So all in all while the flavours were okay, getting sick isn't my preferred way of spending a night after dinner.

THe service was quick and friendly and the prices are certainly on the higher side.

Food : 6/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : 4000 without drinks.