Tuesday, November 11, 2008

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.




6 comments:

b said...

woww!! you actually go out and eat at all these places..??

Gaurav said...

Binal,

yeah i do. the wife and i both really like eating out and checking out new places, so it works out nicely.

now if i could only get paid to do this :)

b said...

he hee..contact some news channel. Zayka india ka part II..?? Anyway, I would have to say-nice hobby and the way you are bringing your hobby to us is further appreciable! Never end your blog!
I was just curious so am asking- do you work out-I mean some sort of exercise-jogging/walking/etc etc?

Gaurav said...

Binal,

well i like to eat but i cant recall how the blog started, it just did. been growing ever since.

i walk a few times a week otherwise id look like a balloon.

maybe i should ask all the visitors to donate a dollar???

thanks for visiting :)

Anonymous said...

One of my favourites....used to be able to direct people there but now Im sure Id get lost...there used to be a similar place but with an accent on south indian thalis in an old building just 3-4 doors away from Sterling Cinema. On the 4th floor...very insider place, mainly for a lunch...wonder if its still there.

Gaurav said...

hey,

i know what you are talking about, cant recall the name but i think its gone now.

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