Saturday, February 26, 2011

Not a Food Snob

I am a student, living with my parents in Bombay (ok, New Bombay). I have an allowance and all the produce at home is from the local vegetable guy. I don't have the luxury of buying organic foodstuffs because their price is just sky-high. I have to make do with the resources available to me.

In short, I guess what I am trying to say is that, I cannot afford to be a food snob. I use perfectly normal veggies and flour. So any kind of recipe which requires me to use blue-berries or any other berries, to pay for which I may have to sacrifice an arm and a leg, just gets adapted to fit what I have at home. 

So instead of golden syrup, which Nigella uses all the time. I just use honey and sugar syrup. I suspect it is something which tastes like a mixture of the two. 

No pecans? Use walnuts. 

Of course in India we don't get a million varieties of apples. Just two, red and green. So while baking anything which asks you to use smith apples, just use ones which a hard. The results will not be the same but close. 

Living on a budget also puts constraints on where I eat out. I mean I would love to frequent amazing restaurants which use A-grade ingredients, but I can't. Not all the time. So I like places which offer good food at a decent price. Though food is one thing I don't mind spending on, but Bombay can get extremely expensive and till I start earning such luxuries can wait. 

Where do you all eat? Any place you would like me to review or eat at?  

7 comments:

  1. Firstly, HM Khosla's Pani puri (at sector 17 Vashi near Navratna hotel) is epic. the secret is in his hands I say.
    But I think you should try Yazdani cafe at Fort. Its ancient. Known for Apple pies. But since I have never had apple pies apart from here, I don't know if it tastes like it should.
    Check it out and maybe we can try making it at home.

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  2. Yazdani is fantastic, but I'm not sure if they still do apple pies! If they do, I HAVE to try them soon!

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  3. @paro: HM Khosla is epic no doubt. I have to try lots of cafe's at fort. Maybe I will do an Irani cafe marathon one day with you. As for Apple pies. A lot of what I have had is basically apple cake sandwiched between passable pastry. Not real home-made apple pie. I will try Yazdani though.
    @S: hello! :D I will try them and write a review, it will be like you are here.

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  4. Cafe Moshe's near Gateway of India! The best cheesecake in the world!

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  5. Oh no. Moshe's. I know! I have to go there. Never found the time. I have to go there.

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  6. http://www.iranichaimumbai.com/

    Lots of them have closed down, like Bastani and Co. but a few like Brittania, Kyani, Yazdani, Army and Military are just hanging on. Koolar in Dadar (oh boy, their black irani chai! Their akuri! *groans*) is doing decently. Sunday morning breakfasts there, fuck man. Anyway, this website should give you a fairly comprehensive list, if you're looking for one.

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  7. S: thanks so much. I needed a list so I can plan a day or weekend around it. I have already been to Brittania and Kyani, but I obviously will go again. SO many people don't like to frequent these places as much. It is just old Parsi uncles and a few tourists who may have read about it.

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Go ahead! I am listening.