Pizza by the bay

So, J and I wanted to have the traditional Bombay dinner at Pizzeria sitting by tables overlooking Marine Drive. Our timing though was horrible. This section is now shut for renovation. We decided to go ahead and sit inside what was formerly Jazz by the Bay, but has now been renamed (repositioned?) as Pizza by the Bay.

I haven't been there before, so I can't write a before after piece. The interiors were white and blue and the place had a distinct corporate air. Such places tend to scare me, but with the thought of pizzas we moved on. We found a table for two.

A not here about the tables which seat two, they are rectangular and not square one would be used to and the length is longer than the breadth. So J and I had to sit at the far ends. After a few minutes he got up and moved closer to me (we were sitting on adjacent sides now). The staff promptly moved his plate and cutlery. (+1 to the service)

The menu according to BPB (Brown Paper Bag, no? Go to their website now!) hasn't changed much. I was ultra excited to see the Pizza Pot Pie section. Fellow TLC viewers would have seen the segment in Best Food Ever where they cover a Chicago joint which offers the best Pot Pies. Having seen the episode often, I have dreamt of having the pie.

But before I get to the mains I'll get to the starters. In true J and S fashion, we ordered Garlicky Potatoes (so I forgot what it was called but it is the usual spicy garlic potatoes.)

The serving was more than this, ok? We ate some before J reminded me about pictures. So they were chunky wedges which actually had grated garlic in the batter. It was yum and garlicky but I had to add a little salt on mine. The mayo alongside was nice according to J. The tomatoes with herbed perfectly and weren't limp. 

We next had the rissoto with parmesan, eggplant and zucchini. It was one of the first rissotos I had had which wasn't overtly drowning in sauce. The parmesan flavour was strong. I loved it. The zucchini and eggplant well done. It was so yum. Sigh!

Now the Pizza Pot Pie. It was served in the same manner as TLC (yay!). Excitement mounted. As we tried to cut a chunk we found a watery mess running out. We soldiered on. But well.. it was quite disappointing. It was called Great Balls of Fire.It wasn't spicy and the balls (chicken meatballs) weren't properly cooked. I think the watery mess was due to baking it with the tomatoes. I wonder why they had to add them if they already had tomato pesto in it. Anyhow it was a big disappointment. 

The food overall was great. The service better. I hope all the pot pies aren't like the one I had. 

Buttercupp Bakery

Ahmedabad is a nice city. Great infrastructure, nice places to eat, shop but it has one deficiency (apart from the lack of alcohol), this place doesn't have a nice cupcake place.

Forget a dedicated cupcake shop, not even one bakery that did cupcakes. Coming from Bombay with the convenience of Theobroma, Candies, 210's and Butterfly; this Gujju land was devoid of any cupcake happiness.

Till about two weeks ago.

Buttercupp: A Cupcake Shoppe was started by Amar and his wife. They flew down from the US to start this place. Not professional bakers, them, the wife (sorry, I didn't get her name) has done a baking course here and there but is an engineer by profession.

So, we (J and I) entered this place at 5 pm, and saw this:

Empty shelves, but you can see the Banana cupcake, can't you? Say hi!

empty shelves. 

Panicked we ordered 1 each of everything we saw; red velvet, oreo and banana bread. On enquiry we found that lemon cupcakes were on their way out and there was one last double chocolate dip. We ordered those as well. 

Lemony Love

So here goes,

Red velvet: the cake tastes nice. Though it could have been a nit more moist for me. The icing was nice, but it could have tasted more of cream cheese. 

Oreo: No one can ever go wrong with oreo. 

Banana Bread: Aah! These stole the show. Gorgeously moist, with the slight banana flavoured icing and the caramelised banana on top. *Sigh!* We had two of these. (It is nice how much J indulges me when it comes to food). 

Double Chocolate Dip: Oh so moist! our teeth go right through. With a light chocolate butter cream frosting, this on was chocolate heaven. 

Lemon: J and I love lemon. And it is so easy to go wrong with it. But this one was perfect. Not overtly sweet or lemony. 

The empty wrappers. Phone calls went unattended as we sat in silence for a minute savouring the  last crumbs. 

We ate six cupcakes while we were there. Took ten back to campus. Apparently, if you eat as much as we do, they throw in a lemon cupcake and also give u a discount.

So dear Ahmedawadis. Go there. Please! Go early. Call before you go, Amar will save some for you.

The cupcakes here vanish before you can say, "Wow!". Around 20 people would have walked in the 30 minutes we were there. They were met with empty shelves, but wait, no one goes back empty handed (or stomached). They make sure you get to have something or the other.

Here they are on Facebook show them some love. 

Veg Casserole

It is that time of the year again. When you want to snuggle into your quilt and watch movies all day long or sleep or well just not study. So I am jealous of all you people out there who do not have to write exams. 

To snuggle you need comfort food. This is when all your mac n cheese, soup pasta, french toast etc come of use. 

Here is another. That you can make and tuck away into your refrigerator to be warmed up and has with buttered bread. Presenting the casserole!

You can add whatever vegetables you want (chicken if you eat meat).

I have here: Green Bell Pepper, Broccoli, Carrots, Yellow Squash and Mushroom. 

You can also add: French Beans, Potatoes, Cauliflower and Zucchini. 

A very important component of a casserole is the cheese. I bought Cheddar from Go Cheese. It isn't at all expensive. The pack you see below is only Rs. 139 a quarter of what you would pay for the imported stuff. The cheese mixes beautifully into the sauce and it smooth and gorgeous.

So chop all the veggies, into bite sized pieces.

Boil the broccoli for 2 mins, saute the carrots in olive oil with basil and garlic.
Then add the bell peppers, saute more, ass the broccoli and the mushrooms.
Close and toss it around for a while till almost cooked.

Make a white sauce and add the cheese, so it becomes a beautiful liquid.

Layer the veggies as desired and pour the sauce on top. Make sure it goes all the way through.

Grate some (a lot) of cheese on top.

Cover and bake on 180 for well 30 minutes.

Then take it out, let it cool or like risk burning your tongue.

Cuddle up and enjoy.

What are your yummy cuddly winter treats? 

First date and first time at Indigo Deli

Hello beautiful people!

I feel so good typing out this post. I know this blog has been silent for a while, but PG had me swamped. I can't cook there and every time we go out to eat, we are so ravenous that the food disappears before it touches the table, so I have no time for pictures.

But, I am home for a week and have made plans to eat out and cook, so there shall be posts!

So, last night was my first date with him. And he took me out to Indigo Deli, Colaba. We didn't go for dinner, but reached around 6. The place is beautiful, with wooden furnishings, and amazing lighting. Very date like!

The menu is more than amazing. If you think vegetarians have not much of a choice there, relax! Because we do. Though limited the options are good and there is a variety.

We ordered an Oreo and Vanilla smoothie (for me) and a Peach Ice Tea (for him).
The smoothie was very good. "It hit a spot" according to him. The Oreo after taste was just right, not too overpowering. The Ice tea was good. You could taste the Peach in it.

We then ordered;

Charred asparagus, peppers and feta in whole wheat roomali roti with argula and tomato chutney. 
This dish tasted very good. The asparagus was well done, the feta complimented the lightly flavoured vegetables well, but the chutney tended to make the whole thing a little soggy. It was falling apart, but at one point the peppers squished down my chin.

On the whole, a very good dish. Plus it had feta!

Roasted vegetables, mushrooms, garlic, spinach and swiss cheese grilled in brown bread and tomato garlic chutney. 
The mushrooms overpowered the taste of the vegetables in this one. I hardly could taste the garlic. when I broke down the sandwich the individual components tasted good, but that isn't the point of a sandwich is it?

Roasted vegetable and cheddar quiche.
This quiche stole the show. Bards should sing about this. We both were rendered speechless after the first bite. So cheddar binds everything and elevates the taste of the vegetables to a whole new level of awesomeness. The crust! Oh my god the crust! After bearing the weight of such cheesy awesomeness it still managed to be crisp and light. It was amazingly flaky and buttery.

Lemon cheese pie.
The cheese was light and dense, I am guessing it was because of the egg whites they probably whipped into it. The lemon taste was the right amount of sour and sweet. The crust balanced the whole pie out perfectly. It was crumbly and beautiful.

Overall the whole experience was beautiful. The food and ambience amazing and the company even better.
I urge you all to go there, but it is on the expensive side.

Highly recommend it to guys who want to impress a foodie. It is definitely the way into her heart.

P.S  When I say "we ordered" I mean I ordered. ;)


P.P.S Sorry for the bad quality of the pictures. I didn't take me camera along, this is what my phone could do. 

What happens when you have to leave your city

I have not blogged for almost 3 weeks now. It feels weird. It wasn't intentional, no. I just couldn't help it.

I left Bombay on the 23rd of this month to start my PG at MICA. Before that it was just 2-3 weeks of whirlwind shopping, goodbyes, farewell lunches and dinners and baking.

I have been at MICA for a week now and have had absolutely no time to come online for more than 15 minutes. Our classes haven't started yet, but the orientation keeps us busy.

I baked a lot (thrice) in the 2 weeks before I left, my waistline is proof of that. Here is what I baked.

It was my sister's 17th birthday, so I decided to make something lavish. This cake is called a Rich Dark Chocolate cake. Why? It has 250 grams of dark chocolate in it. This cake means business. It is a round hunk like gouda and has no allusions of being spongy light.

To make it a but more jazzy I slathered the cake with a Cointreau sugar syrup. Which is just equal measures of sugar, water and cointreau. The icing is a white chocolate icing from here. I added 2 tbsps of Cointreau to it too! 

This is what the cake looked like after 10 minutes of being cut. 

I had promised a Khushi that I would bake cupcakes when she visited me, in exchange for a ballet performance. I baked 40 mini cupcakes. The cakes were Devil's Food Cake and the icing a white chocolate butter cream icing. 

Then came my friend's 21st. So I baked yet again, last time before leaving Bombay. This cake was also the Devil's Food Cake generously doused in the Cointreau sugar syrup and topped with a Cointreau butter cream. It was a big hit!

Any icing imperfections can be hid under chocolate shavings. I learnt that when I baked this.

There! That is what I baked. I will post again about what I was fed.

My first meal in Ahmedabad was also great. A yummy Gujju thali.

How have you all been? Any views on mess food? My mess is pretty amazing. 

Basil. Mushroom and Tomato Omlette or egg crepes.

We love eggs. Yes, we are an egg loving Tam Brahm family. I think we will very soon drop the Tam Brahm title because of our non Tam Brahm-ness.

It has been pouring in Bombay this past week and it makes the weather very gloomy and depressing. Stuck home you are left with nothing to do but while away your time in front of your laptop or the Tele. Then a sudden thought drifts into your mind. There are eggs in the fridge and mushrooms. So you jump up and head to the kitchen with a mission. Long forgotten is the humble roti subzi made for lunch. You are now whipping up something awesome, which will forever convert your omlette hating sister, who is now asleep.

One, bite down,she proclaims that this is the best omlette ever. And you modestly agree.

The pictures below were taken when I made the same omlette for breakfast. So here goes.

Ingredients:
3 tomatoes, chopped
5-6 big mushrooms, chopped
Basil (i use dried basil)
4 garlic pods chopped fine
butter or oil for sauteing
4 eggs
salt for seasoning

Chop up the tomatoes real fine. Like this:

Heat oil in a pan and let it become nice and hot.
Add the garlic an let it fry till it become fragrant. You can let it fry till golden, if you like.
Now add the basil and fry till you get that heady aroma of basil and garlic.
Now add the tomatoes and toss.

Did I say toss? Yes, I am a tosser now. I have taken the sage advice of Julia Child and have fearlessly tossed my way through this omlette. I suggest you do the same. And it is better if no one is watching, if you make a boo boo, you can always put it back in the pan.

Then add the chopped mushrooms and toss again.
Let the mixture simmer and cook till the tomatoes have cooked down and the water has evaporated.
You can add the salt now.

Beat your eggs nicely and add some milk if you like.

Heat oil or butter in a pan and pour some egg mixture and twist and turn the pan till it coats the pan evenly. Like this

Let the egg cook till the sides come off the pan.

Place the mushroom and tomato filling on one side very gently. Gently because I made my omlettes thin, so they were in danger of getting torn. Keep the gas on low while doing this, you can take your own sweet time and your omlette won't burn.

Now take a wooden spatula and gently start to lift up the other side. Fold it over the filling very gently.

Slide it onto a plate. Yes, slide not lift with a spatula or you will stand in danger of breaking the precious omlette.

Toast some bread. Butter it, my sister drowns her toast in butter. And enjoy.

You can add cheese to the filling. There wasn't any at home. The cheese will complement the filling and reduce the tartness of the tomatoes. I personally love the tomatoey taste, but you know, just in case you want to indulge and have a great figure.

I think this omlette qualifies to be a crepe. It is too thin to be an omlette and some omlette purists will kill me for this.

It is a great breakfast, lunch, dinner, mid-day snack, mid-night snack any time of the day food.

Enjoy and have a Happy Sunday! 

Here come the rains! Bring out the Bhajiyas.

It is here. The bombay monsoons. Love them, hate them they are an inextricable part of the Bombay experience. If you ever do come here you have experience the lashing wrath of the rain gods.

I dislike the rains. Mostly because it makes travelling very difficult. I had to travel 1.5 hours to reach college from home. As college was on the other side of the city I had no idea how much it was raining there. It could be pouring here and all sunshiny at college. So during monsoons we would get up and frantically call the hostelites and anyone who lived near college to assess the situation.

After all this tamasha too, we would have to bunk college or the government would declare a holiday and many days would be spent at home watching movies, reading, eating soup, bhajiyas and having chai. Or better still days are spent wearing old clothes being soaked to the bone eating roadside samosas which always taste better in the rains.

Now that I have waxed eloquent I will shut up and get it the point. Which is this.

Mirchi stuffed with potato masala bhajiyas. The thing to have this monsoon.

I wont bother with a proper recipe, because there isn't one.

Just mix mashed and boiled potatoes with salt, and red pepper (mirchi) powder and stuff it in the fat green chillies that are easily available these days.

Dip it in a paste of gram flour and deep fry.

Have it with ketchup, mint and coriander chutney or kasundi.

We have ours with kasundi, which is my dad's greatest discovery to date.

Kasundi is a bengali mustard sauce which is amazingly pungent and just yum.

So if you are stuck home this monsoon just have these look out your window. If you are lucky you may see the neighbouring guys playing football in the mud! ;)